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Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athletics is proud to announce the launch of its new-look website (www.CMSAthletics.org) and with that, an upgrade to the CMS Athletics brand which includes updated logos for the Athenas, Stags and athletic department. The website has been redesigned with social media, video and improved photography in mind to provide a better website experience for our fans, alumni, parents, current students and prospective student-athletes. To find out more about several of the new website features, please take a look below.
*Please remember to update your website browsers and then clear the cookies of the Internet browser you are using if you are having an issues viewing the updated website.*
Photo Galleries^/Photo Slider/Larger Photos: High-quality photography is a central part of the redesigned website. Under the main story on the home page and on team pages, a "photo slider" is featured where the latest event photo albums scroll across the screen to give visitors quick access to the most recent pictures. Also a central Photo Albums webpage has been created so fans can view photo galleries based on the sport that they are interested in. There are photo albums for each of the 21 CMS varsity teams. Another added feature to the website are larger photos for the main stories.
Social Media Page/Tab: Each of CMS Athletics' social media pages – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube – have been brought into one central location with the CMS Social Media home page. Fans here can view the latest social media posts, scroll through Instagram photos and watch the latest videos on YouTube. The Facebook and Twitter feed for the department can be viewed on the home page by clicking on the "Social Media" tab above the main story. From the "Social Media" tab, fans can also access the CMS Social Media Home Page by clicking on the gold "Social Media Home Page" button.
"Recruits" Drop-Down Menu: The "Recruits" drop-down menu has been added as a one-stop shop for prospective student-athletes. From this menu, recruits can access the prospective student-athlete questionnaire, view photos of the department's facilities, contact coaches, contact admissions departments for the three colleges, view photo galleries and social media feeds and find our more about what NCAA Division III is all about. There is also a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section with answers to some of the more common questions with regards to CMS, NCAA Division III and the SCIAC.
"Fans/Visitors" Drop-Down Menu: The "Fans/Visitors" drop-down menu has been added as a central point for fans, parents, alumni and students to watch live events, purchase Stag and Athena apparel, get event information (schedules, event location, directions, etc.), view pictures and connect with CMS Athletics through email updates and the various social media channels.
"Search" Bar: The search box tool has been added on the gold footer of the website as a way for website visitors to quickly find the information that they need if it is not readily available on the home page.
Facilities Page: Photo galleries for a majority of the facilities have been added along with the latest architectural renderings of Roberts Pavilion.
Roberts Pavilion Page: This page includes information on Roberts Pavilion and contains photo galleries of the latest architectural renderings. Also, for those interested, information on how to support the Roberts Pavilion project is listed as well.
Student-Athlete of the Week: Each week a CMS student-athlete will be selected and featured as the CMS Student-Athlete of the Week. On the home page, click on the "SA of the Week" tab above the main story to view each week's selection beginning in the fall.
Updated Team Stores (Coming In August): The Athena and Stag team stores are slated to be updated with apparel that features the new CMS logos by mid-August in time for the fall sports season. The Campus Team Shop powered by Prep Sportswear has a wide variety of CMS Athletics apparel for both the Athenas and Stags. Items include hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts, shorts and much more for men, women and children.
"Stat Leaders" Tab On Team Pages: For many of the team pages, you will notice a "Stat Leaders" tab above the picture for the main story. This feature is available so fans, coaches and players can get a quick snapshot of the statistical leaders for the various teams.
Summer Camps Page: Several CMS head coaches offer summer camps for local area youth in their respective sport. This webpage brings all of those camps into one place for those interested in CMS camps to see.
^When viewing photo galleries, Firefox, Safari and Chrome are the preferred Internet browsers to use. Internet Explorer 10 users may have issues viewing photo gallery pictures.
Become a fan of CMS Athletics on Facebook: AthleticsCMS Follows CMS Athletics on Twitter: @AthleticsCMS CMS Athletics on Instagram: cmsathletics Watch CMS Athletics videos on YouTube: ClaremontMuddScripps


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M.A. Organizational Leadership Courses Help Highmark Employee Grow as a Team Leader Friday, March 15, 2013
Meet Kara Jones
Job title: Senior Marketing Operations Services Analyst
Employer: Highmark Inc.
Degrees earned: Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership with a concentration in Leadership Development, Point Park University; M.B.A., Robert Morris University and Bachelor of Science in Business with concentration in Marketing, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Graduation years: 2012, 2009 and 2008
Hometown and current residence: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Hobbies/interests: Cooking and golfing
Why did you choose Point Park's M.A. in organizational leadership program?
I was looking for a master's program that offered a variety of courses in leadership. After doing some initial research, I learned that Point Park had the perfect program to fit my needs. I really appreciated the flexibility the program afforded, with evening classes that fit into my schedule. I was able to work full time and complete the M.A. degree simultaneously.
The organizational leadership courses are designed to complement one another, which allowed for a well-rounded educational experience. The course assignments in all of my classes really helped me to grow as a leader.
What are your key responsibilities as a senior marketing services analyst for Highmark?
My team at Highmark manages the intake of all new marketing requests and the traffic management of each project from start to completion. I work to manage projects and gather resources from multiple departments. Once a new project is presented to my team, I manage the execution of project deliverables and ensure that each project's expectations and deadlines are met. I also work to develop new processes for the team and the integration of new departments into the marketing process.
What was one of your favorite experiences at Point Park?
I really enjoyed the "Team Building for Leaders" class. While every course had a component of team building, this specific class really enabled me to work closely with others. In the first class of the semester, we formed a team and continued to work as a team throughout the term. We worked together to accomplish class projects and meet team goals. I found this to be a very beneficial learning tool relevant to the real world. There are many times throughout our professional and personal lives where it is important to have the ability to work in unison with others. Challenges and tough times are inevitable. However, working as a team provides the ability to be successful in problem solving. I felt that this class afforded me the knowledge required to do just that!
What are your future career goals?
I plan to continue to persevere and advance to a management position. I enjoy taking on leadership roles and working with others and I think that it is very important to help cultivate relationships based on trust.
More About: Highmark, success story, M.A. in leadership, graduate programs, alumni

subset: commoncrawl


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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
January Secret Agent #4
GENRE: YA Comic Multicultural
Mr. Vaughn called my name. "Faiqa." Because of his heavy New York accent, it sounded more like an accusation: Faker. My homonym.
In Arabic, the Q is a K, only from the back of the throat, like a bug flew into your mouth and got stuck there. The AI is really aieee, like Speedy Gonzales would say.
Of course, nobody goes to all that trouble. In Texas, they just called me Fifi, which is too poodley for my taste. Here, kids call me F***-ya. I respond: "I'm sure you'd love to but it is not going to happen." Only they've usually snickered long past me by then, so I end up yelling it down the hall, my voice swallowed up by the crowd.
It's funny: "Faiq," the Arabic word my name comes from, means excellent, superior, outstanding. So all things considered, Faker's close enough.
I was furiously faking it just then, as a matter of fact, when I walked to the front of my English class. I tried hard to keep my body loose, cool, calm. I'd give this stupid oral report, but I would not look the way I felt. I thought I was pulling it off until I glanced down and saw that my nipples were staging a demonstration. If nipples could talk, these would be screaming and carrying signs. And it wasn't just that they were hard. They were living separate lives, they weren't lined up or even facing the same direction, like they didn't want to be seen together.
14 comments:
This was good. The writing is solid.ReplyDelete
I was intrigued by the subject matter and the point of view. This is not the typical story teller, so kudos for that!
This sentence "Only they've usually snickered long past me by then, so I end up yelling it down the hall, my voice swallowed up by the crowd." was a bit awkward for me.
As was the sentence: "I'd give this stupid oral report, but I would not look the way I felt."
And then the last paragraph! Whoa! Did not see that coming!
You totally had me until the last paragraph. I'm not familiar with Arabic names and maybe read too quickly, bit I thought this character was a boy. Then I'm thinking, is this a girl wearing a silk shirt and no bra? What's going on? Is this a boy wearing a shirt two sizes too small? :) Still interested in him/her and the voice/writing is good.ReplyDelete
I thought you had a nice voice going here, but you might consider showing that last parg. instead of telling us. Maybe have here say a line or two of her report and have her notice her nipples. And if her report was about something that could be taken two ways (relating to her subject and relating to her nipples) it could be even funnier.ReplyDelete
I was also very intrigued by the voice of this MC and by the way she explained her name (I also thought she was a boy, until the nipple part, but I don't think it was the name--I think she reads tougher than the wiltable person her classmates try to make her because of that name; I love strong girl MCs).ReplyDelete
I agree with the comment above about more showing of the what's going on in front of the class. Maybe she notices someone staring and a few snickers and notices--how does she feel being trapped up there with that happening?
I enjoyed your writing style, and I'd keep reading!
I felt the MC was a boy until the last paragraph. Love the voice. Not sure where the story is going after the perky boobs - where do you go from there?ReplyDelete
Loved the first four paragraphs. You have a great voice, it's very clever and you totally had me hooked. The nipple paragraph threw me for a loop, though. If she (I'm assuming it's a she) is wearing a bra, would they really be so visible? If she's not wearing a bra, wouldn't she be hyper-aware and already hunching her shoulders? I agree with the other commenters that you might want to ease into this situation with a little more scene-setting so that it's not quite so startling.ReplyDelete
I like the beginning. Faiqa seems like an interesting character. Tough, with plenty of personality. I would want to get to know her better.ReplyDelete
The second paragraph felt a little awkward to me. And you lost me at the last paragraph. It felt like too much right after the name explanation. Maybe if you show and set up the situation a bit differently my feelings would change.
I love the humor in this and I am instantly attached to the MC. I want to know more about her. Great job!ReplyDelete
I adored this, especially the last paragraph. I laughed so hard I almost fell off my seat. I do agree with Barbara's idea about showing this scene. I think it would make it even better.ReplyDelete
On the whole, excellent. I would definitely read more.
I teach in a very ethnically diverse school, so I wasn't surprised by Faiqa being a girl. However, I was a little thrown by the last paragraph because the Middle Eastern girls I teach are very thoroughly clothed, so I can't imagine them wearing anything so sheer that their bodies would show throw.ReplyDelete
That being said, I loved the voice! Great YA material here!
CB already made my point about the two awkward sentences for me.ReplyDelete
I wish I had something more constructive to say, but the writing is fluid and this definitely sets up the character for the future. Nice work!
Your voice caught my attention right off the bat, and I LOVED it--the bit about "I'm sure you'd love to" is golden--yup, I loved it right up until the nipples. I think I would have been okay with it if it was just one sentence but by the end it felt objectifying. I think you're probably going for the honesty teens love and, who knows, maybe this would go over well. Personally, I would prefer a more subtle approach, though. I.e. "Until I glance down at my shirt/chest. Oh sh**, why didn't I wear a bra?," or something like that (going with the assumption that the MC is female.ReplyDelete
Hooked? Hmm, to be quite honest (and this obviously speaks more to who I am than to your writing) it would depend on your (the author's) gender. If female, I'd keep going, but if male I wouldn't. If the excerpt stopped at "Faker's close enough," though, I would keep reading, either way.
I think your writing is very strong.
Nothing I can add other than I really enjoyed your writing and the characters voice.ReplyDelete
- Secret AgentJanuary 29, 2012 at 7:32 PM
I think this is great, and daring, and in-your-face without feeling cheap, and even though I flinched a bit at the last paragraph, it still cracked me up and felt in line with the personality you'd already established for the narrator...I dig it!ReplyDelete


