The New Hampshire Antique Co-op will display a miniature vintage log village known as Santa?s North Pole during the holiday season.
Designed and presented by collector and antique dealer Beverly Weir-Longacre, this exhibit shows Santa?s elves working at their jobs in the various shops, at the reindeer barn and tending to the Christmas tree farm. Visitors can find a miniature Santa next to a sleigh filled with gifts. Children are sledding, making snowmen and relaxing around the pond after an afternoon of ice skating.
This log village is on display through Jan. 6 in the Focus Gallery at New Hampshire Antique Co-op.
Weir-Longacre began collecting the log buildings almost two decades ago, when she spotted one at an antiques show in Bucks County, Pa.
Weir-Longacre?s vintage log buildings were made in America during the early 20th century, probably for use with toy train platforms. Always wanting to create a holiday-themed village using the log buildings, Weir-Longacre transformed her collection into Santa?s North Pole, complete with lights, snow and all the trimmings. Also on display is a four-room doll house, representing Santa?s home and workshop.
An expert collector of vintage glass ornaments and other holiday-themed decorations, Weir-Longacre lives in a historic 1795 antique cape in Marlborough, where she and her husband, Tom Longacre, who is also an expert folk art antique dealer, decorate more than 20 trees filled with antique ornaments. She is an officer of the New Hampshire Antique Dealers Association and lectures at antique shows on the subject of vintage ornaments (?The Christmas Ornament ? Folk Art in Miniature?).
The New Hampshire Antique Co-op was established in 1983 and features more than 200 dealers. It was named ?Best of New Hampshire? by New Hampshire Magazine and is open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Open house
The Antique Co-op will hold its Holiday Open House 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 1-2, offering secret-recipe punch and an array of cookies. Children can write their letters to Santa and post them in an old-fashioned North Pole mailbox.
?The open house here at New Hampshire Antique Co-op is a great old-fashioned way to spend a family day,? said co-owner Jason Hackler, who together with his father, Sam Hackler, has owned and operated New Hampshire Antique Co-op for nearly three decades. ?Take a break at this hectic time of year and come on by to sample cookies, write to Santa and see some great art and antiques. My 5-year-old daughter Eliza will also be here during the open house, helping children write to Santa or serve up some treats.?
Named ?Best of New Hampshire? by New Hampshire Magazine, the New Hampshire Antique Co-op is at 323 Elm St.
For more information, call 673-8499 , visit online at www.nhantiquecoop.com or www.facebook.com/nhantiquecoop.
Experts point out that a growing number of alternative movements appear on the world political arena and gradually steal votes from traditional parties.
The first Pirate Party appeared in Sweden in 2006 as a protest movement of Internet users who protested against tough copyright protection measures. Gradually, Pirates spread to over 40 countries in the world. At present, the Pirate Party International (PPI) unites its supporters in almost 90 countries on all continents. Common aims of international pirates are the right to a private life on the Internet and free exchange of intellectual information.
German ?Piraten? won a seat in each of the city councils of Munster and Aachen, and almost got into the Bundestag. In 2011, Pirates obtained 15 mandates in the Berlin Landtag (territorial parliament) and in March this year they won seats in the Landtags of Saarland, North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig Holstein. According to different estimates, between 10 and 13% of voters supported the German Pirates at the beginning of 2012. Pirates gained even more popularity due to their promise of free education and free use of public transport.
In his interview with The Voice of Russia Professor of political science Gerd Langguth from Bonn University said:
?The present-day society is characterized by great individualism. People mostly do not care for the far-reaching objectives of large political parties. People want to achieve their individual aims through new parties. Why do they choose the party of pirates? It is different from other parties in its style, it wants to fight against everything. At the beginning there was the effect of suddenness. It was something new and everybody liked it. However, this party has no chances on the federal level.?
