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Wallace Stevens “Uncontained Beauty”
Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall
01/18/2016 - & January 23, 24 (Chicago), 27 (Richmond), 2016
Sleeping Giant: “Hand Eye” (New York premiere):
Christopher Cerrone: South Catalina
Andrew Norman: Mine, Mime, Meme
Robert Honstein: Conduit
Timo Andres: Checkered Shade
Ted Hearne: By-By Huey
Jacob Cooper: Cast
“eighth blackbird”: Nathalie Joachim (Flute), Michael J. Maccaferri (Clarinet), Yvonne Lam (Violin and viola), Nicholas Photinos (Cello), Matthew Duvall (Percussion), Lisa Kaplan (Piano)
Deborah Johnson for Candy Stations (Visual Designer)
Sleeping Giant (© Sleeping Giant)
If Wallace Stevens is the most musical American poet, then “eighth blackbird”, the sextet derived from Stevens’ Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird, is amongst the most beautiful– contemporary musical ensembles in America. Their conceptions have the complexity of a Rube Goldberg invention, but the results have an unearthly simplicity.
Their latest New York premiere, Hand Eye (co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall), with manifold different parts, theoretically should clank along like an old jalopy. Yet the constituents blended into a velvet-smooth 80 uninterrupted minutes which surprised, delighted, and ultimately transported the listener to another sphere.
Quickly, we go through those constituents. First, “eighth blackbird” itself, six players of amazing dexterity, moving into endless patterns across the Zankel Hall stage.
Second, “Sleeping Giant”, six composers who work together to create full-blown music with tenuous (but inevitable) links. Each composer different yet each bound to a single idea.
Third, six pictures inspired by a collection in somebody’s foundation. (Since this Foundation refuses to allow a reproduction of even a single painting on this modest site, I see no reason to reproduce their name.) The pictures do not literally inspire the music in most cases, but at least unconsciously give impetus to the music.
For example, in one picture...(Oh, sorry, I better not go into names and artists. Moneyed foundations and their legal teams can be pretty unpleasant. Sorry, painters.)
Anyhow, finally, we have the visual design by Deborah Johnson a.k.a. Candy Station, shown at the top. The designs are projected onto a giant heptagon, elongated the length of the stage, like half a Mobius strip. Onto this, Ms. Johnson has created six motifs (actually far more, since each motive has its variations), each in different hues, each changing constantly according to the intensity of the music, inspired by the original paintings.
No single design has a literal meaning, yet we have an inevitable, almost instinctive implication. From the colors of a 1950’s jukebox to a gyroscope to black-and-white lines trilling along the screen in the last ten minutes of piano chords intercepted by sounds from the other artists. Ms Johnson has produced literally endless configurations
And no, that explanation above is hardly the exegesis from the reality of “Hand Eye” itself, so we go into the music of Sleeping Giant and their executors, “eighth blackbird”.
We begin with a darkened stage, clarinetist Michael J. Maccaferri in the center tootling a few notes. From the wings come flutist Nathalie Joachim, percussionist Matthew Duvall, and pianist Lisa Kaplan. Ms Kaplan sets the musical stage with a basic work that resembles a Henry Cowell fuguing tune, but the other instruments quote, vary, describe, and fly off from that original choral foundation.
For the next five works, based on the five pictures, “eighth blackbird” offers a grab-bag of different styles. We have lines which pop out and hit the audience in the ear. We have meditational melodies that suddenly veer off as the artists themselves circle around the stage. Ms. Joachim takes her piccolo and swings through a storm of notes, while Mr. Duvall on the celesta and a great bass drum goes from the ethereal to drum pounding leading to a Mahleresque orchestral fortemento passage.
The last music may be based on the toys and gimcracks of Jacob Cooper’s Cast and it starts with some amazing sounds (a detuned clarinet arpeggio, an isolated flute muliphonic, a brush across the violin bridge)...and when one thinks all is finished, then “Hand Eye” has an astonishing long long coda.
In effect, the piano–which has played inside and outside the box, as well as the wooden struts–now starts a melodic, very consonant series of barely moving chords. One thinks of Morton Feldman, except that these sounds, with lighting images of Ms. Johnson, are partnered with sounds of the other instruments spread out over the stage.
Perhaps they are improvising, perhaps the composer has set out the exact notes. But one feels as if “Hand Eye” is traveling into its own sunset, a seemingly endless farewell. Of course it does end (with Haydnesque farewell by each player going into the wings). Yet one still remembers the sounds and images.
Like light, music and words unspoken (and like the Foundation’s paintings), the concert was impossible to reproduce in this tentative effect. The full house–filled with New York’s most astute composers and musicians–knew it had experienced a singular event.
Yet “eighth blackbird” is nothing if not singular. Wallace Stevens, the “lover of uncontained beauty”, methinks, would certainly have approved.

domain: artistic


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Looking for that special song to dance with your dad or other special person to? Check out this list featuring the 100 most popular ones!
Can't decide on just one song? Choose a few and I'll make a special mix for you.
$99 for a custom mix made just or you
What would you tell your dad in the perfect thank you note? How about telling him in person at the start of the dance you'll share with him? You'll write and record the message in your own voice ahead of time and I'll put together a special mix to the song of your choice.
$99 for a voiceover mix
Take the whole thing to a new level (and take some of the eyes off you if you're worried about that part of it). Really turn on the tears for dad by adding a special slideshow during your dance with him.
$199* to show a video you've made
(shown on a 70-inch flat screen)
$349* to present your video on two
70-inch flat screens
(required at venues where guest seating is split on two sides of the dance floor)
$99* for a special slideshow made just for you*
(you provide up to 35 pictures as digital files)
$99* I'll scan, retouch, and include your old photos
(you provide up to 35 straight from your albums)
See this one I made for Stephanie to surprise her dad with at her wedding in the summer of 2014: Montage 1.
Or this one I made for Michelle (including some slides with text that she chose to include) to surprise her dad at her wedding in the fall of 2014: Montage 2.
Here's one I made for Amanda and David Montage 3. I looped it continuously (without the backing music) throughout the cocktail hour.
And there's this one I made at the request of Oscar and Marilyn to honor their relationship of 20 years and their children. We showed it on their wedding night while they gathered together to watch it. Montage 4.
*prices when added to DJ package. Rental prices vary.
See pictures of various video presentation set ups here.
Well, what are you waiting for? Email me now!
MusiChris DJ & Lighting Service
DJ/MC Chris Plankey
Learn more about the dance floor lighting included in every DJ contract.


NEWS | Lewis Earl recalled from Marine loan
Chester FC can confirm that midfielder Lewis Earl has been recalled from his loan spell at Marine.
BREAKING | Lewis Earl joins Marine on loan
Chester FC midfielder Lewis Earl has joined Northern Premier Division side Marine on loan for a month.
BREAKING | Chester FC sign Lewis Earl!
Chester Football Club is pleased to confirm that we have agreed a deal to sign Lewis Earl.


text:
Entering their second decade as an ensemble, Chatham County Line elegantly reconcile the past and future, tradition and innovation, on the fittingly titled Tightrope. Stirring, provocative, and disarmingly poignant, Tightrope was born out of a year’s worth of intense focus, during which the band examined their own legacy while carefully honing new material. All the while, the band’s four members – Dave Wilson (guitar), John Teer (mandolin, fiddle), Chandler Holt (banjo), and Greg Reading (bass, pedal steel, piano), welcomed spontaneity and the sometimes palpable will of the songs themselves into the process.
-Yep Roc Records
Our Music in the Library series is bringing some of North Carolina’s best musicians into our offices, instruments in hand, to perform a song or two just for us. We’re filming these live performances and showcasing them on our website. See the performances at music.ourstate.com.

domain: entertainment


text:
Read & Watch
6 Pins •
What It Takes To Make A Quarter-Pound Hamburger
Vegan, Internet Site, Quarterpound, Food News, Website'S, Web Site, Meat Eaters, Pound Hamburgers, Quarter Pound
Marion Nestle is one of my favorite food writers, and "Food Politics" is probably her best-known work. It's very comprehensive and well researched as it explores the political and economic aspects of our food system and our health. It's one of the books I'd recommend to someone new to food writing, but there's enough there for someone who's well-read too. Food Politics is one of those books that makes you marvel at what would happen if everyone read it - it's THAT eye-opening.
Goodbye Baby, Diet Time, Baby Fat, Industrial Influence, Food Politics, Marion Nestle, Food Industrial, Influence Nutrition, Public Health
WASHINGTON -- From the beginning, Michelle Obama's kitchen garden has been an overachiever, churning out more peppers, parsley and eggplant than expected, and generating interest that – yes, really – crosses oceans. Now, the first lady has added a 271-page book to her gardening resume, and Americans can read all about the planting misses that came w...
Michelle Obama Cookbook

domain: library


text:
According to reports provided by the Aiken Department of Public Safety:
A 29-year-old Aiken woman was detained for shoplifting Thursday after she tried to take beer and painkillers from a store on Whiskey Road without paying.
A 17-year-old Warrenville woman was detained for shoplifting Thursday after she tried to take $62 in merchandise from a store on Whiskey Road without paying.
A 42-year-old Augusta woman was detained for shoplifting Thursday after she stole an item from a store and tried to return it to receive a refund. The woman also had an outstanding warrant for shoplifting.
An Aiken woman reported her prescription medication stolen Wednesday after it had been delivered to the front porch of her Newberry Street home.
A Columbia man reported fraud Thursday after learning that someone made multiple unauthorized transactions on his bank card, including at an Aiken business.
A Columbia man reported Wednesday that he was given a counterfeit $10 bill as change when he ate at an Aiken restaurant.
A 17-year-old Aiken man reported Thursday that several juveniles vandalized his vehicle while it was parked in a parking lot on York Street.
A burglary was reported on Chesterfield Street on Thursday. The owner reported tools and electronics missing.
A vehicle break-in was reported on Whiskey Road on Wednesday. The owner reported a wallet missing.
A vehicle was reported stolen from Marlboro Street on Friday.
According to reports provided by the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office:
A North Augusta man was detained for disorderly conduct Friday after he was found sitting in a vehicle with the engine running on the side of Atomic Road in North Augusta. The man smelled of alcohol and exhibited signs of intoxication.
More than 100 packages of shingles were reported stolen from a construction site on Bubbling Springs Road in Graniteville on Wednesday.
A Warrenville woman reported identity theft on Wednesday after learning an unknown person used her Social Security number to obtain employment.
A North Augusta woman reported on Thursday that an unknown person took her dog from a gas station on Jefferson Davis Highway after it escaped from her home on Crestview Drive.
Burglaries were reported on Apache Drive in North Augusta, Foreman Road in Jackson and White Pond Road in Williston.
A vehicle break-in was reported on Belair Road in North Augusta on Thursday. The owner reported a firearm missing.
A vehicle was reported stolen from Vaucluse Road in Aiken on Wednesday.

