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Only a week late on this CFP National Championship 2021 post mortem article. You might say that means we’re getting back on track. While I won’t argue with you, I urge caution. I still need to start the gaming content for the new year. I took those weeks off to do comics and then college football and the NFL. I still have to write this article. Then, I will do the divisional round post mortem tomorrow. After that, I need to figure out my schedule for the rest of the month.
As mentioned in the caption above, I have a couple of games to get me through January. So, after this CFP National Championship post mortem and tomorrow’s divisional round post mortem, I will prepare some content for Minecraft, Dungeons and Dragons, and Mortal Kombat 11. In addition to the Aftermath story, I want to show off my new PC Minecraft world. The family actually gave me a chance to play D&D the other day. We played Clue two days in a row. Not really in the mood to play the second night, they asked me what I’d rather play. For a second, I considered mentioning D&D. Instead, I caved and we played Clue. Oh well, there will be other opportunities. Okay, apologies to those of you who are here for the college football. Let’s get on to the CFP National Championship 2021 post mortem.
Note: I will go through the preview article point by point and give my response to each of them.
Evil Empire is Back: Though I found myself actually rooting for Alabama (which, coincidentally, I think I mentioned might happen), they are absolutely the Evil Empire of college football again. Craig, who hasn’t responded to my apology for blowing off his invitation to join him for the game, texted me something about college football resembling women’s college basketball where only two teams can win. I think he’s right. The committee proved that the year that Alabama lost 2 games and still made it into the playoffs over other teams. Oh, they did lose Sarkisian. What? They’re replacing him with Bill O’Brien? Man, eff Bama.
Justin Fields: Fate chose him as the Bama slayer this year. He looked to be super human against Clemson when he took an absolute shot that left me horrified and wondering again why I watch this brutal display, especially with kids who aren’t even getting paid. Then, he kept the Buckeyes in the game for the first quarter before the Evil Empire unleashed the Death Star in the form of DeVonta Smith. Valiant effort, young man. I hope you heal so we can see what you do in the NFL.
Covid Bowl: At the beginning of the game, I kept my promise to root for chaos. I hoped for a national champion with less than 10 wins. As mentioned above, DeVonta Smith ensured that wouldn’t happen. Faced with the futility of this particular wish, I accepted our reality and ended up cheering for the Evil Empire to just end it all and blow us all up.
No Fans: Reading the preview article, it surprised me how much I said about this topic. I guess I said it all, though, because I have no follow up for this article. I barely even noticed the lack of fans at the game.
No Halftime Show: I thought I might miss the halftime show. I actually enjoyed a few of the CFP halftime shows. Maybe not more than the NFL as they have finally figured out their demographic for the halftime show and lean into it. As you probably figured out, I actually did not miss the halftime show. I barely even noticed the lack of a show. Instead, I enjoyed my extra time with Herbstreit, Fowler, and Des.
More of the same: I just want it known that I nailed this one. OSU played good ball for a quarter (I think I said they might be competitive for the first half) before Alabama’s talent took over and they blew the Buckeyes off the field.
Thanks for reading my CFP National Championship 2021 post mortem. Especially those of you who come here for gaming content. I promise it is coming soon. Just give me one more sports article tomorrow. Then, after that we will resume gaming content for the month until the weekend and the conference championship games. As far as this game, it went exactly as I expected. Even so, I enjoyed watching and I look forward to the draft and next year’s college season. Maybe Covid will be more under control by then.

domain: sports


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domain: pet


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Most people know that the Metropolitan Museum of Art does an annual costume institute exhibit, but occasionally they have other fashion exhibits on throughout the year. This is the case for In Pursuit of Fashion: The Sandy Schreier Collection, the current fall exhibit. From the Met’s page on the exhibit: “The Costume Institute’s fall 2019 exhibition features promised gifts from Sandy Schreier, a pioneering collector, who over the course of more than half a century assembled one of the finest private fashion collections in the United States. The show explores how Schreier amassed a trove of twentieth-century French and American couture and ready-to-wear, not as a wardrobe, but in appreciation of this form of creative expression.”
This was also a special trip because I got to meet a longtime sewing friend! Jennie runs Sense and Sensibility patterns, which were essentially my gateway into sewing. When I first learned to sew, it was her regency dress pattern that I decided to make. Because that’s logical, right? A complete beginning making a Jane Austen-style dress right off the bat?! (Hey, I did it! It wasn’t perfect, or even any good at all, but I learned a lot by just jumping in and looking stuff up as I went along.) I made it out of an old flannel sheet with a sheet print on it (and should I ever unearth the picture of it, I will definitely share it).
The start somehow aligned with Jennie being in New York for a few days, and I wasn’t working or headed upstate. I wasn’t feeling super great (rundown from the run of Frozen), but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet a longtime sewing friend! We figured out that we’ve known each other online for about eighteen years.
We spent a lovely afternoon wandering around the museum, walking and talking. Of course, the main goal was to see the fashion exhibit and so that was the first stop.
Schreier’s collection spanned many decades of fashion, with one of the showpieces being this Edwardian-era dress:
Gorgeous both front and back, and look at all that beading!
The exhibit was organized in chronological order for the most part, and following the 1910’s, there were some delightful dresses from the 20’s and 30’s. I appreciate 1920’s fashion so much, but can never wear it. The styles of the 1920’s are not for curvier girls, as they tend to make you look too boxy. However, they are often full of gorgeous art-deco details and other delights.
The treats for the eye didn’t end there. The exhibit also showed off a number of dresses from the 30’s, which is a silhouette I can sometimes wear, depending on the style of the dress. (Apologies if eras overlap in the images here, I’m trying to include all the pictures I took!)
Of course, the exhibit also drove home what I already knew: I am a 1950’s fashion girl at heart. The dresses from that era were by far my favorites, with these two being particularly me:
And just look at the matching shoes and hat that go with this dress:
I’ve always been a matchy-matchy girl. If every dress I owned could have a matching pair of shoes and hat, I would be very happy!
The room housing the exhibit was small but packed with delights. In a little second room, they had a collection of more unique fashion, such as the infamous soup can dress and a hat made of little lobsters (or possibly crayfish?). I love that color-blocked Art is Love dress.
As usual, it was a lovely way to spend an afternoon! I’m looking forward to the Met’s annual exhibit following the gala this year, which you can read more about here.

domain: design


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The whole thing could have been avoided by not being dirtbag scum. Don't understand why anyone defends a POS like Floyd. Whether he died by drugs or cop, the world is a slightly better place now that he's six feet under. Unless you think holding a gun to a pregnant woman's belly and threatening to kill her makes him deserving of life.
Floyd was an urban terrorist.
When you have a guy like this come into media attention, and you see his lengthy criminal record AND realize that he's just committed a crime AND he's just taken copious amounts of fentanyl, what you must understand is that this is how this guy lived day-in and day-out. He was not turning his life around - he was probably committing an arrestable crime every day of the week.
The neighborhoods that he roamed through breathed a sigh of relief when word got out that he was dead. This neighborhood and the city at-large was a better place that day until outside forces flew in and instigated a mob that burned down an already downtrodden, minority section of the city.
The blame lies at the feet of three parties: 1. media outlets inflaming the situation for ratings and ad revenue, 2. local and national politicians that saw the situation as politically advantageous, 3. left-wing, social justice warriors (your friends & neighbors) that amplified the false narrative. Remove any one of these pieces and the story blows over in a couple days without any damage or loss of life.
The entire situation is a complete nightmare EXCEPT the part about Floyd dying by overdose.
Chauvin walks and then sues the city and media for millions.

domain: sociology


Next week I head back to Columbus, where my mates in Watershed and I will continue work on a new record. The plan is to release the album early next year, to coincide with the publication of my memoir, Hitless Wonder.
How does it feel to be back with the guys, writing songs, trying to get ’em down on tape as best we can? It feels like I’m one lucky bastard. Lucky that I get to play in a band this good. Lucky that we have fans who still give a shit. I don’t know about you, but I, for one, can’t wait to hear what the new Watershed record sounds like. It’s been a long dang time.
Speaking of luck and all that happy-crappy, here’s the quickie video we did for “Lucky Day,” a song that kinda got lost in the shuffle last go-around.


