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'The Raven' is a strange mishmash of history and action
'The Raven' star John Cusack delivers a serviceable performance as famous writer Edgar Allan Poe.
The titling of director James McTeigue’s Edgar Allan Poe thriller, The Raven, has no doubt confused plenty of would-be moviegoers ever since the film was first announced back in 2009. Instead of a retelling of Poe’s most famous poem, The Raven is actually a fictionalized narrative centered around the final days of the writer’s life – recasting Poe as a reluctant but brave hero that, along with a determined Baltimore detective, attempts to solve a string of grisly murders.Skip to next paragraph
Screen Rant had a humble start back in 2003 as a place to rant about some of the dumber stuff related to the movie industry. Since then, the site has grown to cover more and more TV and movie news (and not just the dumb stuff) along with sometimes controversial movie reviews. The goal at Screen Rant is to cover stories and review movies from a middle ground/average person perspective.
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The re-imagined historical figures genre has become a new testing ground for Hollywood, most notably with Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter on the horizon (FYI: Edgar Allan Poe makes a guest appearance in the novel), where writers can take household names – and put a new, and in theory more exciting, twist on what would otherwise result in stuffier true-life drama (i.e. Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln biopic). As a result, does McTeigue’s The Raven offer both a fun spin on the last days of Edgar Allan Poe – while also delivering an exciting mystery story?
Unfortunately, the misleading confusing titling of The Raven is hardly the project’s biggest problem – as, despite a mostly competent (albeit sometimes campy) effort from both John Cusack (Poe) and Luke Evans (Detective Fields), the mystery narrative elements, as well as the respective kills, are surprisingly underwhelming. Many expectant moviegoers had been describing McTeigue’s Poe film as Se7en in 19th Century Baltimore but, sadly, The Raven lacks nearly all the aspects that made David Fincher’s serial killer film so captivating – i.e. jaw-dropping reveals, smart twists, and – despite loads of Poe stories to pull from – intriguing murder scenes are all in short supply.
As mentioned, The Raven follows the final days of Edgar Allan Poe’s life – presenting the tortured author as a self-absorbed and desperate social outcast whose work was still, at the time, mostly under-appreciated. The only glimmer of light in Poe’s impertinent existence is his furtive lover Emily Hamilton (Alice Eve), the daughter of a retired Colonel and rich Baltimore socialite. However, when a brutal serial killer begins to dispatch victims, by recreating famous murders from Poe’s published stories, including “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” as well as “The Pit and the Pendulum,” the author is thrown into a malicious battle of wits – with life and death hanging in the balance.


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A ruined relationship is not the finish of the world. With love in both sides, even the most not satisfying relationships can be fixed. There are numerous steps that one could take mail order brides reviews com to repair the relationship. Actions will help you improve your trust and transform your life relationship. You first have to realize that correcting a romantic relationship is not easy. You mustn’t let the tiny things harm your marriage. You should work on fixing the romantic relationship by learning to make your partner happy.
Speaking about the problems you’re facing is an excellent way to fix a marriage. Rather than cursing or shouting at your sweetheart, try to know what happened in the past and what you can do in another way next time. Simply by understanding every other’s point of view, you can begin the forgiveness. You will find true forgiveness if you’re equally willing to place effort into fixing the relationship.
Lastly, you should forgive your companion. It is better to apologize for the purpose of the past faults than to blame your lover for him or her. If you’ve been hurt, no longer take it personally. Your lover needs one to be happy with you. Whether if you’re a good person or a negative one, you are able to make up eventually. If you are even now angry with the partner, don’t let that ruin your relationship. Instead, try to make amends using your lover.
If you’re unable to help to make amends within a relationship, consider seeking specialist. Marriage counselors are conditioned to help couples deal with tricky issues, and they are available to assist you to prevail over problems. A very good relationship counsellor can help you discover how to make solatium and fix a romantic relationship. You may also seek the assistance of a specialist to help you restore a damaged relationship. Also you can ask a pal or relative for recommendations or assistance.
A counsellor’s advice on how to resolve a romantic relationship may be invaluable. A third-party perspective can help you see your partner’s standpoint and help you to resolve virtually any issues that are causing you discomfort. In addition to being capable to see the different person’s perspective, a thirdparty counsellor can help you see the universe through their particular eyes. By simply learning to reduce each other, you can improve your romance.
After you have known the root cause of the relationship problems, you can start working on repairing it. Firstly, you must learn to appreciate your lover’s point of view and understand the partner’s tendencies. By doing this, you may avoid blaming each other and make the romantic relationship better. May also, you should focus on your compatibility. If you and your partner usually are not compatible, the relationship will never be successful.

domain: psychology


WASHINGTON — White House officials say President Barack Obama will return 5 percent of his salary to the Treasury in light of automatic spending cuts that have led to furloughs for thousands of federal workers.
Obama to return 5 percent of salary to Treasury
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Reality TV personality Antonia "Toya" Wright celebrated her 29th birthday with family and friends at Ocean Prime in Buckhead on Monday night. Talkingwithtami.com was there to bring us all of the excitement.
Invited guests included rapper T.I., Toya's daughter and former OMG Girl Reginae Carter; radio personality Mz.Shyneka, reality TV personalities Rasheeda, Phaedra Parks, and more.
The staff of Ocean Prime transformed the room into Toya's favorite colors: purple and gold decor for the intimate affair. Photos by Tami Reed of Talkingwithtami.com. Toya's husband and manager, Memphitz, personally sent out the invites to the party.
Former rapper-turned-reality TV personality Rasheeda.
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domain: celebrity