domain: news


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Dancer: Under Foot
Dan Martin started his training at the Swindon Youth Dance Academy, A Centre for Advanced Training Urban course, then moved on to study professionally at Northern School of Contemporary Dance, London Contemporary Dance School and London Studio Centre. Daniel has been Bboying for over 8 years, and continues to push the physical boundaries of his body through mixing Contemporary Dance with Bboying. Daniels main passion is Performance, and how this can really make a difference to peoples lives.
" It's been a fantastic opportunity to perform in the show Underfoot, as the piece is extremely important and relevant. Every show is truly unique for the young audience, and seeing just how much we make an impact on them during the performance, and how much they enjoy their time with us really makes me know that everyday I get to perform this incredible piece is definitely a day I wouldn't want to spend in any other way."


text: Take a walk on the minimalist side with this versatile sideboard. This three-door console lends the look of an effortlessly styled Scandi, coastal, or contemporary interior. Whether it's in your living room, entryway, or dining area, this piece will be the subtle star of the show, with its vertical wood detailing on the three soft-close doors. The vertical slats act as door pulls for an ultra-minimal, modern motif. With a spacious surface and hidden storage to spare, this piece is versatile as a TV stand, entry sideboard, or buffet ready to help you entertain. Wherever you place this piece, it'll be sure to upgrade your humble abode.

