text:
Predictive role of PD-L1 expression in the response of renal Medullary carcinoma to PD-1 inhibition
Quaovi Sodji, Kandace R Klein, Sravan Kumar Kavuri, Jigarkumar Rasiklal Parikh
Background: Renal medullary carcinoma is one of the rarest malignancies arising from the kidney. Despite various aggressive therapeutic regimens, mortality remains significantly high (95%) with a median overall survival of 5 months. Furthermore, the scarcity of this malignancy renders randomized clinical trials impossible. We examined the expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in two new renal medullary carcinoma cases, investigated their responses to the PD-L1 inhibitor nivolumab and explored the predictive role of the rate of PD-L1 expression in such response. Case presentation: Two African-American patients (male and female) with sickle cell trait who presented to our center with hematuria and flank pain were diagnosed with metastatic renal medullary carcinoma. PD-L1 was expressed at rate of 25% and 60% in patient 1 and 2 respectively. Following nephrectomy, they were started on nivolumab. Patient 1 initially responded to the treatment with regression of metastatic lesions. However, following this early response, patient 1 who has been receiving nivolumab for more than 15 months, was noted to have a disease progression. Patient 2 had disease progression after 3 months of nivolumab therapy. Conclusions: Although PD-L1 is expressed in these patients with renal medullary carcinoma, response to nivolumab was only observed in patient 1 whose tumor has the lowest rate of PD-L1 expression. This may suggest that in RMC, response to PD-L1 inhibition therapy may not correlate with the rate of PD-L1 expression.
Randomized Controlled Trials
Renal medullary carcinoma
Sodji, Q., Klein, K. R., Kavuri, S. K., & Parikh, J. R. (2017). Predictive role of PD-L1 expression in the response of renal Medullary carcinoma to PD-1 inhibition. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, 5(1), [62]. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40425-017-0267-9
Predictive role of PD-L1 expression in the response of renal Medullary carcinoma to PD-1 inhibition. / Sodji, Quaovi; Klein, Kandace R; Kavuri, Sravan Kumar; Parikh, Jigarkumar Rasiklal.
In: Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, Vol. 5, No. 1, 62, 15.08.2017.
Sodji, Q, Klein, KR, Kavuri, SK & Parikh, JR 2017, 'Predictive role of PD-L1 expression in the response of renal Medullary carcinoma to PD-1 inhibition', Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, vol. 5, no. 1, 62. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40425-017-0267-9
Sodji Q, Klein KR, Kavuri SK, Parikh JR. Predictive role of PD-L1 expression in the response of renal Medullary carcinoma to PD-1 inhibition. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. 2017 Aug 15;5(1). 62. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40425-017-0267-9
Sodji, Quaovi ; Klein, Kandace R ; Kavuri, Sravan Kumar ; Parikh, Jigarkumar Rasiklal. / Predictive role of PD-L1 expression in the response of renal Medullary carcinoma to PD-1 inhibition. In: Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. 2017 ; Vol. 5, No. 1.
@article{3b7047c54d174539a5a471b520a99a56,
title = "Predictive role of PD-L1 expression in the response of renal Medullary carcinoma to PD-1 inhibition",
abstract = "Background: Renal medullary carcinoma is one of the rarest malignancies arising from the kidney. Despite various aggressive therapeutic regimens, mortality remains significantly high (95{\%}) with a median overall survival of 5 months. Furthermore, the scarcity of this malignancy renders randomized clinical trials impossible. We examined the expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in two new renal medullary carcinoma cases, investigated their responses to the PD-L1 inhibitor nivolumab and explored the predictive role of the rate of PD-L1 expression in such response. Case presentation: Two African-American patients (male and female) with sickle cell trait who presented to our center with hematuria and flank pain were diagnosed with metastatic renal medullary carcinoma. PD-L1 was expressed at rate of 25{\%} and 60{\%} in patient 1 and 2 respectively. Following nephrectomy, they were started on nivolumab. Patient 1 initially responded to the treatment with regression of metastatic lesions. However, following this early response, patient 1 who has been receiving nivolumab for more than 15 months, was noted to have a disease progression. Patient 2 had disease progression after 3 months of nivolumab therapy. Conclusions: Although PD-L1 is expressed in these patients with renal medullary carcinoma, response to nivolumab was only observed in patient 1 whose tumor has the lowest rate of PD-L1 expression. This may suggest that in RMC, response to PD-L1 inhibition therapy may not correlate with the rate of PD-L1 expression.",
keywords = "Immunotherapy, Nivolumab, Pd-L1, Renal medullary carcinoma, Sickle cell trait",
author = "Quaovi Sodji and Klein, {Kandace R} and Kavuri, {Sravan Kumar} and Parikh, {Jigarkumar Rasiklal}",
journal = "Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer",
T1 - Predictive role of PD-L1 expression in the response of renal Medullary carcinoma to PD-1 inhibition
AU - Sodji, Quaovi
AU - Klein, Kandace R
AU - Kavuri, Sravan Kumar
AU - Parikh, Jigarkumar Rasiklal
N2 - Background: Renal medullary carcinoma is one of the rarest malignancies arising from the kidney. Despite various aggressive therapeutic regimens, mortality remains significantly high (95%) with a median overall survival of 5 months. Furthermore, the scarcity of this malignancy renders randomized clinical trials impossible. We examined the expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in two new renal medullary carcinoma cases, investigated their responses to the PD-L1 inhibitor nivolumab and explored the predictive role of the rate of PD-L1 expression in such response. Case presentation: Two African-American patients (male and female) with sickle cell trait who presented to our center with hematuria and flank pain were diagnosed with metastatic renal medullary carcinoma. PD-L1 was expressed at rate of 25% and 60% in patient 1 and 2 respectively. Following nephrectomy, they were started on nivolumab. Patient 1 initially responded to the treatment with regression of metastatic lesions. However, following this early response, patient 1 who has been receiving nivolumab for more than 15 months, was noted to have a disease progression. Patient 2 had disease progression after 3 months of nivolumab therapy. Conclusions: Although PD-L1 is expressed in these patients with renal medullary carcinoma, response to nivolumab was only observed in patient 1 whose tumor has the lowest rate of PD-L1 expression. This may suggest that in RMC, response to PD-L1 inhibition therapy may not correlate with the rate of PD-L1 expression.
AB - Background: Renal medullary carcinoma is one of the rarest malignancies arising from the kidney. Despite various aggressive therapeutic regimens, mortality remains significantly high (95%) with a median overall survival of 5 months. Furthermore, the scarcity of this malignancy renders randomized clinical trials impossible. We examined the expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in two new renal medullary carcinoma cases, investigated their responses to the PD-L1 inhibitor nivolumab and explored the predictive role of the rate of PD-L1 expression in such response. Case presentation: Two African-American patients (male and female) with sickle cell trait who presented to our center with hematuria and flank pain were diagnosed with metastatic renal medullary carcinoma. PD-L1 was expressed at rate of 25% and 60% in patient 1 and 2 respectively. Following nephrectomy, they were started on nivolumab. Patient 1 initially responded to the treatment with regression of metastatic lesions. However, following this early response, patient 1 who has been receiving nivolumab for more than 15 months, was noted to have a disease progression. Patient 2 had disease progression after 3 months of nivolumab therapy. Conclusions: Although PD-L1 is expressed in these patients with renal medullary carcinoma, response to nivolumab was only observed in patient 1 whose tumor has the lowest rate of PD-L1 expression. This may suggest that in RMC, response to PD-L1 inhibition therapy may not correlate with the rate of PD-L1 expression.
KW - Nivolumab
KW - Pd-L1
KW - Renal medullary carcinoma
KW - Sickle cell trait
JO - Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer
JF - Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer


Town officials in Milton have unanimously re-adopted a 2010 resolution that supports putting F-35 fighter jets at Burlington International Airport.
Governor Jim Douglas says the Pentagon is working on a plan that would allow military officials to run their own disaster response operations, independent of those set up by governors. Douglas says the proposal will lead to chaos in the field.


The Damascus Elementary School PTA is now able to accept payments online. Enter the purpose of your payment and amount in the form below and click "Make Payment" to be forwarded to PayPal which is the service we are using for processing payments. You can then choose to pay using your PayPal account, or any debit or credit card.


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Q: Google Directions Api JavaScript linking API key into php file I have a simple index.php linked to Apache server in XAMPP on Windows. I am trying to see how Google Direction Service API works with this JavaScript example and also want to play about with it for a bit.  But in order to make use of it, I need to create a server key, which i correctly added my IP address to and it generated a random key for me. But now that I have this key how do I put it into this php file so that It allows me to view the map because of course this one is just an example and gives me an Authorization error.
I read on Google developers page that "To specify a key in your request, include it as the value of a key parameter."  which may be the problem but how do I do that if that is my answer? The API key for this is declared right at the bottom.
<!DOCTYPE html>

    <meta name="viewport" content="initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=no">
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <title>Directions service (complex)</title>

    Start:
    <select id="start">
      <option value="penn station, new york, ny">Penn Station</option>
      <option value="grand central station, new york, ny">Grand Central Station</option>
      <option value="625 8th Avenue, New York, NY, 10018">Port Authority Bus Terminal</option>
      <option value="staten island ferry terminal, new york, ny">Staten Island Ferry Terminal</option>
      <option value="101 E 125th Street, New York, NY">Harlem - 125th St Station</option>
    </select>
    End:
    <select id="end">
      <option value="260 Broadway New York NY 10007">City Hall</option>
      <option value="W 49th St & 5th Ave, New York, NY 10020">Rockefeller Center</option>
      <option value="moma, New York, NY">MOMA</option>
      <option value="350 5th Ave, New York, NY, 10118">Empire State Building</option>
      <option value="253 West 125th Street, New York, NY">Apollo Theater</option>
      <option value="1 Wall St, New York, NY">Wall St</option>
    </select>

A: In your script tag, add your key as query string...

