text:
Q: Sorting an array based on times I have an array of objects containing time stamps and I am attempting to sort them in ascending order. Ive tried converting them to 24 hour time using moment when sorting also comparing the time stamps themselves but for some reason I am still getting my times in a random order. Is there something Im missing?
data when already converted 12 hour time
[{start: '9:04 AM', end: '9:34 AM'}, {start: '3:04 AM', end: '3:34 AM'}...]

const sortedAppointments = appointments.sort(
    (a, b) => moment(a.start).format("H:mm") - moment(b.start).format("H:mm"),
  );

note: I am mapping over the array in the UI after it is sorted. But the output from this sort function is still out of order "/

A: Read the times into moment with the correct format, then compare the UNIX timestamps.
const sortedAppointments = appointments.sort(
    (a, b) => moment(a.start, "h:mm a").unix() - moment(b.start, "h:mm a").unix()
);

A: For what it's worth, here's a version without the 200+kb download of moment.js

let appointments = [{
  start: '9:04 AM',
  end: '9:34 AM'
}, {
  start: '9:04 PM',
  end: '10:34 PM'
}, {
  start: '3:04 AM',
  end: '3:34 AM'
}]
const conv = time => {
  let mer = time.split(" ")[1].toLowerCase(),
    tm = time.split(" ")[0].split(":");
  if (mer === "pm") tm[0] = +tm[0] + 12;
  return +tm.join('');
}
const sortedAppointments = appointments.sort(
  (a, b) => conv(a.start) - conv(b.start)
);

console.log(sortedAppointments)

A: This is the solution that worked best for me with time in UTC :
const sortedAppointments = appointments.sort(
    (a, b) => moment(a.start).format("x") - moment(b.start).format("x"),
  );


Far from the noisy cavillations, Villa Atas is home to tranquility with scenic landscapes engulfed in wildlife and rice paddies. At Villa Atas, travelers' dreams come to life. Skies are ever blue, and the distant volcanoes blow fog from their summits. There is no disappointment for those who choose to reside at Villa Atas, Ubud. It is pure bliss in untouched nature. The villa estate includes two pavilions in a splendid garden.
Here you will have experiences you can take home.
Villa Atas is ideal for families and friends seeking for a meaningful vacation, natural kindness, and excitement in privacy.
Around Villa Atas Awan is a stunningly beautiful Indonesian countryside. Nature speaks a language of silence that inspires calmness and relaxation. There high waterfalls, the monkey forest, ancient temples and art galleries waiting for your exploration.
The garden area is extensive and peaceful with thriving trees, bushes and green grass. You will find beauty and calmness in the fish ponds, the stone sculptures and the infinity pool gracing the exterior. The garden has numerous sun shades and lounges for an unforgettable outdoor experience.
The living areas sit close to the garden and the infinity pool. Here, guests will be exposed to the beauty and tranquility given the alfresco living design. Here, the arts and crafts of the island come to life. The furniture is antique and uniquely crafted from bamboo and rattan. From the comfortable sofas and lounges, you will find the comfort that tourists seek across the oceans. The two pavilions both have spacious kitchens featuring unique facilities and appliances.
The master bedroom is a stunning room on the upper floor. From here guests can enjoy far reaching views of the beautiful panoramas. Comfort is a way of life here. Adventure is in the architecture of high thatched roofs juxtaposed by sliding glass doors and windows. The room is spacious and endowed with beautiful wooden furniture, smart TV sets, and a king-sized bed draped with curtains. The room contains an en-suite bathroom with terrazzo bathtubs and luxurious rain showers. There is a terrace at the doors where you can sit and enjoy the unforgettable Balinese sunrise.
The second floor has five bedrooms opening to a shared terrace. There are numerous lounge rares that will make relaxation possible to experience -for instance, the hammock where you can sink in a novel and forget about the world. The rooms have wooden designs while the glass doors and windows bring in all the outdoor excitement. The en-suite bathrooms include terrazzo bathtubs and rain showers.
The staff at Villa Atas Awan are friendly and dedicated to guest satisfaction. They carry out daily maintenance, housekeeping, security and guest assistance. There is also a shuttle bus available to transport guests to and from attraction centers in Ubud.


text:
Q: Core Data: Strange bindings error on re-opening a document. Help? I have been building a core data application to administrate some data and I've been stumped by a bug that indicates my objects aren't KVO compliant. However, I haven't modified the default KVO compliance of the NSManagedObject, and now I'm left scratching my head.
The area of the application that the bug is affecting is that of creating some categories and organising some items that will live inside those categories. The items may exist in multiple categories and the items AND categories view order can be set by the user. Simple stuff.
To better visualise this, the key pieces of the core data model I have set-up are displayed below. I've simplified the naming and attributes of the entities somewhat:
Category <--------->> CategoryItem <<---------> Item
--------              ------------              --------
name                  viewPosition              name
viewPosition                                    description

This model is connected to two ArrayControllers in interface builder, one for categories and one for categoryitems. The categoryitems content set is set to the category array controller via a selection.categoryItems binding. These array controllers feed two table views. The content of the category items table is bound to the CategoryItem A.C controller via arrangedObjects.item.name.
This all works perfectly and I'm dragging and dropping and ordering both Items and Categories to my hearts desire.
Except for one strange case.
Whenever I create a category with exactly one item, then save, if I then re-open the document I am presented with the following error:
Cannot remove an observer <NSTableBinder 0x1627f670> for the key path "item.name" from <NSManagedObject 0x16273380>, most likely because the value for the key "item" has changed without an appropriate KVO notification being sent. Check the KVO-compliance of the NSManagedObject class.
After that the interface seems to fall apart and the application becomes unusable. I've searched the web and all I can uncover is that this points to KVC non-compliance. But I'm using standard, barely modified, Apple classes here.
The bug ISN'T raised when I bind to the viewPosition of the CategoryItem only. i.e. via arrangedObjects.viewPosition instead of arrangedObjects.item.name. It's as if the relationship between categoryitem and item isn't ready at the point the table initially observes (and only if there is one item).
Has anyone else encountered this? Can anyone think of a possible workaround?

A: This turned out to be a bug. Here's the report, with the reason and workaround.
 NSArrayController 'Auto rearrange content' raises KVO exception for NSManagedObjects
Summary:
When 'Auto Rearrange Content' is checked on an NSArrayController that is managing the data of a core data entity, an exception, 'Cannot remove an observer  for the key path "x"', is raised.
From my investigation it seems as though that when 'auto rearrange content' is checked on an NSArrayController, KVO compliance is not completely achieved. For the most part, it works perfectly but there is one specific case that I have found that breaks this compliance.
It's tough to articulate, but it seems to occur when trying to access a relationship (i.e arrangedObjects.person.name) of an entity managed by an NSArrayController with auto rearrange contents checked. In addition to this, it only seems to occur after re-opening a document and when that controller is managing a set of exactly one item...
It's probably easier if you view the example project and follow the below steps...
Steps to reproduce:
1) Open the project attached
2) Open the MyDocument.xib
3) Check that  'Auto Rearrange Content' is checked for the 'Activity Persons' NSArrayController
4) Build and go
5) Add one Activity by clicking the plus below the left column
6) Add one Activity Person (no more, no less) by clicking the plus below the right hand column
7) Save the document
8) Re-open the document
Expected results:
Document is reopened and user is able to add and remove activities and persons at will with a responsive interface.
Actual results:
UI behaves unpredictably as soon as the right hand column attempts to display the Activity Persons of an Activity with exactly one Activity Person. Renders application unusable.
Notes:
I created a test project to locate this bug, the code and model should be extremely self-explanatory, but feel free to contact me with any questions.
This problem can be worked around by unchecking Auto Rearrange Content and calling arrangeObjects on NSArrayController manually.

A: After much head-scratching and feet-stamping I have finally solved this problem. Woohoo!
The cause of this issue actually turned out to be an instance of NSNumberFormatter I had buried in one of my table views. I should have paid more attention to a console message I was getting from Interface Builder.
23/06/2009 15:05:08 ibtool[2324] -[NSConcreteAttributedString initWithString:] called with
nil string argument. This has undefined behavior and will raise an exception in post-
Leopard linked apps. This warning is displayed only once.

What this actually turned out to mean was that my NSNumberFormatter didn't have it's Zero Symbol and Nil Symbol set (The default configuration). Setting these both to zero removed the above error and then as if by magic I was once again KVO compliant.
I worked out that this may be causing the above console message from the following post:
http://www.cocoabuilder.com/archive/message/cocoa/2009/5/28/237646
The message did worry me, but as it didn't seem to affect my application and was generated by 'ibtool' (i.e. not my application), I chose to ignore it initially. Mainly because I had no idea of where I would find the culprit that raised the warning. It wasn't until I googled the console message I was able to solve it. I guess I still have much to learn in the world of Cocoa debugging!
What I still find bizarre is that it only affected re-opened documents with exactly one item in a category...

A:

Cannot remove an observer <NSTableBinder 0x1627f670> for the key path "item.name" from <NSManagedObject 0x16273380>, most likely because the value for the key "item" has changed without an appropriate KVO notification being sent. Check the KVO-compliance of the NSManagedObject class.

