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Oral Chlamydia: Can Chlamydia infect your mouth?
Can I get Chlamydia from oral sex?
The short answer is, "Yes."
The act of oral sex can and is responsible for the transmission and spread of many types of STD's. The three most common STD's that are transmitted by oral sex are Chlamydia, Syphilis, and Gonorrhea. In 2016, according to the CDC chlamydia was the most prevalent and reported STD in the United States since 1994.1
While vaginal or anal sex are the primary ways to contract chlamydia, the transmission of chlamydia via oral sex is widespread and is of particular interest to Americans because oral sex is widely, yet mistakenly, considered to be more "safe" than sexual acts that involve genital-to-genital contact While vaginal or anal sex are the primary ways to contract chlamydia, the transmission of chlamydia via oral sex is widespread and is of particular interest to Americans because oral sex is widely, yet mistakenly, considered to be more "safe" than sexual acts that involve genital-to-genital contact. The misperception that oral sex is safer than genital sex is especially common in individuals between the age of 15 and 24 who are more worried about pregnancy and perhaps have less maturity and education where consideration of STD's is concerned. Click here to learn more about oral sex trends among teens.
Alarmingly, of the 90 million global cases reported each year, over half of the infected men and the majority of women reported not having any symptoms. Which lead to a delay in identification and treatment as well as ongoing infection to additional sexual partners,2 making it increasingly important to be tested for STD's anytime you have a new sexual partner.
It is important to know that the main STD risks that come with oral sex are not limited to Chlamydia, Gonnorhea, and Syphilis but also includes HPV (Human Papillomavirus), which can lead to throat cancer, Herpes, Trichomoniasis, as well as HIV, the virus that causes the deadly autoimmune disease AIDS.
Oral sex performed on the anus can lead to other infections such as Hepatitis A, Shigella, and intestinal parasites.
How Chlamydia is Transmitted
Chlamydia is transmitted, like any other STD, through the exchange of bodily fluids, and skin-to-skin contact with a mucous membrane. While it usually attacks the cervix, urethra, urinary tract and/or rectum, it is not uncommon for it to affect that mouth, throat, and eyes.
Below are the ways in which Chlamydia is most commonly contracted/transmitted:
- Unprotected intercourse (vaginal or anal) with an infected partner
- Unprotected oral sex
- Sharing of sex toys
- Transference from fingers to the genitals or other parts of the body such as the eyes
- Anytime infected bodily secretion are transferred to another susceptible part of the body such as might occur when a woman wipes their vagina and secretion is transferred to the rectum
- Mother to the newborn during vaginal childbirth through the infected birth channel
The transmission of chlamydia, specifically as pertains to oral sex, occurs when oral contact is made with infected genitalia. Or, in cases where an individual's mouth or throat is infected from prior contact with an infected partner, the mouth/throat then becomes the mode of transmission. In either instance, symptoms may or may not be present.
What is Oral Sex?
Oral sex is the act of one person placing their mouth and/or tongue on the genitals or anus of another. It is extremely popular in America, especially among individuals under the age of 45.
The main types of oral sex are:
- Cunnilingus – stimulation of the vagina with the lips and tongue
- Fellatio – stimulation of the penis with the lips and tongue and a sucking action with the mouth. Most commonly referred to as a "blow job," the term "blow" is a misnomer as it is actually very dangerous to blow into the penis or the vagina.
- Nippling – licking, sucking or light biting of the nipples (there is nearly zero STD risk except in rare occasion the transmission of syphilis)
- Oro-anal sex – stimulation of the anus with the lips and tongue (often referred to as "rimming")
Oral sex does carry a high degree of risk because even the smallest microscopic cut, abrasion, or open wound on a genital area can present an increased opportunity for bacteria to be transmitted. It is very likely that one will contract new diseases and infections in the genitals and anus if oral sex is received from an individual who is infected.
How Common is Oral Sex?
The short answer is, "It is very common."
Historically, oral sex was thought to be reserved for heterosexual couples and was considered not only more intimate than intercourse but also to be reserved for those who were married. In the late 1970's the societal attitudes in America began to change, and oral sex has become more prevalent in any type of relationship.
According to a joint study issued by the National Institute of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, over eighty percent of adults ages 15-44 have engaged in oral sex at least once in their lifetimes. Another sixty-five percent admit to having numerous oral sex partners over the course of their lifetimes. The same survey found that forty-five percent of teenagers ages 15-19 have engaged in oral sex with at least one partner.
In a controlled study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) to explore oral sex behavior based on gender, age and ethnicity it was found that the majority of men (85.4%) and women (83.2%) had performed oral sex. Men were more likely than women to have more than five oral sex partners (32.4% men vs. 17.6% women).
Results for oral sex engagement by age showed that individuals between the ages of 45-69 were less likely to have ever performed oral sex, whereas over 90% adults between the age of 30-44 and over 82% of adults between the ages of 20-29 reported having performed oral sex.
Study results for oral sex behaviors by race showed that white men and women had the highest number of lifetime oral sex partners compared to all other racial/ethnic groups. By contrast, black men had the highest number of lifetime sexual partners for any sexual act, but white men were significantly more likely than black men to have more than five oral sex partners in their lifetime (38.8% white males vs. 20.7% black males). A lower proportion was observed amongst Mexican-American and other races to have reported having more than five oral sex partners over their lifetime.
Is Oral Sex Safer Than Vaginal or Anal Sex?
It is difficult to evaluate the risk of oral sex alone because most survey studies show that individuals who participate in oral sex also engage in other sexual acts. What we do know is that many STD's and STI's ARE communicable through oral sex.
Risk of transmission is variable on the type of STD/STI. Any STD that causes an open sore or blister such as herpes or syphilis will be very easily transmitted by oral sex. Chlamydia is also transmitted through oral sex but carries a slightly reduced risk as compared to vaginal or anal sex. And while HIV may be less commonly transmitted through oral sex, it is still prevalent enough to be a concern. Additionally, individuals who have an oral chlamydia or oral gonorrhea infection may be at a slightly reduced health risk than if they have the infection in the genitals, however having the infection orally could put them at a higher risk of contracting HIV. Oral gonorrhea can spread to the rest of the body and become a more substantial and harder to treat concern, especially if additional infectious variables are introduced.
How Common is Chlamydia?
In the year 2000, all 50 states and Washington D.C. began reporting of Chlamydia testing and diagnosis. Reports revealed that Chlamydia is currently the most common STD in America, particularly among young women. Statistics are based on the rate of diagnosis and reporting to the CDC.
According to the CDC, in 2016 1,598,354 cases of chlamydia infection were reported. Regionally, it was found that the highest rates of infection by population occurred in the South, followed by the Midwest and West. The American States with the highest rates of infection by population were New Hampshire and Alaska.
The rate of infection by race and ethnicity is highest among African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander women. The overall rate of infection is 5.6 times higher among African American than in Caucasian populations.
Chlamydia infections are most prevalent in females under the age of 25. However, this may be due to the fact that male infections are often asymptomatic and may go undiagnosed or reported for a more extended time. The possibility of a male, unknowingly, having and transmitting chlamydia makes regular testing all the more critical for both men and women.
Is Chlamydia a Bacterial or Viral Infection?
Chlamydia trachomatis is a bacterium that acts like a virus. While most bacteria will self-replicate when in a suitable environment, chlamydia lacks the biosynthetic and metabolic ability to propagate without a host, such as the throat, vagina, rectum, and in rare cases, the eyes.
The lifecycle of a chlamydia bacterium is unique in the medical world. Chlamydia exists in two forms. The infectious form called the elementary body and the replicating form called the reticulate body. The elementary body is what travels between cells and people and then becomes the reticulate body which invades and feeds on a host cell until that cell no longer has the capacity to contain it, at which point it bursts and releases new elementary bodies.
While the human body will produce antibodies to fight against a chlamydia infection, it will not prevent re-infection. This fact highlights the criticality of ensuring the infection is adequately treated and that the infection is thoroughly eradicated in both partners before re-engaging in sexual activity. In other words, successful treatment of a chlamydia infection does not make an individual immune to the disease.
The above is an image of a micrograph of an infected cell as the reticulate bodies replicate within the inclusion cell.
The time it takes for symptoms to begin after being exposed to chlamydia, or the incubation period, is 7-21 days.
Symptoms of Chlamydia
Because oral chlamydia does not occur without coming into contact with infected genitalia or secretions, it is important to be aware of both genital and oral symptoms in order to identify warning signs in a partner whom oral sex may have been or is considered being performed upon. That said: it is unfortunate and critical to know that Chlamydia is one of the "silent" infections; Meaning that it often comes without signs or symptoms. This fact is what makes chlamydia particularly prevalent in America today, as it is often passed from individual to individual without anyone knowing.
Learn more about being tested for chlamydia.
Oral Chlamydia infects the cellular lining of the throat and individuals who suffer from asymptomatic chlamydia oral infection often experience a sore throat and a feeling of being "hoarse." These symptoms are often, but not always, coupled with pain or difficulty swallowing, a low-grade fever and swollen lymph nodes in the neck. The symptoms may come and go or be persistent. These symptoms can often be mistaken for strep throat and are also associated with a gonorrhea infection. Proper testing and diagnosis should be sought before treatment.
Chlamydia infection of the genitalia differs in symptoms in men and women. The following symptoms most commonly characterize a chlamydia infection in women:
- Abnormal vaginal discharge (with or without an odor)
- Painful, difficult or frequent urination
- Painful intercourse
- Pain or bleeding after sex
- Abnormal bleeding between menstrual periods
- Lower abdominal pain
- Swollen skin around the vagina and or anus
- Any of the above coupled with a low-grade fever and/or nausea
