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Project acronym AARTFAAC
Project Amsterdam-ASTRON Radio Transient Facility And Analysis Centre: Probing the Extremes of Astrophysics
Researcher (PI) Ralph Antoine Marie Joseph Wijers
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM
Summary Some of the most extreme tests of physical law come from its manifestations in the behaviour of black holes and neutron stars, and as such these objects should be used as fundamental physics labs. Due to advances in both theoretical work and observational techniques, I have a major opportunity now to significantly push this agenda forward and get better answers to questions like: How are black holes born? How can energy be extracted from black holes? What is the origin of magnetic fields and cosmic rays in jets and shocks? Is their primary energy stream hadronic or magnetic? I propose to do this by exploiting the advent of wide-field radio astronomy: extreme objects are very rare and usually transient, so not only must one survey large areas of sky, but also must one do this often. I propose to form and shape a group that will use the LOFAR wide-field radio telescope to hunt for these extreme transients and systematically collect enough well-documented examples of the behaviour of each type of transient. Furthermore, I propose to expand LOFAR with a true 24/7 all-sky monitor to catch and study even the rarest of events. Next, I will use my experience in gamma-ray burst followup to conduct a vigorous multi-wavelength programme of study of these objects, to constrain their physics from as many angles as possible. This will eventually include results from multi-messenger astrophysics, in which we use neutrinos, gravity waves, and other non-electromagnetic messengers as extra diagnostics of the physics of these sources. Finally, I will build on my experience in modelling accretion phenomena and relativistic explosions to develop a theoretical framework for these phenomena and constrain the resulting models with the rich data sets we obtain.
Some of the most extreme tests of physical law come from its manifestations in the behaviour of black holes and neutron stars, and as such these objects should be used as fundamental physics labs. Due to advances in both theoretical work and observational techniques, I have a major opportunity now to significantly push this agenda forward and get better answers to questions like: How are black holes born? How can energy be extracted from black holes? What is the origin of magnetic fields and cosmic rays in jets and shocks? Is their primary energy stream hadronic or magnetic? I propose to do this by exploiting the advent of wide-field radio astronomy: extreme objects are very rare and usually transient, so not only must one survey large areas of sky, but also must one do this often. I propose to form and shape a group that will use the LOFAR wide-field radio telescope to hunt for these extreme transients and systematically collect enough well-documented examples of the behaviour of each type of transient. Furthermore, I propose to expand LOFAR with a true 24/7 all-sky monitor to catch and study even the rarest of events. Next, I will use my experience in gamma-ray burst followup to conduct a vigorous multi-wavelength programme of study of these objects, to constrain their physics from as many angles as possible. This will eventually include results from multi-messenger astrophysics, in which we use neutrinos, gravity waves, and other non-electromagnetic messengers as extra diagnostics of the physics of these sources. Finally, I will build on my experience in modelling accretion phenomena and relativistic explosions to develop a theoretical framework for these phenomena and constrain the resulting models with the rich data sets we obtain.
Project acronym BABYLON
Project By the Rivers of Babylon: New Perspectives on Second Temple Judaism from Cuneiform Texts
Researcher (PI) Caroline Waerzeggers
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITEIT LEIDEN
Summary This project has the potential to radically change current understanding of cultic and social transformation in the post-exilic temple community of Jerusalem (c. 6th-4th centuries BCE), an important formative phase of ancient Judaism. "BABYLON" draws on recent, ground-breaking advances in the study of cuneiform texts to illuminate the Babylonian environment of the Judean exile, the socio-historical context which gave rise to the transformative era in Second Temple Judaism. In particular, these new data show that the parallels between Babylonian and post-exilic forms of cultic and social organization were substantially more far-reaching than presently recognized in Biblical scholarship. "BABYLON" will study the extent of these similarities and explore the question how Babylonian models could have influenced the restoration effort in Jerusalem. This goal will be achieved through four sub-projects. P1 will study the social dynamics and intellectual universe of the Babylonian priesthood. P2 will finalize the publication of cuneiform archives of Babylonian priests living in the time of the exile. P3 will identify the exact areas of change in the post-exilic temple community of Jerusalem. P4, the synthesis, will draw from each of these sub-projects to present a comparative study of the Second Temple and contemporary Babylonian models of cultic and social organization, and to propose a strategy of research into the possible routes of transmission between Babylonia and Jerusalem. The research will be carried out by three team members: the PI (P1 and P4), a PhD in Assyriology (P2) and a post-doctoral researcher in Biblical Studies specialized in the Second Temple period (P3 and P4). The participation of the wider academic community will be invited at two moments in the course of the project, in the form of a workshop and an international conference. "BABYLON" will adopt an interdisciplinary approach by bringing together Assyriologists and Biblical scholars for a much-needed dialogue, thereby exploding the artificial boundaries that currently exist in the academic landscape between these two fields.
This project has the potential to radically change current understanding of cultic and social transformation in the post-exilic temple community of Jerusalem (c. 6th-4th centuries BCE), an important formative phase of ancient Judaism. "BABYLON" draws on recent, ground-breaking advances in the study of cuneiform texts to illuminate the Babylonian environment of the Judean exile, the socio-historical context which gave rise to the transformative era in Second Temple Judaism. In particular, these new data show that the parallels between Babylonian and post-exilic forms of cultic and social organization were substantially more far-reaching than presently recognized in Biblical scholarship. "BABYLON" will study the extent of these similarities and explore the question how Babylonian models could have influenced the restoration effort in Jerusalem. This goal will be achieved through four sub-projects. P1 will study the social dynamics and intellectual universe of the Babylonian priesthood. P2 will finalize the publication of cuneiform archives of Babylonian priests living in the time of the exile. P3 will identify the exact areas of change in the post-exilic temple community of Jerusalem. P4, the synthesis, will draw from each of these sub-projects to present a comparative study of the Second Temple and contemporary Babylonian models of cultic and social organization, and to propose a strategy of research into the possible routes of transmission between Babylonia and Jerusalem. The research will be carried out by three team members: the PI (P1 and P4), a PhD in Assyriology (P2) and a post-doctoral researcher in Biblical Studies specialized in the Second Temple period (P3 and P4). The participation of the wider academic community will be invited at two moments in the course of the project, in the form of a workshop and an international conference. "BABYLON" will adopt an interdisciplinary approach by bringing together Assyriologists and Biblical scholars for a much-needed dialogue, thereby exploding the artificial boundaries that currently exist in the academic landscape between these two fields.
Project acronym BEAUTY
Project Towards a comparative sociology of beauty The transnational modelling industry and the social shaping of beauty standards in six European countries
Researcher (PI) Giselinde Maniouschka Marije Kuipers
Summary This project studies how beauty standards - perceptions of physical beauty in women and men - are socially shaped. It will focus on the transnational modelling industry, an institution centrally concerned with the production and dissemination of beauty standards. The project aims to develop a comparative sociology of beauty. By comparing beauty standards both within and across nations, it will identify central mechanisms and institutions through which such standards are developed and disseminated. In 4 subprojects this study investigates 1. How standards of female and male beauty are perceived, shaped, and disseminated by professionals in the transnational modelling field; 2. How female and male models perceive, represent and embody beauty standards in their work; 3. How female and male beauty has been portrayed by models in mainstream and high fashion magazines from 1980 till 2010; 4. How people of different backgrounds perceive female and male beauty, and how their beauty standards are related to the images disseminated in modelling. Each project will be done in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey and the UK. This project is innovative in several ways. It is the first comprehensive study of the social shaping of beauty standards. The 4 subprojects will result in an extensive account of production, products, and reception of a contested cultural industry. Moreover, this project draws together in novel ways theories about media, cultural production and taste formation; gender and the body; and globalization. The project will make a major contribution to the study of globalization: it studies a transnational cultural industry, and its comparative and longitudinal design allows us to gauge the impact of globalization in different contexts. Finally, the project is innovative in its comparative, multi-method research design, in which the subprojects will follow the entire process of production and consumption in a transnational field.
This project studies how beauty standards - perceptions of physical beauty in women and men - are socially shaped. It will focus on the transnational modelling industry, an institution centrally concerned with the production and dissemination of beauty standards. The project aims to develop a comparative sociology of beauty. By comparing beauty standards both within and across nations, it will identify central mechanisms and institutions through which such standards are developed and disseminated. In 4 subprojects this study investigates 1. How standards of female and male beauty are perceived, shaped, and disseminated by professionals in the transnational modelling field; 2. How female and male models perceive, represent and embody beauty standards in their work; 3. How female and male beauty has been portrayed by models in mainstream and high fashion magazines from 1980 till 2010; 4. How people of different backgrounds perceive female and male beauty, and how their beauty standards are related to the images disseminated in modelling. Each project will be done in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey and the UK. This project is innovative in several ways. It is the first comprehensive study of the social shaping of beauty standards. The 4 subprojects will result in an extensive account of production, products, and reception of a contested cultural industry. Moreover, this project draws together in novel ways theories about media, cultural production and taste formation; gender and the body; and globalization. The project will make a major contribution to the study of globalization: it studies a transnational cultural industry, and its comparative and longitudinal design allows us to gauge the impact of globalization in different contexts. Finally, the project is innovative in its comparative, multi-method research design, in which the subprojects will follow the entire process of production and consumption in a transnational field.
Project acronym BOYS WILL BE BOYS?
Project Boys will be boys? Gender differences in the socialization of disruptive behaviour in early childhood
Researcher (PI) Judit Mesman
Summary The aim of the proposed project is to shed light on early childhood gender-differentiated socialization and gender-specific susceptibility to parenting within families in relation to disruptive behaviour in boys and girls in the first four years of life. The popular saying boys will be boys refers to the observation that boys show more disruptive behaviours (e.g., noncompliance or aggression) than girls, a pattern that has been confirmed frequently in scientific research. There is also evidence that parents treat boys differently from girls in ways that are likely to foster boys disruptive behaviour, and that boys are more susceptible to problematic family functioning than girls. The crucial question is whether gender differences in socialization, susceptibility to socialization, and children s behavioural outcomes are also salient when the same parents are doing the parenting of both a boy and a girl. Within-family comparisons are necessary to account for structural differences between families. To this end, families with two children born 22-26 months apart will be recruited from the general population. To account for birth order and gender-combination effects, the sample includes four groups of 150 families each, with the following sibling combinations: girl-boy, boy-girl, girl-girl, and boy-boy. The study has a four-wave longitudinal design, based on the youngest sibling with assessments at ages 12, 24, 36, and 48 months, because gender differences in disruptive behaviour develop during the toddler years. Each assessment consists of two home visits: one with mother and one with father, including observations of both children and of the children separately. Parenting behaviours will be studied in reaction to specific child behaviours, including aggression, noncompliance, and prosocial behaviours.
The aim of the proposed project is to shed light on early childhood gender-differentiated socialization and gender-specific susceptibility to parenting within families in relation to disruptive behaviour in boys and girls in the first four years of life. The popular saying boys will be boys refers to the observation that boys show more disruptive behaviours (e.g., noncompliance or aggression) than girls, a pattern that has been confirmed frequently in scientific research. There is also evidence that parents treat boys differently from girls in ways that are likely to foster boys disruptive behaviour, and that boys are more susceptible to problematic family functioning than girls. The crucial question is whether gender differences in socialization, susceptibility to socialization, and children s behavioural outcomes are also salient when the same parents are doing the parenting of both a boy and a girl. Within-family comparisons are necessary to account for structural differences between families. To this end, families with two children born 22-26 months apart will be recruited from the general population. To account for birth order and gender-combination effects, the sample includes four groups of 150 families each, with the following sibling combinations: girl-boy, boy-girl, girl-girl, and boy-boy. The study has a four-wave longitudinal design, based on the youngest sibling with assessments at ages 12, 24, 36, and 48 months, because gender differences in disruptive behaviour develop during the toddler years. Each assessment consists of two home visits: one with mother and one with father, including observations of both children and of the children separately. Parenting behaviours will be studied in reaction to specific child behaviours, including aggression, noncompliance, and prosocial behaviours.
Project acronym COCO
Project The molecular complexity of the complement system
Researcher (PI) Piet Gros
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHT
Summary The complement system is a regulatory pathway in mammalian plasma that enables the host to recognize and clear invading pathogens and altered host cells, while protecting healthy host tissue. This regulatory system consists of ~30 large multi-domain plasma and cell-surface proteins, that act in concert through an interplay of proteolysis and complex formations on target membranes. We study the molecular events on membranes that ensure initiation and amplification of the response, protection of host cells and activation of immune responses leading to cell lysis, phagocytosis and B-cell stimulation. In the past few years, we have resolved the structural details of the large complement proteins involved in the central, aspecific labelling and amplification step; with recent data we revealed the structural basis of the assembly and activity of the protease complex associated with this step. These insights into the central aspecific reaction, and the experiences gained on working with these large multi-domain proteins and complexes, give us an excellent starting point to addres the questions of specificity, protection and activation of immune cells. The goal of the proposal is to elucidate the multivalent molecular mechanisms of recognition, regulation and immune cell activation of the complement system on target membranes. We will use protein crystallography and electron microscopy to study the interactions and conformational changes involved in protein complex formation, and (single-molecule) fluorescence to resolve the multivalent molecular events, the conformational states and transitions that occur on the membrane. The combined data will provide mechanistic insights into the specifity of immune clearance by the complement system. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of complement activation and regulation will be instrumental in developing more potent therapeutics to control infections, prevent tissue damage and fight tumours by immunotherapies.