domain: design


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Conceived and designed the experiments: JS ZZ. Performed the experiments: JS PJ ZZ. Analyzed the data: JS PJ AHF EJVdO XC BR RLA ZZ. Wrote the paper: JS ZZ.
Schizophrenia (SZ) is a heritable, complex mental disorder. We have seen limited success in finding causal genes for schizophrenia from numerous conventional studies. Protein interaction network and pathway-based analysis may provide us an alternative and effective approach to investigating the molecular mechanisms of schizophrenia.
We selected a list of schizophrenia candidate genes (SZGenes) using a multi-dimensional evidence-based approach. The global network properties of proteins encoded by these SZGenes were explored in the context of the human protein interactome while local network properties were investigated by comparing SZ-specific and cancer-specific networks that were extracted from the human interactome. Relative to cancer genes, we observed that SZGenes tend to have an intermediate degree and an intermediate efficiency on a perturbation spreading throughout the human interactome. This suggested that schizophrenia might have different pathological mechanisms from cancer even though both are complex diseases. We conducted pathway analysis using Ingenuity System and constructed the first schizophrenia molecular network (SMN) based on protein interaction networks, pathways and literature survey. We identified 24 pathways overrepresented in SZGenes and examined their interactions and crosstalk. We observed that these pathways were related to neurodevelopment, immune system, and retinoic X receptor (RXR). Our examination of SMN revealed that schizophrenia is a dynamic process caused by dysregulation of the multiple pathways. Finally, we applied the network/pathway approach to identify novel candidate genes, some of which could be verified by experiments.
This study provides the first comprehensive review of the network and pathway characteristics of schizophrenia candidate genes. Our preliminary results suggest that this systems biology approach might prove promising for selection of candidate genes for complex diseases. Our findings have important implications for the molecular mechanisms for schizophrenia and, potentially, other psychiatric disorders.
Schizophrenia (SZ) is a severe mental disorder affecting ~1% of the population . Family, twin, and adoption studies strongly support that genetic factors play an important role in the etiology of schizophrenia. Recently, numerous genetic studies, including linkage scans and their meta-analyses, candidate gene association analyses, gene expression and genome-wide association studies (GWAS), have identified specific genes/markers and chromosomal regions for the disease , , , . Though these studies present a low replication, more evidence supports that the etiology of schizophrenia involves, rather than single genes/loci with large effect, many genes, each of which contributes a small risk, interacting with each other or with environmental risk factors to cause schizophrenia . In this study we hypothesize that these small effects are organized in networks/pathways and these schizophrenia disease networks/pathways have important features that are distinct from those seen in other diseases such as cancer or Mendelian genetic diseases.
It is increasingly possible to investigate biological networks/pathways of a complex disease at the systems level because of the rapid accumulation of genetic and biological information in the past decade. Recent studies reveal striking correlations between the functions of gene products or gene networks and the features of the diseases they cause , . The correlation between the attributes of disease genes is more extensive and stronger than previously thought. This was revealed in an analysis of Gene Ontology (GO) terms and a gene expression pattern of >1,600 genes causing different types of diseases . Further, Goh et al  found that the majority of disease genes are nonessential and do not encode hub proteins (highly connected proteins) in protein networks. This pattern was different from that previously thought and that observed in cancer genes. Except for only a few diseases such as cancer , there has been no systematic investigation of the network properties of a complex disease by examining the whole human interactome. Specifically, we have been unable to find such a detailed examination of features for schizophrenia associated genes.
In this study, we explored network characteristics of 160 schizophrenia candidate genes (SZGenes) that were prioritized by a multi-dimensional evidence-based gene ranking approach . Their global network characteristics and local network environment indicate that SZGenes have their own network properties compared to the cancer genes. We further identified schizophrenia enriched pathways, explored their ability to interact with or influence each other (crosstalk), and constructed the first version of a schizophrenia molecular network (SMN). Finally, we applied our networks/pathways analysis to identify novel candidate genes. Our preliminary experimental verification suggests that this approach might be promising. This study provides useful insights into the molecular mechanisms of schizophrenia at the systems biology level.
To date, no gene has been confirmed to be the cause of schizophrenia. In this study, we used 160 SZGenes that were prioritized based on a multi-dimensional evidence-based gene ranking approach . These genes were selected by integrative evidence from linkage, association, gene expression and literature search. Evaluations from several methods such as independent GWAS P values, gene expression features, and GO annotations suggest these genes are useful for follow up bioinformatics analysis (Text S1, Table S1). For comparison, we compiled four other gene sets: cancer genes, essential genes, neurodevelopment-related genes (NeuroGenes) and non-disease, non-essential genes (NDEGenes) (see details in Text S1).
To explore the topological network properties of five gene sets, we first reconstructed a human protein-protein interaction (PPI) network (the human interactome, Text S1). In the human PPI network, nodes represent the proteins encoded by genes and edges (links) represent the interactions identified by experiments. Secondly, we mapped the proteins encoded by the five gene sets onto the whole network, and then calculated the numbers of interactors (namely, degree or connectivity) of nodes, and the shortest-path distances (number of edges from one node to another). They are the basic topological network measures, which provide insights into the architecture of the nodes of interest (i.e., proteins encoded by SZGenes) in the whole network (see Materials and Methods) .
Figure 1 displays degree distribution and the average degree of the nodes in each gene set. The average degree of SZGenes was 14.34, which was significantly higher than that of NeuroGenes (10.88, Wilcoxon's test, P=0.04) or that of NDEGenes (8.17, P=8.2×10−8) but significantly lower than that of essential genes (18.39, P=0.02) or that of cancer genes (26.69, P=6.3×10−7). SZGenes had an intermediate connectivity when compared to the four other gene sets, indicating that SZGenes often encode proteins that are moderately connected, rather than highly connected in the human interactome. This observation of higher degree in SZGenes and cancer genes than in NeuroGenes or NDEGenes also supports a recent report that disease genes tend to have higher degrees than non-disease genes . Moreover, proteins encoded by cancer genes, essential genes and SZGenes had significantly more direct interactions than randomly selected nodes (empirical P values are 0, 0, 0.02, respectively; here P=0 means no randomly selected node set had a higher average connectivity than the observed values of cancer genes or essential genes), while proteins encoded by NDEGenes had the opposite characteristic (empirical P=1.00, all randomly selected node sets had a higher average degree than the observed values of NDEGenes).
The degree distributions of these five gene sets were strongly right-skewed (Figure 1). Most nodes had low degree while only a portion of nodes had a high degree, which were often defined as “hubs” in network analysis. There are multiple ways to define hubs. Here, we applied the method in Yu et al  to define hubs. We first plotted the degree distribution of all nodes in the human interactome and then identified the point where the distribution began to straighten out. The point corresponded to degree 13. According to this cutoff, there were 2,165 nodes classified into hubs, which accounted for 20.7% of all nodes in the interactome. This proportion was consistent with the cutoff used in the yeast interactome . The proportion of hub proteins was 29.0% among SZGenes, which was smaller than that of cancer genes (49.4%) or essential genes (38.1%) but larger than that of NeuroGenes (23.9%) or NDEGenes (16.6%). Figure S1 summarizes the detailed distributions of proteins encoded by these gene sets by a degree interval of 3. Among the five gene sets, the proportion of SZGenes was the highest for degree intervals 4–6 and 7–9. For degree intervals 10–12 and 13–17, the proportion of SZGenes was slightly smaller than that of cancer genes and similar to that of essential genes. When we summarized degree intervals 4–17, the proportion of SZGenes was 50.0%, higher than any of the other four gene sets (cancer genes: 47.5%, essential genes: 44.8%, NeuroGenes: 36.6%, and NDEGenes: 38.7%). Thus, the average degree and degree distribution consistently indicate intermediate connectivity of schizophrenia candidate genes.
In a network, shortest-path distance measures how many nodes need to pass through from one node to another . Considering the two nodes might be our interest or not, we calculated shortest-path distance in two ways: characteristic shortest-path distance and global centrality. Characteristic shortest-path distance provides a general view of the relationship between the nodes of interest and all other nodes in the network while global centrality, which calculates the shortest path distance between two nodes belonging to the same gene set of interest, provides a measure of the general view of the interest nodes in the whole network. The detailed distributions and the average distance values of the five genes sets are shown in Figure S2.
Similar to the degree measurement, SZGenes had an intermediate average characteristic shortest-path distance and global centrality among the five gene sets (Figure S2). For example, the average characteristic shortest-path distance of SZGenes was 3.88, greater than that of cancer genes (3.63, Wilcoxon's test, P=5.4×10−7) or that of essential genes (3.76, P=0.01) but less than that of NDEGenes (3.98, P=0.001) or NeuroGenes (3.93, P=0.09). The difference in global centrality between SZGenes and the other four gene sets was even stronger than that in characteristic shortest-path distances, e.g., the P values by the same test ranged from <2.2×10−16 to 2.7×10−4. These comparisons indicate that biological signal transferring from one SZGene to another SZGene is faster than that between control genes (e.g. non-disease genes) but slower than that between genes in the essential or cancer gene sets. Therefore, these results imply that perturbation among SZGenes spreads with intermediate efficiency throughout the human protein interactome, which further suggests the damage of gene mutations related to schizophrenia might be weaker than that of mutations in some essential or cancer genes.
To explore the organization and the environment of the proteins encoded by SZGenes, we extracted the schizophrenia specific subnetwork (SZ-specific network) from the whole network using SZGenes and the Steiner minimal tree algorithm . For comparison purpose, we extracted cancer-specific subnetwork using cancer genes and the same algorithm. The cancer subnetwork is shown in Figure S3.
The SZ-specific network had 233 nodes and 436 edges (links) while the cancer-specific network had 324 nodes and 844 edges (Figure 2A, Table S2). Among the 160 SZGenes, 135 (75.0%) were included in the SZ-specific network, indicating a high coverage of SZGenes in this subnetwork. However, the coverage was even higher in the cancer-specific network, which included 265 of the 324 cancer genes (94.6%). The average degree of the SZ-specific network (3.74) was lower than that of cancer network (5.21), and consistently, the average shortest-path distance of the SZ-specific network (4.32) was greater than that of the cancer network (3.76) (Table S2). These comparisons revealed that, relative to cancer genes, SZGenes were weakly connected and had a lower efficiency of navigability in the whole interactome. We further tested randomness of the SZ-specific and cancer-specific networks using the Erdos-Renyi model  (see Materials and Methods). The test revealed that both gene sets formed non-random networks and had a strong tendency to form clusters, as their shortest paths were significantly different from that of random networks and clustering coefficients were significantly higher than the corresponding random networks (P values =0, no any random network outperformed the observed SZ- or cancer-specific network).
More than half of the genes (135/233=57.9%) in the SZ-specific network were SZGenes and they formed 44 direct edges (10.1% of the total 436 edges), indicating SZGenes might approach each other directly or through other nodes to form a small-world network. In a complex network, the ability of nodes to communicate may reflect the network's degree of robustness and error tolerance . Here, we used the k-clique clustering method provided by CFinder software , which is a popular network analysis method, to examine nodes' distributions. This method identifies the maximally complete subgraphs (k-cliques, in which any two nodes have edges) in the networks and the communities, in which two k-cliques share exactly k-1 nodes. We examined cliques by five k values (k=3, 4, 5, 6, 7). When k increased, the number of nodes forming clusters decreased and, interestingly, the proportion of SZGenes identified in the protein communities decreased (Table S3). For example, 28.6% of SZGenes formed communities when k=3, but only 14.3% when k=7. This result indicates that SZGenes tend not to appear in the most tightly connected communities. The opposite pattern was observed in cancer genes, which was consistent with a previous report .
For k=3, we found 70 cliques involving 63 proteins. These cliques could form a large closely connected subnetwork (Figure 2B). After we removed this subnetwork from the SZ-specific network, connections among the remaining nodes became very loose and nearly corrupt (Figure 2C). Among these 63 proteins, 18 belong to SZGenes, which accounted for 13.3% of the SZGenes in the SZ-specific network. By comparison, we observed that 118 (44.5%) of the 265 cancer genes in the cancer-specific network could form the clusters by 3-clique. The comparison indicates that SZGenes tend to distribute peripherally in the disease specific network rather than reside in the center of clusters, a feature observed in cancer genes .
Pathways that are statistically enriched in a set of disease genes may provide important cellular process information for our understanding of the molecular pathology of the disease. We examined schizophrenia enriched pathways (SZ-enriched pathways) using the Fisher's exact test implemented in the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) (see Materials and Methods). Further, we explored the interactions and crosstalk between SZ-enriched pathways by taking advantage of both pathway and interaction network data used in this study.
We identified 24 pathways that were significantly enriched for SZGenes (P value <0.01) (Table S4). Among these 24 pathways, 9 (37.5%) were directly related to neurodevelopment. This supports the commonly accepted notion of neurodevelopmental abnormalities in schizophrenia . Interestingly, a recent study identified 15 pathways that were overrepresented by genes disrupted in schizophrenia cases versus controls, and these pathways included 5 of our 9 neurodevelopment-related pathways . Four neurotransmitter-related pathways stood out at the top of the list ranked by the significance level: glutamate receptor signaling (ranked 1st), serotonin receptor signaling (2nd), GABA receptor signaling (5th) and dopamine receptor signaling (7th). Besides, two pathways, synaptic long-term depression and synaptic long-term potentiation, were in the enriched pathway list. These two pathways are important for synaptic plasticity development and related to schizophrenia .
It was worth noting that, among the 24 pathways, 8 were involved in or were related to the immune system. This supports the autoimmune hypothesis of schizophrenia . Recent studies have been accumulating evidence of autoimmune-related genes for the risk of schizophrenia , . For example, several interleukin genes (IL2, IL3, IL4) have been implicated for schizophrenia , . Moreover, we found 3 retinoic X receptor (RXR) related signaling pathways: LXR (liver X receptor)/RXR activation, FXR (farnesoid X receptor)/RXR activation, and PPAR (peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor) signaling. RXR acts as a master regulator during ligand-induced transcription activities . Retinoic acid (RA), a metabolic product of retinol, is involved in the development, regeneration and maintenance of the nervous system . The disruption of retinoid has been implicated in the development of schizophrenia . In summary, these enriched pathways suggest that autoimmune and metabolic systems, which may interact with environmental factors, have important roles in the etiology of schizophrenia.
Besides searching schizophrenia specific pathways, we took a further step by exploring the interactions and crosstalk between pathways involving in schizophrenia. This analysis assumes that two pathways are likely crosstalk if significantly more proteins or protein interactions are detected between two pathways than expected by chance . There were a total of 276 pathway pairs (links) from the 24 enrich pathways. We found 69 were statistically significantly linked (P≤0.01) based on the statistical test described in Materials and Methods.
Figure 3 shows the crosstalk of these significantly linked pathways. Two clusters were roughly identified based on the level of interactions between the pathways. One cluster consisted of 9 pathways including 6 neurodevelopment and 3 common signaling pathways, as shown in the left part in Figure 3. The second cluster, as shown in the right part of Figure 3, had 15 pathways, including 1 common signaling pathway, 3 neuronal signaling pathways, 8 immune system-related pathways and 3 RXR-related pathways. The crosstalk among these 15 pathways was much stronger than that in the first cluster. These two clusters were connected by three links. One link, which was between synaptic long-term depression and Fc epsilon RI signaling, appears interesting because it connects the immune-related system to brain development.