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The Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Cavayé Yeguié Djibril has launched the 6th Caravan to promote farming among Youths .
He launched the event this 2nd April 2019 accompanied by two Ministers ; Mbairobe Gabriel Agriculture and Dr Taiga of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry.
The event saw 15 best young farmers and entrepreneurs decorated with Knight of Merit for Agriculture and the Cameroon Knight of Merit by Hon. Cavayé Yeguié Djibril on the instructions of President Paul Biya.
The fifteen youths are made up of
# five young farmers
The head of the Youth Parliamentary Network, Gaston Komba donated farm inputs and equipment to the young farmers drawn from the twenty-one divisions of the Adamawa region.
Also during the ceremony, Ministers Mbairobe Gabriel and Dr Taiga handed end-of-course certificates to some young farmers and entrepreneurs, who were trained by the Youth Parliamentary Network.
Addressing the Youth, the House Speaker stressed on government’s determination to encourage an on-the-spot transformation of lo cally produced goods.
He challenged other youths to be inspired by the success stories of the fifteen honored this day.
Administrative authorities expressed gratitude to Parliament for the innitiative to curb unemployment among youths in the region.
Hon. Cavayé Yeguié Djibril and the delegation round up their three Day working visit on Wednesday 3rd April 2019.
The Youth Parliamentary Network led the Caravan to the Adamawa to boost the regio n’s agro-pastoral potential.

domain: agronomy


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Employer may not have cake and eat it
$20 million gender discrimination and retaliation suit filed on behalf of the former female general counsel after she was made to serve cake to juniors.
Sanford Heisler Sharp has filed suit against EXL Service Holdings, Inc, one of the world’s largest operations management and data analytics companies, and its senior officers, on behalf of its former general counsel and executive vice president, Nancy Saltzman.
The Complaint alleges that when Ms. Saltzman complained to EXL board member Clyde Ostler about the discrimination that she was personally experiencing, the company fired her. According to the Complaint, as early as her first interviews, Ms Saltzman’s gender made her a target. The complaint discusses the sexist comments made by EXL’s President and chief operating officer Pavan Bagai who asked another executive who had interviewed Ms Saltzman whether she was “attractive.” When the other executive described her attire, Mr Bagai commented that he appreciated her “short skirt.” The situation did not improve after Ms.Saltzman was hired. According to the lawsuit, EXL’s overwhelmingly male senior leadership marginalized, micromanaged, and disrespected Ms Saltzman, who was the first and only woman ever on EXL’s Executive Committee. This conduct allegedly included denying her travel requests, withholding essential information, and sharply curtailing her authority to make legal decisions for the company. This discrimination came to a head, Ms Saltzman alleges, when EXL ceo Rohit Kapoor personally directed Ms Saltzman to serve cake to junior male employees during a company anniversary celebration.
“Must punish the bad actors”
“Ms Saltzman worked hard for twenty years to earn a seat at the table on EXL’s executive committee,” said David Sanford, chairman of Sanford Heisler Sharp. “When she got there, however, she apparently found herself relegated to serving cake.” The Complaint alleges that EXL’s board nurtured the company’s discriminatory environment by empowering ceo Mr Kapoor and executive vice president Mr Miglani to retaliate against Ms Saltzman. Specifically, Ms Saltzman alleges that she sought assistance from board audit committee chair Clyde Ostler in addressing the discrimination. According to the complaint, rather than confront EXL’s male domination and discriminatory practices, Mr Ostler and board chairman Garen Staglin empowered the leadership to fire Ms Saltzman. They did so, Ms Saltzman alleges, by telling Ms. Saltzman that her complaints of discrimination constituted her resignation. “When senior executives complain of discrimination, corporations must punish the bad actors,” said Russell Kornblith, New York managing partner of Sanford Heisler Sharp.
Email your news and story ideas to: email@example.com

domain: news


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Oh to be an eagle And sail the endless sky To float upon the wind Looking down from way up high The world would be my oyster Oh the places I would see I would be master of the wind My sprit and I would be free No earthly bonds to hold us back To the limit I would soar Up to the tip of heaven Then down to some far distant shore I'd rest upon the mountain tops With views beyond compare Oh to be an eagle And leave behind this chair
by Dennis T Baker
Last Modified on: 05-12-2018
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If so, Webster can help you. Its FREE!
© Copyright 2019. Torfaen County Borough Council.

domain: geography


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Recipe Alert! 🚨 Stuffed Peppers are a great meal-prep meal for lunch or dinner. I can’t wait to eat them again tonight they’re so delicious 😋 Recipe: 👩🏻🍳 - Sauté onions until golden brown. Add lean ground beef (used 0.75lb for 5). Cook until almost done. Add fresh or canned tomatoes and oregano. - Simultaneously prepare rice & then mix rice in with sautéed ingredients. - Scoop rice mixture into peppers and bake at 350 for 35mins. - Remove from oven, add grated cheese and finish baking ~8mins. - Sauce: finely dice a can of tomatoes. Simmer with garlic until reduced ~20mins. Add oregano, basil, dill or whatever herb you desire. - Put the stuffed pepper on a layer of sauce, add a little sauce on top and enjoy! 😋 This could easily be made vegetarian by using black beans or lentils instead of beef! #dietitian#dietitiantips#diy#mealprep#stuffedpeppers
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Pasta 🍝🥦😋 ~ This Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Pasta is a dish that is packed with cheesy, rich flavor, loaded with chicken and broccoli. It's prepared all in the same pot to ensure each bite is tasty and easy to whip up in a flash! One pot and only 30 minutes is all you require to make this incredibly delicious dish! By @jocooks ~ 1 tbsp olive oil 1 lb chicken breasts boneless and skinless cut into small bite size pieces 1/2 tsp salt or to taste 1/2 tsp pepper or to taste 1 medium onion chopped 4 cloves garlic minced 8 oz pasta uncooked, such as penne, shells, rigatoni, etc. 1 cup chicken broth low sodium 2 cups milk 2 cup broccoli cut into small florets, 1 head of broccoli 1/4 tsp nutmeg 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded Instructions Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the chicken breasts to the skillet and season them with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and starts to lightly brown. Add the onions, garlic and cook for another 2 minutes until the onions softens a little bit. Add the pasta, chicken broth, milk and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, stir, cover the pot/skillet and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta cooks through. Uncover the pot and stir in the broccoli. Continue cooking for a couple more minutes until all the liquid evaporates. Stir in the cheddar cheese. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed. Serve while warm. ~ #chicken#broccoli#summer#summervibes#findyourowncontent#fit#fitness#foodie#foodporn#foodphotography#dinner#recipe#mealprep#eeeeeats#food#healthyfood#onthetable Reposted from @calories.tips
Baked meatballs cook great in cupcake pans 🤗 - Seasoned with: 👉 #flavorgod Himalayan Salt& Pepper - Add delicious flavors to your meals!⬇ Click link in the bio -> @flavorgod | www.flavorgod.com - Music by: @fredd0 - Ingredients: 🍅1/3 cup - Parmesan 🍅1/3 cup - spinach 🍅1/4 cup - brown rice / or less 🍅1 - egg 🍅1 1/2 pounds - ground beef / grass fed 🍅1/4 cup -Bread crumbs 🍅1 tbsp - Flavorgod Himalayan Salt& Pepper 🍅1 tbsp - FLavorgod seasoning/any flavor - Directions: ➡preheat oven to 400* Fahrenheit. ➡Add all above ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Mix together. ➡Roll mixture into 1 inch meatballs ➡Take rolled meatballs and roll them into bread crumbs, very lightly!! ➡place in small cupcake pan and bake for 20 min. Serve with tomato sauce and enjoy! - Flavor God Seasonings are: 💥ZERO CALORIES PER SERVING 🔥0 SUGAR PER SERVING 💥GLUTEN FREE 🔥KETO FRIENDLY 💥PALEO FRIENDLY - #food#foodie#flavorgod#seasonings#glutenfree#mealprep#keto#seasonings#paleo#seasonings#kosher#seasonings#breakfast#lunch#dinner#yummy#delicious#foodporn
School being back in calls for all the easy prepped food during the week! I am shocked to admit that this is the first time I’ve done a sweet breakfast sweet potato.... and I hade no idea how I lasted this long because I’m literally scraping the plate while writing this 🙄 #deats meal prepped baked sweet potato topped with Greek yogurt, almond butter, blueberries, local honey and cinnamon (paired w coffee + @vitalproteins collagen of course)
🚨 😋PROTEIN PACKED GIVEAWAY! 🍫🚨 Did someone say gains? We got with @theprobar to keep your protein game strong with a chance to WIN by entering this awesome giveaway! Each brand will select one lucky winner (2 total winners!) The winner will receive an awesome sample pack from both brands! Here's how to enter: 1⃣Follow @theprobar & @iwonorganics 📲 2⃣Like this photo 📸💓 3⃣Tag the friends 🤜🤛 you’d share all these protein snacks with – each friend counts as an entry! 📣 4⃣Follow the link in our bio to finalize your entry (Don't forget this step)...That's it! You did it. 🎯 *Must be 18 or older and a US 🇺🇸 resident to participate in this #giveaway. The giveaway ends on Friday 9/20/2019 11:59pm PST.