The complement system is a regulatory pathway in mammalian plasma that enables the host to recognize and clear invading pathogens and altered host cells, while protecting healthy host tissue. This regulatory system consists of ~30 large multi-domain plasma and cell-surface proteins, that act in concert through an interplay of proteolysis and complex formations on target membranes. We study the molecular events on membranes that ensure initiation and amplification of the response, protection of host cells and activation of immune responses leading to cell lysis, phagocytosis and B-cell stimulation. In the past few years, we have resolved the structural details of the large complement proteins involved in the central, aspecific labelling and amplification step; with recent data we revealed the structural basis of the assembly and activity of the protease complex associated with this step. These insights into the central aspecific reaction, and the experiences gained on working with these large multi-domain proteins and complexes, give us an excellent starting point to addres the questions of specificity, protection and activation of immune cells. The goal of the proposal is to elucidate the multivalent molecular mechanisms of recognition, regulation and immune cell activation of the complement system on target membranes. We will use protein crystallography and electron microscopy to study the interactions and conformational changes involved in protein complex formation, and (single-molecule) fluorescence to resolve the multivalent molecular events, the conformational states and transitions that occur on the membrane. The combined data will provide mechanistic insights into the specifity of immune clearance by the complement system. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of complement activation and regulation will be instrumental in developing more potent therapeutics to control infections, prevent tissue damage and fight tumours by immunotherapies.
Project acronym CONTACTS
Project Traces of contact: Language contact studies and historical linguistics
Researcher (PI) Pieter Muysken
Host Institution (HI) STICHTING KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT
Summary This project aims to establish criteria by which results from language contact studies can be used to strengthen the field of historical linguistics. It does so by applying the scenario model for language contact studies to a number of concrete settings, which differ widely in their level of aggregation and dime depth: the languages of the Amazonian fringe in South America, the complex multilingual setting of the Republic of Suriname, the multilingual interaction of immigrant groups in the Netherlands, and two groups of multilingual individuals. New methods from structural phylogenetics are employed, and the same linguistic variables (TMA and evidentiality marking, argument realization) will be studied in the various projects. In the various projects, use will be made from a shared questionnaire, so that comparable data can be gathered. By applying the scenaio model at various levels of aggregation, a more principled link between language contact studies and historical linguistics can be established.
This project aims to establish criteria by which results from language contact studies can be used to strengthen the field of historical linguistics. It does so by applying the scenario model for language contact studies to a number of concrete settings, which differ widely in their level of aggregation and dime depth: the languages of the Amazonian fringe in South America, the complex multilingual setting of the Republic of Suriname, the multilingual interaction of immigrant groups in the Netherlands, and two groups of multilingual individuals. New methods from structural phylogenetics are employed, and the same linguistic variables (TMA and evidentiality marking, argument realization) will be studied in the various projects. In the various projects, use will be made from a shared questionnaire, so that comparable data can be gathered. By applying the scenaio model at various levels of aggregation, a more principled link between language contact studies and historical linguistics can be established.
Project acronym DAMAGE
Project DNA damage and the connection with cancer, premature aging and longevity
Researcher (PI) Jan Hendrik Jozef Hoeijmakers
Host Institution (HI) ERASMUS UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM ROTTERDAM
Summary We study DNA damage and genome stability and its impact on human health using nucleotide excision repair (NER) as paradigm. Patients with NER defects present a perplexing clinical heterogeneity ranging from extreme cancer predisposition to dramatic neurodevelopmental deficits. To elucidate the underlying mechanism we adopted an integral strategy from gene to patient and contributed to resolving the NER reaction in vitro and its dynamic organization in vivo, using molecular genetics, advanced life cell imaging and photobleaching. Mouse NER mutants revealed an unexpected link between DNA damage and (premature) aging, as strong as the DNA damage-cancer connection. We found a striking correlation between type/severity of the repair defect and degree of premature aging, with some mutants dying of aging in 3 weeks! Pathological and functional analysis and expression profiling confirmed that this is bona fide aging. Conditional mutants allowed targeting accelerated aging to specific organs/stages of development e.g. dramatic aging only in brain. Expression profiling revealed that short-lived repair mutants mount a survival response that attempts to extend lifespan by investing in defenses at the expense of growth. The ambitious objective of this multi-disciplinary proposal is to obtain an integral understanding of the biological/medical impact of DNA damage and the important survival response, with emphasis on rational-based prevention and intervention strategies for cancer and other aging-related diseases using the rapidly aging mouse mutants as tools. Triggering the survival response at adulthood is expected to postpone many aging-related diseases including cancer and to strongly improve quality of life at later age. We already identified compounds that influence rapid aging in mice and demonstrated the potency of the survival response to withstand ischemia reperfusion damage. Thus, this proposal addresses the major medical challenges faced by our society.
We study DNA damage and genome stability and its impact on human health using nucleotide excision repair (NER) as paradigm. Patients with NER defects present a perplexing clinical heterogeneity ranging from extreme cancer predisposition to dramatic neurodevelopmental deficits. To elucidate the underlying mechanism we adopted an integral strategy from gene to patient and contributed to resolving the NER reaction in vitro and its dynamic organization in vivo, using molecular genetics, advanced life cell imaging and photobleaching. Mouse NER mutants revealed an unexpected link between DNA damage and (premature) aging, as strong as the DNA damage-cancer connection. We found a striking correlation between type/severity of the repair defect and degree of premature aging, with some mutants dying of aging in 3 weeks! Pathological and functional analysis and expression profiling confirmed that this is bona fide aging. Conditional mutants allowed targeting accelerated aging to specific organs/stages of development e.g. dramatic aging only in brain. Expression profiling revealed that short-lived repair mutants mount a survival response that attempts to extend lifespan by investing in defenses at the expense of growth. The ambitious objective of this multi-disciplinary proposal is to obtain an integral understanding of the biological/medical impact of DNA damage and the important survival response, with emphasis on rational-based prevention and intervention strategies for cancer and other aging-related diseases using the rapidly aging mouse mutants as tools. Triggering the survival response at adulthood is expected to postpone many aging-related diseases including cancer and to strongly improve quality of life at later age. We already identified compounds that influence rapid aging in mice and demonstrated the potency of the survival response to withstand ischemia reperfusion damage. Thus, this proposal addresses the major medical challenges faced by our society.
Project acronym DEFCON1
Project A NEW DEFINITION OF CONSCIOUSNESS
Researcher (PI) Victor Albert Farid Lamme
Summary The study of consciousness is considered one of the final frontiers in science. After centuries of introspection, philosophy, and psychology it is thought that neuroscience will now answer the age-old questions like who is conscious, when, and what of. This will take more, however, than the current approach of finding the neural correlate of consciousness (NCC). We need a new science of consciousness. What is the problem? Behaviour is considered the gold standard of consciousness: when someone says he is conscious, he is, and when he says not, he isn t. But it is impossible to reliably gauge the presence or absence of conscious sensations from behaviour. We will always conflate consciousness with cognitive functions enabling the report, such as attention, working memory or language. Finding the NCC is doomed to fail. Instead, arguments from neuroscience should be allowed to reshape the definition of consciousness. Behavioural or introspective ideas may be a starting point, but ultimately, neural arguments should be allowed to overrule behavioural evidence. I will show how a new neuro-behavioural definition of consciousness can dissociate consciousness from cognition, explains key features of conscious experience, and allows us to understand consciousness at a much more fundamental level. Experiments in man and monkey will test essential predictions of the new definition of consciousness, using techniques such as intracortical recording, EEG, fMRI and pharmacological intervention, combined with psychophysics, learning paradigms or manipulations of consciousness. If these confirm the idea, the new definition of consciousness should be adopted. This means we are in for a change. The new definition of consciousness will move our notion of mind towards that of brain. The sacred first person perspective on consciousness has to be given up. What we may gain, however, is a much better science of consciousness.
The study of consciousness is considered one of the final frontiers in science. After centuries of introspection, philosophy, and psychology it is thought that neuroscience will now answer the age-old questions like who is conscious, when, and what of. This will take more, however, than the current approach of finding the neural correlate of consciousness (NCC). We need a new science of consciousness. What is the problem? Behaviour is considered the gold standard of consciousness: when someone says he is conscious, he is, and when he says not, he isn t. But it is impossible to reliably gauge the presence or absence of conscious sensations from behaviour. We will always conflate consciousness with cognitive functions enabling the report, such as attention, working memory or language. Finding the NCC is doomed to fail. Instead, arguments from neuroscience should be allowed to reshape the definition of consciousness. Behavioural or introspective ideas may be a starting point, but ultimately, neural arguments should be allowed to overrule behavioural evidence. I will show how a new neuro-behavioural definition of consciousness can dissociate consciousness from cognition, explains key features of conscious experience, and allows us to understand consciousness at a much more fundamental level. Experiments in man and monkey will test essential predictions of the new definition of consciousness, using techniques such as intracortical recording, EEG, fMRI and pharmacological intervention, combined with psychophysics, learning paradigms or manipulations of consciousness. If these confirm the idea, the new definition of consciousness should be adopted. This means we are in for a change. The new definition of consciousness will move our notion of mind towards that of brain. The sacred first person perspective on consciousness has to be given up. What we may gain, however, is a much better science of consciousness.
Project acronym DIRECTDELIVERY
Project Controlled fusion of liposomes and cells: a new pathway for direct drug delivery
Researcher (PI) Alexander Kros
Summary Inspired by the natural membrane fusion machinery, the aim of this research line is to design a synthetic analogue in order to: 1) Understand the process of the peptide-controlled fusion of two membranes at the atomic, molecular and mesoscopic level. 2) Developing a new generic method for the controlled delivery of any (bio)molecule directly into the cytoplasm of a cell thereby omitting endocytotic pathways. This new paradigm opens many new applications in the fields of functional proteomics, genomics and siRNA-technology. Studying, imitating and dissecting processes from Nature and applying the underlying principles has been highly successful approach for many years and opened up new lines of research and applications which were previously unimagineable. Examples are the aptamer and antibody technology. I will use this learning-from-Nature approach to design synthetic analogues of the membrane fusion machinery to create new functions and/or applications which are currently non-existent. Membrane fusion is a key process in all living cells as it facilitates the transport of molecules between and within cells. A primary mechanism by which molecules are conveyed to the appropriate location is to encapsulate them in liposomes that deliver the cargo by fusing with the lipid membrane of the target cell or compartment. I will use synthetic analogues of the membrane fusion machinery to induce the controlled fusion between 1) specific liposomes and 2) liposome-cell. This approach opens up a new paradigm for the direct introduction of (bio)molecule into the cytoplasm of living cells omitting the endocytotic pathways for which the applications are only limited by one s imagination.
Inspired by the natural membrane fusion machinery, the aim of this research line is to design a synthetic analogue in order to: 1) Understand the process of the peptide-controlled fusion of two membranes at the atomic, molecular and mesoscopic level. 2) Developing a new generic method for the controlled delivery of any (bio)molecule directly into the cytoplasm of a cell thereby omitting endocytotic pathways. This new paradigm opens many new applications in the fields of functional proteomics, genomics and siRNA-technology. Studying, imitating and dissecting processes from Nature and applying the underlying principles has been highly successful approach for many years and opened up new lines of research and applications which were previously unimagineable. Examples are the aptamer and antibody technology. I will use this learning-from-Nature approach to design synthetic analogues of the membrane fusion machinery to create new functions and/or applications which are currently non-existent. Membrane fusion is a key process in all living cells as it facilitates the transport of molecules between and within cells. A primary mechanism by which molecules are conveyed to the appropriate location is to encapsulate them in liposomes that deliver the cargo by fusing with the lipid membrane of the target cell or compartment. I will use synthetic analogues of the membrane fusion machinery to induce the controlled fusion between 1) specific liposomes and 2) liposome-cell. This approach opens up a new paradigm for the direct introduction of (bio)molecule into the cytoplasm of living cells omitting the endocytotic pathways for which the applications are only limited by one s imagination.
Project acronym EATINGBODIES
Project The eating body in Western practice and theory
Researcher (PI) Anne-Marie Mol
Summary Human bodies eat. But what does this entail? The proposed project will explore how the eating body is shaped in different Western practices. These will include nutritional research and health care clinics, sites that have a far-reaching impact on how we eat. Four related sub-projects will trace the most relevant contrasts: (1) the eating body's health: limiting calorie intake versus maximising satisfaction; (2) the eating body's sensitivity: on tasting in various practices; (3) the eating body and other eaters: on different ways of relating individual and collective; (4) the eating body and its environment: on absorbing food, excreting waste and different bodily boundaries. These four sub-projects will together inform an anthropology of the eating body in Western practices. A fifth sub-project will attend to the eater in theory . Eating may be ubiquitous in practice, but it is strikingly absent from theorising in the Western philosophical tradition. This has profound implications for social science repertoires, which tend to include an actor modelled on the neuromuscular body. This actor sees, hears, moves and manipulates, but does not eat. Drawing on what we learn about the eating body in the empirical parts of the study, the fifth sub-project will model the actor on the eater. Eaters do not observe from a distance, but are mixed up with their surroundings. They do not judge impartially, but appreciate their food as they destroy it. Their metabolic activity, distributed over every cell, does not depend on central control. The theoretical possibilities that follow, will be experimentally explored. Thus the project aims to substantially enrich the Western tradition by feeding it with lessons drawn from its own marginalised experiences.
Human bodies eat. But what does this entail? The proposed project will explore how the eating body is shaped in different Western practices. These will include nutritional research and health care clinics, sites that have a far-reaching impact on how we eat. Four related sub-projects will trace the most relevant contrasts: (1) the eating body's health: limiting calorie intake versus maximising satisfaction; (2) the eating body's sensitivity: on tasting in various practices; (3) the eating body and other eaters: on different ways of relating individual and collective; (4) the eating body and its environment: on absorbing food, excreting waste and different bodily boundaries. These four sub-projects will together inform an anthropology of the eating body in Western practices. A fifth sub-project will attend to the eater in theory . Eating may be ubiquitous in practice, but it is strikingly absent from theorising in the Western philosophical tradition. This has profound implications for social science repertoires, which tend to include an actor modelled on the neuromuscular body. This actor sees, hears, moves and manipulates, but does not eat. Drawing on what we learn about the eating body in the empirical parts of the study, the fifth sub-project will model the actor on the eater. Eaters do not observe from a distance, but are mixed up with their surroundings. They do not judge impartially, but appreciate their food as they destroy it. Their metabolic activity, distributed over every cell, does not depend on central control. The theoretical possibilities that follow, will be experimentally explored. Thus the project aims to substantially enrich the Western tradition by feeding it with lessons drawn from its own marginalised experiences.