To have an overview of the protein-protein interactions and molecular regulations, we constructed a schizophrenia molecular network (SMN). We integrated SZ-enriched pathways with the SZ-specific network, and also enhanced the interactions/regulations by literature surveys. Figure 4 displays the SMN, which includes four neurotransmitters and their transmembrane receptors (neurotransmitter pathways) and their downstream interactions such as activations, inhibitions, and feedback regulations in the cellular system. It also includes many common cellular processes, such as calcium signaling, G-protein coupled receptor signaling, cAMP-mediated signaling, and MAPK signaling pathways. The network also describes the secretion process of small molecules like dopamine; the balance of several effectors, like the inhibition and excitation effects of GABA and glutamate; and the cooperation of regulation via feedback loops after the outer-membrane signal had been transmitted through the membrane into the cellular system.
This network has many feedback loops linking many biological processes. Among those loops, the one from N-methyl-D-aspartate subtype glutamate receptor (NMDAR) to α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid subtype glutamate receptor (AMPAR) appeared to be the shortest. The NMDAR-AMPAR signaling cascade has an important role in apoptosis . Moreover, we observed that those pathways were interlinked via PKC and AKT, suggesting their important roles in the molecular mechanisms of schizophrenia. Both PKC and AKT are protein kinases that are essential in many pathways controlling cell growth and apoptosis. A recent study found a direct link between PKC and AKT , which enhanced the crosstalk of the pathways in this molecular network. Overall, this investigation revealed that schizophrenia is a dynamic process caused by dysregulation of multiple pathways that are in crosstalk.
To demonstrate that gene network/pathway analysis is useful in complex diseases, we applied two strategies to select novel candidate genes based on our network/pathway analysis and then performed some experimental verifications.
The first strategy was based on schizophrenia subnetwork analysis. Our SZ-specific network had 233 genes including 135 SZGenes and 98 new genes (non-SZGenes). For each gene in this network, we identified its smallest P value using the CATIE  and GAIN  GWAS markers that mapped to these genes and used the P value to represent its significance signal. CATIE and GAIN were the only two publicly available GWAS datasets for schizophrenia when we conducted this study. Mapping SNPs, identification of the smallest P value of each gene, and limitation of this approach was described in our previous study . There were 16,892 genes that appeared in both the CATIE and GAIN studies. Among them, 1,745 had the smallest P values <0.05 in both the studies. Among the 233 genes in the SZ-specific network, we found 47 whose P values were <0.05 in both of the CATIE and GAIN studies. We next tested whether this observation was by chance. We first randomly selected 1,000 sets of 233 genes from the 16,892 common genes. For each random set, we counted the number of genes having P values <0.05 in both the CATIE and GAIN datasets (n). For these 1,000 sets, we counted the number of sets whose n is not less than 47 (m). Then, we calculated empirical P values by m/1,000. We repeated this randomization 10 times to estimate the confidence of this approach. We obtained an empirical P=0, that is, we could not find any random gene set having >47 genes whose P values <0.05, as observed in our SZ-specific network. This evaluation suggests that genes in our SZ-network are likely significantly more enriched with small P values compared to the overall genome. However, caution should be used in this comparison because this analysis has a bias towards gene length. The SZGenes are overall longer than other human genes, thus, they might have more chance to have small P values, assuming GWAS markers were distributed approximately evenly in the human genome.
The evaluation done by using independent GWAS markers indicates that our network analysis may identify a set of new genes with an enriched association signal. Among the 47 genes whose P values were <0.05 in both the CATIE and GAIN datasets, 16 were non-SZGenes. We considered these 16 genes as potential candidate genes (Table S5). Most of these genes had not been reported in schizophrenia association studies when we started to collect SZGenes. Next, we extracted 5 subnetworks based on the direct interaction of the 16 non-SZGenes with the nodes encoded by SZGenes and their GWAS P values (Figure S4A). This procedure resulted in six potential novel candidate genes (DLG2, EGFR, ESR1, GRIK2, PRKCB1 and ZBTB16). Among them, two genes (EGFR and ESR1) were included for genotyping in our independent project involving 180 genes and other four genes not. Both had markers with P<0.05 (unpublished data). Among the 66 SNPs genotyped in EGFR, six had P<0.05 and the smallest P value was 0.003481. Among the 37 SNPs genotyped in ESR1, three had P<0.05 and the smallest P value was 0.001637. Although no marker passed stringent Bonferroni multiple testing and further analysis (e.g., haplotype based analysis) and replication is needed, this preliminary data suggests that our candidate gene selection approach might be effective. Interestingly, for ESR1, we did not find any association study reported for schizophrenia when we collected and analyzed data, but we found a recent positive association study  during our manuscript preparation. This study further supports our approach.
The second strategy was based on pathway analysis with a combination of network information. Among the 24 SZ-enriched pathways, glutamate receptor signaling pathway ranked at the top. We extracted the glutamate receptor signaling subnetwork from the human interactome using the Steiner minimal tree algorithm. This subnetwork included 18 genes (Figure S4B), 12 of which were among the 160 SZGenes while the other 6 (DLG2, FLNA, GRB2, GRIK2, HSPA5 and JUB) were non-SZGenes. Among them, GRIK2 has been reported to have positive association with schizophrenia while others have not. GRB2 locates in the center of the subnetwork, which indicates that it might play an important role in the pathway. Among the four well-known neurotransmitter pathways (glutamate receptor signaling, GABA receptor signaling, serotonin receptor signaling and dopamine receptor signaling), GRB2 appeared in all the four pathways and HSPA5 in three pathways, and the interaction between GRB2 and HSPA5 appeared in three pathways. Considering the gene length, functions and chromosome location, we finally selected two genes (GRB2 and HSPA5, both of which are not long) for follow-up experimental verification. Using the Haploview program, we tested the association of seven tagSNPs in gene GRB2 and two tagSNPs in gene HSPA5 in our Irish Case-Control Study of Schizophrenia (ICCSS) sample (1,021 cases and 626 controls) . Interestingly, for GRB2, five SNPs had P<0.05 and the other two SNPs whose P values were close to 0.05 (unpublished data). The two smallest P values (0.000253 and 0.00313) were significant even after Bonferroni correction. We did not observe any significant signals for the two markers in HSPA5. Although more samples and markers are needed for verification, these preliminary results suggest that our network and pathway-based approach for candidate gene selection might be promising.
For complex diseases such as schizophrenia, uncovering susceptibility genes is a challenging but important task. Traditional linkage and association studies have been the primary approaches for this challenge during the last 15 years. Although many loci and genes have been suggested to be linked to schizophrenia, a low replication rate and a lack of functional variants to the risk to schizophrenia have greatly weakened our confidence in the common disease/common variant hypothesis. Furthermore, GWA studies for schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders have not been as successful as in other diseases or traits such as cancer, body mass, and height , . In this study, we hypothesized that the risk for schizophrenia may accumulate among schizophrenia genes that interact through their proteins or in their biological pathways and explored this hypothesis using a systems biology approach. However, this analysis is still preliminary as no genes have been confirmed to be casual in schizophrenia, many genes in the SZGene list may be false positives, and the human interactome and pathway databases are neither complete nor error- or bias-free.
Both schizophrenia and cancer are complex diseases. Our examination of schizophrenia and cancer specific networks revealed major differences, suggesting different effects of genes in causing these two types of diseases. Cancer genes interact more strongly with each other and are more likely to cluster in the network than schizophrenia genes. This feature might be an artifact of data bias: (1) cancer genes might have been studied more by investigators regarding fighting cancers; and (2) although our evaluation suggested SZGenes may be useful, there are likely more false positives in SZGenes than cancer genes and these false positives tend to be non-disease genes . To address the first bias, we examined the properties of the homologous genes in yeast. We downloaded the yeast PPI data from BioGRID . The yeast interaction data is not biased towards cancer or schizophrenia. The same conclusion could be drawn using yeast data. For example, we found a stronger PPI network for cancer homologous genes in yeast. It is worth noting that some genes are associated with both schizophrenia and cancer. It would be interesting to further investigate whether their roles are different in the biological networks/pathways to the diseases.
Despite these limitations, this study provides the first comprehensive view of the network and pathway characteristics of schizophrenia candidate genes. These characteristics demonstrate that schizophrenia is a complex disorder that involves many genes and their interactions. Each of these genes may contribute a small effect to the pathology of schizophrenia. We propose that combing markers/genes at the network or pathway level has greater power to detect an association with schizophrenia than the traditional methods. In this scenario, each mutation might have a different degree of risk effect. Thus, prior information about the mutations in some genes in a network/pathway is helpful for detecting signals in other genes in the same network/pathway. This signal detection is helpful for biomarker discovery and the design of molecular diagnosis. Our preliminary experimental work suggests that this approach is promising.
One recent GWA study indicates that schizophrenia shares substantial polygenetic component with bipolar disorder, another mental disorder . One review of genetic vulnerability to different substances implicates several regions and genes in addiction are also associated with various substances such as alcohol dependence, nicotine, cocaine, opioids, and heroin . The review listed 62 addiction genes . For these genes, we found similar network properties (e.g., a moderate connectivity and intermediate shortest-path distance) and some common neurodevelopment-related pathways that were observed for SZGenes. Overall, the accumulating data and information implicates common genetic components and their interactions in neuropsychiatric disorders.
In a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, a node represents a protein and an edge represents an interaction between two nodes. For node i in the whole human protein-protein interaction network, we applied two network topological measures to assess the network characteristics of each gene set: (1) degree, the number of links of node i in the network  and (2) shortest-path length, the number of links of the shortest path traveling from node i to another node. The average shortest-path length measures overall navigability of a network. We extended the measurement of shortest-path length in two ways: (1) characteristic shortest-path distance, which was the shortest-path distance from a gene to another gene in the whole network, and (2) global centrality, which was the shortest-path length between two proteins both belonging to the same gene list, allowing transitions through proteins in other categories.
To test the significance of the network properties of a gene set, we developed an empirical re-sampling approach. For each gene set of interest having n genes, we randomly selected n genes from all available proteins (i.e., random gene set) and calculated their average degree and characteristic shortest-path distance. We repeated this re-sampling 1,000 times. To estimate the significance of average degree observed in the gene set of interest, we counted the number (Ni) of random gene sets whose average degree was higher than the observed average degree and then calculated an empirical P value =Ni/1,000. Similarly, for shortest-path distance, we counted the number (Mi) of random gene sets whose average shortest-path distance is smaller than the observed distance and then calculated an empirical P value =Mi/1,000.
To extract a network for SZGenes, we first reconstructed a PPI network (the human interactome, Text S1). Among the 160 SZGenes, 137 were mapped into the human interactome. We extracted the subnetwork as a SZ-specific network from the whole human interactome by using Steiner minimal tree algorithm . In this algorithm, the subnetwork starts with an interesting protein set and expands step-by-step until all interesting proteins are netted. Then, the network is simplified to a minimum net containing SZGenes by shortest-path lengths among interest proteins. To test the non-randomness of the subnetwork, we first generated 1,000 random networks with the same number of nodes and links in the SZ-specific network. We applied the Erdos-Renyi model in the R igraph package to the randomization process. Then we estimated the significance of non-randomness by examining network measures such as average degree, average shortest-path distance and clustering coefficient. The empirical P values were calculated similarly as in the subsection above. For comparison, we obtained a cancer-specific network and estimated the significance of its non-randomness by running 1,000 random networks, like we did for the SZ-specific network.
We searched the pathways of 160 SZGenes in the Ingenuity System (http://www.ingenuity.com) and found 101 canonical pathways. We further applied the following two criteria to identify SZ-enriched pathways: 1) the score, which is -10 logarithm of Fisher's exact test P value, in a pathway is >2; and 2) the number of SZGenes involved in a pathway is >5. For pathway crosstalk, we considered both common proteins (nodes) and common interactions (edges) between any two pathways. For any pair of SZ-enriched pathways, we calculated a 2×2 contingency table, which includes four counts: n, N-n, r, R-r where n is the number of common nodes (or links) between two tested pathways in the pair; N is the number of total nodes (or links) of the two tested pathways, r is the average number of common nodes (or links) between all possible pairs of SZ-enriched pathways and R is the average number of proteins (or links) of all possible pairs of SZ-enriched pathways. For nodes (or links), we used Fisher's exact test to calculate P values and adjusted them by false discovery rate (FDR) using Benjamini-Hochberg procedure . Therefore, for each pair of the pathways, we calculated two P values (Pnodes and Plinks). We choose the smaller P value as the criteria of pathway crosstalk. If the smaller P value is less than 0.01, we regarded the two pathways significantly have crosstalk.
(0.06 MB DOC)
GO terms significantly enriched in SZGenes (schizophrenia genes) compared to NDEGenes (non-disease non-essential genes).
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Comparison of genes distributed in SZ-specific network with those in cancer-specific network.
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Comparison of the number of nodes forming clusters by different K-cliques in schizophrenia and cancer gene subnetworks.
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Pathways significantly enriched for schizophrenia candidate genes.
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Information of 16 genes in association studies and GWA studies.
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Degree distribution of five gene sets. Y-axis represents the proportion of proteins having a specific degree.
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Shortest-path distance of five gene sets. (A) Characteristic shortest-path distance distribution. Y-axis is the proportion of proteins having a specific characteristic shortest-path distance. The average characteristic shortest-path distance and its empirical P value for randomness from the human interactome are shown in the table inside. (B) Global centrality distribution. Y-axis is the proportion of proteins having a specific global centrality. Vertical line represents the average global centrality of each gene set, which is also summarized in the inside of the figure.
(0.92 MB TIF)
Cancer-specific network. Cancer genes are labeled in red and non-cancer genes in blue. Node area corresponds to its degree in the human interactome. Node shape indicates its cellular location: ellipse for cytoplasm, diamond for extracellular space, triangle for nucleus, square for plasma membrane, and hexagon for unknown location.
(0.67 MB TIF)
Selection of novel schizophrenia candidate genes. Nodes in red denote SZGenes and nodes in grey and green denote non-SZGenes. (A) Direct interactors of five potential schizophrenia candidate genes (in green), which are non-SZGenes but had P values <0.05 in both GAIN and CATIE GWA studies. In these subnetworks, the nodes whose genes having P value <0.05 in GAIN are labeled in red asterisk and having P value <0.05 in CATIE are labeled in blue asterisk. (B) An extracted glutamate receptor signaling subnetwork.
(0.35 MB TIF)
We would like to thank Dr. P.F. Sullivan for data sharing. The genotyping of samples was provided through the Genetic Association Information Network (GAIN). The dataset(s) used for the analyses described in this manuscript were obtained from the database of Genotype and Phenotype (dbGaP) found at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gap through dbGaP accession number [phs000021.v2.p1]. Samples and associated phenotype data for the Linking Genome-Wide Association Study of Schizophrenia were provided by P. German.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Funding: This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grant Nos. R21AA017437 and P20AA017828, a NARSAD Young Investigator Award to Z.Z., a Thomas F. and Kate Miller Jeffress Memorial Trust Fund grant No. J-900, and the VICC Cancer Center Core grant (P30CA68485). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

