By: YIMBY Team 4:30 am on October 10 Development permits have been filed seeking the approval of the Village Center of the Communications Hill development in San Jose The project proposal includes the construction of 800+ multi-family residential units along with commercial space The site is bound by Altino Boulevard to the southwest and the Union Pacific railroad right-of-way to the north KB Home South Bay Inc is the project applicant KTGY Architects is responsible for the designs Village Center of the Communications Hill Project The project site is a large parcel spanning an area of 140 acres Submitted documents seek the approval to allow the development of Phases 3 and 4 of the Communications Hill Project including the construction of up to 799 residential units Phase 3 and 4 of the project consist of a mix of housing types including single-family detached houses The Vesting Tentative Map also allows up to 402 residential condominium units All units in both Phase 3 and 4 include two covered parking spaces in private garages The scope of work also includes the construction of up to 505 residential units up to 32,873 square feet of commercial space and approximately 16,215 square feet of amenity/leasing space on a 8.40-acre site The project includes the development of four multifamily apartment buildings on Blocks 29 through 32 of the Communications Hill Master Plan multifamily building bounded by Altino Boulevard to the south multifamily building on the northside of Llano de Robles Avenue at the northern terminus of Larciano Street Block 31 consists of a five-story mixed-use building including 116 multifamily residential units and up to 11,477 square feet of commercial space at the northwest corner of St Block 32 consists of a five-story mixed-use building including 158 multifamily residential units and up to 19,419 square feet of commercial space bounded by Altino Boulevard to the north Structured parking is provided in each of the four buildings A project review meeting has been scheduled for tomorrow, details of joining can be found here Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates Like YIMBY on Facebook Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews Looking for them meeting link and now the info link is broken smh ga('send', 'event', ‘Robert ‘Becker, 'Impression', 'https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/desktop-ad.jpg', { nonInteraction: true }); ADVERTISEMENT ga('send', 'event', 'SF YIMBY', 'Impression', 'https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sfyimbyadnews.jpg', { nonInteraction: true }); ga('send', 'event', 'SF YIMBY', 'Impression', 'https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/sf-yimby-dot-com-graphic.jpg', { nonInteraction: true }); Follow on Instagram © COPYRIGHT New York YIMBY LLC How understanding the gut can help veterinarians understand cognitive and behavioral health in dogs Intended for a veterinary professional audience Recent research in veterinary medicine has illuminated a fascinating area of study: the connection between the gut microbiome and behavior in dogs The gut microbiome is composed of a diverse population of microorganisms that reside in an animal’s digestive tract These microorganisms are pivotal in various bodily functions and the production of essential vitamins and metabolites Some of these metabolites include neurotransmitters like ɣ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and norepinephrine.1,2 This intricate relationship between the gut and the brain opens a new avenue for understanding cognitive and behavioral health in dogs a bidirectional communication system between the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the brain and endocrine system mediators.3 Multiple studies in rodents indicate that brain development can be influenced by the gut microbiome.4-6 The gut-brain axis involves numerous pathways cognitive functions encompass processes like learning Research indicates that the composition of the gut microbiome can influence these cognitive abilities through multiple pathways The gut microbiome produces neurotransmitters and neuroactive compounds like serotonin and GABA.11 These compounds are crucial for maintaining normal sleep Serotonin is synthesized from L-tryptophan and is primarily produced in the gut and the neurons of the enteric nervous system.12 Microbial strains such as Candida and Enterococcus can regulate its synthesis.13 Dopamine is also produced and stored in the intestinal tract.14 Strains of Bacillus bacteria play a role in the regulation of dopamine.13 Dopamine is also a precursor to norepinephrine,15 which is part of the sympathetic nervous system and involved in the fight-or-flight response Norepinephrine can also be synthesized by the bacteria Escherichia GABA is a neurotransmitter that reduces neuronal excitability by inhibiting nerve transmission in both the central and enteric nervous systems.16 GABA can naturally be synthesized by lactic acid–producing bacteria and Weissella genera.17 GABAergic neurotransmission plays a vital role in inhibiting the amygdala thereby preventing inappropriate emotional and behavioral responses The gut microbiota play a critical role in the development and function of the immune system A balanced gut microbiome supports a healthy immune response This inflammation impacts the central nervous system through the gut-brain axis potentially altering neurotransmitter function and affecting behavior elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines have been linked to aggression in dogs.18 The HPA axis plays a critical role in regulating stress responses and behavior in dogs.19 This complex system involves the interaction among the hypothalamus which collectively manage the release of cortisol Activation of the HPA axis in response to stressors results in increased cortisol levels which can influence various behavioral outcomes often seen in dogs experiencing prolonged stress or anxiety can lead to behaviors such as aggressiveness.20,21 The gut microbiota produce multiple metabolites that play important roles in overall health and well-being and propionate are an example of a class of these metabolites SCFAs are energy sources for colonic epithelial cells and have anti-inflammatory GI dysbiosis can lead to altered production of SCFAs.23 This dysbiosis can lead to an increased production of inflammatory cytokines and disruption of the intestinal barrier which can lead to translocation of bacterial products and affect the BBB.24 SCFAs also play a role in the communication between the GI tract and the brain They regulate microglia functions and BBB integrity Though there are no current studies that directly investigate the correlation between SCFAs and behavior in dogs rodents supplemented with butyrate and other SCFAs had improvements in stress behaviors.25 these findings have practical implications for both preventive care and therapeutic strategies The influence of gut microbiota and gut-brain axis on mental and behavioral disorders is just beginning to be unraveled The gut-brain axis is both bidirectional and multimodal providing multiple opportunities for research and intervention While current research offers exciting insights further studies are needed to fully understand the mechanisms behind the gut-brain axis in dogs Future research will be pivotal in harnessing the potential of the gut-brain axis for improving canine mental health and behavior 609-716-7777 TrendingResidential San FranciscoAKB Home aims to build 800 homes on San Jose’s Communications HillNext phases of decades-long master-planned project would develop 140 acres KB Home has moved forward with plans to build nearly 800 homes on San Jose’s Communications Hill KB Home South Bay, a unit of the Los Angeles-based developer, has filed plans to build up to 799 single-family homes, townhouses, condominiums and apartments between Altino Boulevard, Hillsdale Avenue and a Caltrain/Union Pacific railroad line, SFYimby reported. The 140-acre Village Center development is part of a master-planned development launched four decades ago on the 400-foot-tall hill topped by microwave towers south of Downtown The property is owned by MTA Hillside, according to SFYimby. Other reports say it’s owned by MTA Properties KB Home seeks approval for Phase 3 and Phase 4 of its Communications Hill project including up to 799 homes designed by KTGY detached townhouses and attached townhouses and apartments The development will include up to 505 apartments in four five- and six-story buildings The project would feature 32,900 square feet of shops and restaurants and 6,200 square feet of “amenity/leasing space.” SIGN UPThe number of single-family homes and townhouses in the development was not disclosed While a city “vesting tentative map” allows for up to 402 condos it’s not clear how many KB Home wants to build Communications Hill was once owned by Portuguese immigrant Manuel Azevedo, founder of American Dairy, according to the Silicon Valley Business Journal. own MTA Properties and have worked with the city since the 1980s on the hill’s development Construction didn’t begin until the early 2000s when KB Home built the 760-unit Tuscany Hills A master plan for the 332-acre Communications Hill called for up to 4,000 homes, a 55-acre industrial park, a 67,500-square-foot shopping center and open space along an urban-style grid. It was put on hold by KB Home during the Great Recession KB Home received approval to build 2,000 attached townhomes small-lot single-family homes and apartments up to six stories in both Mediterranean and contemporary styles MTA owns the 55-acre site zoned for up to 1.4 million square feet of industrial buildings TrendingResidential San FranciscoAKB Home to build 1,300 residences on San Jose’s Communications HillPlanning Commission approves Village Center KB Home has been approved to build 1,304 homes on San Jose’s Communications Hill KB Home South Bay, a unit of the Los Angeles-based developer, received a green light from the city’s planning director to build 799 townhomes and 599 apartments on Llano de los Robles Avenue near Grassina Street and St. Florian Way, the San Jose Mercury News reported. The 140-acre Village Center development is part of a master-planned development launched four decades ago on the 400-foot-tall hill topped by microwave towers south of Downtown KB Home seeks approval for Phase 3 and Phase 4 of its five-story development between Altino Boulevard Hillsdale Avenue and a Caltrain/Union Pacific rail line Its Village Center includes 32,900 square feet of shops and restaurants “The commercial is something that will benefit the community,” Jerry Strangis principal executive with Strangis Properties which has provided consulting advice for KB on the project health-related uses and healthy foods and drinks The shops and dining would be on the ground floor of the apartment