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Grasses as invasive plants in South Africa revisited : patterns, pathways and management
(AOSIS Publishing, 2017)
Background: In many countries around the world, the most damaging invasive plant species are grasses. However, the status of grass invasions in South Africa has not been documented recently. Objectives: To update Sue ...


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hello, i'm new to this forum, i hope to find some answers
my problem is that i have a .png file, and i read the content to a BufferedImage object, then i move that into a
pixel array, the file is a picture of characters that need to be in the game, the problem is that when i paint them,
i can see their background from the file and not the background of the game, i am looking for help as to how to
make the background transparent. i have looked over the web for solutions, but things just won't work,
i have managed to set the Alpha number of the specific color to zero. but still i see in the game panel the gray
color of java's usual background, here is the code:
// target - the image, rgba - the color to kill. public void cleanImage(BufferedImage target,int r,int g,int b,int a) { int col = ((a << 24) | (r << 16) | (g << 8) | b); int trans = ((0 << 24) | (r << 16) | (g << 8) | b); int [] pixels = ((DataBufferInt)target.getRaster().getDataBuffer()).getData(); ColorModel cm = target.getColorModel(); SampleModel sm = target.getRaster().getSampleModel(); for (int i = 0;i<pixels.length;i++) if (pixels[i] == col) pixels[i] = trans;//-1118482; DataBuffer db = new DataBufferInt(pixels,target.getHeight()*target.getWidth()); WritableRaster wr = Raster.createWritableRaster(sm,db,null); target = new BufferedImage(cm, wr, false, null); }


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Has anyone noticed what a stellar year 2007 has been for side projects? No, seriously - first we had Nick Cave rolling back the years with his most raucous, thrilling and downright enjoyable record in time with Grinderman's self-titled debut. "No religion and no love" were the instructions received from his bandmates, and Cave responded in kind with some of the most visceral and gut-bustingly funny lyrics of his career. Result!
Next up we had Animal Collective mainstay Noah Lennox aka Panda Bear turn in Person Pitch, which arguably upstaged his parent band's own effort Strawberry Jam with its unique, eastern-influenced ambient textures. 'Twill be interesting for sure to see where those two figure in the end-of-year polls.
Von Südenfed proved a rewarding experience for fans of both Mouse On Mars and The Fall, the German duo's glitchy techno stylings providing a suitably intimidating backdrop for Mark E. Smith to do his inimitable thing [new live review]. If it's a poppier tonic you're thirsting after, look no further than one-man scene Spencer Krug, whose heavyweight contributions to both the Sunset Rubdown and Frog Eyes records almost made us forget there's a second Wolf Parade record ready to drop in the new year. Whether those two outfits really rate as side projects is a moot point, but we'll let it slide here, if only to acknowledge the fellow's phenomenal work-rate.
And with a little over two months to go we're not finished yet: Archie Bronson Outfit offshoot The Pyramids release their scorching-hot self-titled debut early next month on Domino, and Franz Ferdinand / The Royal We collaboration Correcto get a 7" outing with 'Joni' on the same date, also via Domino.
The trend shows no sign of abating into 2008, either. This week saw raised eyebrows and tentative hopes expressed for a seriously weird – and thus far unnamed - collaboration between Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner and Final Fantasy. Turner said he wanted their record to sound like Scott Walker, which only confused matters further.
Raconteurs might have proved a slightly more tame proposition than some people let on first time of asking, but you never know what Jack 'n' Brendan have up their sleeves for their second bite of the cherry, another LP heading for release early next year. Last but not least there's School Of Language, "currently the most pressing musical concern of Field Music's David Brewis" (according to the MySpace), who have an album due post-2007, and if it's even half as good as the latter's Tones Of Town then we'll have something worth waiting for there too.
Vidi: Grinderman - 'No Pussy Blues'
- - -
That's the present in a nutshell, then, an impressive gathering of talented bastards letting it all hang out and still managing to look cooler than 99 per cent of the bored-sounding day-jobbers. But let us not cast off the shackles of history like the now-humping monsters we've all become – who are the pioneers among the old guard? The Breeders occasionally succeeded in stealing some of Pixies' thunder as a vehicle for Kim Deal's songwriting talents, alongside Throwing Muses' Tanya Donnelly. Damon Albarn was moonlighting as a cartoon character in Gorillaz before Blur's hiatus, and legend has it Jimi Hendrix was set to join prog-rock supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer before his death in 1970, which would have added an altogether unsavoury twist to his legend.
Let's have it then, your most dearly cherished side-projects of all time, maybe a few best left forgotten and a few you'd be more than intrigued to see.


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Hungary starving for security awareness?
My colleagues in Hungary have released some slightly alarming statistics about malware awareness in their part of the world. Research carried out on their behalf by NRC suggests that a significant proportion of Hungarian Internet users don't even know what AV software is installed on their computer (or, presumably, if anything is installed.) http://www.eset.hu/hirek/holgyek-tessek-vedekezni?back=%2Fhirek Out


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OBETZ, Ohio – The Crew and their opponents Saturday in Rio Tinto Stadium share several traits.
Both are small-market teams that are enjoying success without digging deep into their pockets for Designated Players.
Columbus won the MLS Cup in 2008 and the Supporters' Shield the past two years as the best regular-season club. Real Salt Lake dethroned Columbus in the first round of the playoffs last season en route to winning the MLS Cup.
The clubs have continued their winning ways, with the Crew (11-4-4, 37 points) trailing only overall leaders Los Angeles (12-3-4, 40) while Real Salt Lake (10-4-6, 36) are third.
"We know they're a really good team," forward Jason Garey said of RSL. "They have good players all over the field. They've kind of followed our model a little bit with they way they've structured their team.
"We have a lot of respect for them and I think they have a lot of respect for us," he added. "It should be a really good battle, probably the game of the week."
There's another commonality between the franchises. From June 2008 until losing to Seattle Sounders FC in October, the Crew were unblemished at home in league play.
They established a record 22-game unbeaten streak (plus two more in the playoffs) at Crew Stadium to give the organization the hat trick. They also own the overall unbeaten mark (19) and for undefeated road games (nine).
Now, the home record is in jeopardy as the Royals have gone unbeaten in 20 regular-season games.
"I don't care about the streak," Crew coach Robert Warzycha said. "All I care about is winning the game. I don't care how many games they have. That's their problem. We're not going there to stop the streak. We're going there to play our game. We can't put more pressure on ourselves than needed."
The Crew don't want to be victim No. 21.
"It's a good record to keep," Crew midfielder Brian Carroll said. "At the end of the season, it helps but it's not the end-all, be-all, but certainly we want to keep any records we have."
The task won't be easy.
RSL administered a humbling 4-1 defeat to the visiting Crew on April 2, 2009, and then took a 1-0 victory in the first leg of the playoffs before eliminating the Crew in Columbus in the return leg.
While Warzycha downplays thoughts of avenging those losses, his players won't.
"We have the possibility to break their streak and keep ours," forward Guillermo Barros Schelotto said. "We want revenge not because we lose in the playoffs on that field. We lost to them in the playoffs, so we have to take revenge for that."
The Crew will be without midfielders Eddie Gaven (concussion), Robbie Rogers (knee) and defender Gino Padula (knee) but should have center back Chad Marshall available after he had an injection earlier this week to ease the inflammation in his troublesome right knee.
Although the game could have a major impact on the Supporters' Shield race as the season heads into the final third, Warzycha is ambivalent.
He knows Real Salt Lake are recognized as the league champions, even though the Crew finished the regular season nine points ahead of RSL and were the No. 1 seed for the playoffs. RSL snuck into the eighth and final spot then pulled of a magical run for their first title.
"I learned you have to win the [MLS Cup] to keep guys like you [the media] off my back," Warzycha quipped, "so the Supporters' Shield is not going to do it."


