By Terri Ferguson Smith / firstname.lastname@example.org
The Meridian Star
A development project to convert an old building into apartments downtown has been delayed, but is still in the works.
Clarence Chapman, president of Chartre Companies Ltd., said on Wednesday that the project to convert the old BellSouth building on 23rd Avenue into apartments is temporarily delayed.
The delay is due to some 10 other projects that the company is working on and some of them have very tight deadlines, Chapman said. The architects on the Meridian project have not been able to finish the final designs for the Cumberland Terrace apartments.
The apartments are so named because the building was originally constructed to house the Cumberland Telephone and Telegraph Service, an offshoot of the old Cumberland Overland Stage Company.
"Nothing has changed on our part," Chapman said. "We are working day and night. We are fortunate to have that much work."
About 90 percent of the demolition of the interior of the building is done, including asbestos abatement, he said. The company expects to submit requests for permits from the city next month, Chapman said, and plans to start the next phase after the first of the year.
Plans are to convert the building into a 26-unit apartment building with one-bedroom efficiencies, two-bedroom units and larger one-bedroom units. The exterior of the building will get balconies and more windows.
Charter's investment in the project is approximately $4.5 million.


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Marvel promises to introduce Reed Richards / Mister Fantastics’ long-lost sister in July’s Fantastic Four # 46.
This summer, Marvel’s First Family gets a new member.
As part of its July 2022 calls, Marvel Comics has revealed Fantastic four # 46, which promises to introduce the long-gone sister to Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic. The question comes from the team of author Dan Slott and artist CAFU. It has a main cover by CAFU, as well as a variant cover by Stormbreakers artist RB Silva and one Predator-theme variant of Superlog.
CAFU’s cover art sees Reed Richards, the patriarch of the Fantastic Four, literally extend a hand to his sister, whose own hands are visible. “Not a dream. Not a hoax. This is real,” reads the call. “Thanks to Watchers’ knowledge, the missing daughter of Nathaniel Richards has been found. It’s time to finally meet the mysterious sister of Reed Richards. But is it time to welcome her into the family?” other than that Fantastic four # 46 features a guest appearance by Namor, aka Sub-Mariner, who has his own story with Marvel’s First Family.
FANTASTIC FIRE # 46
- DAN SLOTT (W) • CAFU (A / C)
- Predator variant COVER from Superlog
- STORMBREAKERS VARIANT COVER BY RB SILVA
- “Family first”!
- Not a dream. Not a scam. This is real.
- Thanks to the guards’ knowledge, the missing daughter of Nathaniel Richards has been found.
- It’s time to finally meet the mysterious sister of Reed Richards.
- But is it time to welcome her into the family?
- It’s a day of amazing adventures both in her world and in the world of the Fantastic Fires.
- Guests with Namor, King of Atlantis.
- 32 PGS./Rated T +… $ 3.99
The idea that Nathaniel Richards has children other than Reed is not exactly new. To begin with, there is Nathaniel and Cassandra Richards’ unnamed son, who is Reed’s half-brother (Reed’s mother is Evelyn Richards). Nathaniel and Cassandra also had a daughter, Tara Richards / Huntara, Reed’s half sister. Finally, there is Kristoff Vernard, who is the alleged son of Nathaniel and half-brother of Reed, as well as the adopted son of Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom. Nevertheless, Reed’s new sister joining the fight is a pretty big development for Fantastic Four, to say the least.
Written by Dan Slott and illustrated by CAFU, Fantastic four # 46 goes on sale in July 2022 from Marvel Comics.
Source: Marvel Comics
The surprising role of Knights of the Moon played in John Byrne’s iconic Fantastic Four Run
About the author

domain: literature


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Orchestra Director is Quarterfinalist for GRAMMY Educator Award
Matt Pendrak, orchestra director at Amherst Central High School, is a quarterfinalist for the Music Educator Award presented by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum. He is one of 219 music teachers from 204 cities reaching the quarterfinalist level. This is his second consecutive year as a quarterfinalist.
Pendrak teaches high school string students and conducts the Concert Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, Operetta Pit Orchestra, and the Amherst Sinfonia. Within Amherst Central, Pendrak was the orchestra director at Amherst Middle School for five years.
The Music Educator Award was established to recognize current educators (kindergarten through college, public and private schools) who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education and who demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools. A joint partnership and presentation of the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum, the recipient will be recognized during GRAMMY Week 2021.
The award is open to current U.S. music teachers. Stay tuned, semifinalists will be announced in September.
Disclaimer: External links within this site are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the ACSD of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation, organization or individual. ACSD bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality, content or accessibility of the material of the external site or for that of subsequent links.

domain: artistic


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Big Gigs: Josh Groban, Chvrches, more
After making a worldwide name with the sophisticated synth-pop of "The Bones of What You Believe," the Scottish group fronted by Lauren Mayberry has upped the ante with the new sophomore album "Every Open Eye." Soaring, stirring and instantly memorable music from a trio that taps the '80s while making a thoroughly modern sound. 7 p.m., Masonic Temple, 500 Temple, Detroit. 313-832-7100. $30.50.
Grace Potter veered from the rootsy, bluesy rock typically heard in her work with the Nocturnals to embrace a brighter, beat-driven sound on the new solo album "Midnight." She'll bring material from both of those projects in this show with alt-country opener Rayland Baxter. 7 p.m., Royal Oak Music Theatre, 318 W. Fourth, Royal Oak. 248-399-2980. $27.50-$55.
Billy Gibbons, Van Morrison and Joss Stone are among the guests on "Born to Play Guitar," the latest album from this Chicago blues mainstay, still sizzling at 79. Kansas City blues newcomer Danielle Nicole will open. 7 p.m., the Fillmore Detroit, 2115 Woodward, Detroit. 313-961-5450. $29.50-$75.
Show tunes will be on the agenda for golden-voiced Groban, who's touring in support of his recent Broadway-themed album, "Stages." Tony Award-winner Lena Hall is expected to join him onstage for a couple of numbers — along with some solo performances of her own — as Groban moves into a more intimate theater setting after a decade of tour stops at the Palace of Auburn Hills. 8 p.m., Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward, Detroit. 313-983-6611. $56-$175.
The raspy voiced singer-songwriter brings two decades of introspective rock in this solo show, part of Etheridge's ongoing touring in the wake of her first self-released album, "This is M.E." 7:30 p.m., Orchestra Hall at Max M. Fisher Music Center, 3711 Woodward, Detroit. 313-576-5100. $30-$100.
Sobered up and recharged, the Pittsburgh rapper hits the ground running on the new "GO:OD AM," the freewheeling follow-up to last year's bleak "Faces" mixtape. Now 23 and moving into a more musically mature phase of his career, the onetime teen prodigy leads a Fillmore bill that includes Joey Bada$$, Goldlink, Domo Genesis, Bishop Nehru and Denzel Curry. 5:30 p.m., the Fillmore Detroit, 2115 Woodward, Detroit. 313-961-5450. $35-$59.50.


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STAMFORD—A year ago last June, New Covenant Center (NCC) in Stamford launched the first “Social Night of Service”—a unique volunteer event targeted to young adults.
One night a month these 20 to 30-somethings rolled up their sleeves and cooked 150 meals for our Cafe guests while socializing and getting to know each other. Even though they are chopping, slicing and dicing—they have fun in the process. If you’d like to know more about Social Night of Service, contact Ellen McGinness at firstname.lastname@example.org.
New Covenant Center also recently celebrated the second anniversary of the opening of its food pantry at the new center location on at 174 Richmond Hill Avenue.
Word spread quickly about the dignified space and since then the food pantry has grown from serving 140 families per month to 500!
“We’ve also expanded from being open 6 hours a month in our old location to 13 full days per month now. The demand is still huge as there are hundreds of more families within a couple of miles who don’t receive an adequate amount of food every month,” said John Gutman, NCC executive director.
“Thanks to the help of various food banks, the business, civic and school groups that run food drives and provide food donations, and the dozens of volunteers that help our guests shop each week—we continually strive to catch up with the demand. We still need more food, whether it’s one can of soup or larger quantities in the 15 categories we offer our guests,” he said. “We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished in the last 2 years—thank you for your continued generosity and support!”
If you can donate items or volunteer, please contact David Lovegreen, our Volunteer Coordinator, at email@example.com or 203.964.8228, ext. 416.