buildings The property is owned by MTA Hillside, according to SFYimby. Other reports say it’s owned by MTA Properties SIGN UPCommunications Hill was once owned by Portuguese immigrant Manuel Azevedo, founder of American Dairy, according to the Silicon Valley Business Journal. A master plan for the 332-acre Communications Hill called for up to 4,000 homes, a 55-acre industrial park, a 67,500-square-foot shopping center and open space along an urban-style grid. It was put on hold by KB Home during the Great Recession Some residents had raised concerns before the Planning Commission about asbestos in the area and what was being done to remediate exposure A Communications Hill neighborhood association believes KB Homes is working to ensure asbestos doesn’t hurt residents you’ll soon see a commanding hill rising high above the city’s suburban landscape A huge monolith commands the crest of this hill Several large microwave horns once perched upon this tower as if it were a concrete throne The microwave tower was part of the AT&T Long Lines telephone network One of the company’s device families – the Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC – has figuratively sat alone upon the concrete throne of the semiconductor industry’s own communications hill for the past five years the AMD/Xilinx RFSoC combined a Zynq UltraScale+ SoC die with on-die 6.544 GSamples/sec RF DACs and 4.096 GSamples/sec RF ADCs to create the world’s first commercial analog-RF-capable programmable-logic device The Xilinx RFSoC offered real breakthrough technology to RF system designers Last week at the Intel Innovation event held in downtown San Jose Intel tossed its RF ante into the pot and took control of programmable logic’s RF poker game by announcing an analog-enabled portfolio of FPGAs and other logic devices that incorporate RF ADCs and DACs capable of achieving 64 GSamples/sec The capabilities of the devices in this analog-enabled product portfolio redefines what’s possible with direct-RF conversion at frequencies that were previously far beyond reach RF design was almost entirely analog before high-speed data converters and DSPs were developed RF signal processing involved the use of filters and mixers drawn from the rich decades-long heritage of tube-based superheterodyne radio receivers first developed by Edwin Armstrong during World War I These circuits down-converted RF signals into baseband frequencies to prepare them for DSP at the lower processing rates that could be achieved by the hardware of the day The advent of ADCs and DACs that operate at tens of GSamples/sec makes it possible to develop direct-RF architectures that eliminate most of the expensive analog filters and mixers employed in superheterodyne RF designs Direct-RF conversion techniques increase system performance Although there are many applications including data center networking and 5G wireless that might use this technology it’s most likely that the devices in this new analog-enabled programmable-logic portfolio will initially make its way into military/aerospace equipment such as radar Intel announced early last year that this technology had been developed under the US DARPA CHIPS (Common Heterogeneous Integration and Intellectual Property (IP) Reuse Strategies) program (not to be confused with the recent US CHIPS Act) in partnership with Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems Here’s a quote from the Lockheed Martin Web site vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Spectrum Convergence organization: digital RF applications generally rely on JESD204 high-speed serial protocols to interface RF DACs and ADCs to digital processing circuitry which were growing overly power hungry as conversion rates climbed into the GSamples/sec domain PCB routing of the many high-speed parallel connections was also getting difficult the JESD204 protocols inserted the latency of a serial connection and even JESD204 connections started to require high I/O power consumption to drive multiple PCB traces at multi-Gbps data rates Many military/aerospace applications cannot tolerate the latency overhead imposed by the JESD204 interface protocol These kinds of real-time RF applications require a different sort of high-speed analog converter interface that consumes less power and exhibits much lower latency devices in the new analog-enabled Intel FPGA portfolio connect FPGA die with RF DAC and ADC chiplets using Intel’s EMIB and AIB die-to-die interconnect technologies which require less interface power and deliver much lower latency because they’re based on massively parallel connectivity and very short die-to-die connections with very low impedance EMIB is a practical and now long-proven die-to-die interconnect technology that’s relatively easy for chip designers to implement Intel has used the EMIB and AIB interconnect technologies to build Stratix 10 and Agilex FPGAs and SoCs for several years so it’s quite logical (pun intended) for the company to use these technologies to attach RF DACs and ADCs to its programmable-logic silicon to create an analog-enabled FPGA and SoC portfolio EMIB greatly resembles high-density PCB wiring but at a much smaller scale that is aimed at the device package level with trace-to-trace and pad spacing appropriate for chip-scale packaging low-power parallel bus with a simple clocked interface bus protocol designed specifically to meet the requirements for die-to-die interconnect It would be even more efficient to integrate the RF DACs and ADCs directly into a monolithic programmable-logic device but these RF circuits are excellent examples of functions that should not and could not be built using the same semiconductor processes used to fabricate FPGAs RF converters require a different semiconductor process technology not one tuned for high-speed digital logic Intel’s analog-enabled portfolio is therefore a validation of the heterogeneous chiplet-based construction approach now being adopted across the semiconductor industry Intel says its analog-enabled FPGA portfolio is not limited to using programmable-logic die The company also offers eASIC structured ASICs and will build full-custom ASICs for the right customers All of these logic die can be connected to RF DACs and ADCs using EMIB and AIB It’s a natural extension of the technology and the announcement of Intel Foundry Services in March of 2021 underscored Intel’s renewed and very public interest in using this kind of technology to develop custom devices for the right customers Intel is not limiting the devices in the analog-enabled device portfolio to the 64-GSamples/sec analog converters The company plans to offer other devices in the portfolio equipped with somewhat slower RF DACs and ADCs The company envisions that its growing chiplet library might be used to quickly construct many types of devices That chiplet library currently includes the various FPGA fabric die; digital interconnect chiplets including 58G and 116G SerDes transceivers used to implement 50/100/200G Ethernet and PCIe 4.0/5.0 connections and more specialized chiplets that implement specific capabilities such as DSP and networking The extended chiplet library also includes HBM (high-bandwidth memory) stacks made by other semiconductor vendors and five chiplets from Defense Industrial Base suppliers These Defense Industrial Base chiplets are a direct result of the DARPA CHIPS program Intel released AIB as a royalty-free chiplet interconnect standard to DARPA’s CHIPS program in 2018 and the CHIPS Alliance (a Linux Foundation project not to be confused with the US CHIPS Act or the DARPA CHIPS program) subsequently published the AIB specification as a royalty-free standard The AMD/Xilinx University Program has had tremendous success with an RF engineering education kit based on its first- and second-generation RFSoCs These kits are being used to develop state-of-the-art communications and instrumentation applications in application areas as diverse as software-defined radio (SDR) One reason for the success of the AMD/Xilinx RFSoC is because the RFSoC-PYNQ framework, based on the company’s PYNQ project uses Jupyter Notebooks and the JupyterLab integrated development environment (IDE) that data scientists have been using for years The RFSoC-PYNQ framework makes RF development more accessible to a much wider range of scientists AMD/Xilinx now offers RFSoCs with faster RF ADCs and DACs up to 5.9 and 9.851 GSamples/sec respectively but Intel has clearly leapfrogged its competitor with the new analog-enabled FPGA portfolio Although Intel’s announcement didn’t mention any RF-specific development tools for the analog-enabled FPGA portfolio Intel is vying for the right to become king of the industry’s Communications Hill so perhaps such tools are not too far in the future After looking at X-Ray images of the Zynq RF SoC (from post PCB assembly inspection) I am fairly sure that the RF data converter tiles are on separate dies from the FPGA die They appear to be mounted on an interposer with a fine pitch ball grid array not dissimilar to what Intel are now looking at with their chiplet approach maybe the part I am talking about is a ZU28DR gen 1 device and so Xilinx may well have integrated all onto a single die in the more recent Gen3 devices such as ZU48DR but I checked the original 2017 press release for the RFSoC It specifically says “monolithic.” I believed the original RFSOC had multiple die “The monolithic integration of direct RF-sampling data converters onto an adaptive SoC eliminates the need for external data converters enabling a flexible solution with up to 50% reduced power and footprint over a multi-component solution–including the elimination of the power-hungry FPGA-to-Analog interfaces like JESD204 This approach also enables a highly flexible solution moving much of the RF signal processing into the digital domain.” I stand corrected and have updated the article accordingly I agree with you that both devices are likely to succeed in the marketplace I was trying to indicate that with my discussion of the AMD/Xilinx software tools Interestingly the new D series AgileX (also just announced) which targets smaller device sizes moved away from multi-die EMIB and a number of previously available EMIB interface die are now part of the monolithic die in the D-Series There is no RF option listed in the product table and the max size is 1/2 that of Arria10 family at TSMC Perhaps one or both capabilities are being held in reserve Fully agree the 64G product is in itself very intriguing due to the impressive order of magnitude improvement in ADC/DAC sample rates available in an FPGA making accessible a whole range of market space to date only addressable with ASICs Will be interesting to see what is possible with this RF device @mj_remote I covered the Agilex D-series parts last week in EEJournal Intel’s analog-enabled FPGAs all reserve the RF analog