In severe cases and if left untreated, the infection can spread the infection to the urinary tract, cervix, uterus, and the fallopian tubes causing a condition called Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), which can scar or block the fallopian tubes and increases the risk of ectopic pregnancy and long-term pelvic pain.
Below is a list of the primary symptoms of a chlamydia infection in men:
- Pain, difficulty, or burning during urination
- Penile or rectal discharge, or bleeding
- Swelling of the testicular or anal region
Untreated infections in men can lead to complications such as inflammation of the vas deferens and urethra. Although rare, inflammation of the vas deferens and urethra can lead to infertility and damage to the kidneys.
In both genders, prolonged lack of treatment can cause the immune system to become less efficient and "leaves the door open" for other STD's, STI's and an increased risk of contracting HIV. Another rare but notable consequence of an untreated infection is what is called reactive arthritis, which manifests as pain in the joints or eyes that can be debilitating. These symptoms are also associated with gonorrhea, making proper diagnosis critical for treatment.
Though less frequent, a chlamydia infection in the eyes is most often associated with:
- Burning and irritations of the eyes and eyelids
- In advanced cases, blurred vision and clouding of the cornea
Ocular chlamydia is most often associated with mother to child transmission when the baby is born by passing through an infected birth canal. As mentioned previously, symptoms may come and go during an active infection, and it is important to be tested even if symptoms seem to have disappeared.
Pregnancy and Chlamydia
Chlamydia is the most common STD found in pregnant women. Testing for Chlamydia and other STD's, including HIV, is, generally, routinely performed or suggested during the first trimester during prenatal care. A pregnant patient can decline this screening during prenatal consulting based on previous negative test results or screenings, but most doctors will heavily suggest or enforce screening, especially in areas or demographics of high prevalence in certain STD rates. For women over the age of 25 with new or multiple sexual partners, or sexual partners who have a history of chlamydia, should be tested during the first trimester. And women who at high risk of a chlamydia infection, are under the age of 25 should be retested during the third trimester, or anytime there is a change in sexual partner(s).
Chlamydia infection during pregnancy has been linked to infections of the amniotic fluid, preterm birth, preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PPRM), which is when the water breaks early, or the cervix opens without contractions,, and miscarriage. Untreated infections also increase the risk of postnatal uterine infection. Treatment for cases of prenatal chlamydia is about 90% effective, making a standard "test-to-cure" test necessary 3-4 weeks after treatment is completed along with a follow test 3 months after initial testing to prevent postnatal complications. Any sexual partner(s) should also be tested and treated to ensure that reinfection does not occur.
In any case, it is crucial to the woman and baby's health for pregnant women. Approximately 50% of babies delivered vaginally from an infected mother will contract chlamydia in their eyes or respiratory tract (presented as pneumonia) or both and can also attack the infant's urogenital tract and rectum and persist for 2-3 years even with treatment. This is particularly alarming in the instance(s) that a chlamydia infection contributes to premature labor and the infant is born with an already compromised immune system.
Infants who are appropriately identified as having chlamydia infections shortly after birth are easily treated and have a high rate of recovery. In most American hospitals, when an infant is born vaginally, it is standard to apply ointment on the baby's eyes to treat and prevent both gonorrhea and chlamydia.
Chlamydia in Adolescents and Children
Anytime a child under the age of 13 has a Chlamydia or other STD/STI infection the possibility of sexual abuse should be considered and reported. This requires the close cooperation and management of clinicians, laboratories, and child protective services. Official investigations should be initiated immediately when suspected, especially in cases of young children infected with gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia.
Outside of that, young adults and adolescents in America have the highest rate of chlamydia infections with the majority of infections being reported in adolescent girls and women between the ages of 15 and 24.
The younger a person is when they first begin sexual activity the higher their risk for STD's in general. The main factors for this statement being that, in general, adolescents and young adults often have multiple or consecutive sexual partners in a short period of time along with a naïve or uneducated perspective on safe sex practices and the prevalence and risk of STD's.
A contributing factor to these high rates in adolescents is the failure of many family physicians to inquire about an adolescent's sexual activities and a failure for the adolescent to openly disclose their behaviors or concerns because of fear or embarrassment.
Routine screening should be performed or requested for all sexually active adolescents and adults. The following are screening recommendations presented by the CDC from a compilation of federal and medical clinical guidelines for sexually active adolescents:
- Routine Screening for Chlamydia Trachomatis on an annual basis
- Routine Screenings for N. Gonorrhea on an annual basis for females under the age of 25 and YMSM or other at risk groups depending on geographic location
- HIV testing should be discussed and offered to all sexually active adolescents and suggested for at risk individuals
- A Routine Screening for HPV/Cervical Cancer on an annual basis for all sexually active females
- An HPV vaccination is available and should be administered to both males and females age 11 & 12. There are other considerations for this vaccine that a medical professional should be consulted for. Individuals with HIV should receive the vaccination through the age of 26. This vaccine has not been shown to change the perception of the amount of risk in sexual activity
- Other screenings for asymptomatic STD's are not typically suggested but should be offered based on the level of risk for the individual. However, YMSM and pregnant adolescents should be screened for syphilis
- HBV vaccines are recommended for all adolescents who have not previously been vaccinated for hepatitis B
- HAV vaccinations are recommended for all adolescents who have not yet receive the HAV vaccine
Adolescents or young adults worried about getting an STD test without their parent's consent should be aware that, in the United States, minors have access to health services and STD screening, tests, and treatment without parental consent. While no state requires that parents be notified that a minor has received testing or care for an STD, with a few exceptions such as rape, some states do allow providers to inform the parents of services provided to minors. This is part of a larger insurance provider issue that has to do with billing and how services are presented on an invoice that the parent of the treated minor might receive.
STDAware takes confidentiality very seriously and was built with these concerns in mind and operates outside of insurance or any other billing, or medical practice. This means that no one, including insurance, medical doctors, parents or guardians, will see testing or treatment results or be aware that testing has been performed at all.
Risk Factors and Prevention
There are specific factors that can increase an individual's risk of contracting chlamydia and/or other STD's/STI's during any sexual act. A few of the risk factors and prevention by category are listed below.
Oral Sex Risk Factors
- Poor oral hygiene
- Open sores in the mouth or on the genitals being contacted by the mouth
- Exposure to any bodily fluid
Oral Sex Prevention Options
- Use of a condom
- Use of a dental dam or a cut open condom to make a square barrier device
- Abstinence (not having oral sex)
- Limiting the number of lifetime oral sexual partners
- Having a monogamous sexual partner who has been properly tested or treated for any existing or pre-existing infections
Vaginal/Anal Sex Risk Factors
- Sexual activity before the age of 25
- Multiple or consecutive sex partners
- Not using a condom correctly or consistently
- History of prior STD's or STI's
Vaginal/Anal Sex Prevention Options
- Abstinence (not having vaginal or anal sex)
- Correct and consistent use of a condom
- Having a monogamous sexual partner who has been properly tested or treated for any existing or pre-existing infections
- Limit the number of lifetime sexual partners
- Regular screenings and well visits with a primary care physician along with open dialogue about sexual behaviors/activities, changes and concerns
- Avoid douching (for women) as this may increase the risk for infection
Catching STD's and STI's early, treating them properly and not continuing the cycle of transmission is a priority for sexual health The main factors, for any sexually active individual, in STD/STI risk reduction and prevention, is to be tested regularly for STD's and HIV, open and honest discussion with primary care physician's and any sexual partner (especially when there is a change in partners).
Condom Use
Proper and consistent use of male condoms dramatically reduces the risk of transmission of STD's, STI's and HIV. Unfortunately, the use of condoms does not guarantee 100% effectiveness in prevention, and therefore the only fail-proof method of avoiding infection is abstinence or maintaining a mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected individual.
Statistics on the efficacy of condom use and prevention is based on laboratory and epidemiological studies along with empirical data and STD rate studies over the years.
Laboratory studies have demonstrated that the use of latex condoms is effective against most strains and molecular structures of STD's.
Epidemiologic studies that compared the rate of HIV and STD infections in condom users versus non-condom users who have sex with an HIV or STD -infected partners show that consistent condom use produced a significantly lower rate of transmission. There are unknown variables in these studies due to private behaviors that were not measured or observable, but the outcomes are significant enough to make broad generalizations about the effectiveness of condom use.
Empirical data showed that while condoms will provide a reasonable level of protection for many STDs, there are still risks due to the fact that condoms may not cover all of the areas that are or could become infected. Condoms provide the most significant protection against STD's that transmitted through the contact of genital fluids. The risk associated with Skin to skin transmission of STD's is reduced but not eliminated. Some of STD's of this nature are genital herpes, human papillomavirus [HPV] infection, syphilis, and chancroid). To see more information about the STD's mentioned above, click here for the fact sheet provided by CDC.
The Three C's of safe sex are:
- Consistent
- Correct
- Condom Use
Consistent, Correct, Condom use involves following the standards listed below:
- Use a new condom for every sexual interaction
- If the condom does not have a reservoir tip, pinch the tip enough to leave a half-inch space to create a reservoir. Hold on to the tip as you unroll the condom. This prevents semen from overflowing.
- To remove the condom, grip the rim of the condom and carefully withdraw from your partner. Gently pull the condom off, making sure not to spill
- Wrap used condoms in tissue before discarding in the trash
- If the condom breaks at any point during sexual activity, stop immediately, withdraw, remove the broken condom, and put on a new condom