For example, your key is 12345, src value of the script tag should be...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The Metronome Society presents: "Self-Titled"
The Metronome Society is thrilled to present our inaugural, music-inspired, locally curated and deliciously decadent full-length show:Self-Titled- a Live (Theatrical) MixTape. Inspired by popular albums from the last 50 years, society members have written 5 short theatrical pieces representing the works of Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, Sting, and Rufus Wainwright, They, together with The Metronome Society Band (who will be the live soundtrack for the show), promise you a highly entertaining evening of wine, women (a few men) and song.
The Metronome Society is a collective of multidisciplinary artists who use compelling albums from the past and present as creative stimulus for creating new works. Their mission is to write plays inspired by deep love of auditory pleasure. Something exciting and novel happens when using a musician's body of work as a springboard for creativity. The short pieces feature a little something for everyone: comedy, post-apocalyptic sci-fi and scathing satire.


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Research ArticleANTHROPOLOGY
The origins of cannabis smoking: Chemical residue evidence from the first millennium BCE in the Pamirs
View ORCID ProfileMeng Ren1,2,
View ORCID ProfileZihua Tang3,
Xinhua Wu4,
View ORCID ProfileRobert Spengler5,
Hongen Jiang2,
View ORCID ProfileYimin Yang2,5,* and
Nicole Boivin5,6
1Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, P. R. China.
2Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China.
3Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, P. R. China.
4Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing 100710, P. R. China.
5Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena 07745, Germany.
6School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
↵*Corresponding author. Email: yiminyang{at}ucas.ac.cn
Science Advances 12 Jun 2019:
Vol. 5, no. 6, eaaw1391
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw1391
Meng Ren
ORCID record for Meng Ren
Zihua Tang
ORCID record for Zihua Tang
Xinhua Wu
Robert Spengler
ORCID record for Robert Spengler
Hongen Jiang
Yimin Yang
ORCID record for Yimin Yang
For correspondence: yiminyang@ucas.ac.cn
Nicole Boivin
Cannabis is one of the oldest cultivated plants in East Asia, grown for grain and fiber as well as for recreational, medical, and ritual purposes. It is one of the most widely used psychoactive drugs in the world today, but little is known about its early psychoactive use or when plants under cultivation evolved the phenotypical trait of increased specialized compound production. The archaeological evidence for ritualized consumption of cannabis is limited and contentious. Here, we present some of the earliest directly dated and scientifically verified evidence for ritual cannabis smoking. This phytochemical analysis indicates that cannabis plants were burned in wooden braziers during mortuary ceremonies at the Jirzankal Cemetery (ca. 500 BCE) in the eastern Pamirs region. This suggests cannabis was smoked as part of ritual and/or religious activities in western China by at least 2500 years ago and that the cannabis plants produced high levels of psychoactive compounds.
Mind-altering plants can produce various altered states of consciousness and have thus played important roles in ritual and/or religious activities in various areas of the world (1–4). In prehistoric and early historic Central Eurasia, many plants were used for their secondary compounds, and several are still in prominent use today, notably the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), ephedra (Ephedra spp.), and cannabis (Cannabis sativa). Plants in the Cannabis genus represent a hybrid complex, with ongoing controversy relating to taxonomy; the lack of taxonomic clarity combined with continual gene flow between wild and domesticated populations has hampered attempts to study the origins and dispersal of this plant (5, 6). Wild cannabis grows across many of the cooler mountain foothills from the Caucasus to western China, especially in the well-watered habitats of Central Asia. However, cannabinol (CBN) levels in most wild cannabis plant populations are low, and it remains a largely unanswered question as to when, where, and how the plant was first cultivated for higher psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) production (6). Little is known about the prehistoric use of cannabis outside eastern China, where it was domesticated as an oil-seed crop (7, 8). While recent well-reported and photographed cannabis macroremains have been recovered from burials in the Turpan Basin (ca. 800 to 400 BCE) in northwest China, suggesting shamanic or medicinal uses (9, 10), these discoveries do not adequately reveal how the cannabis plant was used.
Historically, cannabis plants used for ritual and medicinal purposes involved oral ingestion or inhaling the smoke or vapors produced by burning the dried plant. Smoking is defined as the act of inhaling and exhaling the fumes of burning plant material (11) and is today often associated with cigarettes, cigars, and pipes. However, smoking pipes were likely introduced to Eurasia from the New World (12), and no clear evidence exists for them in Central Asia before the modern era. The practice of smoking or inhaling cannabis fumes in ritual and recreational activities was documented in Herodotus' fifth-century BCE The Histories (13) and was supported by the discovery of carbonized hemp seeds in burials from a handful of sites in Eurasia (1, 14, 15). However, most of the archaeological reports of ancient drug remains were published several decades ago, and re-examination of some of these reports has led to the claims being refuted (discussed below). Modern scientific studies are thus needed to corroborate the remaining reports. Here, we investigated residues from archaeological artifacts recovered in the Pamir Mountains (Fig. 1), a region that served as an important culture communication channel through Eurasia, linking ancient populations in the modern regions of China, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. The chemical analysis reveals ancient cannabis burning and suggests high levels of psychoactive chemicals, indicating that people may have been cultivating cannabis and possibly actively selecting for stronger specimens or choosing plant populations with naturally high terpenophenolic secondary metabolites (6). Alternatively, a process of domestication through hybridization between wild and cultivated subspecies may have inadvertently led to stronger chemical-producing plants through human dispersal and subsequent selection (7).
Fig. 1 Location of the Jirzankal Cemetery.
(A) Map of Eurasia showing the location of the Pamir Plateau and the sites mentioned in this study. (B) Topographic map of the Pamir Plateau and location of the Jirzankal Cemetery.
Ten wooden braziers, containing stones with obvious burning traces, were recently exhumed from eight tombs at the Jirzankal Cemetery (also known as Quman Cemetery) on the Pamir Plateau (Figs. 2 and 3). These wooden burners were not associated with any macrobotanical remains, and their immediate use was not clear. The Jirzankal Cemetery dates to approximately 2500 years ago (16) and contains material culture that links the occupants to peoples further west in the mountain foothills. The cemetery is characterized by designs on the landscape made of black and white stones arranged in long strips, which mark the tombs' surfaces, and by circular mounds with one or two rings of stones underneath (Fig. 2, B and C) (16). The stone rings and burial mounds find parallels in the mortuary practices of contemporaneous populations in the mountains of Central Asia; however, the rows of stones are unique to this area. Linkages in burial forms between first millennium BCE peoples in Ferghana (present-day Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan) and Xinjiang have previously been noted, specifically relating to flagstone cyst burials and the existence of wooded coffin or "boat" burials (17, 18).
Fig. 2 Typical landscape of the Jirzankal Cemetery.
(A) Plan view of the Jirzankal Cemetery; (B) black and white stone strips on the cemetery surface; (C) circular burial mounds with stone rings. Photo credit: X. Wu (Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences).
Fig. 3 Archaeological wooden braziers from the Jirzankal cemetery.
(A) Plan view of zone B of the Jirzankal Cemetery, (B) aerial view of zone B, and (C) 10 wooden braziers excavated from the cemetery. Red dots in (A) refer to the tombs containing wooden braziers; brazier M49:2 was excavated from zone D. Photo credit: X. Wu (Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences).
We extracted organic material from 10 wooden brazier fragments and 4 burnt stones and analyzed them using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In our first test, biomarkers of cannabis (19) were found on the internal charred layer of one wooden vessel (code: M25:2). Subsequently, we analyzed ancient cannabis (dating to 790–520 BCE; fig. S1) from the Jiayi Cemetery, Turpan to obtain a chemical reference signal (Fig. 4, A and B). This analysis demonstrated that CBN, cannabidiol (CBD), and cannabicyclol (CBL) are all preserved in ancient cannabis. A secondary round of testing, based on the reference signal, identified CBN, which is the oxidative metabolite of THC (20), on the remaining wooden vessels from the Jirzankal Cemetery. We detected the chemical signature of CBN on all of the burnt residues, except for one, from the inside of the wooden braziers and on two of the stones. As a control, no cannabinoids were found on the samples that we collected from the exteriors of the vessels. The experimental results are summarized in Table 1 (see also figs S2 to S15), and they suggest that cannabis plants were intentionally burned by laying hot stones in the braziers.
Fig. 4 Chromatograms of the ancient cannabis and the inner charred surface of the wooden brazier M25:2.
(A) Total ion current (TIC) chromatogram of the ancient cannabis from the Jiayi Cemetery, Turpan showing the presence of C16:0 (hexadecanoic acid), C18:0 (octadecanoic acid), and CBN. (B) Chromatogram in select ion mode (SIM) of the ancient cannabis showing several cannabinoids: CBN, cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabicyclol (CBL); (C) TIC chromatogram of the internal charred fragment of wooden brazier M25:2 from the Jirzankal Cemetery; and (D) SIM chromatogram of the internal charred fragment of wooden brazier M25:2.
Table 1 GC-MS results for wooden brazier fragments and burnt stone samples.
I and E refer to internal and external surface fragments of the wooden braziers, respectively; S refers to stones inside the wooden braziers. CBN, cannabinol; CBV, cannabivarin.