I/O for 3rd-party chiplets That means Intel likely does not have high-speed DAC IP in house nor would 3rd-party RF analog IP be compatible with the Intel 7 digital CMOS process the new monolithic Agilex families do not currently have AIB ports (no need since they’re not EMIB devices) So the chances are slim that Intel is holding analog RF in reserve for the new Agilex families It’s not that Intel could not do this but Intel does not appear to be looking to cost-reduce this world-beating product You must be logged in to post a comment Sponsored by Siemens Digital Industries Software Click here for more information By: Andrew Nelson 5:00 am on January 28 78 will be for seniors needing affordable housing The remaining 159 units will provide housing for the homeless Renderings were revealed by George Avalos for the Bay Area News Group in 2021 with the project architect not established Reports from last month indicate that the project will be reviewed by the San Jose City Council soon though it has been included in any of the agendas for recent or upcoming meetings Construction is expected to start later this year The new housing will replace a portion of the parking lot for the Cathedral of Faith The property is caught between two residential neighborhoods between Almaden Expressway and Guadalupe Parkway by Curtner Avenue Residents are close to the Communications Hill development image via Google Satellite outlined approximately by YIMBY The project developer Sand Hill Property Company is a prolific developer in the South Bay and San Francisco the firm revealed plans for the 50-acre redevelopment of Vallco Mall into The Rise Additional projects by the firm include the approved El Paseo De Saratoga The Federal Communications Commission has appointed Allen Hill as chief information officer a role he will assume on August 1 following his departure from the General Services Administration. Hill is currently the deputy assistant commissioner for Category Management in the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) at the General Services Administration (GSA). he led the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions network modernization program the expansion of the Defense Enterprise Office Solution (DEOS) initiative and the USAccess USPS pilot among other initiatives he worked with the Education Department’s CIO office and also served in the Air Force for 20 years “It is with mixed emotion that I announce the departure of Allen Hill from ITC and GSA,” Laura Stanton assistant commissioner of the IT category in GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service said in an email to staff “Allen’s contribution to ITC’s success over the last 3+ years cannot be understated I’m also truly excited for his next professional chapter,” Stanton said The FCC’s fiscal year 2023 budget request gives a sense of the IT priorities Hill will likely focus on including the FCC’s $2.5 million request for virtual desktop infrastructure to give their employees more secure and stable digital tools. The commission additionally requested $2.26 million to better comply with cybersecurity mandates and requirements from the Department of Homeland Security and the White House as cyber attacks on the federal government increase The budget also asked for $1 million to help support five IT development teams with their current and new development initiatives Hill will take over the FCC CIO role from Andrea Simpson the FCC’s chief information security officer who is currently serving as the acting CIO Larry Hale will take over Hill’s role as the GSA’s new Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Category Management starting on August 1. “Given the deep bonds he has built throughout GSA I am confident our paths will continue to cross in the federal space,” said Stanton from the GSA I will look forward to working with him to ensure the FCC has a full suite of IT and telecommunications products services and solutions to enable their mission.” Growth of public relations and communications company brings promotions 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- TSN Communications has a new CEO who will focus on managing and building the public relations and marketing company's strategic plan Greg has created a strong business model with top-notch talent that is a win for both employees and clients I look forward to continuing TSN Communications’ focus on strategic collaborative and reliable solutions and services "Greg has created a strong business model with top-notch talent that is a win for both employees and clients," said Hill "I look forward to continuing TSN Communications' focus on strategic collaborative and reliable solutions and services." Hill's vast experience in client management public relations and marketing secures her understanding of the industry and its people one of my priorities will be to provide meaningful leadership to ensure our employees have the knowledge and resources to support client success," said Hill TSN Communications promoted Adrianna Amato as the company's new vice president of client services Amato will manage client accounts; develop and execute marketing and public relations strategy; and supervise new business development She joined TSN Communications in 2018 and has worked in communications for 14 years with experience in TV news TSN Communications hired Erin Tholen as director of editorial content With 16 years of experience in the nonprofit community "I started this company 25 years ago to provide clients with the best marketing and public relations services and to offer career-building opportunities for team members," said Zilberfarb and I'm thrilled to congratulate Natalie and Adrianna and welcome Erin to the team." TSN Communications represents clients in a variety of industries including alternatively fueled vehicles; agriculture; propane marketing and logistics; automotive engineering; foodservice packaging; mediation services; and more About TSN Communications: TSN Communications is a client-focused public relations and communications company We help clients gain market share and visibility through market research our team members work virtually across the United States To learn how TSN Communications can Grow Your Business,℠ visit TSNcommunications.com Gregg Voss, TSN Communications, 224-542-9530, [email protected] Twitter, Facebook Do not sell or share my personal information: With animal-free dairy products and convincing vegetarian meat substitutes already on the market it’s easy to see how biotechnology can change the food industry Advances in genetic engineering are allowing us to harness microorganisms to produce cruelty-free products that are healthy for consumers and healthier for the environment One of the most promising sources of innovative foods is fungi – a diverse kingdom of organisms that naturally produce a huge range of tasty and nutritious proteins, fats, antioxidants, and flavor molecules. Chef-turned-bioengineer Vayu Hill-Maini an affiliate in the Biosciences Area at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is exploring the many possibilities for new tastes and textures that can be made from modifying the genes already present in fungi “I think it’s a fundamental aspect of synthetic biology that we’re benefiting from organisms that have evolved to be really good at certain things,” said Hill-Maini, who is a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley in the lab of bioengineering expert Jay Keasling “What we’re trying to do is to look at what is the fungus making and try to kind of unlock and enhance it And I think that’s an important angle that we don’t need to introduce genes from wildly different species We’re investigating how we can stitch things together and unlock what’s already there.” In their recent paper, published today in Nature Communications and the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability studied a multicellular fungus called Aspergillus oryzae that has been used in East Asia to ferment starches into sake the team used CRISPR-Cas9 to develop a gene editing system that can make consistent and reproducible changes to the koji mold genome Once they had established a toolkit of edits they applied their system to make modifications that elevate the mold as a food source Hill-Maini focused on boosting the mold’s production of heme – an iron-based molecule which is found in many lifeforms but is most abundant in animal tissue giving meat its color and distinctive flavor (A synthetically produced plant-derived heme is also what gives the Impossible Burger its meat-duping properties.) Next the team punched up production of ergothioneine an antioxidant only found in fungi that is associated with cardiovascular health benefits With minimal preparation – removing excess water and grinding – the harvested fungi could be shaped into a patty Hill-Maini’s next objective is to make the fungi even more appealing by tuning the genes that control the mold’s texture “We think that there’s a lot of room to explore texture by varying the fiber-like morphology of the cells we might be able to program the structure of the lot fibers to be longer which would give a more meat-like experience And then we can think about boosting lipid composition for mouth feel and further nutrition,” said Hill-Maini who was a Fellow of the Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science at UC Berkeley during the study “I’m really excited about how can we further look at the fungus and tinker with its structure and metabolism for food.” the team’s gene editing toolkit is a big leap forward for the field of synthetic biology as a whole a great variety of biomanufactured goods are made by engineered bacteria and yeast the single-celled cousins of mushrooms and mold Yet despite humanity’s long history of domesticating fungi to eat directly or to make staples like miso multicellular fungi have not yet been harnessed as engineered cellular factories to the same extent because their genomes are far more complex and have adaptations that make gene editing a challenge The CRISPR-Cas9 toolkit developed in this paper lays the foundation to easily edit koji mold and its many relatives “These organisms have been used for centuries to produce food, and they are incredibly efficient at converting carbon into a wide variety of complex molecules, including many that would be almost impossible to produce using a classic host like brewer’s yeast or E. coli,” said senior author Jay Keasling who is a senior scientist at Berkeley Lab and a professor at UC Berkeley “By unlocking koji mold through the development of these tools we are unlocking the potential of a huge new group of hosts that we can use to make foods It’s a thrilling new avenue for biomanufacturing.” Vayu Hill-Maini is excited to see engineered fungi advance to new food products Hill-Maini is keen to ensure