domain: food


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Propagation of yeast prions requires normal abundance and activity of many protein chaperones. Central among them is Hsp70, a ubiquitous and essential chaperone involved in many diverse cellular processes that helps promote proper protein folding and acts as a critical component of several chaperone machines. Hsp70 is regulated by a large cohort of co-chaperones, whose effects on prions are likely mediated through Hsp70. Hsp104 is another chaperone, absent from mammalian cells, that resolubilizes proteins from aggregates. This activity, which minimally requires Hsp70 and its co-chaperone Hsp40, is essential for yeast prion replication. Although much is known about how yeast prions can be affected by altering protein chaperones, mechanistic explanations for these effects are uncertain. We discuss the variety of effects Hsp70 and its regulators have on different prions and how the effects might be due to the many ways chaperones interact with each other and with amyloid.
Yeast prions are believed to propagate as amyloid forms of cellular proteins. Amyloid is a fibrous aggregate of a single type of protein in which each monomer in the fiber has a similar non-native fold that allows uniform linear stacking. Amyloid propagates by recruiting the soluble form of the protein and converting it into the same misshapen conformation as it adds to the end of the fiber. Although inheritable prion entities are widely believed to be amyloid fibers (an assumption we make to simplify our discussion), they have been termed propagons1 because it is not yet clear whether some other oligomeric intermediate or byproduct of amyloid propagation represents the actual infectious elements. The most widely studied yeast prions [URE3], [PSI+] and [PIN+]/[RNQ1+] are altered forms of the proteins Ure2p, Sup35p and Rnq1p, respectively.2–7 Each has a region rich in polar residues referred to as a prion domain as it confers prion behavior. Purified Ure2p and Sup35p have high propensity to assemble into amyloid spontaneously and their prion domains form an amyloid core leaving the remaining portion of the protein properly folded.8–10 The modular property of prion domains suggests this independence of domain structures is a general characteristic.7,11–13 The depletion of most of the soluble native protein into insoluble prion aggregates can confer a phenotype useful for monitoring the prion.
Despite having a highly organized structure, amyloid is an aggregate of misfolded protein so it is not surprising that protein chaperones strongly influence prion propagation in yeast. In order to be maintained in a growing yeast population, prions must grow, replicate and be transmitted to daughter cells. In vitro, purified Sup35p, Ure2p and Rnq1p spontaneously assemble into infectious forms of amyloid, and once formed the amyloid catalyzes its own assembly from soluble protein.14–17 Likewise, once a prion is present in a yeast cell, continued growth of prion polymers probably occurs without assistance from chaperones. Transmission of prions occurs very efficiently from mother to daughter and between mating partners, and this step is also thought to be spontaneous through diffusion of cytoplasmic propagons, of which there can be hundreds per cell.18 Sonicating in vitro reactions accelerates amyloid assembly by fragmenting fibers, which generates more “seeds.” While growth or transmission of prions can be influenced by altering chaperone abundance or activity, replication of yeast prions, which is believed to be associated with fragmentation, depends critically on normal chaperone function.
Hsp104 is a hexameric ring-shaped AAA+ ATPase that resolubilizes proteins from aggregates by extruding proteins through its central channel. It was identified in a search for proteins that inhibited [PSI+] propagation when expressed at elevated levels.19 Paradoxically, deleting the non-essential Hsp104 also eliminated [PSI+]. Subsequent studies showed that Hsp104 acts in prion propagation by extruding monomers from prion fibers,20,21 which destabilizes them allowing them to break into pieces that each can act as a template for continued prion propagation.23,100 This activity is required for propagation of the known amyloidogenic prions (see Fig. 1).
Curiously, [PSI+] is the only native yeast prion eliminated efficiently by elevating expression of Hsp104.5,19,63,101,102 Nevertheless, this curing effect has been widely viewed as resulting from complete dissolution of prion aggregates by increased Hsp104 disaggregating activity. However, several Hsp104 mutants that function normally in [PSI+] propagation and protein disaggregation cannot cure cells of [PSI+] when overexpressed, showing that Hsp104 disaggregation activity is not enough to eliminate the prion.20 Other possibilities are that Hsp104 possesses an Hsp70/40-independent amyloid severing activity that inactivates infectivity of Sup35p amyloid specifically,22 although increasing Hsp104 in vivo increases size of prion polymers,23 or that elevating Hsp104 when it is not normally induced somehow specifically inhibits transmission of [PSI+] prions during cell division.1,24 Evidence showing a role of Hsp104 in restricting inheritance of damaged proteins, and an involvement of the actin cytoskeleton in this process and in [PSI+] propagation are consistent with this latter idea.25–29
While the protein resolubilizing activity of Hsp104 is required for its function in prion propagation,20 Hsp70 and its obligatory Hsp40 partner are necessary for Hsp104 and similar AAA+ chaperones to resolubilize proteins from aggregates.30–32 Thus, although Hsp104 functions as a primary factor involved in prion replication, Hsp70 and Hsp40 likely play critical roles in this process as components of the Hsp104 machinery. The binary Hsp70/40 system can cooperate to refold proteins from small aggregates so it is possible that these chaperones can influence prion replication independently of Hsp104. The degree to which the Hsp70 effects on prions are mediated by an effect on the Hsp104 machinery is not yet clear. Regardless of the answer, it is evident that Hsp70 is a focal point influenced by many factors that affect prion propagation (see Figs. 1 and and22).
Hsp70s are universally conserved and essential chaperones. They facilitate protein folding directly and act as key components of cellular protein folding and disaggregation machines.30,33–35 Hsp70 has a role in all aspects of protein “quality control” including synthesis, translocation across membranes, protection from aggregation during conditions of cellular stress, recovery from aggregates, and facilitating degradation or sequestration of irrecoverably misfolded or aggregated proteins.36–38 Hsp70 acts by binding and releasing exposed hydrophobic stretches of incompletely folded proteins (see Fig. 2). This cycle relies on conformational changes regulated by ATP hydrolysis and ADP/ATP exchange. ATP-bound Hsp70 has low substrate affinity and rapid exchange, while ADP-bound Hsp70 binds substrate with high affinity and slow exchange. Thus, ATP hydrolysis helps Hsp70 trap substrates while ADP release and rebinding of ATP allows substrate release. Binding of partially folded proteins masks hydrophobic surfaces to prevent aggregation or keep proteins extended during translocation. Cycling between low and high affinity states provides opportunities for incompletely folded proteins to fold properly when released, or to be re-bound. Eukaryotes typically encode several Hsp70 paralogs. S. cerevisiae encodes six canonical cytosolic Hsp70s, four of the essential Ssa subfamily (Ssa1p-Ssa4p) and two of the ribosome-associated Ssb subfamily.39–41
Hsp70 has very slow intrinsic ATP hydrolysis and ADP release, which provide key points for regulation of its reaction cycle. Accordingly, Hsp70 function is intimately associated with co-chaperones that regulate its function at these steps and recruit it to various sub-cellular locations or chaperone machineries.37 The most abundant and obligatory regulators are Hsp40s, which bind substrate with specificity overlapping that of Hsp70 and stimulate Hsp70 ATP hydrolysis. This combination of activities allows Hsp40 to present substrates to Hsp70 and coordinate Hsp70 ATP hydrolysis with substrate binding.42,43 S. cerevisiae encodes over a dozen Hsp40 homologs, the major ones being Ydj1p and Sis1p. Among the others, Apj1p was identified as antagonizing [PSI+] when overexpressed.44 Efficient cycling of Hsp70 also requires nucleotide exchange factors (NEFs), which accelerate ADP release and subsequent rebinding of ATP so Hsp70 can release substrate. Fes1p and Sse1p (Hsp110) are the major cytosolic S. cerevisiae NEFs.45–47 Additionally, the tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR)-containing Hsp90 co-chaperones Sti1p (Hop1) and Cns1p stimulate Hsp70 ATPase, and Cpr7p affects Hsp70 function in an uncertain way.48–50 This large number of Hsp70 regulators allows many combinations of interactions that can affect Hsp70 activity in distinct ways to fine-tune its function (see Fig. 2).
Studies using a candidate approach or co-purification of Sup35p or Rnq1p showed that Ssa and Ssb Hsp70s and their Ydj1p, Sis1p and Sse1p co-chaperones individually or cooperatively bind preferentially to the prion form of Sup35p.51–53 Although many of the purified chaperones bind Sup35p independently, the most abundant protein(s) co-purifying from [PSI+] cells is Ssa1/2p (indicated this way since Ssa1p and Ssa2p are nearly identical and distinguishing if either or both were present was not determined), suggesting that Hsp70 interacts directly with Sup35p in vivo and that its co-factors might associate with prions through interaction with Hsp70. Consistent with this view, binding of Ssa1p and its co-factors Sse1p and Sis1p to Sup35p in vitro is enhanced when they are combined. Hsp104 was also identified among the less abundant proteins co-purifying with Sup35p preferentially from [PSI+] cells, suggesting that some Hsp70 and co-chaperone effects on prion phenotype, particularly with respect to prion replication, could be due to alterations of the disaggregation machinery. These studies provide evidence that the influence of altered expression of these chaperones on prions is due to alteration of growth or replication of prions by direct interactions of the chaperones.
Several groups have addressed this possibility by monitoring action of chaperones on amyloid and on the kinetics of assembly of Sup35p and Ure2p, or their prion-determining regions, into amyloid.54–57 Overall the biochemical data showing fragmentation of amyloid or inhibition of amyloid assembly are consistent with binding interactions of the different chaperones with ex vivo soluble and prion forms of proteins. However, results from different groups conflict and some conclusions based on data from in vitro experiments are not consistent with phenotypic effects shown from genetic studies. These discrepancies illustrate the difficulty in recapitulating the complex interplay of chaperones in vivo using purified components, and the actual mechanisms of how chaperones alter prion propagation remain uncertain.
We isolated a mutant of the Hsp70 Ssa1p with the L483W substitution, designated Ssa1-21p, in an unbiased screen for cellular factors that inhibit [PSI+].58 Residue L483 is in the substrate-binding domain (SBD) away from the binding pocket but near the ATPase domain interface. Although it is a universally conserved residue, the mutation has no detectable effect on stress tolerance or cell growth under all conditions tested, suggesting it affects a specific and non-essential Hsp70 activity. To gain insight into how the mutation alters Hsp70 function we mutagenized wild type Ssa1p to identify additional mutations that caused a similar anti-prion effect, and Ssa1-21p to identify second-site mutations that restore normal prion propagation despite the presence of L483W.50,59 All of the new prion-inhibiting mutations were in the ATPase domain, suggesting regulation of chaperone activity was more important than direct substrate interactions for the inhibitory effect, an interpretation supported by a subsequent screen.60 Locations of the second-site mutations indicated they suppress anti-prion effects of L483W by reducing ATP hydrolysis through inhibiting interaction with Hsp40 or TPR co-chaperones, or by weakening substrate trapping. These mutations also suppress the other [PSI+]-inhibiting mutations, implying that all the Hsp70 mutations that impair [PSI+], regardless of the domain in which they are located, do so by a similar mechanism that involves alteration of the Hsp70 reaction cycle to favor the ADP-bound state (see Fig. 2).
Subsequent genetic analysis confirmed this conclusion showing that prion propagation could be inhibited by altering NEF and TPR regulators of Ssa1p in a way that accelerates Hsp70 ATP hydrolysis or slows ADP release.50 For example, either increasing ATPase by increasing abundance of Sti1p or decreasing ADP release by deleting Fes1p weakens [PSI+] phenotype, while deleting Sti1p or increasing Fes1p improves it (see Fig. 2). Thus, perturbing the Hsp70 reaction cycle in a similar way, either directly by mutation or indirectly by altering its regulators, has the same anti-prion effect. The TPR co-chaperones Cns1p and Cpr7p also affect prions in this system in predictable ways, showing that all of these co-chaperones affect prions through their ability to regulate Hsp70. The data suggest that enhanced binding of the soluble or insoluble form of Sup35p by Ssa1p interferes with prion replication. Further studies showed Ssa1-21p does not affect fiber fragmentation but promotes accretion of individual fibers into large aggregates or interferes with recovery of propagons from such aggregates.61
In line with the genetic results, biochemical analysis showed intrinsic ATP hydrolysis of Ssa1-21p is elevated ten-fold.62 It is unexpected that such a large change of this essential protein does not confer a growth or thermo-tolerance phenotype. It is probable that Hsp70 activity is regulated more stringently in vivo and that prions are particularly sensitive to the specific alteration of Hsp70 function. Additional surprises were that second site suppressing mutations that restore [PSI+] phenotype do not restore normal ATP hydrolysis, and that other prion-impairing Ssa1p mutants have nearly normal hydrolysis rates. Moreover, L483W is in the SBD, and the other mutants with normal ATPase activity are altered in the ATPase domain, although some of these latter mutations are in locations expected to affect functional interactions with co-factors that influence ATPase. Together with data showing that the mutations cause conformational changes in Ssa1p, the results suggest L483W inappropriately stimulates ATPase by altering conformation at the inter-domain interface, and the ATPase domain mutations affect regulation of ATP hydrolysis by co-factors or ATPase signaling to the SBD in ways that promote substrate binding. These studies are consistent with the observation that the prion-impairing effects are not caused by altering direct interaction of Hsp70 with substrate as much as by altering the regulation of this interaction, and by extension, the complexes of which Hsp70 is a component.
Among the yeast prions [URE3] is most sensitive to Ydj1p expression level. Although [URE3] does not require Ydj1p, overexpression of Ydj1p weakens [URE3] phenotype and causes gradual loss of [URE3] from dividing cells.63–65 Ydj1p binds to soluble Ure2p with or without its prion domain, and when added with purified Ure2p it inhibits formation of Ure2p amyloid in a concentration dependent manner.57,66 It was therefore believed that Ydj1p cured cells of [URE3] by binding soluble Ure2p and preventing fibril formation. However, when Ydj1p is added after Ure2p polymerization begins it does not affect amyloid formation. Moreover, cells overproducing Ydj1p have longer prion polymers.67 If this increased polymer size was due simply to faster growth, then elevating Ydj1p would not weaken [URE3] phenotype. Thus, in vivo Ydj1p seems to interfere with fragmentation of Ure2p polymers rather than with polymer assembly.