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Civil War Subversion Investigations
Records: 62,819 · Complete: 100%
Several organizations had general investigative functions during the Civil War. From the outbreak of the war until early in 1862 the Secretary of State, acting through U.S. marshals and other Government officials, caused the arrest and imprisonment of many persons suspected of engaging in treasonable or disloyal activities. By an Executive order in February 1862 the authority to make such arrests was transferred to the War Department.
The offices in the War Department concerned with the investigation of subversive activities were those of the Judge Advocate General and the Provost Marshal General. Although a Judge Advocate for the Army had been authorized as early as March 2, 1849 (9 Stat. 351), increased demands arising from the expanded military operations after the outbreak of the Civil War required the services of more than one judge advocate for the administration of military justice. By an act of Congress approved July 17, 1862 (12 Stat. 598), the President was given authority to appoint a Judge Advocate General and several subordinate judge advocates.
AGO General Order 140, September 24, 1862, announced the newly created post of Provost Marshal General. An act of Congress approved March 3, 1863 (12 Stat. 732), created the Provost Marshal General's Bureau and provided for the appointment of a provost marshal for each congressional district. The provost marshals were military police one of whose duties was to arrest deserters and who could also be assigned to detect subversive activities. In addition, the War Department employed special provost marshals, detectives, and other agents when necessary.
Maj. Levi C. Turner was appointed as Associate Judge Advocate for the Army Around Washington by AGO General Order 95 of August 5, 1862. Under the terms of the order all cases of State prisoners and also cases of military arrests in the District of Columbia and the adjacent counties of Virginia were to be specially assigned to Turner for investigation and determination.
On August 8, 1862, Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton issued an order to prevent evasion of military duty and to suppress disloyal practices. The order provided that all citizens liable to be drafted into the militia should be prevented from going to a foreign country and that any person who might be engaged by act, speech, or writing in discouraging volunteer enlistments or in any way giving aid and comfort to the enemy or engaged in any other disloyal practice against the United States would be arrested and imprisoned. All arrests made by U.S. marshals and superintendents or the chiefs of police were to be reported to Judge Advocate Turner in order that the apprehended persons could be tried before a military commission. As a result of an order dated August 11, 1862, and issued by Turner, he established direct contact with all Federal and local law-enforcement officers in the United States by instructing them to properly execute the order of the Secretary of War.
The Turner case files reproduced in this microfilm publication relate to the arrest, parole, and release of suspects. Included in the case files is correspondence with provost marshals, U.S. marshals and detectives, chiefs of police, Governors of States, and military commanders. The records relate both to civilians and to soldiers who were investigated and arrested on such charges as being disloyal, giving aid to the Confederacy, defrauding the Government, resisting the draft, discouraging enlistments, and trading in contraband. Also investigated were men arrested as deserters from the Confederate Army, blockade runners, and State prisoners held in Federal prisons.
In October 1865 Turner reported that he himself had conducted 7,748 examinations, including those relating to deserters from the Confederate Army as well as those relating to aliens, prisoners, and soldiers whose cases after investigation were reported to the Secretary of State. Turner investigated accounts of recruiting officers that were referred to him as "false and fraudulent" and he was responsible, by direction of the Secretary of War, for the transfer of women, children, and Federal prisoners by boat between Annapolis, Md., and City Point, Va. Two such trips, in January and July 1863, were reported.
Turner stated that in the execution of his orders he had traveled extensively throughout the country. He became a Colonel in the Volunteer Army on March 13, 1865, and served in the War Department as a judge advocate until his death on March 13, 1867.
In February 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln transferred the power to make extraordinary arrests from the Department of State to the War Department, Secretary of State W. H. Seward recommended Lafayette C. Baker, "a capable and efficient officer," for possible employment by the War Department. Baker officer," for possible employment by the War Department. Baker had previously been employed in "detective" or "secret" services for the Commanding General of the Army and for Secretary of State Seward. He was a special agent for the War Department from February until September 1862, when Secretary of War Stanton appointed him as special provost marshal. After Baker was relieved from duty as a special provost marshal on November 7,1863, he continued his activities as a special agent of the War Department. On June 29, 1863, Baker was appointed Colonel of the First Regiment, District of Columbia Cavalry, a regiment formed because, according to Baker, "The importance of the bureau, and its rapidly accumulating business, rendered a military force, exclusively under my control, a necessity." On April 26, 1865, he became a Brigadier General in the Volunteer Army. Baker's official connection with the War Department ended when he was honorably mustered out on January 15, 1866. He died 2 years later.
The Baker case files, containing fewer papers than the Turner files, include reports submitted by private persons and Government officials relating to suspicious persons and alleged subversive activity, and correspondence concerning cases resulting from the War Department order of March 30, 1862, for the confiscation of abandoned rebel property around Washington, persons reported to be secessionists, detectives employed to ferret out contraband trade, frauds upon the Government, and prospective employees for Baker's detective force.
Many of the Baker case files contain correspondence of Col. H. S. Olcott, special commissioner for both the War Department and the Navy Department, who was appointed to investigate fraudulent claims and contracts. Many files contain reports to and correspondence with Assistant Secretary of War Charles A. Dana. Included in these files are Baker's reports to Secretary Dana, who spent much time investigating cases involving disloyalty to the Government and fraud by contractors for supplies. Baker's work for the War Department included investigating cases of disloyalty, treason, vandalism, and conspiracy. He was also involved in espionage on behalf of the Government.
There are few records in the Baker case files reflecting other of his activities, such as the investigation of frauds in the recruiting service of the Regular Army and of the Navy, the apprehension of John Wilkes Booth and the other conspirators in the Lincoln assassination, the imprisonment of Jefferson Davis, the trial of Henry Wirz, and at the request of the Treasury Department the investigation of its system for issuing currency.
Civil War Subversion Investigations, the "Turner-Baker Papers" are digitized from microfilm: Case Files of Investigations by Levi C. Turner and Lafayette C. Baker, 1861-1866. Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780's-1917, Publication Number M797; National Archives, Washington.


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By Jenn D'Imperio reporting from Fashion Week in New York City
On Monday morning (Sept 13, 2010) I had the opportunity to view Malan Breton's Spring 2011 showing at New York City's Metropolitan Pavilion. Malan was the second contestant kicked off of the third season of Bravo's reality show Project Runway back in 2006, but the self-taught designer didn't let that dissuade him from following his dream and creating his own path to the runway.
Malan Breton's Spring 2011 collection was presented with a live 65 piece orchestra, the Chelsea Symphony, and was based on the concept of "American sportswear meets Paris Couture".
This was the first Malan show I attended and I was not familiar with his previous work. Malan's first showing for Spring 2007 offered pieces for women that were flirty, fun, and daring – while still maintaining an air of elegance. This season, Malan played it a little safer. His silhouettes are clean and the designs are very wearable but slightly bland for my taste. (Then again, I tend to dress like Ke$ha when I go out on the weekends, so I'm most likely not Malan's target market). His first womenswear collection was more my speed but this collection is perfect for a mature woman who wants to look classic and beautiful – without all the fuss and frills.
One item that did catch my eye was Malan's version of the corset belt. The corset belt had a brief fling with "trendy" after Dolce & Gabbana premiered their rock n roll metal version (complete with key and padlock) a few years back. I'd love to see this sexy accessory make its way into the mainstream and Malan played with a much more wearable version by making it in black leather and pairing it with sleek gray trousers and a simple white top.
I absolutely fell in love with Malan's current Men's collection. Malan first branched out into menswear at his Spring 2010 showing and clearly that's where his focus should be. Malan gave a refreshing take on the typical stuffy suit by using luxurious fabrics and made them perfect for spring by opting for some knee-grazing shorts and throwing in the occasional pop of canary yellow. A well-made and perfectly tailored suit on a man is a great way to grab anyone's attention (especially mine!).
Dancers turned models, Brittany Franklin and Chase Finlay, broke out into a ballroom number mid-show which created an easy and fun transition from womenswear to menswear and the audience was highly entertained. Models carried umbrellas and paraded poodles down the runway and all kept their cool when the fire alarm went off during the show.
NYC Housewife Alex McCord walked in the show. Style expert Nole Marin, actress Denise Richards, Project Runway alum Diana Eng and comedian Gilbert Gottfried were all in attendance.
Check out a full video of the show here.


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For almost 4 years I have used a mp3 player from Creative Labs named "ZEN Stone Plus with built-in speaker". It was used it to play music for our toddler all night long, nearly every night.
It was an absolutely wonderful product. Battery life via rechargeable battery was excellent, it was small enough to forget about in your pocket, and the speaker was sufficient for what we needed
The only deficiency in my opinion was that it could not play music while plugged into AC power. That meant that a.) the battery would have to last the 10+ hours every night and b.) we had to plug it into AC power every morning to charge it. In the end, it was the latter that caused me to need to replace it. After probably 1000+ plug-in and remove (many by a child under 5 years old) the pins in the USB connection eventually failed.
If you're looking for a portable MP3 player with a built-in speaker, your options are very few. The Ipod Touch (and Iphone) are perfectly good solutions, but come a hefty price tag even used. So, I had to get creative.
I'd seen the Palm Pixi appear on a couple "deal-a-day" websites at the $30 price range, and that lead me to consider the Palm Pixi Plus. The Pixi Plus has the following features that made it look *very* tempting:
- 8GB storage
- Internal Speaker
- wifi
- web browser
- Camera
- Touch screen and physical keyboard
- can play music while charging
- runs linux! (just geeky)
- open development platform
However, I googling left me unsure about a couple things:
- Could I use the pixi's wifi without first activating it with some carrier? I had no interest in a phone, or a monthly bill. It did seem that worst case, I could activate on a pay-as-you-go provider and get going for probably less than $10 total.
- If I could manage to avoid activation, could I still have access to the Palm WebOS Store? Having an "App Store" was an unnecessary upgrade from the zen stone we had before, but sure would be nice.
In the end, the answer to each of the above questions was 'Yes'. I now have a MP3 player with a builtin speaker, that also has all the functions generally associated with a smart phone (see above). I'm really happy with it. It cost me $40 shipped in 2 days (I do have amazon prime, so total cost may be a little bit more). The only two issues at the moment are:
- Getting it plugged in for charge is a bit of a pain, and it seems to me that likely the thing that will end up failing is that connection, because its not 100% trivial (and remember, toddlers/young kids are using it). There is, however, a $15 solution for that. I've not purchased it yet, so I'm not 100% certain, but it looks like I can get a Touchstone Palm Pixi Charging Dock and Palm Pixi Touchstone Cover shipped for under $10.
- The music player stops somewhere after 2 hours or so when its on repeat of a single song. Obviously this is not an issue for many people, but it affects my use case.
In Summary, if you think an 8GB mp3 player with GPS, speaker, camera would be a generally cool toy for $40, then buy one today. I'm really happy with this one. I'll try to write another article soon that describes how to use Meta Doctor to flash with activation disabled and then run the first use program to set up a profile.