that the next generation of fungi-based products are not only palatable he and Keasling collaborated with chefs at Alchemist a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Copenhagen to play with the culinary potential of another multicellular fungus This fungus is traditionally used in Indonesia to produce a staple food called oncom by fermenting the waste products left over from making other foods Intrigued by its ability to convert leftovers into a protein-rich food the scientists and chefs studied the fungus in the Alchemist test kitchen intermedia produces and excretes many enzymes as it grows the fungi produces an enzyme that liquifies the rice and makes it intensely sweet “We developed a process with just three ingredients – rice striking orange-colored porridge,” said Hill-Maini “That became a new dish on the tasting menu that utilizes fungal chemistry and color in a dessert And I think that what it really shows is that there’s opportunity to bridge the laboratory and the kitchen.” Hill-Maini’s work on the gene editing research described in this article is supported by the Miller Institute at UC Berkeley Keasling’s lab is supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation Both received additional support from the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science The Joint BioEnergy Institute is a DOE Bioenergy Research Center managed by Berkeley Lab Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is committed to delivering solutions for humankind through research in clean energy Founded in 1931 on the belief that the biggest problems are best addressed by teams Berkeley Lab and its scientists have been recognized with 16 Nobel Prizes Researchers from around the world rely on the Lab’s world-class scientific facilities for their own pioneering research Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram national laboratory managed by the University of California for the U.S DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science a 2016 graduate of IUP and an Indiana County native returned home as the Director of Strategic Communications and Ideation in September 2022 a native of Homer City,arrived at IUP following a stint as the Assistant Athletics Director for Athletics Communications at Stevenson University who left IUP in July for a position outside athletics Hill is responsible for creating online content for IUP's 21 athletic teams which includes game coverage and statistics Hill oversaw the day-to-day operations of the athletics communications office which included providing information and coverage of 29 men's and women's teams in the school's NCAA Division III athletics department Hill was the assistant athletics director for external relations at Davis & Elkins College he handled sports information duties as well as game management and operational aspects of D&E's 24 athletics teams which included play-by-play work for IUP's football and basketball teams He also worked at The Penn and was a student worker for Rebholz in IUP Athletics There are currently no upcoming/recent events Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here The intricate relationship between human and pet microbiomes represents a fascinating and highly relevant area of study for veterinary professionals Microbiomes—the communities of microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses residing in and on various parts of animals and humans and in the environment—are integral to health and disease significant advances have been made in understanding the human microbiome a growing area of research is exploring the microbiomes of pets and the complex relationships shared with the microbiomes of their human counterparts this interconnected microbiome frontier holds profound implications for both animal and human health.The human microbiome: A brief overviewHuman microbiomes are primarily concentrated in various body niches These microbiomes influence numerous aspects of health from digestion and nutrient absorption to immune system modulation and pathogen defense is linked to a variety of conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and even mental health issues.1Pet microbiomes: An emerging fieldSimilarly harbor diverse microbiomes that are crucial for their overall health The GI tract of pets is home to complex microbial communities that aid in digestion Skin and oral microbiomes play protective roles against pathogenic bacteria infections,2,3 regulating immune response4,5 and maintaining homeostasis of the skin and oral cavities.6 Understanding pet microbiomes can provide insights into common veterinary conditions such as allergies and skin infections.The human-pet microbiome nexusPets and humans share several microbiome-associated phenotypes such as obesity there are microbiome-relevant characteristics special to each host such as their unique nutritional requirements companion animals do not rely on the microbiome for energy production the way humans do and cats require more protein in their foods compared with dogs and humans who consume more omnivorous diets.7 The microbial communities that assemble in each host environment have evolved to adapt to that host’s physiology and food intake while also playing a role in modulating host processes such as disease and metabolism Although there are common microbial members residing in the gut microbiome of cats there are also microbial species unique to each host.8 Some microbial species that are present in both companion animals and humans carry different genes which may enable them to perform different metabolic or protective functions This indicates host-specific evolution of microbes to thrive and contribute tailored functionality to each host.Microbiome sharing and transmissionAlthough the amount may differ from one individual to another it is common for people in the modern era to spend more than 90% of their time indoors.9 Humans often share the same living environment with their pets Findings from studies have shown that pet owners often share more microbial similarities with pets in their household compared with pets in other households.10,11 This bidirectional transfer occurs through direct contact and even the air.Companion animals can also be carriers of environmental microbial species especially those who live both indoors and outdoors One study looked at the microbial composition in the home environment in homes with dogs or no pets.12 Five homes of each type were studied.12 The homes that had dogs had increased microbial diversity when compared with homes with no pets and homes with cats fell in the middle in bacterial diversity and richness.12 This makes sense considering the vast majority of cats spend their time indoors and are not exposed to additional types of bacteria in the outdoor environment.Often when we think about the exchange of microbes we think about the transmission of pathogenic strains such as Clostridioides difficile the beneficial or neutral resident microbes between humans and pets is an emerging field of study due to the potential positive effects of microbe sharing.Impacts on healthSharing microbiomes has potential health implications Pets can contribute beneficial microbes that enhance human microbiome diversity potentially offering protective benefits against certain diseases.16 Conversely pets can also be carriers of pathogenic microbes Findings from one study discovered that bacterial species causing periodontal disease in the mouth could be transmitted between dogs and humans.17 As a result a balanced approach to pet ownership and hygiene is essential.Microbiome and allergiesThere is compelling evidence to suggest that early-life exposure to pets can influence the human microbiome in ways that reduce the risk of allergies otherwise referred to as immunological priming or the hygiene hypothesis.18 Pet ownership has been associated with a decreased prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases in children.18,19 This protective effect is thought to be mediated by microbiome-induced immune modulation Children who lived with pets in the household had higher microbial diversity of their gut microbiome.18,20 On the other hand children who developed asthma by the age of 7 years had a low total diversity of the gut microbiota during their first month of life when compared with children who did not develop asthma.21 Therefore early-life exposure to pets appears to play a role in shaping the human microbiome and potentially lowering the risk of developing allergies and asthma.Therapeutic potentialThe One Health concept emphasizes the interconnectedness of human with a growing focus on microbiome research Scientists are investigating how our shared environment affects health This research holds significant therapeutic potential and other microbiome therapies such as the use of postbiotics or metabolic products It also informs better hygiene and pet care practices thereby reducing disease transmission risks and amplifying health benefits for both humans and pets close human-pet contact can promote the exchange of antibiotic-resistant bacteria resulting in hard-to-treat infections.22 This underscores the importance of careful antibiotic use in both human and veterinary medicine strategies can be devised to control the spread of resistant bacteria and protect the health of both humans and their pets through focused interventions.Future directions and researchMicrobiome profilingMore extensive and detailed profiles of pet microbiomes across different species and breeds are essential to understanding the full scope of their role in health and disease can answer many important questions about pet health Advances in sequencing technologies and bioinformatics will be pivotal in the effort to answer these questions in our quest to better care for our pets.Longitudinal studiesLong-term studies tracking the microbiomes of pets and their owners can provide deeper insights into how these microbial communities coevolve and influence health over time Such research may identify key microbial markers associated with disease prevention or progression.ConclusionThe intricate relationship between human and pet microbiomes represents a fascinating and highly relevant area of study for veterinary professionals This interconnected microbial world not only influences the health of pets and their owners but also opens up new avenues for preventive and therapeutic strategies veterinarians will be able to enhance animal care and contribute to the broader understanding of microbiome health across species The journey into the enigmatic realm of microbiomes is just beginning and it promises to bring transformative possibilities for both veterinary and human medicine.References1 Guts imbalance imbalances the brain: a review of gut microbiota association with neurological and psychiatric disorders Candida albicans shields the periodontal killer