domain: food


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Lipids are a group of naturally occurring substances characterized by their insolubility in water, greasy feel and solubility in some organic solvents. They occur widely in the plant and animal kingdom, in the form of oils and fats respectively. The basic structure of lipids is comprised of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (sometimes nitrogen and phosphorous are also present).
The lipid fat content of food is the major determinant of the energy density of diets. Each gram of fat provides 9.0kcal of energy.
Last modified: Wednesday, 8 February 2012, 8:47 AM

domain: chemistry


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Services on Demand
On-line version ISSN 1678-4685
Genet. Mol. Biol. vol.28 no.4 São Paulo Oct./Dec. 2005
Maria de Nazare Klautau-GuimarãesI; Renata DAscençãoI; Fabiana A. CaldartI; Cesar K. GrisoliaI; Jurandir R. de SouzaII; Antonio C. BarbosaIII; Célia M.T. CordeiroIV; Iris FerrariI
IUniversidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Genética e Morfologia, Brasília, DF, Brazil
IIUniversidade de Brasília, Instituto de Química, Brasília, DF, Brazil
IIIInstituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente, Setor de Áreas Isoladas Norte, Brasília, DF, Brazil
IVEmbrapa/Cenargen, Centro Nacional de Pesquisa de Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, Brasília, DF, Brazil
We investigated Individual differences in susceptibility to methylmercury (MeHg) contamination and its relationship with polymorphisms of the detoxifying enzyme glutathione S-transferase (GST). In Brazil, some Amerindian tribes from the Amazon region have an increased level of mercury in their hair. Samples of hair and blood were taken from inhabitants of two villages in the Kayabi and Munduruku Amerindian communities to investigate mercury levels in association with genetic polymorphism of GSTs. Other molecular biological markers were also studied, such as hemoglobin, haptoglobin and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH). Higher levels of mercury contamination were found in the Kayabi villagers, who had a null genotype (GSTM1 0/0, also denominated GSTM1 null) frequency of 26%, than in the Munduruku villagers, for which the null genotype frequency was 0%. Individuals with the GSTM1 null phenotype had higher concentrations of mercury in their hair than individuals with GSTM1+/+ phenotypes (F = 21.51, p < 0.0001). No association with other markers studied was observed. This study suggests that GSTM1 may be involved in the biotransformation of mercury in humans.
Key words: Amerindian, genetic polymorphism, glutathione S-transferase, mercury.
Mercury, a naturally occurring element that is released from a variety of sources including human activity, is used industrially all over the world because of its diverse properties. In the Brazilian Amazon, mercury contamination of fish can occur as a result of both natural biogeochemical processes and gold-mining activities (Pfeiffer and Lacerda, 1988; Eve et al., 1996; Lechler et al., 2000). Human mercury contamination results primarily from fish consumption because fish not only absorb methylmercury (MeHg) from the water throughout their life but also convert inorganic Hg+2 to methylmercury through biomethylation occurring in their body. Fish at the top of a food chain have the greatest accumulation of methylmercury (Barbosa et al., 1995; Shoeny, 1996; Ashner, 2002). In the Brazilian Amazon, many studies have already been carried out on riverine and Amerindian populations to investigate the health impacts of mercury exposure in different communities (Akagi et al., 1995; Barbosa et al., 1998; Boischio and Henshel, 2000; Santos et al., 2000; Dolbec et al., 2001; Dorea, 2003).
Various factors affect the absorption, distribution, biotransformation, excretion and, consequently, toxicity of methylmercury. It has been pointed out (Doi, 1991) that genetically determined factors play an important role in the differential susceptibility which individuals show to mercury toxicity. It is known reduced glutathione (GSH) and g-glutamyl transpeptidase (g-GT) are involved in the disposition and excretion of methylmercury (Strange at al., 2001), and since glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH) is involved in the production of GSH a deficiency in G-6-PDH can influence the metabolism and detoxification of mercury (Harris 1980). Methylmercury is exported from liver cells into plasma in complex with GSH because both inorganic and methylmercury have high affinity for reduced sulfhydryl (SH) groups, which bind to biological thiols such as L-cysteine and glutathione to form conjugated complexes. Hepatic methylmercury uptake is increased in the presence of plasma cysteine or GSH and some hemoglobin molecules have extra cysteine moieties or cysteine-SH groups which are more accessible to methylmercury, such compositional and structural differences in hemoglobin being genetically determined and correlated with differences in mercury blood levels (Tsuguyouski et al., 1991).
The glutathione S-transferase (GST) gene family is involved in the detoxification of electrophilic compounds by conjugation, and in higher organisms at least five GSTs gene classes (alpha, mu, pi, theta and zeta) have been well studied. Each GST class has substrate selectivity depending on the chemical properties of the compounds. The GSH conjugated is more water soluble and therefore immediately excreted via the bile or urine (Armstrong, 1990; Strange et al., 2001). Naganuma et al (1990) and Choi et al (1996) have shown that GSH deficiency is associated with sensitivity to both mercury chloride and methylmercury. In vitro studies have demonstrated conjugation between methylmercury and GSH to form a complex which can interact with GST-pi, such binding possibly having a protective function against heavy metals (Almar and Dierickx, 1990). According to Brambila et al (2002) various GST genes are activated in rats exposed to mercury, indicating that individuals with specific genotypes could be better protected against the cytotoxicity of methylmercury. In GST mu (GSTM) five mu classes occur in tandem (GSTM4-GSTM2-GSTM1-GSTM5-GSTM3) in a cluster on chromosome 1p13.3. Polymorphism of the M1 locus has been widely described. Homozygotes, in which both GSTM1*0 alleles are deleted (GSTM1 null genotype), do not express the GST protein (Xu et al., 1998). With the GST theta (GSTT), two genes (GSTT1 and GSTT2) are located on chromosome 22 and separated by about 50 kb. The allele GSTT1*0 is also non-functional (Coggan et al., 1998). The GST pi (GSTP) are located on chromosome 11p13 and two different alleles (GSTP1 and GSTP2) have been identified. The wild-type allele differe to the mutant allele by a nucleotide transition on codon 105 of exon 5, which causes in an amino-acid substitution of isoleucine for valine . The mutant that the enzyme (val105) is 3-fold less effective (Harris et al., 1998).
Some Brazilian Amerindian populations use fish as their main dietary protein source and are thought to be contaminated by mercury. We studied the Kayabi and Munduruku Brazilian Amazonian Amerindian communities for mercury contamination and genetic polymorphism in specific biological markers associated with mercury metabolism. The connection between polymorphic genes linked to mercury metabolism and the concentration of mercury in hair was also investigated. This study was carried out on loci for hemoglobin, haptoglobin (Hp), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH) and the glutathione S-transferase loci mu (GSTM1), pi (GSTP1) and theta (GSTT1).
Material and Methods
Study area and communities
The Kayabi community has an estimated population of 1,000 Amerindians and is situated at 11°37 S and 55°40 W on the banks of the Teles Pires river which has received high emissions of inorganic mercury from the many gold-mining sites which function along its small tributaries. We sampled 65 Kayabi individuals (41% males, 59% females) with an average age of 24.53 ± 15.57 years, Table 1 showing the age classes for our sample population. One blood sample was taken from each individual for analyses of gene polymorphisms.The Munduruku community has an estimated population of 646 Amerindians and is situated at 7°37 S and 57°34 W on the banks of the Teles Pires river, which has received similar mercury contamination. We sampled 117 Munduruku individuals (41% males, 59% females) with an average age of 30.90 ± 15.14 years, Table 1 showing the age classes for our sample population. One blood sample was taken from each individual for analyses of gene polymorphisms.
Both communities are situated in areas of intensive gold prospecting activity and the main diet of the community is fish and starchy root crops, principally cassava (Manihot ssp.) flour. This study was approved by the ethics committee of the University of Brasília in accordance with the rules of the Brazilian Ministry of Health. All individuals participating in the study, or their legal guardians, provided informed consent.
For mercury analysis about 10 hairs (10-20 mg) were weighed on an analytical balance (Mettler AE200, Hightstown, NJ) and placed into separate vials which had been previously weighed and labeled. For digestion, 2 mL of 45% NaOH, 1 mL of 1% cysteine and 5 mL of 1% NaCl (all % w/v) was added to each vial and the hair digested on a hot plate at 90-95 °C for 15 min, after which the samples were cooled in crushed ice and any evaporated water replaced. The samples were analyzed for mercury content according to the method of Magos and Clackson (1972) using atomic cold vapor absorption spectrophotometry (CV-AAS) using a model 1255 LDC Analytical Mercury Monitor (LDC, Riviera Beach, Fl, USA) having a quantification limit for mercury of 1.5 ppb. The University of Brasilia laboratory is a participant in the Mercury Quality Assurance Program (Hair Mercury-Inter-laboratory Comparison Program, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada).
Gene polymorphism studies