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I just read this quote written by EH of Cabarete. I know what I'm about to write to some will be eliteist or racist, or whatever.
ANYBODY, who has ridden on kitebeach has seen the chaos on the beach. Mostly, it's the local "kite assistants" riding borrowed kites from the schools on their time off, these kids ride the shorebreak, do jumps on the beach and break all the IKO rules of safety. I saw within one afternoon 2 kites in trees, from one school, and 4 tangles in the water or along the beach break.
Next day, 3 more kites in trees, same school. Then they sell these as used, good condition kites. I wonder how long it takes for a kite assistant to save up for a new Xbow or SB? I bet Cabrinha loves seeing there kites in trees and the newbies are for sure getting a positive experience of dodging locals on the beach. But, the visiting/paying tourist doesn't matter, we only pay for the kites we bring or rent, and hotel rooms, and food.
NOW, I read a congrats by EH for this behavior and a "sorry ass" comment to Aaron Hadlow?
See below:
"Thanks and appreciated.
Very happy that Ariels many hours on the water paid of for him.
In a way we all paid for this one, we endured Arielito shredding the shore break and flying over our heads for years.
Those glorious days during the competition and the recent recognition for the Ripper design by the master him self made it all worth while for me.
Alex Soto is as much a winner as Ariel, he rode hard and has cleaned some "sorry ass" Aaron 2 years in a row.
I can still hear the "event FAVORITES" sing Queen's "we are the winners" at karaoke night before the event..
Kitebeaches.com clearly posts some new rules of the road for kitebeach and the last sentence threaten's "problems" with local kiteschools!!
See end of rant:
Kiteschools clean your own act up, if the kite assistants EVER had to pay for shit, then they may not risk gear or limb by showing off on the beach, to only later be rewarded by a quote from Eric.
Please, Please, Please, somebody from a kiteschool come up to me with a safety "problem" on kitebeach, PLEASE!!
Rules & Restrictions:
DR North Coast has lots of good place to kite. Because the beach is small and we have to share it with other people (kiteboarders or not), the following rules apply : MAIN RULE : ONE MUST NOT USE A KITE WITHOUT HAVING RECEIVED CERTIFIED TRAINING. For safety and authorization reasons, Kiteboard teaching is forbidden outside an official school. Equipment: 1- Your bar must have two safety systems: · one permitting the release of the kite at any time · one permitting retaining the kite without endangering anybody (leash) once the first system has been released. 2- ask somebody competent to check your equipment before launching (pre-flight check). 3- if you're not sure, ask the staff which kite is suitable according to the conditions. On the beach: 1- It's forbidden to land a kite or walk in private property. 2- In close proximity of other beach users, bring the kite neutral. 3- Always launch and land: · in front of kiteboarding schools: It's forbidden to land in other aeras unless in an emergency. · kite seaside in the edge of the window, rider landside. · with assistance: assistants are here to help you. If it's another person, be sure he's competent. When launching others, always wait for riders signal to release the kite. 4- Fly your kite inside the window or jumping on the beach is forbidden. Once the kite is launched, you must go in the water. 5- When having a break, leave your equipment so that it can't be a danger or hindrance to others. On the water: 1- When crossing or over-passing: · Upwind rider flies the kite high; downwind rider flies the kite low. · Starboard rider has the right-of-way. · On the reef, outgoing rider has the right-of-way. 2- During training times, don't come within 50 meters of the shore. 3- Check around oneself before jumping or tacking. 4- THERE IS NO OFFICIAL RESCUE SERVICES. The school boat is efficient in small rescues in small conditions. It cannot cross the reef in case of strong conditions. It's therefore important not to go too far out and not to go on the reef in case of strong conditions (strong wind, big waves and current). 5- When dark clouds are in formation, check flags on the shore. Wind may cease or pick up strongly. It's better to stop riding. Within 50m of the shore: 1- When incoming, reduce one's speed and bring the kite neutral. 2- No uncontrolled manoeuvers (incoming jump…). 3- Rider entering the water has the right-of-way. FAILURE TO RESPECT THESE RULES CAN RESULT IN PROBLEMS WITH KITEBOARDING SCHOOLS AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES.


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WILSONVILLE, Ore. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — September 7, 2011 — Mentor Graphics Corporation (NASDAQ: MENT) today announced it has expanded the Vista™ ESL Platform to address the needs for Virtual Prototyping for early software development. In addition, the Vista ESL platform's integration with Catapult C, sharing common TLM modeling style for Virtual prototyping and HLS-based hardware implementation, has been strengthened with the Mentor® partnership with Calypto. The Vista ESL platform is the center point of the Mentor comprehensive ESL strategy, a strategy that has extended the boundaries of ESL technologies by addressing a broad range of electronic system design, virtual prototyping, hardware realization, software realization, and TLM-to-RTL verification and model reuse challenges.
Virtual Prototyping for Early Software Development
The Vista ESL platform provides the capability to create a Virtual Prototype derived from the Virtual TLM Platform that retains its key hardware attributes. The Vista Virtual Prototype can be used for firmware testing, operating system integration and hardware-dependent application development. Its TLM/ISS models are software binary compatible. Its scalable level of abstraction allows very fast simulation speed for software validation, and allows switching to more accurate Approximately Timed (AT) simulation during run time for software performance and power optimization of the system.
Strengthened Partnership with Calypto
The move to higher levels of abstraction based on C and SystemC offers the promise of better quality of results in a shorter amount of time. For hardware implementation, the Vista ESL platform's tight integration with the Calypto Catapult C high-level synthesis tool results in a complete TLM 2.0-based hardware implementation solution. This allows users to share a single and consistent TLM modeling style. The Calypto TLM synthesis flow supports converting abstract TLM models to pin-accurate, protocol-specific, SystemC models, and from there, to synthesized to RTL code. Conversely, the synthesized TLMs can be used in the Vista Virtual Platform for architectural optimization of performance and power, and in the Vista Virtual Prototypes for early software development.
"Mentor has a long track record of leading the quickly growing ESL market, and we plan to continue on this path far into the future," said Walden C. Rhines, chairman and CEO of Mentor Graphics. "Expanding the Vista Virtual Prototyping capability for early software development—combined with integration between Vista Virtual Prototyping and Sourcery CodeBench embedded software development tools— is only one of the target areas for growth. The newly announced acquisition of Catapult C by Calypto leverages tool integrations that have existed for years, and further extends the Mentor ESL offering into the Calypto ESL hardware realization flow."
About the Vista ESL Platform
- For architectural optimization, the Vista ESL platform delivers an advanced electronic systems design and analysis environment for designing at a level of abstraction above RTL. It allows creating scalable transaction level models (TLMs), assembling them into a Virtual Platform, integrating them with software, and simulating, analyzing and optimizing both hardware and software for meeting performance and power design goals.
- The integration of Vista Virtual Prototyping with the Mentor Embedded SourceryTM CodeBench unified embedded software development tools gives SoC and system software developers the flexibility to debug, analyze and optimize their systems software at early stages of the development process, even before RTL implementation.
- For hardware implementation, the Vista ESL platform's tight integration with the Calypto Catapult C tool results in a complete TLM 2.0-based ESL-to-RTL implementation solution allowing users to share a single and consistent TLM modeling style.
- For SoC and sub-system hardware/software verification, the Vista ESL platform supports simulation, validation and debugging of hardware and software errors. Its integration with Sourcery CodeBench to debug the embedded OS booting firmware provides for early validation of the application software on the Vista Virtual Prototype. The Questa® Platform and the Universal Verification Methodology (UVM) supports Vista TLM model and Virtual Platform reuse, test plan tracking and accelerated coverage closure. Furthermore, the Vista ESL platform can be combined with the Veloce® hardware emulator to provide a hybrid virtual prototype with accelerated RTL that is tested by the software running on the Vista ISS models and is validated, debugged and analyzed using Sourcery CodeBench.
About Mentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics Corporation (NASDAQ:
MENT) is a world leader in
electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products,
consulting services and award-winning support for the world's most
successful electronic, semiconductor and systems companies. Established
in 1981, the company reported revenues over the last 12 months of about
$915 million. Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman
Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777. World Wide Web site:
http://www.mentor.com/ .


text:
for Sunday, April 19, 2015
The first reading is from the Acts of the Apostles and recounts how Saint Peter told the people of this time that they had caused the death of Jesus. Then Saint Peter softens it and says that all of this was done out of ignorance. So the challenge is to move from ignorance to knowledge of the Lord Jesus. We must learn to know how God is at work in our lives, even when we may not be aware of it. This is a strong lesson because so many of us today live as if there were no God, even when we may pay homage to God with our lips.
The second reading today is from the First Letter of Saint John and speak about people who proclaim with their mouths that Jesus is Lord but by their actions they make their words lies. That means, of course, that we can all say that Jesus is Lord but unless we live in a way that proclaims that Jesus is truly Lord of my life, then our words are just lied and untruths.
This is the same message for all of us: if you and I really believe in god, then our lives have to change and we have to live in such a way that our actions proclaim Christ rather than have words that are empty of meaning.
The Gospel of Luke, which is given to us today, is the same message again: Christ can appear right in front of our noses and we may still not believe in Him because what He does is so far outside of our normal experiences.
We can sense in today's Gospel that the disciples want to believe, but to believe asks quite a bit of them because they had seen the Lord Jesus die. How many ways the Lord Jesus can die in our lives! We can let Jesus die in our lives by not praying, by living in a way that excludes Him, by treating others and even ourselves in bad ways, by ignoring the demands of God in our personal life, etc. Then once again Jesus may break through and show us that He is alive and risen - and we can still reject that or we can accept that and try to make sense of it. It is not easy to believe!
We are invited to believe in the Lord Jesus today: the believe that He is God, to believe that He rose from the dead, to believe that He loves me personally and to believe that I must also work to bring the Good News to all peoples. Christ is risen! Christ is truly risen. Alleluia.
Reflections are available for the following Sundays:


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How Ballmer Went From Microsoft CEO to NBA Owner
Monica Langley joins MoneyBeat with the story of how ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer became what many consider the highest-profile owner in the NBA. Photo: Stuart Palley for The Wall Street Journal.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... former my croissant CEO studies to the Palmer people on the L A Clippers for a cool two billion dollars ... the oddest sales of the franchise under the most unusual circumstances certainly in recent memory ... our model and we got an inside look at the deal at her story is on page one of today's Wall Street Journal ... Monica is here with us right now by how are you ... dead ... to be here I'm so tell us is ... really great story ... teller front of the places you went with Steve bomber ... it was so and and I got that behind the scenes first few days is seen that the team ... he paid two billion dollar store ... and ... you know I was with him really left Micra soft anyways the same bombastic ... high energy person that six months ago he was very sad about leaving the company ... gets to thirty four years for this time he was ... a bundle of nerves started with him a spot though ... the restaurant in Beverly Hills for years to ... get to the same place ... the end it was the first time he made these really be a basketball mega stars ... and they were just as nervous as he was so that was ... interesting to go into the private dining really see them all the taking and nervous ... by midnight to you that they were really getting along talking about golf ... talking about him la Korean shenanigans ... the next day he we've made his employees and ... which were only a little over a hand written premium of Micra soft it was a hundred thousand so that's a big chance ... he went to St day three was his usual usual loud cheering self that is the actual cheerleaders backing and that ... and and and next day he went to the training facility ... I'll which was ... unbelievable pure basketball thing and you would of been salivating because ... they're so mean the NBA players who off season with an ally ... to last all players from the Celtics from Portland from Sacramento ... they all come in eleven thirty today the case with the jet or ... so in ways that he was in heaven ... he was nervous but he's fine all one of his final things he did when I was with the news ... after those three intense days of the Clippers he felt like he can actually ... move away from my purse up anywhere in the rain by itself he pressed a button on his ... laptop in resigned as a director for Micra soft in the said ... on the Clippers first democracy office said ... him ... talk about that ... you should ... rally yet changes until it sold the team ... the more aware of how big a basketball Fannie was ... black ... below are a lot of basketball people also not aware of ... I wanted so badly ... VMware ... Billy enthusiastic oddball he is ... well I'll tell you if any ends in this ... in the they overreact and the crazy I read this is crazy if he did because they were dead devoted ... several thousands that in mind that Monday so they were just as crazy I think we were a little taken aback is balding ... I'd actually now that is fun and I mean ... who would think the owner would do the right and and the players from the states in the little the news that they were delighted one player however Blake Griffin was an all star hit allied research and lots of vegan super Micra soft sales meeting so he knew what he was getting into but I do think that some of the more surprise yes they certainly seem that way on stage ... along with his new culture in all the Clippers ... that was fascinating to watch today had a wonderful work for me it was like they had been around and said there for years ... the one thing they did not I did not get into this story is I was with bomber most the time he bring me out of the night he went to dinner at the Palm win ... at ... Doc Rivers ... and I think you're gonna see sooner rather than later a new contract extension for Doc Rivers one change that bomber is making under the Sterlings there was a CEO ... he will not have a CEO in the Clipper organization he's gonna be in charge ... but a hinted business operations and basketball ... that will be doc rivers he wants the previous reporting to him ... and I think you'll see him give him a contract extension saying because he


text:
It's the guessing game that's sweeping the country!
Is she … or isn't she?
If Jessica Simpson is trying to avoid speculation that she is pregnant, she isn't exactly doing a stellar job.
The blonde singer, engaged to NFL player Eric Johnson, emerged recently in a tight black top and leggings with a green coat barely hiding what appears to be a growing baby bump.
A few weeks ago, the star announced that her wedding was on hold, and rumors began swirling that the star was pregnant shortly afterward.
Several reports last week claimed that the star was shopping around for a $500G deal to reveal her pregnancy to the public.
But it seems to be growing more and more difficult for the singer to conceal whatever it is or isn't that she is or sin't trying to conceal.
Enough already! What do you think? Is America's Sweetheart, Jessica Simpson, pregnant or not?


text:
Treveon Graham's rapid development has helped mold VCU into a contender for an Atlantic 10 championship and is making Shaka Smart (who all but predicted this) look clairvoyant. In short order, the sophomore from Washington, D.C. has become the Rams' best scorer and a rugged rebounder. At 16.1 points per game, Graham ranks seventh in the A-10 in scoring, the only underclassman in the top nine.
So, nobody's disputing that Graham has been good – very good – this season. But I would argue that what you've seen through 22 games this season has been historically significant. Prior to this season, just eight VCU sophomores had averaged 15.0 points per game, and none since Dom Jones in 2001-02.
In VCU's infancy in the 70s and 80s, the Rams churned out an impact sophomore every year or so, from Charles Wilkins to Gerald Henderson to Ren Watson to Calvin Duncan. But somewhere along the way, either VCU or college basketball (or both) changed. Sure, there were solid contributors as sophomores, but the truly elite, impact second-year players became pretty rare. More


text:
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text:
Adam Lambert was arrested in Finland after police said he assaulted people who tried to break up a fight between the former American Idol star and his boyfriend in downtown Helsinki, The Associated Press reported.
The fight spread from a popular gay bar early Thursday into the street, where Lambert was suspected of hitting two people who tried to break it up, according to Detective Superintendent Petri Juvonen.
Juvonen said Lambert's boyfriend, Finnish Big Brother star Sauli Koskinen, also was held for questioning. He said no weapons were used, no one was seriously hurt and that it was not "a very serious incident."
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
Police said the two men were released after a few hours and that no further action would be taken.
In February of this year, Lambert confirmed he was in a relationship. While Lambert at that time didn't reveal the name of his boyfriend, several celebrity sites were reporting that Lambert was dating Koskinen. While talking with gossip blogger Perez Hilton at that time, Lambert did reveal that he has had to get used to how his new fame has affected his love life.
"Dating is totally different now," Lambert said. "There's added pressure, there's added expectation. You have to wonder if this person is talking to me or interested because I'm famous or because they like who I am?"
The San Diego ntive was one of the contestants on the eighth season of American Idol.


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Wednesday, March 12, 2008
A Question for Y'all
I know where my DAM girls found it, Babycenter is likely from my signature there, but I'm kind of wondering about everyone else! :o)
So since we had no bento today (sorry, hot lunch and I've *got* to take advantage of that), tell me how you found me. And in case you didn't know, I love comments, so humor me please? ;o)
28 comments:
I don't remember what the subject was about, but on the message boards I go to there was a post where someone said something about a crazy lady who takes pictures of her kids lunches (no kidding...lol) so I took the link (it was right after your DMN article) and I have been hooked ever since! So that is how I found you and I am sooooo glad I did!ReplyDelete
I found you on splitcoaststampers.com in the food talk section. The subject was bentos and your blog was mentioned as a favorite of one of the gals... so I ventured and love seeing the neat bentos you make!ReplyDelete
lunch links from lunch in a boxReplyDelete
I've never made these before, but I'm totally obsessed with them. And I'm starting a list for Trader Joe's because of stinky_harriet's flickr
On my November 03 baby message board someone posted a link, and I have been bentoing for my daughter's school lunches since I found this site. I just loved the idea!ReplyDelete
From Lunch in a Box. She got me really into bentos for myself, but as I decided they would be great for my 2.5 year old niece's lunches, I started looking for other kids' bento blogs. I also enjoy your other blog.ReplyDelete
Elisa's blogReplyDelete
I don't bento but I think it is super cool and wish I was motivated enough to pack my kiddos a lunch every day.
Through Mavis' blog.ReplyDelete
You know how I found you, but I'll humor you anyway. :D Just thought I'd leave you a comment for fun. Hi!ReplyDelete
I was looking for ideas/info on bentos and stumbled in! Not sure what the linking site was.ReplyDelete
A friend linked to your site in her LiveJournal! I believe she found you on constantchatter.com though.. someone else had linked you there.ReplyDelete
You know how I found you, but I wanted to say Hi!ReplyDelete
hey there! i'm right from the other side of the globe. haha. that is if i even got my geography right.ReplyDelete
in any case, i think i found your blog as i was surfing random food blogs. since then, i've been checking back. ;)
I'm from Singapore by the way. ;)
I found you when a friend posted a link to your blog on a private message board. I'm fascinated with the yummy lunches you make for your kiddos.ReplyDelete
I also found you on splitcoaststampers. My son gets lunch at his daycare now, but since discovering you I will bento for him at home on the weekends sometimes or if we are going out for the day and need provisions! He calls his bento his picnic pack. He looks at your site with me too. He is only 3 but I'm turning him into quite the "foodie". Thanks for the great ideas!ReplyDelete
I found your blog by mistake. Tired of paying ebay bento prices, I was desperately searching the internet for a 100 Yen Shop in the DFW area. I found a blog that had a DFW suburbanite talking about Chinese New Year and the Asian Dollar store--which led me to Shop Minoya. I didn't bookmark the site and when I googled again (to find the previous site), I found yours instead. I actually think I encountered you at Shop Minoya. It's a small world--love your blog!ReplyDelete
Yikes. My first comment on a blog and it shows up as my hubby's name. :(ReplyDelete
Hello! I found your blog from "Just Another Crunchy Mama's" blog, she has a link to you. I love the Bento idea and have started using it with my hubby. I really want to do this with my own kids one day because it is so healthy and makes healthy eating fun! Thanks for such a cute blog. =)ReplyDelete
I don't remember how I found you - but now you're linked so that's how I -keep- finding you!ReplyDelete
Umm... I found you through another blog site, I scrolled through the comments here and possibly through Lunch Buckets ? I read what seems to be all the same sites as you, so :)ReplyDelete
I found you through BBC when I posted a question about my daughter's lunches.She extremely picky and your bento lunches "hit the spot" (so to speak). I have yet to find any sweet little containers like yours, but our tupperware is working fine in the interim.ReplyDelete
I've got you linked on my blog: http://plslade.wordpress.com/
Well you see, this crazy lady started showing off her kids' lunches...LOL Love ya girl. Great post. I loved reading how others found this blog.ReplyDelete
Dallas Morning News Article. I doing a google search for some sort of no waste way of packing lunches and trying to find local sources of supplies.ReplyDelete
Well I signed up for a Google account to tell you that I discovered you on splitcoaststampers as well. I am from Edmonton, Alberta. You were the first bento blog that I began to read regularly and I check it every day. Since then I've acquired several boxes from eBay, pack bento lunches often, and am at this very moment, eying a gorgeous Snoopy box, but trying to restrain myself because my coworker is in San Fransico this week and I gave him a list of bento things to get me:) But I should buy it anyways, right?:)ReplyDelete
I found you through the Bargain Board on Baby Center. Love your blog. I read it everyday! I also added you to my blogroll if you don't mind ;o)ReplyDelete
I came to your site via Peas In My Hair. I dont remember how I found your link, but I do remember it was from that page, LOL.ReplyDelete
If you register at www.google.com/analytics, you can keep track of exactly where people clicked to get here. :)ReplyDelete
I found you by a link that someone else found and posted to our moms blog site! I LOVE IT! You are bookmarked now! Thanks for the ideas!ReplyDelete
I found you by a link that someone else found and posted to our moms blog site! I LOVE IT! You are bookmarked now! Thanks for the ideas!ReplyDelete