Luxome Sheets Review – Best Blanket For You?
Heavy blankets are fairly a huge investment, so great deals of individuals would like to know, do heavy blankets truly work? Luxome Sheets Review
So, we assumed we ‘d create a short article especially regarding this, exactly how these blankets are meant to work, as well as why you ought to get one (perhaps).
One point we had actually like to discuss before we go any type of further is the main difference in between normal heavy coverings and also cooling down weighted coverings.
A weighted air conditioning blanket, such as the chiliBLANKET, is normally made of a lighter, a lot more breathable textile that does not take in moisture and also make you warm or perspiring. We will discover exactly how each of these blankets works below.
How is a Weighted Blanket Expected to Function?
Traditionally, a weighted blanket is filled with material, frequently glass or plastic pellets.
These pellets are generally hypo-allergenic as well as safe as well as are sewn into the textile of the covering itself, to maintain also distribution.
Various other kinds of heavy blankets can include numerous layers of textile or a water-powered heating system.
The reason weighted blankets operate in managing your rest (both in regards to temperature as well as stress and anxiety) is that the included stress of the weighted blanket is calming to the body. This is known as deep pressure treatment.
The weight of the blanket is therapeutic due to the fact that it makes us feel safeguarded and also boosts the body’s manufacturing of serotonin and endorphins, which subsequently make us feel a lot more unwinded as well as happy.
The stress of the weighted blanket likewise compels your heart price to decrease.
As we know, our hearts often tend to beat too quickly when we’re angry or stressed. This results in overall anxiety and anxiousness and also can stop us from obtaining the rest we need.
However by applying pressure and literally ‘holding us down’, a weighted blanket negates that as well as regulates our heart beat.
By utilizing heavy fill, heavy coverings obtain extra heft that divides them from traditional alternatives. As a straight result of the added weight, the majority of weighted blankets are naturally warmer as well as cozier. Nevertheless, some air conditioning models are developed for breathability, making them suitable for year-round use.
The concept behind the added weight is that it aids to decrease stress and anxiety and also urge sleep by advertising melatonin (a rest hormone). Some professionals additionally assert that weighted coverings might promote various other natural hormonal agents, such as dopamine and serotonin, which are straight related to happiness. The decrease of cortisol, an all-natural steroid linked to stress, is another purported effect of heavy blankets.
While many customers speak highly of their heavy blankets, it needs to be noted that their possible wellness advantages have yet to be medically validated.
Whether you’re searching for additional warmth or other possible benefits, a weighted blanket’s effectiveness depends greatly on the weight differential in between it and the individual. The general guideline is that a weighted blanket needs to be around 10% of the individual’s weight. If a weighted blanket isn’t hefty sufficient, after that it might really feel irrelevant to the sleeper. A blanket that’s as well hefty may limit activity as well as really feel uneasy.
Some Key Points are:
– It has less layers than a normal weighted blanket.
Undoubtedly, more layers imply more heat, so the less a blanket has, the more cooled you’ll be
– Its’ exterior layer is made from a cooling fabric, such as cotton (known for its’ breathability) or bamboo
– It can utilize the cooling power of water to give your body with the warmth it needs throughout sleep, without being overly hot.
In general, we would recommend obtaining a heavy cooling covering, rather than a regular weighted blanket. Even if you are not a warm sleeper or do not usually deal with evening sweats, an air conditioning blanket is just a lot more flexible. It can offer a superb air conditioning choice in those warm summer months.
What Should You Search for In A Weighted Blanket?
Not all heavy blankets are developed equal, and also as such, not all heavy coverings are necessarily advertised as ‘cooling down’.
Some may not have actually a specially developed technology to maintain you cool down, yet might supply that impact, anyhow.
The fact is, exactly how cooling down a blanket is depends above all on manufacturing elements. Just like a lot of products, a top quality blanket won’t be as well stifling, however to ensure that, you have to seek the adhering to points:
Material is the most critical facet, and the one that will really identify whether your weighted blanket really feels as well warm or otherwise. Regretfully, lots of suppliers go for inexpensive products to decrease their costs.
You’ll locate lots of blankets that are made from economical cotton and even polyester. These will certainly suck away the dampness from your body and also cause it to accumulate in the fabric of the blanket itself. This produces a clammy, perspiring feeling that prevents you from getting correct rest.
What you should look for:.
Bamboo is absorbant, but also restoring, which suggests the wetness from your body does not collect on the covering and also make it stay with your skin. Bamboo is also terrific due to the fact that it’s a breathable fabric, as well as it does not make you really feel suppressed as you sleep. Finally, bamboo is warm and immune, making it an excellent product for the exterior cover of a weighted blanket.
An additional preferred option, microfiber, is famously simple to wash and soft. So there’s no chance of not sleeping due to a ‘scratchy blanket’. Though fairly slim, microfiber additionally offers superb warmth as well as is hypo-allergenic. For these factors, microfiber can be another fantastic material for a cooling weighted blanket.
100% Pure Cotton.
Remember, not affordable cotton, yet proper cotton, since that is widely known for its’ breathability as well as gentleness. It’s additionally amazing as well as positive against the skin, making it another big favorite for covering textile.
Stay away from synthetics, such as polyester, since that draws away all the moisture, without supplying any one of the advantages of microfiber. That will certainly make the blanket feel also hot and also make you sweat.
Undoubtedly, the more insulation (wadding) a blanket has, the hotter it will maintain. And while some insulation is required for that heavy feeling, way too much can be harmful since it will certainly stifle you.
A great deal of weighted blanket producers make use of hefty insulation to make the covering appear heavy.
This is a trick to make you feel like you’re obtaining your money’s well worth (due to course, you ‘d want a heavy covering, right?), however it will, actually, make your nights warm as well as sticky.
To make certain that heavy feeling, coverings commonly have layers. Way too many layers, to be exact, and also this can make you too hot.
An excellent weighted blanket must have at most 7 layers. Keep in mind, each layer catches warm and sweat, and considering a lot of these coverings are comprised of 9 layers, no wonder the sleeper can get as well hot!
All weighted coverings ought to have an exterior cover that is easy to detach and also machine-washable. This cover must be made from cotton, bamboo, or microfiber to make sure breathability.
Some heavy coverings included different covers– one for the chillier months and also a lighter one for warmer months.
All these variables are essential in producing that cooling result and also guaranteeing you do not obtain too hot in the night.
Even if a covering promises a cooling modern technology, such as a hydro-powered one, do not be deceived. Make sure you do the correct research which the blanket fulfills the above factors.
Just how Hefty Should My Weighted Blanket Be?
It’s recommended to buy a weighted blanket that is 10 percent of your body weight or 10 percent of the individual’s weight who you are buying it for. This makes certain that the weighted blanket is the right weight for your body and will certainly provide you with the best advantages.
Weighted blankets for grownups need to be 10 percent of their body weight. Usually, the typical range of weight for adults is 12 to 20 extra pounds. We’ve supplied some instances below:.
– 130 extra pounds = 13lb blanket
– 150 extra pounds = 15lb covering
– 170 extra pounds = 17lb covering
– 190 extra pounds = 19lb blanket
You get the idea. If you drop between 2 suggestions, assemble by adding one to 2 pounds or speak with the covering maker.
Weighted Blanket Weight for Couples
Picking a weighted blanket weight for pairs is a little bit more difficult. Rather than 10 percent, try to find a weighted blanket that is 7.5 percent of their consolidated body weight. Below are some examples:.
– 120 – 150 extra pounds = 10lb covering
– 150 – 200 extra pounds = 15lb blanket
– 200 – 250 pounds = 20lb blanket
If you remain in between sizes, assemble or speak with the covering producer. Luxome Sheets Review
Weighted Blanket Weight for Kid
When getting a weighted blanket for a child, the general guideline is 10 percent of their body weight, plus one to two extra pounds. Below are a couple of examples:.
– 40 pounds = 5 – 6lb covering
– 60 extra pounds = 7 – 8lb covering
– 80 extra pounds = 9 – 10lb blanket
Normally, weighted blankets that are 12– 25 extra pounds are too hefty. Always check with a doctor in advance if you are unclear. Luxome Sheets Review
What Size Weighted Blanket Should You Get?
When you know the weight of the weighted blanket you’re searching for, it’s time to pick the proper dimension. You desire the weighted blanket to cover the body completely, but it shouldn’t be so big that it drapes off the side of the bed..
Generally, you ought to choose a weighted blanket that resembles the dimension of the mattress you or the person you are buying it for to sleep on. For example, if you sleep on a twin or full dimension mattress, you should acquire a weighted blanket that has similar measurements. The very same thing goes for a complete or queen bed mattress..
When it comes to elevation, you must get a weighted blanket that coincides dimension or somewhat larger than the individual you’re buying it for. Think about a weighted blanket as a throw covering — it should allow enough to cover you completely, but not as well huge that it hangs over the side of the bed.
Which Filling Should You Get?
The fillers inside of a weighted blanket are mostly what adds to its weight. The blankets are made with a number of different types of fillers. However, one of the most preferred options are plastic poly pellets, micro glass grains, and also steel shot grains.
Plastic poly pellets:
This product is made from 100% polypropylene and also is considered to be totally secure, safe, and risk-free to wash. Plastic poly pellets are thought about one of the “cheaper” weighted blanket fillers.
Micro glass grains
Micro glass grains are an environmentally friendly alternative to poly pellets. They are hypoallergenic and also machine washable. Luxome Sheets Review
Steel fired beads:
These beads are larger and also much heavier than glass grains and also they are very sturdy. As a result of their size, it takes less grains to accomplish the preferred weight – making them a cost-efficient option.
Choosing which filling you like will come down to individual choice. The Luxome weighted blanket is loaded with micro glass grains as well as polyester batting. We suggest seeking top quality weighted coverings like the Luxome weighted blanket– that are made with quilted channels that keep the filling in place so weight is evenly distributed.
So, Do Heavy Air Conditioning Coverings Actually Function?
Yes, these coverings can offer you with the right equilibrium between cold and hot and manage your body temperature for optimal sleep. However you require to make the effort to discover the appropriate blanket.
We understand it’s a fair bit of research, yet in the end, a good cooling weighted blanket will certainly be entirely worth it!
Exactly how to Pick the very best Weighted Blanket for You
Weighted coverings are like being embraced all night long. They make a terrific gift for any individual with sleep issues or anxiousness.
One of the most essential point to bear in mind when shopping for a weighted blanket is weight. If you’re an adult, ensure you pick a blanket that is 10 percent of your body weight. If you’re buying a kid, it’s suggested to locate a weighted blanket that is 10 percent of their body weight, plus one to two extra pounds. Always contact your covering supplier or doctor if you are unsure if a weight blanket is right for you.
As soon as you have actually picked the proper weight and also size, bear in mind of any additional attributes the covering has.
The Luxome weighted blanket is made with quilted channels that uniformly disperse weight, breathable cotton that circulates air, and three different weight alternatives so you can locate the covering that is perfect for you. Luxome Sheets Review
Do weighted cooling blankets really work?
A weighted blanket made from breathable materials can help in temperature level guideline and also prevent getting too hot. Fabrics such as cotton as well as wool are recognized for their breathability. Open-knit patterns that enable more area for airflow can also avoid warm from becoming entraped throughout the night.
Do weighted blankets keep you warm or cool?
The short answer is of course, heavy coverings can most definitely help maintain you warm in the winter months. However, real heat of your weighted blanket mainly boils down to three things: filler material, fabric and building.
How can a weighted blanket be cooling?
Fabric: Search for a breathable textile such as cotton, bamboo, or linen, every one of which are normally cooling down. Filling: If your weighted blanket is loaded with beads, make certain they’re constructed from glass, which won’t preserve heat the method plastic ones will.
Are weighted blankets good for hot weather?
Basically, yes they are! Anyone can utilize a weighted blanket. The very best kind of weighted blanket for hot sleepers are those that are breathable and not constructed out of synthetic materials, as pointed out over. You could additionally intend to pick a covering that is a little bit lighter for usage during the summertime.
What is the difference between a cooling weighted blanket and a weighted blanket?
The essential distinction between cooling and regular weighted blankets is that the cooling variations are developed for breathability as well as for your temperature to move far from you. This stops warm from obtaining trapped between you and the covering.
Do weighted blankets cause night sweats?
Evening sweats can be defined as sweating over of that required by the body to regulate body temperature. Night sweats can occur during sleep and without physical exertion. They aren’t caused by a hefty blanket or warm bedroom.
Do you use a top sheet with a weighted blanket?
Image result If you choose to use both, the weighted blanket can be put either on the top or listed below your bed linen. It’s everything about your choice!
Can you wash weighted blankets?
Most weighted blankets come with one of the following instructions: Machine Wash and Dry: When machine washing, choose a bleach-free, gentle detergent, and wash your blanket in cold or warm water on a gentle cycle. Avoid fabric softeners.
Do weighted blankets affect blood pressure?
Another study released in the journal Occupational Therapy in Mental Health exposed that individuals that made use of heavy blankets had reduced high blood pressure, pulse prices and also pulse oximetry– all signs of minimized anxiety levels. Luxome Sheets Review
You can read more about Weighted Blankets Here


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Ukrainian singer Vera Brezhneva has recorded a joint track with Russian Elena Sever
Edition Today Lifestyle
The ex-soloist of the Ukrainian group “VIA Gra” Vera Brezhneva, who recently told how he underwent surgery on the eyes, pleased his fans a new video. A song entitled “Evil is not here”, the artist recorded together with the Russian singer Elena North.
Vera Brezhnev and Elena Sever unveiled video for a collaborative song
Fresh clip appeared on the Youtube channel of Elena North on Monday, 8 April. In the description to the video says that both performers such experience was an experiment, because neither Brezhnev nor North not recorded duets with other singers.
In the video, Vera and Elena stand in the way Northern women dressed in fur and massive decorations. Dancing with a tambourine, the bonfire and medieval aesthetics convey the atmosphere of the rock ballad “Evil does not hold” is the best.
By the way, network users liked the unusual way Brezhneva. Many also found the Duo very successful. “A beautiful song. Beautiful women! Everything is super! Bravo!!!”, “The video is stunning, thanks to the Vera Brezhneva, it is always the best”, “the Experiment failed”, “Great job! A very successful duet,” write the listeners in the comments.
Earlier, Vera Brezhneva commented on the divorce sisters with Alexander Tsekalo.
See also video why Vera Brezhnev does not consider himself a Ukrainian artist:
Read the most important and interesting news on our pages Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, Instagram

domain: news


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Our school, in partnership with MAKO Medical, will begin offering weekly, on-campus COVID-19 testing for students and staff. COVID-19 testing is an effective way to reduce transmission, especially when layered with other measures.
We strongly recommend all families participate in this free program. Participation helps safeguard the entire school community and gives you information to help you keep your children healthy.
Participation in the program is voluntary. A parent or guardian must register any K-12 student under 18 years old in order for a COVID-19 test to be administered. Pre-K students who attend school within K-12 school buildings are eligible for the state-approved vendor testing with Mako. However, Pre-K students who attend school outside of K-12 school buildings are not eligible for the state-approved vendor testing with Mako.
The testing is simple: Trained MAKO Medical staff quickly and gently swab students’ noses. They place all the swabs in a single tube (that’s the pooling step). The samples in that tube are then tested as a single sample, using one test. If a positive test is received, everyone in the “pool” will return to school the next day to take another test to identify the person who tested positive for COVID-19. Learn more about pooled testing.
Thank you for helping to keep our school community safe and healthy.
Principal and Lead Learner