THC is the most potent psychoactive component in cannabis, but it readily decomposes and oxidizes into CBN if exposed to air, light, or heat (20, 21). CBD, another biomarker of cannabis, is not psychotropic, and cannabis with a high THC content often contains a low level of CBD (20, 22). The cannabinoids detected on the wooden braziers are mainly CBN, indicating that the burned cannabis plants expressed higher THC levels than typically found in wild plants. A pattern of relatively equivalent amounts of THC and CBD would be expected for wild cannabis plants (20, 22), but evident peaks corresponding to cannabinoids of CBD and its degradation products (such as cannabielsoin) were not detected in the burning residues. Given that the Jirzankal samples contained higher intensity of CBN than the ancient reference sample, there is no reason to expect that we would not see peaks corresponding to CBD if it had been present in the braziers. These results suggest that the cannabis burned by those using the Jirzankal Cemetery might have been physiologically altered through hybridization (domestication) or a poorly understood expression of genetic plasticity in the plants. Extensive phylogenetic research into the clade has illustrated that a wild/feral ruderal varietal population of the indica subspecies (var kafiristanica) expresses higher chemical levels (6). The kafiristanica clade is today restricted to mountainous areas around Afghanistan; however, scholars have debated whether it is truly a wild population with higher THC levels or a feral or hybrid population (5). Likewise, stress tests illustrate that some plants express a plastic response of higher THC levels when presented with certain stimuli. Lower temperatures, low nutrient availability, strong light intensity, exposure to ultraviolet light, and photoperiod changes have all been suggested as factors that trigger plastic stress responses in this clade (6). All of these stressors are associated with high elevations. It is possible that high-elevation populations of a naturally higher THC–producing variety were recognized and targeted by people in the Pamir region, possibly even explaining the prominence of ritual sites in the high mountains. Moreover, the content of THC also varies across plant parts, decreasing from the bract, flower, leave, stem, root, and seed in turn (10, 23). The lack of seeds in the burners may suggest that nonfloral plant parts were burned, or it may suggest that seeds were removed from the floral structures because they do not contain the desired secondary compounds.
There is a long history of inquiry surrounding early drug use in Central Eurasia, and much of this research started in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with debates over what the mythical soma of the Rigveda or haoma of the Avesta might have been (1, 24). The soma debates entered Central Asian archaeology with Sarianidi's accounts of the excavations of several large architectural structures of the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex in the southern Karakum Desert of Turkmenistan, which he interpreted as temples (25). Sarianidi claimed to have recovered ancient plant remains used for ritual purposes in ceremonial ceramic vessels from the famous "white room" at the second millennium BCE site of Gonur Temenos and also from a possible temple at the nearby urban center of Togolok 21 (7, 25, 26). Perforated ceramic vessels at the site were further assumed to be associated with preparation of the haoma/soma beverage, although similar strainers are found across Central Asia and often associated with cheese production in other areas (27). The original publications claim that the vessels contained Ephedra and P. somniferum, and a late second millennium BCE bone tube with supposed poppy pollen was also reported from Togolok 21 (25). However, follow-up studies of the reported cannabis from Gonur have demonstrated that the original identifications were erroneous (28). Despite the fact that these finds are often discussed as if they are actual archaeobotanically preserved remains, the original published photo shows that they are actually impressions of plant parts on a ceramic sherd. In addition, the sherds have been re-examined by specialists, and the round impressions are clearly of broomcorn millet grains (Panicum miliaceum), not of Cannabis or Ephedra (7, 28).
Likely due in large part to the single reference in The Histories, historians and archaeologists have linked Central Asian people of the first millennium BCE to cannabis. Several scholars have suggested that the crop spread with the mythical "Scythian" warrior nomads (3, 29). The Central Asian origins of cannabis is an argument recently revived and pushed back in time to the poorly defined "Yamnaya" culture group (8, 14). However, it is highly unlikely that the cannabis plants on the steppe before the first millennium BCE were cultivated, and no evidence for wild populations with high THC levels exists for the steppe. Wild cannabis exists across much of Central Eurasia from western China to Eastern Europe and is an abundant component of the vegetation community; hence, claims that the western steppe peoples of the third and second millennia BCE were spreading the plant as a kind of "camp follower" (6, 30) need to be clarified.
In The Histories, Herodotus specifically described how people of the mid-first millennium BCE in the Caspian Steppe region smoked cannabis (13). He noted that people would sit in a small tent, and the plants were burned in a bowl with hot stones. Frozen tombs from the Pazyryk culture (ca. 500 BCE) in the southern Altai Mountains of the Tuva Republic, Russia, seem to corroborate the account of Herodotus, despite being located over 3000 km to the northeast. A small wooden tent frame was recovered with copper containers in one of the Pazyryk kurgans (barrow 2); the copper containers contained stones with evidence of burning and carbonized morphologically wild hemp seeds (7, 15, 31). The original publication also mentions recovery from the kurgan of a leather pouch, which contained cannabis seeds, coriander (Coriandrum sativum), and yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis) (15). Other finds of seeds in vessels from burials in Eastern Europe and Central Asia have been called hemp or cannabis, but without further verification, they have limited credibility (2). Furthermore, according to The Histories, ancient Scythians used the cannabis smoke as a kind of cleaning rite (similar to bathing) after the burial; however, the smoking revealed both in the Pamirs in the present study and in the Altai Mountains was obviously performed during the burial and may represent a different kind of ritual, perhaps, for example, aimed at communicating with the divine or the deceased.
While most of the claims of archaeological cannabis in Central Asia are spurious, as mentioned above (7, 28), new discoveries of ritual cannabis use in western China are well documented and scientifically studied. The recent discovery of a cannabis burial shroud, comprising 13 desiccated plants, from the Jiayi Cemetery (ca. 800–400 BCE) in Turpan provides evidence for the ritualistic use of cannabis in prehistoric western China (9). In addition, dried stems, fruits, and branches were preserved in burials in the Yanghai tombs (ca. 500 BCE) (10, 32), where a leather basket and a wooden bowl filled with cannabis seeds, leaves, and shoots was found near the head and feet of the deceased, who may have been a high-ranking male shaman (10). The wooden bowl shows characteristics of prolonged use as a mortar, indicating that cannabis was pulverized before consumption; however, there is nothing in the tomb to indicate that it was burned or smoked, and the psychoactive plant might have been orally consumed. The botanical and chemical analyses further suggest that the ancient cannabis from the Yanghai tomb had elevated levels of secondary compounds (20), corroborating the present study's findings. The lack of evidence for cultivation of hemp plants in this region leaves open the possibility that there were wild varieties with naturally higher phytochemical levels or that the domestication process did not follow conventional models.
The burning of cannabis inside the braziers suggests that fire was an important part of the funerary rites at the Jirzankal Cemetery, as it has been in Central Asia from at least the late third millennium BCE, when human cremations are recorded from Kazakhstan (33, 34) and Xinjiang (35, 36). The ritual use of fire during funerals continued in Xinjiang and eastern Central Asia with the Zoroastrian practices of the Sogdians, and many Sogdian tombs in western China have evidence of burning (37). Some scholars have suggested that cannabis formed part of Zoroastrian religious and mortuary practices during the first millennium CE (38–40), possibly illustrating a long-term continuity in certain cultural practices. In the volume entitled Vendidad of the Zend-Avesta, Bangha (Bhang of Zoroaster), cannabis is referred to as a "good narcotic" (7, 41). Numerous wooden artifacts were preserved inside the tombs at the Jirzankal Cemetery, such as plates, konghou (Chinese harps), and bowls, mostly made from birch trees (Betula sp.) (42). Among the 70 wooden objects analyzed, only 4 were made from juniper trees (presumably Juniperus sabina), and 3 of those were braziers (42). When burned, juniper releases a rich turpentine perfume, which is important for Tibetan Buddhist ceremonies today. As carbonized fragments of juniper wood have been recovered from archaeological sites across Central Asia at ecoclines lower in elevation than those occupied by present-day trees, scholars have suggested that people may have been specifically collecting the wood for its aromatic smoke for millennia (43).
The preliminary results of the human bone analysis at the Jirzankal Cemetery show perforations in some skulls and signs of fatal cuts and breaks in several bones (16); the excavators interpret these as signs of human sacrifice. While further research is needed to verify these claims, it is possible that a complex set of religious practices occurred at these sites in the first millennium BCE. Other artifacts in these tombs suggest ritual practices—for example, the presence of an angular harp, an important musical instrument in ancient funerals and sacrificial ceremonies. In addition, many of the artifacts from these tombs have clear burn marks on them. We can start to piece together an image of funerary rites that included flames, rhythmic music, and hallucinogen smoke, all intended to guide people into an altered state of mind.
At the Jirzankal Cemetery, these cannabis offerings are associated with burials of people of varying social status (16). For instance, eight tombs with wooden braziers were primary or secondary burials, and they consisted of shaft chambers with or without a short passage, which might be related to the size of the tombs and the number of occupants. In general, the large tombs have short passages and were often held for more than two occupants. Moreover, the 87Sr/86Sr analysis shows that 10 of the 34 sampled individuals were not local, illustrating that people were moving between communities (44). However, only 1 of the 10 tombs for the immigrant individuals had a mortuary wooden brazier (44), perhaps indicating that cannabis burning was a local burial practice. Although knowledge of psychoactive cannabis use has long been associated with ancient elites, such as shamans, the mind-altering property of cannabis is a powerful tool in ritualistic and recreational activities. The differences in cannabis utilization between the Pazyryk and the Jirzankal Cemeteries might imply that the ritualistic "smoking" of cannabis was gradually popularized from the elite class to the common people in the eastern Pamirs in China at least 2500 years ago.