This is, indeed, the most likely explanation. You changed the value without posting a KVO notification.
You're probably doing something like this:
[item release];
item = [newItem retain];

This is wrong. Direct instance variable assignment does not post a KVO notification, so this statement does not tell other objects about the change.
You need to go through your accessors, instead. One way is an explicit accessor message:
[self setItem:newItem];

The other way is property assignment:
self.item = newItem;

They are both equivalent and give the exact same results, which include KVO notifications.
Note that both of the correct solutions do not include a retain or copy message. That's the job of your setter accessor (whether you synthesize it, let Core Data create it dynamically, or write it yourself).
The main exception to the always-use-accessors rule is that you should always do direct instance variable assignment (with the appropriate release and retain/copy messages) in init methods and the dealloc method. Otherwise, you're sending messages to a half-inited/-deallocked object.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Announcement - Niranjana Swami's Visit to Toronto Indefinitely Postponed ~ The Toronto Hare Krishna Temple!
We don't like being the bearer of bad news, however the Toronto Hare Krishna Temple would like to let all of our devotees know that, unfortunately, HH Niranjana Swami's visit to Toronto, which was scheduled for Dec 16-17, 2014 has been indefinitely postponed.
Maharaj will not be travelling to Canada as he had been expecting. We apologize for any confusion and hope that our Toronto Hare Krishna community will be able to host Niranjana Swami sometime in the future. Please note that the "Nama Yajna" program, which was scheduled to be held on Tuesday, December 17th, is now cancelled. Hare Krishna!


text:
Donoghue 'bitterly disappointed' by early championship exit
Galway manager Micheal Donoghue. ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne.
Micheál Donoghue made no attempt to hide his disappointment after the Galway hurlers' season was prematurely ended by Dublin on Saturday night.
The 2017 All-Ireland winning manager, who is expected to be given the green light to see out the final year of his managerial rein, said he couldn't fault the players for effort after they finished bottom of the Leinster SHC round-robin series on scoring difference.
"That's sport. We're obviously bitterly, bitterly disappointed. But I've said it umpteen times — I'm so proud of these lads. They worked really hard and you have to give huge credit to Dublin," he told the Irish Daily Mirror.
"Goals win games and they got them at the right times. The penalty they got after half-time came (at the right time) but we responded to it well and held them for a while after that. But then they got another one and as I say, goals win matches."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Volunteer & Change Lives
Partner & Make a Difference
Find Your Cause
Carolinas Rehabilitation
Heart & Vascular Disease
Dreamcatcher Society
Young Ambassadors
Foundation Welcome
Starlight Society
Stories List
Fundraising for Kids
Announcing the James B. Hall, M.D. Endowed Lectureship
2020-03-23T00:02:39+00:00June 29th, 2016|By Atrium Health Foundation|Foundation News|0 Comments
This week, we celebrated a milestone in Dr. James B. ("Jim") Hall's distinguished career as an oncologist at Atrium Health's Levine Cancer Institute. A $100,000 endowment (named the James B. Hall, M.D. Endowed Lectureship in Gynecologic Oncology) was made possible by generous gifts from many of Dr. Hall's colleagues, residents, and patients over the last 36 years. A special thank you goes to The Bissell Family Foundation for their generous support.
Our colleague and friend, Dr. Jim Hall, is retiring on June 30, 2016. Jim was the first gynecologic oncologist in Charlotte and has been the only Division Director of Gynecologic Oncology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Hall has deservingly earned a reputation as an outstanding gynecologic oncologist over his 36-year career. His dedication to patients, resident/student education, with support from the Atrium Health, has resulted in national recognition for the Division of Gynecologic Oncology. He has been instrumental in the division being a member of national cooperative research groups at Carolinas Medical Center, formerly Charlotte Memorial Hospital, to what is now Levine Cancer Institute (LCI).
Use this link to make a contribution.
Jim will always be remembered for his enthusiasm, boundless energy, vision, and dedication to patient care. He was interim chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for two years and recently the President of the Mecklenburg County Medical Society. In addition to his professional contributions, Jim has been role model for faculty, residents, and staff with his professionalism and positive approach to life.
Pictured above: LCI GYN Oncology Team (from left) – Erin Crane, David Tait, Jim Hall, Wendel Naumann, Robert Higgins.
Find a Cause
Join the Dreamcatcher Society
Fund Us Offline
208 East Blvd.
atriumhealthfoundation@atriumhealth.org
© 2015 Atrium Health Foundation, All Rights Reserved
Notice of Privacy Statement
Atrium Health Foundation may use demographic information to contact you in an effort to raise money for Atrium Health programs and facilities. The money raised will be used to expand and improve the services and programs we provide the community.
Atrium Health Foundation is an accredited charity, recognized by the Better Business Bureau for meeting and exceeding the comprehensive Standards for Charity Accountability.