domain: health


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Once again, it is stars.I don't know if you've heard, but Super Mario Galaxy 2 is beloved by all who critique video games for a living. It's also beloved by thousands and thousands of people who were avid fans of the previous Mario adventure. I happen to be one of those people who went out in the early morn on Sunday so I can experience this 5-star game according to Giant Bomb.com. And over 40 stars in, I am really enjoying the experience so far. You know how great the first game was? Well it's at least equal in greatness.
Surprise, Nintendo fan loves Mario game, film at 11!
Yeah, I'm declaring this game to be awesome in almost every way imaginable, but I'm not going to get all giddy about the fantastic level design, the amazing new suits, and the game's beautiful aesthetic. Eh, who am I kidding, there will be some giddiness splattered throughout. Enough chit-chat, here's what you need to know about Super Mario Galaxy 2.
A sense of deja vu all over again... to a point.Probably the biggest gripe people have about the game is this notion that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a complete rehash cash-in. On the surface, it does look like Super Mario Galaxy, but as stated by various critics, more Super Mario Galaxy can't be a bad thing. When I first got settled into my spaceship and started exploring the galaxies, I noticed that Nintendo did their fair share of recycling. Yep, Nintendo is going green. I was not surprised to see the same enemies, characters, power-ups, etc. Goombas, coins, and Lumas aren't gonna look any different. However, a number of gameplay elements return such as the ball-rolling sections where you use a pseudo-flight stick control scheme to control the ball and the return of the many suits. It was said that about 90% of Super Mario Galaxy 2 is new and I can agree with that statement. Most of the galaxies share similar themes with the last game, but the galaxies themselves still feel very fresh. The only pure rehash experience I think I had was the trash cleaning sections where the robot dude will give you a Star for clearing out his junk.
And to those who might bitch about the sameness of Galaxy 2, don't. The vast majority of current-gen games ending in 2 or II do the same thing. Modern Warfare 2 in a lot of ways feels and plays exactly like the first Modern Warfare, but why change something that works well? Mass Effect, Gears of War, Uncharted, I could go on and on. If it was a great success the first time and the masses want more of the same, you give them more of the same. Which leads to my next point.
Am I playing Super Mario 64?Mario games are notorious for laying the nostalgia on thick in spots so I wasn't shocked to hear a World 1-2 remix on occasion, but now I think we've gotten to the point where now Super Mario 64 is nostalgic to a large enough group of gamers to add remixed Super Mario 64 tracks and even an entire galaxy (Throwback Galaxy) totally ripped from previous 3D Mario games. Even the plot is plucked straight from the Super Mario 64 playbook! Spoilers: cake is involved.
Holy crap the Super Mario 64 references take me back to my sophomore year in high school. Now does that 10% of recycled material include stuff from Super Mario 64 and Sunshine? I'll have to get Miyamoto on the cell and get back to you on that. Oh, there's also Supermassive Galaxy... giant enemies. Tell me that's not a throwback!
Oh hey, Luigi... no I've totally got this.Unlocking Luigi was the big prize for collecting all 120 stars, but now he figured he should be available earlier now. I've got 3 things to say about this.
- It's really odd to have him available only after collecting about 25 Stars or so. It's like he was stuck in traffic or something... or just goddamn lazy.
- I don't want to use him until I collect all 120 Stars. It just feels dirty whenever I don't use Mario during the first playthrough.
- Does he jump higher or anything? It feels like I'm just swapping costumes.
Luigi has a tendency to hang out in the beginning of certain levels just begging to be ignored by me. He's all like, "Hey you feelin' tired? I'll take over for ya, you go ahead and make-a-pizza pie." You'd think Luigi would be up for some co-op, but Mario ain't gonna break for nobody. And so Luigi is relegated to seat filler. Maybe he can hook up with Rosalina since I'm also avoiding her like a disease-riddled whore. Speaking of seat-filling whores, I think Sonic is a bad influence on Mario.
What's with the all the woodland creature stowaways?One minor gripe I actually have with the game is the unnecessary padding they add to earlier parts of the game with stuff like "plots" and "dialogue." I have a strange feeling Nintendo ran out of things to add near the end of the development cycle and contacted Sega on advice on what they should add and they said, "MORE WOODLAND CREATURES!!!" So now Mario is channeling Sonic by saving bunnies, penguins, turtles, pelicans, unicorns, and other animals not actually in the game. After getting a Star, I just wanna move right to the next challenge, but the game has a way of interrupting me with a brief scene where a giant penguin tells you that you should talk to that bunny over there and he'll dance for you. I don't want to talk to anybody and I totally want everyone off my faceship! IT IS NOT A FUCKING CARNIVAL CRUISE!
I want them off my ship. Now.
Yoshi can stay for now, but don't overstay your welcome.I am in the Davis camp of Yoshi haters that completely hate the existence of the race of multi-colored, boot-wearing, Koopa-fucking dinosaurs which inhabit this universe. So I am normally against all things Yoshi. But I've already spread enough Yoshi hate, this Yoshi is not terrible... in fact he's pretty good this time around. The best implementation of Yoshi has to be the areas where he nom noms on a spicy pepper and goes berserk speeding across the land like a champagne supernova in the sky. So yes, Yoshi is kinda badass in his own way.
This is a conclusion.I somehow managed to completely talk about Super Mario Galaxy 2 without mentioning the greatness of the level design, the addition of the numerous suits like the Rock Suit which turns you into a roundish boulder or the drill that... drills. And what about those levels? When Miyamoto said they had a bunch of leftovers they couldn't cook up 3 years ago, he was not shitting with us. There are several 2D side-scrolling sections that rival and even outdo anything New Super Mario Bros. Wii did, many of them seamlessly blending with the 3D world. There's also the streamlining of the world map, the Prankster Comet challenges, the Lumas you want to hug and squeeze, chimps, fruit that turns Yoshi into Violet Beauregarde, the airships, Bowser totally being Bowser, Bowser Jr. being not Bowser, and finally this piece of music mayhem.
To summarize, Super Mario Galaxy is pure bliss. End of blog.