The popularity of pirate parties, in particular in Germany, goes through ups and downs. The number of ?Piraten?s supporters in Germany has dropped from 13 to 4% by the end of the year. One of the party?s weak points is the lack of a clear-cut political platform. On the 25th of November, ahead of the election campaign to the Bundestag, the congress of the Piratenpartei Deutschland adopted an impressive programme covering the spheres of foreign policy, economy, social security and provision of pensions, protection of consumers and environmental protection. Probably, their most revolutionary demand is providing a guaranteed minimum of subsistence to all citizens. It will be interesting to watch the attitude of the protest electorate to this programme until September next year.
Experts point out that, in general, European voters cannot see the difference between traditional parties, their programmes and activities. Europe as a whole is characterized by fatigue from everyday political routine. However, we should not forget that, for example, the Green parties were once a real alternative to both the right wing and the left wing, until they dissolved in big politics.
I would like to take a few minutes to introduce myself.?
I have been on the job as your new Director of Recreation and Leisure Services for five weeks.? It has been a very exciting time for me.?
Barrington is a wonderfully vibrant community.? It has a long tradition of providing successful recreation programs and leisure activities.? I am honored to be given the opportunity to work with parents, the schools, the businesses and organizations to build on the popular sports and recreation programs currently in place that have enriched the lives of the residents of Barrington.?
My focus as Director of Recreation and Leisure Services is to build greater community in Barrington.? I am working closely with Peter DeAngelis, the Town Manager, and the Park and Recreation Commission, to bring a new expanded direction to the department.? To do that, we need input from everyone and the involvement of the community.? We want to hear from the parents of children in Barrington, people who have participated in adult recreation or arts and cultural programs and students.? We also want to hear from organizations and businesses that run programs or would like to sponsor or be involved in programs.? We want to know what we can do to meet your interests.
My door is open.? I invite you to stop by and talk with me.? You can also reach me at 247-1925 or email me at mgeremia@barrington.ri.gov.?
In addition, I have created a short survey that can be accessed at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZG2D8D2.? Let me know what programs are working and which are not; what you like the most and what you feel is missing from the programs currently being offered.?
I look forward to meeting many of you at the annual Festival of Lights on Saturday.? This year will feature expanded tree lighting along with holiday festivities and lots of fun.? Please come out and join us as we celebrate the peace and joy of the Holiday Season.
?Barrington Recreation Department Survey
?--Michele Geremia, Director of Recreation and Leisure Services
Former President George H. W. Bush has been hospitalized in Houston for the past week with what his staff confirms is bronchitis and a chronic cough.
Jim McGrath, a Bush spokesman, tells ABC News that the 88-year-old former president has not developed pneumonia or any life-threatening condition and is expected to be released over the coming weekend.
His family has said publicly the former president is no longer able to walk unassisted, a frustration for a man who enjoyed an active lifestyle of golf, fishing, jogging, and power walks on the beach near his summer home in Maine. In Houston, where he and his wife Barbara Bush have lived since leaving the White House almost 20 years ago, President Bush has been in and out of the hospital for health concerns and two hip replacement surgeries.
The former president became emotional last summer in a birthday interview with his granddaughter Jenna, a contributor to NBC's "Today Show." He read a portion of a letter to his family about growing old.
"As the summers finish out, and the seas get a little higher, winds a little colder," he wrote. "I'll be making some notes, writing it down lest I forget so I can add to the report on getting older. Who knows, maybe they will come out with a new drug that makes legs bend easier, joints hurt less, drives go farther, memory come roaring back and all fears about falling off fishing rafts go away."
Ann Compton covered the Bush presidency for ABC News.
Bacteria hijack host cell process, create their own food supply to become infectiousPublic release date: 29-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Yasuko Rikihisa Rikihisa.1@osu.edu 614-292-9677 Ohio State University
COLUMBUS, Ohio Bacteria that cause the tick-borne disease anaplasmosis in humans create their own food supply by hijacking a process in host cells that normally should help kill the pathogenic bugs, scientists have found.
This bacterium, Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Ap), secretes a protein that can start this process. The protein binds with another protein produced by white blood cells, and that connection creates compartments that siphon host-cell nutrients to feed the bacteria, enabling their growth inside the white blood cells.