Individual blood samples were screened for hemoglobin variants using 14% (w/v) starch gel electrophoresis from hemolisates and haptoglobin (Hp) gel electrophoresis were carried out with serum samples directly (Ramalho, 1986). For G-6-DP variants analysis, agarose gel electrophoresis were carried out from hemolisates (Harris, 1978). Polymorphism of the GST gene family was determined in DNA extracted from each blood samples using a standard method (GFX Genomic Blood DNA Purification Kit - Amersham Biosciences), followed by PCR amplification using specific primers for GSTM1 (Fryer et al., 1993), GSTT1 (Kemples et al., 1996) and GSTP1 locus 105 (Park et al., 1999), a-globin primers being used as the positive control to check PCR performance. The PCR products were separated using 6% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and visualized by silver nitrate staining.
The allelic and genotype frequencies of both populations were analysed using the chi-squared test (c2) contained in the FREGEM - GENIOC statistical package (Cabello and Krieger 1997). The SAS statistical package version 6 was used to perform analysis of variance (ANOVA) and detect associations between different mercury concentrations in the hair samples, specific genotypes, sex and age.
In our study we found that the mean level of mercury in hair from the Kayabi population was 14.75 ± 1.0 ppm, Table 1 showing the mercury levels for the different age classes. There was no statistically significant differences in hair mercury between the sexes in either community (ANOVA, p > 0.05) but, unexpectedly, there were within-population differences as regards age, with individuals up to the age of 20 being more contaminated than individuals in the 21 to > 61 age group (Table 1).
Hemoglobin and G-6-PDH analysis showed no variant that could be associated with variability of hair mercury in either population. The haptoglobin (Hp) allele frequencies (Hp*1 = 0.72 and Hp*2 = 0.28 for the Kayabi; Hp*1 = 0.74 and Hp*2 = 0.26 for the Munduruku) in both communities were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (Table 2) and there was no relationship between the distribution of haptoglobin phenotypes and hair mercury contamination according to age or sex (ANOVA, F = 1.63, p > 0.19).
Glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) was selected for study based on the hypothesis that the presence or absence of this allele could be associated with the level of mercury contamination. In the Kayabi population 26% of individuals were homozygous for the non-functional GSTM1 null allele (GSTM1-) but in the Munduruku population all the individuals were monomorphic for the phenotype active GSTM1 (GSTM1+) (Table 3). Individuals with the GSTM1 null phenotype presented (GSTM1-) higher concentrations of hair mercury than GSTM1+ individuals, even considering possible age and sex effects (F = 21.51, p < 0.001, Table 3). The phenotypic heterogeneity test for GSTM1 polymorphism indicated that Kayabi and Munduruku populations were significantly different (c2 = 34.26, p < 0.001, Table 3. The GSTT1 locus was polymorphic in both populations, with GSTT1 null frequencies of 20% for the Kayabi sample and 25% for the Munduruku sample but there was no relationship between the distribution of the GSTT1 null phenotype and mercury contamination (F = 0.11, p = 0.74) and the heterogeneity test for distribution of GSTT1 phenotypes between populations was not significant (c2 = 0.496, 0.50 < p < 0.70). The results for the GSTT1 and GSTP1 loci were similar, with the GSTP1 locus presenting polymorphism without any relationship being seen between this allele and the level of mercury in either population (F = 0.15, p = 0.85, Table 3). The GSTP1 locus showed Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in both populations (c2 = 2.79; 0.05 < p < 0.10 for the Kayabi and c2 = 1.4; 0.30 < p < 0.50 for the Munduruku).
In our study, 62.12% of the Kayabi sample population had a mean hair mercury concentration above the acceptable limit (10 ppm) established by the World Health Organization. Barbosa et al. (1995) demonstrated a direct relationship between dietary habits and mercury contamination in different Amazonian populations and showed that gold prospectors have high levels of mercury in their urine due to occupational exposure to inorganic mercury vapor inhaled during amalgam burning.
When released into the environment, divalent mercury (Hg+2) can be converted by sediment bacteria and other organisms into methylmercury (MeHg) which can be bioaccumulated in fish and biomagnified up the food chain. Toxicity of different chemical forms of mercury differs strongly, with MeHg being among the most potent forms (Potter et al., 1975; Richins et al., 1975; Copper, 1983).
Gene flow between the Kayabi and Munduruku communities is very rare because even though they are vicinal cultural differences act as a barrier to marriages between members of these tribes (Rodrigues, et al., 2002). Rodrigues et al. (2002) reported also that the Munduruku are more isolated and marriage generally occurs within the tribe, while the Kayabi live in an area that has received intensive migration due to gold prospecting and have consequently become somewhat mixed. The differences observed in the GSTM1 gene frequencies between these two communities suggest that they are heterogeneous. We found that 74% of GSTM1+ phenotype Kayabi sampled had about 8 ppm of mercury in their hair while 26% of GSTM1 null phenotype Kayabi sampled had mercury levels of 14 ppm. On the other hand, all the Munduruku individuals sampled had the GSTM1+ phenotype and low levels of mercury in the hair.
The association between a high frequency of the GSTM1+ allele and lower mercury contamination in the Munduruku sample and the fact that Kayabi GSTM1 null homozygotes had higher levels of mercury than either the GSTM1+ Kayabi or the Munduruku sample suggest that the GSTM1 gene could be involved in mercury metabolism or could be associated with reduced mercury levels. Individual differences in susceptibility to methyl mercury toxicity may be associated with enzymes that exhibit genetic polymorphism. A study by Rodrigues et al. (2002) of 308 individuals from the Munduruku showed almost no mercury contamination (a mean of 4.3 ± 0.1 ppm) and our results in the results in table 2 confirm this previous study, showing that the Mundurukus have a lower level of Hg in their hair.
Both communities appear to have received similar mercury exposure because they have the same dietary habits based on fish and (principally cassava) and are located in areas subject to intensive gold prospecting (Rodrigues et al., 2002). Although the Kayabi community has mercury levels in excess of 10 ppm no clinical signals of mercury contamination have been reported (Rodrigues et al., 2002). Medical practitioners who have followed this community recommended they should eat Brazil nuts (Castanha-do-pará), a typical Amazonian nut with a high selenium content which eliminates Hg from the human body (Imura and Naganura, 1985). Fish per se are the best sources of essential nutrients as well as selenium and are abundant natural resource for the Amazonian Indians and other river-bank dwellers (Dorea, 2003). However, an other study with mercury in the Amazonian ecosystem have shown high concentrations of mercury in fish from the non-polluted freshwater of the Rio Negro which has no history of gold-mining (Barbosa et al., 2003). Mercury biomagnification in piscivorous Rio Negro fish appears to be due to pre-formed methyl mercury occurring naturally in the environment and the food-chain of the fish, demonstrating that the mercury cycle in the Amazonian ecosystem is still not well understood (Barbosa et al., 2003).
Our study indicates that some Kayabi individuals with a specific phenotype could have increased mercury load in their body. Genetic variability endows a species with the ability to adapt to the environment over time, because of which it is important to study the role of genetic factors such as GSTM1 polymorphisms in protecting people from mercury damage.
The authors thank the Fundação Nacional do Índio (FUNAI), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) and Universidade de Brasília.
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Coggan M, Whitbread L, Whittington A and Board P (1998) Structure and organiszation of the human theta-class glutathione S-transferase and D-dopachrome tautomerase gene complex. Biochem J 334:617-623. [ Links ]
Choi HB, Yee S and Robles M (1996) Effects of the glycoside glutathione on the poisoning bby methylmercury. Toxicol and Appl Pharmacol 141:357-364. [ Links ]
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Dolbec J, Mergler D, Larribe F, Roulet M, Lebel J and Lucotte M (2001) Sequential analysis of hair mercury levels in relation to fish diet of an Amazon population, Brazil. The Science of Total Environment 271:87-97. [ Links ]
Dorea JG (2003) Fish are central in the diet of Amazonian riparians: Should we worry about their mercury concentrations? Environmental Research 92:232-244. [ Links ]
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Fryer AA, Zhao L, Alldersea J, Pearson WR and Strange RC (1993) Use of site-directed mutagenesis of allele-specific PCR primers to identify the GSTM1 A,B and GSTM1 null polymorphism at the glutathione S-transferase, GSTM1 locus. Biochem J 295:313-315. [ Links ]
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Lechler PJ, Miller JR, Lacerda LD, Vinson D, Bonzongo JC, Lyons WB and Warwick JJ (2000) Elevated mercury concentrations in soil, sediments, water, and fish of the Madeira River basin, Brazilian Amazon: A function of natural enrichments? The Science of Total Environment 260:87-96. [ Links ]
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Naganuma A, Anderson ME and Meister A (1990) A celular glutathione as a determinant sensitivity to mercury chloride. Prevention of toxicity by giving glutathione monoester. Biochemical Parmacology 40:693-697. [ Links ]
Pfeiffer WC and Lacerda LD (1988) Mercury inputs into the Amazon region. Environ. Technol. Lett 9:325-330. [ Links ]
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Richins RT and Risser AC (1975) Total mercury in water sediment and selected aquatic organisms, Carson River, Nevada - 1972. Pesticides Monitoring Journal 9:44-54. [ Links ]
Rodrigues P, Barbosa AC, Ferrari I and Souza, JR (2002) Avaliação da contaminação por mercúrio na terra dos Mundurukss do Pará. In: Demarcando Terras Indígenas II. Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit - GTZ (eds), pp 123-148. [ Links ]
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Send correspondence to
Cesar Koppe Grisolia
Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Genética e Morfologia, 70
910-900 Brasilia, DF, Brazil
Received: May 21, 2004; Accepted: May 4, 2005.
Associate Editor: Catarina S. Takahashi