- If using lubricant, be sure to choose one that is water based as oil-based lubricants can weaken the latex of the condom and lead to breakage
The CDC provides an in-depth condom fact sheet.
Testing and Treatment of Chlamydia
Routine Chlamydia and STD screening is advised for any sexually active individual who is not in a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship where both partners have been tested and do not have an STD. Any change in sexual partner(s) is a reason to request both parties are screened before sexual contact is started.
If an existing partner is diagnosed with an STD, it is imperative that the other partner is notified and tested. Honest communication is another major factor in sexual health. For tips on talking to partners about sex and STD testing, click here a free resource and support. Infected partners should be treated, and both partners should abstain from sex until the infection is completely resolved. This prevents re-infection and passing the infection back and forth. Continual and ongoing infection and re-infection can lead to more serious complications.
Routine Screening is especially important when it comes to chlamydia because it does not always present symptoms. Catching chlamydia symptoms early drastically reduces the risks for further health complications to the reproductive system.
Diagnostic tests for Chlamydia are simple and easily gathered, either by urine sample or vaginal swab. Testing is for chlamydia, and other STD's is very common in laboratories, today, and test results can be turned around fairly quickly.
Treatment of chlamydia has a high rate of success when correctly taken as prescribed. An antibiotic is prescribed in either a single or 7-day regimen, depending on patient history and health factors. To avoid reinfection, sexual activity should be avoided for a full seven days after the completion of treatment to ensure the infection has been completely eradicated from the system.
If symptoms persist seven days after treatment has been completed, the patient should seek medical follow up immediately as other factors could be present. Proper medication will cure most cases of chlamydia, but if any other damage has occurred due to a prolonged infection, additional medical advice or treatment will be required.
Anyone treated for chlamydia should be retested within three months of initial treatment regardless if they believe that their partners were successfully treated.
Chlamydia infections are very common, widespread, and easily transmitted through the act of oral sex as well as vaginal and anal sex. While oral sex carries a slightly reduced risk of transmission compared to vaginal or oral sex, the prevalence of oral infection is high and having an oral infection of chlamydia, and some other STDs can place one at higher risk of contracting HIV.
While chlamydia is an easily treatable disease it often goes undetected because it does not always present symptoms. Routine screening is advised in any sexually active individual in order to identify and treat and reduce the spread of chlamydia.
The best way to avoid a chlamydia infection or other STD is to abstain from any kind of sex. Where abstinence is not an option, one should try to reduce the number of lifetime sexual partners or maintain a mutually monogamous relationship. Following the "Three C's" of safe sex: Consistent, Correct Condom Use will significantly reduce the risk of infection and transmission.
Anytime there is a change in sexual partner(s) it is important to be screened for chlamydia and other STD's before sexual contact is made to identify and address any potential sexual health risks. Open and honest communication with a primary care physician as well as sexual partners is vital to sexual health and wellbeing.
Minors can retrieve screening and treatment for STDs without parental consent but depending on the State laws, parents or guardians may or may not be notified or made aware of treatment either by the treating facility of the insurance billing. Children under the age of 14 with a Chlamydia or other STD infection should be considered at risk of sexual abuse and proper reporting and follow up should be conducted.
Pregnant women should be tested for chlamydia and can be treated during pregnancy along with their sexual partner(s).
While treatment of chlamydia infection has a high rate of success, it will not resolve any additional issues that may have resulted from a prolonged infection. Treatment is typically given in a single or 7-day dose regime of antibiotics, which will be prescribed based on individual health and history. Individuals being treated for chlamydia should abstain from all sexual activity for seven days after the completion of treatment and retest for infection should be conducted within three months of initial treatment.
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Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) serve as an excellent model system for studying the molecular underpinnings of tissue development. Human iPSC-derived retinal pigment epithelium (iPSC-RPE) cells have fetal-like molecular profiles. Hence, biobanks like iPSCORE, which contain iPSCs generated from hundreds of individuals, are an invaluable resource for examining how common genetic variants exert their effects during RPE development resulting in individuals having different propensities to develop Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) as adults. Here, we present an optimized, cost-effective and highly reproducible protocol for derivation of human iPSC-RPE cells using small molecules under serum-free condition and for their quality control using flow cytometry and immunofluorescence. While most previous protocols have required laborious manual selection to enrich for iPSC-RPE cells, our protocol uses whole culture passaging and yields a large number of iPSC-RPE cells with high purity (88-98.1% ZO-1 and MiTF double positive cells). The simplicity and robustness of this protocol would enable its adaption for high-throughput applications involving the generation of iPSC-RPE samples from hundreds of individuals.
Keywords: Human induced pluripotent stem (hiPSC), Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium (hiPSC-RPE), Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), Differentiation, Genetic studies, Small molecules, Genetic variant
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss in developed countries affecting 11 million individuals in the United States and about 170 million worldwide (Pennington and DeAngelis, 2016). Moreover, considering age as a main factor, in our current aging society, the incidence of AMD is estimated to increase to 198 million in 2020 and 288 million by 2040 and to 22 million in the United States alone by 2050 (Wong et al., 2014, Pennington and DeAngelis, 2016). Current therapeutic strategies, although effective, are expensive and limited to delaying the speed of disease progression, and AMD still eventually leads to a complete loss of vision (Al-Zamil and Yassin, 2017; Mitchell et al., 2018). At the time of preparation of this article, there are seven active clinical trials aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and optimize the conditions of the transplantation of the human iPSC-RPEs or human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium (ESC-RPE) cells (NIH-ClinicalTrials.gov). Thus, the development of a robust and cost-effective method for generating large amounts of high quality iPSC-RPEs is imperative for the advancement of future therapeutic treatments of AMD and potentially other eye diseases in humans as well as domestic animals (Sparrow et al., 2010).We have previously demonstrated the utility of employing iPSC-RPE cells to identify and study genetic variants playing a role in the development of AMD (Smith et al., 2019). In this study, we derived iPSC-RPE cells from six individuals (3 European Americans, 2 East Asian Americans, and 1 African American) and showed that they have morphological and molecular characteristics similar to those of naïve RPE cells. We showed that iPSC-RPE gene expression profiles are highly similar to that of human fetal RPE, and that their ATAC-seq (Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin using sequencing) peaks are enriched for relevant transcription factor motifs. We performed fine mapping of AMD risk loci integrating the molecular data from iPSC-RPE cells that resulted in the prioritization of four variants, including a potential regulatory SNP (rs943080) near VEGFA and a coding SNP (rs34882957, pP167S) in the C9 gene (Smith et al., 2019). Our findings illustrate that iPSC-RPE cells are an excellent model system to study the molecular functions of genetic variation associated with AMD.The initial protocols for deriving iPSC-RPE cells developed over a decade ago involved spontaneous differentiation and were highly inefficient requiring the manual separation of pigmented iPSC-RPE patches from non-differentiated cells (Klimanskaya et al., 2004; Vugle et al., 2008). Subsequently, induced directed differentiation protocols resulted in higher yielded and quality of iPSC-RPE cells but required numerous animal-derived components and thus had relatively low reproducibility or were very time consuming (Aoki et al., 2006; Osakada et al., 2008; Buchholz et al., 2009; Idelson et al., 2009; Reichman et al., 2014; Hazim et al., 2017). The introduction of small molecules into iPSC-RPE differentiation protocols greatly simplified the procedure and resulted in higher reproducibility (Osakada et al., 2009; Maruotti et al., 2013; Maruotti et al., 2015). Previous studies have optimized differentiation protocols to derive iPSC-RPEs from a limited number of iPSC or ESC lines and in most cases utilized small format culture vessels. Here, we present an optimized protocol for deriving iPSC-RPEs from multiple human iPSC lines in large sized culture flasks. It is similar to the protocol of Maruotti et al. (2015), but initiates differentiation when iPSCs reach 80% confluency, which we found to be optimal for all tested iPSCORE lines (Panopoulos et al., 2017). Additionally, we modified the length of time of exposure to small molecules at two steps, which resulted in further increase of yield and purity of iPSC-RPEs (88-98.1% ZO-1 and MiTF double positive cells). Our optimized protocol allowed us to derive iPSC-RPEs from six iPSC lines generated from ethnically diverse individuals under identical culturing conditions without the requirement of any individualized optimization steps.
Materials and Reagents
This work was supported in part by a CIRM grant GC1R-06673-B and NIH grants HG008118, HL107442, DK105541, DK112155, and EY021237. This protocol was adapted from previous work (Smith, D'Antonio-Chronowska et al., 2019).
Competing interests
Authors declare no competing interests.
iPSC lines generated from individuals of different ethnicities (3 European Americans, 2 East Asian Americans, and 1 African American) were obtained from iPSCORE (Panopoulos et al., 2017). Donors were all females ranging from 21 to 62 years of age at the time of donation. The recruitment of these individuals was approved by the Institutional Review Boards of the University of California, San Diego, and The Salk Institute (project no. 110776ZF).
If you have any questions/comments about this protocol, you are highly recommended to post here. We will invite the authors of this protocol as well as some of its users to address your questions/comments. To make it easier for them to help you, you are encouraged to post your data including images for the troubleshooting.
If you have any questions/comments about this protocol, you are highly recommended to post here. We will invite the authors of this protocol as well as some of its users to address your questions/comments. To make it easier for them to help you, you are encouraged to post your data including images for the troubleshooting.