The Pamir Plateau is an essential channel of cultural communication and trade that connected ancient China, Central Asia, and southwest Asia (16). The results of strontium isotope analysis of the human remains from the Jirzankal Cemetery show a high frequency of population movement in this region (44). In addition, glass beads and angular harps, which were typical cultural traits of Western Asia (45), and silk that was unique in eastern China were also unearthed at the site. These finds further highlight the active cultural exchange taking place on the Pamir Plateau before the establishment of Han governmental regulation in the last century BCE, including taxation and military outposts along the northern routes of the Silk Road. The dispersal of cannabis across the mountain barriers may have played a role in driving the higher THC levels of these specific varieties, with the hybridization of disparate and genetically isolated populations resulting in higher chemical-producing offspring. Likewise, ruderal cannabis plants tend to express high levels of phenotypical plasticity (6), a trait associated with many crop progenitors. High elevation–related stressors could have helped drive higher THC levels in wild or maintained populations around the cemetery. Ultimately, this study illustrates that the earliest targeted use of cannabis with higher levels of THC originated in western China or the broader Central Asia region, in contrast to the situation in East Asia where early cultivation of cannabis targeted the oily seeds for food and eventually the long stem cells as durable fibers for clothing and cordage.
Site and samples
The Jirzankal Cemetery (37°50′54″N, 75°12″11″E) is located on the west bank of the Tashkurgan River, northeast of Qushiman Village in the Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang. According to the radiocarbon dating results (table S1) (42, 44) and the characteristics of the unearthed artifacts (16), the use of this cemetery dates between 2400 and 2600 years ago, with material culture traits that parallel those from archaeological sites further west in Central Asia. Large areas of black and white stone strips were created on the landscape using black and white pebbles. From 2013 to 2014, the Xinjiang Archaeological Team of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences carried out two archaeological excavation seasons at the site, and the entire cemetery was divided into four zones (A, B, C, and D; Fig. 2). Zone A is located in the northeast of the cemetery on the third terrace at an altitude of 3077 meters above sea level (masl) and contains seven tombs, with the black and white stone strips to the north. Zone B is located on the second terrace of the ancient riverbed in the southwest, at an altitude of 3061 masl. This zone is relatively flat and has the highest concentration of tombs (n = 34). To one side of the tombs (mainly in the northeast) is a large area of black and white stone strips (Fig. 3, A and B). Zone C has eight tombs and is located between zones A and B. Zone D is located northwest of zones A to C and is on the top of the Yardang platform, at an altitude of 3080 masl, where the archaeological features are not obvious. Most of the tombs at the Jirzankal Cemetery consist of a shaft chamber covered by circular piles of stones. Both primary and secondary burials have been recovered from the site; and the mortuary goods included a large number of pottery items, stone tools, wooden objects, and textiles (mainly wool and no hemp was found), as well as some copper objects, ironware, and glass beads (16).
In this study, samples from nine sets of wooden brazier fragments and four burnt stones from zone B and one set of brazier samples from zone D were analyzed using GC-MS. Wooden vessel M25:17 from zone B was in a highly degraded state when unearthed. There were two wooden braziers excavated from each of tombs M9 and M25; these tombs contained one male occupant and three individuals (two male and one female), respectively. For the other six tombs, only one brazier was found in each tomb, and the number of the deceased housed within ranged from one to five. The human bones in tomb M12 showed characteristics of secondary burial.
The ancient cannabis plant that we used to obtain the chemical baseline (fig. S1) was from tomb M231 (ca. 790–520 BCE) at the Jiayi Cemetery in Turpan, Xinjiang (9). The ancient cannabis remains were desiccated and well preserved; they included morphologically identifiable seeds and inflorescences of cannabis.
Residue analysis
An approximately 20-mg sample of wood was collected from each fragment of the wooden braziers (internal charred surface and external surface) and was ground into powder. The samples were extracted twice for 20 min by sonication in 3 ml of chloroform/methanol solution [2:1 (v/v)]. The solution was then centrifuged at 2000 rpm for 10 min, and the supernatant was concentrated to 500 to 600 μl under a gentle stream of nitrogen. After filtration, the sample was subjected to GC-MS. The ancient cannabis reference sample was first cut into small pieces and then placed in a centrifuge tube, also extracted twice for 20 min with sonication. The burnt stones in the wooden braziers were placed in small beakers and extracted with chloroform/methanol [2:1 (v/v)] with sonication three times at 20 min each. All of the extracts were analyzed using the same method.
GC-MS analyses were performed with a 7890A gas chromatograph coupled with a 5975C quadrupole mass spectrometer (Agilent Technologies) and an HP-5MS fused silica capillary column (30 m × 0.25 mm × 0.25 μm). The injection volume was 1 μl in splitless mode. The oven temperature was held at 70°C for 2 min, ramped to 180°C at a rate of 15°C/min up to 290°C at 10°C/min, and held isothermal at 290°C for 10 min. Helium was used as the carrier gas at a constant flow rate of 1.0 ml/min−1. MS was performed in the electron impact mode at 70 eV. The ion source temperature was set at 230°C, the interface temperature was 280°C, and the MS quadrupole temperature was 150°C. Full-scan acquisition mode within a range of 50 to 650 u and select ion mode (SIM) were performed simultaneously; the mass/charge ratio (m/z) values selected for SIM scanning were m/z 231 and m/z 295. Mass spectra interpretations were primarily derived from searching of the National Institute of Standards and Technology database.
Supplementary material for this article is available at http://advances.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/5/6/eaaw1391/DC1
Table S1. Radiocarbon dates from the Jirzankal Cemetery.
Fig. S1. Ancient cannabis plant from tomb M231 (ca. 790–520 BCE) at the Jiayi Cemetery in Turpan, Xinjiang.
Fig. S2. Chromatograms of the wooden brazier M9:1 from the Jirzankal Cemetery.
Fig. S4. Chromatograms of the wooden brazier M11:14 from the Jirzankal Cemetery.
Fig. S5. Chromatograms of the wooden brazier M12:4 from the Jirzankal Cemetery.
Fig. S10. Chromatograms of the wooden brazier M25:17 from the Jirzankal Cemetery.
Fig. S11. Chromatograms of the wooden brazier M49:2 from the Jirzankal Cemetery.
Fig. S12. Chromatograms of the burnt stone in the wooden brazier M11:14 from the Jirzankal Cemetery.
Fig. S15. Chromatograms of the burnt stone in the wooden brazier M25:2 from the Jirzankal Cemetery.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license, which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, so long as the resultant use is not for commercial advantage and provided the original work is properly cited.
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Acknowledgments: We thank H. Rao for helpful advice and X. Jiang for sampling assistance. We also thank M. Merlin and an anonymous reviewer for their valuable suggestions to improve the quality of this work. Funding: This study was supported by National Young Top-Notch Talent Support Program and Youth Innovation Promotion Association of CAS. Contributions from Y.Y., R.S., and N.B. are supported by funding provided by the Max Planck Society. Y.Y. is also supported by the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. Author contributions: Y.Y. and X.W. planned the project. M.R., R.S., Y.Y., and N.B. wrote the paper. M.R. performed experimental work and data analysis. X.W. directed the field excavations, Z.T. contributed to excavations and field sampling, and H.J. collected the reference sample. All authors participated in the discussions of the results and commented on the manuscript. Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Data and materials availability: All data needed to evaluate the conclusions in the paper are present in the paper and/or the Supplementary Materials. Additional data related to this paper may be requested from the authors.
Copyright © 2019 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License 4.0 (CC BY-NC).
You are going to email the following The origins of cannabis smoking: Chemical residue evidence from the first millennium BCE in the Pamirs
By Meng Ren, Zihua Tang, Xinhua Wu, Robert Spengler, Hongen Jiang, Yimin Yang, Nicole Boivin
Science Advances 12 Jun 2019 : eaaw1391
Chemical analysis reveals early ritual cannabis smoking in the eastern Pamirs by 2500 years ago.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
In Performance at the White House - Celebrating the Music of Stevie Wonder: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize
An evening of celebration with President and Mrs. Obama at the White House in honor of musician Stevie Wonder's receipt of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The sixty-minute program, to be taped by WETA Washington, D.C., airs Thursday, February 26, 2009, at 8 p.m. ET on PBS stations nationwide. (Check local listings.) The concert takes place February 25 and will include performances by Wonder himself and Tony Bennett, Diana Krall, Martina McBride, Esperanza Spalding, Will.i.am and the gospel duo Mary Mary, among others. President Obama will confer the Gershwin Prize upon Wonder during the event.
February 19, 2009 | PBS Stations to Broadcast "Stevie Wonder In Performance at the White House: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize"
February 23, 2009 | Media Advisory: Live Feed of PBS' "Stevie Wonder In Performance at the White House"
Stevie Wonder_02
President Obama presents musician Stevie Wonder with the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at the White House on February 25, part of the WETA-taped special "In Performance at the White House - Celebrating the Music of Stevie Wonder: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize."
Credit: The White House / Pete Souza
Stevie Wonder performs at the White House on February 25, part of the WETA-taped special "In Performance at the White House - Celebrating the Music of Stevie Wonder: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize."
The audience enjoys a performance at the White House on February 25, part of the WETA-taped special "In Performance at the White House - Celebrating the Music of Stevie Wonder: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize." From left to right: Jill Biden, wife of the Vice President; Vice President Joe Biden; First Lady Michelle Obama; and President Barack Obama.
Tony Bennett congratulates Stevie Wonder at the White House on February 25, part of the WETA-taped special "In Performance at the White House - Celebrating the Music of Stevie Wonder: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize."
Gospel duo Mary Mary, performing at the White House on February 25, part of the WETA-taped special "In Performance at the White House - Celebrating the Music of Stevie Wonder: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize."
Will.i.am (far left), gospel duo Mary Mary (second and third in from right) and Martina McBride(far right)enjoy the show, part of the WETA-taped special "In Performance at the White House - Celebrating the Music of Stevie Wonder: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize."
In Performance at the White House -- Confirmed Talent List & Bios
Stevie Wonder Biography
Hear the next generation of classical champions as talented teens play the classics in concert.