domain: biology


text:
This same time, years previous: homemade pasta, jelly toast: a love story, steer sitting, doppelganger, old-fashioned molasses cream sandwich cookies, lemon cheesecake morning buns, roasted cauliflower soup, the quotidian (2.25.13), bandwagons.
- Quotidian: daily, usual or customary;everyday; ordinary; commonplace
Still searching for a dry, crunchy — but not rock hard — super-flavorful biscotti. Suggestions?Steadily improving.Italian buttercream: haven’t quite nailed it.Cake scraps, trifled.The recipe called for toffee so I made some — [adjusts crown] — from scratch.Lava cake, four ways: a sampling.On a platter.Sausage and spinach.And then they adulterate it with applesauce: what weird food habits do your children have?He made himself an impressive breakfast, but it’s the placemat that slays me.Zesty!
Besides the butter dumplings, I learned to make a few other southern staples from the Bragg book. Several of the recipes were for the birds (literally), but there were some solid finds, too: creamed onions, jalapeno cornbread, ham and beans, stewed cabbage, and collards.
The collards, in particular, I was excited about. I’d always been curious about them — how could a bitter, boring vegetable be at the heart of a cuisine that relied so heavily on meat, fat, and sugar?
Turns out, the greens are anything but boring, and they cut the richness quite nicely — probably that’s the key to their success. I like them because they’re a cheap and delicious way to get great mounds of greens into our tummies, and the slow simmer is perfect for cold winter nights.
Never mind that no one else is particularly enthusiastic about my new discovery. It’s good for them and I’m in charge so end of story.
Adapted from The Best Cook in the World by Rick Bragg.
The first time I made these, I accidentally cooked the pot dry and the greens got slightly charred on the bottom. I immediately transferred them to another pot, added a little water and continued cooking, but rather then being a disaster, the chewy bits of caramelization made the greens taste fantastic — sweet and salty, with a hit of heat. The second time I cooked these, without any scorching, they weren’t quite as interesting. Do as you wish!
I used my dad’s homecanned hot sauce, but you can use whatever you have: sriracha, tabasco, dried peppers, etc. Just be careful not to go overboard. You’re aiming for only a whisper of heat.
2-3 large bunches of collard greens
2 slices bacon, rough chopped
A dollop of hot sauce
1 small clove garlic
1 tablespoon each salt and sugar
Devein the collards and discard the stems. Rough-chop the leaves into large pieces. Wash well. You should have enough greens to fill a 12-quart soup pot.
Put two to three cups of water into the pot. Add the bacon, hot sauce, garlic, salt (I usually start with half the amount and then add the rest at the end), and sugar. Pile in the greens.
Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat, clap on a lid, and simmer for about two hours. Use a pair of tongs to gently stir the greens every fifteen minutes or so. By the end there should be very little liquid, and the greens should so soft that you can easily cut them with the side of a fork.
Remove the garlic clove and taste to correct seasonings. Serve with ham and beans, cornbread, eggs, pot roast, whatever.
- Quotidian: daily, usual or customary;everyday; ordinary; commonplace
Avocado toast.Baking lessons with my neice.Experimenting (and making edits here).Better than it looks: with freshly-ground chocolate barley (similar), millet, and oats.Well, shucks.The rest of it.Flipped and fixed.A backwards C.The studier.
I’m not much for finicky cake decorating, but earlier this week, with my younger son’s birthday celebration looming — his real birthday was Sunday, but we wouldn’t be partying until Friday — I got an uncharacteristic urge. Maybe it’d be fun to do something a little more involved?
Along with a host of other off-handed suggestions, my son mentioned a snake. The idea lodged in my brain. A snake, with its low center of gravity and streamlined body, seemed fairly simple, right? Plus, since my son is the youngest, the pressure was off. No other children would be coming up through the ranks demanding a similarly fancy cake come their thirteenth birthday. Neat how that works, yes? So after a quick Internet search, I settled on a cake by Yolanda of How To Cake It fame.
My son said that he wanted chocolate and not white icing and please, no weird experiments. Fine, I said, it will be chocolate, but no promises on the icing and yes, this is an experiment and a surprise so that’s all I’m saying about that.
The poor kid’s anxiety shot through the roof. He still had lingering PTSD from The Picaken Fiasco of 2015, in which his birthday cake ended up in the compost (and then the dog ate it).
“Can’t I make a small cake?” he pleaded. “Please? Just in case the experiment doesn’t work?”
“Oh, shush,” I laughed. “You’re going to like it just fine.”
I made the chocolate cakes — four recipes worth — on Thursday, so he saw those. And then on Friday morning he saw me make the two batches of fondant and a fifth chocolate cake (and I made the coffee buttercream, too, but I don’t think he noticed that).
Right after lunch, I took him to my mother’s house so my younger daughter and I could decorate in peace. The two of us worked the entire afternoon.
To start, there was the carving.
To do it well, or at least thoroughly, one must dispose entirely of any notion of thriftiness. Cake is a medium: Cut and chuck with abandon! (We did, however, freeze the scraps. What to do with three containers of chocolate cake bits?)
Then we connected the pieces with buttercream and spritzed them with simple syrup to lock in moisture — something that I learned from Yolanda.
I dirty iced the whole affair.
The board cleaned, it was time for the fondant. Because it was a tricky process — but not hard! — there are no photos of the rolling, lifting, pressing, and patching.
To create a pattern, I cut a piece of netting an onion bag and pressed that into the fondant. It didn’t leave a very clear imprint, but it was good enough, we decided.
Then the painting.
We brushed the whole snake with ivory gel mixed with rum. Then we made the shapes using mixtures of browns and blacks, blotting with paper towels as we went.
It was touch-and-go, and the end result was highly imperfect, but we were having far too much fun to really care.
We decorated the board with rocks (that my father brought over when he and my mother came for supper) and twigs from the yard, and then hid the snake in the downstairs bedroom until the big reveal.
The whole project was so much fun, and now I can’t stop thinking about cake.
What to make next?
My baby’s a teenager!
And I’m going overboard in a glorious cloud of sugar and chocolate.
Wish me luck!
- Quotidian: daily, usual or customary;everyday; ordinary; commonplaceSweetheart.Flaky.Wintergreen.Gooey.Wrong, on so many levels.Shooting up (the steers).In search of self.Also in search of self: an ancestory lesson from his parents.(Interesting fact: on his great grandmother’s ride across the Atlantic,her ship stopped to take on survivors from the Titanic!)Haha.Ice bells.“This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after anotheruntil it’s done. It’s that easy, and that hard.” Neil Gaiman
This same time, years previous: chicken and sausage gumbo, baked brie with cranberries and walnuts, the quotidian (2.1.16), object of terror, the quotidian (2.2.15), a Wednesday list, itchy in my skin, how we got our house, taco seasoning mix, wheat berry salad.


text:
Warning: NOT from scratch! Easy Garlic and Herb Pull-Apart makes for a quick dinner side or even a snack. Since we use store bought biscuits for this loaf a few ingredients, it can be made in just a few minutes time.
Creamy Butternut Squash Alfredo Pasta permeated with fresh sage and thyme then perfected with a garnish of salty bacon on top! The fall recipe is silky smooth, luscious, healthy and absolutely addicti (Squash Noodle Recipes)
10 Toddler Breakfast Ideas to inspire your busy mornings! If your toddler& eating habits are sometimes a question mark, start him or her off with a strong breakfast. Mix and match these toddler favorites below with milk for a great start to the day!
These 12 Healthy Toddler Lunches are nutrient packed (we are even going to hide some extra veggies in them) and balanced meals that will be devoured by your toddler in no time at all! We all need some ideas, right?


text:
No. 88-89 Fuxin Road, Daxin Town, Jimo, Qingdao, Shandong
The first term is designed for the management of imported high-quality fresh fruit and vegetables. It is farm and sideline products
trading center composed by wholesale-retail market, deep processing, modern warehouse & logistics, exhibition and E-commerce.
The most influential agricultural and sideline products trading base in North China
Upgrade of pesticide residue inspection equipment, good quality and safety
In order to ensure that the general public can eat safe and reliable fruits, the company's laboratory replaced the more advanced 16-channel pesticide rapid detector in early April. Compared with the previously used pesticide residue test card, this tester greatly improved the pesticide residue detection. Efficiency and test results are more accurate.
In addition, the laboratory has also added 3 full-time inspectors, increased the number of sampling of fruit entering the market, increased the frequency of inspections, and published the test results every day to help the general public to ensure good quality and safety.
Chongqing Hongjiu Fruit Qingdao Branch opened grandly
Number watermelon" listed