domain: medical


Help with understanding download speeds using large and small files
I am doing some throughput testing between two VMs on the same subnet which happen to also be on the same ESXi Host and share the same Nexus 1000v. Both VMs are using the latest VMXNET3 drivers and the network card properties shows the NIC speed as being 10Gbps.
VM1 <--- N1KV --> VM2
VM1 = FTP Server
VM2 = FTP Client
When running a FTP test and pulling down a 1.5GB file, VM2's network graph is showing that it can download roughly about 250-300,000Kbytes/sec (or 1.5-2.0Gbits/sec). Not too bad !
I then created 1,500 x 1MB small files and ran the same FTP test again. This time to download all 1,500 x 1MB files, VM2's network graph is only peaking at about 30-40,000KBytes/sec (or 200-300Kbits/sec). Urghhh....
I'm just wondering why the large difference in throughput between FTP-ing a large 1.5GB file as opposed to FTP-ing 1,500x1MB files. Is this the expected behaviour? Should we be getting better throughtput with Test #2 - if so, what do we need to do to improve this?
Hi everyone, I would like to thank you in advance for any help you can provide a newcomer like myself!
Im studying the 100-105 book by Odom and am currently on the topic of Port security. I purchased a used 2960 and I'm trying to follow a...
While deploying a number of 18xx/2802/3802 model access points (APs), which run AP-COS as their operating platform. It can be observed on some occasions that while many of their access points were able to join the fabric WLC withou...


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For this tiincture we used wildcrafted & handpicked wild oregano (Oreganum Onites), High Quality Rum & Gin which give you a spectacular aroma alongside with all the benefits oregano provides!
- Immune system support: Oregano is high in anti-oxidants, one of the highest ratings actually, especially of one specific compound called rosmarinic acid. A small amount of extract may be a better source of anti-oxidantws than all of the berries and superfoods you are currently consuming. (Don't stop eating those though)
- Anti-inflammatory support: Oregano contains a compound shown to inhibit inflammation and re

domain: chemistry


text:
Jon Hart Design Large Travel Kit
Sorry, not currently available online.
Please call to check in store
availability at 830.379.1242
Monday thru Friday 10 to 6pm Central / Sat until 4pm
This great travel case easily holds larger items. Features inside zippered pocket. Zips three quarters around with a leather handle for easy carrying.
All Jon Hart prices include $8 Hot Stamp fee.

domain: travel


text:
do not double a manufacturer coupon where the item is free.
4.99 - 1 off - coupon in the drupal commerce discount code upcoming 9/23 inserts.99 Hormel bacon 12-16oz. Donkey Chips or salsa are.50 each.50 Roundy's cottage cheese Roundy's 22oz. Aim group italy 15, what is lel 16, blood test absolute neutrophil count. Grape tomatoes are.50 Concord grapes 1lb. Moondrop grapes Moondrop grapes are.99/lb. Buy four and use the 1-off-4 from the 9/16 SS to drop these.75 each.76 Campbell's soups, campbell's condensed soups (ad shows Chicken Noodle, Cream of Mushroom) are.88 each. 25 requirement is before tax. 1.50.69 Kraft Natural cheeses 8oz. Pears Green and red Bartlett or Bosc pears are.99/lb. I am working from the Crystal Lake, Illinois Mariano's. Top deals:.75 Chobani yogurt,.76 Campbells soups,.99 Crest toothpaste,.04 Chex Mix,.49 General Mills cereals,.49 Quaker instant oatmeal,.77 Cheetos,.95 Egglands Best eggs, 2 Doritos.

domain: food


text:
Massacre Rocks State Park
Open: Open all year
Number of Sites: 46
Number of Sites with Electric: 42
Tents Allowed: Yes
Dogs Allowed: Yes
Oregon Trail emigrants referred to the Massacre Rocks area as "Gate of Death" and "Devil's Gate", but modern day travelers use terms like beautiful, serene, and restful to describe the park. The park is rich in Oregon Trail, geological, and natural histories.
Rich in history, pioneers used this area, specifically what is now referred to as ‘ Register Rock’ as a rest stop for years. Today we invite horse owners to water and rest their animals in the corral at Register Rock. Many emigrant names are inscribed on the large rock, which is now protected by a weather shelter. A scenic picnic area surrounds the rock, creating a desert oasis for the modern traveler. The site also includes a horse rest area for highway travelers.
Oregon Trail remnants are most easily seen from highway rest areas in either end of the park. For additional information on the Oregon Trail visit the Three Island Crossing State Park page and the Oregon/California Trail Center website.
Currently there are no reviews of this campground.
Moon Montana, Wyoming Idaho Camping: Including Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier National Parks


text:
Master of Studies in Law
Studies in Law
Professor Melanie Randall
On December 6, 2014, Parliament enacted new criminal law addressing prostitution related offences in response to the 2013 decision at the Supreme Court in the matter of Bedford v Attorney General of Canada. This major research paper focuses on the criminal law concerning prostitution and sex work and the impact of the law on people who work in the sex trade. This major research paper analyses the new criminal law, and its stated purpose by critically examining the research materials used to help inform those who drafted the law, to conclude that the law is flawed. Parliament has ignored the safety and security rights of sex workers in its most recent legislation on prostitution. Historically, in Canada women engaged in prostitution were viewed as either victims of men’s exploitation, or immoral and considered a nuisance and this view is reinforced in the new legislation. Further, this study explores the effectiveness of human trafficking legislation and argues that decriminalization of prostitution, coupled with legalization and appropriate regulation of sex work are the legal tools best utilized to ameliorate the unsafe and unequal social conditions of sex workers.
Hayman, Laurie, "Visioning Legalized Consensual Adult Sex Work In Canada" (2017). Master of Studies in Law Research Papers Repository. 3.

domain: sociology


text:
If you come from any country other than the UK or Germany, or from the US in any State other than California or Washington, then please click on my wordpress blog to get me some flags!! You don't have to read it or comment or anything!! It's all about my new flag toy!!
The US flag is just one flag, but there are 51 States to collect.
I'm very excited about it!

domain: geography


text:
Idaho’s Public Utilities Commission sent out a press release today explaining that the average homeowner would see a rate INCREASE of 37 cents per month from Intermountain Gas.
The GUARDIAN world Headquarters got a gas bill today as well of $5.67 for not using any gas. We also got a bill insert explaining that Intermountain has filed for rate DECREASE of $3.32 per month for the average residential consumer.
That would appear to show a DECREASE of $2.95. But wait, there’s more! We got a “clarification” from the P.U.C. so GUARDIAN readers and gas company customers would understand.
“So here’s the context that was left out of the Intermountain release:
The company has two other cases pending before the Commission that could impact rates this fall. Intermountain has asked for both proposals to take effect Oct. 1, but that doesn’t seem likely given that today is 9/14.
If the Commission were to approve the two pending proposals in full, combined with the settlement of the rate case, the overall impact for residential customers would be an average monthly decrease of $2.73, or 6.6 percent. Commercial customers would see an average monthly decrease of $15.65, or 8.8 percent.
Here are the specifics of those two cases that are still before the commission:
Case INT-G-17-05 calls for a decrease in the Purchased Gas Adjustment, an annual billing mechanism that is adjusted each fall to reflect changes in costs the company incurs purchasing natural gas. It allows the utility to recover expenses when they outpace PGA revenue, or credit customers when revenue exceeds expenses. If approved in full, the company’s proposed PGA for the coming year would lower the monthly bill of a residential customer by an average of $3.32 or 8.1 percent.
Case INT-G-17-03 calls for the creation of a billing mechanism that would allow Intermountain to recover from residential customers the costs associated with the Energy Efficiency Rebate Program. The proposal would lead to a 22-cent increase on the average residential customer’s monthly bill.”
Our frequent commenter, EASTERNER, should be able to help out if you don’t get this.
To insure more advertising-free Boise Guardian news, please consider financial support.