Porphyromonas gingivalis from recognition by the host immune system and supports the bacterial infection of gingival tissue Impact of oral microbiome in periodontal health and periodontitis: a critical review on prevention and treatment Ultraviolet radiation causes less immunosuppression in patients with polymorphic light eruption than in controls Consumer safety considerations of skin and oral microbiome perturbation dogs and cats: current knowledge and future opportunities and challenges Comprehensive profile of the companion animal gut microbiome integrating reference-based and reference-free methods The National Human Activity Pattern Survey (NHAPS): a resource for assessing exposure to environmental pollutants Cohabiting family members share microbiota with one another and with their dogs Similarity of the dog and human gut microbiomes in gene content and response to diet the effect of pet ownership on house dust microbial communities Increased risk for Campylobacter jejuni and C coli infection of pet origin in dog owners and evidence for genetic association between strains causing infection in humans and their pets The zoonotic potential of Clostridium difficile from small companion animals and their owners Escherichia coli shedding patterns in humans and dogs: insights into within-household transmission of phylotypes associated with urinary tract infections Distribution of periodontopathic bacterial species in dogs and their owners Infant gut microbiota and the hygiene hypothesis of allergic disease: impact of household pets and siblings on microbiota composition and diversity Pet-keeping in early life reduces the risk of allergy in a dose-dependent fashion Exposure to household furry pets influences the gut microbiota of infants at 3-4 months following various birth scenarios Low gut microbiota diversity in early infancy precedes asthma at school age and environmental health from a One Health perspective JB Pritzker’s communications team puts a suburban face in a prominent position Pritzker announced Friday that Democratic National Convention Senior Director of Communications Matt Hill is his new deputy chief of staff for communications communications director for Illinois’ Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to be his director of agency communications Leaving the governor’s office is Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications and Strategic Media Jordan Abudayyeh whose tenure with Pritzker dates back to his first 2018 campaign Another departure is Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications and Agency Strategy Jason Rubin “Jordan Abudayyeh and Jason Rubin have been essential advisers since Day One of this administration,” Pritzker said in a statement I have no doubt that Matt Hill and Emily Bolton will rise to the occasion bringing their deep communications experience across politics and government I am thrilled to welcome them to the team and look forward to all that we will accomplish together.” who attended Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire spent the last five years as a senior communications aide for President Joe Biden Hill met Biden in 2015 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign His advocacy to prevent sexual assaults on campus got the attention of the then-vice president Hill later worked on Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign telling the Daily Herald previously that “I don't need much sleep.” Abudayyeh was the face of Pritzker’s press team for years coordinating news conferences throughout the COVID-19 pandemic She also worked as an anchor for Naperville's NCTV17 Get San José Spotlight headlines delivered to your inbox San Jose officials are proactively trying to tamp down on the number of people who flock to parks in the city over the upcoming holiday weekend Nine regional parks and the parking lots at 19 city parks will be closed to the public this Saturday and Sunday, which is Easter Sunday, the city announced Thursday Gatherings and egg hunts are also prohibited at the parks that remain open The closures come as the Bay Area remains sheltered in place due to the fast-spreading coronavirus which can cause a sometimes deadly respiratory illness called COVID-19 1,442 people in the county had tested positive for the virus and 47 had died San Jose officials last month already closed two of the city’s most popular parks Alum Rock Park on the city’s east side and the staircase and trail on Communications Hill Dog parks and playgrounds citywide remain closed under a revised shelter-in-place order “The closure is to protect the health and safety of the public,” city officials said at the time noting that it was due “to overcrowding and is necessary to keep people safe and reduce stress on emergency services and responders police This week also brought good news to the South Bay that the virus is spreading slower than in past weeks and projected to remain well below the region’s worst case scenario due to the wide-reaching order to stay at home the South Bay is “bending the curve,” on infections — a trend state officials are also reporting But health officials across the board are stressing that it’s not yet time to gather for celebrations San Jose officials have warned multiple times in recent weeks that parks could close indefinitely if visitors don’t adhere to the 6-foot distancing rule for people who do not live in the same household who also warned residents to avoid parks where it’s too crowded to keep a healthy distance from other people 18,309 people had been infected with the novel coronavirus statewide and 492 have died as of Thursday “I know everybody is tempted with Easter Sunday and the weather starting to improve,” Newsom said Thursday “I just want to remind folks if you do (visit a park) you must practice safe physical distancing and if you are on a single trail head going up and folks are coming down Last month, the state started closing some parks, beaches and parking lots after a record number of Californians crowded into those public spaces the weekend after the statewide stay at home order went into effect Now the state has implemented “soft closures,” meaning parking and other high-use indoor amenities are closed but also “hard closures” meaning the park is closed in its entirety Currently, the state has closed the parking lots at all 280 state parks. All state campgrounds are also shuttered. The state has released a list of parks that are fully closed across California “While the curve is bending in the state of California Follow along with San José Spotlight’s real-time coronavirus coverage on our LIVE BLOG here Contact Janice Bitters at [email protected] or follow @JaniceBitters on Twitter Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" It’s time to dump this shelter in place and get on with our lives Jame park if this is all about public safety and health Plata Arroyo Neighborhood Association has asked the City to fence and lock the Skate Park at Plata Arroyo Park because of the Drug Dealers Its easy for the City to say they are closing Parks when the Parents don’t take their small children to the City Playground near them The City really hides from doing its job to protect the Community by allowing Skate Parks to stsy open If the City was truely interested in keeping the City safe from the Pandemic the Mayor would order all Skate Parks to be – Fenced They are taking the lives of the Community and throwing them away by possibly infecting the Community they abuse with Infection The best the Government did for the Community is put up 4 foot tall plastic fencing and Emergency Preparedness Requirements completely Mayor needs to close all the Skate Parks to prevent the spreading of the Pandemic any further You cant close Tot-Lots and NOT CLOSE SKATE PARKS It’s time to let mother nature take its course and for the rest of us to move on with life This whole nonsensical shelter in place is no longer driven for medical reasons but to control peoples lives All y’all that make statements about what others are doing are exactly what these puppets want – obey ur masters Do you not see that we’ve ushered in Agenda 21 and the NWO Curious who here personally knows someone that died How long you gonna sit around at home and stand in lines for the flu THE LOCAL LEADERS AND POLICE NEED TO FIGHT THE UN AGENDA AND JOIN WE THE PEOPLE You must be logged in to post a comment San José Spotlight is an award-winning nonprofit newsroom dedicated to fearless journalism that disrupts the status quo holds power to account and paves the way for change We’re changing the face of local journalism by building a community-supported newsroom that ignites civic engagement educates residents and strengthens our democracy 408.206.5327 [email protected] Submit a News Tip Subscribe to our newsletters San José Spotlight is a project of the San José News Bureau a 501(c)(3) charitable organization | Tax ID: 82-5355128 ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " Will police scanners become relics of the past Police scanners across Signal Hill have gone silent and the same may soon happen in Long Beach In October 2020, the California Department of Justice (DOJ) ordered all police and sheriff departments in the state to take steps to protect individuals’ personal information from being shared publicly over police dispatch The DOJ gave departments two choices for protecting personal data: fully encrypting all radio communications or keeping the majority of radio communications open to the public while using private alternative channels to share personal information the Signal Hill Police Department is among approximately 120 police departments across the state that have opted to fully encrypt their radio communications. the Long Beach Police Department said it is planning to encrypt its radio communications as well but did not have a date for when it would do so It also said it still needed to purchase the equipment necessary to do so Two bills have been brought forward over the last three years by California State Senator Josh Becker to try to force police departments to reopen their radio communications to the public The Signal Tribune reached out to Becker’s office on May 13 to ask if he plans to propose any future legislation on police radio encryption but did not hear back as of print time on Thursday Legislation in favor of decrypting police radio transmissions has faced opposition from police groups and associations including the California Peace Officers Association Peace Officers Research Association Of California and Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. “It impacts the right of the press to understand what’s happening in the world and therefore the public’s ability to understand what’s happening in the world …” On the other side are mostly various news related groups including the California News Publishers