domain: game


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- Margaret of Angoulême
or Margaret of Navarra French Marguerite d'Angoulêmeborn April 11, 1492, Angoulême, Francedied Dec. 21, 1549, Odos-BigorreQueen consort of Henry II of Navarra and an outstanding figure of the French Renaissance.She was the daughter of the count d'Angoulême. When her brother Francis I acceded to the crown in 1515, she became highly influential in his court. After her first husband died, she married Henry in 1525. She was noted as a patron of humanists and reformers and of such writers as François Rabelais. She was a writer and poet herself; her most important work was the Heptaméron, 72 tales modeled on Boccaccio's Decameron and published posthumously in 1558–59.
* * *▪ French queen consort and poetalso called Margaret Of Navarre, French Marguerite D'angoulême, or De Navarre, Spanish Margarita De Angulema, or De Navarraborn April 11, 1492, Angoulême, Fr.died Dec. 21, 1549, Odos-Bigorrequeen consort of Henry II of Navarre, who, as patron of Humanists and Reformers, and as an author in her own right, was one of the most outstanding figures of the French Renaissance.Daughter of Charles de Valois-Orléans, comte d'Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy, she became the most influential woman in France, with the exception of her mother, when her brother acceded to the crown as Francis I in 1515.After the death of her first husband, Charles, duc d'Alençon, in 1525, she married Henry II of Navarre (Henry d'Albret). Although she bore Henry a daughter, Jeanne d'Albret (mother of the future Henry IV of France), the couple was soon estranged. Margaret was, on the other hand, always devoted to her brother and is credited with saving his life when he became ill in prison at Madrid after his capture at Pavia during the disastrous French expedition into Italy in 1525.Margaret extended her protection both to men of artistic and scholarly genius and to advocates of doctrinal and disciplinary reform within the church. François Rabelais, Clément Marot, Bonaventure Des Périers, and Étienne Dolet were all in her circle. Her personal religious inclinations tended toward a sort of mystical pietism, but she was also influenced by the Humanists Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples and Guillaume Briçonnet, who saw St. Paul's Epistles as a primary source of Christian doctrine. Although Margaret espoused reform within the Catholic Church, she was not a Calvinist, and her relations with her daughter were therefore strained. She did, however, do her best to protect the Reformers and dissuaded Francis I from intolerant measures as long as she could. In the end, however, as persecution by the crown increased, she was unable to save Des Périers, Dolet, or Marot.The most important of Margaret's own literary works is the Heptaméron (published posthumously, 1558–59). It is constructed on the lines of Boccaccio's Decameron, consisting of 72 tales (out of a planned 100) told by a group of travellers delayed by a flood on their return from a Pyrenean spa. The stories, illustrating the triumphs of virtue, honour, and quick-wittedness, and the frustration of vice and hypocrisy, contain a strong element of satire directed against licentious and grasping monks and clerics.Although some of Margaret's poetry, including the Miroir de l'âme pécheresse (1531; trans. by the future Queen Elizabeth I of England as A Godly Meditation of the Soul, 1548), was published during her lifetime, her best verse, including Le Navire, was not compiled until 1896, under the title of Les Dernières Poésies (“Last Poems”).
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Apple’s silicon transition is underway and Apple is rumored to have more new Macs in the pipeline for 2021. This includes new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models and a redesign of the iMac. These new machines will represent the next wave of Apple Silicon-powered Macs, coming after last year’s release of a new MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini.
The redesigned iMac is expected to undergo a major overhaul and come after nearly a decade of stagnation. Read on for everything you need about resdesign …
History lesson: the latest iMac redesign
Apple first introduced the aluminum iMac in August 2007, making it available in 20-inch and 24-inch …
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Tonight is Allison’s first night off orientation in the ICU. She is concerned about her patient, but unsure of how to proceed. She looks around the unit and everyone seems busy. Then, Allison remembers help is just the push of a button away.
Moments later, a camera in the ceiling in the corner of the room starts to move and the video image of an experienced critical care nurse, an eRN – a member of the tele-ICU team – appears on a TV screen. The nurse on the screen is able to see and hear everything Allison can and is able to provide support and guidance. If needed, the eRN has access to an intensivist who can intervene on behalf of the attending physician.
This scene plays out in critical care units around the country in hospitals that have implemented a tele-ICU as part of their critical care delivery model.
The first tele-ICU was implemented in 2000 by Sentara Hospital in Norfolk, Va. In the 16 years since, over 50 such command centers have been opened across the country. Implementation of a tele-ICU program with an intensivist-led team assists in bridging the gap between intensivist supply and demand and has been shown to decrease ICU and hospital mortality and shorten both hospital and ICU length of stay.1
Tele-ICU technology utilizes specialized software with visual alerts and algorithms that allow clinicians to detect subtle changes and trends in patient physiology. Another component of tele-ICU technology is two-way audio and high-definition video. This equipment links the eRN with caregivers and patients and allows the eRN to visualize the patient and in-room equipment. The in-room camera allows the remote clinician to zoom in and assess very small items, such as the type on an IV bag or pupillary response.
Extra Layer of Care
As part of the Geisinger Health System’s commitment to excellent care, the Geisinger eICU program opened in February 2010 and now covers 128 ICU beds across the Geisinger Health System and its outside partners. The Geisinger eICU program is staffed 24/7 with experienced critical care nurses and support staff.
To be considered for an eRN position, nurses must have a minimum of three years of critical care experience and have obtained their CCRN within 18 months of hire. Some of the nursing staff work solely in the tele-ICU department. Others work part time in the ICU and part time in the tele-ICU.
The eRN role is a relatively new role in critical care and is still evolving. As in the scenario above, the eRN is able to act as a mentor and resource to the bedside nurse, especially to those who are new to critical care. At the start of each shift, the eRN makes rounds using the camera to assess any safety concerns and get a visual baseline of each patient.
A key role for the eRN is to use the specialized software to monitor patients for adverse trends in physiology and intervene by contacting the bedside RN. If the bedside RN is already aware of the trend, the eRN is able to offer assistance by calling a provider or by looking in on the nurse’s other patients.
It is important to note the tele-ICU staff members are not a replacement for the bedside team. In many instances, additional bedside staff are needed after the implementation of the tele-ICU. The necessity for the additional staff members may be in response to the need for a hands-on provider for urgent and emergent procedures or in response to higher patient acuity and increased throughput.
Nighttime coverage includes an intensivist (eMD) from 7p.m.-7a.m. in addition to the eRNs. Because the majority of the ICUs are staffed during the day with intensivists or attending physicians, staffing the tele-ICU at night with an intensivist allows for the continuation of the plan of care for each ICU patient.
If concerns arise, the eMD is able to make timely interventions and follow the plan that was set by the daytime physician or make changes as the patient’s condition dictates. The eMD may also implement best practice orders if needed for preventive measures such as vein thrombosis prophylaxis, stress ulcer prophylaxis, and ventilator-associated condition prophylaxis.
SEE ALSO: Telestroke Success
Nurses interested in working in a tele-ICU tend to be those who enjoy change and working in an environment with new and upcoming technology. Another group drawn to the tele-ICU are those who have difficulty meeting the physical demands of the traditional ICU environment.
The tele-ICU is the perfect match for experienced RNs who can’t meet the physical demands of the ICU, but who want to stay in an environment where they can use their critical care knowledge.
As the stresses on bedside nurses continue to grow and the pressure to provide the best patient experience continues to mount, the role of the eRN becomes increasingly vital to the critical care environment.
Through the collaborative efforts of this team, patients, and their families can benefit from the duality of ICU/tele-ICU care. Geisinger Health System recognized this benefit and designated the Geisinger eICU Program as a standard of care for all ICU patients. This designation provides an additional layer of patient safety for all critical care patients.
With the assistance of the eRN, Allison is able to perform additional assessments for her patient, and they decide it is necessary to involve the MD. The eMD evaluates the patient and places orders to intervene.
With just the push of a button, Allison is able to get the assistance and resources she needs to help her patient, and the patient receives early intervention.
- 1. Fifer, S, Everett, W, Adams, M, & Vincequere, J. (2010). Critical Care, Critical Choices: The case for tele-ICUs in intensive care. Boston, MA: Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and the New England Healthcare Institute.
Janet Rushing is operations director, eICU Program, and Tracey Kopenhaver is clinical coordinator/educator in the eICU Program at Geisinger Health System, Danville, Pa.

domain: medical


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- Age / Gender:
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- All Stats >
- Community Stats
Level 5 Blank Slate
Ranked as Civilian
Contact Info / Websites
Recent Game Medals
SECRET MEDAL 50 Points Unlock this medal to see it's details. Medal Stats.
Da Capo 5 Points Experience the cool refreshing taste of a health potion Medal Stats.
SECRET MEDAL 5 Points Unlock this medal to see it's details. Medal Stats.
Lecker 5 Points Feed your starling Medal Stats.
Death From Above, 1784 10 Points Have your pet starling make 5 K.O's Medal Stats.
Guten Tag! 5 Points Make Von Weiser's acquaintance for the first time Medal Stats.
Allegro 5 Points Complete the first wave in Story mode Medal Stats.
First! 5 Points Win your first battle! Medal Stats.
Track and Field 5 Points Jump over Chasey and get away. Medal Stats.
Air Defense 5 Points Defeat a flying enemy in flight Medal Stats.
Total Medals Earned: 222 (From 58 different games.)
Latest Shared Creations
Red Riding Hood Rated 4.2724 Stars Dark version of the classic fairy tale Drama The Four Horsemen Rated 4.4563 Stars The Four Horsemen have a lot of time on their hands. Comedy - Original Captain Planet Rampage Rated 4.4399 Stars Captain Planet has had enough... Comedy - Parody Dirty Joe Rated 4.1539 Stars The desert is a bleak, bleak place...
Tower of the Archmage Rated 3.8839 Stars Create your own spells and defeat your foes to challenge the Archmage! Adventure - RPG Last Legacy: Null Space Rated 4.2019 Stars A magic themed platformer in which the protagonist has a special ability to morph ground. Action - Platformer - Puzzle The Blind Swordsman Rated 3.7943 Stars You're the blind swordsman and you're on a quest to get your sight back! Action - Other The Depths Rated 2.7592 Stars Death awaits all who enter The Depths Action - Fighting - Brawler

domain: entertainment


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Phil Haydon plans to circumnavigate the Earth, hoping to inspire and educate those with the disorder
By Courtney Hollands | TuftsNow
Photo by Alonso Nichols / Tufts University
Phil Haydon was just fifteen years old in 1972 when he suffered a severe brain injury while biking home on the last day of the school year—a brick hurled by a classmate struck Haydon in the forehead, knocking him across the street.
Bleeding heavily, Haydon pedaled back to school and was whisked away in an ambulance to the hospital, where he started having seizures within the hour. Doctors removed part of his fractured skull, eventually replacing it with a metal plate. Haydon spent the entire summer recuperating, and it took another year to get the post-traumatic epilepsy under control with medication.
“High school was a struggle after that,” Haydon remembered recently in his office at the School of Medicine, where he is the Annetta and Gustav Grisard Professor of Neuroscience and chair of the neuroscience department. “I had trouble concentrating. My schoolwork was not the best.”


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The Bureau of Economic Analysis just published the February reading of personal income and spending, and the numbers were strong.
Income climbed by 1.1 percent, which was higher than the 0.8 percent expected.
Spending rose by 0.7 percent, which was a tad higher than the 0.6 percent gain expected.
The personal savings rate rebounded to 2.6 percent from 2.2 percent in January.
U.S. economic data has improved significantly in recent months, which is impressive considering the new payroll tax cuts, sequestration federal budget cuts, and uncertainty about what Washington may or may not cut next.
Last month's personal income and spending report revealed that the resilience in personal consumption was largely due to a drop in the personal savings rate (i.e. people spent more than they earned).
But investors wondering about the outlook going forward for the US economy will want to watch one economic number in particular: February’s personal income figure, which is scheduled for release on March 29th.
Why is this number so important? While consumer resilience to the tax increase can partly be attributed to a stronger labor market, lower savings and low interest rates have also cushioned consumption. For instance, the US personal savings rate has been heading lower for most of the past four years and it plunged to 2.4% in January, the lowest level since late 2007.
But neither low interest rates nor low savings are likely to prove sustainable over the long term. The Federal Reserve is likely to eventually raise rates and without faster personal income growth, consumers are likely to run out of savings, especially considering the massive amount of debt they are still unwinding.
In other words, if consumption and the broader economy are to remain resilient going forward in the face of consumer deleveraging, they will need to be supported by an improving labor market leading to faster personal income growth.
Koesterich warned that if we don't see a pickup in personal income, then the economy could hit a speed bump in the second quarter.