When I was little, whenever I would go shopping with my Mom at the mall, we would always stop by the candy counter in one of the stores and buy a couple of truffles to enjoy. There were so many delicious options, but the ones that we found ourselves drawn to time and time again were the key lime, and lemon cream. One time the woman at the counter said to us, "You know those are really tart! I can't handle them!" But we loved that about them! I guess it runs in our family because my Mom and Grandma both loved tart lemon and lime desserts and passed that onto me. I mean, what is a key lime pie, or lemon meringue pie without the tart and too much sweet?! That is why now when I make those things or anything with lemon or lime for that matter, it has to be a bit tart to balance out the sweet. So, last weekend I decided to make some lemon white chocolate truffle eggs and I wanted them to be packed with delicious lemon flavor!
I have made berry cream eggs, mint cream eggs, hazelnut truffle eggs, peanut butter eggs, and vegan Butterfinger eggs, but never any lemon or lime ones. And, it was about time. It just sounded really good to me, because I had citrus on hand and I was thinking about those truffles I enjoyed as a child. I wanted the filling to be luscious, so I combined cacao butter, cashew butter and coconut butter for a heavenly white chocolate base. Trust me, it makes the most creamy dreamy concoction once it has firmed up to the proper consistency. I mixed in plenty of lemon in both the form of lemon juice and zest, and a touch of vanilla and it was so good! I formed it into little egg shapes once it had cooled and it was ready for its coating. I thought about dipping it in more white chocolate but decided on dark chocolate instead for more of a contrast, and because dark chocolate is amazing with lemon.
They turned out so cute! Filled chocolate eggs are my all time favorite Easter candy treat (well obviously judging by the ones I mentioned earlier in this post)! These are heavenly! Sweet tart lemon white chocolate cream and decadent dark chocolate! I would be so happy if I got these in my Easter basket! If you are a lemon fan too, give these a try! What is your favorite Easter candy treat?
Combine all of the white chocolate ingredients but the lemon zest and juice over a double boiler, and whisk until smooth.
Whisk the lemon zest, juice, and turmeric into the white chocolate until well combined. Place in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes until it is firm enough to scoop. Scoop into 8 balls, rolling them with your hands and shaping them into eggs. Place on a parchment lined tray, and place back into the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.