Association National Writers Union and Radio Television Digital News Association “By fully encrypting, the police departments cut off the ability to accurately report on breaking news in a way that it has been able to be covered. […],” said Brittney Barsotti, general counsel for the California News Publishers Association “[…] When we get information out we can avoid a certain area because there’s different types of threats to public safety occurring and it allows us to not just report on the events the police are responding to but also the ability to cover how police are responding to certain incidents.” Barsotti said that legislation to prevent the full encryption of police radio communications across the state would not be needed if the DOJ decided to publish another memo telling departments not to fully encrypt. Local governments across the state have also weighed in on the issue of police radio encryption SB 719 was opposed by the cities of Whittier Santa Barbara and Visalia as well as by the League of California Cities which represents the cities of Long Beach and Signal Hill as well as 476 of California’s 482 cities Long Beach Councilmember Al Austin is a member of the board of directors for the League of California Cities The City of Palo Alto is the only public body that supported SB 719. The Palo Alto Police Department had previously chosen in 2021 to fully encrypt its radio communications, but the department reversed course and reopened its communications to the public after the appointment of Chief Andrew Binder in 2022 David Snyder, executive director of the nonprofit organization the First Amendment Coalition (FAC) said that while more departments began fully encrypting after the DOJ memo the FAC was aware of police departments moving to fully encrypt as far back as 2017. and therefore the public’s ability to understand what’s happening in the world in particularly sensitive or dangerous situations like wildfires or floods,” Snyder said Online services such as the Citizen app rely on police scanners to provide immediate information to the public about potential dangers in their areas Local social media pages, such as the Long Beach-based social media account Streaming562 use information gathered from police scanners to inform residents of crimes and emergencies occurring around them The account also used to share information about Signal Hill “It’s terrible […] It really just hinders the public’s access to information,” said a spokesperson for Streaming562 “[…] It’s really not a positive thing when the police department is really trying to rebuild their reputation in the community and really try to work in collaboration with the community And I really think that it just hinders it because people are going to hear that and think: ‘What are you trying to hide?’” Not only would this stop the public from hearing vital information concerning the community but it would likely fence off one police agency from another in the event of a widespread event involving more than just a single city but perhaps multiple jurisdictions simultaneously And will this hamper fire departments and parameds from communicating with law enforcement during major emergencies?? Sounds like a costly reincarination of the Tower of Babel Our spring 2025 issue focuses on innovation building a learning culture collaborating on climate initiatives As collaborative technologies proliferate, it is tempting to assume that more sophisticated tools will engender more effective virtual communication. However, our study of globally dispersed teams in a major multinational organization revealed that performance depends on how people use these technologies We asked team members to rate one another on virtual communication behaviors culled from a growing body of research on virtual teams Peer assessments focused on five best practices: matching the technology to the task (Participants had worked together for some time and had been tasked with improving key business processes.) Individual scores were averaged to determine team scores When controlling for past experience on virtual teams and level of technology support available we found that teams with higher scores on the five behaviors also received higher ratings from their leaders on producing quality deliverables Results indicated a linear relationship across the board: For every 10% that a team outscored other teams on virtual communication effectiveness they also outscored those teams by 13% on overall performance Although the research focused on dispersed teams we believe the same strategies can help colocated teams which increasingly depend on virtual collaboration tools Let’s look at each of the five behaviors in detail but we’ve observed that they are often overlooked When teams are informed of these simple strategies and take steps to implement them Teams have many communication technologies at their disposal ranging from email and chat platforms to web conferencing and videoconferencing People often default to using the tool that is most convenient or familiar to them but some technologies are better suited to certain tasks than others and choosing the wrong one can lead to trouble Communication tools differ along a number of dimensions including information richness (or the capacity to transfer nonverbal and other cues that help people interpret meaning) and the level of real-time interaction that is possible A team’s communication tasks likewise vary in complexity depending on the need to reconcile different viewpoints or avoid the potential for misunderstanding Sharon Hill is an associate professor of management at the George Washington University School of Business in Washington Smith Professor of Leadership and Innovation at the Robert H You must to post a comment.First time here? Sign up for a free account: Comment on articles and get access to many more articles When she's not running her business out of her home Jessica Lawlor's probably getting in her strength training or binge watching Jessica Lawlor runs her own communications agency out of her Chestnut Hill home Who I am: Jessica Lawlor (@jessicallawlor) What role healthy living plays in my life: Healthy living plays a crucial role in my life both as a yoga teacher and a business owner working from home I could quite literally not see or speak to another human being until my boyfriend Working out and practicing yoga helps me clear my head and stay focused on my goals but also serves as part of my social life during the week I also absolutely love to cook and experiment with new recipes; I find it both relaxing and empowering Lawlor heads to Life Time Fitness for Alpha Metcon small-group training three times a week I lay in bed scrolling through Instagram and Reddit As much as I try not to check social media first thing in the morning I give myself a pass since I can’t fall back asleep 6:30 a.m. — My boyfriend, Tim, gets up for work. That’s my usual cue that it’s time to wake up and start the day. Ever since I quit my job three years ago to start my communications consulting business, I don’t really mind Mondays. I make my bed and turn on a podcast (I start most weekday mornings with Erica Mandy’s The Newsworthy Podcast) while I “get ready” for the day I fire up the Keurig and pop a piece of Dave’s Killer Bread in the toaster I spread some jam on the toast and walk the 10 feet to my office (aka my apartment’s second bedroom) I usually spend about an hour on Monday mornings planning for the week ahead so I erase May’s events from my office dry-erase calendar and fill it up with June’s plans It’s going to be a busy month filled with travel and seeing Hugh Jackman live 8 a.m. — I jump into my work to-do list, checking in on emails and laying out a few blog posts for the week for my content management client Muck Rack and I serve as the editor for its popular PR and journalism blog 11 a.m. — My workout for the day is complete, and I’m off to the grocery store. I do my weekly shopping at Acme and once a month or so I’ll pop into Trader Joe’s I love being able to run errands at off-times I’m in and out of the store in under 30 minutes ($46.78) Noon — I normally meal prep lunches on Monday afternoons and I still have a few prepped meals in the fridge Today’s lunch is Banza pasta with chicken and roasted broccoli Lawlor’s Monday lunch of chickpea pasta with broccoli — I’m back at my desk for an afternoon of client work I aim to keep my calendar completely clear of meetings at least one day a week so I can focus on my work without distraction I’m doing a bit of everything this afternoon — digging out my various inboxes and planning for a few upcoming PR projects Today I opt for a combo of pretzel chips and Way Better sweet chili tortilla chips (my favorite!) with Sabra spicy hummus 4 p.m. — I wrap up my work for the day and hop into bed for a quick nap. Then I catch up on the last few episodes of This Is Us. I’m a few months behind, but I got sucked into binge watching in Parenthood but now I have to get caught up on all my other shows I pop in my earbuds and listen to another podcast while I chop veggies and prep dinner Tonight we’re having penne with chicken sausage and roasted Brussels sprouts 8:45 p.m. — It’s Bachelorette Monday Tim begrudgingly joins me on Hannah’s journey to find love (I think he secretly likes it.) We DVR the show and start late so we can fast forward through commercials and finish at the same time the show wraps airing I snack on some Ben & Jerry’s peanut butter cup ice cream while watching — Most nights I aim to get in bed by 10 or 10:30 I scroll through Twitter for a few minutes reading funny Bachelorette tweets Lawlor teaches yoga once a week at Dana Hot Yoga and eat another piece of Dave’s Killer Bread with jam — At my desk ready to work for a few hours before heading to teach my weekly yoga class 9:30 a.m. — I became a yoga teacher four years ago and am lucky to teach once a week at the place I fell in love with yoga: Dana Hot Yoga in Glenside. This morning’s class is focused on working toward a peak pose: eka pada koundinyasana so today I teach two ways to get into the peak pose and offer up a message that there’s usually more than one way to accomplish a task or a goal Today I’ve signed up for a 30-minute Barbell Strength Express class especially on days where I’ve already put out a significant amount of energy teaching Lawlor getting ready for her barbell express class at Life Time I finish up my last meal-prepped lunch from last week so I decide to take a quick 15-minute walk outside to get some sun 6 p.m. — Dinner prep! Tonight I’m making spicy garlic sriracha chicken with brown rice and broccoli. I’m obsessed with anything spicy, and tonight’s dinner hits the spot. Tim and I watch Jeopardy while we eat I’m really sad that James Holzhauer’s run has come to an end 7 p.m. — Couch time. Tim and I chat about our days and throw on a few episodes