text:
Can you decipher this Second World War RAF service record?
QI’m trying to find out what my father-in-law, Frederick Leslie Simm, did during the Second World War in Egypt and Italy. He joined the RAF on 10 December 1941 and served overseas from May 1943 to July 1946. His service records don’t seem to reveal what he did in either country, or how and when he became a Corporal. Ann Simm, by email
ARAF service records are difficult to interpret because the RAF used initials, acronyms and numbers to identify postings and people served in a variety of stations, training units, squadrons and support units during their career. Records were also compiled in Britain so details of service abroad are sometimes incorrect. The first posting for your fatherin-law, Frederick Leslie Simm, was 3 Reception Centre (Bournemouth), then 10 ( Signals) Recruit Centre (Blackpool). There he became a WOP (Wireless Operator). He then moved to 3 Wireless School. After a hospital stay, he served in a series of RAF Stations: Swanton Morley, Honington and Snetterton Heath. RAF station histories can be found online (search by RAF station name).
Next, Frederick is at Renscombe Down, where secret Air Ministry Experimental Stations (AMES) were established. These mobile radar units operated close to the frontline to detect enemy aircraft. He was posted to the Middle East (the record’s out of order here) then to the North West Africa Air Force in May 1943. He didn’t receive it, but may have been entitled to the Africa Star medal. By July 1943, Frederick was with 8032 AMES whose records are in AIR 29/191 at TNA Kew ( but not online), serving with them through the Sicily campaign and in Italy. He’s noted as rejoining them on 17 August in Sicily, where they operated at coastal sites detecting German aircraft and guiding fighters towards them. In October, they landed at Salerno, continuing to watch for enemy aircraft, several of which were shot down as a result of their work.
In April 1944 he was posted to 242 Group (a mixed Group of bomber, fighter and seaplane squadrons), then had two spells in hospital before going back to 242 Group, returning to the UK and being discharged in September 1946. An account of 8032 AMES in Sicily and Italy is online ( bit.ly/8032ames).
FL Simm’s discharge. Postings during his time in the RAF are shown on subsequent pages
Simm’s certificate of service with a photograph of the young airman

domain: history


DENVER (AP) — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman upheld an eight-game suspension issued to Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri following his illegal check to the head of Blues defenseman Justin Faulk in Game 2 of a first-round series against St. Louis.
Bettman heard Kadri’s appeal before announcing his decision.
Kadri missed the last two games of the Blues series and Game 1 of the Avalanche’s second-round series against Vegas.
This is Kadri’s fifth suspension for questionable, dangerous hits. He will not be able to return to the ice until Game 7 of the second-round series, if it goes that far. Otherwise, he would miss games in the conference championship series.
The NHL Players' Association has filed another appeal on Kadri's behalf to a neutral arbitrator. Shyam Das will serve as the arbitrator, the NHLPA told ESPN's Emily Kaplan. Kadri will remain suspended during the appeal process.


- Public Works Department
- Infrastructure Improvement Projects
- Hillcrest Avenue Reconstruction
Infrastructure Improvement Projects
Hillcrest Avenue Reconstruction
Project Location: Hillcrest Avenue from North 4th Street to North 14th Street.
Project Description: This future project proposes to replace the existing failed concrete pavement with new three-lane paved street consisting of 37’ wide PCC pavement with integral curb and gutter. The scope of this project also has new storm-sewer infrastructure, new sidewalk on one side of the road, new trees, improved trail crossing, and a new trail head.
Hillcrest Avenue is currently a two-lane collector type street, with heavy truck traffic volume, that acts an important link between city’s business park on North 14th Street and the principal arterial on Highway 65/69. As traffic volumes and turning movements increase, this existing two-lane undivided roadway on Hillcrest Avenue is experiencing traffic safety concerns. This proposed project provides an opportunity to replace the existing failed concrete pavement surface with new three-lane paved street with integral curb and gutter, improved drainage performance, improved sidewalk connectivity, new trees, improved trail crossing, and a new trail head. The proposed three-lane pavement will allow for two through lanes and a center two-way left-turn lane that will improve traffic operations and safety to meet increasing traffic and pedestrian demand. The Hillcrest Trail, along the north side of the project will be maintained.
The council approved five-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) has allocated the design of this project during Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 and the construction is planned during FY2023 and FY2024. The CIP has allocated $720,000 during FY-2022, for engineering and easement expenses, and $3,800,000 in FY2023 and FY2024, for construction expenses. Approximately $3,100,000 is planned to be federally funded by Iowa DOT’s Surface Transportation Block Grant.
* Planned on FY-2022
* Planned on FY-2023 & 24
- Planned Engineering & Easements: $720,000
- Planned Construction: $3,800,000*
* Note: ~ $3,100,000 is planned to be federally funded by Iowa DOT’s Surface Transportation Block Grant.