text:
HOUSTON, Texas – Struggling to pay high medical bills is the number one cause of personal bankruptcy in this country. Getting one of those high bills is something Tatyana Prichetnikova, a 34-year-old single mother from Houston, knows all about. She went to the hospital because she was writhing in pain from a kidney stone.
"I was driving at the time of the attack. I start crying and screaming because the pain was so bad," remembered Prichetnikova.
At the hospital, Prichetnikova was given an IV, an MRI, a urine test and four ibuprofen pills for the pain.
"I did not get to ask doctor question, they didn't give me advice. Nothing, nothing was taken care, besides they easing my pain," Prichetnikova said.
After a short three-hour hospital stay, Prichetnikova got a bill for $10,153.00. She could not believe the cost.
"I'm saying I can't pay this bill right now, as I hang up I start crying and my heart was beating like crazy and I think now I'm having heart attack too," recalled Prichetnikova as she looked at her invoice from the hospital.
Shawn Fry, is a former hospital administrator, who now runs Prevalent Healthcare Information Technology, which is a company that specializes in helping hospitals improve billing, identify billing mistakes and ultimately help hospitals collect more revenue. He says the average American hospital patient could save thousands and thousands of dollars on their hospital bills, just by following a few simple steps.
"I would say almost all Americans are paying too much for hospital costs," said Fry.
Here are the steps to cutting your hospital bills:
Step 1:
Shop the exact price for the hospital procedure you want at different hospitals in your area.
There are several new websites where you can do just that.
Sites like HealthCareBlueBook.com, SnapHealth.com and ClearHealthCosts.com.
Step 2:
Armed with that pricing information, now try to negotiate a lower price with the hospital of your choice for the procedure you want, up front. Insurance companies do it everyday, so should you.
"Consumers can reduce their cost 20 to 50 percent, simply by the willingness to negotiate and pay up front," said Fry.
Step 3:
After you have your procedure or service at the hospital, ask for an itemized bill and check it for mistakes in billing.
- Look for things like being charged for drugs and services you never received.
- Also, make sure you are not being charged two, three, or four times for the same thing.
- Check for the most expensive mistake of all: Being charged for extra days at the hospital that you never used.
"If you were discharged on Wednesday in the morning, you are not responsible for paying that days charge -- if you were discharged early enough," said Fry.
Step 4:
Just as college students apply for financial aid, you should apply for financial aid at the hospital. Many people can qualify and they don't even know it.
Step 5:
If all else fails, ask for a discount off your total bill anyway. Fry said most of the time, you'll get it, if you are professional in your discussion and you agree to pay the price that is agreed upon.
"Hospitals would welcome patients who are willing to step up and negotiate, and agree to pay a lower rate, because hospitals want to get paid, many of these dollars are never collected by the hospitals," Fry said.
Fry says the worst thing you can do is yell or scream at the hospital billing people that you are trying to negotiate with. He has created a website to help patients negotiate hospital bills on their own behalf. Check it out at BillingAdvocacy.com.


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Today is officially the last day of Winter, and although for someone who grew up in the Arctic the Sydney Winter has hardly been very wintery at all, there is still a reason for celebration. I am celebrating the last day of Winter with this colourful Winter salad that certainly creates a sensation of celebration just by looking at it.
There are just so many flavours and textures going on, but somehow they all still manage to come together and complement each other. This winter salad is undeniably a seasonal salad, but it is so light and delicious I urge you to try it whenever you have a chance.
Winter Salad
(Recipe adapted from the Masterchef Recipes)
6 baby beetroots
3 thyme sprigs
2 garlic cloves
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup blanched almonds
1 white witlof, small leaves picked, bigger leaves cut into half
4 small red radishes, washed and cut into halves or quarters
1/2 bulb of fennel, thinly sliced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into cubes
1/2 Murcott mandarin, peeled and broken into segments
1/2 Murcott mandarin, zested & juiced
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 180C. Cut most of the stems of the beetroots and place them on a piece of foil covered with a smaller piece of baking paper. Add the thyme sprigs, garlic and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the foil into a loose parcel, place in an oven dish and bake for 40 minutes or until the beets are just tender. Set aside to cool and peel off the skins. Cut the cooled down beets into halves or quarters.
Put the almonds in a small saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to boil. Let simmer for about 5 minutes, drain and let cool. Cut into slices (alternatively you could use slivered almonds). Heat a small frying pan and lightly toast the almonds until golden.
To make the vinaigrette, whisk the mandarin zest and juice, mustard and honey and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Add the olive oil whisking continuously until slightly thickened.
Assemble all the salad ingredients on a plate and drizzle generously with the vinaigrette. Serve with fish or chicken.


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Strong second gives Panthers edge over Flames
October 19, 2012 | Lynchburg, Va.
A second period deficit proved to be too much for the Liberty Flames Division I men's hockey team as it fell to the Davenport Panthers 6-3 Friday night in the LaHaye Ice Center.
Cody Walsh got the visitors on the board first six minutes into the game with a shot from the point. Freshman BJ Pirus scored late in the first for Liberty on a breakaway to knot the score at 1 in front of a capacity crowd at the Ice Center for Parents Weekend.
Mason Bohlinger gave Davenport the lead for good early in the second, as the Panthers converted the first power play goal of the night. Two minutes later, Phil Wendecker picked up his fifth goal of the season on a shorthanded opportunity to up the lead to 3-1. Stephen Flood increased the Davenport lead to 4-1 with about four minutes to go.
The Flames gained some life as Rick Turner notched his nation leading 19th goal of the season off a Steven Bellew assist to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Robert Kleiman restored the three-goal advantage early in the third period on a controversial goal, as the Flames' net appeared to be off its moorings.
Bellew brought Liberty back within a pair of goals as Turner returned the favor from his goal in the second. Kleiman scored on an empty net with a minute remaining to close the scoring and give the Panthers a 1-0 lead in the battle for the "Blue and Gray Cup."
Phil Graveline made 34 saves for Davenport toearn the victory. Clayton Brown took the loss for Liberty despite making 25 saves.
The two teams will conclude the two game series Saturday night at 7 p.m.


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Home / Blogs / Career Management
Career Management
Should IT be unionized?
By Patrick Gray
May 30, 2012, 4:48 AM PDT
Takeaway: Patrick Gray thinks unionization is exactly the wrong answer for IT, and the dynamic career IT he has been given would not be possible in a unionized environment.
Today we have a guest post from TechRepublic contributing writer Patrick Gray.
*** begin quote ***
Despite all this high-minded talk of knowledge and merit-driven success, are IT workers "exploited"? That might be a loaded and overly dramatic word when considering the plight of far more difficult circumstances, but there are certainly people in IT who put in more effort than the corresponding reward they receive.
While a union might offer some protection, an alternative solution is to manage your career as if you were a tiny corporation. Many workers complain about a lack of employer loyalty, but this is a two-way street. You're always free to say "no" to yet another working weekend, turn off the mobile device during dinner, or ultimately take your skills elsewhere. It may strike some as selfish and perhaps conniving, but your employer will likely consider replacing you when the need arises, so there's no harm in considering replacing them on similar terms.
After long hours and over a frosty beverage, a worker's revolt of sorts in the IT industry may sound like a good idea. Defined hours and benefits, and an overarching organization designed to keep your employer in line, certainly has its positive aspects. However, that stability comes with a trade-off, one that I find too heavy a price to bear. At its best, IT offers young and old a dynamic career where merit and skill trump seniority, pricey academic credentials, and even deep pockets.
*** end quote ***
Perhaps there is a middle ground?
Employment at will worked in the IT workers' favor in the old days.
Not so much any more.
H1B, off-shoring, out-sourcing, downsizing, rightsizing, layoffs, firings, nit picking, bankruptcy, political shenanigans (i.e., GM union got paid off; GM's non-union workers, suppliers, bondholder, and stockholders got the shaft), "crazy" management, "do more with less", fad de jour, "human resource management", … just to name a few.
# – # – # – # – #