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Walk the Wales Coast Path Trearddur Bay to Rhosneigr
The southern end of Ynys Gybi and Anglesey’s West coast provides varied walking.
Distance: 26.2 km
Ascent: 255 m
Time: 7 hours
Calculate the time using Naismith’s Rule and factor in your own pace.
Start and Finish: Trearddur Bay to Rhosneigr
We recommend the White Eagle pub in Rhoscolyn while there are plenty of cafes to choose from at the walk’s end.
Check out the businesses nearby for more places to stay and drink.
Remember that we cannot outline every single hazard on a walk – it’s up to you to be safe and competent. Read up on Keeping Safe on the Wales Coast Path, Navigation and the Gear and Equipment you’ll need.
Businesses on this section of the Wales Coast Path:
Walk the Wales Coast Path Trearddur Bay to Rhosneigr Details
The Wales Coast Path from Trearddur Bay to Rhosneigr completes the walk along Ynys Cybi, and brings us back onto the main island of Anglesey. This section is a variety of rocky coast, wide beaches and a couple of seaside resorts thrown in for good measure.
From Trearddur Bay, the Wales Coast Path follows the rocky coast south with plenty of interest on the way. This includes the sandy coves at Porth Diana and Porth Castell. Further along you’ll spot the natural rock arches of Bwa Gwyn and Bwa Du. Bwa Gwyn is Welsh for White Arch, and as it consists of white quartzite it’s rather obvious why it’s been named. Bwa Du is a more regular arch, and probably named in contrast to it’s nonidentical twin.
Once past these landmarks, the path climbs gently to a high point of just over 60m at Rhoscolyn. On the way, you’ll pass St Gwenfaen’s Well. This is an early medieval holy well which, if you add two white pebbles to its holy water, is reputed to cure mental illness. The church dedicated to St Gwenfaen can be found in nearby Rhoscolyn which is also called Llanwenfaen in her honour. One at the high point just beyond the well, you’ll come to the coastguard lookout. Once glance at the coast with it’s numerous rocky islands, and it’s clear why you need someone looking out over such treacherous waters. The islets of Ynys Gwylanod, Seagull Island, and their navigational beacon can be seen nearby.
Rhoscolyn has a scenic bay known as Borthwen, with a quieter sandy beach than those found further north on the island. From here the coast path continues towards the fine beach at Traeth Lydan which is worth spending some time at. The Wales Coast Path heads inland from here, and doesn’t return to the coast for another 4km or so just outside Four Mile Bridge as there’s just no access here and one of the paths followed is a ‘permissive’ path.
The village of Four Mile Bridge is so called as it is four miles from Holyhead on the original route onto the island that predates the Stanley Embankment crossed earlier on the Anglesey coast. The bridge here was in place by the 1530s and was the only crossing until the Stanley Embankment was built in the 1820s. The Welsh name of Pontrhydypont which is confusingly the bridge of the ford of the bridge, or some tautological name in that vein refers to the fact that this would have originally have been a ford used to cross from the main island to Ynys Cybi.
The Wales Coast Path crosses the Cymyran Strait at Four Mile Bridge and heads south along a confusing section that eventually finds you firmly back on the coast at Glan Rhyd Isaf. The route continues onto Traeth Cymyran which is next to RAF Valley. This is pure beach walking, and you’ll be shaking the sand out of your boots by the time you reach Rhosneigr. The southern end of Ynys Gybi that you were walking on a number of hours ago is literally a stone’s throw at Plas Cymyran.
Rhosneigr is a bustling seaside village with plenty of places to refuel, and of course the obligatory fish and chip shop or two!

domain: geography


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Do you feel lost, tired and with no direction in life, feeling that whatever you do, always seems turn back against you?
Have you ever questioned what is the reason behind it all…..?
Or to the contrary, you are at your best, having it all but feeling empty within…?
Have you become more aware of what is happening within your body on instinctual, sensual, emotional and intellectual levels?
Do they contradict each other?Are you searching for balance between your body, mind and soul?
Are you ready to transform yourself?
Are you ready to evolve?
Then this is opportunity for you. Take this chance to discover it all by becoming a master of your own world. Come, learn the awareness techniques and experience them with your mind, body and soul, which will guide you into meeting
YOUR OWN INTERNAL TEACHER WITHIN.
Feb 1 – March 1, 2019
Course invites to:
- Practice meditation and breathing techniques. Breathing exercises give us opportunity to observe ourselves and analyze how our mind influences observation process. Only by becoming fully aware of ourselves, by becoming the observer of whom we are, we consequently become able to fully comprehend everything in the world to its deepest core of creation.
- Practice yoga and touch techniques. All the exercises, which bring awareness onto one’s body, whether they are based on the physical exertion or sensory stimulation, allow us to observe where we are and how our body truly feels like within. Touch techniques allow us to analyze our mind’s relationship with the body on conscious and subconscious levels.
- Practice tantra and intimacy techniques. Tantra can only be practiced after having discovered who we are through meditation and having fully discovered what our body feels like through yoga. Only then true intimacy and connection can be experienced with others through tantric intimacy techniques.
- Discover body’s energetic essence (energetic pathways – nadis, energetic centers – chakras), experience kundalini flow thoroughout the whole body, learn about body’s sensory perception and mind’s bodily awareness.
- Learn ancient spiritual practices and different types of Yogic and Tantric pranayama exercises (yogic breath, tantric breath, kundalini breath, big draw, alternate breathing etc.), tantric massage, including yoni and lingam massage techniques, experience yoga nidra – yogic sleep.
- Re-discover joy, happiness and love inside of yourself, feel multi – orgasmic, blissful and electric throughout the whole body, refresh your mind and release all the negative trapped emotions within. Restart yourself and your life.
- Accommodation in a 5 stars hotel
- 2 delicious meals a day
Know before you go:
For yoga practice comfortable pants and a t-shirt should be worn.
For tantra practice Pareo (veil/scarf) around a woman’s body and a man’s hips will be worn.( It is advisable to have 1 extra)
This course is all about practice and physical experience.
For any further information please contact us.


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Cindy Crawford has appeared on more magazine covers than any other model in history… and this photo shoot explains why. At the ripe age of 42, she is seen here wearing some daring outfits and the mother of two is looking oh-so hawt! Can any one say… MILF!?
In her 20s she was the “it” model and just like wine… I guess she just keeps gettin’ better with age.


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PUT AN END TO YOUR PAIN WITH ROXYCODONE
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WHERE TO PURCHASE ROXYCODONE ONLINE SAFELY
It is essential to possess safety while purchasing online, that is why we have push forward to bring out the best means of shipping your medications here at Dreamland pharmacy where you order your drugs while at home and it is delivered to you right at your door steps. We provide a discreet shipping 100% safe vaccum sealed.


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The Harry Packer Mansion. (PATRICIA HESS, THE MORNING…)
The 1874 Harry Packer Mansion in Jim Thorpe is perched atop Packer Hill, an elegant example of Victorian architecture, with its Gothic exterior, 15-foot ceilings, marble fireplaces and gilded mirrors. A gift to Harry Packer by his father Asa, who has his own mansion nearby, it was the model for Disney's Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. It's now a bed and breakfast and events center.
The mansion, and 18 other sites in Jim Thorpe, are open noon-5 p.m. Sunday during the Jim Thorpe Victorian House Tour, the first in the borough since 2008. It's the first time the Harry Packer Mansion has been part of the tour.
Also on the tour: the 1882 Mauch Chunk Opera House; the Gilded Cupid, a bed and breakfast on West Broadway; St. Mark's Church on Race Street; and two private homes — the Stevenson House on Millionaire's Row and the 1868 Walbert House.
All the sites are within walking distance. Visit the houses at your own pace and order. Guides will be on hand at the sites.
Tickets are $15, advance, at sites throughout Jim Thorpe; $20, day of tour at the Dimmick Memorial Library or the Mauch Chunk Opera House. Tickets include a 40-page tour book as long as supplies last. Parking is available at the county parking lot near the train station.
The tour benefits the Mauch Chunk Historical Society, the Mauch Chunk Museum and Cultural Center, and Mentors, which promotes education and the arts.

domain: travel


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Spacious Makati studio w/ gym pool self check-in(( Jan -30 update: Under GCQ, All guests pls send us an "Inquiry" first. Guests from outside NCR, may need extra supporting documents, guests from Makatizen or adjacent, may need less.)) Spacious, centrally located 30+ sqm studio with inverter aircon in the heart of Makati, walking distance to the Central Business District (CBD), shopping mall, supermarket, surrounded by restaurants and adjoined diverse nightlife all in famous Bel-Air / Poblacion areas, fairly managed for your quality needs.
Casita Beachfront StaycationLive in a carefully designed home with a lovely view of the ocean. Located at the meeting of two coastal towns of Lian and Nasugbu in Batangas, your Casita is an oasis of real peace and quiet, just 30 minutes away from Twin Lakes in Tagaytay. It is ideal for family and friends wanting to escape to a private hideaway not far from the city. Open for reservations from August 2020.
MC8 CondoNEW CONDO. A place where you can relax with an amazing view of Seaside and Cebu City.


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For Carlos Castano, a Manhattan-based artist, the journey to being a full-time painter began a world away?in South America. As a child in Colombia, he was already inspired to exercise his creativity via painting, and also, through music. He came to New York City in the late 1960s, knowing that he wanted to pursue an artistic career, but was perhaps a bit overconfident. It took some exposure to the New York art scene to humble him. “I thought that I had all the ability, that I was pretty good at it, but I realized how much I had to know, how much I had to learn.” Years of practice and training with the Art Students League and the National Academy of Design gave him the foundation he needed He took some anatomy classes and studied under teachers like Harvey Dinnerstein and Ted Seth Jacobs, who served as mentors and prepared him for the enormity of a life devoted to art. “I was able to start painting big and stretching the canvas,” he says. “It was the first time that I knew I needed to be freer with paint and use big brushes, and I had a broad vision of what I could do.”
This experience also guided Castano to appreciate the painterly qualities of Spanish masters like Francisco de Goya and Diego Velazquez, qualities that still inspire his work, including A Study of My Father (at right). A Study of My Father was finished only a few months before Castano?s father?s death. Living so far away from his family in Colombia had limited Castano?s communication with his father to the occasional phone call. “So, going back, it was a perfect excuse for him to look at me and talk to me and give me hours where we could sit and communicate. Out of that came this portrait that I think portrays the spirit of my father,” he says. “It still has a lot of meaning because after my father died, I had all of these sketches and drawings of him around me.”
A Study of My Father began, like all of Castano?s paintings, with a charcoal sketch. He then reinforced the drawing and blocked in shapes. He built up the oil painting and incorporated an extreme range of tones in light and color. The process he uses has been refined over years of working with different strategies, but he still leaves room for corrections along the way. “The fact that I keep an open mind is very important because unexpected things happen, and the things you see in front of you in life are things that the camera cannot capture,” he says. His greatest pleasure from painting comes in the later stages of his process, but he?s not too concerned with perfectionism. “After I secure the drawing and the shapes are in place, I indulge in the luxury of more delicate touches on the surface. I may pick up a brush and draw a line that strengthens an area of the painting, or sometimes, I might undo something that seems overdone. I have no problem with scraping the painting to go back to the original concept.”
Castano works mainly on portrait commissions and teaches in his own studio. But when he has some free time, he deviates from his normal painting routine. “I do still lifes when there?s not a particular job to work on. I have a lot of fun creating a little world that I?m driven to by ideas I pick up, or by responding to objects, fruit and flowers,” he says. Whatever the subject matter, Castano strives to communicate with his viewing audience. “I like to convey something of my own spirit and temperament,” he says. “If I can express something that?s meaningful to someone who looks at it, that?s enough.”
Jerry McClish of Bradenton, Florida, is a contributing editor to The Artist?s Magazine.