subset: commoncrawl


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One of this week's featured collections in the iPad App Store is 10 Apps that Wow. Here's the description of it:
From saving money on a last-minute hotel room to discovering the nether reaches of the cosmos, these apps offer truly awe-inspiring experiences. Each app is a bona fide conversation starter and as you progress through our top 10, you'll find yourself increasingly amazed at what's possible on your iPad.
It's a great idea for a collection, and one Apple could consider running once a month on the iPad App Store. There are plenty of apps that fit the bill.
I'm especially fond of 3 of the picks in this collection: MLB's At Bat, Brian Cox's Wonders of the Universe, and the magnificent WWF Together. I'm also well aware of how great Paper by FiftyThree is, as I've seen the fantastic art produced with it and even shared some of it over at my iPad and iPhone Art site.
Here's the full list of apps include in the 10 Apps that Wow collection: Paper by FiftyThree, Panna, Traktor DJ, MLB.com At Bat, The Orchestra, MyScript Calculator, Brian Cox's Wonders of the Universe, Hotel Tonight, Foldify, WWF Together.
This collection is found among the top rotating items in the iPad App Store Featured section this week.
What do you all think of the collection? Any of your favorites in there?


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On behalf of a private client, Curchod & Co, have secured 5 new tenants at The Factory in Dippenhall, Nr Farnham which totals approximately 21,000 sq ft.
We are delighted to welcome the following tenants to The Factory:-
Luke Heward Personal Training
The Flexographic Ink Company
Swapframe Limited
Dunams Limited
Torpedo Group Ltd
Nick Reeve, Partner at Curchod & Co, Farnham commented "the string of lettings at The Factory is indicative of the market which is seeing strong demand for industrial/warehouse property of all sizes throughout the region. Local businesses are struggling to find new premises and as a result industrial/warehouse rents have increased considerably throughout the Blackwater Valley over the last few years.
We now have just one unit left at The Factory totalling approximately 2,459 sq.ft. For further information please contact the Farnham office on 01252 710822
Any time we start something new it is exciting and we are very motivated and committed. As time goes by, however, the burst of enthusiasm can wane as the reality of how much work is going to be involved kicks in. When you find yourself slacking a little and not being as enthused about the new change or goal you are working towards, that isn't a sign to quit. It is a sign that it is time to re-commit.Meet the team


text: Duhaime's Law Dictionary Metis Definition: A term of Canadian aboriginal law referring to an individual with mixed white and Indian blood. Related Terms: Indian, Aboriginal, Inuit, Mixed Blood Metis, or Métis as properly spelled, benefit from no national definition as a group and, as such, fall short of Canadian federal recognition for the purposes of statutory benefits.In his 1999 treatise, Shin Imai wrote, with some unfortunate choices of political adjectives:"The federal government still refuses to recognize the Métis as a people under federal jurisdiction. Consequently, Métis have not received the benefits of federal programs, a federal land base, or adequate recognition in the land claims process."This, even though the Canadian Constitution, 1982, defines aboriginal people at §35 as follows:"In this Act, aboriginal peoples of Canada includes the Indian, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada."Historically, Métis was used for those who were of French-Canadian and Indian ancestry. For those who could claim mixed English-Canadian and Indian ancestry, the term half-breed was used.Even amongst the aboriginal interest groups, there is acceptance as to the definition of Métis. In Native Law (2010), Jack Woodward notes:"The Native Council of Canada emphasized self-identification whereas the Métis National Council, which split off from the Native Council in 1983, asserts that there is a single Métis nation."The ultimate question is usually: how much Indian blood is required for the status of Métis? This author's Iroquois great-great-grand-mother pictured: does that suffice to make him Métis?Where necessary, jurisdiction have provided a statutory definition such as this, from the 1978 regulations made pursuant to the Fisheries Act, the 1978 Alberta Fishery Regulations, §2(1):"Métis means a person of mixed white and Indian blood having not less than one-quarter Indian blood, but does not include an Indian or a non-treaty Indian as defined in the Indian Act."Canada's Supreme Court tried to solve this by requiring a vague criteria which some jurists1 have rephrased as a sufficient and substantial connection of Indian ancestry. This solved nothing as the 2003 case R v Powley left jurists scratching their heads by adopting these words, resulting in a circular definition (¶10-12):"A Métis community can be defined as a group of Métis with a distinctive collective identity, living together in the same geographic area and sharing a common way of life."The term Métis in §35 does not encompass all individuals with mixed Indian and European heritage; rather, it refers to distinctive peoples who, in addition to their mixed ancestry, developed their own customs, way of life, and recognizable group identity separate from their Indian or Inuit and European forebears."Métis communities evolved and flourished prior to the entrenchment of European control, when the influence of European settlers and political institutions became pre-eminent...."Intermarriage between First Nations and Inuit women and European fur traders and fishermen produced children, but the birth of new Aboriginal cultures took longer. At first, the children of mixed unions were brought up in the traditions of their mothers or (less often) their fathers. Gradually, however, distinct Métis cultures emerged, combining European and First Nations or Inuit heritages in unique ways. Economics played a major role in this process. The special qualities and skills of the Métis population made them indispensable members of Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal economic partnerships, and that association contributed to the shaping of their cultures.... As interpreters, diplomats, guides, couriers, freighters, traders and suppliers, the early Métis people contributed massively to European penetration of North America."The French referred to the fur trade Métis as coureurs de bois (forest runners) and bois brulés (burnt-wood people) in recognition of their wilderness occupations and their dark complexions. The Labrador Métis (whose culture had early roots) were originally called livyers or settlers, those who remained in the fishing settlements year-round rather than returning periodically to Europe or Newfoundland. The Cree people expressed the Métis character in the term Otepayemsuak, meaning the independent ones."The Métis developed separate and distinct identities, not reducible to the mere fact of their mixed ancestry. What distinguishes Métis people from everyone else is that they associate themselves with a culture that is distinctly Métis."2Hence, this from Jack Woodward, circa 2010:"Canadian law is not clear about the distinction, if any, to be drawn between Métis people and other Canadians of mixed Indian and non-Indian descent."In R v Daigle, the accused raised §35 of the Constitution in his defence. Justice Leger of the Court of Queen's Bench went on a wild ride through time (ten generations) to suggest that not only was Daniel Daigle not Indian; he did not qualify as aboriginal either under the rubric of Métis:"The appellant now claims protection under §35 as an aboriginal. If the appellant is not a Métis, he must then establish that he is either an Indian or an Inuit if he is to benefit from the protection offered by s. 35 of the Act."The trial judge found that the appellant's closest full-blooded aboriginal person was Marie Aubois. According to the evidence, there are 10 generations between Marie Aubois and the appellant Daniel Daigle.... "I find that the appellant has clearly failed to establish that he is entitled to the benefit of §35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 either as a Métis and Indian or an Inuit."The appellant has not established a sufficient and substantial connection of Indian ancestry for him to be entitled to the benefit of s. 35 of the Act."REFERENCES:Alberta Fishery Regulations, 1978 CRC Chapter 838 (Volume VII), at page 5272Constitution Act, 1982, being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982 (U.K.), 1982, c. 11, §35(2)Imai, S., Aboriginal Law Handbook (Toronto: Carswell, 1999), page 83R v Daigle, 2004 NBQB 79 (Note 1)R. v. Powley, 2003 SCC 43. Note 2: ¶12 is presented before ¶10-11 so as to present the actual proposed definition first as at ¶12, followed by the historical background at 10-11.Woodward, J., Native Law (Toronto: Carswell, 2010), volume 1, pages Categories & Topics: Duhaime's Aboriginal Law Dictionary Always looking up definitions? Save time with our search provider (modern browsers only) If you find an error or omission in Duhaime's Law Dictionary, or if you have suggestion for a legal term, we'd love to hear from you!


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Travel and Leisure
Feast on Maine« Travel & Local « Downloads
|January 1, 1970
|78 times
|Travel & Local
Hungry? If you're in Maine, you're in luck!
Feast On Maine offers a comprehensive dining guide to all Maine eateries. Whether you're searching for an authentic seaside lobster dinner, a world-class dining experience prepared by one of Maine's renowned chefs, or just a cup of joe, we'll show you options from Ogunquit Beach to Moosehead Lake, Portland to Bangor, Acadia to Katahdin and every village, hamlet and township in between and beyond.
Maine has a celebrated culinary scene and you're just a click away from more than 3,000 restaurant listings. Search by restaurant name, city or town, cuisine type, restaurant style, price range – or choose the "What's Near Me" feature for the closest dining options.
Whether you're a local or your visiting Maine on vacation you're bound to work up an appetite enjoying all that Maine has to offer. Find your next meal with Feast On Maine!
Maine food pairs well with: summer the ocean beaches boating kayaking foliage canoeing sailing camping beach going skiing hiking biking winter snowmobiling surfing sea waves autumn leaf peeping snowboarding fall spring leaves.
Eat in Maine before/after/while you: hunt fish boat kayak canoe sail cruise surf hike mountain bike motorcycle snowmobile shop snowboard bicycle
Endulge in culinary delights such as: clam chowder lobster diner shore dinner lobster roll fried clam clams steamers steak brew beer cocktail microbrew ice cream gelato blueberry pie wine pizza sandwiches seafood coffee java .
Find a great Maine restaurant while: shopping hunting fishing on a beach on a bike on a wave island hopping on a snow trail lake stream river pond or at camp campground campsite on the islands at a lighthouse
If you're interests include: cuisine gastronomy edibles provisions food spirits liquor or alcohol ; if you're looking for: nourishment foodservice something tasty delicious savory flavorful nutritious ; if you're staying at a: cottage cabin motel inn bed and breakfast or hotel ; if you're a: foodie ( foody ) culinarian ; if you're looking for: a reservation chef sommelier winery drink vineyard menu sandwich or a cook , a place to dine or eat or , nutrition or an ingredient ; if you want: to nosh chow, a taste bite spoon fork knife plate napkin, farm to table meals , reservations– simply put, if you want to savor the flavor of Maine, you'll love Feast On Maine!
Casual family style fast food takeout take out take-out breakfast brunch lunch supper dinner fast food drive through: it's all at your fingertips!
Enjoy: Chinese Indian Italian Japanese Sushi Mexican Pizzeria Thai Vegan Vegetarian café cafe brewpub microbrewery gastro pub lobster shack bakery steakhouse a bar bars nightclub deli delicatessen cocktails hors d'oeuvres appetizers dessert something locally grown or foraged or baked ( grow forage bake ) tavern public house coffee shop.
Content rating: Everyone