Thermotoga spp. are attractive candidates for producing biohydrogen, green chemicals, and thermostable enzymes. They may also serve as model systems for understanding life sustainability under hyperthermophilic conditions. A lack of genetic tools has hampered the investigation and application of these organisms. This study aims to develop a genetic transfer system for Thermotoga spp.
Methods for preparing and handling Thermotoga solid cultures under aerobic conditions were optimized. A plating efficiency of ~50% was achieved when the bacterial cells were embedded in 0.3% Gelrite. A Thermotoga-E. coli shuttle vector pDH10 was constructed using pRQ7, a cryptic mini-plasmid found in T. sp. RQ7. Plasmid pDH10 was introduced to T. maritima and T. sp. RQ7 by electroporation and liposome-mediated transformation. Transformants were isolated, and the transformed kanamycin resistance gene (kan) was detected from the plasmid DNA extracts of the recombinant strains by PCR and was confirmed by restriction digestions. The transformed DNA was stably maintained in both Thermotoga and E. coli even without the selective pressure.
Thermotoga are transformable by multiple means. Recombinant Thermotoga strains have been isolated for the first time. A heterologous kan gene is functionally expressed and stably maintained in Thermotoga.
Besides Aquifex, Thermotoga are the only group of bacteria that can grow up to 90°C. Isolates of Thermotoga have been discovered from heated sea floors , continental hot springs , and oil fields . Analysis of their 16S rRNA sequences have positioned Thermotoga spp. to a deep branch of the tree of life, suggesting that these strict anaerobes emerged at an early stage of evolution, when the surface of the Earth was hot and its atmosphere contained little oxygen. Study of the molecular genetics of Thermotoga is expected to shed light on the fundamental questions related to the origin of life as well as the mechanisms of the thermostability of macromolecules under extreme conditions. Most importantly, Thermotoga hydrolyze a number of polysaccharides through fermentative catabolism and produce hydrogen gas as one of the final products . This has stimulated tremendous interest in utilizing these bacteria to produce biomass-based clean energy, especially through metabolic engineering approaches. However, due to the lack of genetic tools, the investigations of Thermotoga are still largely limited to biochemical, genomic, and fermentative studies, as with most hyperthermophiles.
Cryptic mini-plasmids pRQ7, pMC24, and pRKU1 have been identified in T. sp. RQ7 , T. maritima , and T. petrophila RKU-1 , respectively. Although discovered at geologically unrelated locations, the three plasmids are nearly identical. They are extremely small (846 bp) and encode just one apparent open reading frame, presumably the replication protein. Studies of pRQ7 suggest that the plasmid is negatively supercoiled and replicates by a rolling-circle mechanism [5, 8]. Based on pRQ7, two Thermotoga-E. coli shuttle vectors pJY1 (chloramphenicol-resistant) and pJY2 (kanamycin-resistant) have been constructed for expression in T. neapolitana and T. maritima, respectively . Through liposome-mediated transformation, both vectors rendered transient antibiotic resistance to Thermotoga cells in liquid media, but no transformants could be isolated from plates. To date, that report remains the only documented effort of expressing heterologous genes in Thermotoga, out of more than 1200 publications retrieved from PubMed using "Thermotoga" as the key word (last searched December 20, 2011). In fact, genetic manipulation of Thermotoga remains a challenge. To develop a tractable gene transfer system for Thermotoga spp., we systematically examined every aspect pertaining to the cloning and expression of foreign genes in Thermotoga, from plating efficiency to vector stability. We demonstrate that heterologous genes can be introduced to Thermotoga through multiple means, be functionally expressed, and be stably maintained.
Bacterial strains and vectors involved in this study are listed in Table 1. E. coli DH5α was used as the host strain for the construction of vectors and was grown at 37°C in Luria Broth (1% tryptone, 0.5% NaCl, 0.5% yeast extract), with 1.5% agar for plates. Ampicillin was supplemented at 100 μg ml-1 when needed. Thermotoga neapolitana ATCC 49049 (same as T. neapolitana DSM 4359) was purchased from ATCC http://www.atcc.org/, and strains T. sp. RQ7 and T. maritima MSB8 were kindly provided by Dr. Harald Huber, University of Regensburg, Germany. Thermotoga were cultivated at 77°C in SVO medium developed by van Ooteghem et al. . Fifty milliliters of SVO was dispensed into 100 ml serum bottles and sparged with nitrogen gas to remove oxygen from the medium and the headspace. Serum bottles were then sealed by rubber stoppers, secured by aluminum caps, and sterilized. Inoculation of the liquid SVO was done by a syringe needle with a typical inoculum of 2%. Liquid cultures were shaken at 100 rpm. For preparation of soft SVO, 0.075% Gelrite (Sigma-Aldrich Co., St. Louis, MO, USA) was dissolved in liquid SVO. Culture tubes with screw caps were filled with soft SVO up to two thirds of the volume capacity and were autoclaved. To grow Thermotoga on plates, double strength (2 ×) of liquid SVO and various concentrations of agar or Gelrite were autoclaved separately and then mixed with equal volumes while they were still hot. The medium either was directly poured to Petri dishes for standard spreading or streaking, or was mixed with cell cultures prior to pouring for embedded growth. A Vacu-Quik jar (Almore International Inc., Portland, OR, USA) containing a packet of 4 g of palladium catalyst was used for anaerobic cultivation of plates. The atmosphere inside of the jar was exchanged to 96:4 N2-H2 before it was placed into an incubator of 77°C. Colonies usually appear in 24 h and grow bigger in 48 h. Kanamycin was supplemented when needed at 150 μg ml-1 for liquid and 250 μg ml-1 for soft and solid cultures. Cell growth in liquid was monitored by measuring the optical density of cell cultures at 600 nm (OD600). All aforementioned operations were carried out on the bench top.
One ml of overnight culture was mixed with 25 ml of hot SVO containing 0.3% Gelrite and poured into Petri dishes. Small discs of 7 mm in diameter were cut from Whatman qualitative filter paper and were placed on solidified plates. Various amount of kanamycin (50 ~ 250 μg) was added to the paper discs. After 48 h of anaerobic incubation, sensitive strains would display inhibition zones surrounding the discs. To specify the selective levels of the antibiotic in both liquid and solid media, kanamycin ranging from 50 to 300 μg ml-1 was supplemented, and the proliferation of bacteria was monitored for up to 72 h.
Plasmid DNA was extracted from Thermotoga using standard alkaline lysis method . For genomic DNA, overnight culture of Thermotoga was extracted with equal volume of phenol: chloroform: isoamyl alcohol (volume ratio 25:24:1) followed by centrifugation at 13,523 g for 5 min to remove cell debris. DNA in the supernatant was precipitated with equal volume of isopropanol, washed once with 70% ethanol, air-dried, and dissolved in 10 mM Tris-EDTA buffer (pH 8.0) containing 20 μg ml-1 RNase.
Plasmid pKT1 carrying a thermostable kanamycin adenyl transferase gene (kan) was purchased from Biotools, B & M Labs (Madrid, Spain). Primers 5'-GGGGATCCGAATGTGGTTAGTGTGATTAG-3' and 5'-GGGAATTCTTAACCATATCCCACTAGTTC-3' were used to amplify pRQ7, which was linearized immediately after the stop codon of the replication protein as the result of the PCR reactions. The PCR product was digested by BamHI and EcoRI and was inserted into the corresponding sites of pUC19 to give rise to pDH1. The XbaI-EcoRI fragment of pDH1 was then joined to pKT1 pre-digested with the same enzymes to generate pDH10 [GenBank:JN813374] (Figure 1). The constructs were confirmed by both restriction digestions and PCR. Plasmid pDH10 carries ColE1 origin of replication (ori) and β-lactamase (Apr) for amplification and selection in E. coli, respectively. For its replication and selection in Thermotoga, pDH10 relies on the ori of pRQ7 and the engineered kan gene . The expression of the kan gene is driven by a promoter from Thermus thermophilus HB8 , which is expected to be active in Thermotoga as well, since the consensus sequences of Thermotoga  and Thermus  promoters are nearly identical.
Genetic map of the shuttle vector pDH10. The region highlighted in bold represents the sequence of pRQ7. Enzymes with unique restriction sites are shown.
Liposome-mediated transformation was conducted as previously described , except that all operations were carried out on the bench top. DOTAP liposomal reagent was purchased from Roche Diagnostics, Indianapolis, IN, USA. To prepare electrocompetent cells, overnight Thermotoga cultures were transferred to 50 ml of SVO liquid media and were allowed to grow until the cell density reached around 0.2. Cells were collected by centrifugation, washed once with cold deionized water and twice with the washing solution (10% glycerol, 0.85 M sucrose) and were resuspended in 500 μl of the same solution. For electroporation, 4 μg of plasmid DNA was mixed with 50 μl of the freshly made competent cells and incubated on ice for 5 minutes prior to introduction to a pre-chilled cuvette of 1 mm gap. The operation settings were 25 μF capacitance, 200 Ω resistance, and 1.5, 1.8, or 2 kV voltage (Gene Pulser Xcell™, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hercules, CA). After electroporation, 1 ml of fresh SVO liquid medium was added to each cuvette, and the cell suspension was transferred to a N2 serum bottle and incubated at 77°C with gentle rotation for 3 h for recovery. Half of the recovered culture (500 μl) was then mixed with 25 ml of hot SVO solid medium supplemented with 250 μg ml-1 kanamycin, poured to Petri dishes, and incubated in an anaerobic jar to retrieve transformants.
Cultures of Thermotoga recombinant strains were transferred every 12 h for 3 days with an inoculum of 2% to a fresh SVO liquid medium in the presence or absence of kanamycin. With each transfer, an aliquot of the cultures was withdrawn and diluted to 10-4. Ten microliters of each diluted sample was then mixed with 10 ml of hot SVO solid medium with or without the antibiotic and was poured into a four-section Petri dish. In order to facilitate comparisons, samples of the same strain (but with different treatments) were arranged to different sections of the same plate. After incubation in an anaerobic jar for 48 h, colonies formed in each section were counted and compared.
To test the stability of pDH10 in E. coli, a liquid culture of DH5α/pDH10 was also transferred six times for every 12 h of growth in plain LB medium (no ampicillin) with 1% inoculum. Samples from each cycle were properly diluted and spread on plain LB plates to separate single colonies. One hundred such colonies were randomly chosen and were tested on LB plates containing 100 μg ml-1 ampicillin. For control purposes, strain DH5α/pKT1 was tested in parallel.
The chance of obtaining Thermotoga transformants on plates can be seriously compromised if plating efficiencies are low. Considering that Thermotoga can tolerate brief exposures to oxygen, we simplified the overlay methods used by other groups (Kenneth Noll, University of Connecticut, private communication; ) and developed an embedded growth method. Properly diluted liquid cultures were suspended in hot SVO containing 0.3% Gelrite, and the mixtures were allowed to solidify in Petri dishes. In this method, cells were embedded in the medium matrix, and their exposure to oxygen was reduced. Ten microliters of an overnight culture of T. sp. RQ7 with a dilution factor of 104 formed 1256 colonies (Figure 2a), which equals to 1.26 × 109 colony forming units (CFU) per ml. By contrast, a surface culture, prepared by standard spreading in the same environment, would typically generate 7.56 × 103 CFU ml-1 (Figure 2b), about ten thousand times less. Given that T. neapolitana cultures contain approximate 3.0 × 109 cells after growing in liquid SVO for 14 h at 70°C , we estimate that the plating efficiency of our embedded method is close to 50%. This high efficiency enables us to select or screen a large number of single colonies while still enjoying the convenience of aerobic handling.
Single colonies formed by T . sp. RQ7 cells. (a) Embedded growth. Cells were mixed with hot SVO medium containing 0.3% Gelrite and were poured to Petri dishes before solidification. (b) Surface growth. Cells were spread evenly on the surface of freshly-made SVO plates containing 0.3% Gelrite and 0.7% agar. The number on each plate indicates the dilution factor of each culture.
To facilitate the transfer of single colonies from solid to liquid media under aerobic conditions, we introduced a soft SVO medium by adding 0.075% Gelrite to liquid SVO. Gelrite prevents atmospheric oxygen from penetrating deep into the medium. To transfer cultures from solid to soft SVO, single colonies were picked up from plates by a loop and were pushed down to the bottoms of the test tubes containing soft SVO, where a local anaerobic environment has been created. After 12-24 h of incubation, cultures grown in soft SVO were then transferred to liquid SVO by a syringe. Although the introduction of soft SVO seemed to prolong the overall operation cycle, it ensured maximum viability of Thermotoga cells during the transfer, which eventually allowed us to isolate Thermotoga transformants for the first time (see below). Soft SVO may also serve as an excellent storage medium for Thermotoga. Cultures kept at the bench top for 2 months were still vital and exhibited no growth defects.
To determine whether kanamycin is a suitable selection marker for Thermotoga, one needs to know the sensitivity of Thermotoga host strains. An initial study indicates that T. maritima is sensitive to kanamycin , but a more recent work states that it is highly resistant to the antibiotic . For T. sp. RQ7, there are simply no related reports. We decided to clarify the discrepancy of the previous findings on T. maritima and to determine the sensitivity of T. sp. RQ7. Small discs of filter paper loaded with various amount of kanamycin were mounted on top of the SVO plates premixed with Thermotoga cultures (Figure 3a). After two days of incubation, cells not affected by the antibiotic grew into a dense lawn, forming a visible background. Sensitive cells in close proximity to the paper discs were unable to grow, resulting in clear halos. The inhibition zones formed on T. maritima plates (Figure 3a) revealed that this strain is indeed sensitive to kanamycin. A distinctive zone was visible even with the lowest concentration of kanamycin. T. sp. RQ7 displayed a similar level of sensitivity to the drug. As for T. neapolitana, slight inhibition was noticed when 100 μg of kanamycin was used, and a small inhibition zone was only apparent when 250 μg of the drug was used. Therefore, kanamycin may serve as a good selection marker for T. sp. RQ7 and T. maritima, but not for T. neapolitana.
Sensitivity of Thermotoga spp. to kanamycin. (a) Sensitive cells formed inhibition zones surrounding the paper discs loaded with various amounts of the antibiotic, as indicated in the top left panel. Gas bubbles produced by the Thermotoga cells were clearly visible in each plate. (b) Optical densities of T. maritima liquid cultures grown with kanamycin ranging from 0 to 300 μg/ml. Results of three independent tests. Tm, T. maritima; Tn, T. neapolitana; RQ7, T. sp. RQ7.
We next specified the selective levels of kanamycin in both liquid and solid media. The growth of T. maritima in liquid SVO was completely inhibited by 50 μg ml-1 kanamycin for at least 72 h (Figure 3b). However, spontaneous mutations sometimes caused the cultures to become resistant to the antibiotic, and a complete inhibition over a period of 72 h was only possible when the input amount was increased to 150 μg ml-1. Similar phenomena were also noticed with T. sp. RQ7. On SVO plates, spontaneous mutants of T. maritima and T. sp. RQ7 occasionally appeared after 48 h of incubation when up to 200 μg ml-1 kanamycin was added, but they rarely appeared when the antibiotic concentration was increased to 250 μg ml-1. Based on these observations, for the rest of the study, kanamycin was added at 150 μg ml-1 to liquid media and at 250 μg ml-1 to soft and solid media.
Because most bacteria become competent after a short electric pulse, electroporation was attempted to introduce pDH10 to Thermotoga. Electric pulses of various strengths were applied to both T. sp. RQ7 and T. maritima in the presence of 4 μg of plasmid DNA, and the transformants were selected with embedded growth. When an electric pulse of 2.0 kV was employed, five T. sp. RQ7 and one T. maritima transformants were obtained. A pulse of 1.8 kV resulted in eight T. sp. RQ7 and no T. maritima transformants. When the voltage dropped to 1.5 kV, no transformants were available with either species. These results suggest that the optimal voltage for Thermotoga is around 1.8 to 2.0 kV. In the control experiment, T. sp. RQ7 and T. maritima cells were treated with a pulse of 1.8 kV in the absence of DNA, and no spontaneous mutants were found.
All transformants (designated as RQ7/pDH10 or Tm/pDH10 hereafter) displayed visible growth after a 24 h incubation in soft SVO. Three RQ7/pDH10 strains (#5, #6, and #13) and the single Tm/pDH10 strain were propagated in liquid SVO for extraction of plasmid and genomic DNA. On agarose gels, no pDH10 DNA could be detected from the plasmid extract of any strain, even though pRQ7 was clearly visible from the three RQ7/pDH10 samples, indicating that the extraction procedure was successful. Plasmid and genomic DNA extracted from an equal amount of each transformant culture was then subject to PCR analysis. A fragment of 778 bp, corresponding to the size of the kan gene, was obtained from each plasmid extract (lanes are labeled in bold in Figure 4) but was missing from the genomic DNA of RQ7/pDH10 #5 and #6. The PCR products were gel-purified and were subject to restriction digestion with AgeI, which is expected to cleave the kan gene into two fragments of 208 and 570 bp. Indeed, the digestion reactions released these expected fragments from every sample (Figure 5), indicating that the PCR products were authentic kan genes.
Detection of the transformed kan gene. PCR products of the kan gene were obtained from the plasmid extracts (P, labeled in bold) or the genomic DNA preparations (G) of the recombinant strains. Three RQ7/pDH10 and one Tm/pDH10 transformants, all obtained by electroporation, were examined. Plasmid extracts from DH5α/pDH10 and T. sp. RQ7 were included as positive and negative controls, respectively. Analyzed with a 0.8% agarose gel.
Restriction digestions of the kan gene. PCR products of the kan gene were prepared from the plasmid extracts of DH5a/pDH10 (lanes 1 and 4), RQ7/pDH10 (lanes 2 and 5), and Tm/pDH10 (lanes 3 and 6). Lanes 1-3 represent the PCR products of the kan gene, and lanes 4-6 are samples digested by AgeI. M, 2-log DNA ladder. Analyzed with a 2% agarose gel.
For validation and comparison purposes, pDH10 was also introduced to T. sp. RQ7 and T. maritima through liposome-mediated transformation. Four T. sp. RQ7 and five T. maritima transformants were obtained from 1 μg of plasmid DNA, as opposed to zero colonies from the samples treated with liposomes containing no DNA. All transformants grew well in both soft and liquid selective media, and the presence of the kan gene was also confirmed by PCR.
To determine the stability of the transformed DNA, liquid cultures of RQ7/pDH10 and Tm/pDH10 were transferred every 12 h, for six consecutive times, to fresh media in the presence or absence of kanamycin. Cultures from each transfer cycle were tested with both SVO (no kanamycin) and SVO+Kan plates. The number of colonies on a plain SVO plate represents the quantity of total viable cells in a sample, whereas the number from a SVO+Kan plate defines the abundance of resistant cells. Surprisingly, by the end of the experiment, ~100% of both RQ7/pDH10 and Tm/pDH10 still had the transformed DNA, even without the selective pressure (Table 2). The kan gene was confirmed by PCR from the plasmid preparations of all strains after each transfer.
*Results of three independent tests.
The stable maintenance of the transformed DNA in Thermotoga motivated us to test the stability of pDH10 in E. coli under non-selective conditions. The parent vector pKT1, a derivative of pUC19, was used as the control. Interestingly, pDH10 was much more stable in E. coli than pKT1 was. The parent vector pKT1 was eliminated by ~90% of the host cells after a single transfer and was completely lost from the population after three transfers (Table 3). By contrast, pDH10 was eliminated at a much slower rate. It was carried by ~90% of the cells after three transfers and ~32% of the cells after six transfers. Intact pDH10 was obtained from the resistant colonies. It is noteworthy to mention that similar results were also obtained when pDH1 and pUC19 were compared in the same way. These data demonstrate that the insertion of the pRQ7 sequence somehow enhances the stability of pUC family vectors. We next compared the copy numbers of pDH10 and pKT1 in their E. coli hosts. The two vectors were prepared from the same amount of cells and were digested by XbaI and EcoRI. These double digestions released the pRQ7 sequence from pDH10 (Figure 1 & 6). The abundances of the shared vector backbone of pDH10 and pKT1 were comparable on an agarose gel (indicated by the arrow in Figure 6), suggesting that the copy numbers of two vectors were similar. Therefore, the dramatically improved stability of pDH10 is not caused by an increase in copy number.
*Results of four independent tests.
Comparison of the copy numbers of pDH10 and pKT1 in E. coli. Plasmid DNA was extracted from the same amount of recombinant cells and was digested by XbaI and EcoRI. The arrow indicates the shared sequence of the two vectors. Analyzed with a 0.8% agarose gel.
The success of isolating transformants from solid media is essential to any genetic manipulation attempt. Whereas this is not a concern with aerobic mesophiles like E. coli, this requirement has become a limiting factor for the genetic investigations of many strict anaerobic, hyperthermophilic organisms. One obstacle is the requirement of an anaerobic glove box to handle plates. Since picking up colonies requires great precision, reaching out to a single colony with an inoculation loop or a toothpick through thick gloves has proven to be challenging for many of us. Even though gloveless chambers are commercially available, they are costly to maintain. Rolling tubes or tissue culture flasks in combination to Hungate techniques may serve as alternatives [16, 18–20], but they are prone to cross contaminations due to the narrow openings of these containers. Based on the fact that Thermotoga are fairly oxygen-tolerant, especially when they are not actively growing [1, 17, 21, 22], we prepare Thermotoga solid cultures with an embedded method, independent of an anaerobic chamber or an anoxic gas conduit. Our method sustains ~50% plating efficiency, making it possible to select for Thermotoga transformants among a sizeable population of viable cells. In addition, we developed a soft SVO medium to bridge the transfer of cultures from solid media to liquid media in an aerobic environment. Soft SVO is easy to make and convenient to use, and it also allows the withdrawal of cultures using a syringe.
A heterologous kan gene has been functionally expressed and stably established in Thermotoga. The kan gene, carried on the shuttle vector pDH10, was introduced to Thermotoga by both electroporation and liposome-mediated transformation. The latter approach yields higher transformation efficiency (4~5 transformants per μg of DNA), but the former has the potential to mass-produce competent cells for future needs. Electrocompetency has been established in Thermotoga in this study, and a transformation efficiency of ~2 transformants per μg of DNA has been observed in RQ7 and ~0.25 in T. maritima. Two factors might have caused the transformation efficiencies to be low: the damages caused by oxygen and the activities of restriction-modification systems. Because the preparation of electrocompetent cells and the transformation procedure were performed under aerobic conditions, a significant portion of the Thermotoga cells would not survive the handling. Performing the experiment in an anaerobic chamber should help to improve the transformation efficiencies, albeit the operations would be cumbersome. In addition, restriction-modification systems have been discovered in Thermotoga, for instance, we have recently characterized a Thermotoga-specific Type II restriction-modification system . Unmethylated foreign DNA will be restricted by host-specific restriction nucleases as soon as they enter Thermotoga cells. Proper methylation of pDH10 prior to transformation is expected to significantly increase the quantity of transformants. Indeed, electrotransformation efficiency in Clostridia has been improved by 104~106 folds by methylating the shuttle vectors .
Although intact plasmid DNA of pDH10 has not been detected in Thermotoga, we favor the idea that pDH10 is autonomous in Thermotoga, because the kan gene is always associated to a plasmid preparation instead of a genomic DNA extract (Figure 4). If pDH10 had been integrated into the chromosome, we would have seen the kan gene appearing more often from the genomic samples than from the plasmid extracts. Our data stated otherwise (Figure 4), suggesting that pDH10 is likely an independent molecule rather than part of the chromosome. Because genomic DNA can include both chromosomal and plasmid DNA, it is not surprising to occasionally obtain a positive signal from a genomic DNA sample, even though the kan gene is carried by a free-living plasmid. We suspect that pDH10 has an extremely low copy number in Thermotoga, because the attempts to detect it by inverse PCR (amplifying pDH10 outward from the kan gene), retransformation (transform E. coli with plasmid extracts of Thermotoga transformants), or Southern blotting (using digoxygenin-labeled probes made from either the kan gene or pRQ7) did not generate any signals. The expected inverse PCR product is ~4 kb, much bigger than the kan gene. This makes the inverse PCR technically more challenging than just amplifying the kan gene.
In spite of the intriguing questions awaited to be answered with these elusive organisms, the door to the genetic manipulation of Thermotoga has been reopened. Ten years after the report of transient expression of heterologous genes in Thermotoga , we confirm that Thermotoga are truly transformable, not only by liposome-mediated transformation, but also by electroporation. Engineered Thermotoga strains are available for the first time.
We are grateful to Dr. Harald Huber at University of Regensburg, Germany for providing T. sp. RQ7 and T. maritima MSB8 and to Dr. Kenneth Noll at University of Connecticut for sharing his lab protocol for cultivation of Thermotoga with the overlay method. This work was supported by BGSU internal funds to ZX.
DH and ZX have one or more pending patent applications on the described technology.
ZX conceived and coordinated the study and drafted the manuscript. ZX and DH designed the experiments and analyzed the data. DH carried out the experiments. SMN contributed to the stability study of pDH10 in E. coli. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.