I visited my 5 year old "child self" but he would not talk to me at all. I even told him about several dreams of mine and tears came to my eyes. It was a special moment but he just stared at me. Is this normal?
Before I answer your question I'd like to congratulate you on allowing your experience with your child self to be what it was. You were vulnerable with your child, you were authentic and you did experience his presence. Good for you! Everyone's experience visiting with their "past selves" will be uniquely theirs. None are right or wrong, just different, and it's important for everyone to let their experience be whatever it is.
And yes, what you experienced with your child self is completely normal. For some, it will take a number of meditations or visualizations before your child begins to talk with you. It is important to remember that this is not just and "exercise". You are communicating with a very real different aspect of yourself. And this child self doesn't know you, and it may take him or her some time to become comfortable with talking to you.
As with any relationship, give it time and space for it to grow and deepen. Your overall goal with your child self is to provide them with more safety, love, protection and guidance than they originally had growing up. When they feel safe, loved and empowered you, the adult, will find it easier to feel safe, loved and empowered. So be gentle with your child. Let them take it at their own pace. And never miss an opportunity to let them know how much you love them.
Real questions, asked by real people, and answered by Boni. See all of the FAQ about "The Map" here.


text:
Indian Creek Fifties!
October 22, 2018 / Last updated : October 22, 2018 Josh Eberly Trail Running
Words by Maddie Hart
Images by @jjustisphotograhy
The Mountain Sports Trail Team hit the front range to try out a new race for the team, the Indian Creek Fifties in Sedalia, Colorado. This race, hosted by Human Potential Running, was a part of the United States Skyrunning series and the course did not disappoint.
In the 15 miler on the men's side, Jeshurun Small lead from the get go to finish in a course record time. Not far behind him in 3rd place was Skylar Drakos, for whom this race was a huge milestone after having ankle reconstruction surgery less than five months ago. Bryant Knigge also had a successful race finishing 9th overall.
On the women's side, Madison Hart lead a strong race, finishing first female in course record time. Just several minutes behind her, Raigan Knigge had a great race, finishing in 3rd. Megan Bamford, a new freshman on the team, crushed her first, and longest, trail race, ending in 7th.
Two athletes from the team participated in the 55k. Freshman Jacob Dewey ran his first 55k at Indian Creek and ended up 4th overall. Riley Moser began having hip issues late in the race but was still able to finish strong with a great attitude.
Two new member on the team participated in the longest distance of the weekend, the 50 miler. Peter Hajdo, a freshman on the team, finished his longest run to date, even though he got lost on course and ran an extra 8 miles! Doug Eby, although having some bad stomach issues, still crushed the race and ended up finishing in 10th place.
Everyone had a great time this weekend running, laughing, and growing closer with others on the team. This race was a great indicator for how the end of the season races will hopefully play out. Everyone is getting excited for the next few weeks of training as buildup continues for the Moab Marathon and Dead Horse Ultras.
Members of the team gearing up for the start of the 50k and 15 mile race.
Small running hard to the finish line of the 15 mile race at The Indian Creek Fifties
Eby running through the fall colors in the early stages of his 50 mile race.
Working together to push during the race: That's what team mates are for after all!
Trail Running Team runs the Grand Canyon
Mountain Bike Team wins Nationals!


SUGGESTED USE: As a dietary supplement, adults mix each serving (1 scoop) with 8 oz of water 20-30 minutes before, during or immediately after your workout. Please read the entire label before use.
WARNING: DO NOT USE IF PREGNANT, NURSING, OR PLAN ON BECOMING PREGNANT. THIS PRODUCT IS INTENDED FOR USE BY HEALTHY ADULTS OVER THE AGE OF 18. Do not use this product continuously for more than 8 weeks. Do not combine with alcohol. Not intended for use by those with a medical condition. Use only as directed. Do not exceed recommended daily intake. Consult a physician or licensed qualified health care professional prior to use if you are pregnant, or nursing, or if you are taking medication, or if you have a medical condition, including, but not limited to, heart, liver, kidney, or thyroid disease, psychiatric or epileptic disorders, enlarged prostate or glaucoma. Discontinue 2 weeks prior to surgery or if you experience rapid heart beat, dizziness, severe headache or shortness of breath. DO NOT USE IF SAFETY SEAL UNDER CAP IS BROKEN. KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN.


What does Coccus Ilicis mean as a name of something?
Coccus ilicis is a species of Kermes, described by Linnaeus in 1758.
The Coccus Ilicis, or kermes, which inhabits a species of oak, called quercus coccifera, and is a native of the Southern parts of Europe. It is used in dyeing a deep red colour. 7. The Coccus Lacca, or gumlac animal, a native of the East Indies.
The Coccus Ilicis, or kermes, which inhabits a species of oak.called quercus coccifera, and is a native of the southern parts of Europe. It is used in dyeing a deep red colour. 7. The Coccus Lacca, or gumlac, animal, a native of the east Indies.
Go to the thesaurus of Coccus ilicis to find many related words and phrases!


Real Estate Multiple Listings and mortgage rate info for FRANCIS, OK Companies.
If we haven't found a FRANCIS, OK company's page yet, their phone number may be included.
Links in the end columns are links to companies working in FRANCIS who'd like your business.


Convert 'WKT' to 'GeoJSON' and 'GeoJSON' to 'WKT'. Functions included for converting between 'GeoJSON' to 'WKT', creating both 'GeoJSON' features, and non-features, creating 'WKT' from R objects (e.g., lists, data.frames, vectors), and linting 'WKT'.
wellknown - convert WKT to GeoJSON and vice versa.
The above currently accept (depending on the fxn) numeric, list, and data.frame (and character for special case of EMPTY WKT objects).
wkt2geojson() converts any WKT string into geojson as a list. This list format for geojson can be used downstream e.g., in the leaflet package.
#>  "POINT Z(116.4000000000000057  45.2000000000000028  11.0999999999999996)"
#>  "MULTIPOINT ((100.0000000000000000 3.1010000000000000), (101.0000000000000000 2.1000000000000001), (3.1400000000000001 2.1800000000000002))"
#>  "LINESTRING (0 0, 2 1, 4 2, 5 4)"
#>  "MULTILINESTRING ((0.0000000000000000 -1.0000000000000000, -2.0000000000000000 -3.0000000000000000, -4.0000000000000000 -5.0000000000000000), (1.6599999999999999 -31.5000000000000000, 10.9999000000000002 3.0000000000000000, 10.9000000000000004 1.1000000000000001, 0.0000000000000000 0.0000000000000000))"
#>  "POLYGON ((100.0010000000000048 0.0010000000000000, 101.0999999999999943 0.0010000000000000, 101.0010000000000048 1.0009999999999999, 100.0010000000000048 0.0010000000000000), (100.2009999999999934 0.2010000000000000, 100.8010000000000019 0.2010000000000000, 100.8010000000000019 0.8010000000000000, 100.2009999999999934 0.2010000000000000))"
#>  "MULTIPOLYGON Z(((100.000 0.001 0.000, 101.000 0.001 0.000, 101.000 1.001 0.000, 100.000 0.001 0.000), (100.2 0.2 0.0, 100.8 0.2 0.0, 100.8 0.8 0.0, 100.2 0.2 0.0)), ((1.0 4.0 7.0, 2.0 5.0 8.0, 3.0 6.0 1.0), (9.0 12.0 3.0, 10.0 1.0 4.0, 11.0 2.0 9.0)))"
#>  "GEOMETRYCOLLECTION (POINT (0 1), LINESTRING (0 0, 2 1, 4 2, 5 4), POLYGON ((100.001 0.001, 101.100 0.001, 101.001 1.001, 100.001 0.001), (100.201 0.201, 100.801 0.201, 100.801 0.801, 100.201 0.201)))"
You can convert directly from an object of class json, which is output from jsonlite::toJSON().
#>  "LINESTRING Z(0 0 10, 2 1 20, 4 2 30, 5 4 40)"
str <- "POINT (-116.4000000000000057 45.2000000000000028)"
str <- "POLYGON ((100 0.1, 101.1 0.3, 101 0.5, 100 0.1), (103.2 0.2, 104.8 0.2, 100.8 0.8, 103.2 0.2))"
((20 35, 45 20, 30 5, 10 10, 10 30, 20 35), (30 20, 20 25, 20 15, 30 20)))"
#>  "POLYGON((100 0,101.1 0,101 1,100 0))"