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Decorating part 4
Our new colour scheme meant that most of the walls were painted with white, with teal on one wall in each room. As we had reduced the colour on the walls I was keen to get some lovely curtains to make a feature of them and to bring more colour to the rooms. As I mentioned in the last post we have unusually sized windows, so ready-made curtains always need altering to fit. I headed to the local material shops and priced up some fabric I liked, I made a note of the name of it too and when I got home I did a search on the internet to see if I could find it anywhere else for cheaper. It worked out around £10 a metre and we needed a lot! It was quickly adding up to well over £100 and this was before I even started making them and buying lining material.
Whilst I was out and about I kept an eye out for curtains and spotted some on sale in Tasker. I checked the measurements and the largest curtains would fit, they would just need taking up as they would be too long and cover the radiator. I couldn't believe our luck as they were reduced to £20 a pair and matched our colour scheme.
They needed taking up about 15-20cm on both sets of windows, I even hand stitched the new hem using an invisible stitch whereas normally I would use the machine – I was feeling like I should for the best finish and I had plenty of time as I didn't have to make them from scratch, plus my mum always says I should!
When picking out curtains it is worth checking both ready-made and material prices. Depending on what colour and material type you want, if you can find some ready-made it is always worth comparing prices.
We also needed a new pair of curtains for the middle of our rooms, as we have the option of closing the curtains in between our lounge and dining room, which then makes the lounge cosier. We needed new curtains in the right colour as I had taken the old ones down as they were red. This time it worked out cheaper to buy the material and make them as I picked up material that was perfect and was only £3 per metre and they didn't need a lining.
I did do some research into dying curtains, however with the original curtains being quite a deep red, to get them to dye teal or grey we would need to colour strip them first and then dye them. Even after that there were still warnings about colour matching and the difficulty of dying something that is already a dark colour.


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While China had declared 2020 a critical year for relations with Europe, the EU-China virtual summit which took place on September 14 between Chinese president Xi Jinping and EU leaders German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Council head Charles Michel, and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen fell short of expectations. Some Europeans were optimistically hoping to conclude the negotiations on the long-awaited Common Agreement on Investment, which have now dragged into their seventh year. Others in Brussels were relieved that the summit didn't take place in Leipzig in the presence of the twenty-eight leaders (twenty-seven EU countries and China) as was originally planned by Germany, the holder of the six-month rotating presidency. In the end, despite statements about what has been achieved in the meeting by European leaders—addressing Chinese state aid and addressing technology transfers from Europe to China—the actual outcome had little substance. In particular, China did not agree on economic reciprocity—the primary demand from the European side.
The meeting—although depicted as a decisive diplomatic victory by Chinese state media—was especially disappointing to Chinese leadership considering they were trying to accomplish larger geostrategic goals. One was to prevent the creation of a united transatlantic front against China, spurred on by recent visits to Western and Central Europe by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien. Rejecting any kind of strategic alignment either in the direction of the United States or China, President Charles Michel told reporters afterward "Europe is a player, not a playing field." The second broad Chinese goal was to reassure Europeans after souring relations this year after coronavirus. Still reeling from the pandemic, the accompanying economic recession, and now—what many perceive to be an opportunistic expansion of Chinese aggression—Europe has recently channeled pain and anger into pushback on contentious foreign policy issues against China, mainly on Huawei (5G) and Hong Kong, but also on the treatment by the PRC of the Uighur minority in Xinjiang.
This article was originally published by the National Interest.


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10 Underrated Time Travel Movies
10 Underrated Time Travel Movies. Science fiction's coolest plot device can be found in romances, crime stories, and even Westerns.
How Women Over 50 Are Getting Pregnant. Embryo adoption raises the odds of success to 50 percent.
America's First Female Soldiers Are Now Getting the Recognition They Deserve. The Hello Girls managed communications on the front lines of World War I.
Satellite Imagery Shows the World is On Fire. However, that's not really unusual.
Before Hedy, There Was Barbara Lamarr. She was an actress and screenwriter, but it was her scandalous personal life that kept her in the Hollywood spotlight.
How Disease and Conquest Carved a New Planetary Landscape. Columbus and other explorers forever changed what made the Old World different from the New World.
Why Texas Just May Be the Best State for Fall Foliage. For one thing, it won't be as crowded as New England in autumn.
14 Captivating Facts About Carnivorous Plants. They've developed several different methods for capturing their prey.


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Summer is here, whether we like it or not. Â And just to be clear, we don't.
Fuck. This. Shit.
Really, the only sane thing to do is drink a lot of extremely tasty, refreshing cocktails. Â This one certainly fits the bill… in fact it was hard not to drink myself into a coma with these while tweaking the recipe.
Escarlata Maya
- 2 oz. Reposado Tequila (Siembra Azul)
- 1 oz. Fresh Red Bell Pepper Juice
- 1/2 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
- 1/2 oz. Agave Nectar
- Habenero Tincture
- Club Soda
- 1/4 oz. Del Maguey Crema de Mezcal
Combine tequila, red pepper juice, lime, and agave in a shaker with ice and shake until very cold. Â Strain into a highball glass over ice. Â Add habenero tincture to taste (2-8 drops was our range) and stir just a bit. Top with a splash of club soda and float Crema de Mezcal on top. Â Garnish with a spear of red pepper and a wheel of lime.
Habenero tincture is easy to make… cover dried habeneros (cut up to prevent floaters) with pure grain alcohol for a week or two and strain. Â Be very, VERY careful with this stuff… treat it like a chemical weapon. Â It will have a lot of heat but also the wonderful citrus flavor for which habeneros are known.
Oh my god, between this and the Swamp Cooler (and the Badminton Cup) I may be able to survive another fucking summer in Texas. Â Give it a try, tweak it if you must, and let us know what you think.


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Domhnall Gleeson: 5 Best Roles from the 'Star Wars' Actor
Few people this side of the Atlantic Ocean know how to pronounce his name. But that hasn't stopped him from starring in pretty much every awesome movie in the last 12 months. In fact, Domhnall Gleeson has accomplished a rare feat in Hollywood — he's managed to build a career full of high-profile films without truly becoming a household name. Another huge accomplishment? He starred in both the highest-grossing film of 2015 and two of the films nominated for Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards. To say he had a good year would be an understatement.
But this 32-year-old Ireland native's success isn't a fluke. The son of character actor Brendan Gleeson, he's built up a solid resume over the past few years. He has an impressive theatrical resume and starred in popular British television shows like Your Bad Self and The Last Furlong. And he's snagged impressive supporting roles in the Harry Potter franchise and the Coen Brothers' True Grit. Here are five key performances that made Star Wars: The Force Awakens's Domhnall Gleeson one of the most exciting and impressive actors in Hollywood.
1. Caleb Smith — Ex Machina
Ex Machina was one of the surprise hits of 2015. And though it was buoyed by an exceptional script and masterful direction by Alex Garland, the sci-fi thriller would have been nothing without its cast. Oscar Isaac and Alicia Vikander have earned their fair share of kudos for their performances as the brilliant Blue Book CEO Nathan and his incredible AI, Ava. But Domhnall Gleeson's understated performance as Caleb, the programmer who wins a chance to spend a week at Nathan's compound, is just as vital to the film's success.
Gleeson's Caleb is in many ways a prop in his own story. He stumbles through Ex Machina, uncomfortable and insecure — always looking as though he doesn't quite fit into the world he's found himself in. He's eager to please and hesitant to follow his instincts. And we know all of these things about him, despite the fact that he never openly reveals much of anything about himself to Nathan or Ava. This is all thanks to Gleeson's remarkably restrained performance, which makes Caleb — by no means a flawless man, but one who is used and thrown away — the collateral damage in Ex Machina's Turing test.
2. Jim Farrell — Brooklyn
It's easy to forget that Domhnall Gleeson starred in this poignantly nostalgic period drama last year, since his other films received a lot more attention. But that doesn't mean his performance in Brooklyn isn't worth noting. The film follows Ellis Lacey (Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan), an Irish immigrant who finds herself torn between her new life in New York and the potential for love back home. Gleeson's portrayal of Jim, her Irish beau, is impressively nuanced — especially given his limited time on screen. By the time we meet him, it's difficult to imagine Ellis falling for anyone but her Brooklyn-based husband, Tony (Emory Cohen). But Gleeson's Jim is so quietly charming and sincere, that it's easy to understand Ellis's struggle.
3. Tim Lake — About Time
Domhnall Gleeson has endeared himself to audiences with his quirky and often understated presence — so in some ways, it seems surprising that he would make an effective lead in a romantic comedy. But he more than met the challenge in Richard Curtis's underrated About Time. Gleeson plays Tim, a young Brit who learned from his father (Bill Nighy) that he's inherited a familial talent for time travel. He uses his skills to learn how to win over Mary (Rachel McAdams), but learns that there are some parts of life that even his special gifts can't change. Gleeson nails his performance as Tim — he's bumbling but never so much that you believe he can't succeed; he's romantic, but not so much that it feels unrealistic. And the result is a romance-driven film that not only not insufferable, but completely entertaining.
4. Andrew Henry — The Revenant
Let's be real: The Revenant is ultimately The Leonardo DiCaprio show. But many of the film's supporting actors also deserve praise for their performances in this bleak and riveting drama. Domhnall Gleeson plays Captain Andrew Henry, the leader of the trapping party at the center of the film's first act. And though he appears in few scenes in the film, he manages to communicate his character's intense commitment to not only his own survival, but that of his men. So many of the characters in The Revenant are morally ambiguous at best — so Gleeson's Henry feels almost like a moral compass. And whether he's commanding his group in the midst of an attack or sitting quietly and taking in a devastating loss, we always believe he's doing what he believes to be right.
5. Ash — Black Mirror's "Be Right Back"
Black Mirror is one of the most inventive and often disturbing series ever to come out of Britain. The sci-fi anthology is Twilight Zone-esque in its examination of the perils of modern technology. And never were the consequences of relying on new-age advances more obvious than in the episode "Be Right Back." It follows Martha (Agent Carter's Haley Atwell), a young woman struggling through grief after her boyfriend, Ash (Domhnall Gleeson) dies unexpectedly. She turns to a new service that brings loved ones back to life via automated phone calls — and, eventually, artificial real-life recreations. Gleeson is pitch perfect in his portrayal of Ash, who we see both before and after his "reincarnation," because he shows us with tremendous subtlety the differences between human and other. His artificial Ash looks and sounds the same as the man Martha loved, but there's a stiffness and purity about him that just feels wrong. And though we barely knew him, by episode's end we, too, long for the real Ash.