text:
Start a Business in Montana
Starting a business in Montana is easy. All you need to do is file a few forms with the Montana Secretary of State and start running your business. Below, we show you how to get started and walk you through some of your options.
One option is, of course, to stop reading and just hire us to start your business for you. At Northwest, we form businesses and provide registered agent service throughout the US. That’s our business, and obviously we recommend starting your business in a certain way. We call it “Starting a Business the Right Way."
Starting your business the right way means hiring a registered agent to form your LLC or corporation so you can protect your privacy and receive the care your business needs to stay active. If you hire us to start your Montana business, we’ll be your registered agent, provide Privacy by Default®, a business address, mail forwarding and local Corporate Guide® service for life.
How to Start a Business in Montana
You file articles of incorporation for a Montana corporation or articles of organization for a Montana LLC with the MT Secretary of State.
You obtain a federal tax ID number (FEIN or EIN) with the IRS after you have confirmation and filed articles from the State of Montana showing your approved Montana business.
Opening a business banking account under your new Montana business name should be easy with these two items.
If you’re going to have employees or need to withhold sales tax, you will probably need to register with the MT Department of Revenue and the MT Unemployment Insurance Division. We provide all these links in your online account.
If your business trade requires a license, you’ll have to apply for a license with the Montana licensing board. Most businesses don’t, but if you do, quick links and information for Montana’s One-Stop Business Licensing system are in your online account.
Some local cities or counties have a general license, but most don’t.
You obtain a local trade license if the city or county you’re going to be working in requires it.
If you’re going to have an office or shop you might need an approval from the city zoning for your type of business in that location.
If you get overwhelmed, just get your business pulling in money and worry about regulations later.
Are You A Do-It-Yourselfer? You Can Save Some Money:
If you want to start a business in Montana yourself, you can just hire us as your Montana registered agent, and you’ll instantly have the Montana LLC or corporation forms to file along with filing instructions on the quickest, cheapest, and most efficient way to incorporate a Montana corporation or form a Montana LLC. You’ll get the ongoing support of our online tools, reminders and the support of a professional Montana registered agent service.
Montana LLC vs Corporation
LLCs are great for small business owners because they’re easier to maintain and offer flexible management structures. Plus, LLCs have fewer annual requirements. Many large business owners like corporations because they offer the option of selling stock, which helps attract top investors.
But, what about Montana? Any pros and cons for a Montana LLC vs a Montana corporation?
In terms of initial and maintenance fees, there aren’t any significant advantages to starting a Montana LLC versus a Montana corporation. Both entities cost $70 to file the Articles of Incorporation OR Articles of Organization. In addition, LLCs and corporations are required to submit annual reports ($20) each year.
During tax season, being the owner of a Montana LLC definitely has its perks. Staying true to tradition, Montana C corporations are subject to double taxation—first on the state level, then through shareholder returns. The corporate tax rate is fixed at 6.75%. Personal income rates range between 1% and 6.9%, often resulting in lower tax burdens for LLCs that keep their default tax status.
In addition to paying taxes on annual revenues, Montana also assesses personal and commercial property taxes for corporations and LLCs. Personal property (such as equipment and furniture) is based on the total property value. Commercial fees (i.e.: offices and retail stores) are based on the anticipated income benefits of the property, costs of necessary improvements, OR the value of other similar properties. However, the state offers a few incentives to help reduce annual costs. For example, businesses that remodel might be eligible for reduced taxes during the first five years AFTER construction.
Montana also offers great privacy benefits for LLCs. When you form a Montana LLC, the secretary of state will only release the business name, your registered agent information, and primary business address. All personal information such as names and addresses will remain confidential. If someone wanted additional information, the interested party would need to subpoena your registered agent.
If you want a corporation, you file Montana Articles of Incorporation:
- An incorporating Montana ending such as Inc, corporation, or incorporated
- Number of Montana corporation shares you would like to authorize
- The name, address, and signature of the Montana incorporator
- The registered agent of the proposed Montana corporation
- If you do not specify a delayed effective date, the incorporation is effective when the articles are filed
- You must list a contact phone number and email on the MT articles of incorporation.
Montana does not require original signatures on new MT corporation filings. The filed document will be sent to the address on the check used to pay the fee.
Start Your Montana Business!GET STARTED
If you want a LLC, you file Montana Articles of Organization:
- The business name must have a limited liability company ending or variation of it.
- New Montana LLCs name must be different than already registered Montana companies.
- Duration of the Montana LLC may be perpetual or limited.
- The purpose of the Montana limited liability company.
- The Montana registered agent and the physical address.
- The LLCs principal address
- The name, title, and signature of the Montana LLC organizer.
- If the limited liability company is to be managed by one or more managers or members. List the members or managers names and addresses.
- If the members are liable for the LLCs debts and obligations, attach a list of the liable members and their written consent.
- If you are professional LLC, list the services you provide.
Montana does not require original signatures on filings. The Montana SOS will return the filing to the address on the check after processing.

domain: law


text:
Nicholas Sparks new film “The Choice” is now in theaters and is a must see movie, for couples. It’s a beautiful love story about at about a feisty medical student Gabby Holland who unexpectantly falls in love with her next-door neighbor Travis Shaw. Although the two are very different, they find themselves embark on a surprising romantic journey neither imagined possible and leaves you asking the question, how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?
I had a unique opportunity to speak with Mr. Sparks about the film. During our discussion, he shared his thoughts on love, heartache, and choices. I wanted to share a few powerful quotes from our interview.
Here are 3 Quotes from Nicholas Sparks on Love, Heartache & Choices
“In the end, everyone’s love story is their own, and they have to write their own story. They are going to make choices that influence this.” – Nicholas Sparks
“Love and Tragedy go hand and hand. There can’t be one without the other and the greater the love, the greater the tragedy because in the end someone goes and if there is a lot of love there is sadness in its wake.” – Nicholas Sparks
“The choices we make in our lives often resonate with more meaning than we can ever imagine.” – Nicholas Sparks
More on “The Choice”
3 Quotes from Nicholas Sparks on Love, Heartache & Choices
3 life lesson from Nicholas Sparks new film
9 Interesting facts about Benjamin Walker & Teresa Palmer, the stars of Nicholas Sparks new film “The Choice.”
Follow MrsKathyKing’s board MrsKathyKing.com on Pinterest.
The Choice in theaters now


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Periodontitis is a serious infection that affects the structures around the teeth, but not in the actual teeth. As periodontitis progresses, the bones and teeth of patients get damaged. With periodontitis, the gum tissue pulls away from the teeth, making pockets. It is where extra bacteria can develop up and cause disease.
Treatment of the advanced periodontal disease is a multi-step measure. Sometimes, a periodontist will suggest medications as a first-line treatment for getting rid of periodontal treatment infection, depending on the seriousness of your gum illness. If periodontitis is treated right on time and in an appropriate way, then oral hygiene is maintained and damage can be stopped.
There are different forms of periodontal disease
Chronic gingivitis is characterized by pocket formation and gum recession. This problem is most commonly seen in adults. A reversible and mild form of periodontal infection is denoted by severe inflammation, redness, and gums bleeding. There is no bone loss with gum disease treatment and is effectively preventable.
Aggressive periodontitis is described by rapid loss of gums and bone destruction in a short period.
Periodontitis is the most common form of the disease which progresses slowly. It is related to heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory sicknesses. It usually sets in at a youthful age.
Necrotizing periodontal disease is described by necrosis death of gum tissue. The infection of necrotizing periodontal illness results from the death of gum tissue surrounding the tooth and interfacing bone. Its regular side effects are a foul odor and painful draining gums.
If you have the above-mentioned gum disorders, get the gum disease treatment today.
Below are the different treatments available for periodontal disease:
Skilled dentist in South Austin TX recommends individuals to reduce the number of bacteria in their mouth. They also offer tons of tips for keeping the teeth healthy.
It includes how to use toothbrushes and dental floss properly. They also suggest other oral hygiene products like mouthwash and an electric toothbrush. Visit your dentist at least two times a year for a professional cleaning.
During a teeth checkup, your dental specialist will eliminate plaque development and tartar from your teeth. The expert will then clean your teeth and treat them with fluoride. If you have some indications of gum illness, the dentist may suggest professional dental cleaning more than two times every year.
Moreover, dental cleanings are not a treatment for active gum disease. However, professional dental cleaning is a significant preventive measure that can assist you to stave off its development. A deep-cleaning technique called scaling and root planing is used to scrape off stubborn tartar. Furthermore, it eliminates any harsh spots on the tooth root where bacteria tend to gather.
In some cases, the dentist will recommend an anti-infection solution to those that haven’t reacted to cleanings to help with persistent gum infections.
The antibiotic may be as a mouthwash, gel, or an oral tablet or capsule. Oral antibiotics available in capsule or tablet structure, these are taken orally. They are utilized short-term for the treatment of acute or chronic periodontal infection.
If you are struggling with advanced periodontitis, your dentist may suggest the following treatments:
Flap surgery is also known as pocket reduction surgery. It is finished by dental specialists to eliminate calculus in deep pockets or to diminish the pocket so that keeping it clean becomes easier. During this treatment, the gums are lifted back and the tartar is removed.
This reduces the size of the space between the gum and tooth, consequently diminishing the areas where harmful bacteria can develop It also decreases the opportunity of serious health problems associated with periodontal infection.
This method helps recovers bone or gum tissue that has been destroyed. New natural or synthetic bone is put where the bone was lost.
The bone graft technique involves utilizing pieces of your own bone, synthetic bone, or replacing bone destroyed. However, the soft tissue graft technique reinforces thin gums or fills in places where gums have retreated. Call Lifetime Smiles Cosmetic Dentistry if you need high-quality periodontal treatment.


text:
A large cargo of high-quality petcoke is available for bidding.
DYM Resources is ready to supply up to 75,000 tons of petroleum coke with a sulphur content of 6 percent maximum between December 2016 and January 2017.
The petroleum coke (petcoke) cargo has a calorific value of about 7,700 kcal/kg on a dry basis and an HGI index of almost 85 to 90.
This petcoke quality is widely used in steel and cement production.
DYM Resources is a petroleum coke trader active in ex-USSR markets. Our company is headquartered in Berlin, Germany.