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Compare cheap flights from Cairns to Brazil
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What to do in Brazil
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See a whole new side of the earth and go on an adventure in Brazil's natural wonders. Start with the Amazon Rainforest and its one billion acres of biodiversity. Other lush places in Brazil that you can't miss are the Atlantic Forest, Campos Gerais, and Pantanal. Feel refreshed and visit Brazil's many waterfalls like the popular Iguacu Falls, Cachoeira da Fumaca, and Caracol Falls.
Take lots of photos and get your new profile picture by visiting the cities for its colonial architecture. You can find them in old towns like Tiradentes and Ouro Preto, and in other cities like Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and Paraty.
Brazil is also famous for its fabulous beaches. In fact, the beach lifestyle is a huge part of Brazilian culture. Take your thongs to the stunning Ipanema and Copacabana, and sing their popular songs while you're at it. Other jewels of the country include Jericoacoara, Boa Vista, Morro de Sao Paulo, and Praia do Futuro. And there are hundreds more just waiting for you.
Of course, if you think of Brazil, you think of Carnival. Brazil also has other fantastic events like Festa Junina, Parintins Folklore Festival, the Brazilian F1 Grand Prix, and their Oktoberfest from Germany.
Get to know Brazil even more and check out the top things to do in Brazil by the Wandering Trader.
When to visit Brazil
The best time to visit Brazil depends on what you plan to do here. If you want to attend key events like Carnival, schedule your trip during winter from December to early March. If you want cheaper plane tickets, book your flights from February (after Carnaval) to May and August to November. Remember that they follow Australia's seasons when you're packing.
Most Brazilians mostly only Portuguese, with the exception of those in tourist areas, so it's best you bring a good phrasebook to help you on your travel, especially when you're using public transportation.
Before you fly to Brazil, make sure you secure your travel visa because Australians need it to visit the country. For more info, check out Smartraveller.
Travelling to and around Brazil
You will be landing either at Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport or the Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport. You can wander around Brazil by plane, train, boat, inter-city bus, and bus.
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Mike Byrom, Vince Pallotta, David Brown*, and Lance Ford*
Ambion, Inc.
Labeling GAPDH and c-myc siRNA with either fluorescein or Cy3 was demonstrated to have no effect on silencing efficiency, but allowed visualization of the distribution patterns of these molecules after transfection. Using fluorescence microscopy we have analyzed the dynamics of siRNA localization. Our studies revealed that the majority of both GAPDH and c-myc siRNA was localized to the nuclear periphery. In addition, in vivo siRNA strand separation was observed, supporting similar observations from earlier in vitro studies (Zamore et al., 2000).
Using fluorescently labeled siRNA, the time course of gene silencing was examined at both the mRNA and protein level. GAPDH protein and mRNA levels were moderately reduced by 4 hours post transfection, but intensified to maximum levels by 24 to 48 hours post transfection. Both mRNA and protein levels remained suppressed as long as 10 days post transfection. The initiation of the silencing effect was found to correlate well with the release of siRNA from the transfection agent in the cytoplasm of transfected cells and the occurrence of strand separation during this period of time.
While still a new and rapidly evolving technology, siRNA induced silencing is already regarded as a technique that has great promise not only for mammalian functional genomics, but as a therapeutic agent. In order to realize this potential, the mechanism of action in living cells must be fully elucidated. To further the understanding of siRNA distribution and metabolism, the development of methodology to track siRNA in cells is required. Fluorescent labels are commonly used to follow the movement of small molecules in and between cells. However, siRNAs must interact with cellular components and it was not known whether the addition of bulky dyes would negatively affect the capacity of siRNAs to induce gene silencing. We prepared fluorescently labeled double-stranded siRNAs with the Silencer siRNA Labeling Kit (Ambion, Inc.), and compared the labeled siRNAs to their unlabeled counterparts. We confirmed that labeled siRNAs remained fully functional and tracked their movements after transfection. Double labeled siRNAs were used to track siRNA strand separation in intact mammalian cells, supporting previous in vitro observations (Nykanen et al., 2001).
Figure 1. Labeled siRNA is Functional. A siRNA against the 3' UTR of c-myc was labeled using the Silencer siRNA Labeling Kit (Ambion, Inc.) with Cy3 and FAM on one or both strands as described in Materials and Methods. A. Following labeling the siRNA was transfected into HeLa S3 cells grown on cover slips using siPORT Lipid Transfection Agent (Ambion, Inc.). 48 hr after transfection HeLa S3 cells were analyzed for c-myc protein expression using immunofluorescence as described in Materials and Methods. c-myc protein is shown in green. B. Labeled or unlabeled siRNA targeting c-myc was transfected into HeLa S3 cells. At 72 hours post-transfection HeLa S3 cells that were transfected with siRNA containing one, two, or no label were counted using a hemocytometer. The cell number was calculated relative to a non-treated cell population and graphed.
Figure 2. siRNA Silencing of GAPDH Gene Expression. siRNA to human GAPDH and a scrambled control were fluorescently labeled with Cy3 using Ambion's Silencer siRNA Labeling Kit, transfected into HeLa S3 cells, and analyzed by fluorescence microscopy with an anti-GAPDH antibody. Red: Cy3 labeled siRNA; Blue: DAPI stained nuclei; Green: fluorescein labeled antibody to GAPDH. A. siRNA silencing of GAPDH expression in HeLa S3 cells. B. Scrambled control siRNA has no effect on GAPDH protein levels.
To extend these observations to other genes, fluorescently labeled GAPDH and ß-actin siRNAs were tested (Figure 2) and found to be just as effective at silencing cognate protein expression as their unlabeled controls. Both synthetic and in vitro transcribed siRNAs were capable of silencing, whether labeled on the sense and/or the antisense strand, and labeled with either Cy3 or FAM (data not shown). There appears to be no cytotoxic effect associated with the fluorescent moiety as we observed no additional cell death using the trypan blue exclusion assay (data not shown).
Fluorescently Labeled siRNA Can Be Tracked in Cells. Fluorescently labeled siRNAs to c-myc were generated by labeling the sense strand RNA with FAM and the antisense strand with Cy3. The Cy3-FAM double labeled siRNAs were transfected into cells and visualized by fluorescence microscopy to determine their subcellular distribution pattern. 48 hr post transfection the siRNAs were typically found localized to discrete foci on the cytoplasmic side of the nuclear membrane (Figure 3).
Figure 3. siRNA Strand Separation. A. siRNA against the 3' UTR of c-myc labeled on the sense strand with FAM and on the antisense strand with Cy3. 48 hr following transfection, HeLa S3 cells were fixed and analyzed using an Olympus fluorescence microscope. The two views represent different magnifications. Arrows point to red and green foci (individual siRNA sense and antisense strands). B. siRNA against the 3' UTR of c-myc labeled on the sense strand with Blackhole quencher and on the antisense strand with Cy3 were transfected into HeLa S3 cells. After 4, 24 and 48 hr following transfection cells were fixed and then analyzed using an Olympus fluorescence microscope.
In dividing cells, fluorescence was focused at the midline of division, suggesting that siRNA might divide equally between daughter cells. Although the majority of transfected Cy3-labeled antisense strand (red) and FAM labeled sense strand (green) siRNA was found in large yellow foci on the cytoplasmic side of the nuclear membrane, a small amount of red and green signal was also observed (Figure 4). Isolated red or green signal is the result of fluorescence from individual siRNA strands. This apparent strand separation is consistent with previous in vitro studies (Nykanen et al., 2001). To confirm and extend these observations, we used fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) analysis to assess siRNAs in transfected cells. In this experiment, the sense strand of c-myc was labeled with Blackhole quencher 1 (IDT) and hybridized to the complementary Cy3 labeled antisense strand. In the double strand form, the Cy3 signal is quenched by the Blackhole quencher and almost no signal is observed during fluorescence microscopy. The quenched, double stranded siRNA was transfected into cells and examined for fluorescence at 4 , 24, 48, and 72 hr post transfection. As in the previously described dual labeling experiment, a minor amount of siRNA fluorescence was detected at 4 hr (possibly due to incomplete quenching of Cy3). At later time points, a significant increase in signal was detected (Figure 3B), showing that the siRNA sense and antisense strands separate in intact mammalian cells.
Figure 4. In Vivo Distribution of siRNA.
Panel A. Cy3 labeled siRNA was transfected into HeLa S3 cells grown on cover slips using an NBD-labeled carrier cationic lipid. At the time indicated, the samples were analyzed using a fluorescence microscopy for the relative distribution of the siRNA (red) and the lipid (green). The siRNA was localized to regions in close proximity to the nuclear membrane following release from the carrier lipid.
Panel B. HeLa S3 cells grown on glass slides were transfected with siRNA against c-myc labeled with FAM on the sense strand or Cy3 on the antisense strand. 48 h post transfection, the cells were processed and analyzed using a Leica confocal microscope. Arrows point to individual sense and antisense siRNA strands (denoted by the red and green foci, respectively).
Figure 5. Induction and Duration of RNAi Induced by siRNA. A. HeLa S3 cells grown in a 24-well dish were transfected with siRNA to the 3' UTR of GAPDH. After 4 hours, 24 hours, 3, 6, 10 and 12 days following transfection, the cells were harvested and analyzed by Northern blot analysis for both GAPDH mRNA and 28S rRNA levels. B. A graph of Northern data in Panel A showing relative GAPDH mRNA levels. C. HeLa S3 cells grown on cover slips in a 24-well dish were transfected with siRNA to the 3' UTR of GAPDH. After 4 hours, 24 hours, 3, 6, 10 and 12 days following transfection, the cells were harvested and the GAPDH protein expression was analyzed using immunofluorescence. DAPI (blue) stains cell nuclei; an antibody to GAPDH (green) binds to expressed protein.
Figure 6. Distribution of siRNA in Dividing HeLa S3 Cells. HeLa S3 cells grown on cover slips were transfected with Cy3 labeled-siRNA (red) and analyzed using immunofluorescence. Dividing cells that contained siRNA were detected in a population of cells on cover slips by observing chromosome condensation and nuclear separation/reformation. DNA was analyzed using DAPI. In all cases where the cell were dividing or appeared to have just undergone a division event the siRNA was localized to the central region of the cell.
Figure 7. siRNA Associated with Nuclei of Dividing Cells. HeLa-S3 cells grown on cover slips were transfected with FAM labeled siRNA to GAPDH. The cells were harvested and fixed using 4% Paraformaldehyde at 48 hours post transfection. The cells were mounted on microscope slides using VectaShield with DAPI and examined using the appropriate fluorescence filters. The siRNA (green) can be seen associated with each nuclei (blue) of a dividing cell.
The localization of transfected siRNA into discrete foci raised the question of whether the siRNA was being concentrated in lipid vesicles derived from the transfection carrier. To address this question, we repeated our transfections using an NBD-labeled carrier lipid (green) to transfect a Cy3 labeled siRNA (red). We examined the distribution of red and green fluorescence at multiple time points over a period of 72 hr after transfection. At as little as 4 hr post transfection, a small amount of siRNA "freed" from lipid vessels was detected while the majority of lipid and siRNA co-localized within foci in the cells, yielding yellow fluorescence. An increased amount of "free" siRNA was observed 24 and 48 hr post transfection (Figure 4). While protein silencing was first detected at 4 hr post transfection, we observed more significant suppression of protein expression at 24 hr and maximum protein reduction at 48 hr post transfection (Figure 5). The period of greatest silencing at both the mRNA and protein level correlated with the time of maximum release of siRNA from the carrier lipid and at the time of greatest increase in the amount of strand separation (data not shown).
HeLa S3 cells were transfected with siRNA targeting GAPDH to examine the induction and duration of silencing. GAPDH had reduced mRNA and protein levels for up to 10 days, during which time the cells should have undergone 10-12 doublings. This data suggests that the siRNA was passed on to daughter cells. If the siRNA was not passed to daughter cells, the percentage of cells with siRNA would be vastly reduced in only 2 or 3 days. Supporting immunofluorescence data showed that the siRNA was centrally localized in dividing cells (Figure 6) and appeared to enter daughter cells (Figure 7).
1. Localization
Using labeled siRNA, we found that the dsRNA accumulated in the cytoplasm near the nucleus. Four hours post-transfection, the majority of transfected siRNA remains in lipid vessels. However by 48 hr, the siRNA has dissociated from its lipid carrier and appears to be localized in the cytoplasm in close proximity to the nuclear membrane (Figure 4). This localization could represent sites of siRNA processing or sites where the RISC resides. Previous research on RNAi suggests that long dsRNA degrades mature (e.g. cytoplasmic) RNA (Montgomery et al., 1998). While it is unclear whether siRNAs in mammalian cells operate by the same mechanism, the accumulation of siRNA in the cytoplasm seen in these experiments is consistent with this scenario. Another possible explanation for the perinuclear localization is that the siRNA is clustered around nuclear pores where it can "scan" mRNA being transported to the cytoplasm. When a complementary sequence is detected, that message is then targeted for cleavage leading to gene silencing.
2. Strand Separation
Although dissociated single stranded siRNA was detected within the cell, the majority of the transfected siRNA appears to remain in a double stranded state. Perhaps the extent of strand separation is proportional to the molar amount of siRNA required to direct cleavage of the target gene.
3. Duration
Data presented here suggests siRNA is maintained in cells up to 10 days and that siRNA is transferred to daughter cells. If this is true and siRNA amplification does not occur in mammalian cells, then the duration of the RNAi effect should be directly proportional to the cellular concentration of the siRNA and the number of cellular divisions that occur. This suggests that a major experimental variable in siRNA experiments is the effectiveness of siRNA delivery and the initial cellular siRNA concentration.
In a situation in which an effective siRNA is transfected with low efficiency, labeled siRNA can be used to identify individual cells that have been successfully transfected with siRNA. Cells lacking labeled siRNA can thus serve as internal negative controls. Labeled siRNAs can also be used for metabolic studies, especially if performing experiments geared towards identifying clinically important molecules.
Materials and Methods
Chemically synthesized siRNA (Ambion) was labeled using the Silencer Cy3 and FAM siRNA Labeling Kits (Ambion). Briefly, 5 µg of a chemically synthesized siRNA to c-myc and its scrambled control were labeled using 7.5 µl of labeling reagent. After labeling, the single strands were purified, resuspended and hybridized prior to transfection as per the manufacturer's protocol.
HeLa S3 cells were plated at 50,000 cells/well in a 24 well tissue culture plate containing glass cover slips (11 mm). Transfections were performed 24 hr after plating using siPORT Lipid Transfection Agent (Ambion) according to protocol with the siRNA at a final concentration of 100 nM in the tissue culture media.
Cells were harvested 48 hours post transfection, washed, and fixed for 5 min in 4% paraformaldehyde prior to immunofluorescent staining for c-myc. Cells were washed with PBS, permeabilized in 0.1% Triton X-100 for 5 min, washed again, and blocked in 3% BSA for 1 hr. The primary antibody was added for 1 hr, the cells were washed, and the secondary antibody was added for 1 hr. Cells were then washed and mounted using VectaShield with DAPI (Vector Labs). The primary antibody c-myc Ab-5 (NeoMarkers, Freemont, CA; Cat# MS-1054) was used at a 1:200 dilution; the primary antibody against GAPDH (RDI; Cat# TRK5G4-6C5) was used at 1:2000 dilution. The secondary antibody, FITC labeled Donkey anti-Mouse IgG (Jackson ImmunoResearch), was also used at a 1:200 dilution. All washes, dilutions, and incubations were done in 1X PBS at room temperature with agitation. Cells were examined using an Olympus BX60 microscope with the appropriate fluorescence filters. Photomicroscopy was performed using a Hitachi KP-C571 camera.
RNA Isolation and Analysis
Total RNA from cell cultures was extracted using the RNAqueous™-4PCR Kit (Ambion) and quantitated by spectrophotometer. The expression level of both target and control genes was determined for each experimental sample using the NorthernMax™-Gly Kit (Ambion).
Cy3 is a trademark of Amersham BioSciences.
The Silencer siRNA Labeling Kits contain reagents manufactured for Ambion by MIRUS.
- Brown D, Jarvis R, Pallotta V, Byrom M, Ford L (2002) RNA Interference in Mammalian Cell Culture: Design, Execution and Analysis of the siRNA effect. Ambion TechNotes 9(1): 3-5.
- Demeterco C, Itkin-Ansari P, Tyrberg B, Ford LP, Jarvis RA, Levine F (2002) c-Myc controls proliferation versus differentiation in human pancreatic endocrine cells. JCEM (in press).
- Elbashir SM, Harborth J, Lendeckel W, Yalcin A, Weber K, and Tuschl T (2001) Duplexes of 21-nucleotide RNAs mediate RNA interference in cultured mammalian cells. Nature 411: 494-498.
- Hammond SM, Boettcher S, Caudy AA, Kobayashi R, and Hannon GJ (2001) Argonaute2, a link between genetic and biochemical analyses of RNAi. Science 293: 1146-1150.
- Jarvis R and Ford LP, (2001) The siRNA target site is an important parameter for inducing RNAi in human cells. Ambion TechNotes 8(5): 3-5.
- Kimura S, Maekawa T, Murakami A and Abe T (1995) Alterations of c-myc expression by antisense oligodeoxynucleotides enhance the induction of apoptosis in HL-60 cells. Cancer Research 55:1379-1384.
- Montgomery MK, Xu S, Fire A (1998) RNA as a target of double stranded RNA-mediated genetic interference in C. elegans. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95: 15502-15507.
- Nykanen A, Haley B, Zamore PD (2001) ATP Requirements and Small Interfearing RNA Structure in the RNA Interference Pathway. Cell 107: 309-321.
- Tuschl T, Zamore PD, Lehmann R, Bartel DP, and Sharp PA (1999) Targeted mRNA degradation by double-stranded RNA in vitro. Genes Dev. 13: 3191-3197.
- Zamore PD, Tuschl T, Sharp PA, and Bartel DP (2000) RNAi: double-stranded RNA directs the ATP-dependent cleavage of mRNA at 21 to 23 nucleotide intervals. Cell 101: 25-33.