Interaction of Ydj1p with Ssa Hsp70 is critical for protein translocation and other processes important for cell growth.68,69 We recently showed the Ydj1p J-domain, which mediates interactions with Hsp70 and is needed for Ydj1p to stimulate Hsp70 ATPase, is sufficient for eliminating [URE3]. This result indicates that Ure2p binding by Ydj1p is dispensable for curing and suggests that regulation of Hsp70 by Ydj1p is crucial for the curing process. In agreement with these conclusions the J-domain mutant Ydj1-H34Q, which can dimerize and bind substrate but cannot functionally interact with Hsp70, does not cure [URE3]. Additionally, although elevating Sis1p or other Hsp40s has no effect on [URE3], the J-domains alone of Sis1p and another Hsp40, Jjj1p, do cure [URE3], which is consistent with overlapping functions of many yeast Hsp40 J-domains.64,65,70 Together, the data suggest that Ydj1p has a unique, non-J-domain Hsp40 activity and that it cures [URE3] by affecting prion replication through an interaction with Hsp70.
Overexpressing Ydj1p also cures some but not all variants of [PIN+]71 and it co-immuno-precipitates with the prion form of Rnq1p.72,73 As with [URE3], deleting Ydj1p does not affect propagation of typical [PIN+] prions.73 Ydj1p binding to Rnq1p might protect cells from prion toxicity, as overexpression of the Rnq1p prion domain is lethal to [PIN+] cells lacking Ydj1p. Binding of Ydj1p to Rnq1p requires Ydj1p farnesylation, but how the farnesyl chain influences Hsp40 function is unclear. It could be involved in regulation of Ydj1p substrate binding by altering Ydj1p conformation, in direct interaction with Rnq1p prion folding intermediates, or in regulation of other cellular factors that might influence [PIN+].73,74
Overexpressing Ydj1p also antagonizes artificial versions of [PSI+] prions. For example, variants of [PSI+PS], a hybrid prion with the S. cerevisiae Sup35p prion domain replaced by the analogous domain of Pichia methanolica Sup35p, are cured by increased Ydj1p with different efficiencies.11 Ssa1p also has modest curing activity on both [PSI+PS] and [URE3],11,75 and anti-prion effects are considerably enhanced when Ssa1p and Ydj1p are simultaneously overexpressed, suggesting Ydj1p also cures these prions indirectly through its action on Hsp70. As with Ure2p, combining Ydj1p and Ssa1p blocks fibrilization of purified Sup35p and Sup35-NM.55,56 When overexpressed, however, neither Ydj1p nor Ssa1p, alone or in combination, cures cells of typical [PSI+] prions so the significance of this interaction with Sup35p in vivo is uncertain.
Sis1p is an essential cytosolic Hsp40 whose association with Rnq1p in [PIN+] cells led to the identification of its role in prion propagation.51 Sis1p also possesses a unique Hsp40 activity in that it is the only cytosolic Hsp40 required for propagation of [PIN+], [PSI+] and [URE3].64,76 The non-essential G/F region confers Sis1p functional specificity, and this region is necessary for Sis1p function in [PIN+] propagation.51,77 Purified Sis1p binds specifically to a region of Rnq1p outside the prion-determining domain, and this binding is important for [PIN+] propagation.72,78 Whether the G/F region influences this binding is unknown. However, [RPS+], a hybrid prion formed from Sup35p with its prion domain replaced by that from Rnq1p, also requires the Sis1p G/F region while [PSI+] does not. These results show that although the Rnq1p prion domain lacks the Sis1p binding site, it specifies function of the Sis1p G/F region for propagation of [PIN+] and [RPS+]. Ssa1p also interacts with Rnq1p, and the Sis1p G/F region is believed to aid cooperation between Sis1p and Ssa1p in substrate interactions. The interaction of Sis1p and Ssa1p with Rnq1p occurs only in [PIN+] cells,51 and elimination of the ability of Sis1p to stimulate Hsp70 ATPase also inhibits [PIN+]. Together these data suggest that Sis1p operates as an Hsp70 co-chaperone with respect to [PIN+] propagation.64,72,76
When Sis1p or Hsp104 expression is repressed, the size of Rnq1p polymers increases and the number of [PIN+] propagons decreases.76 Both effects appear to be due to altered cooperation of Sis1p with Hsp70 and Hsp104, and imply that Sis1p is involved in fragmentation of Rnq1p polymers required for [PIN+] prion replication.76 Sup35p polymers in [PSI+] cells also increase in size when Sis1p is depleted or when Hsp104 is inhibited.23,64 Additionally, although a recent study to decipher the functional relationship between Sis1p and Hsp104 in [PSI+] propagation does not unequivocally distinguish between cause and effect, the data strongly suggest a role for Sis1p, in conjunction with its Hsp70 partner, to deliver prion substrates to the Hsp104 complex.79
A cytotoxic effect of overexpressing intact Rnq1p in [PIN+] cells is alleviated by increasing Sis1p abundance just 3-fold.78 Unexpectedly, increased expression of Sis1p promotes [PIN+] assembly rather than inhibiting it. These results led to the proposal that Sis1p plays a cytoprotective role by promoting formation of Rnq1p amyloid, which reduces accumulation of toxic oligomeric intermediates.78 The data therefore point to a dual function for Sis1p in [PIN+] propagation whereby Sis1p promotes growth as well as fragmentation of prion polymers.
In addition to the specific effects Ydj1p and Sis1p have on yeast prions, it is worth noting that these two Hsp40s have opposite effects on polyglutamine aggregation and toxicity.80 While Sis1p decreases both aggregation and toxicity, Ydj1 increases both. These Hsp40s regulate Hsp70 differently81 but whether their effects are direct or mediated by Hsp70 was not investigated. Hsp40 structural domains are interchangeable and expression of hybrid proteins has been used to determine domains important for prion-specific effects.72,82 Such analysis would be useful for identifying Hsp40 activities and possible chaperone interaction specificities that mediate the effects on polyglutamine.
In addition to the various ways different Hsp40s and other co-chaperones influence prions, highly homologous Hsp70 proteins also affect different prions differently. Constitutively expressed cytosolic Ssa1p and Ssa2p are 98% identical, and stress-inducible Ssa3p and Ssa4p are 88% identical to each other and 80% identical to Ssa1/2p. Remarkably, elevating expression of Ssa1p cures [URE3] but similarly elevating Ssa2p does not, and neither treatment affects [PSI+] stability.75 Additionally, [URE3] is weaker in cells lacking Ssa2p, but not in cells lacking Ssa1p,83,84 while [PSI+] is weaker in cells lacking Ssa1p but not in cells lacking Ssa2p.20,84 These data show that despite their nearly identical structures Ssa1p and Ssa2p have distinct activities, and suggest that propagation of the different prions relies on different Hsp70 functions.
Unlike the opposing effects Ssa1p and Ssa2p have on [URE3], increasing expression of any of the four Ssa proteins inhibits curing of [PSI+] by overexpressed Hsp104 and increases frequency of appearance of [PSI+] when Sup35p prion domain is overexpressed.52,85 These data point to a general [PSI+]-promoting activity of Ssa protein by antagonizing Hsp104 or enhancing assembly of Sup35p amyloid, although biochemical data suggest Ssa1p antagonizes amyloid formation. As an exception, certain variants of [PSI+] that form atypically larger aggregates respond oppositely to increases in abundance of Ssa1p and Hsp104. Efficient propagation of these prion variants under non-selective conditions requires increased Hsp104, which was interpreted to mean they are less susceptible to disaggregation by the Hsp104 machinery and thus require increased Hsp104 activity.86,87 Increasing Ssa1p was proposed to adversely affect propagation of these variants by further enhancing aggregation, which leads to increased destabilization. A very recent report shows that prions of a Sup35-GFP fusion protein can be cured by overexpressing Ssa1p.88 What makes the GFP fusion protein prion sensitive to inhibition by Ssa1p, unlike the native Sup35p prion used to induce its formation, was not investigated, but it is possible it also forms larger than normal prion aggregates. In contrast to the Ssa proteins, increasing or depleting Ssb Hsp70 subfamily protein shows Ssb protein consistently as a [PSI+] prion antagonist.89,90
One observation from these studies is that under different conditions the same Hsp70 can inhibit or promote propagation of the same prion. Since individual chaperones are components of complex machineries, and some even regulate expression of others, care should be used in interpreting data from overexpression studies as being due to simple mass action effects of increasing a particular enzymatic activity. In fact, with regard to Hsp104 and Hsp40 the effects of overexpression are inconsistent with a direct effect of the elevated chaperone activities on prion aggregates. Opposing effects could reflect differences in how a single elevated protein alters different machineries that influence processes of nucleation, assembly and fragmentation of prion polymers. As chaperones are involved in many cellular processes, the effects on prions could be through alteration of cellular processes, possibly connected to the normal functions or interacting partners of the prion protein, that specifically affect propagation of certain prions.
We developed a more simplified system to assess function of any individual Hsp70 by constructing yeast strains lacking all the Ssa proteins. We found that certain Hsp70s from primates and plants support both cell growth and prion propagation, and that they varied widely in these abilities.84,91 In line with phenotypes of cells lacking individual Ssa proteins, [PSI+] is normal in cells expressing only Ssa1p and somewhat weaker in cells expressing only Ssa2p. Although Ssa3p does not support growth as well as Ssa1/2p, [PSI+] is stronger in cells expressing only Ssa3p. [PSI+] is considerably weak but stable in cells expressing Ssa4p, which is weakest at supporting cell growth. In contrast, [URE3] was strong but mitotically unstable in Ssa1p-expressing cells, normal in cells expressing Ssa2p, weak and unstable in cells expressing Ssa3p, and weak but more stable in Ssa4p-expressing cells. Thus, for these Ssa Hsp70s there is no correlation between ability to support growth and prion propagation, and all but Ssa4p have opposite effects on the two prions. The former observation could mean that the different Ssa proteins have different abilities to perform in essential processes that don't affect prion propagation. The latter reveals subtle functional differences among the Hsp70s that might be due to differences in specificity of interactions with substrates or various co-chaperones. These data also show that despite the similar [PSI+] promoting effect of elevating abundance of any of these four Hsp70s, when expressed at physiological levels each has unique activities that influence prions in both positive and negative ways.
Prion “strength” and mitotic stability are related to the ratio of soluble to insoluble prion protein and the number of prions per cell, respectively.92,93 The solubility is determined by rate of polymer growth and depends on the speed that soluble protein adds to prion polymers and the number of ends that recruit it. The number of prions per cell, which determines the number of ends, reflects the rate of replication due to fragmentation of prion polymers. Therefore, noticeable changes in strength and stability phenotypes provide clues to whether growth or replication processes are affected.93 Although factors that affect prions can influence both growth and replication, these processes can be affected separately. For example, the unstable but strong [URE3] phenotype in cells expressing only Ssa1p probably reflects reduced prion replication, which leads to fewer prions per cell and an increased chance that daughter cells fail to inherit prions, yet the strong phenotype likely indicates normal or even accelerated polymer growth despite the reduced number of polymer ends. Conversely, the weak but stable phenotype of [URE] cells expressing only Ssa4p could reflect reduced growth of prion polymers but normal replication that maintains a high number of prions per cell. Here the implication is that Ssa1p inhibits or functions less efficiently at processes involving Ure2p polymer fragmentation, while Ssa4p inhibits addition of Ure2p monomers to polymers or is less efficient at promoting polymer growth.
Chaperone alterations that lead to inhibition of fragmentation, and therefore prion replication, likely occur through an effect on the Hsp104 machinery, which could be direct or by limiting interaction of Hsp104 with prions as substrates. In prion aggregates purified from [PSI+] cells, a molar ratio of Hsp70 (Ssa1/2p) to Sup35p of 1:2 indicates Hsp70 binds along entire Sup35p polymers and might help stabilize them.53 Hsp70s also could act to promote or inhibit growth of prions by binding at the ends of polymers.
The specificity of Hsp70 action on the different prions might be direct and determined by differences in affinity of Hsp70s for the different prion proteins as substrates, although the homology of Ssa1/2p substrate binding domains argues against it. Alternatively, as mentioned, many observations suggest Hsp70 effects on prions are due more to differences in the way they interact with other components of the chaperone machinery than to differences in intrinsic Hsp70 activity. Hsp40s also vary in substrate specificity and they interact differently with different Hsp70s and in their capacity to influence Hsp70 activity. For example, the differences in ways Sis1p and Ydj1p influence [PIN+] could be because they bind different regions of Rnq1p or because they differ in ability to regulate Ssa protein activity.73,78,81 Thus, while both Hsp70 and Hsp40 recognize prions as substrates, it is likely that specific Hsp70/40 combinations determine specificity for effects on different prions. These combinations are further amplified as different NEFs also affect the system. The curing effect of the NEFs Fes1p and Sse1p on [PSI+] and [URE3], respectively, appear to be mediated through Hsp70,50,67 as does a requirement of Sse1p for induction of [PSI+] when Sup35p is overexpressed.94 TPR co-chaperones also could affect prions through interactions with Hsp90, which has been shown to reduce induction of [PSI+] by Sup35p overexpression.94 In considering the distinctions in chaperone-prion interactions, it has been suggested that prions can be “typed” on the basis of the ways the different chaperones affect their propagation.67 However, the large number of combinations makes categorizing all the effects tricky, and since each prion has certain unique responses to chaperones, correlations are difficult to define (see Table 1).
Finally, although all amyloid-forming yeast prions tested assemble into in-register parallel beta-sheet conformations,95–99 it should be pointed out that differences in structural organization of polymers formed by different prion proteins, as well as different strains of the same prion, could influence their susceptibility to being recognized or acted on by chaperones. For example Ure2p might form more rigid structures than Sup35p, and thus rely more heavily on particular combinations of chaperone components that provide strongest fragmentation activity.
Defining the precise molecular mechanisms underlying prion propagation is challenging because altering chaperones affects prions in very many ways and the complex and often unpredictable ways chaperones interact with each other and with substrates in the cell make it difficult to simplify. Moreover, chaperones have roles in many diverse cellular processes so they can be expected to affect prions in indirect ways. Although the complexity is daunting, the strict requirement of Hsp104 and it's well-defined role in prion replication provides a basis for inferring that most chaperone alterations that influence the prion replication process are likely to be mediated through an effect on the Hsp104 machinery. At least for [PSI+], solubilization activity of Hsp104, which depends on Hsp70 and Hsp40, is critical for prion propagation, implying that Hsp104 does not act alone in [PSI+] replication. There is only one Hsp104 but many chaperones that influence the Hsp104 machinery. As a central player and regulatory target, Hsp70 links these chaperones to this machine.
This work was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney diseases.
Previously published online as a Prion E-publication: http://www.landesbioscience.com/journals/prion/article/9134