of The Office while we relax Wednesday lunch of chicken sausage and vegetable stir fry I’m already wondering if I can squeeze in a nap later I’m actually pretty motivated this morning and get a good chunk of work done for two of my content management clients I work steadily until it’s time to leave for the gym for my second Alpha Metcon training session of the week — I need a little mid-morning snack before I work out so I munch on some Trader Joe’s peanut butter sandwich crackers on my drive to the gym fun) Coach Jim will have in store for us today — Today’s workout was definitely different Life Time puts group training clients through benchmark testing to see how we’re progressing The workout starts out with a five-minute walk on the treadmill we run our furthest distance possible for 12 minutes Then we do our max number of push-ups and sit-ups for two minutes each We hold a two-minute plank (or until whenever we can’t hold anymore — I lasted a little over a minute today) — I forgot two things I need for meals this week at Acme on Monday so I pop back into the store to grab rolls and cheese ($3.78) — I take a look in my fridge to see what I can whip up for lunch One of the perks of working from home: Time in the middle of the day to cook I chop up some onions and chicken sausage and grab frozen peppers and broccoli from the freezer for a quick and easy stir-fry — Since I work from home and don’t regularly interact with other humans face-to-face I aim to schedule virtual coffee chats each month with fellow business owners to socialize and share advice I’m chatting with a new friend who’s a fellow writer I get off the call feeling inspired — it’s so awesome to chat with fellow female business owners I brew some coffee over ice to switch things up and head back to my desk — I wrap up my workday and retreat to my bedroom for that nap I promised myself earlier — Dinner tonight is homemade cheesesteaks with fried onions and jalapeños and some spicy roasted sweet potatoes on the side 7 p.m. — The Handmaid’s Tale is back and I’m pumped to watch the first episode of season three I lay for another 20 minutes or so browsing Twitter and Reddit for reactions to the new season of The Handmaid’s Tale — I’m finally out of bed and throw on my gym clothes — A productive morning of work before it’s time to leave for the gym — It’s the final day of my three times a week Alpha Metcon class Thursdays are usually our challenge day (aka spending significant time in zones three and four) We warm up with some intervals on the treadmill and then complete two 10-minute strength-based AMRAPS (as many rounds as possible) I order a medium caramel swirl iced coffee with skim milk and Splenda The Dunkin’ employee at the drive-thru asks if I’ve just come from the gym — Another perk of making my own schedule — popping into the nail salon for a mid-day mani ($35) so I decide to do so for the next few days and into the weekend I make half a box of Banza penne pasta with my remaining Trader Joe’s chicken sausage Today I’m sending out pitches to the media about a client event and editing a few blog posts for a content management client 5 p.m. — It’s gorgeous out, so Tim and I decide to go to happy hour at one of our favorite local spots, MaGerks Pub & Grill in Fort Washington I had planned to make turkey tacos tonight I have an order of boneless wings with MaGerks’ delicious gold rush sauce — sweet and spicy at the same time ($51.20) Lawlor enjoys a glass of rosé at Magerks in Fort Washington — We’re home and hang out out on the couch until bedtime Friday calls for a mocha madness smoothie from Life Time — I squeeze in about an hour of work before heading to the gym a bit earlier than normal I send most of my regular clients monthly recap reports — I’ve already completed my three Alpha Metcon small group training classes for the week so Fridays I usually do my own thing or pop into a yoga class today I have a makeup session from last week so I head to another small group training class called GTX Burn I typically take my rest days on Saturdays and Sundays and I’m going to need them after this week one of my favorite parts of Life Time is the cafe I grab my favorite smoothie on the way out — mocha madness with half a scoop of peanut butter ($8.96) My Fridays are usually on the lighter side I need to wrap up a few things and jump on one more client call and I don’t need to be at my laptop for this call — I eat lunch on the later side today since my post-workout smoothie held me over for a few hours — I wrap up my remaining work for the week 6 p.m. — It’s time to start the weekend. Tim and I head to another one of our favorite spots, Jerzee’s Sports Bar & Pizzeria I munch on buffalo chicken tenders and Cajun fries along with a nice cold glass of Angry Orchard cider — Tim and I are both exhausted after this week we head home and we’re literally in bed and asleep by 9:45 p.m leading into a fun and busy summer weekend Podcasts listened to: 11 (Some of my favorite pods) 60+ Farmers’ Markets Around Philadelphia and South Jersey 13 Philly-Area Meal Delivery Services Making Nutritious Eating Easier is where the first wireless transatlantic transmission was received (Credit: Wayne Barrett & Anne MacKay/Getty Images)Guglielmo Marconi was instantly a name known around the world comparable today perhaps to Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs crisp breeze dancing in from the Atlantic Ocean lifted my hair back from my face and the bright sunshine highlighted a massive iceberg floating a few miles out a powerful and sparkling contrast against a gentle blue sky I carefully framed the iceberg over my left shoulder and snapped the perfect selfie the image was soaring through cyberspace from my location in St John’s to my various social media channels and followers around the world when Guglielmo Marconi stood on this spot in December 1901 to receive the world’s first wireless transatlantic transmission he had any idea of where his success would lead Would Marconi have taken a selfie on this spot – The island that forever changed science – The clock that changed the meaning of time – The German village that changed the war a massive piece of bedrock about 140m above the Atlantic Ocean on Canada’s eastern shore It’s a dramatic spot where the ocean merges into St John’s Harbour creating a waterway appropriately called The Narrows Fishing boats and trawlers pass through each morning just as the sun begins to illuminate the route and again in the early evening hours to bring seafood to the local restaurants and canneries make vivid images to share on social media A paved trail from downtown St John’s follows the harbour shoreline to the bottom of the hill before winding around and up via a series of switchbacks and steps that make the hike an energetic workout dog walkers and people enjoying the beauty of the day Two wedding parties with photographers in tow were taking advantage of this exceptional setting as a backdrop for their special day But its popularity was not what brought Marconi to Signal Hill the number of visitors was a concern as he considered the needs for his experiment and from an early age was fascinated with science specifically the transmission of electromagnetic waves through the air He was the first to discover that by grounding a transmitter and receiver so Marconi moved to Great Britain where he patented the invention and found investors to continue his work The big question of the day was whether a long-distance radio wave could follow the curvature of the Earth or whether it just shot out into space Marconi scoured several locations on North America’s eastern seaboard for this experimental His first choice was a rocky outcropping in Wellfleet on Cape Cod but a series of storms on both sides of the ocean that battered antennae and other equipment eventually led him further north Signal Hill is not the most eastern point in North America; that would be Cape Spear But Signal Hill is slightly more protected from the North Atlantic’s furious storms by a natural recess in the coastline you feel as though you could shout a greeting to someone on England’s rocky coast Marconi had already chosen his ideal location on the other side of the Atlantic: Poldhu on the Lizard Peninsula in South Cornwall. Although the original transmission station is gone, a monument and visitors centre today marks the spot and interprets what was going on here while Marconi and team worked on the other side of the ocean struggling with weather conditions of their own not knowing at all what was transpiring in Newfoundland It had been weeks since they had communicated with Marconi and team the scientists at Poldhu transmitted three simple dots – the Morse code signal for the letter ‘s’ Marconi was battling against the violently cold and windy winter up here and needed to use a series of balloons and kites to help keep his antennae upright Marconi was instantly a name known around the world He made millions from his inventions and received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1909 Marconi was instantly a name known around the worldSignal Hill is now a National Historic Site the first permanent Marconi station in North America It was here on a cold night in April 1912 that wireless transmissions from the RMS Titanic were received and shared with the rest of the world Places That Changed the World is a BBC Travel series looking into how a destination has made a significant impact on the entire planet Join over three million BBC Travel fans by liking us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram If you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter called "If You Only Read 6 Things This Week". 