The finding defies conventional wisdom about most bacteria, which try to avoid this cellular process. Called autophagy, the process allows a cell to digest parts of itself to produce energy when it is experiencing starvation. But that digestive feature also is enacted by the immune system to help clear away certain intracellular pathogens, including those that cause salmonellosis or shigellosis.
The Ap bacterium, however, launches and then manipulates the autophagy process to its own advantage.
"This study shows how bacteria subvert natural processes," said Yasuko Rikihisa, professor of veterinary biosciences at Ohio State University and lead author of the research. "They are creating their own food supply through a cellular mechanism that hurts other infectious bacteria. And because this process doesn't cause inflammation, they do it very gently, becoming an insider that eventually kills the host cell."
The finding could help identify new targets for drugs to treat this infection, which is a rare but emerging infectious disease that can be lethal for the elderly and people with compromised immune systems. The current first-line treatment is the antibiotic doxycycline.
Also known as human granulocytic anaplasmosis, the disease affects more than 1,000 people per year in the United States, up from just 348 reported cases in 2003, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is transmitted to humans by tick bites primarily from the black-legged tick and the western black-legged tick.
The study appears online this week in the early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The Ap bacterium secretes substances to perform a process resembling mating to infect host cells, primarily the granulocyte class of white blood cells that fight off invading pathogens. Rikihisa's lab previously identified a protein called Ats-1 that is secreted by Ap bacteria during this process.
In this new study, the researchers found that once inside the host cells, Ats-1 binds to another protein called Beclin 1, which is part of a system of molecules involved in the earliest stages of the autophagy process.
The scientists observed that when the two proteins bind, they create little bubbles known as vesicles. Through a series of experiments, the researchers determined that these bubbles were in fact autophagosomes bubble-like compartments that are formed as a cell prepares to undergo autophagy.
They were able to confirm this by imaging the vesicles to determine that they had the tell-tale double membrane characteristic of autophagosomes, and by testing for the presence of other compounds that serve as markers of the initiation of the cell-digesting process.
Under normal circumstances, autophagosomes contain the nutrients that are meant to be digested and recycled for other uses but in this case, the bacteria take those nutrients to promote their own growth.
That Ats-1 could start this process on its own represents a rare power for a single protein.
"We believe this is the first bacterial protein that has been found to do this," said Rikihisa, also an investigator in Ohio State's Center for Microbial Interface Biology and Comprehensive Cancer Center. "Ats-1 initiates an early stage of the autophagosome, then picks up nutrients from the main body of the host cell and closes the layers."
Most of the action of bacterial growth takes place inside a special compartment that typically doesn't contain many nutrients. But after the Ap bacterial protein starts this process of producing autophagosomes that can encase nutrients, these bubbles fuse with the compartment, creating a steady supply of food at the site of bacterial replication and growth.
The researchers showed this by further imaging the bubbles to determine that an autophagy marker protein could be found both inside and outside of the bacterial growth compartments. They also showed that infected cells did not contain any lysosomes, which are cell parts that perform the actual digestion and degradation of foreign bodies during autophagy.
An experiment in mice deficient in the Beclin 1 protein showed that infection levels were much lower if mice had low levels of this protein confirming its role in binding with Ats-1 and producing autophagosomes to promote infection. In cell cultures, the researchers also showed that when Ats-1 was overproduced, bacteria grew 10 times more effectively than they did in cells in which an unrelated protein was overproduced.
All of this activity allows the bacteria to remain hidden from the immune system because the induction of autophagy is considered a normal cell function and it does not produce any inflammation, which would recruit infection-fighters to the scene. Instead, the Ap bacteria set themselves up comfortably inside granulocytes and steadily grow for a few days until they rupture their host cells and generate a strong immune response which makes an infected person sick.
In one final experiment, Rikihisa and colleagues blocked autophagosome production in Ap-infected cells using an experimental drug called 3-MA. With that process blocked, bacterial growth declined dramatically.
3-MA is toxic to humans, but its effectiveness in blocking the infectious properties of Ap in cells suggests that its structure could serve as the basis for a safe small-molecule drug, Rikihisa said.