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I have very high expectations of those seeking a higher education. Arguably, one does not have a say in how their education is forged in childhood and adolescence; however, when one endeavors to acquire a higher education in their adulthood, then it is up to them to make sure that this experience is the best and most useful it can possibly be.
to be studious and seek to overcome academic deficiencies.
to be responsible and accountable for their own learning and overall education.
to persevere in the face of obstacles.
to possess a strong work ethic and to practice high principles of professionalism.
to strike a balance between the demands of higher education and their personal and professional lives.
to make necessary sacrifices to obtain a quality education.
to NOT make excuses for failure or poor performance.
to have faith in their unique abilities and to realize their full potential.
to participate FULLY in class and NOT stand by idle.
to demonstrate rational forethought and to be proactive, rather than reactive.
to take advantage of all opportunities afforded to them.
to ask questions and actively seek answers.
to NOT rely on uninformed opinions.
to think critically and dynamically.
to believe that knowledge is POWER!!!
I will firmly hold every Learner enrolled in my courses to these expectations without favoritism.


How to open .LZF file extension?
Specially dedicated programs are responsible for launching a .lzf file saved in a specific format (which we can recognize on the basis of the extension of a given file). The most common problems with .lzf files downloaded or received via e-mail are: their incorrect association with programs in the registry, or simply the lack of an appropriate program to open them. To solve the problem with the .lzf file it is usually sufficient just to download the appropriate software that supports .lzf file format, which can be found in the table below. The most common file format with the .lzf extension belongs to the category 3D&CAD Files . Autodesk, Inc. is responsible for creating .lzf extension file.


...for a pre-season poll. But the Coaches' Poll has dropped. Of note, besides your fair Wolverines being #5, is that there are three Big Ten teams in the Top 10. Wisconsin drops in at #7, and Ohio State at #10.
Oh, and we got two first place votes. I'm guessing one from Ron Zook and one from Jim Harbaugh.


Video marketers have to continuously adjust their content strategies and approaches taking the expectations of the audience into account. ROI or return on investment helps to determine how well the video is performing. Different metrics, analytics reports, and results are compared to measure video marketing ROI.
Monitor how the video content is ranked for the key search terms.
Check whether the video is reaching the right people or not as this helps to rank higher and boost key metrics.
Views are the easiest video marketing ROI to measure but the high view count should not be considered a success.
View count is the metric that gives you details of traction the video has achieved.
Do not just concentrate on the view count but consider other metrics that provide additional information.
Play rate is a metric that tells you what percentage of visitors are clicking the play button.
Play rate also tells you if the video is positioned at the right place on the website.
Track the engagement of the video with watch time, another key metric and understand how much time viewers are spending watching the video.
The higher the watch time percentage, the more the video is engaging the audience.
If the watch time is low, then check the length, placing a call to actions etc.
Ascertain the demographics of the existing audience by expanding the subscriber base.
The more the number of subscribers the more the video reach.
A number of subscribers also tells you if the video is reaching the target audience or if some changes need to make in the approach.
Monitor the social shares to get an idea of how the audiences are engaged with the video content on social media.
Social shares are an important metric to measure ROI if the video content is made especially for social media.
Backlinks metric helps you to assess how the video content is being played into SEO strategy.
If the video has more backlinks, then Google and YouTube are going to give higher ranking to it and this will lead to more views and more exposure.
Click through rate is another metric to check the persuasiveness of video content to encourage viewers to follow calls to actions.
Another way to measure video marketing ROI is to keep the close eye on lead generation.
Video efficacy on websites and email newsletters can be tracked with A/B testing.
Monitoring conversion rates and click through rates over a period of time across different approaches is one of the best ways to monitor video marketing ROI.
Monitor audience metric to create content to increase converse rates.
Find out at what point of the video people are leaving the video.
Relevance is another metric available however on only Facebook to check if the video reached the target group.
Set clear goals for your video.
Few common goals for videos are increasing brand awareness, engage customers, getting high conversion rates etc.
Foundation to measure the ROI is to identifying the goals.
There are different models to measure the ROI.
Absolute ROI allows getting the information on video performance and to measure the costs.
Relative ROI is a complicated model that allows comparing video performance and other marketing activities.
ROI with attribution modeling allows measuring the impact of video on different marketing channels.
Outline the costs of video marketing campaigns.
Track sales to know when you reached the break even amount.
Track sales from the marketing video. Use web tools to find this out.
Even before creating video content understand the distributing methods, this gives the correct idea of how to measure ROI and how to analyze the success on multiple channels.
If you are new in video marketing try using YouTube, email newsletter, website pages such as landing page or social network profiles to share the video as this makes to track the metrics easy.
Use online tools to evaluate the interaction of audience with the videos.
To measure mobile video advertising ROI, keep track of brand awareness, purchase influence, accessibility and mind share.
To measure native video ROI by click through.
Customer acquisition rate is one metric that should be tracked to measure native video ROI.
To measure the ROI of programmatic advertising, focus on areas such as reputation, website traffic numbers etc.
When tracking the views of the video take into consideration total views, paid views and organic views.
Paid views, however, are the one we should look for.
A number of minutes watched metric gives a clear picture of views Vs complete views.
Use YouTube analytics to get details about complete plays, drop off spots and hot spots.
To get positive video marketing ROI find out where the target audience is.
Choosing the right analytical tools is important to get the data needed to measure video ROI.
Online mention of the video is another metric that helps in measuring the ROI.
Conversions is another fundamental thing to measure video ROI, things to measure include the item purchases, registrations, and contact forms.
Pick only a few metrics that are important as it is not possible to keep track of every possible metric.
The success of any marketing activity is measured by the return on investment, ROI. The ROI of YouTube can be measured in many ways, and one has to keep the goal of the activity while measuring the ROI. Here are few ways to measure YouTube Channel ROI.
The success of any YouTube video is measured based on the views it gets. There are many other important things to consider while measuring the success of the video but the number of clicks indicates how well the video reached the target audience. The total number of views includes total views, paid views and live views. Check the leads and revenue that video has caused.
Use the YouTube analytics tool to check how many viewers completely watched the video. Audience retention feature of YouTube helps to find this data.
The success of a YouTube video depends on how well it reached the right people. Also, check whether your videos are being accessed on mobiles also or not as this can influence the return on investment. A number of shares like on YouTube and Facebook comments received by the video, mailing list signups are all things to consider to measure the return on investment.
ROI is not one of the best ways to measure the success of YouTube videos even if the video lead to increase in revenue. It is difficult to accurately the measure the level of success. The goal of any business with YouTube is to increase the brand awareness and not just to have video viewer or going viral. To measure ROI, the marketers need to define persona of the buyer and map out the customer conversion funnel. Define business goals which are measurable and concrete.
Keeping track of the video marketing ROI makes a lot of difference to the success and failure of YouTube channel or a marketing campaign. Measuring video marketing in ROI is very important to ensure that the time, energy and resources are invested in right places to get positive results. Regularly reviewing the data gives insights of how the video marketing campaigns and tactics are working and what changes should be made to them.


text:
5 million dollars reward is still on the table for the most important Art heist in the world
The Isabella Gardner Museum of Boston continues its efforts to find its 13 stolen Artworks which worth over half a billion dollars. To that end, even though the initial 10 million dollars reward dropped to 5, the offer remains. The clock is ticking and as time goes on, where does the investigation stand at?
An empty frame remains where Rembrandt's "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee" used to be © FBI
The most important Art heist in the world
It is still an open wound for Bostonians. On March 18th, 1990, 13 Artworks by great master painters were stolen from the Isabella Gardner Museum. The two thieves who were disguised as police men stole the precious artifacts. Among them was "The Storm on the Galilée Sea" by Rambrandt, but also "the Concert" by Vermeer. However, there are not the only one-of-a-kind Artists who saw their Artworks robbed from them. Indeed, Edgar Degas also was part of the cursed crew. In fact, the total amount of stolen Artworks worth 500 million dollars. It is Mr Armore, head of the museum security who has been leading the investigation for 30 years. Initially, the museum proposed a 10 million dollars reward. However, the offer expired on January 1st, 2018. As a result, the award went down to 5 million dollars.
The Concert © Johannes Vermeer
The award drop's consequences
Going from a 10 million to a 5 million dollars award did not go without generating worrisome among investigators. Indeed, M. Armore recently stated to the New York Times: "It's conceivable that some criminal organization or people might be wishy-washy about the 5 million dollars (…). "But it's not conceivable that they're feeling the same way about the 10 million dollars." Nonetheless, even though the investigators did figure the whereabouts of the two individuals within the museum through the movement detectors, there is a lack of clues. It is even more frustrating considering that the two criminals apparently stayed eighty on minutes on site. The goal is to retrieve the Artworks rather than punishing the thieves.
A burning case coming to a dead end
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum's stolen Artworks case did not go without ups and downs. Effectively, in 2013, the FBI announced they'd identified the thieves. However, there has been prescription since 1995, the suspects couldn't be arrested nor brought to justice. In fact, the two suspects did not have the Artworks in their possession. According to Kristen Setera from the FBI: "the investigation has been very eventful and twisted with both promising leads and dead ends." Even though there were many leads, many of them were farfetched. As a result, investigators thought it could have been the mafia, highly skilled thieves, or emissaries from the Vatican. Despite everything that has been going on, the museum still hopes it will be able to retrieve the Artworks and the award, even brought down, remains.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Read our article about the new gigantic New Yorker Gallery by Art-dealer David Zwirner here.
Sources : The New York Times & Le Monde.
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On October 14th, Art-Trope attented the opening of the exhibition Bifurcations, focusing on the Argentinean…
The new European data protection regulation impacts the Fine Arts market
In May 2018, the new European regulations will come into effect as part of the…
David Zwirner, legendary Art-dealer, takes over New York with a 50M dollars gallery
Art-Trope Artist Aymard le Forestier de Quillien sold 22 Artworks in Paris