domain: artistic


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What happened to fun?
Youth Sports - Where the playing never stops
Youth Sports - Where the playing never stops
By John Cardullo, sports writer
The Fall sports season is here but for some sports, they seem to be a year-round season!
There was a time when the sports season was defined, where Major League baseball began in the spring, and ended with the Fall Classic in October. The basketball season tipped off in November, and ended in May, Hockey season went parallel with basketball, and Football kicked off in September and the Super Bowl ended the season in January.
My, how times have changed. MLB Baseball has crept up its opening day into the end of March, and if the World Series goes to 7 games, the season ends in early November! Brrr!!! The NFL kicks off in early September with the Super Bowl being played in February (approx. 2 weeks before spring training). The NHL & NBA starts their pre-season training in September and extends into June pushing almost to the 4th of July holiday. It is not uncommon for all four major sports to be playing at the same time of the year, October, November and February. Why? Well I suspect it has to do about the money. The longer the season, the longer the revenue stream.
This mentality has trickled down to the youth programs, where there was once a “season” that began and ended, then it was then time to move onto the next season, and so forth. Those days are long gone as well, now a day’s spring/summer baseball and softball rolls to a year-round sport. The season ends and then comes the “Fall Ball” season, and blends into offseason training at indoor facilities such as the Wide World of Sports or The Rhode Island Baseball Institute, both in Warwick, for individual training, Then we have the travel AAU teams rent facilities such as the CCRI athletic field house in both Warwick and Lincoln - to train all winter long.
Every youth sport does the same thing, they all offer off season “extended” seasons where skill building and individual coaching is the focus. “Very few sports take an off-season break’; Football and hockey do because of the physical toll takes on the body,” said Coach Marvin Novogrodski who coaches several sports in his career. “The youth player can literally play every day. Parents and coaches find that without the seasonal break there used to be, the player gets tired of the sport and stops playing even before they reach high school level; or worst, they play the sport with no passion and love for the sport. They play because that’s what their parents want.” Other reasons are because parents are trying to get their child an edge, the reasons vary but the child is not asked what makes them happy.
“The pressure of playing and being a success at the sport puts a lot of pressure on the child, but it also puts pressure on the parent, and this is where out of control parents become an issue,” said one unnamed official. “Because a financial investment was made by the parent, they expect instant success and if they don’t get it, it’s because the coach is lousy, or the officials don’t know what they are doing. What they fail to see is that they are causing the problem and making it impossible for their child to enjoy and possibly fall in love with the sport,” he concluded.
Don’t misunderstand that this isn’t every parent or every child, it’s the few that ruin it for the others, and for their kids. Things that need to happen is the seasons have to go back to being defined, a beginning and an end of the season. Give the child a break and let them go onto the next sport season, and do the same with that season, and the next. Let the child play, learn and have fun. They will advance on their own; give the coach and officials a break. There are no World Championship titles being awarded. Keep in mind that the coach you are criticizing can be you in a season or two and how you treat them is the way you’re going to be treated when you’re in that chair.
“What we need to do is get back to where sports are fun and there has to be an encouragement and support, not a sense of failure when the player or the team the player is on doesn’t win the championship.” Novogrodski said. “Rushing from basketball to personal coaching sessions with a baseball coach and going to play travel soccer at an indoor facility isn’t doing the player and parents any good. Everyone needs to take a step back and let the child figure out which sport, and at what pace, they want to play. They may not make the pros or the Olympics or even their high school team, but they will enjoy the experience and themselves - and isn’t what youth sports should be about?

domain: hobby


Augmented Reality: The Future of Advertising
August 7, 2017
by Allison Datut Augmented reality (AR) is defined as the technology in which it superimposes digital objects into the real world. Last year, many countries, including the Philippines were able to have their first taste of it through the free smart phone application, Pokemon go. It was a hit as every player had the opportunity to “catch” their own pokemon live anytime, anywhere. Later on, GRead more
Should brands become an advocate of a social cause?
June 20, 2017
by Claire Linatoc To act or not to act? An average person spends almost nine hours a day on social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even Snapchat. Most of the time, people don’t just spend those nine hours chatting with their friends or browsing through the latest set of memes. Social media right now is a platform for all sorts of social and political issues. You cannoRead more