domain: biology


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I love to read fantasy/science fiction (all-time favourite author is Tanya Huff, with Emma Bull and Terry Pratchett – Mercedes Lackey used to be, until a trans friend of a friend pointed out some rather nasty transphobic stuff that made me lose all respect forever). I also love to read non-fiction, especially about history, anthropology, archaeology, paleontology, animal behaviour, comparative religions, but I might be found reading about just about anything if I might need it for something I’m writing.
I love music, which tends to be somewhere in the range of 80s classic rock (Def Leppard, Depeche Mode, Glass Tiger, Bon Jovi, Cyndi Lauper) to some of the modern stuff (Nickleback, Shakira, Matchbox 20/Rob Thomas, Garbage, Evanescence, Live) but some odd things turn up in my playlists sometimes that just happened to catch my attention.
I don’t really watch TV a lot, I find it takes up immense amounts of time and energy that I could better use for something more useful. There have been shows I’ve tried and enjoyed, but most of them have gone in bizarre directions that make me lose all interest (I’m looking at you, Supernatural), or end naturally (Sanctuary comes to mind). I adore the new Doctor Who, or at least I did – I tried my best to give Capaldi a chance, but between his rather bland acting and the mindbogglingly bad writing in the most recent episodes, I’m rapidly losing my enthusiasm. I’d much rather watch reasonably intelligent and reasonably unbiased non-fiction/documentaries.
I run a lolanimals site called Cheezland, which formed as a haven for the icanhascheezburger community when ICHC decided that a money grab mattered more than the opinions of the people who were responsible for the site’s activity level. (If you’re going to ask for feedback on changes, and it’s several thousand against and a handful in favour, you might consider listening…) I do enjoy captioned animal pics, if they’re clever and not mean, and some general silliness, and the playfulness and challenge of lolspeak (if you don’t know what I mean, there’s a page on lolspeak available in the menu bar).
Now and again I play computer games, but they tend to be a short-lived obsession at points when I need a bit of down-time to recover. I prefer world-builder or simulation games, or puzzle-based games of a few kinds. Computer RPGs often bore me, given that experience tends to come only from killing things. Table-top and live action RPGs can be a lot of fun, but it’s been some time since I had a group to play with.
There are several webcomics I enjoy following. My hands-down favourite is El Goonish Shive. I enjoyed the earlier comics of The Wotch, but less so recently. New posts from Gunnerkrieg Court, PS238 and Use Sword On Monster and Full Frontal Nerdity (all by the same creator!), and The Order of the Stick are all things I look forward to.

domain: hobby


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Mahira Khan Shares Her First Meeting With Shah Rukh Khan
Mahira Khan opens up about her awkward meeting with King Khan
Ace Pakistani actress Mahira Khan shares her experience of meeting the King of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan.
Undoubtedly, the superstar of Pakistan Film Industry who debuted with Shoaib Mansoor’s movie ‘Bol’ opposite to Atif Aslam in 2011. For her brilliant performance in Lollywood’s various movies, Khan was awarded with the Best Film Actress awards for film ‘Verna’ and ‘Ho Mann Jahan.’
Beside films, the actress has also won the Best TV actress Award for the blockbuster drama ‘Humsafar.’
After raising the heartbeats in Pakistan, Mahira crossed the border to act opposite to the unparalleled superstar and yet another Khan, Mr. Shah Rukh Khan.
The film Raees was the highest-grossing 2017 release in which Mahira’s work was much appreciated by the audience of both countries.
Sharing her experience of working in Bollywood, Mahira shared an interesting story.
An interview is taking rounds on social media where the 45-year-old actress opened how she met Shah Rukh Khan for the first time, “Many other girls gave their audition, and I thought I gave a bad audition, but I memorized each and everything. I met everyone there, and when I went out, I saw Shah Rukh Khan, and it was magical like it is in the movies.”
According to Mahira, meeting Shah Rukh was an awkward moment for her, “I just went to him and said ‘hello,’ but he said ‘Assalam-o-Alaikum.’ How could I not say Assalam-o-Alaikum, that’s my thing. I am from Pakistan; why did I not say that? I replied, of course, Assalam-o-Alaikum. I was just being neutral and said hello first.”
Mahira’s upcoming project includes ‘Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad’ which is Nabeel Qureshi’s production. Popular actor and host Fahad Mustafa will star opposite to the actress. The film was due on this Eid-ul-Azha but no further announcement has been made about its release.