text:
Books By Cyrus Webb
Monday, July 7, 2008
Now in 2008, we are finding out more about both.
This is our conversation.
How would you describe the woman who is P. Elaine Archie?
Well, I am a very honest and hardworking person. I am very outspoken, caring, witty, and ambitious. I love my family and I try to make things happen to inspire my children to strive for their goals. It's never too late.
It's not easy to put yourself out there like you have. What made you decide on your particular writing style?
I would consider it to be racy! Actually, I did not have a certain style at first. I had just completed my Bachelors degree and I was zoned into writing two or three papers a week for class. That left me with a great deal of time on my hands, so I thought of my past relationships and the trials and tribulations I had with those. I thought of what I wished had been the outcome for some of those relationships. I thought of my conversations with my girls, and the issues they were trying to address in their relationships. I made up characters, added some spicy sexual encounters and it built from there.
Before you started writing what became THE WEEKEND, was there any indication to you or your friends and family that you had a book inside of you?
No I was just a working mom and grandmother. I went back to school for my Bachelors degree and I found a love for writing.
Your main character, Nina, is a woman that many can relate to because of the issues she is dealing with. How much of her is you or someone you know?
Well, they say you write what you know, unless you spend a lot of time researching a subject! (LOL) I would say she is about fifty percent me, maybe a tad bit more. I have experienced some of the issues Nina is going through. But writing this gives me and Nina hope that our Prince Charming, or should I say our tall dark and handsome partner, is still out there!
After you completed the manuscript did you initially decide to self-publish or was that something that came later?
No, I set my sights on getting a book deal. But reality set in and I realized it was not that simple. All the information I was receiving was for self publishing. So I took that route. I am still hoping to get picked up eventually in the traditional process.
There are books released every week with some publishers putting big promotions behind them. As the author and the publicist of your project, did you find it difficult going from one position to the other?
No. All this is still new to me. I have a great support team at Authorhouse. They are helping me through marketing and publicity process. As I stated earlier, with The Weekend I did not do much marketing, but with Gettin' Caught Up Wit' Nina, I am ready to get out there and see where this will lead me. It is still an ongoing learning process for me.
When THE WEEKEND was released, were you surprised at the response?
Well, I did not get a lot of response from the book. All my coworkers and friends purchased a copy. But it fizzled out quickly, since I had no idea how to market it or myself. But I have learned more since it came out, so I expect big things from myself and this new novel.
GETTIN' CAUGHT UP WIT' NINA is the sequel to your story with Nina and her beau Omar. Both of them had relationship issues in the past and we saw them begin to overcome that. What can we expect in the new book?
Wow! Well, you all can find the continuation of their romance. They are discovering more about each other. They are traveling down their road to see where it leads them. They are both being stalked and they have to figure out what is going on with that! Nina is torn between her developing feelings for Omar, her ex still pressuring her, and an island rendezvous. She also has some office drama, and even connects back up with her siblings. I am sure the readers will enjoy that along with all the steamy sexual encounters!
P. Elaine, people have various definitions of success. What is considered success for you with your writing career
For me, becoming a well known author will definitely be an accomplishment. Writing more stories that sell well, would also mean success. I am presently working on a story that I hope to sell to Lifetime or some other television entity upon completion. It focuses on rape and molestation. Not as racy as my two books out now. But it is an ongoing issue around the world. And it has touched people that I know. So I want to write a story about that.
The sky is the limit for me. Again, I want to show my children that any dream you have can come true if you apply yourself.
Thank you for the conversation. If our readers want to find out more about you or are interested in purchasing a book, how can they do so?
Thank you again Cyrus for this great opportunity. If your readers would like to purchase both my books, they can access www.50964.authorworld.com. Also both books are available at www.Bn.com and www.Amazon.com. If they would like to drop me a note, they can do so at firstname.lastname@example.org or www.myspace.com/mythoughtsinprint.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
In 1984 Star Magazine, a publication said to sometimes stretch the truth, was the first to reveal something that had puzzled many a music lover: who was the inspiration behind Superstar Michael Jackson's hit song BILLIE JEAN. They answered that question with not only an interview, but a series of pictures of the woman: Theresa Gonsalves.
Theresa's relationship with Michael began when she was twelve years old. She became "obsessed" with him and wrote him numerous letters until they met in Las Vegas for her sixteenth birthday! The obsession continued as they stayed in touch from that point on. Their worlds have continuously gone full circle always leading back to each other. They last saw each other four days before his arrest for these current child molestation charges as she introduced her own son Mychal (named after Michael) to him. Michael had his kids with him as well and was genuinely happy to see that Theresa's son was so well cared for! However, it was Theresa's son Todd that was the controversy behind the hit song Billie Jean. Her friendship with Michael was such that she confided in him about all aspects of her life. In detailing her situation about her baby's daddy....Michael wrote the song Billie Jean about her!
Her new book THE MAN IN THE WOODS is another fact-based novel that will keep readers enthralled. Our conversation explores the story and the woman whose true-live experience has made her a part of music history.
Theresa, thank you for taking out the time to talk to CONVERSATIONS about your life and your novel OBSESSIONS. I want to begin if we can at the beginning. Tell us about your earliest memories of your childhood.
Wow, my recollection of my early childhood actually goes back to before there was a Michael Jackson in the public eye. It was a lonely life for a young girl who was the middle child amongst four brothers. I was not a physically abused child but I was extremely neglected. At six years of age, I was taking the bus alone from the projects of Columbia Point to the city of Jamaica Plain to visit my grandmother. The significance of that memory is that I had to go through the infamous city of South Boston where I had to often dodge whites who would spit on me and throw rocks. I was constantly ducking down to avoid getting him by a rock aimed at the bus window. I had witnessed numerous traumatic scenes, which included a friend of ours getting smashed by an elevator and brought out in a green duffle body bag.
Mother spent most of her time with a variety of men. She was a single mother, having been divorced twice, with five kids. She had never relished the idea of having a daughter, which is why I was left to fend for myself at such a young age. I used music and writing to escape quite a bit. Writing helps to heal the soul as well.
I read on your website www.obsessionsthebook.com that it was at the age of twelve that you felt drawn to one entertainer in particular. Would you tell us how their music affected you?
I was extremely drawn to the music of the Jackson Five and particularly that of Michael Jackson. I always felt he was singing directly to me. When Michael would sing I'll Be There, I personally felt that he was telling me that he would be there for me. He made me feel like there was someone who actually loved me. I wanted him to be proud of me so the direction my life took was to make him proud.
Theresa, there are alot of young people that are infatuated with certain entertainers: having all their records, posters and any article that they appear in. What were some of the things you would do to get to know Michael Jackson better?
I wrote Michael Jackson constantly .Okay, I wrote him almost every single day and I kept track of the letters (smile). I didn't write the normal fan letter. I wrote him about my life and everything that was going on it. I read everything that I could find about him. I would question some of the things that I read. But my letters were more geared towards telling him about my school grades, how my day would go and what I did in camp, etc. I learned how to get his home address under the freedom of information act because the post woman was tired of my sending him gifts to a P.O. Box. I never acted like a groupie and I never tried to have a sexual relationship with him.
When you began writing him, did you expect that he would actually respond? I never actually expected him to respond. There were letters I received from the fan club people with autographed pictures. That was discouraging, but somehow I still felt in my heart that he was reading my letters.
Reading letters from someone you admire it great, and a dream come true for so many. What was it like to finally meet him on your sixteenth birthday, and how did it happen?
Every day in school, I would write on the board, "Theresa Gonsalves loves Michael Jackson" and whoever was assigned to clean the boards after school would never erase it but would add a comment like ."but he doesn't love her" or "he doesn't even know her" so I vowed to meet him by the time I turned sixteen. In July of 1974, I rode to New York to see the Jackson Five perform and even though I knew what hotel he was staying at I decided to go back to Boston instead of trying to be a groupie to meet him. When I arrived home the next morning, I called the hotel. Instead of asking for him, I asked for his road manager who was Reggie Wiggins at the time and they rang his room. He told me Michael was still asleep in the next room. I had their tour schedule in my hand and knew that they were going to be performing at the MGM on my birthday and I asked Mr. Wiggins if I fly to Las Vegas for my sixteenth birthday could I meet Michael Jackson and he said "Honey, if you fly from Boston to Las Vegas just to meet Michael Jackson, I will make sure you meet him." With that said, I began saving money to make this trip. I wrote letters to the MGM's President's secretary who arranged my room and I also wrote letters to every Black mayor I could find throughout the country asking them to contribute $5.00 to my dream. They all wrote back wishing me success with my endeavors but all stated they were unable to contribute.
I worked a part time job after school and saved all my money sacrificing any new school clothes and I made sure that I had straight A's in all my classes so I would be able to take a week off of school. In October of 1974, I called the Sahara Tahoe Hotel in Lake Tahoe where the Jackson's were performing and at this time I did ask for Michael's room and was shocked when they put me through. When I identified myself to him, he knew exactly who I was. I was in total shock as he recited the dates I was coming to meet him telling me I write it in every letter that I send him! So during the week of Nov 20-Nov 28, I was made their guest as we met for the first time.
The relationship developed into a friendship. I continued to write him and he continued reading my letters. I flew other places to hang out with him. I was invited to his home and when he was filming the Wiz, I spent two separate weeks in New York visiting him. Once I was going to fly to London just to meet him there! My relationship with him actually affected me in a good way. I became a strong woman, independent and it surely kept me out of trouble. In wanting him to be proud of me, I never did drugs. I have never smoked cigarettes. And, I can gladly comment that I have never been drunk in my life. On the other side of things, I also never learned how to have a real relationship with men.
Now, that we have set a foundation, Theresa, let's talk about your son Todd and the song "Billy Jean" and the controversy that followed. First of all, did you know he was going to be writing the song, and how did you feel when you first heard it?
I didn't know that he was going to be writing the song. I wrote him letters about my situation. At this time I was 23 years old and of course involved with the wrong type of man. I was living also in Encino at the time so I would see Michael from time to time. I didn't feel betrayed or anything when I heard the song. I didn't feel honored. That situation exists with so many women, more so now than in the past, or perhaps it is being put out there more. I had been with this man for over a year and here he was claiming my kid wasn't his. His song let me know he could understand what I was feeling, but that women often put men in that situation.
Since Michael Jackson has had his negative dealings with the press, were you afraid of how the cloud of curiosity would affect your own family?
No, I didn't feel that his negative dealings would affect us. We are very open and outspoken. I named my second son Mychal after Michael Jackson but spelled after the ex-lover Mychal Thompson who was from the Bahamas. I named my son after Michael as an honor for how he affected my life. I have been asked my opinion often and I will say that I do not believe Michael to be a child molester. But I will also say that you never truly know what a person is capable of as you take a look at all of the ministers that have sexually abused children. Michael Jackson has always worried about children. I remember being with him in New York and I had bought him a gift which was a book on child abuse and we shared our feelings on that even way back then (around 1977). As for being asked would I let my child visit him that answer still remains yes but I would not allow him to sleep in bed with him or any man for that matter.
All of this has the makings of a great movie, so it is no surprised that you wrote the book OBSESSIONS. What I am curious about is why you call is a novel, and did that make it easier for you to not feel a responsibility to tell the world all the details of your relationship with Michael Jackson?
"OBSESSIONS" isn't really about me and Michael Jackson. It is more about how my relationship with him actually led me to have an obsessive behavior towards men. I am not ashamed of my relationship or friendship with Michael Jackson and I shared with the world as long as it didn't hurt either one of us. It was hard sharing my story of being obsessed with this man who happens to be my son's father.
This man that I was involved with was a very handsome charming man. I was with him for eighteen years and we have my son Mychal together. Underneath the charm however was a chameleon. He was leading three different lives (that I now know about could have been more) and when I found out what he was truly about I felt that he had wasted numerous years of my life with him. I was truly obsessed with this man because I really didn't know how to be any other way just as I was obsessed with Michael Jackson at a young age to the point that it directed my life.
One of the reasons I wanted to talk with you, Theresa, was because I read on your website that you wanted your story to help women to see that they can overcome adversities in their life. I am curious to know some of the responses you have gotten from others about your experiences.
I am actually amazed at the responses I have received from women who have read my book. Most have read it in two days. I have received phone calls from strangers telling me that they saw themselves in the pages of the book and that it helped them get out of their relationship. Sometimes it takes reading about the same behaviors in others to see it within ones self. If my book helped just one woman, I am happy that I wrote it. It is hard to put yourself out there. I am not ashamed of the things I can only change and go forward. I had one girl call me the first week it was out and told me it made her rethink her unhealthy relationship and she said she was going to keep it by her bed every time she was tempted to go back. I spoke to her a month ago and she is not back. I am glad my book gave her strength.
Finally, when was the last time you spoke to Michael Jackson, and what has been his response to the book?
I haven't actually spoken to Michael Jackson since he was arrested. I took my son to meet him for the first time. He seems to have put most people at a distance. I was trying to get in touch with him though because I want to let him know he is not alone. See with Michael, I have never been a "YES" person. I never treated him like a star. He needed to have real people in his life. Yes, I came to love him for who he was, but I love him more for what he did for my life. He was okay with my using the title as such and I know he received a copy of the book I have not heard any comments from him.
In closing, I will say that parents should take a look at the stars today that their children idolize. Today's entertainers would not be the savoir of any children. We should try to save our own children and not let them drift into the world of today's entertainers, sports stars, etc. We need to teach them to have their own identities.
A native of Riverside, California, the life of Bruce Williams has had its share of twists and turns, each taking him to levels that would seem impossible to the average man. That is because Williams is far from average. Transitioning from growing up under the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses to entering the service to finally becoming linked with one of the most powerful names in the entertainment industry, he has shown that hard work and loyalty does pay off in the end.
Working with famed author Donnell Alexander*, he has penned the memoir ROLLIN' WITH DRE, recounting many of the experiences that have shaped the life he has lived and the person he has now become.
This is our conversation. (Interview conducted by Cyrus A. Webb, President of Conversations Book Club and Founder of the Hiphop and Books Initiative.)
Bruce, thank you for your time. Before we actually get into ROLLIN' WITH DRE, I want to talk about the firestorm you seemed to have set up just by writing it. Are you surprised that there has been such a frenzy over your book?
Yes and no. I think people have been starving to find the realness that you don't hear about in the hip hop world.
During an earlier interview you mentioned to me that your idea for telling this story was because you didn't like the way hiphop was being portrayed. Tell our readers about that.
Hip hop takes a lot of heat so I wanted people to really see what hip hop artist goes through. It's way more to it than what you see on TV or hear on the radio.
There is a great deal of responsibility laid at the feet of entertainers. From working so closely with artists, do you think too much is expect from them?
Yes because the pressure sometimes make people tend not to be who they are because of what everybody wants them to be. We should let them decide who they are.
One of the things that impressed me about what you had to say in ROLLIN' WITH DRE are the various facets to the man himself. How would you describe the private Dre versus what the public got to know.
Dre is a great person that has some of the same morals everyone else have. People have to understand his job is pure entertainment, and its up to you on how you receive it.
In the book you talk about the work ethic of Eminem and how Dre knew he would be a major player in the game. Success changes people in different ways, Bruce. How do you think you were changed from being trained in a more disciplined setting such as the military and going into the fast paced life that is the entertainment industry?
Yes I was changed in ways where I had to think different. I went from being an outdoors kind of person to closed inside a studio for years and outdoors made me happy.
I know authors tell me that they don't really pay attention to reviews and what people are saying about their work, but I am curious as to what you have heard or read about your book that has surprised or even disappointed you the most?
Well for me its different because I been around the biz and know how to handle the press, but I was surprised that they really got what I was trying to do.
Many people will take what you say in your book about Suge, Snoop, Dre and others and use to it confirm their personal feelings about hiphop and the immoral lifestyle attached to it. Tell our readers why that is unfair?
Like anything in this world no matter what you hear or read don't let that be enough to base how you feel about someone until you have investigated more on your own, then take a position.
I'm curious as to how writing this book has made you examine some of the decisions you have made.
It has helped and made me understand things now that i didn't back then which has helped improve my life greatly.
Do you see yourself keeping on with this topic, schooling us on the ins and outs of the industry? What is next for you?
Yes I will keep putting the word out. As for what's next, I will be at the Essence Music Festival signing books on July 4&5, then going to the Charlotte Literary Festival on September 6th. A college tour will follow after that.
Thank you for your time, Bruce. For those who are interested in more information about you and your upcoming events, where can they go?
Thank you for the opportunity. They can visit me onilne at http://www.myspace.com/rollinwithdre.
* Both Bruce Williams and Donnell Alexander are proud supporters of the Hiphop and Books Literacy Campaign. To find out more information about H&B, visit http://www.hiphopandbooks.com.