text:
Q: Внутренний отступ DIV css Есть блок div, размером 1024px.
В нем 5 блоков.
Блоки нужно отобразить так, чтобы между ними был внутренний отступ, но по краям (левый, правый) - не было. Т-е граница с блоком родителя была на одном уровне.
A: Например.
1. text-align: justify;

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li {
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Washington, DC - The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has launched a clinical trial of a vaccine candidate intended to prevent Zika virus infection. The early-stage study will evaluate the experimental vaccine's safety and ability to generate an immune system response in participants.
At least 80 healthy volunteers ages 18-35 years at three study sites in the United States, including the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, are expected to participate in the trial. Scientists at NIAID's Vaccine Research Center (VRC) developed the investigational vaccine — called the NIAID Zika virus investigational DNA vaccine — earlier this year.
Other study sites include the Center for Vaccine Development at the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Institute for Global Health in Baltimore, and Emory University in Atlanta. Initial safety and immunogenicity data from the Phase 1 trial are expected by January 2017. If results show a favorable safety profile and immune response, NIAID plans to initiate a Phase 2 trial in Zika-endemic countries in early 2017.
For more information about the early-stage clinical trial, see Questions and Answers: Phase 1 Clinical Trial of NIAID Zika Virus Investigational DNA Vaccine, and ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier NCT02840487).


Community Christian School is an independent Christian school, governed by an Association of members. Directors of the Board are elected members from this Association, and conduct the affairs and business of the Association in a manner to justly represent the interdenominational character of the Community Christian School Association.
The Board, having been given this trust, makes policy decisions necessary to operate the school. The Board's task is to assess and oversee the vision, goals, and operation of the school, to make policy decisions, and to appoint staff members and set out their duties.
We invite you to click the button below to email us or call (613) 821-3669.


Q. Share your first recollection of using a firearm. How old were you and who taught you how to shoot?
A. I certainly remember it! It was in the small, one-point range in the basement of my grandfather's gun shop in lower Manhattan. The gunsmith said "Hey kid, let me teach you how to shoot." I remember putting on the safety glasses and being slightly apprehensive about pulling the trigger. I was seven or eight years old.
Great story and ever greater rifle. Best looking rifle ever made. I have not bought one yet, but drool over the lever action 22.cal., octogan barrel Henry.
I prefer the lever action. I use lever action(30-30) when I go Deer Hunting.
Great articles. I have a 357 Henry and love shooting it. Shoots well and is a beautiful rifle !!
Great Magazine. Great rifles. I have 4 Henry 22LR rifles, one being a Silver Eagle. My favorite is my Long Ranger in .243. Man, that is one sweet shooting gun.
Keep up the good work and thanks for being Made in America!
Where is the best place to eat in NYC. And what is your favorite firearm?
PS. Thanks for making great American made firearms.
Best restaurant in NY is?


text:
Dr. Heather Horton
About Dr. Heather Horton
Dr. Heather A. Horton specializes in Medieval and Renaissance art and architectural history, especially the works of the pivotal writer and architect Leon Battista Alberti. Horton earned her Ph.D. from the Institute of Fine Arts at NYU. She is a frequent guest lecturer at The Cloisters Museum and has taught art history at New York University, The City University of New York, and Purchase College; currently she teaches art and design at Pratt Institute.
Venice's watery streets inspired generations of painters, while its port supplied them with pigments and oils.
A-level: Venetian art, an introduction
by Dr. Heather Horton
Quiet and meditative, two kneeling shepherds set the painting's tone—and allow the viewer to join them in worship.
Giorgione, The Adoration of the Shepherds
by Dr. Heather Horton and Dr. Mark Trowbridge
Venetian art, an introduction
Three ancient Roman forms combine to bring the grandeur of classical architecture into a Christian context.
Leon Battista Alberti, Sant'Andrea in Mantua