Solar Hanging Clip Lights-6 Pack
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This Solar Light Bulb provides decorative lighting without the constraints and costs of traditional lights. These lights are powered during the day with the sun and turn on automatically at dusk.
- Run up to 8 hours with a full charge.
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Runtime: Up to 8 hours
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Solar Panel: Monocrystalline
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Battery: 1×1.2V 1/3 AAA 100 mAh button
Material: Plastic & steel
Work Duration: Up to 8 hours
Switch Mode: OFF/ON


text:
Built in the Nehls Memorial Nature Preserve on East Muggy Road on the Catawba Peninsula, the kayak launch facility is ADA certified to treat paddlers with disabilities. (Photo by Mary Ann Romito)
BY TOM ROMITO, FONWR BOARD MEMBER
Locals who have never been to the sprawling Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge (ONWR) on the shores of Lake Erie in western Ottawa County, especially those who live in the Port Clinton area, will be delighted!
The Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge (FONWR) are improving public access to three new protected areas in the Port Clinton area, including the Dr. Robert “Doc” Nehls Memorial. This property comprises 21 acres of land and 18 acres of sunken land along West Harbor on East Muggy Road in the Catawba Island community.
FONWR has worked to improve West Harbor Landing with a pollinator habitat and visitor facilities including a fishing platform, observation deck, canoe and kayak launch, benches and signage. (Photo by Kris Johnston)
The Black Swamp Conservancy (BSC) bought it from Norma Nehls in 2019 after the death of her husband. BSC has enlisted the help of the ONWR to convert eight hectares of the formerly agricultural property into short-grass prairie and pollinating meadow habitat and is planning to restore further cultivation areas in forest, wetland and bush habitats.
FONWR raised $ 70,000 to fund an ADA-compliant kayak access point there, which will be completed this year.
The Nehls estate will open to the public on Saturday, July 17th, at 11 a.m.
A path leads visitors to the former Marinewood golf course. It is now 62 acres off State Route 163 near the Portage River with a public parking lot, native wildlife, and a nature trail. (Photo by Kris Johnston)
FONWR is working to improve two more publicly accessible sites in the Port Clinton area. One is the old Marinewood Golf Course, an area of 62 acres on State Route 163 near the Portage River. This location is part of the Portage River Water Trail which stretches from Pemberville to Port Clinton.
Ducks Unlimited donated the Marinewood location to the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 2014 and ONWR is now managing the package. ONWR has planted native flowers and grasses, laid out a short grass footpath and re-paved the parking lot.
Bald eagles call the Marinewood Nature Reserve their home and build a large nest there. (Photo by Kris Johnston)
Bald eagles and other birds of prey visit this property and provide a unique wildlife viewing opportunity. The next phase of the project will focus on expanding the visitor facilities, including a gravel path, kayak launch facility, kiosk and nature play area.
The third publicly accessible location near Port Clinton is West Harbor Landing, a 16-acre site on State Route 53 near State Route 163, just past the bridge on Catawba Island. The parking lot was recently paved and lined. Much of the cultivated area is marshland. FONWR has worked to upgrade the remaining land with pollinator habitat and visitor facilities, including a fishing platform and viewing platform; Canoe and kayak start; Benches; and signage.
ONWR is a 10,600 acre forest and wetland area that extends east to west from Sandusky Bay to Toledo and south to north from Route 53 to Lake Erie, with the main refuge and visitor center north of Oak Harbor. In addition to providing a safe haven for wildlife, these areas also serve to filter agricultural runoff that enters Lake Erie.
Remember that our drinking water comes from the lake!
In addition to improving access to public areas for recreational purposes, FONWR is raising funds for two other areas of activity: buying land from willing landowners and restoring existing protection parcels, as well as providing youth development opportunities such as scholarships to bring schools and classes to the Learning about nature in the refuge. To learn more about FONWR, visit www.friendsofottawanwr.org.


text:
One Piece Movie 10 Strong World DVD
About One Piece Movie 10 Strong World DVD
Strong World was the first One Piece movie to be personally overseen by the original manga artist, Eiichiro Oda!
When the Straw Hats catch wind of trouble in the peaceful waters of the East Blue, they quickly set a course for home! But before they reach their destination, fate leads them into the deadly path of Golden Lion Shiki. This gravity-defying madman needs a navigator, and he wants Nami! Shiki scatters the Straw Hats across the far corners of a floating island filled with ferocious, genetically-mutated monsters, and issues Nami and ultimatum: join his crew - or her friends die!
Big mistake. Luffy kicks his attack mode into Third Gear and begins a brutal rampage across the beast-ridden island. It's all hands on deck in Monkey vs. Lion. Winner gets the navigator!
Spoken Languages: English, Japanese, English subtitles.
- Publisher: FUNIMATION
- Media: DVD
- Spoken Language: English, Japanese
- Subtitle Language: English
- Genre: Action, Fantasy
- Themes: Adventure, Battles, Powers
- Age Rating: 13+
- Run Time: 113
- Release Date: 11/19/2013
- Dimensional Weight: 0.2
- Region Code: 1
Ratings & Reviews
I have been waiting for YEARS for this
Having watched this movie many times online, I can say that this one is the best out of the current One Piece films.
Being the tenth in the saga, the recruited Oda, the creator of One Piece, to actually make the story for the entirety of the film instead of just designing the characters as he had in previous movies. This makes Strong World canon to the storyline of One Piece, and it also shows in the strength and depth of the movie itself.
I am so glad that I can finally add this to my collection, now that Funi is finally giving OP attention again and, since the dvd collections are doing well, I hope that the popularity will continue to increase and it won't just be that series that 'has a million episodes' anymore.
IT WAS AWESOME!!
One Piece Film Strong World is an action-packed thrill ride of Shonen Jump anime films! Seeing the Straw Hats scattered all over and reuniting later on and trying to save their navigator is pretty awesome and funny to watch over and over! 10/10


text:
A 23-year-old woman was allegedly abducted and raped by two men in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar last month, police said on Monday, adding that the accused had also recorded a video of their act and uploaded it on the social media.
A case in this connection was lodged only on Sunday, the police said, adding that the accused were arrested.
According to a complaint lodged by the victim''s brother, two men -- Akib and Sajid -- abducted his sister, intoxicated her and then took turns to rape her last month, Circle Officer Harish Bhadoria said.
He added that a medical examination of the victim had proved rape.
The woman had not narrated her ordeal to anyone as the accused had threatened to kill her if she reported the incident, the police officer said, adding that her family members got to know about it only after the video went viral on the social media.
Get Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.


text:
When the British Army marched into the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp on April 15, 1945, their long and traumatic days of fighting had not prepared them for the horrors they would encounter inside the camp.
The air around the camp had turned sour with the stench of 10,000 unburied bodies. Even more shocking were the tens of thousands of “walking corpses,” those who were hanging onto life by a thread due to disease and starvation.
The British had not come to Germany to liberate anyone, yet found themselves in charge of keeping alive thousands of Jews and other refugees who had been brought to the camp to die.
Jean Bloch Rosensaft was the guest speaker at the October 6 opening reception of the Museum’s latest special exhibit. She shared that both her parents and future in-laws resided at the Bergen-Belsen Displaced Persons Camp and became important leaders there.
Rosensaft, an Assistant Vice President at Hebrew Union College in New York, and her father, a Holocaust survivor, organized the Bergen-Belen exhibit, using historical evidence and eyewitness accounts given by survivors, including their family members.
Even though the prisoners had been liberated and given refuge in the displaced persons camp, their troubles persisted. About 500 people died every day from typhus and malnutrition. Many could not digest their rations, while some resisted life-saving injections from Army doctors because of their experiences with poor or nefarious medical treatment in the camp.
The British were not prepared for this kind of refugee crisis. Circumstances in the camp became dire. Thanks to press coverage seen and heard around the world, news of poor living conditions within the camp reached the ears of President Harry Truman, who had taken office just three days before the liberation. Camp conditions quickly and dramatically improved.
Jewish refugees in the camp began to organize and decided to build a life for themselves, however temporary, while they waited to find a host country or migrate to Israel.
Within six weeks, the camp committee had set up a school where children were taught modern Hebrew. The focus on teaching this lingua franca gave the camp’s Jews, originally citizens of many different countries, the ability to communicate.
The committee organized cultural, religious, and political activities for the survivors, including two theatre troupes that put on plays about survivors’ experiences in the concentration camps. A form of psychological healing, noted Rosensaft, occurred during the performances when audience members’ experiences and feelings were affirmed by what performers reenacted on stage.
The camp held nearly 20 marriage ceremonies a day with open invitations, and over the lifetime of the camp, more than 2,000 children were born. The Bergen-Belsen Displaced Persons Camp not only provided refuge for survivors, it was also enabled survivors to find community and regain control over their lives.
By the middle of 1950, the majority of the Jewish refugees had migrated to Israel, Canada, South Africa, or the United States, with only a small number remaining in Germany.
The memory of the displaced persons camp lives on in Jean Bloch Rosensaft, whose exhibit depicts not only the hardships in the displaced persons camp but also the hope for the future that so many reclaimed in their temporary home in northern Germany.
Find out just how resilient these survivors proved to be. Learn about the underground organization set up by survivors to resist forced repatriation after liberation. Experience all this and more when you visit the museum’s special exhibit “Rebirth After the Holocaust: Bergen-Belsen Displaced Persons Camp, 1945-1950,” which runs until January 31, 2017.
–McGuire Boles, for the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance


text:
The Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), has rubbished claims that it effected some Ghc52 billion to unknown sources.
The bank in a statement said the story was mischievously designed to discredit them.
It added that the bank, with an international reputation, would not engage in acts contrary to the law.
Meanwhile, the Audit Service has reacted to a news report of a missing Ghc 52.5 billion which has been transferred from Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) to unknown sources.
A statement issued by the service indicated that it has taken note of the news report and the interest it has generated.
According to the statement, the audit exercise in reference was an exercise sanctioned by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta in a letter dated August 15, 2020, based on the mandate of the president.
It said the letter in circulation on the matter forms part of letters sent to commercial banks that participated in the transfers.
It added that the Audit Service intends surcharging any bank who defaulted in the tax receipts collected.
It further disclosed the Service has managed to trace with satisfaction, some of the transfers.
Read the GCB statement below

domain: economics


This qualification covers the skills and expertise needed to undertake leadership and management roles inside the automotive market. Our items are developed in state-of-the-art BCDMOS, BDC-on-SOI, or non-volatile CMOS technologies, and meet strict automotive qualification standards. North Eugene Automotive is committed to serving our customers and our community with knowledgeable employees who are concerned about the safety and safety of your cars. As if going into an engineering school is already not hard adequate, you have to hold up with the burning load of technological and inventive specifications every single day.
Has a touchscreen: The Lenovo Y50 Touch ($1200 for the recommended model) is a relatively nicely-rounded in gaming laptops variety, alongside that it contains a feature other brands have however to supply us with — the touchscreen. For example, 100 hours sold on all repair orders divided by 200 technician hours truly worked, equals 50 % shop productivity. With a focus on innovation, green technologies and emerging markets, Ssangyong aims to grow to be a worldwide automaker of repute.
Beneath the hood of subsequent generation styling and premium really feel of the Imperio is tested & established DI engine with typical rail technologies which delivers 75 HP power (56 kW), 220 Nm torque (pulling energy) and mileage of 13.55km/l. With a name synonymous with the South Korean automotive story, the Ssangyong Motor Business joined the Mahindra group in 2011. It was offered a little mention on the news right here, with people questioning if somebody was attempting to vandalize autos on the lot. Collective exhibitions won’t be missed, communal stands of Czech Trade, Advantage Austria, German-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry the Hungarian Material testers’ Association and MAJOSZ the Hungarian Automotive Component Makers can be visited. This introductory continuing education course includes a variety of subjects pertaining to personal …


Well Service | Workover Rigs - 2015 WESTERN STAR 4900SA Service Rig
C/w Celtic pride 72 ft telescoping mast, 50,000 lb rating, 48,000 lb Celtic pride injector, rod board, 2014 Fassi Model M30A picker, 2013 Maxistad picker, Fassi Model MA30A picker, rod tongs, rod handling tools, over shots, misc. tools, tool boxes, 2015 Ford F350 4x4 c/w coil tubing welder. 5 completet reels, All certs up to date and ready to work. Complete package in excellent condition.
A/C Condition: Excellent, Differential Lock, State DOT, 6x4, Turbo, Wet Kit


The original, diminutive Apogee Duet was a revelation when it hit the market back in 2008. The Apogee Duet 2 ($595 direct) continues in the same vein, with even better sound quality, and a marked switch from FireWire to USB support—the latter necessary given how Apple is steadily removing FireWire ports from its latest Macs. It's not perfect, but despite its seemingly high price, it's a solid value given how great it sounds.
Design and Connectivity
The Duet 2 is made of textured silver aluminum, with a black glass front panel. It measures 6.3 by 4 by 1.3 inches (HWD), including the protruding volume knob. The knob rotates smoothly in both directions; push it in, and you'll switch between controlling input levels for the two inputs, speaker volume, and headphone volume. A headphone jack sits on the top; two would have been better. The back panel features a DC power adapter input, the breakout cable port, and a USB 2.0 port. Fortunately, the Duet 2 is bus-powered; you shouldn't need the included AC adapter unless your system pops up a warning about USB power draw, in which case the AC adapter could be used to alleviate it.
The breakout cable consists of two combination XLR and 1/4-inch inputs, and two 1/4-inch balanced outputs. It's a little less cumbersome than the white squid that shipped with the first Duet. Apogee also sells a $49 breakout box that eliminates most of the extra wiring, which is nice to have, although then you get into the question of whether a slightly larger USB interface with everything integrated would have been better or more portable than two smaller pieces.
Latency Tests and Performance
The Duet 2 records at 24-bit and at sample rates up to 192kHz, putting it on par with top-end interfaces from Avid and Universal Audio, not to mention Apogee's own, much higher-priced gear. I tested the Apogee Duet 2 with a Ivy Bridge-powered 15-inch MacBook Pro with 8GB RAM and a variety of digital audio sequencers, including Pro Tools 10, Apple Logic Pro, and MOTU Digital Performer 8. The interface worked nicely with all three, for both recording and playback.
Playback latency from a MIDI controller was commendably short; in Logic Pro 9.1.8 in 64-bit mode, by setting the buffer to 64 samples, I could reliably achieve a resulting output latency of 2.5ms and a resulting roundtrip latency of 5.8ms. Sometimes I heard a few pops and some cut off samples with various plug-ins on my system, depending on the plug-in, even with no other tracks loaded; in this case, bumping it to 256 samples cured the audio issues, although output latency rose to 6.9ms and roundtrip to 14.5ms.
A few times, I noticed that the interface had either shut off completely, or switched back to a frozen "A" logo screen; unplugging it and plugging it back in remedied the problem in each case. But that was confusing, since the original Duet was bulletproof on FireWire, and I was testing the Duet 2 plugged directly into the MacBook Pro (not with a USB hub).
Connection issues aside, the Duet 2 sounds incredible. In fact, the Duet 2 is actually great just as a headphone amp, for listening through higher-end open-backed and closed-back headphones for monitoring or just enjoying music. You can hear all of the detail work in Ani DiFranco's "Knuckle Down," including her fast up-and-down pick movements and the resonant sound of the acoustic guitar body. The low-end of the acoustic bass was tight, with just the right amount of finger noise on the frets. Rage Against the Machine's "Fistful of Steel," a high watermark for rock recordings from 1992, just before the loudness wars began in earnest, sounded huge, heavy, and transparent, with thunderous guitars and pristine vocal effects. Vocal recordings through a Rode NT-1A mic sounded crisp, clear, and detailed, and are a significant step up from what you get out of lower-priced interfaces like the M-Audio Fast Track.
All told, the Duet 2 is a beautiful sounding audio interface, even considering its high price-per-channel ratio. But the competition is catching up quickly. The new Focusrite Forte and MOTU Track 16 have the key advantage of working with both Macs and PCs. We've yet to review either, but one key downside with the Forte is that you need to have the AC adapter plugged in when recording mics with phantom power, a limitation the Apogee Duet 2 doesn't have. The Forte also only has one headphone jack like the Duet 2. The MOTU Track16, meanwhile, offers two headphone jacks in different sizes (one 1/4-inch and one 1/8-inch) and more front panel controls.
Finally, at NAMM 2013 in January, Apogee announced a slightly reworked version of the Duet 2, called the Duet for iPad/Mac; it's the same box, but with a breakout cable and internal hardware that also supports iOS devices in addition to Macs. The Duet 2 reviewed here can't be retrofitted to work with an iPad. Apogee has yet to start shipping the Duet for iPad/Mac in earnest, but all indications are that it will sound and work exactly the same as the Duet 2, aside from the addition of iPad compatibility, and will still have the same limitations; we won't know for sure until we test one, though. Whichever Duet you get, you'll be thrilled with its sound quality; just make sure you don't need the extra features the competition offers first. Finally, if you're a Reason fan, check out the Propellerhead Balance, which despite being a first for the company in terms of audio interfaces, acquits itself very well in build quality, features, and overall sonic clarity.
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text:
Winger looking forward to Chelsea test.
Johnson looks to ChelseaView all Team News
Festive party night at the SoL.
Join legends at supporters' Christmas partyView all Club News
Dev Squad & Academy
Youngster Dixon to stay on at Boston United.
Goalkeeper extends stayView all Dev Squad & Academy
WSL 2 winners to be paraded ahead of kick-off.
Lady champions welcomed at Chelsea clashView all Ladies

domain: sports


Republicans: Think About Your Daughters NOT Your Politics
As a #Metoo survivor, not to mention a conscientious writer, there was no way that I could allow the topic of this post to go unaddressed. I was compelled to speak out about the current sexual assault scandal against a pending Supreme Court judge and his accuser. Needless to say, I stand in solidarity with Professor Christine Blasey Ford and I most certainly believe the accusations she has made against Brett Kavanaugh.
People already suspect that the whole push (and rush) to appoint this questionable figure as Supreme Court Judge is so he can do Trump's bidding. Before the Christine Blasey Ford story came to light, it was clear that politics was at play when crucial files about Kavanaugh were withheld from the deciding committee. His alleged attempted rape of a 15-year-old girl when he was in high school is in addition to his existing controversial background. So while the Republican and Democratic politicians play politics with the lives of the American people, the rest of America sits idly by. Stop hiding behind your politics people, as an excuse for accepting what is clearly wrong. Find some kind of way to speak up and speak out.
I wrote a brief tweet today, and included the above image. I did it so hopefully people will stop being sucked in by all the POLITICAL angles to what is going on in this country, and use common sense. Clearly, the proceedings to confirm him should be delayed at all costs if there is ANY chance whatsoever that Kavanaugh is guilty of what he is accused. Just think about it: if the story is true (and I believe it is), the last place in the world he needs to be sitting is IN JUDGEMENT of someone else, like another suspected rapist. It's time people to stop thinking about their politics and start thinking about their daughters.
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