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You can call
North Dakota State, a Football Championship Subdivision (used to be Division I-AA) power, has won six consecutive games against top-level opponents since 2010.
Oh, and thanks, Iowa, for that $500,000 the Bison got just for showing up for the game at Iowa City.
North Dakota State has won five consecutive FCS titles and is top ranked again this season, though there was plenty of reason to believe its streak against upper-division teams was in jeopardy against Iowa.
The Bison's last five wins over Football Bowl Subdivision teams weren't exactly powerhouses; those opponents finished with combined records of 20-41.
Plus, North Dakota State's first two wins this season came in overtime, against Charleston Southern and Eastern Washington.
The Cardiac Kids theme held true again versus Iowa. The Bison won on a 37-yard field goal by Cam Pedersen as time expired.
North Dakota State, the program that produced No. 2 NFL draft pick
In the meantime, quarterback Easton Stick, who guided the Bison to eight wins last season when Wentz was injured, ran his college career record to 11-0 by completing 11 of 19 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown and running for 35 yards.
Looking like a champ
Louisville honored native son
The red helmets of Cardinals players bore a white butterfly decal with "Ali" printed inside it. The same butterfly design — this one covering about 30 square feet — adorned an area beyond one end zone.
Ali rose to fame as a teenage boxer in Louisville before winning the gold medal as a light-heavyweight fighter in the 1960 Rome Olympics. He died June 3 at 74.
As for Jackson, in three games he has rushed for 464 yards and 10 touchdowns and passed for 913 yards and eight touchdowns as the Cardinals have scored 195 points.
The band formed "Title IX" in front of the Baylor fan section, an obvious reference to the multiple Title IX lawsuits that have been filed against the university in sexual assault cases.
It also formed a star and played "Hit the Road Jack" — an ode to former Baylor president Kenneth Starr, who was removed from his post after an investigation into the university's actions relating to assault allegations.
On Saturday, Rice issued a statement expressing "regret" and saying the band's efforts at satire may have gone "too far."

domain: news


Coronavirus and operating your business safely
Information on the Governments roadmap including which businesses and venues may open and when can be found on the Gov.uk website.
Information and advice for businesses is available on the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership website. Free support packages are available to small businesses through Stay Safe Stay Open. More information on how to get support can be found on the Visit Herts website.
A person operating a business in contravention of the Government's regulations will be committing an offence and may receive a fixed penalty notice as a result. East Herts Council's Environmental Health team with support from Hertfordshire Trading Standards will monitor compliance with these regulations.
If after reading the guidance, you have further questions, please email them to firstname.lastname@example.org
Businesses must ensure that their workplace is COVID-secure to protect employees and other people on site. They must carry out a risk assessment and make sensible adjustments to the site and workforce. The Government has produced 14 guides to help ensure your work place is COVID-secure on the Gov.uk website.
The following should be carried out as a minimum:
- COVID-19 risk assessment
- Cleaning, hand washing and hygiene procedures in line with guidance
- Provide adequate ventilation in enclosed spaces
When these steps have been taken businesses should display the Staying COVID-19 Secure poster from GOV.UK in their premises. This will inform employees, customers and visitors that the appropriate actions have been taken.
Part of ensuring your business is COVID-secure is carrying out a COVID-19 Risk Assessment. This will help understand what needs to be done in order to work safely and protect staff, customers and visitors.
Businesses should update their risk assessments to manage the risk of coronavirus in their business and keep these under review against new government guidance. The risk assessment should identify control measures that need to be put in place to ensure that employees are working safely, what to do if there is a case of COVID-19 in the workplace and early COVID-19 outbreak management. It should also include assessing the risk to customers, suppliers, contractors and visitors where applicable.
Continued opening up of the economy is reliant on NHS Test and Trace being used to minimise transmission of the virus. Guidance on how to maintain records of staff, customers and visitors to support NHS Test and Trace can be found on the Gov.uk website.
Guidance on the Test and Trace service in the work pace can be found on the Gov.uk website.
Rather than create your own system, you can choose to display an official NHS QR code poster so that customers and visitors can 'check-in' using this option as an alternative to providing their contact details. You can create an Official NHS QR poster online on the Gov.uk website.
The NHS COVID-19 app, now available to download for free in England and Wales, is the fastest way to see if you're at risk from coronavirus. You can download the NHS COVID-19 app on the NHS website.
If you are diversifying your business activity during this time, for example; operating a new food delivery service, selling online for the first time or perhaps manufacturing new products, advice is available on the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership website.
You may be able to apply for a temporary pavement licence if your business is considering having outdoor furniture, such as a stall or tables and chairs, or planning to extend an area of outside space that you already have a licence for.
Find out more on our Pavement Licensing page.
Businesses may have many questions about how to operate safely. Below is a list of useful information and guidance for business operators.
- Details on who needs to wear a face covering and when can be found on the Gov.uk website
- Guidance on using and supplying hand sanitiser can be found on the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership website
- Advice on cleaning, hygiene and hand washing can be found on the HSE website
- Guidance for food businesses on coronavirus can be found on the Gov.uk website
- Information on making business continuity arrangements can be found on Hertfordshire County Councils website
- Advice on how to ensure you are looking after your mental health and wellbeing can be found on the Gov.uk website
- Guidance on managing Legionella in building water systems during the COVID-19 pandemic can be found on the European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases website
- You can also watch British Sign Language versions of government advice on the SignHealth website
- More information can be found on Hertfordshire County Councils website.
Red asterisk denotes a required answer.


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Democrats will be just one agonizing seat short of a majority. There will be one, and possibly two runoffs in Georgia on Jan. 5 that could conceivably hand Biden a working 50-50 Senate majority. If Collins hangs on to her seat, however, a GOP Senate is a done deal.
One thing we can say with some certainty: What Democrats hoped for most of all, a Biden landslide, did not materialize last night. While they will celebrate removing the president from office if and when the results are certified, Democrats wanted a more resounding repudiation of Trumpism and a chance to govern with congressional majorities for the first time in a decade. President Trump is already sending ominous signals that he will refuse to go quietly, declaring victory in the middle of the night and proclaiming on Twitter this morning that he had won the election before states started counting "surprise ballots, " and he is likely to spend the next two months sowing doubt about the outcome, stoking further divisions in an already traumatized, volatile country, and doing as much damage as possible to Biden and the country on his way out.
Perhaps the hardest thing to accept might be this: Trump's disgraceful, years-long strategy of turning Americans against one another very nearly worked. Just four years ago, a fluke confluence of circumstances — the historic unpopularity of Hillary Clinton, the media's bizarre obsession with an email server she hadn't used in four years, the last-minute intervention of former FBI Director James Comey in the election, and two relatively well-known third party candidates — handed an unpopular and unprepared candidate and his party total control of Washington, D. C., despite lacking anything approaching majority support even on Election Day.
Rather than taking office with humility, President Trump interpreted his unlikely and unrepeatable victory as an invitation to speak to, govern for, and care about only his hardest-core supporters and to regard every other American and their hopes, dreams, and fears as not only irrelevant but illegitimate. He didn't spend a single moment of a single day in office reaching out to people who didn't vote for him, or pretending to care about states that he would likely lose in 2020. Each day of his presidency he discovered new and previously unimagined ways to undermine American democracy and to debase himself and his party.
shopusacigarettes.com]Online Cigarettes Store USA[/url]


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Last weekend I bought this pattern from Lil Blue Boo. I've liked her clothes for awhile but was a little intimidated, I've never bought a pattern or sewn something this complicated. The pattern is great, lots of different choices and I'll be able to use it for years to make dresses for Beri. Sewing with knits? I love it, I love that they make such soft comfy clothes and I love how the stretch in the fabric made it easier to match up the pattern. The pattern also showed me how to do ruffles on the bottom... I'm intimidated by any new sewing technique but it was easy peasy. I could have ruffled all Beri's onesies last summer!
Here's my first attempt.
It turned out too short to be a dress but how cute does it look with baby jeans?
For the second I made it a bit longer...
... I like it, but it's missing something.... What do you think?
Maybe I need to learn how to make a ruffled fabric flower???
Not until today did I realize how freakin' difficult it is to take a good picture of a baby in an outift... especially one who just learned to crawl around. I had to chase her all over the bed to get just a few ok shots. Speaking of which, have you seen this?