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
census, citizenship question, counterintelligence, elections, kompromat, Mueller investigation, Mueller Report, Putin, Russian hacking, vote fraud, vote manipulation, voter suppression
This week ABC News aired an interview in which Trump stated that he saw nothing wrong with accepting campaign help from a foreign power and no reason to inform the FBI if that happened. Fox News immediately rushed to defend Trump with Sean Hannity declaring that it was "another round of fake, phony, moral selective outrage over that interview but it's the perfect setup…that was a genius setup because the media mob will fall right into his trap breathlessly spewing fake, phony outrage over a non-story for days…" Senate Republicans then killed a bill introduced by Mark Warner (D-VA) that would have explicitly made accepting foreign help for election campaigns a crime.
It's time to step back from this latest rotting tree and see the whole malignant forest that the Trump administration has become as it spreads across America's political landscape like an incurable MRSA infection.
We have a president who remains strangely, but indisputably, deferential to Russia and Vladimir Putin and whose election campaign had Russian help. Whether Russian meddling tipped the election may be debatable, but there is no real question that Trump and his team both invited Russian help ("Russia, if you're listening…") and were quite eager ("I love Wikileaks!") to accept it when it was offered and delivered. Upon hearing in June 2016 that the Russians wanted to meet about "documents and information that would incriminate Hillary", Don Jr. enthusiastically emailed "if it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer." [emphasis added] That last phrase, which oddly has received little attention, certainly seems like a suggestion for when Russian-provided dirt would do the most good.
According to the Mueller Report, Paul Manafort instructed Rick Gates in April or May 2016 to send internal Trump campaign polling data to Konstantin Kilimnik, a Ukrainian/Russian associate of Manafort who was still working for Russian intelligence. Gates continued to send polling data to Kilimnik even after Manafort left the campaign in August. Also according to the report, Manafort briefed Kilimnik about polling data and the campaign's strategy focusing on the "battleground states" of Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota. Mueller shed no light on exactly what the Russians did with that information, but his report details a massive cyber operation to disseminate disinformation via social media and to publish potentially embarrassing material stolen by hacking the DNC and Clinton campaign.
Mueller's failure to connect these and many other data points remains maddening and difficult to explain. But whether or not there was the direct coordination required to establish the crime of conspiracy, and whether or not there was an agreed quid pro quo, the fact that there have been so many highly unusual contacts with Russians by Trump and his team both before and after the election leaves little doubt that Russian help for the Trump campaign was more than just a coincidence. Add to that their failure to disclose such contacts and outright lies told when they were uncovered by the press, and it establishes a legitimate basis for suspicion that Trump and others in his entourage have been compromised. Yet that counterintelligence aspect of the Mueller investigation is completely absent from the published report. The House Intelligence Committee has issued a subpoena to DOJ for documents and materials related to this part of the investigation, but so far AG Barr has refused to comply.
Trump's behavior in office has only added to such suspicions. There were the one-on-one meetings with Putin with no other Americans present (except an interpreter in some cases) of which no official record appears to exist. There was the Oval Office meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister and Ambassador (again, with no other Americans present), which was disclosed only after it appeared in Russian media. There was the press conference with Putin in Helsinki where Trump publicly accepted Putin's denial of interference in US elections–contrary to both the conclusions of the US Intelligence Community and, later, the Mueller Report. Just this week there was the incident in the East China Sea where a Russian naval ship narrowly missed colliding–apparently deliberately–with a US Navy ship. Not a peep of protest has been heard from the White House about that, though Trump has tweeted about every other imaginable subject and his government seems eager to seize on any pretext to incite a war with Iran.
Perhaps more important and beneficial to Moscow has been Trump's willful destruction of faith in US commitment to its democratic allies–particularly NATO–and gratuitous insults to allied democratic leaders, all the while snuggling up to the likes of Duterte, Viktor Orban, Kim Jong-un, and of course Putin. Under Trump, American foreign policy has switched from strong support for the European Union to indifference or even hostility, with Trump enthusiastically cheering for Brexit and providing at least tacit support for Nigel Farage and other right-wing nationalist European politicians. Weakening NATO and breaking up the EU have been long-term Russian strategic goals, and Putin could scarcely have imagined hitting such a jackpot, even though Congress has prevented Trump from dropping US economic sanctions as he attempted to do immediately after taking office. Even Trump's "trade war" with China has redounded to Russia's economic and geopolitical benefit, as Russian agricultural exports to China have surged to the detriment of US farmers.
So how does one explain doing so many things that subvert US economic and foreign policy interests, threaten painfully constructed strategic alliances, and flout national security procedures, while simultaneously advancing Russian interests? There really is no benign explanation. It's not necessary to know exactly what kind of kompromat the Kremlin has on Trump in order to see its result.
Meanwhile, the central issue of the Mueller investigation–continuing Russian interference in US elections and what to do about it–remains almost completely unaddressed. Trump's position on this can be summed up as: "It's a hoax and never happened." According to the New York Times, former Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen was warned not to even broach the subject with Trump, even though Russian penetration of the US electoral machinery is now known to be far more extensive than has been acknowledged by the administration.
Yet there is still no US government task force to find ways to counter hacking of voter databases and machinery for vote recording and tabulation. Our decentralized system is controlled by state and local agencies which lack the sophistication and resources to foil skilled hackers. Several bills have been drafted (almost entirely by Democrats) to institute measures to safeguard the country's electoral apparatus against malign manipulation, but the Republican leadership in the Senate–specifically Mitch McConnell–has blocked them from being introduced for debate and vote. The question then is cui bono or who benefits? One obvious answer is Trump. But almost certainly the other beneficiary will be the entire Republican party, which has based its future largely on targeted voter suppression. If Russian hackers can help with that, why should Republicans do anything to stop it?
Thanks to the electoral college, it doesn't take much to alter a presidential election. The 2016 vote wasn't really all that close–Hillary Clinton got 3 million more votes than Trump–but Trump won the electoral vote by a margin of only 77, 742 votes cast in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. In 2000, George W. Bush also lost the popular vote, but a mere 537 votes in Florida gave Bush the electoral college victory (after the conservative-controlled Supreme Court stopped the recount). How hard would it be for Russian hackers (or ones from somewhere else) to affect the result in "battleground" states just enough to tip the balance? And would we even know if it happened?
Doing that wouldn't necessarily require anything so crude as altering the vote count (although that remains a possibility). Altering voter databases to remove selected categories of legitimate voters who show up at the polls only to discover that there are problems with their registration would be much easier. Such a tactic would supplement domestic Republican efforts to purge voter rolls already deployed with considerable success. In Georgia, for example, Brian Kemp defeated Stacy Abrams for governor by only 54, 723 votes–a margin of 1.4%. As Georgia's Secretary of State, Brian Kemp headed the office charged with overseeing the state's elections, which since 2010 had "purged upwards of 1.4 million voters from the rolls, including more than 660,000 Georgians in 2017 and almost 90,000 [in 2018]. Many of those voters found their registration canceled because they had not voted in the previous election." As elsewhere, the suppression efforts were mostly targeted against African-American voters.
We now know that the voter registration systems of at least two Florida counties were penetrated by Russian hackers during the 2016 election. Florida has been critical in every presidential election of this century, and was won by Trump by only 112,911 votes or a margin of 1.2% after going for Obama in 2008 and 2012. Then-Governor Rick Scott also engaged in voter suppression and purges, and then won a US senate seat in 2018 by 10,023 votes (a 0.13% margin) in an election that went to a manual recount. In that same election, current Republican Governor Ron DeSantis defeated his Democratic opponent Andrew Gillum by only 32,463 votes (0.4%). which also triggered a recount. Of course, recounts reveal nothing about how many people were prevented from voting because of "irregularities" in the registration rolls and other tactics such as reduced early voting days and closing selected polling places. Moreover, if Russian (or other) hackers had messed with voter rolls, how many local county election officials have the capacity to detect that or prevent it from occurring? This administration simply doesn't care.
The panoply of voter suppression measures in state after Republican-controlled state across the country dovetails perfectly with the current administration effort to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census form. While adding such a question may sound innocent enough at first glance, there is clear evidence that it would significantly reduce compliance with the census particularly in areas with large immigrant populations, both legal and undocumented, which also tend to vote strongly Democratic. Surveys have shown that immigrants fear that such information would be used by the government to target them for deportation or other forms of harassment and discrimination. That likelihood has risen sharply because of the anti-immigrant actions and rhetoric of the Trump administration. The result would be a much larger undercount of the population in those areas–such as South Florida, South Texas, Southern California, and major metropolitan areas throughout the country. This would hurt the Democrats and help the Republicans by falsely reducing the official population of districts that generally favor Democrats, which could have a major impact when congressional and state legislature district boundaries are redrawn based on the 2020 census data.
Accurate census data is critical to federal, state, and local government because it forms the basis for political districting and allocation of government resources, affecting almost all aspects of American life. If certain areas are not counted fully, then they are disadvantaged compared to other districts where there is little or no undercount. The Census Bureau has long struggled to reduce the undercount of marginalized populations such as homeless, urban and rural poor (especially minorities), and immigrants. What is different now is that the Trump administration has deliberately introduced a measure that it knows will increase the undercount. We know that because documentary evidence has emerged of policy discussions between top Commerce Department officials and the late Thomas Hofeller, a Republican political operative and gerrymandering guru, in which the goals, methods, and rationalizing arguments were openly discussed. This issue will be decided by the Supreme Court, and this decision will show just how politicized the Court has become.
What all this adds up to is a concerted attack on the integrity and credibility of US elections–not just by Russia, but by Trump and the Republican party. The GOP knows that the demographic tide is against them, but it's committed to a message aimed mainly at white voters in non-urban areas. But that base is shrinking as the country's ethnic complexion changes. The Republican response is to double down on frightening–and thereby mobilizing–its white base, and deploying a metastasizing set of voter suppression instruments to help it hold on power with a minority of voters. And it is working. The courts may strike down one trick or another, but each case takes time and there is always another one to deploy while the Democrats play whack-a-mole. If the Russians do something that helps keep Trump and his party in power, one or two Republicans may shed a few crocodile tears, but they're certainly not going to do anything to stop them.
Meanwhile, Putin can check off one more item on his wish list: destroying America's faith in its electoral system.
From → Corruption, Foreign Policy, Government and Taxes, national security, Politics
« The Willful Blindness of the Supremes
So Why Is It That a President Can't Be Indicted?? »


if all the members have the same grib codes, as 7,100,500 ... no way.
> I just modified "zdef 1 linear 500 500" for consistency.
> So far so good. I'm proudly plotting all timesteps of the variable.
> gives fcst+0, -0, +1, -1, etc. for all the 12 members.
> Unfortunately I'm not able to extract the members from the grib.
> Anyone has a control file or a suggestion how to do it?


Valossa claims its AI-powered video search engine can find movies based on people's descriptions and results are up ten times more effective than current commercial movie services.
Looking for that movie where Sean Connery wears red trousers? Or romantic comedies set in Hawaii? Finnish startup Valossa offers a new way to find video content with a combination of voice control and deep content analysis.
Talking to a device is no longer a sign of frustration. Voice control first appeared on our smartphones and now is increasingly used to search for movie and TV content on our Smart TVs and set-top boxes. However it is not a tech industry giant but a 10-person startup from Finland, Valossa, that claims to have taken voice-operated video searches to a whole new level.
The company's flagship product, video search engine titled 'Valossa Search', enables users to find video content using complex, descriptive natural language queries.
Behind this search prowess is Valossa's artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology. It analyses the contents of a video file or a live stream using a combination of language and pattern recognition. The service can identify over one thousand concepts, including places, people, emotions and objects, and turn them into searchable data. Welcome news to anyone who struggles to remember movie titles.
"Video search engines traditionally rely on metadata [such as keywords and names] that has been manually added by people. Our technology can automatically find descriptive terms, the metadata, from video content without any kind of human interaction," Hulkko says.
According to Valossa's tests, its search engine can be as much as 10 times more effective in finding movies based on people's descriptions than current commercial movie services, including the likes of Youtube Movies and Amazon Prime Instant Video.
While Valossa was officially founded only in October, it is built on strong roots. The technology is based on years of research by company CEO Mika Rautiainen at the University of Oulu in Northern Finland. This work culminated in a successful analysis of over 300 000 live digital TV broadcasts for Finnish national broadcaster Yle.
Valossa's voice-controlled video search supports not only descriptive, but continuous queries. A question like 'show me nonviolent movies with animals' can be followed by saying 'only the ones with elephants'.
Now Valossa believes the time is right to take its search engine into commercial use. The startup has its sights set on video content providers, on-demand services and device manufacturers – especially in the US.
The startup says it is currently in discussions with a few major companies regarding the implementation of Valossa Search, but cannot yet reveal any names. As Hulkko puts it, entering a new market is a dance where the big players lead and a small company has to choose its steps carefully.
It seems Valossa has chosen its steps well. The company started its US-expansion by winning the Silicon Valley based Start Pitch competition in October and in December secured 650 000 US dollars in seed funding from Butterfly Ventures and Finnish angel investors.
Although voice-controlled video search is Valossa's main product, it is not the only card in the company's pocket. Namely Valossa is working on real-time content analysis and cooperation with advertising technology companies for contextual advertising.
"What we are planning now is analysis of live TV broadcasts where we automatically recognise key terms from the live feed. This means we can link relevant ads into the video content or we can produce descriptive metadata for interested parties," Hulkko explains.
Constant development of new features is key for Valossa. Hulkko believes the need for innovative voice-powered technologies will only grow as augmented reality and smart glasses, which lack traditional touch interfaces, slowly become part of our everyday lives.
In the future according to Valossa, there will be nothing strange about speaking to the devices around us. And if they work as well at the company promises we can believe that.