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Welcome Mickeymickey@disney.comManage MyDisney AccountLog OutBooby trap found in NorCal resembles ones used in Vietnam WarByDavid Louie Wednesday 2015A booby trap found at an abandoned homeless encampment in San Jose resembles ones used during the Vietnam War.SAN JOSE -- Firefighters in San Jose are being warned of a new on-the-job hazard -- a booby trap designed to impale or severely maim someone who trips and falls The discovery was made Sunday morning when firefighters were called to a fire at the site of an abandoned homeless encampment on Communications Hill but the design -- a two foot deep hole set with sharpened stakes -- was something that appeared to be designed to inflict serious injury "Punji spikes are a new booby trap that we've not seen before and takes the level of dangers that we face to a whole other level Going forward with the closure of 'The Jungle' and the homeless individuals throughout the city this is something we're asking our members to be keenly aware of to provide for their safety and the safety of those they're coming to serve," said Sean Kaldor Vice President of Local 230 Firefighters Union The booby trap was similar to one used by Communist troops during the Vietnam War a half-century ago "The nature of this kind of trap is clearly designed to hurt individuals We don't know for certain if that was designed to hurt other people in the encampment and they don't discriminate against who they're going to hurt," said Kaldor Residents of Communications Hill disagree if the trap was aimed at humans or possibly at animals as a source of food for the homeless "I would say it was maybe more for something food-wise they were going to eat It could be anything really though," said San Jose resident Tyler MacKenzie there's probably more than one out there," said San Jose resident Joe Magliocco The city's homeless encampment manager says this is the first time he's aware of a booby trap at a homeless encampment The fire department indicated since no one was hurt and the creator will be difficult to pin down Hill Navigator can appreciate someone who knows they want to be on Capitol Hill and is already strategizing their way to the top of the ladder You are correct: Both a policy route and communications route can lead to a chief of staff job with a slight edge toward legislative directors becoming chiefs more often than communications directors (but both are possible and smart routes to take) You mention your back-of-the-envelope pro/con list is coming out equal But which side is better suited to your talents and which one do you have a stronger enthusiasm for doing this is a job you’d have for years before becoming a chief of staff Even the most ambitious staffers need significant experience (and opportunity) before taking the helm of a congressional office As a legislative staffer: Do you care about policy Do you want to study the minutiae of an issue area read Congressional Research Service reports go to the whip meetings and understand what leadership means when they say “martial law?” Further is there an issue area you care about deeply — such as taxes health care or education — where you could see yourself delving into the relevant committee work Test your familiarity with an issue area you care about Ask yourself if you know what the pending relevant legislative action items are right now As a communications staffer: Do you care about media Would you feel comfortable speaking on the record Communications roles often overlap with the political side: Does politics interest you and would you be willing to work on your boss’s re-election campaign if needed Test your familiarity with communications If you’re still drawing an even split between the two ask a trusted colleague which they feel better reflects your own talents And then take the time to truly get to know both fields better You’ve had some opportunity to “dangle” your feet in both ponds Follow several legislative issues. Set up CQ News Alerts Volunteer to put together media clips or help with a press release your talents might shine through a bit brighter on one side of the communications/legislative divide the best legislative staffers understand the importance of media in their work and the best communications staffer have a strong understanding of the legislative process a good background in both worlds will go a long way Latino staffers are leading offices on Capitol Hill running communications operations and advising some of the highest-ranking members of Congress Some got their big break through the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Joanna Rodriguez, communications director to Rep. Carlos Curbelo R-Fla.: “It was actually another Hispanic woman She was in charge of hiring interns for Sen Rubio at the time and brought me into the office early on.” Bianca Ortiz Wertheim, chief of staff to Sen. Tom Udall D-N.M.: “My path through government is that there’s goodness There’s a belief that there can be goodness in government and that the shared love here in the office for New Mexico is also a common denominator.” [Editor’s note: Ortiz Wertheim is one of two Latina chiefs for Senate Democrats. The other is Susie Perez Quinn, Florida Sen. Bill Nelson’s chief of staff.] communications director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democrats: “I was able to get to D.C through a fellowship program for Hispanics It’s through the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.” Jaime E. Lizárraga, senior adviser to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi D-Calif.: “This is probably more a thing of the past but … I’ve often heard the expectation that as a Latino staffer you would only work or focus on Latino issues Every policy issue that Congress acts on affects the Latino community in one form or another.” Emily Benavides, deputy communications director to Sen. Rob Portman R-Ohio: “I didn’t come from a background where we were super politically active … This was a totally new direction for my family so I had to sort of scrape my own way and build my own network It’s challenging but I was lucky in that I was able to find other young Hispanic conservative women and we banded together and supported together and thus were able to promote one another whenever we heard about jobs becoming available.” [Black Women Movers and Shakers on Capitol Hill] Ortiz Wertheim: “It’s not just like people don’t look like me it’s just the lens that you grow up on when you come from a place like Nambé [New Mexico] where I grew up you have to find … where are you going to be able to show that leadership and find the core group of folks in this new place who can help you?” Rodriguez: “I think coming from a Hispanic background especially a Hispanic conservative background you’re taught to be very opinionated and outspoken at a very early age and that’s something people aren’t always used to Duron: “There is a small number of people of color that work on the Hill and so any time when you’re in that environment it can be difficult but …I’ve been fortunate to be in an office that’s very welcoming and inviting and open to all input and ideas and folks from all backgrounds and that’s sort of how we operate and succeed in our office.” they faced challenges coming here from Cuba But I think that’s a testament to America and the kind of country it is — two generations later Pachon: “I don’t think it’s by coincidence … the fact that I work for one of the highest-ranking Latinos in the U.S There’s still a long way to go until we have the diversity needed.” [Editor’s note: New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.] Ortiz Wertheim: “Lean in when there’s an opportunity you either want or is available to you Lizarraga: “Build your networks as much as possible — build and expand them and the person you work with today could be your boss tomorrow or vice versa.” Duron: “Stick it out … If we want to get more Latinos into senior positions then we really need to stay on the Hill and build up your experience to get to those higher positions.” Baseball Bombshells and Snapper Fish — Congressional Hits and Misses Residents of Communication Hills Estate and its environs in the Adentan Municipal Assemble in the Greater Accra region say they are currently living in constant fear due to sporadic gun battles between two land guard groups The latest incident according to the residents 3 February 2024 around 6:30 pm and the shooting lasted for well over two hours the chairman of the estate management committee the shooting incident which lasted for about two hours has traumatized many residents including women and children He noted that the shooting incident could be attributed to a clash between some men believed to be land guards who tried to stop workers of one Mr owner of Redrow Estate from developing a piece of land which is closer to the Communication Hills Estate Collaborating the narrations of the chairman of the estate management committee Benedict Abankwe shared their frustrations and fears with the media They maintained that the sporadic gun battle between the land guards have left many residents especially women and children traumatized it was some kids who were playing with leftover Christmas firecrackers (knockouts) until the shooting got intense,” Mr calling on the state authorities to do everything possible to increase Police patrol in the area to maximize the security of the place while they work around the clock to build a police post within the estate More Stories Here a Nashville native and former press secretary for U.S was recently hired as the new communications director for former President Barack Obama Hill, a 2000 graduate of Harpeth Hall in Nashville started in her new role at the personal office of the 44th president in August The 36-year-old Hill was previously working as a consultant for Protect Our Care initiative which has fought Republican attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act after a two-year stint as an assistant press secretary in the White House that ended in January. In her new position, Hill is working in a Washington D.C. office with around a dozen aides who help with Obama's post-presidency endeavors and public profile, including work with the Obama Foundation both paid and unpaid, and the upcoming release of a new book by Obama but now in his post-presidency as he charts a course as an influential private citizen "Barack Obama I think is a once-in-a-generation leader and political thinker and he is also one of the youngest former presidents And he still has a lot that he wants to accomplish." More: Rep. Jim Cooper: Tennesseans must urge Senators to vote no on health care bill Obama's personal office is funded by both private dollars and funding from the General Services Administration Former First Lady Michelle Obama also has a staff at the same office Among his activities in recent weeks, Barack Obama has stumped for Democratic candidate for Virginia governor Ralph Northam, launched a Hurricane Harvey relief effort with other former living presidents spoke at a Gates Foundation event on leadership and a separate event at the Beau Biden Foundation and stopped by a classroom in Washington D.C dedication and work ethic every day on behalf of the American people" during her work in the White House "President Obama is lucky to have a strategist of her caliber by his side as he builds on his already impressive legacy in the years to come," she said Hill was press secretary for Cooper from 2011 to 2013 after working four years as a senior account executive at Nashville-based McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations "Katie is doing Nashville and America proud," Cooper said in a statement then Capitol Hill and then President Obama jgarrison@tennessean.com and on Twitter @joeygarrison Canada’s Politics and Government News Source Since 1989 By entering your email address you consent to receive email from The Hill Times containing news, analysis, updates and offers. 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