domain: design


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On Thursday afternoon Sharif El-Gamal, the developer of the Islamic community center in lower Manhattan that everyone has another name for, gave an interview to NY1, a local cable-news station. El-Gamal reiterated that he has no intention of moving the project, as many Republicans and even some prominent Democrats have asked him to. The projects' critics maintain that placing an Islamic institution two blocks north of the edge of the former World Trade Center site is an insensitive declaration of victory for the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks.
The projects' defenders have argued that the 19 hijackers do not reflect all of the world's more than 1 billion Muslims any more than Timothy McVeigh represents all Christians, and they have explained why the project is protected under the First Amendment.
But instead, El-Gamal made an argument that might perplex non–New Yorkers: that his critics' whole premise is wrong, because the site is not at Ground Zero. "It is two blocks north of the World Trade Center site,” said El-Gamal. “In New York City, two blocks is a great distance ... so we are nowhere near the World Trade Center site." This may sound preposterous to someone from a place where distances are typically measured in miles (two blocks is approximately on tenth of a mile), but it's true.
Manhattan, particularly downtown, is a warren of small streets, often at odd angles, with a hodgepodge of uses crammed together. New York neighborhoods are often defined by a mere street, such as Sutton Place on the East Side, or Little Italy, which is also known simply as Mulberry Street. In that context, a few blocks can make a world of difference. In the words of one New Yorker who works nearby, the site of the proposed Park51 center is "practically in another borough" from Ground Zero.
As Matthew Yglesias, a native Manhattanite, explains:
"Century 21 is literally across the street from where the World Trade Center once stood, and I think it’s fair to say that people described it that way—'right by the World Trade Center,' but I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone describe it as a 'Ground Zero Department Store' or anything like that ... But certainly it wouldn’t occur to anyone to refer to the entire panoply of things that are in a 2-3 block radius from the WTC superblock as somehow being 'at' Ground Zero ... There are actually a whole bunch of different subway stations in that radius but only one is the World Trade Center stations [sic]."
For context, consider this photo collection of what you find two blocks from the former World Trade Center site. It runs the gamut from a strip club to an Off-Track Betting store to fast-food restaurants. Would you call it the Ground Zero McDonald's?
One's degree of familiarity with the cosmopolitan bustle just blocks from Ground Zero might explain the phenomenon Hendrik Hertzberg identified in The New Yorker: "Opposition is roughly proportional to distance, even in New York. According to a recent poll, Manhattanites are mostly for it, Staten Islanders mostly against."
So perhaps it is the ignorance of New York's urban fabric that causes non–New Yorkers, from John Boehner to Harry Reid, to oppose the project. There's a solution for this conundrum, which is that land-use policy is determined, as it should be, at the local rather than national level. The community board voted 29–1 in favor of the project. So where is the conservative's affection for states' rights now?

domain: geography


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The Ontario Building Code | Libraries
(1) Except as permitted by Sentence (2), a library book storage room that is not normally accessible to the public shall be separated from the remainder of the building by a fire separation with a fire-resistance rating not less than 2 h if it,
(a) is more than 250 m2 in area, or
(b) contains book stacks that,
(i) are more than 10 m high, or
(ii) penetrate more than one floor assembly.
(2) The fire separation required by Sentence (1) is not required if the book storage room is sprinklered.
(3) Open book shelves are permitted above and below a mezzanine floor in a library buildingprovided the height of the shelves is not more than 2.1 m but not more than 75% of the floor-to-ceiling height of the space above or below the mezzanine floor assembly.

domain: library


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After a recent update and redesign of the RAV4 we know that the 2015 Toyota RAV4 model will come with only small changes. Highly popular models like this one are needed to deliver small improvements so that it would be possible for car maker to distinguish it from the previous year model.
Popularity of small crossover segment is increasing and advantages that these vehicles offer are quite obvious. Combination of great fuel economy, interior space, great looks, performances, equipment and entry level off-road capabilities make these vehicles great choice for many drivers that have family but also for those that are just looking for a slightly higher ride. Four adults will have a lot of space but the back seat could be slightly small for three adults and this could be noticeable problem on long journeys but nothing special.
Changes that were delivered in the interior with the last redesign are something that we need to praise this car maker for. Dashboard is made of more quality materials and its design is much more modern than before. There are still competitors that offer more in this segment but still we like the comfort level that RAV4 brings. Most systems can be controled over a touchscreen but it sometimes can be laggy. Slight improvements regarding the buttons that sometimes feel not that premium could be offered in the future models in this lineup and we would like to see further improvements.
Changes For 2015 Toyota RAV4
If we do not count electric version that is produced by Toyota and Tesla Motors than only engine that is available for this model is the 2.5 liter four cylinder unit. This engine brings 176 hp and 172 pound feet of torque. Comparing to other main players on the market this is segment where Toyota falls short. We do hope that Toyota will opt to deliver hybrid but also few other engines in this lineup. All wheel driver version will return 22/29/25 mpg while the front wheel drive model will offer 24/31/26 mpg. Acceleration from 0 to 60 mph with AWD system is done in about 9.2 seconds which is average time in segment.
We are pretty sure that this vehicle in combination with 2.5 liter inline four cylinder unit will be a good option for many buyers. Power is transfered through a six speed automatic transmission prividing quite smooth transition but downshifts are something that we do not like to much. If you decide to suddenly accelerate it will need few moments to downshift, slightly slower than we would like to.
Another thing that drivers could notice is the fact that when you are traveling at steady speed but going uphil the transmission will try to find optimal gear resulting in many gear changes. This is done because Toyota set it up for the best fuel economy delivery. No matter how you driver it and where you drive it you will be getting one vehicle with great sound insulation.
2015 Toyota RAV4 Release Date
Since the 2015 Toyota RAV4 comes only as a slightly different model than the previous year version it is obvious that there will be no major event for the release of this car. Even the release date has not been specified we do expect it to be officially presented in the next three to six months and that the dealerships will receive it slightly after that.


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For all of you Lion King fans out there, you are definitely going to want to check out this latest merchandise announcement. Starting today, there is a variety of new merchandise available at Disney’s Animal Kingdom that is inspired by The Lion King. We have a look at some of the new items for you below.
The items include a variety of different t-shirts and other apparel that feature Simba and Nala. The items are now available at Mombasa Marketplace, Island Mercantile and Discovery Trading Company within Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
There is also a new Funko Pop collection that is inspired by characters from The Lion King. Rafiki, Simba, Scar, Pumba and Timon can soon be found at Disney’s Animal Kingdom locations.
Per Disney Parks Blog: Disney’s “The Lion King” journeys to the African savanna where a future king must overcome betrayal and tragedy to assume his rightful place on Pride Rock. The all-star cast includes Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa and Billy Eichner as Timon. Utilizing pioneering filmmaking techniques to bring treasured characters to life in a whole new way, Disney’s “The Lion King” roars into theaters on July 19, 2019.
Here is a look at the latest trailer for the new movie:
Who else can’t wait to see The Lion King in theaters?
Photo and Source Credit: Disney Parks Blog

domain: entertainment


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These are relatively common hernias that may occur in both sexes, although they are more common in males. Inguinal hernias may occur at any age, and may even occur in infants. Together with femoral hernias (which are more common in females) they form the group known as groin hernias. Inguinal hernias are classified as indirect or direct, depending on where they anatomically originate. This distinction is difficult or impossible to make prior to surgery, and is of little importance, since the approach for repair of either is the same. Occasionally there may even be components of both indirect and direct herniation present at the same hernia site.
Not uncommonly, inguinal hernias are associated with little or no pain, and may be found incidentally at the time of a work or school physical exam. Subtle complaints of a heaviness or fullness in the groin area may be noted, particularly after prolonged standing. Resting or sleeping tends to relieve the discomfort. A smooth bulge or swelling may be visible and/or palpable, just at or above the groin crease, medially. As with most hernias, inguinal hernias frequently will enlarge slowly over time. It is commonly assumed that inguinal/groin hernias are associated with vigorous activities, including heavy lifting and possibly sports–hence the often heard, but inaccurate term, “sports hernia”. There is actually little fact to support this belief—ie. both construction workers and accountants are at matched risk for developing an inguinal hernia!
Inguinal hernia repair now almost always involves implantation of some type of patch material. The notable exception is in infants and young children. The development of the tension-free repair principle, utilizing mesh to patch and reinforce the defect, provides for a more durable repair with a low recurrence risk, and significantly less post-operative pain, compared to the historical sutured repair. Application of laparoscopic technology, together with lightweight anatomically contoured mesh, allows these principles to be employed through three small tubes, or ports. Even less post-operative pain, and a prompt return to full unrestricted activity, is the result.

domain: medical


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Danny DeVito is the latest addition to Disney’s upcoming Haunted Mansion film.
THR is reporting that the Taxi and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star has an undisclosed role. The film is based upon the popular Disney ride of the same name. DeVito joins a cast that already features Owen Wilson, Rosario Dawson, LaKeith Stanfield, and Tiffany Haddish.
Haunted Mansion will be directed by Justin Simien (Dear White People) from a screenplay written by Katie Dippold (Parks and Recreation). Further details about the new adaptation’s plot are still being kept under wraps, but Stanfield will reportedly play a widower who once believed in the supernatural but is now a rather lifeless tour guide in New Orleans’s French Quarter. Meanwhile, Haddish will portray a psychic hired to commune with the dead.
The titular theme park was first adapted into the 2003 film which starred Eddie Murphy as a workaholic realtor who along with his family gets trapped inside a mansion inhabited by ghosts.
The new Haunted Mansion movie is being produced by Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich (Aladdin) of Rideback. Rideback’s Nick Reynolds will serve as executive producer.
The project comes after the recent successful launch of Jungle Cruise starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily. A sequel to the action-adventure film is currently in the works.


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User:Adopter of Knowledge
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
Star Wars, MCU, all that jazz. Walking Dead, Into the Badlands, and Toonami. Dubstep, Metal, and rock. Not alot, aside from Halo. EVERY ONE OF THEM! Nothing here. Pizza. Soda.
My favorite Halo moment has to be running down the Guardian.
My worst Halo moment has to be dying over and over to invisible sword Elites.
I'm a user over at the Halo Archive!

domain: game


Date set for hearing on proposed railway
Published 6:00 pm, Tuesday, December 4, 2001
The proposed rail line is designed to create competitive rail service for plastics and chemical industry shippers in the Bayport Industrial District.
As stated in the Federal Register, the meetings will be held Jan. 14 from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. and Jan. 15 from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. at the Pasadena Convention Center at 7902 Fairmont Parkway in Pasadena.
The STB plans to conduct the informal scoping meetings in a workshop format.
The San Jacinto Rail partners and BNSF are encouraging residents and those interested to attend and ask questions about the proposed line and the board's environmental review process.
Citizens may also advise the STB's representatives about potential environmental concerns.
Following the public scoping meetings, the STB's Section of Environmental Analysis will issue a final Scope of Study for the EIS shortly after Feb. 1, 2001, the close of the written comment period.
A preliminary draft of the Scope of Study can be found on San Jacinto Rail's Web site at www.stb.dot.gov.
Through its Web site, San Jacinto plans to continue providing the public with information about the proposed project.
Since August, San Jacinto Rail has been very active in meeting with public officials and community organizations to keep them fully informed about the project and plans to continue its ongoing efforts to work with interested parties to identify their concerns.
The proposed rail line would be operated by Burlington Northern Santa Fe and would connect several rail-served plastics and chemical-producing facilities in the Bayport Industrial District with BNSF's network.
The proposed line would run from a point near Ellington Field and extend to the end of the Bayport Industrial District, just east of state highway 146.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe would connect to the new line via trackage rights, which the Surface Transportation Board is being asked to grant. The formal petition was filed Aug. 30.
San Jacinto Rail is a limited partnership comprised of Burlington Northern and its affiliates, AtoFina Petrochemicals, Basell USA, Equistar Chemicals and Lyondell Chemical Co.
The mission of the partnership is to provide competitively priced rail service that is sensitive to public safety and the environment, officials said.