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Sounds like Beck's "final chapter" was written by Ann Coulter
Reactionary Ann Coulter used to employ a method of making more and more outrageous and absurd statements about the left, always trying to outdo herself and becoming a self-parody in the process. Last week News Corp, parent company of the Fox propaganda channel, announced that last Friday would be the beginning of Glenn Beck's "final chapter." Employing his trademark paranoid style, Beck is claiming that Obama is the "first" American emperor; and "they" are prepared to "kill 25 million Americans." This is a continuation of Glenn Beck going the extra yard to garner media attention which in the past has lead to more viewers, better ratings, more followers, more book sales and more money for Glenn Beck. Last February, his hysterical rantings about the Egyptian uprising also got the attention of mainstream, adult conservatives, who may have pressured Fox president, Roger Ailes, into transitioning Beck off his 5:00 slot before he did more damage to the conservative cause.
Listen to these absurd claims via Media Matters for America:
Beck has made the false claim that Obama is the first American emperor in the past, and the bogus claim been debunked here because it was a senior George Bush advisor who declared to the political scientists that "we're an empire now." Apparently Beck counts upon his audience not being well informed which they are if they watch Fox. To Beck's audience, none of this is absurd; and that is disconcerting. To consider that millions of Americans are taken in by the idiocy of Beck's retro-John Birch Society shtick is sad and disheartening.
Extreme, absurd & fresh just as absurd but old hat
Shaua Theel of the liberal media watchdogs, Media Matters for America, adds the following:
The "Final Chapter" of Glenn Beck's Fox News run kicked off Friday with Beck warning that a plot to "collapse the system," "redistribute the wealth," and create an Obama-centered empire was based on a willingness to kill "25 million Americans."
Fox News announced weeks ago that Beck "intends to transition off his daily program" on Fox News. Earlier this week, News Corp. announced that the "Final Chapter" of Beck's Fox News show would begin Friday.
That chapter of the Glenn Beck saga began with Beck claiming that he is leaving Fox to transition from "preaching to the choir" into getting "involved" in stopping the "nefarious plans" of progressives.
Setting the stage, the final chapter chalkboard revealed that all the same demons continue to haunt Beck: magnets representing the "radicals" whom "Obama has surrounded himself with" -- Richard Trumka, Andy Stern, Van Jones, George Soros, Samantha Power, Cass Sunstein, Stephen Lerner, and The Tides Foundation -- populated every corner of the chalkboard.
Beck warned his audience of the dangers posed by the "true revolutionaries" on his chalkboard, who support communism and the "redistribution of wealth," and by "people like George Soros" who want to "collapse the system." ,,, This is not atypical -- in fact it is a hallmark of Beck's show to suggest violence is originating from "the left" and to then beg his audience to resist.
After all, when Beck tearfully announced his 9-12 Project, he told his Fox News audience, "They don't surround us; we surround them." Months later, he amped up the paranoia, proclaiming, "Shoot me in the head if you try to change our government -- I will stand against you, and so will millions of others."
At one point Friday night, Beck said that it was "getting boring" to demonize the "same people," raising the question as to just how much longer this transition will be supported by Fox News.
So long as this transition continues we will continue to watch with awe and dismay the theater of the absurd known as the Glenn Beck show on the Fox propaganda channel. Sadly, the damage Beck is doing to the political discourse in the United States will take a generation to fix. Even then, stupid people will still believe the stupid and deceitful claims that Beck has spouted over the last 27 months. Beck is not a stupid man, but many of the ideas his followers swallow are dumb, absurd and dangerous for our political order. Beck's departure from Fox cannot come soon enough. That Beck was allowed to spout his nonsense and purposely and deceitfully divide the people of the United States during two wars and an economic recession is an indictment of Fox, a channel of misinformation, lies and right-wing propaganda.
Labels: Glenn Beck, killing Americans, Obama, U.S. is an empire
Glenn Beck|killing Americans|Obama|U.S. is an empire|
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Q: Gravity-forms How to dynamically pass the total of the two fields as a dynamic value to the third field I have a form with a quantity field which I want to dynamically populate with the total of the values from the text input field that the user enters.
Want to know if this is achievable in gravity-forms... I can't really find any reference to this.
So as the user enters a numeric value in the text fields, before the form submission I want to calculate the sum of those numbers and display it as a total quantity.
I have set the quantity field to populate dynamically but don't know how to retrieve the user input and pass it to quantity field.
Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.


On a bright spring day in Amsterdam, car buffs stepped inside a blacked-out warehouse to nibble on lamb skewers and sip rhubarb cocktails courtesy of Lynk & Co., which was showing off its new hybrid SUV.
That's the master plan of billionaire Li Shufu, who has catapulted from founding Geely Group as a refrigerator maker in the 1980s to owning Volvo Cars, British sports carmaker Lotus, London Black Cabs and the largest stake in Daimler AG—the inventor of the automobile. Li is spearheading China's aspirations to wedge itself among the big three of the global car industry—the U.S., Germany and Japan—so they become the Big Four.
We've seen this movie before from China—in the smartphone industry. The nation used the shift in technology from basic flip phones to hand-sized computers to dominate the manufacturing industry, trouncing then-dominant makers from Finland, Sweden, the U.S., Japan and Germany.
Last year, three of the top five smartphone handset makers in the world were Chinese, according to Gartner Inc.
The most prolific buyer is Li, who spent almost $13 billion on stakes in Daimler and truckmaker Volvo. Tencent Holdings Ltd., Asia's biggest internet company, paid about $1.8 billion for 5 percent of Tesla.
To juice those batteries, Chinese companies are leading the way in securing necessary raw materials like cobalt and lithium. Chinese companies make about 60 percent of the world's refined cobalt, according to trading firm Darton Commodities Ltd.
The Chinese government sees EVs as its best chance to seize global leadership in an emerging powertrain technology. Cleaning the notoriously smoggy air and reducing a dependency on foreign petroleum are bonuses.
China, already the world's biggest vehicle market, overtook the U.S. as No. 1 for EVs in 2015. This week's Beijing auto show will feature 174 EV models, with 124 of them developed domestically. China's knack for speedy adaptation has put the country in a position to lead the auto industry in new technologies, Toyota Motor Corp.'s China Chief Executive Officer Kazuhiro Kobayashi said.
Western companies dominated for almost a century because they refined the internal-combustion engine. The electric motor threatens to erase that disadvantage, said Hu Xingdou, an economics professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology.
First in the blocks is Li, a 54-year-old former photographer who started his career with 2,000 yuan from his father and now has a net worth estimated at about $12 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Communist China, practicing American capitalism and European socialism, has become a major player in the global economy.
While the European world (West) developed the internal combustion engine, China now feels that this technology will age and be replaced with electric power; thus, they rightly assume all nations are on the same starting line.
Many ask, where will it all lead? The simple truth is: freedom, security, and global prosperity. It is remarkable that communist China is not involved in any "foreign wars"; instead, they are able to quickly develop products that the world needs and wants.
But there is more; the previous geopolitical boundaries are being erased. Merchandise is king.


A 5-minute full dome tribute to Apollo 11– featuring many timeless animations from Mirage 3D. For planetariums and fulldome theatres.
Arguably, the Apollo 11 Moon landing 50 years ago was one of the most significant and historic events of the 20th century. Dreamed about for 2,000 years, it became reality on July 20, 1969 when Neil Armstrong took that stunning step onto another world.
The immersive Planetarium production "A 50th Anniversary Tribute to Apollo 11" will re-live the impactful day and take a look at what future space explores might come to expect in the next 50 years!