Setting up of new casting industrial complex with new technologies for production of cast billets as well as using of modern high-performance equipment, ensuring high reliability and safety of products of various industries.
Company – project promoter: «Kopeysky mashzavod», JSC.
Company profile: manufacture of machinery and equipment for mining and construction industry.


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With a dedication to the belief that an active lifestyle is a healthier one, Shaker Pointe is home to a range of health and fitness options. Swim in our heated indoor pool or relax in our spa. Visit the aerobics studio and enjoy classes such as Zumba, Tai Chi, Yoga, Balance, and more! Work out at your own pace on our fitness equipment and build a strong heart and body. Our Fitness Coordinator provides instructor led programming for every level of ability, so there is always something for everyone to try.
Our fully-equipped fitness center makes it easy to achieve your personal goals. Work out on treadmills, elliptical machines, stationary bikes or strength equipment. Hand-held weights, resistance bands and stability balls are also available for resident use in the fitness center.
Dive into fun with Water Works, a shallow water alternative to land aerobics. This high energy workout improves agility, flexibility, cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength.
Check out Aquatic Zumba and splash your way into shape with an invigorating low-impact aquatic exercise. The Aqua Zumba program integrates the Zumba philosophy with traditional aquatic fitness disciplines.
Shaker Pointe's wooded trails offer hikers and strollers space to enjoy in the great outdoors and view some of the area wildlife.
Stay up-to-date on important health issues through educational presentations held right at Shaker Pointe.
Loss of balance can lead to fear of falling, resulting in a decrease in quality of life. Balance classes focus on helping participants increase their stability and balance. This multifaceted, safe and fun program builds new skills to maintain balance. Stability balls, foam rollers and balance discs are used to help increase balance awareness.
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Matthew "Mackie" G. Parker, Jr. was born on Saturday, July 18, 1936 to the late Mary V. and Matthew G. Parker, Sr. The eldest of seven children. Matthew and his sibliings were raised in Riverside, New Jersey. After a long hard fight, Matthew passed away on Saturday, March 24, 2018. Matthew graduated from Riverside High School, joining the Air Force afterwards where he attained the rank of "Master Sergeant."
He met and married the late Juanita Carter in 1957, and the two of them shared an unbreakable union for 56 years. Matthew and Juanita moved to Pennsauken, New Jersey where they raised their family, as well as the many foster children they opened their home to.
Matthew was a forever member of First Baptist Church of Riverside; a Mason of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge; brother of Eastern Star, and was involved with many other organizations. He was a graduate of Rutgers University and received a Bachelor's Degree. He worked as a LPN at Lakeland Hospital in Blackwood, New Jersey where he was a faithful employee until his retirement.
Matthew loved and adored his family, traveling, and sharing his life stories with anyone who would listen. He dedicated his life to helping others, and sharing his time with his brothers, sisters, children and his friends.
Mackie was preceded in death by his wife, Juanita; his sisters, Claudette, Janice and Mary Parker; brothers Ronald and Robert Parker; children, Stovier, Elliot, and Tracie and grandson Devon.
He leaves to treasure hi memory; two sons, Ronald Smith (Charlene) and Daniel Parker (Kathy), three daughters, Ernestine Vega (Alberto), Yvette Parker (David), and Dianna Harris, one brother Reverend Lonnie E. Parker, one sister-in-law Betty Parker, evelen grandchildren, Amber, (John), Lamar, Cameron, Gabrielle, Kevin, Kelsey, Ronnie, Lakeya, Stephaine, Shane, and Rodrick, eleven great grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.


Forums Wyrmrest Accord Elves. Who's migrating?
Elves. People like them, some dont. But regardless of polarizing opinions about them they are among the most played races in the game. And this time Blizzard as opted to add not one, but two brands of elf in the pot of playable races. Uniquely, the Void Elves and Nightborne are, in the most basic of terms, reskins of the current playable Blood Elves and Night Elves.
I remember way back when that it was brought up, source non-withstanding, that Blood Elves were added to the Horde to bring players to shift the stark population imbalance in Vanilla. This toon was originally a Night Elf before I left the Alliance to play a belf warlock when BC launched, then finally race changed once that option was available. And I can admit that I did not main the Horde in the beginning because it didn't have "pretty" races-and that's even though I mained Horde as my faction of choice in WCIII-Tauren Chieften's brah.
So I'm curious will there be a schism and a similar migration of alts and mains now that essentially blood elves are playable Alliance and Night Elves are going Horde or do you think the game has matured where faction population shifts are based on more things than just aesthetics?
I already have the names/concepts for my Void Elf and LFDraenei but it's less for RP and more to use this as an opportunity to flesh out my roster blue side for PvP but I am curious to whether I'll run into some familiar faces from say the Blood elf community on Alliance or even the Night Elf groups/mains moving over Horde side.
I will only add the new races to see the story lines. I doubt anything could make me want to change from a Dirtback as my main. having been one since nilla, I just do not see that happening.
I'm interested to see how it pans out. My only hope is the communities on either side don't create a toxic, knee-jerk environment. If this is a long time player's first exposure to the other faction, it would be a shame if it little more than an angst-fest.
I've already had an unfortunate number of off-hand comments from making friends on either side where they've been written off months (perhaps even a year) before they appear on the scene.
Edit: On topic. I'll have one as I unlock everything but unless they have the Paladin class, I tend to be the "One Main At A Time" type of person and I already benched my Warrior. I've got so much catch up to do, I can't imagine having a legitimate alt for a while.
I'm thinking of having Layam afflicted with void-elf-itis but I don't know if a Paladin, who embodies the Light, could survive that change.
Lleo is primed to void it up. It will be my first elf character and while I have the basics of a story in mind (Ex-Sunfury/Scryer spy. Fell into the Twisting Nether. Maybe.) there's still much to adjust to as far as elvish roleplaying goes. Particularly elf names.
I almost feel like I shouldn't respond to this thread, just because I've already shrieked about my void elf plans to everyone who would listen and about 1000 people who really just wanted me to shut the hell up. I'm personally moving less out of a desire for a pretty character & more to develop a story that I'd thrown together & that fit perfectly with the velves. I've always been drawn to the question of how people would react when they're unceremoniously tossed out of their homes by their people-- that's one thing that drew me to deaders, but I like how velves get that without the evilness that comes with forsaken RP. I personally don't love evil RP, & so I'm migrating to follow a story (&, hopefully, RP culture) that interests me. I'm sure some people will shift due to aesthetics, but in the chats I've heard in the velf discord, it seems like it's more out of genuine story interest than character aesthetics. I am very interested to see how the community begins and matures, though.
I'll definitely play the intro questlines, but I can't split focus on multiple characters most of the time to save my life, so I'll be sticking to Barnabas for 99.9% of my actual play time.
My dream is one of each class per faction on this server. You can bet I'm going to make one of each elf race.
Gonna make a Void based off Eliot from the magicians. For a day at least.
Honestly I'll probably pick one or the other and focus on leveling them.
Void Elves have so far the dumbest backstory I've ever seen. But are visually very interesting AND Alliance side.
Nightborne have a compelling storyline, are visually pretty great but are Horde side.
It is a wash then for me right there. The Nightborne are really intersting but Horde side RP isn't my favorite, and I fear the Nightborne becoming "House Guild 2: Electric Boogaloo". Void Elves could go either way. I fully expect the 3edgy5me types to proliferate, but there is a chance.... A CHANCE.... that some of the good lore of the High/Blood Elves can be explored and maybe because they aren't blood elves and are homeless, the Noble House problem in Silvermoon can be avoided.
Though I'd never play an elf myself, I am actually really glad that they're adding two new varieties to the game because I'm hoping (in addition to the arrival of Zandalari specifically) it redistributes the staggering disproportion of blood elves. Not that I have anything against individual blood elves or their players, it just really unsettles me that there are so many, and no matter what excuses people make, I did not pick Horde 12 years ago to be surrounded by blood elves.
So I say bring on the nightborne and the void elves, maybe they'll help even things out for the Horde!
Personally, I'm going to be too busy on the Vanilla Remix servers to switch a main.
I have a blood elf paladin (who was my main from BC through half of Wrath) and my night elf demon hunter (thus far, the ONLY night elf I've been able to stand).
Of course I'm going to make alts for leveling to get those sets, but I just have so much more I want to do that making a totally new race my main isn't tops on that list.
Heck, I'm still undecided on class and race for the old school servers.
Only I can't decide if I want to be a goth-jock (a gock AKA a joth) with a pompadour or Anime Dracula.
I won't be, but I'm looking forward to RPing with the new elf races. Especially void elves, there are just so many good concepts with them. Not to mention they are literal defectors of the Horde! Blood elves have got to be peeved at their betrayal.
Elves. People like them, some dont.
Man this would be awesome. But it's more like some people like them, some people have violently angry obsessive hatred towards them.
Like, zero moderation. It's "I like/don't mind elves." Or "If you play an elf, you are a garbage person and I'm going to find you and punch you."
are you making a !@#$ing elf or not?
...Man this would be awesome. But it's more like some people like them, some people have violently angry obsessive hatred towards them.
@Zenrao if you don't play an elf, you are a garbage person and I'm going to find you and punch you.