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New Territory Account Manager Jim Ellingsen has been hired by the Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence Production Software business as a member of the sales team for NCSIMUL manufacturing simulation software.
Based out of Bloomington, Minnesota, Ellingsen will serve customers in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Ellingsen, whose career includes more than 30 years of global sales experience in the manufacturing industry, attended St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
“I am able to truly understand the unique challenges and demands faced by our customers within the different industry niches,” he said.


New in for summer is our yoga every damn day sleeveless tank top. Suitable for yoga addicts like us aspiring to practice yoga every day, be that on or off the mat. Complete the yogi look with our yogaleggs animal print yoga pants.
Yogaleggs tank tops are super soft and very comfortable, made of organic cotton. Like our yogaleggs, these tank tops are perfect for keeping your yoga wardrobe stylish and great for like-minded yogis.
- Loose fit
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- Limited edition
- Machine wash at 30c
- Do not tumble dry
- Do not bleach
- Always refer to instructions on the garment
S, M, L
50% organic combined cotton, 50% Tencel


Ego Village ( Leparada) : The Galo people’s federation (GPF) today demanded immediate restoration of Likabali-Basar road for better communication of people living on the area.
GPF team led by its president Doya Boje meet the top officials of the National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) during the inspection to Ego village in Leparada district.
Doya said that ” The RCC bridge, several dwelling, shops , agriculture, horticulture and standing crops and other properties has been washed away in the devastation on 17 Sep, need to immediate repairing, and restoration for the convenient of the general public.
Doya said that ” The road from LIkabali to Basar connecting the Lower Siang, Leparada and East Siang district is in bad shape and need immediate repairing, and restoration as hundreds of commuters are facing lots of inconvenience. He urge upon the NHIDCL Executive Director (Technical) Col. Ajay Ahluwalia for early restoration of the communication which included immediate construction of temporary passage for vehicular movement between the district.
Talking to press, Doya inform that the NHIDCL has assured to construct a temporary connectivity with the help of hume pipe and later a permanent bridge will be constructed at the place where the RCC bridge was washed away during the devastation. Doya said.
He said that area has been reeling under darkness since Sept 17 and appeal the power department for immediate restoration of power supply.
He said that “under construction road from Likabali-Basar is in bad shape and the commuters has been facing lots of inconvenient when they stopped at various location for hours together. He urged upon the district administration to direct the construction agency not to stop the commuters for long as several person has several important works in their respective destination.
The team also meet several victim family of Sept 17 devastation and assure them of their support. The GPF also distributed several relief items which include emergency light, solar lantern, cooking gas stove, umbrella and cash collected among the executive members.
General Secretary Reken Ingo while requested the executing agency to maintain precautionary measures with regards to safety of workers and commuters at several vulnerable and landslide prone area so that accident does not takes place and common people and commuters does not face problem during their journey.
The GPF team Vice President (P) Tujum Poyom, Vice President (A) Marjum Karlo, Secretary Education Daksap Ete, Convener Marto Basar, Chief Auditor Kengo Ori among others.


Interview with senior lawyer and a member of Sri Lanka’s RTI Commission, Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena.
The Editors | Sep 24, 2018
Interview with anthropologist Mallika Shakya on Nepal's political economy.
The Editors | Sep 12, 2018
One year after the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, a selection of articles on the region.
A brief history of English-literature exams in contemporary India.


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Sous Vide Chicken Noodle Soup
Emily Farris and Jeff Akin are the co-founders of Feed Me Creative, a former culinary creative agency in Kansas City, MO.
Shop Sous Vide Cookers
Edge-to-edge perfection. No skill required.
Ingredients for 8
1 (4-pound) whole chicken, trussed
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups finely diced carrots
2 cups finely diced celery
2 cups finely diced white onion
1 dried bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound dried egg noodles
Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 150°F (65°C).
Combine the chicken, stock, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon salt in a very large zipper lock bag. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique.
Place the bag in the water bath and set the timer for 6 hours. Cover the water bath with plastic wrap to minimize water evaporation. Add water intermittently to keep the chicken submerged.
When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Carefully remove the chicken from the bag. Pour the cooking liquid and vegetables into a large pot or Dutch oven.
Let the chicken cool for at least 20 minutes. Remove and shred the meat. Discard bones.
Bring the soup mixture to a boil over high heat. Add the egg noodles and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the chicken. Simmer until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.


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iaa Elsayed, Egypt Assistant Coach has expressed joy over his team’s victory over host Cameroon.
Egypt scaled through to the final of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after defeating hosts Cameroon 3-1 in a penalty shootout following a goalless draw after extra time in Yaounde.
Elsayed who stood in for coach Carlos Queiroz in a the post-match press conference after the coach was shown a red card for losing his temper on the touch line said the players made the difference in a difficult match.
He however stressed that even though they managed to reach the final, they are yet to achieve their final goal.
“Each time, the Egyptian team are always favourites to win the tournament. Tonight we played the usual game and we managed to reach the final.
“I will like to thank our coach Carlos Queiroz who was expelled during the game as well as all the players who made the difference with their ardor and grinta throughout the tournament.
“We are happy, it’s true, but we have not yet reached the final objective: the coronation,” he said.
Elsayed also praised their talisman Salah for his contribution to the success of the team thus far.
“I can also add that our background is also due to the presence of one of the great players in our training, namely Mohamed Salah.
“A very essential player in our team and who remains the centerpiece for us,” he said.
Also, Man-of-the Match, Mohamed Abdelmoneim praised Salah for his support to the team, adding that he made the difference in a difficult match against a strong Cameroon side.
“It was a good match for us.
“A difficult match against a good Cameroonian team but our team knew how to make the difference with a Mohamed Salah who supported us throughout the match like a great leader.
“Thank God, we succeeded in our penalty shootout to secure a place in the final,” he said.


The time of the future has arrived. Smart thermostats, which monitor your energy usage and adjust their settings accordingly, have become more popular among customers. Although these gadgets seem like something out of the opening of “I Am Legend,” we have to question if they can actually help you save money on your electricity bill.
The use of a programmable room thermostat can reduce monthly energy costs. In terms of annual returns, some families have made $50, while others have made over $150. These gadgets can learn and track your habits to help you save money. There is no universal answer to the question of how much money may be saved by installing a smart thermostat.
There’s no guarantee that installing a smart thermostat will result in significant cost savings. How much money you may expect to save by installing a smart thermostat is very context- and circumstance-specific. You may be wondering if a smart thermostat is a good investment for your home. Keep reading to learn the essentials.
Does a Smart Thermostat Save Energy?
The use of smart thermostats does help reduce energy use. The presence of humans in the home may be used by smart thermostats to create a timetable for the heating and cooling system. This feature typically employs the utilization of a mobile application to ascertain the user’s current location and provide predictions of when they are likely to return or leave the premises. You may save money on heating by reducing energy use and reducing the temperature of your house while no one is around.
How Much Energy Can a Smart Thermostat Save?
Energy savings estimates vary, but 10% is a good baseline. You will ultimately need to test your smart thermostat to see how effectively it functions.
Depending on factors like weather, square footage, and occupancy, a programmable thermostat may save anywhere from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars a year on your energy bill. Smart thermostats certified by Energy Star may reduce HVAC expenditures by an average of 8% per year, which translates to a $50 yearly savings. With a Nest learning thermostat, you may potentially reduce your heating costs by 10% to 12% and your cooling costs by 15%. A decrease of $131 to $145 off the typical yearly power cost is predicted. As much as 26%, according to Ecobee’s estimates. tado° estimates a possible reduction in costs of up to 31%.
However, these businesses have a strong interest in stunning data outputs. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that you may save 10% on heating and cooling by lowering your thermostat by 7 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit for eight hours a day from its normal setting. This is doable without a smart room thermostat, however it makes the transition much simpler.
How Much Does a Smart Thermostat Save Energy?
Smart thermostats conserve power by automatically decreasing heating and cooling when they are not needed. The technology detects the requirement by anticipating when individuals are at home and when they are away. Software algorithms can use the raw data of your arrivals and departures to construct forecasts over time, allowing temperature control to be activated prior to your anticipated arrival or departure.
Local weather can be considered by smart thermostats in order to optimize heating schedules. Ecobee research indicates that these weather algorithms can cut electricity use by 20%.
It’s worth mentioning that if a thermostat is programmable, you can certainly get the same outcomes as with a “smart” thermostat. Nevertheless, smart thermostats excel due to their usability. If a programmable thermostat has a poor interface, you are less likely to utilize it and realize energy savings. In contrast, you are more likely to use a well-designed smart thermostat that saves you money by doing much of the work for you, even though it has the same technological capabilities as a lower-end programmable thermostat.
Does the Energy Saving Mode of Thermostat Really Work?
A smart thermostat’s energy-saving mode promotes electricity consumption over comfort. This ultimately results in more savings on your bill. The specifics of these energy-saving modes vary by manufacturer, however this mode can overrule prior schedules unless otherwise specified. Even in energy-saving mode, there are often minimum and maximum safety temperatures that will activate the thermostat.
If accessible, smart thermostats will consider your provider’s time-of-use pricing, so it will err on the side of heating or cooling during off-peak hours to save money on electricity. In addition to the energy-saving mode, smart thermostats include a variety of other settings that may be adjusted for best comfort.
Hopefully, this post clarifies how much you may save by installing a room thermostat. With such a vast variety of sample data, it can be difficult to pinpoint precise statistics, but after a few months with your own system in place, the influence should be evident.
How Are Energy Savings Determined?
Smart thermostats save money by maintaining the lowest feasible temperature for as long as possible. You typically input your preferred temperature and daily routine. Based on this information, the thermostat guarantees that the room is comfortable for your return and conserves as much energy as possible while you are gone. Smart thermostats are far simpler to operate than conventional programmable thermostats, so you will use it more frequently and adapt it when your schedule changes.
Which Smart Thermostat Is Best?
We propose the tado° Smart Thermostat Premium as the best smart thermostat after testing hundreds of models. Its finest feature is a wireless sensor that can be placed in any room, preferably the one that requires the longest time to heat or cool. The tado° may then be programmed to continue operating until the desired temperature is attained. This sensor also has a motion detection, so if no one is there, it will not heat or cool the area.
The tado° is also equipped with an air quality sensor, Alexa, and Siri compatibility for HomeKit users, though you’ll also need a HomePod or HomePod mini. tado° is the most cost-effective smart thermostat for those on a budget.
Before purchasing one of the finest smart thermostats, you should also check with your local energy provider; many provide rebates and other incentives for smart thermostat installation. You may be eligible for a tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act for the purchase of a smart thermostat and other energy efficiency measures.
You Can Reduce Your Energy Consumption by Up to 31% with tado°!
The tado°° Smart Thermostat allows you to control the temperature in each room so that it is always just the right temperature. Neither more nor less than that. To the tune of 31% in heating costs, that is (study by Fraunhofer Institute). Compared to many well-meaning but inefficient alternatives, this is a significant improvement. The tado°° app may be used to set up your system once you replace your current room thermostats with them. In a nutshell, it’s a breeze to do. Now is the time to begin energy savings, and you may manage your heating system remotely using the app, your voice, or automation.