Start by hard-boiling the eggs. Put the eggs in a pot that's large enough for all of them to be in a single layer with some room to spare. Add a couple of tablespoons of salt. Don't bother measuring, it's just to raise the boiling temperature of the water a little bit.
Fill the pot with cold water so the eggs are covered by at least a half-inch.
Turn the heat on high until the water boils. If any of the eggs are cracked, you'll end up with a little egg drop soup. Don't worry about it, you can clean it out when you're done.
After the water boils remove the pot from the heat, put a lid on, and set a timer for 20 minutes.
After the 20 minutes, rinse the eggs in cold water until they're cool enough to handle.
Peel all the eggs, and rinse them with cold water to make sure there are no pieces of shell left on them.
I've never done a dozen eggs without a least one or two falling apart a little bit when I peel them. That's why I always cook a couple more than I think I'm going to need. Worst case is I have some extras.
Slice each egg lengthwise. The one on the left is what you want them to look like. The one on the right is the one that was cracked. Some of the white leaked out in the water, but it's still perfectly edible.
Pop the yolks out. This one had the yolk a little bit off center, so the cavity in one side is really shallow.
If you can see that the yolk is close to one side, slice through that side. That way both halves will have the same amount of space.
Separate the "pretty" halves from the "rejects". Don't worry, we'll use them later. Keep all the yolks in a separate bowl.
Put the egg yolks and vinegar in the narrowest cup your stick blender will fit in. Blend for a couple of seconds until they form an emulsion. Add the salt and mustard powder and half the oil. Blend again until it is thick. Pour the rest of the oil in slowly, mixing constantly.
Add a cup of the mayonnaise to the yolks and start breaking them up with a fork.
If you made your own mayo with the mustard powder, or if you like your deviled eggs mild, that's it for the ingredients. I like a little zing, so I add two or three tablespoons of my secret ingredient. I hope you can't guess from this picture what it is.
Keep mixing the yolks and mayo until smooth and creamy. Add more mayo if you need it to get the right consistency.
Don't forget to fill the rejects. Deviled eggs don't all make it out of the kitchen anyway, you might as well eat the ones that you can't serve to guests.
Arrange the filled eggs and refrigerate until you're ready to serve them.
Okay, that's not it. Some people think you have to add the paprika.
You can't really taste it, but it looks kind of nice I suppose.
So do you spell it "deviled egg" with one "l" or "devilled egg" with two? My spellchecker says it's one "l" but according to Google it's more common with two.
Deviled eggs get no respect. But you never see any leftovers at a party.
Cut them in half lengthwise and scoop the yolks out into a bowl.
Add the mayonnaise and mustard to the yolks and mash with a fork until smooth.
Divide the yolk mixture evenly into the egg whites.
Dust with paprika or pink salt.
Stay tuned to see who else is getting a copy. If you want one, send me a suggestion at drew@cooklikeyourgrandmother.com. If I make it I'll send you a copy of the book.


Kitchens are full of equipment with different functions, and there are some of them that you should make sure to have on your kitchen drawer at all costs. There is different essential equipment that you have to use on daily basis in cooking. A kitchen knife, a cutting board and a skillet are just a few of the must-have equipment in the kitchen.


Much has been written about the various ways to avoid this narrowing, with researchers and practitioners describing and debating the pros and cons of different strategies. Because there are no easy answers and because the various strategies have different advantages and disadvantages, we believe that it is important for NCWIT to take multiple approaches in attending to intersectionality and to addressing the concerns of all women.
One approach involves highlighting very specific intersections, for example, race/ethnicity and gender (e.g., black girls, Latinas) or girls from underserved economic areas. Along these lines, a new podcast presented by the Institute for African-American Mentoring in Computing Sciences (iAAMCS), a national resource for all African-American computer science students and faculty, in collaboration with NCWIT launched on Monday, January 28. Modern Figures Podcast (http://modernfigurespodcast.com/) guest stars Black women in computing who share their stories and perspectives on technical, societal, and personal topics. Geared toward women of color in STEM, especially high school and college students, the podcast also highlights the interestingly relatable, pivotal moments along their journey in computing.
To listen to the podcast, visit Apple iTunes, Google Podcast, Spotify, or Stitcher. Subscribe at http://modernfigurespodcast.com/subscribe-to-podcast/. Additionally, you can follow @modernfigurespodcast on Facebook and Instagram, and @ModFigsPodcast on Twitter.
For an understanding of other approaches and ways to consider intersectionality, revisit the "All Women Includes ALL Women: The Importance of Multiple Approaches to Intersectionality" blog at www.ncwit.org/intersectionalityblog.


GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi is excited to offer a great selection of birthday party packages! Our interactive exhibits are perfect for children of all ages! Parties may be held on Saturdays for up to two hours between 10:30am and 4:30pm in the Guaranty Bank & Trust Classroom. All party guests will have access to the exhibits for the entire day.
Click here to submit a facility rental request.
Once we receive your request, we'll contact you within 48 hours to schedule your party.
Your date and time will be confirmed once you have signed our rental agreement and paid a $150 deposit. The remaining balance will be due 10 days prior to your party.
Cancellation of your birthday party reservation more than 7 days prior to the date of your scheduled party will result in a complete refund. Cancellation of your birthday party reservation less than 7 days prior to the date of your scheduled party will result in a forfeit of all funds paid.
GRAMMY Museum Mississippi is open and accessible to all. If someone in your party has special needs, please contact the Museum before your visit with any special requests that would enhance your visit.
Click here to download and print the Museum license agreement.
Contact [email protected] for more information on birthday parties!


New or Returning to S3D for what year?
Thank you! Your message was sent successfully. You will only hear back from us if classes are full or there was a problem with your registration. If you have questions about classes or what you need contact us directly. Thank you!
Hello - You will not hear back from us unless there was a problem with your registration so please send us a message if you have further questions. Thank you.
To secure your spot please pay the $25 deposit via PayPal on the website. All classes are non-refundable and are offered on a first come first serve basis. In the event that a class does not have the minimum enrollment we reserve the right to cancel the class and a full refund will be issued. Please call us to discuss class placement and enrollment if there are any questions. We do frequently add classes throughout the season so please, check back often.
We will not hold your spot unless you pay the registration fee- and you will only hear from us if there is a problem. Otherwise see you the week of 9/10!! Please message us if you have any questions.


Swirlz in Chicago has developed a paleo-lacto cupcakes (full description below) as a way to appease those on a paleo diet who also want the sweet treat of cupcakes. They've also recently made these cute panda cupcakes as well as Snickers candy bar inspired cupcakes. Find out the latest scoop on the Swirlz Facebook page and get more information at swirlzcupcakes.com.
In response to so many customer requests,we will be featuring a Vanilla on Chocolate "lacto-Paleo" cupcake, as an additional Saturday Surprise.
This cupcake does contain European butter (grass fed cows) in the frosting only.


Deirdre Dyson's latest progressive collection of luxury carpets and rugs is entitled 'Walking on Art'. You can feast your eyes on the nine contemporary designs in the recently transformed Deirdre Dyson Carpet Gallery (554 King's Road, London).
Each carpet is totally bespoke, so clients can choose their own shape, colour combination and size. Carpets can be fitted or free-standing. Different production methods are used to suit both budget and space. Hand-knotted carpets are made from luxurious wool or a tactile combination of wool and silk.


text:
A small and experimental Java Wunderground Pollen PHP library.

**No longer actively maintained - please use as is. If you notice that
the API is broken [due to changes to Wunderground], please make an issue
[here](https://github.com/jackyliang/Pollen-Buddy-PHP/issues) and I
will fix it.**

## What it do:

Gets you four date pollen prediction in the United States using the Wunderground API using simply your zipcode.

## Installation:

`git clone https://github.com/jackyliang/Pollen-Buddy-PHP.git`

Add this to your PHP file

`require_once("PollenBuddy.php");`

## How to use:

Create a new PollenBuddy object with a valid five-digit United States zipcode

`$data = new PollenBuddy(19104);`

Get the raw Wunderground site HTML

`$data->getSiteHTML();`

Get the name of the city

`$data->getCity();`

Get the five-digit zipcode

`$data->getZipCode();`

Get today's primary pollen type

`$data->getPollenType();`

Get the four day forecast [`date` => `pollen level`]

`$data->getFourDayForecast();`

Get the four dates

`$data->getFourDates();`

Get the four pollen levels

`$data->getFourLevels();`

## More Info You Don't Care About

Currently there are no existing APIs on the web that gets live pollen data with predictions. This gets you that.

This is a rewrite of a similar Java library I wrote last year for my Pollen Buddy app.

## Note

You can use this anywhere the MIT license permits.

Please kindly credit me, however, when you use this library, and if possible, contribute back patches when/if necessary.

Do not, I repeat, do **NOT** use this library in a live production settings!

It uses [some TBD PHP scraping library] to scrape HTML/DOM directly off of Wunderground's Pollen site, and Wunderground could tweak their HTML/CSS just a bit, and it would break this library. I am not responsible for you losing millions of dollars.

*Actually that would be pretty cool.*

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could have a key member of their offense cleared for action when they face the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2.
Jackson went off in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints, catching five passes for 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns, averaging nearly 30 yards per reception.
Jackson's presence would be extremely valuable for a Tampa Bay offense that shocked the Saints with 48 points in last week's upset win, tying a franchise record.


Trinity Place, located in the heart of Back Bay, is widely known as one of Bostons most luxurious, full service buildings. The property features valet parking, doorman, gym, and 24/7 concierge. Units are all unique. Original owners purchased their units in vanila shell condition and added their own custom upgrades. Many units feature expansive commanding views, modern kitchens, hardwood flooring and in unit washer/dryers. Trinity is walking distance to Copley Square, The Boston Public Library, Newbury Street, Copley and Prudential Malls, Shaws Supermarket and Public transportation. If you are interested in a sophisticated, ultra luxury full service building, Trinity Place should be at the top of your list.
Rentals are available as well, please call for more info.
There are 120 sold listings. Sign in to see them.