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We embrace diversity and celebrate it!
"A critical aspect of any successful diversity program is leadership. Our company leaders continue to focus on making sure that diversity remains a part of the FedEx DNA."
– Frederick W. Smith, Chairman and CEO
We believe diversity is about more than just accepting our differences. It's about meeting the needs of our customers by reflecting their diversity within our own organization. It's about understanding the differences of our employees to ensure we are nurturing an inclusive environment. And, it's about embracing the unique talent of our employees, integrating their perspectives to deliver on our vision in an ever-changing marketplace.
Together We Stand Apart
FedEx values the unique contributions, perspectives, and differences of our team members, making possible the outstanding service and support provided to our global customers, and sustaining the communities we serve.
From the very beginning, FedEx has operated on the philosophy of putting people first. We've grown to become an industry-leading "Fortune" top 500 company and one of the World's Most Admired Companies through our talented employees who come from all walks of life, with an amazing variety of skills and perspectives united for a common purpose – exceptional customer service.
At FedEx, we believe in the power of people. Our vision of an inclusive environment is a place where differences are celebrated as strengths, and the concept of diversity is woven throughout our entire organization.
We believe diversity is valuing the uniqueness in each person regardless of who we are and where we come from, and providing exceptional opportunities to succeed together in delivering on our promise of outstanding service for our customers.


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Gwyneth Paltrow will not just be appearing at this year's Oscars ceremony, but she'll also be singing there as well.
The Academy Award-winning actress will be performing "Coming Home," the Oscar-nominated song from her recent movie "Country Song," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Paltrow is no stranger to singing live in front of an audience. Last November, the actress performed at the Country Music Awards prior to the movie's release.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Besides Paltrow, the other artists performing this year's nominated songs at the 82 Annual Academy Awards include: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi and composer Alan Menken for "I See the Light" from the movie "Tangled"; Randy Newman for "We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3"; Florence Welch (of Florence and the Machine) and composer A.R. Rahman for "If I Rise" from "127 Hours."
Selected Readings: The Hollywood Reporter, Wall Street Journal, Country Strong Web site, The Associated Press, IMDb


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Denim shorts: Vintage (get similar here). Top: TopShop.
Sandals: TopShop. Bag: Chanel.
I splashed out on a new bag (instagramed here). I love that it's a modern take on an old calssic. The leather is matte and the hardware is tarnished so it gives what can be quite a preppy style a bit of edge. I like dressing it down with cut offs and flats but it will work great for cocktails too.... I am totally justifying a very expensive purchase!


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Kanye West Apologizes On Jay Leno Show About VMA Incident!
Kanye West Apology about 2009 MTV WMA Incident on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno - 9/14/09
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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Disposable PP boots cover
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