Coins clinking out of a slot machine. The crowd cheering the winner of a marathon. A Sales VP announcing this year's #1 salesperson. What do they all have in common? Chances are, they're the sound of good news for someone other than you. Oh well, better luck next time!
We all know we shouldn't be jealous of winners. Some people just have the luck! When WE win, we remember all the hard work and persistence involved. Some salespeople are bold enough to claim they make their own luck. And the debate rages on. High performing salespeople dismiss the influence of luck while others blame it. In reality, both sides miss the point. Random chance does exist. But, predicting or measuring it's role in sales is pointless. Now is the time to move beyond the luck debate.
Instead of ignoring or blaming luck, seek to clarify it. What we often label as luck is often really something else. Leverage.
The key is to understand what luck (presented as leverage) we have and act accordingly. The umbrella salesman in a rain storm has leverage. The snow plow driver in Phoenix has none, unless there's a freak snowstorm. Any time your customer is forced to solve a problem you have leverage. Using the pricing of an existing product, with a current customer, to win the sale of new one? Leverage. Convince a customer to buy now to avoid next month's price increase? Leverage.
"We'll get back to you.", is a phrase that experienced sales people learn to translate to mean "NO" or "Not right now." Otherwise, days waiting for their decision can stretch out into months. In non-leveraged selling, your greatest enemy is the do nothing scenario. You've just spent hours of your time preparing for and conducting meetings with your prospect The result? You've delivered a free and comprehensive summary of how to solve a business problem. A problem that can wait.
What do I do when I don't have leverage?
You have two choices: create it or look for it. Proponents of the Challenger Mindset will tell you your role is to create leverage. Go out and find a reason for your customer to act.
Shock them. Scare them. Do something to shake your customer out of complacency. When done well, the customer thanks you at the end of the sale for helping them avoid disaster. When executed poorly, you look like yet another pushy salesman using fear to make a buck.
The easier option is to look for leverage. Know your product and potential customer so well that you can find prospects with problems you can solve. This learning process involves talking to current customers and even sales people. Get to know your product and industry a level deeper. Learn the signs and symptoms of a customer in pain and look for them.
As for luck? If your job or territory came with obvious leverage, congratulations! You've won the sales lottery. The rest of us have to work to find it. Yes, top performers are sometimes just plain lucky. But, let's be clear about what they're lucky for. Having the leverage. That's luck. Recognizing and using the leverage they possess, that's where the skill and hard work make the difference.
One final note on leverage. Don't overplay it. When circumstances force a customer to act, don't be the salesperson waiting to exploit their needs. No leverage exists forever. New competitors. New technology. Something will come along to take it away from you. Your customers will remember how you treated them.
Ps. No. The universe is not required to hand out leverage equally, to all salespeople. Do the best to find and use what leverage you have. It could be that you need to work harder than another sales person in order to achieve the same results. Sorry. Therefore, never turn a blind eye to leverage in other sales positions. Use it as a key way to evaluate new sales positions. You won't regret it!