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In Galatians 1:15 Paul says God reveals himself not "to" me (safe option in most translations) but (Greek) "in" me. So every calling or vocation is an invitation to become, gradually, a place where God's life is revealed, his promise and judgment. We sometimes meet fellow disciples who make us realise, with devastating clarity, how far we need to change. This is holiness. So we thank God for all who do this in their calling as Bishops, including (especially?) those unable to join us. The Christ we are all called to reveal is one whose body is real, in time and eternity, who gathers God's Children from the corners of the earth into his kingdom. This is the prime vision we were called to represent and enact. II Corinthians 11:28-9 —". . . a place where God's life is revealed, His promise and judgment. . . . The Christ we are all called to reveal is one whose body is real . . . who gathers God's Children from the corners of the earth into His kingdom." And note: "We thank God for all who do this in their calling as Bishops, including (especially?) those unable to join us." This is fine teaching, and I think Bishop Alan could remove the question mark; the sentiment was undoubtedly sincere. Archbishop Rowan now continues to emphasize the special calling of bishops:
Besides other things I am under daily pressure because of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble and I am not indignant?
So the only way of being a successful apostle is to be incapable of distancing oneself from the weakness of others. Bearing apostolic witness we have to speak of a new humanity in which we bear others burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ. Represent Jesus Christ and your defences will be down, and you will share in the weakness and loss of all, and your assumed loss will be part of the pain God takes upon himself in his infinite love. Paul sees the Church as being called to living the death and resurrection of Christ in the world.Note well, TEC (and all other) Bishops: you have to learn "to be incapable of distancing oneself from the weaknesses of others." So much of what passes for deliberation these days in TEC's House of Bishops , and all of the litigation TEC is embroiled in, shows exactly the opposite face to the Communion, and to the world as a whole. Think again about the oxymoron of a church that fully endorses abortion, and ponder on the Archbishop's words.
Having set up the assembled bishops for their special role, Archbishop Rowan now delivers the clincher:
Therefore bishops can never, however much they'd like to be, become the spokesperson of a single nation, or cause, or group, however worthy they may be.
Simply wonderful! This is what TEC's social activists need to hear. He says it once more, for emphasis:
Some will call it dithering — we have to find ways to make it prophetic. It would be much easier to turn the church into an association of people who sign up to particular ideas, or reflect the nation in some vague way.Such as abortion, gay/lesbian civil rights, liberation theology---you name it, it has been promoted in the name of our church and social justice. Just in case anyone is still wondering about the message of this study, Archbishop Rowan now says it a third time:
What we actually have to do is express in our living the whole new humanity that is being gathered up in Christ. Therefore we can never simply be servants to one subgroup. We have been taken hold of by Christ. We may of course want to affirm this person or that, but we cannot without also some note of challenge as well as affirmation. Therefore bishops have to prioritise living and proclaiming the life of a Christ who gathers lost humanity into one in himself.And now Bishop Wilson summarizes in his own words (not the Archbishop's, I presume), and shows that he, for one at least, heard the message loud and clear (I have added the emphasis):
So Unity is not just everybody feeling good about each other, a quantitative thing, but a qualitative thing — each person impoverished by the another's loss, each person enriched by others' holiness. This is what Church is for, according to Saint Paul; and we're off with some homework to reflect on what it means in our own lives.Please, I pray, do reflect---not just Bishop Alan, but all of you there at Lambeth, and especially those at the forefront of our church's activist stance. To live in Christ is to have God reveal Himself in you, where you are incapable of distancing yourself from the weakness of others. It is not about taking up the banner of this or that cause in the name of the church that you represent, because in the very act of doing so, you distance yourself (and the church, as a consequence) from the weakness of others. I shall add to this some words I wrote in an earlier post, because they supplement what the Archbishop so importantly taught today, and help explain (not justify, but just explain) why a quarter of the Communion's bishops are absent from Lambeth:
The fallacy in bringing a civil rights point of view to matters of Church polity is not just that sinners have no "civil rights", but also that one cannot champion civil rights in a representative capacity. A Bishop represents his diocese to the church catholic, as the above quote observes. If that Bishop feels strongly about women's rights, or gay and lesbian rights, or both, or still other rights, he or she may march in all the demonstrations and parades, and even get arrested if civil disobedience is felt to be the only way to gain attention for the cause. But when a Bishop marches, or is arrested, he is placing his individual liberty on the line. (I shall switch to using a generic "he" at this point, because it is simply too cumbersome to keep repeating "he or she," "his or her," etc. Let the gender-neutral intent be understood.) As a Bishop of his Church, however, his authority does not extend to placing his Diocese on the line, because he only represents the Diocese; he is not the Diocese itself.Indeed, civil disobedience makes sense only from an individual standpoint, as I noted in an earlier post. There is no admirable sacrifice of liberty, no example for others to follow, if you use your representative authority to get someone else to go to jail for you. And this has been the problem with how TEC (and the ACoC) have gone about advancing the cause of gay and lesbian "rights" within the Anglican Communion. (I place the word in quotes, remember, because it does not make sense to speak of demanding from God a "right" to be ordained, or to receive God's blessing on one's relationship.) They claim to have done so in order to "be a witness" to the "new things" which the Holy Spirit is doing in the Church---that is the language of (religious) civil rights demonstrators. In fact, the compulsion for former Presiding Bishop Griswold to be a witness was so great that he could leave the Primates' Meeting at Lambeth Palace in October 2003, having signed a statement that urged TEC not to go forward with the consecration of Bishop Robinson, and then officiate at the ceremony just seventeen days later; he left it to his deputies to justify his conduct to the Communion. And the compulsion of the current Presiding Bishop to brook no opposition to the social justice agenda was foreshadowed even before she was elected.In order to send a signal that they were witnessing to the cause of gay and lesbian civil rights, the Bishops of TEC and ACoC did not just pronounce that Lambeth Resolution 1.10 was not going to be followed in their churches; TEC actually consecrated a Bishop who, it was warned in advance, would not be able to represent his diocese to the wider church, and who could not be invited to the gathering at Lambeth without making a mockery of the actions taken there. And asked to clarify its stance, the Anglican Church of Canada responded with an ambiguous authorization to hold rites for the blessing of same-sex unions. Each of these actions, be it noted, constituted official acts of the respective churches, performed and approved by their delegates in their representative capacities. No one's individual liberty was placed at risk by such Anglican disobedience; instead, what it called into question was the churches' willingness to remain as full partners in the Communion.It is very difficult to remain impartial about the different sides of this dispute, because there is so much at stake once the disobedience went to a representative, as opposed to staying on an individual, level. Some devout Episcopalians, whose sincerity cannot be questioned (even though the other side will not credit it), believe (along with Lambeth 1.10) that participating in or approving the ordination of a non-celibate gay or lesbian to the ministry simply cannot be reconciled with Holy Scripture, and quite a number of these Episcopalians also believe that it concerns one's salvation. The other side believes just as sincerely that gays and lesbians have for too long been discriminated against by the powers of the Church, are determined to put an end to the discrimination they see, and think that what they are doing is strengthening, not weakening the Church. The problem is that by taking action in the name of the whole Church, the activists have made it impossible for those who disagree to remain neutral or indifferent. The reasserters (to use the neutral terminology now current) cannot accept what has been done, and what continues to be done, in their name. And for their part, the reappraisers are just as determined to continue with what they have started, and to do so in the name of the Church as a whole.One of the predictable consequences of such an impasse is that the reasserters will seek to be led by Bishops and clergy whom they see as faithful to Holy Scripture, and will reject the leadership of those who are approving and performing gay and lesbian ordinations and blessings. The results are the withdrawals, the joining of other Anglican provinces, and the border crossings by Bishops.
To those who have borne with me thus far, I hope you will join me in praying that all of our Bishops---on both sides of the controversy (pax, Cany)---open their hearts and their minds to the Bible teaching offered by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and that in reflecting on its wisdom they achieve a new and better understanding of the roles they are called on to play as our Bishops.
Postscript: I shall add below, as I find them posted, other bishops' accounts of the Bible study they experienced with the Archbishop. The first one shows the motive power of ++Cantuar's spiritual force, for which we may all be thankful; is it too soon to say that it also shows the force of collective prayer? Time will tell---please continue to pray. (See also this moving account by Bishop Nedi Rivera of the Diocese of Olympia.)
Bishop Porter Taylor (Western North Carolina)
Bishop Coadjutor Stephen Lane (Maine)
Bishop Wayne Smith (Missouri)
It is, of course, too much to hope that all the blog posts will be as detailed as the one featured above. Here is the Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania, who at least was motivated to think back to his ordination. The Bishop of Arizona, however, devotes just a single sentence to the experience. Bishop Pierre Whalon, of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe, gives no details, but is "hungry for more." The Bishop of Arkansas is struck by the sounds of Canterbury Cathedral in taking in the Archbishop's message. The Bishop of Connecticut's reaction was like that of the Bishop of Northwestern Pennsylvania. And Bishop Stacy Sauls of Lexington sums up in two sentences: "There were two addresses by Archbishop Rowan. They were both thought-provoking."