"A similar compound could be a potential treatment to inhibit bacterial growth," she said.
Clarifying the power of Ats-1 in inducing autophagy also suggests that this protein could be an important tool in further studies of this complex cell process that remains poorly understood, she added.
###
This work was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Co-authors include Hua Niu and Qingming Xiong of Ohio State's Department of Veterinary Biosciences; and Akitsugu Yamamoto of the Nagahama Institute of Bioscience and Technology and Mitsuko Hayashi-Nishino of Osaka University, both in Japan.
Written by Emily Caldwell, (614) 292-8310; Caldwell.151@osu.edu
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Bacteria hijack host cell process, create their own food supply to become infectiousPublic release date: 29-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Yasuko Rikihisa Rikihisa.1@osu.edu 614-292-9677 Ohio State University
COLUMBUS, Ohio Bacteria that cause the tick-borne disease anaplasmosis in humans create their own food supply by hijacking a process in host cells that normally should help kill the pathogenic bugs, scientists have found.
This bacterium, Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Ap), secretes a protein that can start this process. The protein binds with another protein produced by white blood cells, and that connection creates compartments that siphon host-cell nutrients to feed the bacteria, enabling their growth inside the white blood cells.
The finding defies conventional wisdom about most bacteria, which try to avoid this cellular process. Called autophagy, the process allows a cell to digest parts of itself to produce energy when it is experiencing starvation. But that digestive feature also is enacted by the immune system to help clear away certain intracellular pathogens, including those that cause salmonellosis or shigellosis.
The Ap bacterium, however, launches and then manipulates the autophagy process to its own advantage.
"This study shows how bacteria subvert natural processes," said Yasuko Rikihisa, professor of veterinary biosciences at Ohio State University and lead author of the research. "They are creating their own food supply through a cellular mechanism that hurts other infectious bacteria. And because this process doesn't cause inflammation, they do it very gently, becoming an insider that eventually kills the host cell."
The finding could help identify new targets for drugs to treat this infection, which is a rare but emerging infectious disease that can be lethal for the elderly and people with compromised immune systems. The current first-line treatment is the antibiotic doxycycline.
Also known as human granulocytic anaplasmosis, the disease affects more than 1,000 people per year in the United States, up from just 348 reported cases in 2003, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is transmitted to humans by tick bites primarily from the black-legged tick and the western black-legged tick.
The study appears online this week in the early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The Ap bacterium secretes substances to perform a process resembling mating to infect host cells, primarily the granulocyte class of white blood cells that fight off invading pathogens. Rikihisa's lab previously identified a protein called Ats-1 that is secreted by Ap bacteria during this process.
In this new study, the researchers found that once inside the host cells, Ats-1 binds to another protein called Beclin 1, which is part of a system of molecules involved in the earliest stages of the autophagy process.
The scientists observed that when the two proteins bind, they create little bubbles known as vesicles. Through a series of experiments, the researchers determined that these bubbles were in fact autophagosomes bubble-like compartments that are formed as a cell prepares to undergo autophagy.
They were able to confirm this by imaging the vesicles to determine that they had the tell-tale double membrane characteristic of autophagosomes, and by testing for the presence of other compounds that serve as markers of the initiation of the cell-digesting process.
Under normal circumstances, autophagosomes contain the nutrients that are meant to be digested and recycled for other uses but in this case, the bacteria take those nutrients to promote their own growth.
That Ats-1 could start this process on its own represents a rare power for a single protein.
"We believe this is the first bacterial protein that has been found to do this," said Rikihisa, also an investigator in Ohio State's Center for Microbial Interface Biology and Comprehensive Cancer Center. "Ats-1 initiates an early stage of the autophagosome, then picks up nutrients from the main body of the host cell and closes the layers."
Most of the action of bacterial growth takes place inside a special compartment that typically doesn't contain many nutrients. But after the Ap bacterial protein starts this process of producing autophagosomes that can encase nutrients, these bubbles fuse with the compartment, creating a steady supply of food at the site of bacterial replication and growth.