The DaKine Standard rack pad is meant to provide padding on an existing car rack. They come in a pack of two, are 17" wide, and can fit on a wide variety of roof racks. They are made from custom extruded foam and durable 600D polyester fabric.


Not everyone works on cars because of money, or out of necessity, some people enjoy tinkering and working with their hands. It is very gratifying to turn the key and step on the gas, and know that you are being propelled down the road thanks to your own abilities as a mechanic. But for every classic or enthusiast car you see being driven, there are likely two of them sitting in garages and driveways that are only ever going to turn a wheel again when hooked to the back of a tow truck.
Let's take a look at how to keep your project car from being one of those rolling scrap heaps.
Start with a reasonable plan - If you have never turned a wrench before, don't know how to weld, and can't even paint a bathroom without getting drips and runs, you have to face the fact that you are not likely to produce a professional looking show car in your garage. But, that is okay! Half of the fun and reward is in learning new things as you go. And maybe you don't care about how it looks? Perhaps all you care about is the number on the bottom of the time slip when you take it to the drags, or how well it can negotiate the rocks at Moab. Without a plan at the start though you will eventually suffer from "mission creep" where you start to think, why can't my drift car have an excellent stereo, or why shouldn't my rock crawler have fantastic paint. Once this happens, the goalposts start moving, and you may never be finished with the project.
Have a realistic timeframe - If you have been watching car restoration TV shows, they all seem to involve restoring a rust bucket to a show car in just seven days, all with an eye on the budget. It may be called "reality TV", this is far from reality. A week isn't even enough time to properly paint a car and rub it out, let alone fix rust and dings, and rejuvenate the chassis and running gear. It is possible to make a well-preserved barn find drivable in a weekend, but don't count on it. The old saying in home repair and improvements is to estimate how much time and money the job is going to take, then double it - this is a good rule of thumb for automotive projects as well.
Budget accurately - Much like when shopping for a house, you want to buy the best example you can find, even when looking at "fixer-uppers". If your budget to build a BMW 325 track day car involves finding all the parts and the car itself at way below the average price, you probably can't afford to finish that project. When planning your project, before you even buy the vehicle, look up what the parts you are going to need will cost, and make a list. Often times when you add it all up, you'll find the initial cost of the car is not all that relevant to the final cost of the project.
Keep the horse before the cart - How many times have you seen half-finished projects for sale online with shiny aftermarket wheels and decade-old tires with no wear on them? It can be tempting to jump in with both feet and make a significant change, like wheels and tires, right off the bat. But you are better off with four old, bald tires (as long as they hold air), than sinking money into tires that are going to be trash due to dry rot or flat spots by the time you finish. Start with the most important things, like a running motor, a shifting transmission, brakes that work, suspension that handles predictably, and reliability before dropping thousands on a paint job, upholstery, or fancy rims and tires. You may need that money if you hit a snag, like a cracked engine block.
Avoid someone else's project - Someone else's project can seem like a bargain, since they are often sold way below market value, but you have to ask yourself "If finishing this is so easy, why haven't they?" Maybe someone was trying to restore a car, and all you want is a "rat rod"? Maybe they were building a daily driver, and you want a racecar and don't need smog legality? Unless you really know all the facts though, buying someone's stalled project is bound to come with buying their pitfalls. "Lost interest" is constantly cited in ads as the reason for selling a project cheap, but usually means "...when I discovered how hard it was going to be to get a title" or "...when we found the frame rot".
Those are five of the most critical considerations to make before you start, but what are some of the things to watch out for if you are down in the thick of it?
Talk to anyone who enjoys working on projects, and they will be happy to relate anecdotes of stupid mistakes they've made, and mystery problems which took months to solve. Next time you see an intriguing car at a show or race, be sure to ask the owner about the process involved in building it. These stories are seldom straightforward and often amusing and educational.
Here are some pitfalls we've been caught in or heard about from other enthusiasts.
Hidden damage - We touched on this above, but it happens all the time. You buy a clean project car, only to find the floors are rusted from the inside out due to a clogged sunroof drain. Or, when you go to replace a body panel that is bent or rusted, you discover that the undamaged panel doesn't fit because the whole shell is sagging or twisted. There are a million variations to this story and a million ways to deal with them, but just remember there is no way to plan ahead for every problem.
Unavailable parts - The car above is a 1957 Chevy Bel Air, and you can probably find used or reproduction replacements for any part of it. The obviously missing windshield can be found for a reasonable, and you can order it from any automotive glass shop. But even if you are working on a popular model, you can run into availability issues.
Big Ticket Item - When Manuel Carrillo had his Project Stork 911 in our US workshop (for the better part of a year) he was stymied by the need to overhaul the motor, which can easily be a five-figure process on an air cooled Porsche. Looking down the barrel at that potential cost stopped the project cold. After months of deliberating, we pulled the motor, checked the compression, and replaced the valve seals to deal with the oil being pumped into the exhaust, and managed to make it run again. It turns out the motor was sound, the fuel injection is just gummed up, and the muffler plugged with oil.
Ability Gap - Maybe you are good with mechanical work, but lousy with body work. Maybe you can do body work but have no idea when it comes to interiors. Often the big ticket item that stops a project is having to pay for a professional to do one aspect of the job. This very stumbling block is what gave rise to people driving ratty cars left in primer paint and rust because the builder was saving up to have a good paint job done. Don't be afraid to ask friends, or other car enthusiasts online with different skill sets for help. Often in exchange for help on their car, they will gladly help with your project vehicle.
Low Morale - As mentioned, projects can balloon with unforeseen issues and costs, and all of these will slow down the process until it seems like you will never finish. When this happens it can be hard to maintain enthusiasm for the car you had such big plan for. A good way to boost your morale, and get ideas for your project, is to go to car shows, races, or museums to talk to others and appreciate all the work they put into their finished vehicle. You never know, you may even learn of a shortcut to the problem that is holding your project up or find someone with just the parts you are missing.
Tool Gap - This is probably the easiest obstacle to overcome because there are many companies out there offering tool hire schemes; even some of the big parts retailers offer such schemes. A quick Google search will throw up plenty of options in your area. If you need a bigger tool, like an engine hoist or tow dolly, you can typically find these at reasonable day rates from a local equipment hire company. And if you need a bay with a lift, or a shop with an air compressor and paint booth, you can usually find a shop willing to rent space and facilities for a reasonable daily or hourly rate.


I had a surprisingly good show at Del Mar. And a good and positive portent, more young people around than I had ever seen at an antique show. Sold a young couple a painting. Good omen. Hope the phenomenon continues.
I am going to continue to grind and push every money making lever I can find until the end of the year.


text:
HomePosts tagged '31'
Newman v River Rouge Schools – 4.39
July 24, 2014 August 27, 2014 jackbattaglia 04. Total or Partial Unemployment	31, 48(2), Back pay, Eligibility, Reasonable assurance, Reimbursement for benefits improperly received, Teacher, Waiver of rights
Newman v River Rouge Schools
Section 31, 48(2)
Cite as: Newman v River Rouge Schools, unpublished opinion of the Court of Appeals, issued July 24, 2014 (Docket No. 314033).
Claimant: Joel A. Newman, et al.
Employer: River Rouge Schools
HOLDING: A rehiring agreement that agrees to provide back pay designated to a specific date may make a claimant ineligible to receive unemployment benefits beginning on that date, and any language in the agreement requiring claimant to reimburse the UIA for benefits received as of that date may be valid notwithstanding Section 31.
FACTS: Claimant worked for Employer as a teacher. At the end of the 2008/2009 school year, Claimant was sent a reasonable assurance letter for the upcoming year, but later in the summer was laid off effective August 6, 2009. Claimant's last pay date was August 14, 2009, and Claimant immediately filed for unemployment benefits beginning the next day. Claimant collected benefits for the weeks ending August 22 and August 30, 2009, and the first few weeks in September.
After the Claimant's union filed an unfair labor practice charge against Employer, Employer called Claimant back to work and agreed to provide Claimant with back pay. The agreement stipulated that the Claimant must reimburse the Agency "for any unemployment benefits that [he] received after what would have been the first day that the [Claimant was] scheduled to report for work." Disagreement as to when the 2009/2010 school year began led to a dispute as to when the Employer-provided back pay made him whole, whether there was a period of time that Claimant was eligible for benefits, and whether Claimant must reimburse unemployment benefits received.
DECISION: The decision of the Circuit Court is affirmed, finding that Claimant must reimburse UIA for unemployment benefits received beginning the week ending August 22, 2009.
RATIONALE: There is no dispute that Claimant had the lawful right to collect benefits during the time he was laid off. However, in the agreement between Employer and Claimant, the back pay provided to Claimant was designated as dating back to August 15, 2009, which is the date Claimant allegedly began his period of unemployment. Because substantial evidence shows that both parties agreed that this date was "the beginning of their contract term" and back pay was calculated based on that date, Claimant does not qualify as unemployed as of that date. Additionally, this designation is lawful under the circumstances because nothing in Section 48(2) prohibits this practice, and Claimant does not argue that this back pay was insufficient to make him whole.
Claimant further argues that the agreement was invalid under Section 31 to the extent that Claimant agreed to waive or relinquish his rights to unemployment benefits properly received during the layoff period. This Court agrees that the agreement violates Section 31 on its face and is not valid to require Claimant to relinquish unemployment benefits properly received. However, as explained above, the agreement's other terms find Claimant to be ineligible for benefits beginning August 15, 2009, and therefore it is not improper for Claimant to be required to relinquish unemployment benefits improperly received.
Oak Park Education Association, MEA/NEA v Oak Park Board of Education – 20.02
March 6, 1984 November 28, 2017 miuidigest 20. Miscellaneous	30, 31, Inalienability of benefits, Public Employment Relations Act, Statutory construction, Waiver of benefits
Oak Park Education Association, MEA/NEA v Oak Park Board of Education
Section 30 and 31
Cite as: Oak Park Ed Ass'n, MEA/NEA v Oak Park Board of Ed, 132 Mich App 680 (1984).
Employer: Oak Park Board of Education
Date of decision: March 6, 1984
COURT OF APPEALS HOLDING: The Public Employment Relations Act is the dominant law regulating public employee labor relations and where there is a conflict between it and another statute the Public Employment Relations Act prevails diminishing the conflicting statute pro tanto.
FACTS: Oak Park Education Association and Oak Park School District negotiated a labor contract containing a salary provision which provided that the salary of a teacher recalled from summer layoff would be offset by the amount of unemployment benefits received during the summer layoff. When the district sought to enforce this provision, the Association sought to have the provision excised from the contract asserting that it was in violation of Section 30 of the MES Act which makes unemployment benefits inalienable by any assignment and Section 31 of the Act which makes invalid any agreement to waive, release, or commute an individual's right to benefits.
DECISION: The trial court's summary judgment for the District was affirmed.
RATIONALE: The Public Employment Relations Act requires parties to those contracts within its preview to bargain collectively with respect to wages. The provision in question concerns wages and was the subject of bargaining between the parties. The teachers were allowed to collect benefits when unemployed. The provision provides for a partial waiver of salary rather than a waiver of unemployment benefits. It did not require the teachers to waive, or in any way restrict, their rights under the MES Act.