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/*Janice Hahn*/ has been a Los Angeles city councilwoman for 10 years and comes from one of the best-known political families in Los Angeles. She is one of 16 candidates running for the congressional seat of retiring U.S. Rep. /*Jane Harman*/ (D-Venice). The district extends roughly from Venice to San Pedro.
The /*36th Congressional District*/ is 46-percent Democratic and 27-percent Republican.
Democratic Secretary of State /*Debra Bowen*/ wants to move to Congress.
Activist and teacher /*Marcy Winograd*/ shares her ambition.
The six Republicans, including two-term Redondo Beach Mayor /*Mike Gin*/, are given little chance of victory in the overwhelmingly Democratic district. Gin admits it, but is running as if he could win.
"I come from a mayor's perspective," said Gin. "A mayor's perspective is that you don't work on Republican or Democratic issues, you work on solving problems."
Hahn ran for lieutenant governor and lost. She has more money than her Democratic opponents in this race. She has major labor endorsements and money from developers and special interests.
"And I actually think that's been my strength on the city council is I've been able to bring all those groups together to clean the port, to move cargo off peak -- I mean, huge initiatives that I couldn't do if I was just paying attention to one special interest," said Hahn.
Two-term Secretary of State Debra Bowen is considered most likely to face Hahn in a runoff election if one candidate fails to get more than 50 percent of the vote. With 16 candidates in the race, that's the expected outcome.
Bowen says her 14 years in the legislature make her the only one with experience in a partisan environment.
"Sacramento is a shark tank. I know Washington, D.C., is a little larger shark tank," said Bowen. "But nonetheless, it is quite different trying to get things done in a partisan environment like that."
Winograd is the only top Democrat not elected to public office. She's a public school teacher. She earned 41 percent of the vote in the last election against incumbent councilwoman Hahn.
"We just need a new national initiative to embrace education," said Winograd. "I am not in anybody's pocket. I am here to work and serve the people."
It's pretty much a given that because of the number of candidates, no candidate will be able to win a majority in Tuesday's election. That puts the top two into a runoff in July.


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Autocar Pro News Desk ,
15 Aug 2019
July 2019 saw the UK record a sharp rise in demand for EVs, pushing electric cars to their highest-ever share of the UK car market, while sales of diesel and plug-in hybrid cars continued to fall. What's helping the charge of electric mobility and the increasing adoption of EVs amongst UK motorists is the growth in the number of EV charging stations.
There are now almost 1,000 more public places to charge electric cars than there are forecourts to pump petrol in the UK – 9,300 EV charging locations compared to 8,400 fuel stations. This is as per data published by Nissan.
In less than a century since Britain's first fuel station opened – November 1919 at Aldermaston in Berkshire2 – the number of forecourts has peaked, declined and been overtaken by charging stations designed for battery, not combustion, powered cars.
Almost 80 percent of UK petrol stations have closed since 1970, whilst the number of electric vehicle charging locations has increased from a few hundred in 2011 (when the Nissan Leaf went on sale) to more than 9,000 in August 2019.
Of these locations, more than 1600 provide 'rapid charging', and can recharge a typical EV battery to around 80% in under an hour. According to Zap-Map, two new rapid charge devices came online every day in the last month. Almost all UK motorway service stations have charging stations installed, the majority of which provide a rapid charge option.
Transport for London has installed more than 1,000 EV charge points in the last year alone3, yet supply of conventional fuel within the capital is becoming scarcer. Central London has nearly half as many petrol stations per car as the Scottish Highlands4; only four remain within the congestion-charge zone. One of the country's oldest forecourts, the Bloomsbury Service Station, which had been in operation since 1926, was closed in 2008.
The introduction of the new Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in April 2019, has led to increasing numbers of London drivers looking to zero-emission solutions for their commuter or commercial transport needs.
Most electric vehicle owners only need to charge at home however, so the UK government is looking to further support EV adoption, recently announcing a proposal for the installation of charge points for EVs in all new housing.
Kalyana Sivagnanam, managing director, Nissan Motor (GB), commented; "Many consumers are saying their next car will be electric. That means the industry needs to ensure their desires are met with both the car – how far it can go, what technologies it has – and how it interacts with the world around it – where they can charge and how convenient that is for them.
"We've moved beyond the early concerns of range anxiety with EVs now exceeding the vast majority of customer's daily driving needs. The next challenge is for charging infrastructure to keep pace with the number of EVs on the road, and that the experience of recharging is as enjoyable and effortless as that of all-electric driving."
Since Nissan launched the first mass-market electric vehicle – the Leaf – in 2010, EV technology has continually improved, with the latest models both affordable and practical for the majority of new car buyers. As a result, the UK is experiencing unprecedented growth in the demand for battery-powered transport.
In July 2019, compared to the previous year, demand for battery electric vehicles increased 158.1 percent, resulting in a 1.4 percent market share, the highest monthly market share on record.
The British government recently pledged £2.5 million to provide more charging facilities in residential areas as part of its plan to bring the country's CO2 emissions down to almost zero by 2050.
Also read: BP Chargemaster activates first 150kW ultra-fast EV chargers in the UK
Tata Motors on track to sell 500,000 PVs, 50,000 EVs in FY2023
Ajit Dalvi
04 Oct 2022
MG Motor introduces upgraded variant for ZS EV
Autocar Pro News Desk ,
03 Oct 2022
MGL increases CNG prices


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This article explains some myths about passwords:
It talks about how long passwords should be, and the dangers of different types of passwords and using the same password for everything.
One interesting site they link to is this cartoon:
What this indicates is that a seemingly difficult password (Tr0ub4dor&3) is actually very easy for a computer to guess. On the other hand, you would think that a password made up of ordinary words joined together (correcthorsebatterystaple) would be easy to guess – not so! The first can be cracked in 3 days, the second in 550 years. (But note that is with current technology. In five years time, as computers get faster, that 550 years might be down to a few days.)
If you would like an estimate of how long it would take to crack a password, try this site:
When you type in a password, it will show you the strength of the password (the entropy) and how long it would take to crack with current technology. For both, a bigger number is better.
The examples show that a seemingly-complicated, but short, password like "zxcvbn", the bottom row of the keyboard, can be cracked in a fraction of a second.
Tr0ub4dor&3 can be cracked in 22 hours.
correcthorsebatterystaple will take 65 years to crack. (But remember that computers are getting faster all the time.)
Add some special characters and digits into the latter "coRrecth0rseba++ery9.23.2007staple$", and it becomes 118 million years.
So what can you do to get stronger passwords and still be able to remember them?
1. Make it long, but easy to remember. A string of ordinary but unrelated words is a good starting point. The longer the better.
2. Add some upper case, preferably not at the start of the words. Maybe the end, or the second letter, or whatever.
3. Include some punctuation characters and digits. Think about substituting for existing letters, eg, + for t or 3 for e, or just adding punctuation symbols.
4. Check your password's strength on the site above. If the entropy figure is less than 50, make it longer or more difficult.
5. Use different passwords for each site you visit. This can be difficult to remember unless you have some system to remember them. One I recommend to my clients is to have a little book at home in which you write down the website address, your username and your password. Keep it in a bottom drawer somewhere, out of sight, and remember to always update it.
Another system is to pick a good password as above, then add something about the website to make it unique, say, something from the domain name.
Let's look at a simple example password. Say you start with "vanillaicecreamisgreat". This is 22 characters long and will only take 4 days to crack.
Make some letters upper case. If you make the first letter in each word upper case "VanillaIcecreamIsGreat", it will take 3 months to crack. If you instead make the second letter in each word upper case "vAnillaiCecreamiSgReat", it will take 7 years to crack.
Or better, add some punctuation symbols "Vanilla#Icecream#Is#Great". This will take 66 million years to crack.
As for making passwords unique for each site, you can use something about the site to include in the password. So for example, you might use the last letter of the main part of the domain name. For netbank.com.au, that would be "k". You could insert this between the first and second words and add another punctuation character "Vanilla#k#Icecream#Is#Great". This will take 480 million years to crack.
You can see from this that even small changes can make your password much more difficult to crack. And that unique passwords that you can remember are reasonably easy to make up.


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Incline Village Boat Rentals and Season Lease Experts.
Ask about our 10 pack of rentals
CALL US: (888) 312-1116 2019 Booking Now!
We launch from Ski Beach, Incline Village if you are a resident or guest. We also launch from Sand Harbor if you are not a resident with an IVGID card. We deliver to Incline Village Buoys too. Your boat rental in Incline Village will never be easier than when you rent from us.
Incline Village Boat Rentals in North Lake Tahoe. Incline Village is a great community of Lake Tahoe and we are pleased to have several clients who call it home. When we deliver to Incline Village you can pick up at Ski Beach or Sand Harbor. Because we are the only company in North Lake Tahoe that offers full service boat rentals at a discount, we can provide you with unbeatable service! Everything we own is meticulously maintained. We will take care of everything, you just worry about turning the key!
We have always refused to let anything get between you and the water! All of the deliveries that we schedule are based on your schedule. We also guarantee that we will be on time. We are constantly trying to make our rental process better and better to keep giving you a completely effortless rental. We worked out our agreement so that it even allows you to keep your jet ski overnight. This ensures that you will be able to get the maximum amount of enjoyment out of your rental! We are also specializing in week long and ten day rentals that give you the opportunity to save even more money.
As fast as we are growing, we haven't taken our eyes off of our original goals. We will continue to provide amazing customer service on top of our amazing prices. Boating on Lake Tahoe is an invigorating experience that you won't soon forget. Just tell us when and where, and we'll be there!