Queen Size Pull Out Couch have 50 picture of decorating ideas, it's including Queen Size Pull Out Couch Stunning Dining Room Fancy 16 Sectional Sofa Bed Decorating Ideas 1. Queen Size Pull Out Couch Dubious Sofa Bed Cover EVA Furniture Decorating Ideas 2. Queen Size Pull Out Couch Improbable The Bruce Dream Convertible Is A Sofa Bed That Decorating Ideas 3. Queen Size Pull Out Couch Improbable Dining Room Endearing 4 Spectacular Sofa Decorating Ideas. Queen Size Pull Out Couch Improbable Amazing Full Hd Wallpaper Images Decorating Ideas 5.


"### Edit #2: This time, it's for real. Save Files won't be deleted anymore."
Great epic gameplay... kinda reminds me of homerun in berserkland! i love the fact that your in a gummy world its adorable and gives a sort of rush for picking on and beating on sugary creatures! Amazing, fun, and original concept! Kudos!


RARE FIND!!! Brand New - No HOA! Good sized lot allows RV or Boat and room for kids to play. Or leave the trees for a natural look and feel. The location is amazing near Wrightsville Beach/Mayfaire. Location, Affordability and Quality New Construction from Award Winning Sanco Homes!


text:
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's Creators Have Another TV Show In The Works For Amazon
By Britt Lawrence
(Image credit: Nicole Rivelli / Amazon)
Today's best Amazon Prime deals
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Marvelous news! The creators of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel have zeroed in on their next Amazon project, and it is an adaptation. Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino will be trading in the world of stand-up comedy for the art scene. Here is what you need to know.
Published less than a year ago, in September 2018, Mary Gabriel's book, Ninth Street Women, is already getting the adaptation treatment. Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino will adapt the nonfiction book, per a THR exclusive. Like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, it will take place in the 20th century.
Ninth Street Women chronicles five women who daringly entered the male-dominated abstract painting scene. In a departure for the times, they did so as those creating the art, not inspiring it. Those women are Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler. The book's logline credits them with making game-changing strides in the field of art.
This should be an interesting series that will be quite an ensemble piece, as it follows five characters. Hence, there should be no shortage of story to cover on the show. Now, on to another question that should have an intriguing answer.
Will the show also feature the women's spouses? Most of the female artists featured in Ninth Street Women were married to important men within the abstract expressionist movement. The women were trying to, and eventually succeeded in, painting their own way into art history, so it will be interesting to see if the series also deals with what it was like for each of them to make moves in that world alongside their prominent husbands.
For instance, Lee Krasner was married to Jackson Pollock from 1945 until his death in 1956. In the 2000 biopic Pollock, Krasner was portrayed by actress Marcia Gay Harden, while Ed Harris played Pollock, and the movie did, in fact, deal with some aspects of their marriage.
The four other women featured were also married to well-known abstract expressionist painters. Elaine de Kooning to Willem de Kooning, Grace Hartigan was briefly married to artist Harry Jackson and Helen Frankenthaler was married to artist Robert Motherwell from 1958 to 1971. And, it would add another layer to the story if we see how those various relationships impacted their journeys in the art world.
How much those relationships will play into the show's focus might be a mystery until it finally airs. As will how closely the Ninth Street Women series will stick to its source material, but fans will know more as the show's production gets further underway.
Ninth Street Women will differentiate itself from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in that the latter is centered on a fictional character. However, real-life comedian Lenny Bruce is depicted as being one of Midge's close friends in the comedy. Ninth Street Women, on the other hand, will focus more on real people.
Ninth Street Women is the latest project for Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino at Amazon. The duo has an overall deal with the home of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and this is the first project to stem from that deal.
There's no word yet on when Ninth Street Women might hit Amazon, but the third season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is expected to premiere at some point this year.
Britt Lawrence
Like a contented Hallmark movie character, Britt happily lives in the same city she grew up in. Along with movies and television, she is passionate about competitive figure skating. She has been writing about entertainment for 5 years, and as you may suspect, still finds it as entertaining to do as when she began.
M. Night Shyamalan Reacts After Knock At The Cabin Becomes The Fourth Movie In A Row To Hit #1
The Bachelor Spoilers: Who Are Zach Shallcross' Final Four, And How Is Season 27 Rumored To End?
Why James Gunn's DC Studios Q&A Allegedly Rubbed Some Warner Bros. Execs The Wrong Way
After Bad Boys 4 Announcement, There's Even Better News For Fans Of The Will Smith And Martin Lawrence Sequel
I Know What You Did Last Summer Is Getting A Sequel, And Two Of The Original Stars Are Already Lined Up


Li Li is an adorable and super ambitious panda who is always "Ready for an Adventure!" Li Li is a very easy to learn SUPPORT character that will not only heal to her hearts content as a great sustain character but also pack quite the unexpected punch with her blinding wind and cloud serpent.
Heal lowest Health ally (prioritizing Heroes) for 70 health.
Summons a cloud Serpent on an allied Hero that automatically attacks nearby enemies for 20 damage. Heroes can only have 1 serpent at a time. 8 second duration.
Throw a cloud of Blinding wind at the nearest 2 enemies (prioritizing heroes) dealing 30 damage. Targets miss all of their basic attacks in the next 2 seconds.
Rapidly tosses brew to the most injured nearby allies, prioritizing Heroes, restoring a total of 480 Health over 6 seconds.
Summon a Water Dragon that after a delay hits the nearest Enemy Hero and all enemies near them, dealing damage 140 and slowing their Movement Speed by 70% for 4 seconds.
Upon taking damage Li Li gains movement speed.
This is my go-to for most of my builds due to the fact that I use a great deal of my mana in short period of time and enjoy spamming my (Q)Healing Brew. Conjurer's Pursuit increases Mana Regeneration permanently for every regeneration globe collected by 0.1 per second. This is extremely key when being a self-sustaining character as well as supporting your fellow comrades. There is a reason people say, "Mash Q" and "Q to win" because Li Li's cooldown for healing brew is extremely low but requires a great deal of mana to constantly use it.
Although Li Li primarily uses her (Q)Healing Brew to support fellow heroes. She does packed a very powerful punch using her (E) Blinding Wind. Mass Vortex brings the number of targets it hits from 2 to 4, which means double the fun! Not only does this help clear minion waves but (E) Blinding Wind also can be yours or your team members life saver as well as a great way to bring a finishing blow to your enemy when they are low on health.
TIP: Blinding Wind can travel past enemy gates and subsequently kill your enemies when they believe they are safe from your wrath. I've gotten several take downs using this move.
Now, this should not be confused with the amazing movies that feature some awesome A Capella singers as this panda does not sing. Since we've now established this and rid any confusion, pitch perfect is another amazing talent to pick when you are indeed an incessant mana user. Since (Q)Healing Brew is one of the most used primary talents for Li Li it is important to stay replenished in your mana. Pitch Perfect allows Li Li to cast Healing Brew for 10 less mana for 6 seconds after your first initial cast. Keep in mind this does not stack. When Q smashing every bit of mana counts!
IT'S ULTIMATE TIME! This is my obvious go-to for Li Li as her panda bear basics build due to her primary role as being a self-sustaining and support hero. What this ability does is rapidly toss brews to the most injured nearby allies, prioritizing Heroes, and restoring Health over 6 seconds. This is a rather large AoE that puts you, Li Li, in the center of the ability. You are able to move around freely while healing your allies at a very rapid pace.
TIP: This heroic ability can be stunned out and you are also vulnerable to attacks, as you are unable to do anything but heal and run for those 6 seconds. So use your ultimate wisely, my friends!
As stated earlier in the guide, your (E) Blinding Wind can come in handy when dealing with minion waves and enemy heroes. While blinding wind does a decent amount of damage on its own for being a support character ability, why not make it hurt more? With Surging Winds, Li Li's gains 5% ability power for 8 seconds per enemy target hit. This buff can be reset upon additional enemy hits and can stack up to 4 times. This is major when wanting to hit just a bit harder especially when used in team fights and minion waves. You may be a healer but you can punch like one hell of a panda!
So, who likes a good ole' BoGo sale? I know I do! With this ability it is hard not to pass up! Being a serious (Q) Healing Brew masher this comes in handy when needing to give even more of that good stuff! When taking Two for One Li Li may now heal two low health ally targets (which can include you if you are low enough) but with an increased cooldown. But hey? Can you really complain! The trade off is really not bad considering Li Li's cooldown is already ridiculously low!
Let me start by saying that I believe no matter what build you do for Li Li whether this panda bear basics guide or serpent build or even water dragon build this is a MUST TAKE as your level 20 ability. This is probably the most broken (according to fellow HotS players and myself) ability that Li Li possesses. Kung Fu Hustle allows Li Li's abilities (including heroic) to recharge 1 1/2 times as fast when Fast Feet is active. So this means every time Li Li takes damage which she probably will in a team fight, she can use her abilities even more often, which helps not only sustain you but also your allies.
First off, I hope this guide provided some insight to your Li Li needs as well as given you the foundation to start your newest adventure. Keep in mind this the most basic of builds for Li Li and she can be played in several different ways, but that's the beauty of HotS. Li Li as stated before is an extremely easy character to get the hang of and highly suggest her as a first time hero for anyone new to Moba or even support. Li Li is extremely forgiving and quite adorable! So don't forget to mash that Q! Happy Healing!