by Jon Queally, staff writer for CommonDreams. Published April 29, 2015.
A bipartisan bill, designed to rein in the bulk collection of the private communications of American citizens, was introduced Tuesday by members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, ahead of an upcoming expiration date for key Patriot Act provisions that have given legal authority to some of the most controversial domestic surveillance practices revealed over the last two years.
This entry was posted in Civil Rights, Demonstrations & Protests, Government, National Security vs Police State and tagged American Civil Liberties Union, bulk data collection, Center for Democracy and Technology, NSA, surveillance, USA Freedom Act of 2015, USA Patriot Act on April 30, 2015 by MNgranny.
Speaking before the Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty on Monday, Iran demanded that countries possessing nuclear weapons halt all plans to modernize their arsenals, while warning that the atomic stockpile of Israel, which is not a signatory, poses a "serious and continuous threat" to the Middle East.
This entry was posted in Government, International Agreements, Technology and tagged International Agreements, Iran, Israel, nuclear arms on April 29, 2015 by ew.
Last summer, she began to feel sick. She couldn't hold down various foods, and others would pass right through her. Her doctor originally thought it might be a combination of celiac disease and a sudden dairy allergy, and recommended some changes in her diet. For a while, the changes seemed to work. Then, the symptoms came back. She went back to the doctor for more tests.
This entry was posted in Human Spirit, Memorials and tagged Human spirit, Spiituality on April 28, 2015 by ew.
Written by Jon Queally, staff writer for CommonDreams. Published April 26, 2015.
That, at least, is the buried headline contained in new reporting from Reuters on Sunday which looks at the ability of the solar industry to upend the world's energy system in ways similar to recent innovations which allowed oil and gas companies to squeeze previously unattainable deposits from underground shale formations.
This entry was posted in Climate Change & Environmental Issues, Economics, Energy, Fracking, Government, Technology and tagged Capitalism, Economics, Energy, Environment, Fracking, Hydraulic Fracking, Oil, Oil Shale, Solar power on April 27, 2015 by MNgranny.
On Thursday, President Obama admitted that two al Qaeda hostages, an American and an Italian, were killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan in January. He also said that two other US citizens had been killed in a strike later that month.
Armed Predator drone firing Hellfire missile. Photo public domain.
The reaction in Congress to the news was predictable, especially among the presidential hopefuls in the Senate. Rand Paul called the deaths "a tragedy," but refused to address the attacks in general. Ted Cruz called for an investigation (as did Obama), but placed the blame at the feet of al-Qaeda.
This entry was posted in Cyberwarfare, Government, International Agreements, National Security vs Police State, Solidarity, Terrorism, War Crimes and tagged Atrocities, Drones, International Agreements, national security, Pakistan, Security, Solidarity, terrorism, War Crimes on April 25, 2015 by ew.
Written by Jon Queally, staff writer for CommonDreams. Published April 22, 2015.
This entry was posted in Austerity, Civil Rights, Climate Change & Environmental Issues, Economics, Energy, Government, Human Rights, Human Spirit, International Agreements, Privatization, Social Justice, Unions and Organized Labor, Water, Women's Issues, Workers' Issues and tagged Capitalism, Democracy, Economics, Energy, Environment, Equality, Human rights, Human spirit, Income Inequality, International Agreements, Oil, privatization, Unions, Water, Women's Issues, Worker's Rights, workers' issues on April 22, 2015 by MNgranny.
If politicians get their way, we would be horrified at what their words would mean.
Since the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. "ObamaCare") was signed into law in 2010, there has not been a more hated and controversial law as seen by the Republican party in American history. After echoing the words of political fear mongers such as Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, it did not take long for the Republican held- House to pass attempt after attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act to have it go nowhere in the Senate.
This entry was posted in Economics, Government, Health Care, Human Rights and tagged ACA, Obamacare, Repealing ObamaCare, Reversing ObamaCare, Ted Cruz on April 21, 2015 by MNgranny.


-Going anywhere nice this year? Going abroad?
I live near an area in Dublin called Ringsend. A slightly unusual name obviously, but for someone reason I only thought today about how the name doesn't really make any sense whatsoever.
I always begin these posts by saying I came across this expression recently.
Hello there! It's been a while since we've seen each other, I know, but I've been pretty busy lately. And I thought it'd be better to take a break and not write anything sub-par or forced while tired. And you've got plenty of old articles to read anyway.


text:
Wearable album art and digital music come together in Astrella's Musical Ts
Paul Ridden
John "Norwood" Fisher of Fishbone wearing a Miles Davis Musical T
The (relatively) brave new world of digital music consumption can arguably more than satisfy the aural needs of most music lovers, but vinyl and CD collectors also enjoy a visual feast in the shape of album art. Sure, you might get some small pixel pleasure with your MP3, and if you're lucky perhaps even a PDF booklet, but you're unlikely to get anywhere near the satisfaction you'd get from some concept art and band info on a 12 inch square of cardboard or a glossy paper flip-book in a jewel case. The high fashion house of Astrella has linked the digital and the physical with a line of t-shirts where streamed music is part of the package. Next month, shoppers at two Bloomingdale's stores will be able to get access to music and more with the help of their smartphones.
The daughter of legendary British singer/guitarist Donovan and former performer in her own right, designer Astrella Rothberg's combination of high fashion, digital music technology and album cover art launched early last year at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. The small collection of Musical Ts then made their mark at Sy Devore in Studio City, CA, and the Riviera Palm Springs. All of the t-shirts are hand-made in Hollywood from 100 percent organic fabrics and the line is currently being expanded to include rock and pop icons, with Elton John, Queen and The Who joining such jazz and blues luminaries as Billie Holiday, Miles Davis and John Lee Hooker.
The Musical Ts are based around something called Activation Technology, a platform which pairs purchased physical products with the unlocking of digital incentives. In this case it's a t-shirt that gives fans a key to unlock streaming music linked to the album art on the garment and digital information about the artist.
Each garment comes with a laminated hang tag that's designed to look like a back stage pass. At boutiques and smaller retailers, these include a key (PIN) and digital gate (NFC or QR) and are handed out at the time of purchase. At big box retailers, the digital gates are printed inside the garment itself, with the PIN key hidden under some scratch off material on the hang tag.
Upon accessing the digital gate using a connected smartphone, and opting into the system by registering a personal email address, the customer is taken to a special landing page where music can be streamed or downloaded and archival information about the artist is made available.
"Once the produce is purchased, the single or full album (depending on the brand making the offer) is owned by the consumer and free for a one time download as well as access to custom landing pages that feature the steaming music, videos, photos and much more in a secure one to one environment," Jason Rothberg told us. "These landing pages were designed to help introduce or reintroduce the music as it was originally, including press, interviews, memorabilia. Anything we can collect that a fan would find of interest."
Later this year, Astrella will introduce a mobile app to help make getting to the digital content a little smoother and easier.
"Our app will work across any operating system and across all devices," revealed Rothberg. "This will allow us to bypass the current digital gates (QR and NFC) by simply entering a unique PIN and email once the app is downloaded. Each entry point is branded with the specific artist and album title purchased, with additional doors to other artists and digital content the consumer can unlock by purchasing other t-shirts, engaging in social media competitions and other reward opportunities, based on the bands and their current promotional/release plans."
From May 24 Bloomingdale's in Manhattan and Santa Monica will be added to the exclusive roster of outlets where these high end t-shirts and digital content packages are sold (the t-shirts will also be making their way to LA's Scream Famous Clothing and a few UK boutiques in the near future too). The Musical T is aimed at the same high-end luxury market as lines from John Varvatos and James Perse and as such the price of entry is rather high, with a suggested retail price is US$82.
The video below shows some famous names posing for promotional shots and offers a quick look at the system in action.
Source: Astrella
Jason and Astrella Rothberg, creators of the Musical Ts
Matt Sorum of Guns N Roses wearing The Who's Odds & Sods Musical T and film and TV director Kevin Sharpley in a Slightly Stoopid Musical T
Tommy Flanagan from Sons of Anarchy in the Thelonious Monk Musical T
Steve D (guitarist for Buckcherry) wearing the John Lee Hooker Country Blues Collection Musical T
NSYNC's Lance Bass sporting the John Coltrane Lush Life Musical T
#Digital music
#Smartphones
#Wearable
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