domain: literature


The title track off of the When The Sun Sets EP from UK band The Mouth Of Ghosts, has enchanted and mesmerised us here for many weeks so the anticipation going into this their debut release was greatly heightened. The five track EP proved those elevated expectations and hopes were still an under estimation of what was to emerge. When The Sun Sets is simply immense, a consuming and intense weave of atmospheric elegance and creativity brought with a sinister air to leave one immersed in darkened beauty.
The music of London-based The Mouth of Ghosts is generally tagged as a fusion of alternative rock and trip-hop and though that is accurate in many ways there is so much more to them than that. Their music is an emotionally textured presence which envelops every pore and thought with an elegance and shadow to ignite the strongest responses. They are a mix of the sky bound breath of Portishead with the indie cuteness of Daisy Chainsaw and the disturbed heart of Deftones. It is a unique and compelling sound which leaves one basking in intense beauty and swimming against a tide of inciteful energies and passions.
Formed in 2011 by guitarist Simon Langford and bassist Marco Italia with vocalist Alla Seydalieva joining not long after, the band began working on their distinct sound. Taking their name from a Dillinger Escape Plan song the band soon expanded as their sound grew its own evolving life with drummer Phil Page joining the end of last year and March of this seeing Valerie Deniz joining on synth and additional vocals. The Mouth of Ghosts is a band which lingers long after the final note of their music has given its final caress, their music once it takes hold is in every atom surrounding and within the mind and heart, the hours the title track of the EP has laid dormant within the senses easier to count than those it has erupted without warning within.
The song When The Sun Sets is pure aural majesty, arguably the best song to emerge this. Its initial restrained guitar play gives no warning of the infectious and deeply touching sound to come but once the voice of Seydalieva begins her gentle stroking of the ear and beyond, one is soon wholly hypnotised. Her vocals are simply stunning and she one of the finest singers to emerge in recent times. She has a range which only ignites fires of adoration and has a strength in her gentle and feistier intense delivery, which is unrivalled by most. The bass of Italia brings a vibrant shadow to the stunning affair, his presence adding depth to balance the solar embrace of vocals, keys and guitar imagination. The track is stunning, one of those songs you would cross deserts for, its atmosphere and darkly tinged breath an equally heated landscape.
The song still reigns supreme and heads the release in all aspects but the other songs making up the EP are no less impressive and involved for the senses. The following Patient is another slice of brilliance. It is a harder edged and shadowed track than the opener but no less intrusively consuming. The slow crawl of the song with the vocals teasing and taunting with verbal fingers of liquid gold, wraps itself around every part of the body. The song takes a slight breather midway to allow the gathering of energies to erupt into a raging fire of passion for a musical tempest of explosive invention. The track bristles and strokes with equal strength to leave one further breathless whilst deep in imagery and personal passions.
The next two songs World’s End and Close show the diversity of the band within their overall rapture of sound. The first is an emotive cry with a disruptive almost corruptive handling of the senses from the guitars and agitated rhythms behind again openly striking vocals. The electronic weaves offer comfort to words and ear to temper the corrosive sounds as the band show the skill and ingenuity of their songwriting and its realisation. The second of the pair is a shimmering haunting piece of imagination which bewitches as it takes one into an unsettling place of melodic grandeur. Again the band has a special ability to bring beauty tinged with danger and dark intensity as warm as the sun.
Closing with a cover of the Deftones track Digital Bath, a song which from its understated start evolves into another fully absorbing and remarkable wash of intensity, When The Sun Sets is simply musical excellence. The Mouth Of Ghosts is a band destined to greatness and we get the real thrill and honour of sharing their ascent.
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Rocklands library in partnership with the area’s ward councillororganiseda Women’s Day event in an effort to support and empower women.
At least 100 women from Ward 81 attended the event held at Rocklands civic centre last Wednesday.
Speakers at the event, the theme of which was “women in excellence”, urged women to be firm and stand for what they believed was right for them.
Ward 81 councillor Danny Christians said the purpose of the event was to give credit to women and make them feel appreciated.
“Today we want to honour our women and tell them that we love them.
“We want them to interact and share ideas. We also want them to stay strong and focused. There are women who are living their dreams today who are in managerial positions providing leadership to those women that are still climbing the ladder,” said Mr Christians.
He complained about inequality and described the country as male-dominated.
He noted, however: “There are some women who do businesses and they do contribute to our economy.
“And those women need to be respected like anyone else.”
Dianne Fritz, the wife of Social Development MEC Albert Fritz, described August as a special month for women. “This month is dedicated to us (women) and I want you to celebrate every day, 365 days a year.
“We must change the perception that women belong in the kitchen only. We all have equal opportunities.
“We can work on a building or road construction. We can also work in mines. We need to be bold and say no to be bullying by men,” said Ms Fritz.
She encouraged women to be independent and stop relying on men.
“We also encourage women to take whatever advice they receive here to implement where they live to uplift their societies. There is a hope for a bright future but only if, as women, we are united and support each other. We need to claim back our dignity,” she said.
Soraya Elloker, the Department of Health’s manager for area 4, which includes Mitchell’s Plain, Crossroads, Browns Farm, Masiphumelele and Ocean View, added: “It is a great event that needs to be acknowledged. It is educational and an appropriate platform for women to share their ideas.
“We also had the opportunity to educate them about problems that are facing women, including the danger of cervical cancer. And we encourage them to visit their nearest public clinic to test with a pap smear – and it’s free,” said Ms Elloker.
Senior librarian at Rocklands Library, Nonyaniso Kotyi, said there were groups of women who gathered at the library to “play and share their problems”.
“They sometimes come to watch DVDs and read books. We also encourage them to unite and stop putting each other down,” she said.
Resident Susan Platjies, 61, was among those at the event.
She described the event as exciting. “The atmosphere is great. We all also learnt about the danger of cervical cancer and were encouraged to go to the clinic to get examined,” she said.