At Pottery at South River Colony party is about you and your family enjoying your event while we take the load off you and make lots of fun for everyone! We handle all the art/clean up and you provide your food, drink, cake, paper products and guests! An artist will be assigned to your event to make sure fun is had by all.
Party packages include the private party room for 1 1/2 hours and can can accommodate up to 15 children.
To book a birthday party at Pat South River Colony, please complete a Party Agreement and stop by the studio to drop it off.
We are the party place for kids, teenagers and adults! Featuring our private party room – We host super cool and memorable birthday parties, badge-earning Girl Scout & Brownie Troop events, and fundraising activities.
Kids will enjoy getting creative and creating memories in our bright festive studio! Our party host will guide your guests through their pottery painting experience, explaining how the paints work and offering helpful tips along the way. When everyone has finished painting there will be time for snacks and cake and presents if you choose. Your party host will assist you in all aspects of the party – helping the children with painting, clearing the table, helping to serve any food and beverages you may have to offer and cleaning everything up!
Our party host will guide your guests through their pottery painting experience, explaining how the paints work and offering helpful tips along the way. When everyone has finished painting there will be time for snacks, cake and presents. Your party host will assist in all aspects of the party – helping with painting, clearing the table, helping to serve food and beverages and cleaning everything up!
create a themed event with your own ideas. Price will vary based on items selected.
Birthday party price includes 90 minutes in the party room. Extra rental time is available at $25.00 per 30 minutes. Additional rental rates apply past the 11/2 hour allotted party time and will be added on to your bill total.
A $20 non refundable deposit is required to hold your party date and time. Deposit must be paid in cash or check. At the end of gthe event this deposit will be applied to your total.
The host is responsible for picking up all pieces for the event and distributing them unless other terms have been agreed on prior to the event.


16 Jul What have you been doing lately?
This first half of the year has been busy for us and we've had some great projects "through the doors" these last few months. So we thought 'why not show off a few of them'. From headphone spinners for travel retail, to cosmetics displays for highstreet retailers, to wallpaper displays for homeware departments to interactive displays for electrical. It's been varied and it's been great fun!
There are even more exciting projects in the pipeline too, so be sure to check back to see what else we've been up to.


text:
June 10, 2021 | Insight
In Response to Houthi Arms Transfers, Canada Must Designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard as Terror Group
Tzvi Kahn
Research Fellow and Senior Editor
They lay in neat, organized rows, a colorful medley of matériel on the deck of the USS Monterey. Some 3,000 Chinese Type 56 assault rifles. Hundreds of heavy machine guns and sniper rifles. Several hundred rocket-propelled grenade launchers. Dozens of Russian-made advanced anti-tank guided missiles.
The Monterey had seized the weaponry only days earlier, on May 6, from a dhow in the Arabian Sea. According to an American defense official, an initial investigation found that the vessel came from Iran. The likely destination: Yemen, where, since 2015, Tehran-backed Houthi rebels have waged a bloody war against a Saudi-led coalition aligned with Yemen's internationally recognized government.
Tehran's latest shipment of weapons to the Houthis, who officially call themselves Ansar Allah, or "Partisans of God," constitutes one of many that the Islamic Republic has dispatched in recent years. U.S. naval forces have frequently intercepted the deadly cargos. "Iran's support to the Houthis is quite significant, and it's lethal," said the American special envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, in April. According to a UN panel, the arms transfers violate UN Security Council Resolution 2216, which passed in 2015 and prohibits the transfer of weapons to designated Yemeni combatants.
For Canada, the proper response to this illegal arms trafficking is to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – the entity that carries out such missions for the clerical regime – as a terrorist organization. In 2018, the House of Commons overwhelmingly passed a non-binding motion calling on the Canadian government to "immediately designate" the IRGC as a terrorist entity. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has yet to do so.
The arms shipments come as the conflict in Yemen worsens. On May 7, President Joe Biden's administration condemned the Houthis for refusing to institute a nationwide cease-fire, allow the free flow of goods into Yemen, and begin peace talks. "The Houthis passed up a major opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to peace," the State Department said. Instead, the Houthis are "exacerbating dire conditions for already vulnerable, internally displaced Yemenis."
On May 12, the UN special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, told a virtual meeting of the UN Security Council that the Houthis have intensified the bloodshed by launching an offensive against Marib, a key government stronghold. The attack "has caused an astonishing loss of life, including children who have been mercilessly thrown into the battle," said Griffiths. Ansar Allah, he added, must "immediately stop its attack on Marib." Yet on Saturday, a Houthi ballistic missile fired at Marib killed at least 17 people, including a five-year-old girl.
In fact, U.S. policy has incentivized the Ansar Allah's intransigence by surrendering Washington's leverage with Iran without securing concessions from the Houthis. In the first weeks of his presidency, Biden revoked former President Donald Trump's designation of Ansar Allah as a terrorist organization. Biden also ended U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia's offensive operations in Yemen, arguing that they have led to massive human rights violations against civilians.
Biden's concern about Riyadh's human rights abuses is certainly valid, yet good intentions alone do not make for good policy. Biden has seemingly failed to see that the Houthis match or exceed their adversaries' reckless disregard for civilian life, and that the Houthis constitute a pillar of Tehran's efforts to control the Middle East. A sound policy would pressure Riyadh to halt its deliberate bombing of civilian areas, while simultaneously ensuring that Saudi Arabia has the military support it needs to check the Houthis.
For now, though, Ansar Allah possesses the upper hand. The Biden administration has issued frequent calls for peace, but to no effect. "Nobody can be more frustrated than I am," said Griffiths on May 31 regarding talks with the Houthis. Ultimately, Washington and the international community want a negotiated agreement far more than the Houthis do.
In the context of these developments, Canada confronts the grim aftermath of another malign act by the IRGC. In January 2020, the IRGC shot down Ukrainian airliner Flight PS752 as it departed Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport. All 176 people on board, including 138 with ties to Canada, died. Tehran, claiming the shootdown occurred due to human error, has yet to provide a full and transparent account of what happened and why. On May 20, 2021, Ontario's Supreme Court of Justice ruled that the shootdown constituted a deliberate act of terrorism.
This ruling crystalizes the challenge facing the Trudeau government. To date, Canada's role in the Yemen conflict has entailed the provision of weaponry to Saudi Arabia – a clear recognition of the malign ambitions of the IRGC-backed Houthis. But the latest U.S. seizure of Iranian arms, not to mention the Ontario Supreme Court's ruling, exposes a key gap in Ottawa's Middle East policy: Canada has not designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization.
Trudeau's reluctance may stem from his goal of achieving a rapprochement with Iran. In 2015, as a candidate for prime minister, Trudeau pledged to restore diplomatic ties with the clerical regime, which former Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government had cut in 2012. Six years later, with relations worse than ever, particularly due to Flight PS752, Ottawa may perceive a new prospect for reconciliation in the ongoing U.S. efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, which would lead Washington to lift sanctions – potentially including sanctions on the IRGC. Trudeau may also fear that designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization would isolate Canada abroad, especially among the Europeans, who are committed to engagement with Tehran.
Such reasoning is misplaced. Ultimately, even if the United States reenters the nuclear accord, the agreement does not preclude holding the IRGC accountable for its crimes, such as arming the Houthis and the downing of Flight PS752. A Canadian designation of the IRGC would show that Ottawa seeks meaningful change – first and foremost in Tehran's support for terrorism, whether by land, air, or sea.
Tzvi Kahn is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he contributes to FDD's Iran Program, Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP), and Center on Economic and Financial Power (CEFP). For more analysis from Tzvi, the Iran Program, CMPP, and CEFP, please subscribe HERE. Follow Tzvi on Twitter @TzviKahn. Follow FDD on Twitter @FDD, @FDD_Iran, @FDD_CMPP, and @FDD_CEFP. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
Gulf States Iran Iran Global Threat Network Iran Sanctions Iran-backed Terrorism Military and Political Power Sanctions and Illicit Finance


text:
If you find yourself falling in love with Anna de Ville's "heart-shaped butthole," you're not alone! Many a man has been hooked from the moment he saw this tattooed cock-hound's slender figure and watched her catch a dick on screen. On screen and at home, Anna loves shoving toys up her back-door, and says the bigger the better, because having such a perfect butt and not enjoying it to the fullest would be a shame! But there's more you need to know about this gorgeous gal. Anna's a huge fan of fantasy and horror fiction, and searches far and wide to find new titles on her wishlist. Her friends say if you ever end up at her house, you'll see her bookshelves bending under the weight of her Clive Barker collection. If you've never seen one of Anna's porn performances, you'll want to treat yourself to her super hot Brazzers scenes today!
Date of Birth: February 12th, 1997
Birth Place: Oregon, USA
Measurements: 32C-22-32
Model's Videos
Deprived Teen Squirts While Cheating
Porn Directory
@Copyright 2019 – Metro Media Entertainment LLC. all rights reserved
MetroHD trademarks and Logos are Trademarks owned by Metro Media Entertainment LLC. used under license by MG Premium Ltd.
All models appearing on this website are 18 years or older. Click here for records required pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 2257 Record Keeping Requirements Compliance Statement. By entering this site you swear that you are of legal age in your area to view adult material and that you wish to view such material. Please visit EPOCH.COM | WTS | SegPay, our designated E-ticket Supplier and Access Management Provider for shewillcheat.com. Please visit Vendo our authorized reseller.