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Knowing what to wear when travelling on a plane is a skill everyone needs to have. If you're new to this, it's helpful to start with a travel wardrobe. You can get these at many travel and hotel retailers, and also online from some specialty sites.
Cotton is often the most popular fabrics for clothing to be worn on planes. It will hold up well to being wet and sweaty, plus it can be lightweight and breathable. When you arrive at your destination, simply throw on your travel wear. If you can find a clean shirt that's been wrung out (you won't be able to fit in the bathroom), you can use that one.
The cooler temperatures will help you stay dry and limit your exposure to body heat. Layering is also ideal when wearing cotton pants and shirts, since the air has a tendency to transfer through the clothing.
Try getting a waterproof pants and a waterproof jacket. When you arrive at your destination, you can wear your clothes and then remove the outer layer to sleep in. I use this trick every year when I'm travelling for a winter vacation.
Finally, if you're planning on visiting the warm weather of Florida, get a travel suit. This can be worn either for traveling or just for lounging around with friends or family. My favorite summer suit is black and grey in design, but there are plenty of colour options available.
When packing your travel wear, you need to keep a few things in mind. Think about how long you will be staying, as well as where you will be. It will be easier to get your clothes dirty or damp when you're staying in a hotel than when you're staying in an airport.
Be sure to buy clothes that don't get too hot or cold very quickly. Keep yourself comfortable as you try to figure out what clothes to wear on the plane.
Also take into consideration what you'll be doing with the clothes while you're on the plane. Do you plan to put them on a clothesline? If so, then choose clothes with elasticity and a good fit.
Putting on clothes on a clothesline is a great way to steam clean your clothes, but I don't suggest it if you're going to be flying in them. I would recommend not putting clothes that you plan to wear for a long time on a plane unless you're going to buy another outfit. That way, if you lose or break your clothes, you'll still have something to replace them with.
When taking your cotton clothes off on the plane, use the same method you did to put them on. Press your clothes so they are dry and without wrinkles. You'll be amazed at how much better they will last.
It's important to think about the nature of your travel. If you're on a trip with kids, look for clothes that will be easy to carry when you have to walk. These tend to be more durable and child friendly.
Hopefully this guide to travel wear on the plane will have helped you to think about a few simple tips to follow. Take a look around the internet for some additional tips and ideas to dress up your clothes before you get on the plane.


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Interview With David Brandenburg, Golf Course Manager, Rolling Meadows Golf Course
A Light Hearted Golf Q & A Interview
By Brian Weis
Below is an interview with David Brandenburg, Golf Course Manager, Rolling Meadows Golf Course. The following are a few traditional and non traditional golf centric questions that I love to ask influential people in the golf industry.
When did you start golfing and who introduced you do the game?
7 years old and my grandparents took me and my brother. I got into golf business while attending college for accounting. I was the best dishwasher at the country club so they moved me onto the course for the summer and I was hooked.
What is your current home course?
Rolling Meadows Golf Course.
To date, what is your proudest golf accomplishment?
Hole in one at Sun Prairie Country Club
What is your biggest golf pet peeve on or off the course?
Slow Play from golfers just not being ready to hit when it is their turn.
What is your favorite golf destination?
In Wisconsin - Pine Hills in Sheboygan, nationally - Bethpage, World Wide - St Andrews
What course is on your bucket list that you have not played yet?
If you woke up tomorrow and could play one course you played before, where would you play?
Milwaukee CC
Dream foursome (living)?
Palmer, Bush II, Trivino, Calvin Peete
Dream foursome (living or dead)?
Palmer, Old Tom Morris, Ben Hogan and my Dad
18 Rapid Fire, Off The Cuff Questions
1) Hitting Long Drive OR Sinking Long Putt?
Long Putt
2) Having Round of Life OR Hole in One?
Hole in One
3) Golfing at the crack of dawn OR twilight?
4) Hit a power fade OR power draw?
5) Beverage cart OR halfway house?
Beverage Cart
6) Bathroom OR bushes?
7) Hot dog OR wrap?
Hot Dog
8) Around the green, being in sand OR thick rough?
9) Walking OR riding?
10) Do you carry traditional 3 iron OR hybrid?
11) Do you prefer long par 3 OR long par 5?
Long Par 5
12) Pants OR Shorts?
13) Palmer OR Nicklaus?
14) Beattles OR Elvis?
15) Play for fun OR play for money?
16) Bump and run OR flop shot?
17) Lay up OR gamble?
18) 18 holes OR 36?
Revised: 07/27/2011 - Article Viewed 34,331 Times
- View Course Profile
About: Brian Weis
Brian Weis is the Publisher of GolfTrips.com, a network of golf travel and directory sites including GolfWisconsin.com, GolfMichigan.com, ArizonaGolfer.com, GolfAlabama.com, etc. Professionally, Brian is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA) and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG). In 2016, Brian won The Shaheen Cup, an award given to a golf travel writer by his peers.
All of his life, Brian has been around the game of golf. As a youngster, Brian competed at all levels in junior and high school golf. Brian had a zero chance for a college golf scholarship, so he worked on the grounds crew at West Bend Country Club to pay for his University of Wisconsin education. In his adult years, his passion for the game collided with his entrepreneurial spirit and in 2004 launched GolfWisconsin.com. In 2007, the idea for a network of local golf directory sites formed and GolfTrips.com was born. Today, the network consists of a site in all 50 states supported by national sites like GolfTrips.com, GolfGuide.com and GolfPackages.com. It is an understatement to say, Brian is passionate about promoting golf and golf travel on a local, regional, national and international level.
On the golf course, Brian is known as a fierce weekend warrior that fluctuates between a 5-9 handicap. With a soft fade, known as "The Weis Slice", and booming 300+ drives, he can blast it out of bounds with the best of them.
Contact Brian Weis:
GolfTrips.com - Publisher and Golf Traveler


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Decision Support Models for A Few Critical Problems in Transportation System Design and Operations
Graduation Year
Document Type
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Degree Granting Department
Industrial and Management Systems Engineering
Major Professor
Bo Zeng, Ph.D.
Co-Major Professor
Kingsley A. Reeves, Jr., Ph.D.
Committee Member
Alex Savachkin, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Qiong Zhang, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Dan Shen, Ph.D.
Approximation, Robust Optimization, Bi-level Programming, Scheduling, Network Design
Transportation system is one of the key functioning components of the modern society and plays an important role in the circulation of commodity and growth of economy. Transportation system is not only the major influencing factor of the efficiency of large-scale complex industrial logistics, but also closely related to everyone's daily life. The goals of an ideal transportation system are focused on improving mobility, accessibility, safety, enhancing the coordination of different transportation modals and reducing the impact on the environment, all these activities require sophisticated design and plan that consider different factors, balance tradeoffs and maintaining efficiency. Hence, the design and planning of transportation system are strongly considered to be the most critical problems in transportation research.
Transportation system planning and design is a sequential procedure which generally contains two levels: strategic and operational. This dissertation conducts extensive research covering both levels, on the strategic planning level, two network design problems are studied and on the operational level, routing and scheduling problems are analyzed. The main objective of this study is utilizing operations research techniques to generate and provide managerial decision supports in designing reliable and efficient transportation system. Specifically, three practical problems in transportation system design and operations are explored. First, we collaborate with a public transit company to study the bus scheduling problem for a bus fleet with multiples types of vehicles. By considering different cost characteristics, we develop integer program and exact algorithm to efficiently solve the problem. Next, we examine the network design problem in emergency medical service and develop a novel two stage robust optimization framework to deal with uncertainty, then propose an approximate algorithm which is fast and efficient in solving practical instance. Finally, we investigate the major drawback of vehicle sharing program network design problem in previous research and provide a counterintuitive finding that could result in unrealistic solution. A new pessimistic model as well as a customized computational scheme are then introduced. We benchmark the performance of new model with existing model on several prototypical network structures. The results show that our proposed models and solution methods offer powerful decision support tools for decision makers to design, build and maintain efficient and reliable transportation systems.
Scholar Commons Citation
Zhang, Ran, "Decision Support Models for A Few Critical Problems in Transportation System Design and Operations" (2017). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.


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Top Techniques On Ways to Create Christmas Tree
Top ways to create Christmas tree this year!
While Christmas or X-mas trees can be made in different ways, there could be a altogether different way of creating one, specially when someone cannot get hold of an original one or an artificial one. This could also usher a sense of creativity among children. For one we could just about take the balls, which decorate the Christmas trees and create an interesting Christmas tree out of it. This will not only occupy a little space but will also provide the required Christmas ambiance. Watch and learn innovative ways to create Christmas tree now.
Credit: Leah Nass
While a Christmas tree made out of balls is really innovative, here another one which can be made out of cardboard or any other stuff including a cake. It not only gives you a Christmas tree, it also wishes everyone a Merry Christmas.
When we talk about Christmas, we can also create a Chocolate tree, lay it against a white background and give an impression that its melting away.
If that was not enough, we could just about take the long strands of wires with small lights on it to create a beautiful Christmas tree.
We could also take a stream of led lights and turn it into a lit up Christmas tree.
Lit up trees could be of fluorescent colors and two or more can be mixed up to provide a new angle to the tree.
With lit up trees, other larger colorful bulbs could be added to provide yet new and amazing tree.
Small tween lights or stars could be added to the lit up Christmas trees to provide a magical effect to the trees.
And all the above could just about be mixed in an intelligent manner to give the Christmas tree an elegant look and shock everyone.
So, any idea that you have which can make your Christmas tree look wonderful, will help you stand out in the multitude of Christmas trees that are about to adorn the houses and streets this Christmas.
Finally, if you still want to know some other artificial and yet innovative ways of creating Christmas trees have a look at these.
Ways to decorate Christmas trees >>