text:
Banana (Musa spp.), a perennial monocotyledonous herb, is the fourth largest food crops and the third largest tropical fruit in the world. Bananas are susceptible to variety of viruses (Gaur et al., 2016), such as Banana streak virus (BSV) (Geering, Parry & Thomas, 2011), Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) (Yu et al., 2012) and Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) (Khaled, Wardany & Mahmoud, 2016). Banana production is threatened by the Banana streak disease (BSD), and its pathogen belongs to the genus Badnavirus, family Caulimoviridae (Alangar, Thomas & Ramasamy, 2016). BSV is widely distributed in the main planting areas of banana industry in Southeast Asia and Africa, and it had seriously affected the yield and quality of bananas resulted in huge economic losses (Kumar et al., 2015). Moreover, BSV genome may integrate into the banana genome, and it can be activated to produce infectious virions under certain environmental stress (Gayral et al., 2008; Côte et al., 2010). BSV is a kind of pararetroviruses (EPRVs) that use a virus-encoded reverse transcriptase (RT) to reverse viral RNA (vRNA) into viral DNA, completing the viral DNA replication process (Hohn & Rothnie, 2013). BSV possesses an open-circular double-stranded DNA genome of 7–8 kb in size and its genome is encapsidated inside non-enveloped bacilliform particle (30 nm × 150 nm) (Selvarajan, Balasubramanian & Gayathrie, 2016; Alangar, Thomas & Ramasamy, 2016).
The genomic structure of the typical badnavirus consists of three open reading frames (ORFs) in the positive strand (Vo, Campbell & Mahfuzc, 2016). ORFI and ORFII encode proteins of unkown function. ORFIII, the largest ORF, encodes a ∼200 kDa polyprotein which is hydrolyzed by protease to produce a variety of functional proteins related to the viral life cycle, containing movement protein (MP), coat protein (CP), aspartic protease (AP), reverse transcriptase (RT) and ribonuclease H (RNaseH) (Duroy et al., 2014; Alangar, Thomas & Ramasamy, 2016). Bioinformatic analysis indicated that the sequence between RT and RNaseH (RT/RNaseH) are the most conserved region in the badnavirus genome. According to the classification of the genus Badnavirus by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), the nucleotide sequence similarity less than 80% or the amino acid sequence similarity less than 89% is considered as a new species (Geering et al., 2014). At present, nine BSV species of Banana streak GF virus (BSGFV), Banana streak IM virus (BSIMV), Banana streak MY virus (BSMYV), Banana streak OL virus (BSOLV), Banana streak UA virus (BSUAV), Banana streak UI virus (BSUIV), Banana streak UL virus (BSULV), Banana streak UM virus (BSUMV) and Banana streak VN virus (BSVNV) are identified by ICTV. In addition, three other BSV species of Banana streak CA virus (BSCAV) (James et al., 2011), Banana streak virus-isolate GD (BSV-GD) (He et al., 2009) and Banana streak virus Acuminata Yunnan (BSV-Acum) (Zhuang et al., 2011) have not been classified.
The diversities of complete genome sequences of more than nine BSV species indicated that the virus is highly variable and polymorphic (Iskra-Caruana et al., 2014). Furthermore, it is difficult to study the invasion mechanism and pathogenesis, owing to the instability of symptoms on the host and the integration of the BSV genome into host genome which can be activated to produce infectious virions under certain environmental stress (Stainton et al., 2015). The genomic characters and sequence diversity of Banana streak virus (BSV) in China are under investigation. Isolation and sequencing of the BSGFV and other new BSVs are greatly abundant the diversity of the badnavirus in China and provides an important data for disease resistance breeding. Based on the characteristics of circle double-stranded DNA molecule of the BSV genome, the complete genome sequence of BSGFV-YN was obtained by segmental PCR amplification, and the genomic structure and evolutionary relationship were further analyzed. The study will extend the polymorphism of BSV in China and provide scientific clue for the evolutionary relationship with host selection of badnaviruses.
Materils and Methods
Banana leaves showing streak symptoms were collected by permissions of a farmer (Shao-cheng Shen) from Yunnan, China in 2009. The banana belongs to the Cavendish Musa AAA group. Total DNA was extracted and stored at −80 °C. Previous study showed that the sample was infected with Banana streak virus Acuminata Yunnan (BSV-Acum), and its complete genome was obtained and analyzed in our laboratory (Zhuang et al., 2011). In order to further determine whether other BSV species or strains co-infect in the same plant, the complete genome amplification based on PCR method was conducted on the total DNA.
Cloning and sequencing of viral genome
According to the complete genome sequence of BSGFV deposited in NCBI (GenBank accession number NC_007002.1), seven specific pairs primers were designed by Primer Premier 5.0 (Table 1). The primers were synthesized by Invitrogen (Guangzhou, China) Trading Co., Ltd. The PCR reaction system (50 µL) contained EasyTaq® DNA Polymerase 1 µL (Beijing, China), 2.5 mM dNTPs 4 µL, 10 ×EasyTaq buffer 5 µL, 5 µM forward and reverse primers 4 µL, total DNA template 2 µL, and added ddH2O to 50 µL. PCR reaction condition was pre-denaturation at 94 °C for 3 min; followed by 35 cycles of denaturation at 94 °C for 30 s, annealing at 55 °C for 30 s, and extension at 72 °C for 90 s; and a final extension step at 72 °C for 10 min. The 6 µL PCR product was analyzed by electrophoresis in 1.5% agarose gel, and the remaining PCR product was purified by an OMEGA gel recovery kit (Bio-Tek, USA). The purified PCR product of each DNA fragment was cloned into the pMD18-T vector (Takara, China), and then transformed into E. coli DH5a competent cells (2nd Lab, Shanghai, China). Three positive clones were randomly selected for Sanger sequencing at Invitrogen (Guangzhou, China).
|Primer||Primer sequence (5′ to 3′ direction)||Position (nt)||Direction|
Complete genome sequence assembly and analysis
The seven overlapping fragments were edited by ChromasPro software (Technelysium Pty. Ltd., Australia) and were used to assemble into the complete genome of BSGFV-YN by BioEdit software (Hall, 1999). The genome was further analyzed by Blastn and Blastx at NCBI website (http://blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Blast.cgi), and the possible species or strain of BSV was preliminarily identified. Based on the classification of ICTV (2018b release), 37 badnaviruses were downloaded from GenBank for further comparison and analysis (Table 2). The open reading frames (ORFs) of BSGFV-YN were predicted by ORF Finder online website (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/orffinder/) and bioinformatic analysis. Subsequently, the sequence similarities of complete genomes, ORFI∼III and their putative proteins between BSGFV-YN with other 15 badnaviruses were analyzed by Sequence Identity Matrix Program in BioEdit software. The movement protein (MP), coat protein (CP), aspartic protease (AP), reverse transcriptase (RT), ribonuclease H (RNaseH) and two cysteine-rich domains in BSGFV-YN ORFIII were predicted according to the report by Li et al. (2018), and sequence similarities with other homologous proteins were aligned by the GeneDoc software. The repeated sequences in the intergenic regions between ORFIII and ORFI of BSGFV-YN and BSGFV goldfinger (NC_007002.1) were also analyzed by GeneDoc software.
|Aglaonema bacilliform virus||ABV||MH384837.1||Aglaonema commutatum|
|Banana streak GF virus Yunnan isolate||BSGFV-YN||MN296502||Musa AAA group|
|Banana streak GF virus||BSGFV||NC_007002.1||Goldfinger (AAAB)|
|Banana streak IM virus||BSIMV||NC_015507.1||Musa sp. cv. Mshule|
|Banana streak MY virus||BSMYV||KJ013509.1||Musa acuminata cv. Cavendish|
|Banana streak OL virus||BSOLV||NC_003381.1||Musa AAA group|
|Banana streak UI virus||BSUIV||NC_015503.1||Musa sp. cv. Kisansa|
|Banana streak UL virus||BSULV||NC_015504.1||Musa sp. cv. Kibuzi|
|Banana streak UM virus||BSUMV||NC_015505.1||Musa sp. cv. Mbwazirume|
|Banana streak VN virus||BSVNV||KJ013510.1||Musa acuminata cv. Cavendish|
|Banana streak UA virus||BSUAV||NC_015502.1||Musa sp. cv. Likhako|
|Banana streak virus Acuminata Yunnan||BSV-Acum||NC_008018.1||plaintain|
|Birch leaf roll-associated virus||BLRaV||NC_040635.1||Betula pubescens|
|Blackberry virus F||BbVF||NC_029303.1||Blackberry|
|Bougainvillea chlorotic vein banding virus||BCVBV||NC_011592.1||Chgainvillea spectabilis|
|Cacao mild mosaic virus||CMMV||NC_033738.1||Theobroma cacao|
|Cacao bacilliform Sri Lanka virus||CBSLV||MF642736.1||Theobroma cacao|
|Cacao yellow vein banding virus||CYVBV||NC_033739.1||Theobroma cacao|
|Cacao swollen shoot virus||CSSV||NC_001574.1||Theobroma cacao|
|Commelina yellow mottle virus||ComYMV||NC_001343.1||Commelina|
|Canna yellow mottle associated virus||CaYMV||KY971493.1||Canna sp.|
|Citrus yellow mosaic virus||CYMV||EU708317.1||Acid lime|
|Dioscorea bacilliform virus||DBV||NC_009010.1||Dioscorea sansibarensis|
|Fig badnavirus 1||FBV-1||NC_017830.1||Fig|
|Grapevine vein clearing virus||GVCV||NC_015784.2||Grapevine (Chardonel)|
|Gooseberry vein banding associated virus||GVBaV||NC_018105.1||Ribes rubrum cv. Holandsky cerveny|
|Grapevine Roditis leaf discoloration-associated virus||GRLDaV||NC_027131.1||Vitis vinifera|
|Jujube mosaic-associated virus||JMaV||NC_035472.1||Ziziphus jujube|
|Kalanchoe top-spotting virus||KTSV||NC_004540.1||Kalanchoe blossfeldiana|
|Pineapple bacilliform CO virus||PBCOV||NC_014648.1||Pineapple plants|
|Piper yellow mottle virus||PYMV||NC_022365.1||Piper nigrum|
|Pagoda yellow mosaic associated virus||PYMAV||NC_024301.1||Styphnolobium japonicum (L.) Schott|
|Rubus yellow net virus||RYNV||KM078034.1||Rubus sp.|
|Sugarcane bacilliform MO virus||SBMOV||NC_008017.1||Sugarcane|
|Sweet potato pakakuy virus||SPPV||NC_015655.1||Sweet potato|
|Taro bacilliform virus||TaBV||NC_004450.1||Taro|
|Wisteria badnavirus 1||WBV-1||NC_034252.1||Wisteria sinensis|
|Yacon necrotic mottle virus||YNMV||NC_026472.1||Yacon|
In order to further determine the homology and evolutionary relationships of BSGFV-YN with other badnaviruses, two phylogenetic trees based on the complete genomes and ORFIII polyproteins of BSGFV-YN and other 37 badnaviruses were constructed by using MEGA6.0 software (Table 2). The evolutionary history was inferred using the Neighbor-Joining method and its distance was computed using the p-distance method (Saitou & Nei, 1987). Meanwhile, to analyze the evolutionary relationship between BSGFV-YN and other BSV species in different banana hosts, a phylogenetic tree was also constructed based on the complete genome sequences.
Cloning and assembly of BSGFV-YN genome
To obtain the complete genome sequence of BSGFV-YN, 7 specific pair primers were used for segmental PCR amplification (Fig. 1A). The PCR results showed that each DNA fragment was specifically amplified and the length was consistent with the expected size. Bioinformatic analysis showed that the sequence of each fragment was highly similar to the BSGFV by blastn. The seven overlapping DNA fragments were assembled via head-to-tail method by BioEdit software, and a circular double-stranded DNA of 7,325 bp with 42% GC was finally obtained. The complete genome sequence of BSGFV-YN was deposited in GenBank under accession number MN296502.
Genomic analysis of BSGFV-YN
Sequence analysis showed that the characteristic of BSGFV-YN complete genome was similar to the typical badnavirus. In detail, the BSGFV-YN contains three open reading frames (ORFs) on the positive strand of viral genome. The first ORF (ORFI) was found at 484–1,011 bp while the second ORF (ORFII) was located at 1,008–1,346 bp, both of which were predicted to encode proteins with unknown function. However, the third ORF (ORFIII) located at 1,343-6,841 bp encoded a polyprotein with the largest in size (Fig. 1B). Further analysis revealed that the termination codon region of BSGFV-YN ORFI has a 4-base overlap (ATGA) with the start codon region of ORFII; similarly, the termination codon region of ORFII and the start codon region of ORFIII are also overlap of a 4-base, with ATGA as well.
Complete genome sequence analysis showed that BSGFV-YN was 98.14% sequence similarity with BSGFV Goldfinger, while it was 49.10–57.09% sequence similarity with other BSV species. The genome size of BSGFV is the smallest among all BSV species. In addition, the sequence similarity of BSGFV-YN with Canna yellow mottle associated virus (CaYMV), Kalanchoe top-spotting virus (KTSV), Pineapple bacilliform CO virus (PBCOV), or Sugarcane bacilliform MO virus (SBMOV) was 53.58%, 52.92%, 51.49% and 49.16%, respectively. Further, the BSGFV-YN ORFs (I∼III) were 99.43%, 99.11% and 98.91% nt sequence similarities with those of BSGFV Goldfinger, while they shared 99.62%, 98.82% and 99.02% at the amino acid levels. The sequence similarity between BSGFV-YN ORFs (I∼III) and other badnaviruses ORFs (I∼III) were even more lower (Table S1).
Badnavirus ORFIII, the largest ORF, encodes a ∼200 kDa polyprotein, which can be hydrolyzed by protease into several small proteins, such as MP, CP, AP, RT and RNase H. In this study, BSGFV-YN ORFIII polyprotein also contains MP, CP, AP, RT, RNaseH and two cysteine-rich zinc finger-like RNA-binding regions (Figs. 1B and 2). The domains of BSGFV-YN ORFIII are highly similar or identical to the corresponding domains of BSGFV Goldfinger. Further analysis showed that the RT domain was the most conservative with the similarity of 72.25∼84.29%, while the AP was the most variable, with the similarity of 39.39∼66.33% (Table S2).
The non-coding region of BSGFV-YN genome is 968 bp, which contains a specific binding site, the 12 bases (5′-TGG TAT CAG AGC-3′), of tRNAmet. This binding site is a common feature among all badnaviruses. The first nucleotide “T” is a highly conserved base required for replication and is set as the starting base of the sequence. The non-coding region also contains a TATA box domain (TATATA), which is located at 7,162–7,168 bp. In addition, the non-coding region has a 63 bp sequence that longer than BSGFV Goldfinger, and two kinds of repeating sequences were found in the 63 bp and adjacent region. A short repetition “Repeat S” and relative long repetition “Repeat L” have been found (Fig. 3).
In order to analyze the evolutionary relationships between BSGFV-YN and 37 other badnaviruses, a phylogenetic tree based on their complete genomes was firstly constructed. The results showed that these badnaviruses can be divided into two distinct groups, Group I and Group II. BSGFV-YN and other BSV species were classified into the Group II. Furthermore, 11 BSVs can be further divided into two subgroups, BSV-I and BSV-II subgroups. BSGFV-YN was the highest homology with the BSGFV Goldfinger, but it was more close to KTSV than other BSV species (Fig. 4). Similar result has been reported in badnaviruses (Rumbou et al., 2018).
To further determine the phylogenetic relationship, another phylogenetic tree was constructed based on ORFIII polyproteins. The results confirmed that these badnaviruses can be divided into Group I and Group II. However, the Aglaonema bacilliform virus (ABV) group was clustered into Group I, which is different from the result of phylogenetic tree based on the complete genome. This phylogenetic tree also showed that BSGFV-YN had the highest homology with BSGFV Goldfinger (Fig. 5).
As shown in Fig. 6, phylogenetic tree was constructed by the eleven complete genomes of BSVs. The results showed that BSGFV-YN and other BSV species formed to two branches. In detail, BSUMV, BSUIV and BSULV formed to one branch, while BSGFV-YN, BSGFV Goldfinger, BSIMV, BSMYV, BSOLV, BSVNV, BSUAV, and BSV-Acum were clustered into another branch. The BSGFV-YN was the highest homology with BSGFV Goldfinger, which was consistent with results as Figs. 4 and 5A. It is interesting that BSGFV Goldfinger has been reported to infect Goldfinger (Musa AAAB), but the BSGFV-YN was cloned from another banana line (Musa AAA), indicating the BSGFV can infect different banana varieties.
Currently, fifty-seven members are recognized in the genus Badnavirus of the family Caulimoviridae, including nine species of BSV, suggesting the high diversity and polymorphism of BSV species. The badnaviruses, one of the important plant viral pathogens, endanger global agriculture. They are widely infecting the economic crops, such as bananas, sugarcane, citrus, cocoa, taro, black pepper, yam and other tropical and subtropical crops resulting in severe diseases (Lee et al., 2015; Alangar, Thomas & Ramasamy, 2016). The badnaviruses have been concerned by people recently because some of badnaviruses have been causing significant agricultural economy loss. Among them, BSV is widely distributed in the main planting areas of banana industry (Jaufeerally, Khorugdharry & Harper, 2006), and its genome can be integrated into the banana host genome which can be activated to produce infectious virions under certain environmental stress (Umber et al., 2016; Chabannes et al., 2013). Based on this situation, the potential endanger by BSV is immeasurable. Therefore, it is very necessary to recognize the genomic structure and polymorphism of viral genome, protein function, virus evolution, geographical distribution, host range and pathogenic mechanism of BSV species (or strains) on different banana lines.
In this study, the complete genome of the BSGFV-YN (GenBank accession MN296502) was obtained by seven segmental PCR cloning strategies. Previous study has been showed that the sample was infected with Banana streak virus Acuminata Yunnan (BSV-Acum), and its complete genome was obtained from the purified viral particle (Zhuang et al., 2011). Similarly, the BSGFV-YN can be amplified from the viral particle and its genome is episomal in the host banana. BSGFV-YN has a typical genomic characteristic of badnavirus and phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that it is highly homologous to the BSGFV Goldfinger. According to the classification of the ICTV, the amino acid sequence similarity of the RT/RNase H less than 89% can be determined as a new species. In this study, the RT and RNase H of BSGFV-YN were 100% and 98.45% similar to the reported BSGFV Goldfinger, indicating that BSGFV-YN and BSGFV Goldfinger belong to the same BSV species. Although they are highly homologous, their hosts are obviously different. The former banana host is Cavendish Musa AAA group while the latter banana host is Goldfinger Musa AAAB group. We found that BSGFV-YN had an extra specific sequence longer than BSGFV Goldfinger between the intergenic region of ORFIII and ORFI. Sequence analysis indicated that two kinds of repeated sequence were found. Studies have been shown that BSOLV (NC_003381) was 441 bp longer than BSOLV-IN1/IN2 between the regions of the ORFIII and ORFI, but their host derived from the different banana varieties (Baranwal et al., 2014). The evidence indicates that the repeated sequence of the intergenic region may provide an important clue for the BSGFV infecting different banana hosts, but further experimental evidences are needed.
This study showed that RT was the most conserved domain in the polyprotein, while AP was the lowest conserved. The badnaviruses firstly transcribed genome DNA into the full-length viral RNA (vRNA), and then reverse transcribed to viral DNA by RT to complete viral DNA replication. Therefore, the RT enzyme is conserved in all badnaviruses, which is consistent with its protein function (Li et al., 2018). AP, as a proteolytic enzyme, can hydrolyze the polyprotein into several functional small proteins. Depending on its specific proteolytic sites, we suggested that the conservation of AP is low (Hany et al., 2014; Vo, Campbell & Mahfuzc, 2016).
In summary, BSGFV-YN, a new isolate of the Banana streak GF virus (BSGFV), was cloned from the banana sample of Cavendish Musa AAA group that has been reported as being infected with BSV-Acum. Bioinformatics analysis showed that BSGFV-YN is highly homologous to the BSGFV Goldfinger isolated from Musa AAAB group, indicating that BSGFV can infect different banana varieties. BSGFV-YN may be a novel isolate of BSGFV in the new host, which provides an important clue for revealing the polymorphism of BSV genome.