text:
How to Double the Number of Moderna and Pfizer Factories
by Alex Tabarrok February 5, 2021 at 7:22 am in
Theory and data both suggest that a much smaller dose–perhaps as low as 1/4 the current dose—of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are as effective as a larger dose. Half doses of Moderna and Pfizer would be equivalent to instantly doubling the number of Moderna and Pfizer factories and would save hundreds of thousands of lives and be worth hundreds of billions of dollars in world GDP. Clinical data from adults 18-55 from the Moderna Phase II trial already suggest that quarter-doses are effective, which is why Operation Warp Speed chief, Moncef Slaoui has advocated for half-doses (leaving plenty of margin).
"We know that, for the Moderna vaccine, giving half of the dose to people between the ages of 18 and 55, two doses [at] half the dose … we know it induces identical immune response" to the currently authorized dose, Slaoui added.
Another way of putting this is that new clinical trials on dosing would be tremendously valuable. Ideally, we could use correlates of protection and do a bridging trial to infer the effectiveness of half-doses. The FDA has already said they will accept a bridging trial for new mRNA vaccines for variants, which is the right decision. The FDA should also accept a bridging trial for new dosing.
If new clinical trials are deemed necessary, dosing trials could be run as challenge trials but instead of comparing half-doses to placebo we would compare full-doses to half-doses. Thus, everyone in the challenge trial would be vaccinated, massively lowering risks. If we can't do challenge trials even with vaccinated volunteers (!) then let's get started on clinical trials. The NIH created the ACTIV program to speed clinical trials. Use it.
New clinical trials are valuable not just for dosing but also for approving new vaccines. Equivalence trials on the Sputnik and Sinopharm vaccines, for example, could be very valuable. In other words, we would trial Sputnik and Sinopharm against Pfizer and Moderna. A lot of people would be quite willing to join a trial in which the worst outcome is most likely getting a somewhat less effective vaccine–that's much better than no vaccine!
The value of experiments, or let's call them pilot studies, right now is immense. We can do pilot studies on half dosing for Moderna and Pfizer vaccines much faster and cheaper than we can build twice as many factories. So let's do it!


text:
Q: How to do In highchart tooltip display the first 100 characters and then say "See more .."? tooltip: {
    style: {
        whiteSpace: 'normal'
    },
    xDateFormat: '%b %e, %Y', //%a %H:%M
        useHTML: true,
        pointFormatter: function () {
        var ToolTippointFormathtm='';
        ToolTippointFormathtm += '
';
        ToolTippointFormathtm += '
' + this.noteText + '
';
        if(this.noteText.length>99){
            ToolTippointFormathtm += 'See more';
        }
        ToolTippointFormathtm += '
';
        return ToolTippointFormathtm;
    }
}

Its showing in tooltip, but whenever I'm trying to click see more and the tooltip area wont expanded but text is expanded.

A: I have used CSS toggle to achieve show more/less. Here I used div and p tags, but for best result you have to use ul li (list tags). Also there has to be unique id which you can take from, point attr of highcharts
<input type="checkbox" class="read-more-state" id="post-2" />

Here tooltip does not expands but scrollbar appears
Fiddle demo

var chart = new Highcharts.Chart({

  chart: {
    renderTo: 'container',
  },
  tooltip: {
    backgroundColor: "rgba(255,255,255,0)",
    borderWidth: 0,
    shadow: false,
    useHTML: true,
    formatter: function() {
      full_lengthSt = `Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.`
      string = "";
      if (full_lengthSt.length > 100) {
        string += '

' + full_lengthSt.substr(0, 100) + '
';
        string += '
' + full_lengthSt.substr(100, full_lengthSt.length - 1) + '

  '
      } else {
        string += '

' + full_lengthSt + '

'
      }
      return `

  <input type="checkbox" class="read-more-state" id="post-2" />
  ` + string + `
`;
    }
  },

  series: [{
    data: [29.9, 71.5, 106.4, 129.2, 144.0, 176.0, 135.6, 148.5, 216.4, 194.1, 95.6, 54.4]
  }]

});
.highcharts-container {
  overflow: visible !important;
}

.read-more-state {
  display: none;
}

.read-more-target {
  opacity: 0;
  max-height: 0;
  font-size: 0;
  transition: .25s ease;
}

.read-more-state:checked~.read-more-wrap .read-more-target {
  opacity: 1;
  font-size: inherit;
  max-height: 999em;
}

.read-more-state~.read-more-trigger:before {
  content: 'Show more';
}

.read-more-state:checked~.read-more-trigger:before {
  content: 'Show less';
}

.read-more-trigger {
  cursor: pointer;
  display: inline-block;
  padding: 0 .5em;
  color: #666;
  font-size: .9em;
  line-height: 2;
  border: 1px solid #ddd;
  border-radius: .25em;
}

.MyChartTooltip {
  position: relative;
  z-index: 50;
  border: 2px solid rgb(0, 108, 169);
  border-radius: 5px;
  background-color: #ffffff;
  padding: 5px;
  font-size: 9pt;
  overflow: auto;
  height: 50px;
  width: 100px
}

.highcharts-tooltip {
  pointer-events: all !important;
}


text:
How We Partner with the SBA to Fund Small Businesses
Erin Williamson
More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business. They create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year. For more than 50 years, National Small Business Week has been recognizing the critical contributions of America's entrepreneurs and small business owners.
As part of National Small Business Week, we highlighted entrepreneurs who have received U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loans through Ventures.
The Small Business Administration helps small businesses get loans.
The SBA does not lend money directly to small business owners. Instead, it sets guidelines for loans made by its partnering lenders, community development organizations, and microlending institutions like Ventures. The SBA reduces risk for lenders and makes it easier for them to access capital which makes it easier for small businesses to get loans.
As an intermediary lender, Ventures has lent $915,261.42 SBA dollars to small businesses through the SBA Microloan Program.
Since 2000, we have approved 567 SBA loans to entrepreneurs who have thin credit files, low-credit scores, or cannot access traditional business loans through a bank. The SBA Microloan Program allows Ventures to provide loans up to $50,000 for business needs like equipment, inventory, supplies, and working capital. Through the SBA Microloan Program, entrepreneurs do not just receive the capital necessary to start and grow a microenterprise, they also receive comprehensive business coaching and training. This business coaching improves outcomes for small businesses and supports entrepreneurs as they repay their loans.
SBA Microloan intermediaries, like Ventures, tailor their loan products and policies to meet the needs of the community. At Ventures, we do not rely on specific credit scores to approve a loan. We look at the whole picture of the entrepreneur and work to find the right loan solution for their business.
These five business owners used their loans for everything from kilns to living barriers.
Kelly Wilson
Kelly Cannoli
Kelly Wilson grew up immersed in the Italian culture of the East Coast. She spent over 10 years working in Italian Restaurants and hours in kitchens learning family recipes. Back East, homemade cannoli were a part of every cultural event and celebration
In 2012, she asked a very important question, "If Seattle is the Espresso Capital of the country, where are all the cannoli?!" That's when Kelly came to Ventures to turn her dream into a reality. Within a year, Kelly was selling her cannoli at farmer's markets and festivals throughout Seattle. The first day she had a cannoli stand she sold out in hours after having served over 200 cannoli.
This year, Kelly received a $5,000 Business Builder loan from Ventures help her open Seattle's first brick-and-mortar cannoli stand: Kelly Cannoli. Now, you can find her cannoli and espresso at 11310 Lake City Way, Seattle WA 98125.
Tia White
Brows by Zelia
Tia White provides eyebrow and makeup services, specializing in brow structure and natural features. After seven years in the makeup industry working for MAC Cosmetics and Anastasia Beverly Hills, Tia decided to start her own home-based eyebrow and makeup business in 2018.
Last May, Tia was approved for a Peer loan for $2,000. Unlike like a traditional business loan, Ventures' Peer loans do not require physical collateral or good credit to apply. Instead, participants present their loan request to their cohort of peers for approval.
Tia used the loan for the microblading classes and licenses necessary for her to practice the technique in Washington State. After members of Tia's family experienced cancer, she added microblading to her suite of brow services. She found that microblading was a confidence booster for those facing hair loss from cancer treatment. Microblading adds a semi-permanent tattoo to the brow region to help enhance the appearance of thinning brows. Brows by Zelia is growing and Tia hopes to open a brick-and-mortar brow salon in the future.
Sister Sage Herbs
Sister Sage Herbs sprang from Jayne Simmons' long interest in natural medicine. This deep knowledge and passion helped Jayne grow Sister Sage Herbs from a small side project into a successful business.
Jayne's first Ventures loan was in 2011 for $1,000 to help her with branding and product design. In 2013, she sold over $9,000 in herbal tinctures at farmer's markets on Vashon Island. Two years later, she had a booth at Pike Place Market and her sales topped $140,000.
In the fall of 2016, Jayne was turning away because she was operating out of a cramped, shared commercial kitchen that had no room for growth. She worked nearly round-the-clock but it was never enough. By September, her sales were booming but she couldn't take on new business because of her limited capacity.
Jayne saw that problem as an opportunity. She knew that with a dedicated location, she could increase revenue by $100,000 per year and decrease operating expenses by 20%. So Jayne reached out to Ventures for help. Jayne received a $33,000 Business Builder loan to build out a fully operational production facility in South Park.
On May 9th, Jayne closed her second $33,000 loan (her fifth loan from Ventures) to help her small herb farm on Vashon Island meet the USDA's certified organic fence and barrier requirements. While Jayne already farms and produces her herbs and tinctures organically, adding the USDA Organic Seal to her label would increase sales.
Yet for Jayne, it's not about the money. "This is my dream business… With the loan and supportive coaching from Ventures, I'm able to do even more of what I love–handcrafting herbal remedies that enrich the lives of others."
You can find Sister Sage Herbs at the Ventures Marketplace in Pike Place Market, online, and in PCC.
Mobile Business Solution
For eighteen years, Peter Duncan ran a side business offering tax preparation services while working fulltime in the evenings and on weekends. In 2018, Peter determined he needed to spend more time at home with his son and worked to shift his side business into a source of fulltime income.
Peter developed a business plan with Ventures and then received a Ventures Business Builder loan to rent a high-traffic brick-and-mortar storefront for his tax prep and bookkeeping services. He told us that "the loan has permitted me to have more quality time with my son." Opening the storefront allowed Peter to develop strong relationships with clients and, in addition to tax preparation, he is expanding his business to offer bookkeeping and permit consulting services.
Bhakti Sa
Arachne Forge
Bhakti received a $2,000 Peer loan in February 2019 for equipment to increase production and improve efficiencies. Bhakti's remarkable knives can be found online and at Epic Edge in Kirkland.
In Microfinance Financial Inclusion, Funders, Microloans, Thought Leadership
Home / Microfinance / How We Partner with the SBA to Fund Small Businesses
May 20, 2019May 29, 2019
By Erin WilliamsonIn Microfinance Financial Inclusion, Funders, Microloans, Thought Leadership
You might also be interested in these:
Celebrate LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs with us!
by Katie Kurfurst
Are you considering buying a house?
by Marissa Beach