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It’s Christmas time and lots of toy cars will be received as gifts on the 25th. Here are some of the toy cars I ‘enhanced’ as I began my interest in scale models many years ago.
Before and After photos of another batch of tobacco decal applications to F1 models.
Scott McLaughlin punting around the Gold Coast track giving a demo of Joey Logano’s NASCAR this weekend reminded me I have a handful of NASCAR kits in the stash, including this “Pro Finish” Snap Tite example of Dale Earnhardt’s Goodwrench #3 Chevy from 2000.
Classics win Bathurst! Download the latest catalogues of new model announcements from Classic Carlectables and Top Gear/Trax.
Well, they weren’t really lost as such. But now they’re home. I’ve built many of the Tamiya 1:20 scale Grand Prix series kits over the years, and these first 20 builds have…
I haven’t had time to do any serious modelling recently, but I did get to apply the tobacco decals to this trio of F1 cars.
I attended the annual Model Expo at Sandown Raceway over the Queens Birthday long weekend. Here’s a small sample of some of the models on display…
Here’s the full build diary for converting a Biante plain white donor VR Commodore to Lee Holdsworth’s 2017 V8 Supercar.
Top Gear (Trax) has released a couple of new offerings in the latest newsletter – Chrysler Royal Plainsman Station Wagon, KE Ford Laser TX3 and ’55 Chev.
Here’s the latest updates and information from Classic Carlectables in the form of Newsletter number 72 – Johnson’s Mustang, Lowndes reverse livery, custom ute, Ford & Holden road cars plus Tripe Eight’s current season Supercars.
The RA272 was Honda’s first Formula One race winner, Richie Ginther taking victory at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix. This is how I built Tamiya’s 1:20 scale version.
The popularity of the Formula E series for electric open-wheel race cars continues to increase, so much so that Spark has announced a range of models from the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Biante model cars has changed ownership. Founded by Trevor and Bev Young in the 90s, the Perth-based business has been owned by HGL Limited for the past 10 years. It has now been purchased by collectables company Downies.
Having done a couple of Tamiya kits in a row, it was time to do something different. I’m led to believe this is a fairly rare item from the Japanese manufacturer, Rosso Corporation – a 1/43 scale version of the Ferrari 643 V12 Formula One car from the 1991 season. This was an out-of-the-box build of the #27 Alain Prost car (Jean Alesi decals are also included for a #28 version). However, I wouldn’t call it a straightforward build as there were lots of fitment issues.
Apex Replicas has announced the pending production of two famous Bathurst 1000 winners in 1/43 scale – Peter Brock’s Torana GTR XU-1 from 1972, plus the Dick Johnson/John Bowe Ford Sierra from 1989.


Award-winning California composer Sebastian Chang is disarmingly articulate and, in addition to being a talented musician, has a reputation for being something of a comedian. He also happens to be 14 years old, the kind of kid teachers probably write home to say how much they enjoy having in their class. And while there’s no way to ignore the novelty of his age, encounters with his music quickly dispel any reason to treat him differently than any other developing composer.
Not that being young hasn’t had its advantages. For one, Chang was recently recognized with a $50,000 fellowship from the Davidson Institute, an award specifically for students under 18 who have demonstrated outstanding achievement. He submitted a portfolio of scores and recordings for five compositions scored for orchestra, chamber, and solo groups and two improvisation performances (with the composer at the piano). The scholarship he won for his work will be applied to future tuition and the purchase of music scores.
Chang’s future is looking very bright indeed, though his CV already reads like that of a composer twice his age. His works have been performed by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, the Orange County High School of the Arts Chamber Orchestra, the Asia America Youth Honor Orchestra, and the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies of Minnesota. His list of awards nearly fills a page. In addition to recognition from ASCAP and BMI, he was recently one of four pre-college composers commissioned by the National Youth Orchestra Festival of the American Symphony Orchestra League (ASOL). And that’s not even getting into accolades earned for his piano performances.
Chang doesn’t seem to have let the success go to his head and his enthusiasm is infectious. Unfazed by any suggestion that his music is somehow less significant because of his age, he counters, “It’s true that I’m just beginning and I’m still trying to find a sort of style or niche that I can fit in, but I think it’s good that a composer can start young. They can improvise and they can experiment. So I don’t think it’s a question of being taken seriously. It’s a question of starting young and growing.”
The mentorship of composer Jennifer Higdon has recently helped him get a little further down that path of musical development. Under her eye, Chang rehearsed and performed one of his chamber works at the National Youth Orchestra Festival in June. “I had a great time there,” Chang says. “I got to converse a lot with the orchestral musicians. I learned a lot about a composer’s life and colleges and the business side of composing—basically about living as a composer—from Jennifer Higdon.”
For her part, Higdon seems as impressed by Chang as he is by her. “It was great seeing him rehearse and play in his own piece during the festival. And I could tell that he really cared about the musicians he was working with.” Polly Kahn, a vice president of the ASOL, echoes Higdon’s assessment, judging Chang’s NYOF piece “fantastic by any standard, not just because he’s a kid, but compared to any composer. It was just a wonderful piece of chamber music.”
Many different composers have influenced Chang, and he admits that his musical preferences seem to change often. His own compositional development mirrors that fact (hear samples). His first orchestral composition, composed at the age of 7, he says was very much influenced by the likes of Mozart and Haydn. These days, as if working his way through history, he finds inspiration in Stravinsky, Glass, Adams, and Messiaen. It’s Beethoven, however, who remains his most profound influence.
Higdon says she finds it difficult to anticipate what kind of composer the multi-talented yet humble Chang will become as his work matures. “His music has a variety of styles, but all quite sophisticated. He seems so much his own individual person that it’s hard to think of him in comparison to anyone else, which I think is a great thing for an artist to achieve.”
It’s a state of constant exploration Chang consciously works at. “I like to try something new with every composition,” he explains. “I’d really hate to fall into a rut and compose the same type of piece over and over again, so I’m trying to experiment just as much as I can. I figure while I’m still at this age it’s the best time.” He tends to prefer just writing at his desk as opposed to improvising at the piano. “Basically I just come up with a few ideas or a few sketches of what a piece should sound like or the piece that I’m visualizing,” he says, explaining his usual process. “I expand upon them and try and make them cohere with one another.”
As likely to be listening to Smash Mouth or Radiohead as to recordings of Cage or Glass, Chang has also been careful not to ghettoize himself in terms of his personal music exploration, but he has made his creative home in the classical realm. Suzanne Wong-Abe, his first music teacher and a great early influence, introduced him to the idea of composition when he was 5. He now studies composition with Bruce Miller and piano performance with Mark Sullivan while attending the Orange County High School of the Arts. “I guess it’s mattered that I started out young composing in this vein of classical music and I feel that it’s a big world to be explored,” he concedes, but he’s also quick to point out that “a composer should appeal and excite today’s contemporary audience. I think that it’s important to try as much as possible.”
It’s also not lost on him that he is still a kid, but that’s something he says he has had plenty of time to be. He’s fairly certain that music will be his lifelong career—piano performance as well as composition. “Those are two worlds that I’m trying to keep in balance and I’d really like to learn to conduct as well, so maybe I could follow the career path…,” Chang hesitates for the first time before continuing. “This sounds pretentious maybe, but so I could follow the career path of Mahler or Bernstein. I’d love that.”
For the present moment, however, Chang is at work on a piano trio and anticipating the coming school year. And though he may be 14, he has also already learned another valuable composer lesson—how to compromise. “I’ve written three orchestral pieces so far and they haven’t been getting too many performances,” he admits. “So I figure with a piano trio, my chances are higher.”


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Friday, April 15, 2011
Increasing World Population And Low Yields Of The Crops
There are 180 newborns added to the world population after each minute.The major reason of increased population rate is decrease in the death rates and higher average age of the individuals due to health consciousness, and higher birth rates in some of the countries as well. The birth rate is mostly higher in the backward, poor and under-developed countries of the world. The major cause of food crisis is lower yields of agricultural crops due to unforeseen climatic changes. During 2008 in Australia due to floods the yield of wheat crop remained half against the estimates. Therefore, Australia had to import wheat that caused rise of the wheat grains in the international market. Similarly, those Asian countries that depend on Mon son rains for the crops, get lower yield if the rains are not timely and in required quantity for the grain filling and maturity of the crops. This was the reason of lower sugar cane yields in India during 2009, and India could not fulfill the sugar demand in the country and had to import sugar, resulting high prices in the international market. Natural calamities like floods in Pakistan last rainy season floods caused billion rupee damage to the property, crops, lands houses and also many lives were lost. The recent floods during 2010 in Australian provinces of Victoria, Queen's Land and New South Wales had to bear a loss of $ 596 million of agricultural production, while 2.1 million people wre affected, according to Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economic and Science of Australia. The other reason of food crisis according to Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network of the World Bank is the low priority of major wheat exporters like Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Canada regarding regarding the cultivation of the crop. These countries give low attention to the wheat crop and do not bring more area under cultivation.

domain: agronomy