The researchers showed this by further imaging the bubbles to determine that an autophagy marker protein could be found both inside and outside of the bacterial growth compartments. They also showed that infected cells did not contain any lysosomes, which are cell parts that perform the actual digestion and degradation of foreign bodies during autophagy.
An experiment in mice deficient in the Beclin 1 protein showed that infection levels were much lower if mice had low levels of this protein confirming its role in binding with Ats-1 and producing autophagosomes to promote infection. In cell cultures, the researchers also showed that when Ats-1 was overproduced, bacteria grew 10 times more effectively than they did in cells in which an unrelated protein was overproduced.
All of this activity allows the bacteria to remain hidden from the immune system because the induction of autophagy is considered a normal cell function and it does not produce any inflammation, which would recruit infection-fighters to the scene. Instead, the Ap bacteria set themselves up comfortably inside granulocytes and steadily grow for a few days until they rupture their host cells and generate a strong immune response which makes an infected person sick.
In one final experiment, Rikihisa and colleagues blocked autophagosome production in Ap-infected cells using an experimental drug called 3-MA. With that process blocked, bacterial growth declined dramatically.
3-MA is toxic to humans, but its effectiveness in blocking the infectious properties of Ap in cells suggests that its structure could serve as the basis for a safe small-molecule drug, Rikihisa said.
"A similar compound could be a potential treatment to inhibit bacterial growth," she said.
Clarifying the power of Ats-1 in inducing autophagy also suggests that this protein could be an important tool in further studies of this complex cell process that remains poorly understood, she added.
###
This work was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Co-authors include Hua Niu and Qingming Xiong of Ohio State's Department of Veterinary Biosciences; and Akitsugu Yamamoto of the Nagahama Institute of Bioscience and Technology and Mitsuko Hayashi-Nishino of Osaka University, both in Japan.
Written by Emily Caldwell, (614) 292-8310; Caldwell.151@osu.edu
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ? It?s the time of year for giving, but don?t forget about the animals out there. Now is your chance to help out our animal shelters and pet non-profits.
The Great Minnesota Pet Food Drive is the first of its kind in Minnesota, and it?s designed to help out dogs in needy families this holiday season. Downtown Dogs in Minneapolis is hosting the pet food drive for families facing a financial hardship that might not always be able to afford basic amenities for their pets.
It can be tragic to have to give up a dog because a family can no longer afford to feed them. The need is always there, but it?s especially important during the holiday season when many families are that much more strapped financially.
The Great Minnesota Pet Food Drive has been going on for about a month and goes until Dec. 15 at Downtown Dogs. If you want to donate, you can drop off food or other donations at Dog Days in St. Paul, Dog Day Getaway in Apple Valley or Pampered Pooch in St. Louis Park.
In his interview to Krustpunkt? programme of Latvian Radio, the minister says that he understands ? society sometimes protects and supports officials? illegal activities and thefts if that brings something to the people. However, according to Sprudzs, this kind of attitude of society is not right and it should not be. ?It cannot be possible that we are so tolerant of this ? it cannot be so,? ? notes Sprudzs.
The minister is certain that the moment society starts to change its attitude towards such questions; Lembergs will no longer be able to violate the law.
?I am ashamed that my system has a municipal leader like Lembergs. This kind of charade is unacceptable and is degrading for all of us,? ? said the minister. Sprudzs also added that he, as a minister, had no other choice, but to dismiss Lembergs from the post of Mayor of Ventspils after seeing his violations.
BNN previously reported that Environment Protection and Regional Development Minister Edmunds Sprudzs signed the order to dismiss Ventspils City Council Chairman Aivars Lembergs from his post on Monday, October 22. ?The goal of this order is to achieve fair and responsible management of municipalities in Latvia, including Ventspils. And this is not the goal of just the ministry; this is the goal of Latvia,? ? Sprudzs said.
Lembergs is presented with charges for committing serious crimes ? including bribery, money laundering, violation of restriction imposed to a state official and using an official status in bad faith.
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Public release date: 29-Nov-2012
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