domain: agronomy


text:
It was cool this morning after yesterday’s round of thunderstorms. As the dog and I walked around the yard looking for her “perfect spot”, I could hear a flock of Canadian geese quacking in the distance. I guessed they were going in for a landing on the nearby river. Fall was in the air for a few precious moments. In reality, we still have a couple of months of heat and humidity before the temperatures cool and the leaves begin to put on a colorful show.
Several weeks ago, the day before we purchased the van, we went for a bicycle ride. The original plan had been a backpack, but an overnight forecast of high wind and thunderstorms opened up a couple of days to fill with other activities. John spent some time googling bike trails and came up with new to us rail to trail, The Wilderness Road Trail in Ewing, VA. The drive (150-miles, about 3.0 hours roundtrip) would likely exceed the cycle time by double, but we decided the new area, new trail would be worth the effort.
We arrived at the Wilderness Road State Park Visitors Center late morning. While we have spent time backpacking and otherwise exploring nearby Cumberland National Historical Park and Cumberland Gap, TN, this lovely state park was a nice surprise. Park employees were immensely helpful and the rail to trail was located directly behind the park building. The park buildings are free, but we paid $5.00 to leave our car in their lot. Well worth the money for easy access to the park facilities.
From the Visitors Center, we headed east on the crushed gravel surface, dust tamped down by the previous night’s rain. The late morning sky was overcast, and fog partially obscured the views of the Cumberland Mountains over our left shoulders. We cycled mostly under a canopy of beautiful greenery, something we appreciated as the sun burned through the clouds. Several walkers, cyclists and runners waved as we passed. Friendly people, friendly town.
I particularly appreciated the yellow barriers that marked places where the trail crossed over public and private roads. The crossings were few and we saw only one car, but the barriers were a reminder to stop and look. The Wilderness Road Trail parallels Hwy 58. The highway is lightly traveled (or at least lightly traveled on the Wednesday we visited) and could rarely be seen from the trail, so we tended to forget it was there.
Sections of the Wilderness Road Trail reminded me of another more famous Virginia Rail to Trail, the Virginia Creeper. The piece of Wilderness Trail pictured below is similar to the Creeper section just out of Damascus (heading to Abingdon) with gravel, farmland and a “divided” trail with grassy median in the center.
The trail is billed as 8.5 miles one way, but in conversation with a park employee, we discovered that the last 2ish miles on the west end (actually a little less) is maintained by VDOT and really not maintained at all. Bicycling over the VDOT section was discouraged.
As I said above, trail dust was low due to an overnight rain, but a wet, gritty paste flew over everything… our shirts, legs, water bottles and bike bags. The grit also landed in our bikes’ nooks and crannies. What a mess to clean up!
To add mileage to 13-miles of ridable trail (round trip), we circled behind the Visitors Center on a paved road where we found Martin’s Station. Martin’s Station is a reconstructed frontier fort and was one of the earliest fortified settlements along the Old Wilderness Road.
Our final stop was in Harrogate, TN at the vintage inspired Frosty Mug Drive-In. Known for burgers, fries, potato tots, onion rings and ice cream, the Frosty Mug was a perfect place to refuel. No speakers at the drive-in, servers walk up to your car with menus, a pad of paper and a pencil!


It's been a mighty long road that has led us to Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson at UFC 209. To recap entirely would take far more words than you'd be willing to read, but suffice it to say, it's a story right out of a Hollywood screenwriter's notebook — a story rife with bad blood, trash talk, and outright bribery.
But the past is the past. All you need to know is that the two lightweight competitors will finally be throwing fists on March 4th in Paradise, Nevada.
And now, they've had their first faceoff.
The noise you just heard was me squealing like this:
Things I took away from this staredown:
- T-Ferg's future is so bright that he has to wear shades. Let's hope he does not bring this level of confidence into the fight itself because wearing sunglasses during a fight is highly illegal (I think).
- Khabib seems to be under the impression that sunglasses are a sign of cowardice.
- Khabib is better at wearing suits than Ferguson is at wearing vests.
- Dana White has been a New England Patriots fan since at least the early 90's and finds their new logo to be unsatisfactory.
So yeah, most of my takeaways were fashion-based, but let's not act like this isn't shaping up to be one of the best fights of the year.


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text: Conversationalist and opponent in a certain context have to create the teamwork so that both parties can reach the same intention. The effort is accomplished using “Maksim” (Cooperative Principle). This research will be analyzed and explained the positive “Maksim”. The writer interests to do this research because the expanding of the positive maksim in acting to say, communications in acting to say will become fluently, pleasant, and even can bring kindliness. A study of the positive “maksim” covers the “maksim” of wisdom, cheapness, acceptance, ordinary, proper, and sympathy. This explanation becomes important because the writer has noticed that the behavior of conversationalist society tends to be apathetical, uncared, undignified, disrespect, and less have empathy to others. The positive “maksim” in psychological approach is studied because the appearance of positive or negatif maksim depends on the psychological condition of the conversationalist. The existence of this research is psychologically expected that the negatif behavior of conversationalist can be improved and , turned into the positive behavior of conversationalist. It has become our duty to realize the importance of creating the positive atmosphere in all matter, including the Language behavior.

domain: sociology


text:
My Christmas audio poem (previously published here) was aired live on Alan Johnson’s annual “Storyboard” series via his Facebook page, Trending Poets. Here is the video link – my voice recording appears at 44 minutes into the show.
My Halloween-inspired audio poem was aired live on Alan Johnson’s annual “Storyboard” series via his Facebook page, Trending Poets. My voice recording appears at 1 hour and 11 minutes (1:11) into the show (spooky in itself). Here is the video link.
My poem “The Gift of Christmas” has been accepted into “The Gift” from Sweetycat Press. Available from Amazon. Very sadly, Steve Carr passed away on 8th November 2022 and his last comments on my poem were:
“…really lovely, tender, and somewhat enigmatic gift of a poem…”
McKinley Publishing Hub release their 7th anthology, “Rainbows & Daydreams” aimed at children, which contains three of my poems: “Tatty Bear,” “The Lego Experience,” and “A Trifle Matter.” My contribution appears penultimately.
The book is distributed via Amazon. I also received a certificate of contribution.
Another proud moment as my piece, “Sci-Fi Spot Check” is published in JOURN-E (vol. 1, no. 2) from Mind’s Eye. Containing five genres, mine is the first poetry piece within the Science Fiction section.
I’m so happy that my poem has been published in “Journeys Festival Gazette” newspaper (10,000 copies) for the 10th Journeys Festival International event organised by Art Reach! Several winners were selected by Writing East Midlands on the theme of migration, refugees and global cultures. My poem is found on page 6:
Open Door Magazine has published my poem on the theme of “Mental Health”. Serendipitously, the magazine’s image template on the page strikes exactly on the word, ‘God’, giving accidental emphasis of the line, “…to connect with God and the universe…”