Clerks must have completed their freshman year in college. Must have excellent communication and writing/research skills. Mastery of social media is a plus. Must be able to write authoritatively on any topic.


text:
Copelatus gabonicus är en skalbaggsart som beskrevs av Bilardo och Pederzani 1978. Copelatus gabonicus ingår i släktet Copelatus och familjen dykare. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Dykare
gabonicus

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Mario Lopez to Join 'Access Hollywood'
By Michael Malone 18 July 2019
Mario Lopez joins Access Hollywood and daytime show Access Daily as host September 9. Lopez has signed an overall development and producing deal for scripted and alternative programming with Universal Television and Universal Television Alternative Studio.
Access Hollywood and Access Daily are produced by NBC Subsidiary (KNBC-TV), Inc. and distributed by NBCUniversal Domestic Television Distribution.
Kit Hoover is host of Access Hollywood, and Scott Evans is senior correspondent and Sibley Scoles is correspondent.
Hoover and Evans host Access Daily.
"Mario is a multi-talented television personality," said Tracie Wilson, executive VP, creative affairs, NBCUniversal Domestic TV Distribution. "Drawing from his experience as an entertainment TV and radio host, actor, author and, of course, a father and husband, Mario brings a fresh voice and perspective with creative ideas to our business. Our viewers know him and love him, and we are so excited to have him as a part of the NBCUniversal family."
Lopez hosts the iHeartMedia radio shows On with Mario Lopez and iHeartRadio Countdown with Mario Lopez, boxing podcast The 3 Knockdown Rule and travel food show Food Quest on A&E, and is host and producer of HGTV series Supersize My Pool. Lopez co-created and is executive producer of Netflix series The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia.
He was a host on newsmag Extra.
"We are thrilled to have someone of Mario's caliber join our Access team," said Maureen FitzPatrick, senior executive producer of Access Hollywood and Access Live. "Mario has grown up in the business and is able to offer our viewers a unique insight on the latest Hollywood headlines. Additionally, as a husband and father of three young children, he has a respect for the daytime audience who are looking for a break in their hectic lives with uplifting stories of everyday people transforming their lives and making a difference in their communities."
Access Hollywood is in its 23rd season. Mike Marson and Stewart Bailey are executive producers.
Access Daily is in its ninth. Julie Cooper executive produces.
"I have long admired the team at NBCUniversal and all the shows being produced," Lopez said. "I'm thrilled to have an opportunity to join in that success and develop scripted and alternative projects on their many creative platforms."


Santa Slam at The Red Room in Broad Ripple!
See what's under B Lord's Tree at Santa Slam at The Red Room in Broad Ripple on Friday, December 18th! Come out and celebrate the holidays with RadioNOW 100.9 and the Red Room! Come pick a present from under B Lord's tree. You could win anything from concert tickets to cash!
No Cover, 1/2 price drinks til 11pm and $25 bottles of champagne all night — The Red Room is where the ladies go to dance! Birthday and bachelorette parties can RSVP for a special VIP experience! The Red Room is located in the heart of broad ripple next to the fire station. Visit RedRoomIndy.com for more details.


Here at Perfect Wedding Guide, we don't pick favorites when it comes to the incredible local wedding professionals in New Mexico. When every business contributes, in its own way, to the eclectic wedding market here in Albuquerque + Santa Fe, providing engaged couples with so many options for their big day… well, how could we?!
Actually, never mind. We can do it just like this: Smallcakes is our favorite cupcakery in New Mexico.
Whew! Feels good to get that out in the open and, no, it doesn't have anything to do with the fact that Smallcakes is the only team of bakers and makers in New Mexico who have specifically dedicated their talents to becoming cupcake experts. Although, that is a pretty good reason to love them, too.
Smallcakes: A Cupcakery is our favorite cupcakery in New Mexico because they actually do so much more than just cupcakes. Whatever you've previously believed about bakeries, cupcakes, wedding cakes, and the like — throw it out the window, because Smallcakes transcends all the customary boundaries. We're not just talking your typical customization options, either.
Custom, handmade cookies? Check. Bachelorette parties? You got it. If that's not enough for you either, they also do groom cakes — which we haven't seen anywhere else — smash cakes, and gluten-free cakes. The best part too, is they have over 120 flavor choices for you to taste, delight in, and choose from.
Oh, and get this. Did you know that if you order your sweet treats from Smallcakes for your wedding day, you'll also receive a complimentary couple's cake for your one year anniversary?! There. Your anniversary dinner is already taken care of for you.
The team at Smallcakes: A Cupcakery is ceaselessly working to improve and elevate the wedding community here in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, so yes. They are our favorite cupcakery. This might be controversial to some, but with the flavors, fun, and friendly faces, how could they not be?
To schedule a tasting for your custom wedding sweets, you can contact Smallcakes: A Cupcakery here.


text:
Pahl Initiative funds two-year study of border-separated families
By Keith Hamm
Wednesday, December 14, 2022 - 13:00
FamSep.jpg
The Pahl Initiative's newest study focuses on immigration.
JenniferKam.jpg
Professor Jennifer Kam
When immigrant families are forced to live apart — as they search for better wages or schools, as they escape violence or political turmoil — communication across great distances is often the last thread holding them together.
Take, for example, the common occurrence of a parent leaving their spouse and children behind in their home country to stake out a better life for their family in the U.S. How family members work together to communicate and manage ups and downs can ease the burden of separation.
To help identify and address the challenges faced by such families, UC Santa Barbara's Pahl Initiative on the Study of Critical Social Issues has awarded its annual grant for 2022-2023 to Jennifer Kam, a professor and vice chair in the Department of Communication, as well as a faculty affiliate of the Chicano Studies Institute and the Migration Initiative.
"Once again, the Pahl Initiative has allowed us to zero in on a critical problem in our society, and to showcase the contribution of rigorous social science research, both to understanding its causal roots and to providing evidence-based remedies," said Charles Hale, the SAGE Sara Miller McCune Dean of Social Sciences. "I am thrilled that Professor Kam has been chosen to receive this prestigious award because her topic is so important and her methods — drawn from communication studies — are so apt for engaging the difficult questions posed by family separation."
Focused on families in different Latin American countries, Kam's two-year immigration study will dissect the nature of the communication between parents, primary caregivers and their children, as each family member copes with the related stress and uncertainty of separation.
"From our past work, we found that immigrant parents and their partners in the home country reported numerous stressors, such as having to adapt to a new country with limited resources, working long hours in difficult jobs and caring for children alone and without many resources," Kam said.
These findings were part of a recently published community-engaged pilot project that Kam conducted in partnership with Roselia Mendez Murillo, an assistant professor of communication at the University of Texas, Austin.
"Family members did not discuss their stressors among themselves because they did not want to burden each other," Kam said. "My team and I aim to identify different forms of family communication that can be constructive to their relationships and wellbeing."
While the pilot included 20 families, the Pahl-funded project will survey upward of 85 families to unpack key inroads as family members advocate for their needs.
"We suspect that constructive communication includes active listening, responsiveness, expressing gratitude for their partner's contributions to managing the separation and validating their experiences and perspectives," Kam explained. "However, we do not know what each family member specifically desires in terms of support. We do not know what gaps exist between what they receive and what they want and do not want. That's why this Pahl Initiative project is needed."
Beyond the interactions between family members, the study will also examine what separated families need at the community and policy levels.
To help refine her approach in the early stages, Kam is working with UC Santa Barbara doctoral students and undergraduate students from different disciplines — including counseling, psychology, brain science and communication — who are also from families that have experienced migration-related separation.
Kam has also been able to identify valuable resources — such as local community organizations that work with immigrant families — through the Scholars Strategy Network, a nonprofit that channels the expertise of scholars nationwide to help solve policy problems.
The Pahl Initiative — created with a $1.1-million gift from alumni Louise and Stephen Pahl — was launched in 2019–2020 with a study on gun violence. Past recipients have also studied housing and the impact of the pandemic on underserved populations.
"The Pahl Initiative hits all the marks of our highest aspirations for the Division of Social Sciences," Hale said. "Indeed, the Pahl scholars have helped us to further define and refine those aspirations. We seek to support problem-driven research to generate impactful, publicly facing results, involving students in the research process as an exemplar of experienced-based learning. Now entering our fourth year, we can conclude with confidence that the Pahl Initiative concept has been proven, laying the groundwork for an exciting and generative expansion of the program."
Keith Hamm
keithhamm@ucsb.edu
Anthropology + Archaeology
Art + Photography
Business + Economics
Computing + Technology
Culture + World
Environment + Sustainability
Film + Media
Literature + Poetry
Mathematics + Statistics
Medicine + Health
Physics + Astronomy
Politics + Law
Subscribe to The Current
Gerardo Aldana, expert on Mesoamerica...
A Multifaceted Sensation
Researchers reveal an added layer of...
Campus Welcomes Winter Events
New season brings new line-up of...
Honoring a Maya Forest Gardener
Master Forest Gardener Narciso Torres...
Grad Slam Turns 10
UC-systemwide graduate student...