Mount Diablo Unified Community Advisory Committee on Special ...

MDUSD HOPE Needs Your Donations

I am writing to let you know about children in our community who do not have enough to eat, adequate clothes to wear to school, or a predictable place to live.? As the holiday season approaches, please accept this letter as an invitation to learn more about our local homeless children and foster youth.? I would like to ask that you do two things A) please consider making a contribution to homeless children and foster youth and B) please forward this letter or email to five or more people.?? ??Thank you so much! Last year, the Mt. Diablo Unified Homeless Outreach Program for Education (Mt. Diablo HOPE) served 549 homeless students and Mt. Diablo Foster Youth Services served 236 foster youth.? That?s 785 vulnerable children who need our support!? Most of the homeless children we served lived with mothers and fathers who were one paycheck away from homelessness, lost their jobs, and had no choice but to live in motels, cars, homeless shelters, churches, synagogues, the Winter Nights program, or double up with friends or family. We saw an increase unaccompanied teenagers (58) who lived with the families of friends. ?Homeless children and foster youth with disabilities were especially vulnerable and received extra support.? Mt. Diablo Unified has great success supporting foster youth ? we have the highest graduation rate in California (93%), however, the holidays are often a difficult time for foster youth who live in group homes and with foster families.? Your contribution will go a long way toward making the holidays a little brighter for our children.?? Homeless children and foster youth reside in communities and attend schools throughout our school district; we serve homeless students and foster youth from Walnut Creek, Clayton, Pleasant Hill, Concord, and Bay Point. People may not realize how widespread our populations are because they are not visible in the community. ?Over the years, we have received generous donations from our teachers, parents, Local One - CST, CSEA district office personnel, PTSAs, Mt. Diablo school board members, members from every union / bargaining unit in our school district, and students themselves.? We are grateful to the teachers of Mt. Diablo Unified for their compassion, hard work, and the excellent instruction that they provide for our students every school day.? As support staff, we assist children with life stressors that can interfere with their education.?? Please consider donating gift cards to Safeway, Target or Kohl?s. ?You may send donations by check or gift cards to: Elsa Dalpiaz, Secretary, Mt. Diablo Homeless Outreach Program for Education, 2730 Salvio St., Concord, CA 94519 or; drop donations off with Lori Amenta at the Mt. Diablo Unified District Office, 1936 Carlotta Drive, Concord, CA. ?Please make checks out payable to ?Mt. Diablo HOPE.?? Please indicate if you would like a receipt for tax purposes. ?Kohl?s, Target, Safeway, or gift cards to other stores are helpful because they are easy to distribute and allow students and families to choose their own gifts, clothes, or food.? This year, we are going online to connect generous donors with recipients. ?If you or your organization would like to sponsor an individual family, please register online www.mdusd.org/hope.? To sponsor a family, the minimum contribution that we suggest is $150.? By the way, we don?t use the term ?adopt a family? for the holidays because the word adopt can have loaded meaning for foster youth.? Last year, the small act of sharing this letter resulted in contributions from all over the world. Thank you for your consideration! James C. Wogan, LCSW, Administrator, School Linked Services & The School Linked Services Team

Source: http://mtdiablosped.blogspot.com/2012/11/mdusd-hope-needs-your-donations.html

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Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You screwed up an election. Prepare to be colonized. (Unqualified Offerings)

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Bacteria talk to each other and our cells in the same way, via molecules

ScienceDaily (Nov. 6, 2012) ? Bacteria can talk to each other via molecules they themselves produce. The phenomenon is called quorum sensing, and is important when an infection propagates. Now, researchers at Link?ping University in Sweden are showing how bacteria control processes in human cells the same way.

The results are being published in PLoS Pathogens with Elena Vikstr?m, researcher in medical microbiology, as the main author.

Bacteria 'talk'

When the announcement goes out, more and more bacteria gather at the site of the attack -- a wound, for example. When there are enough of them, they start acting like multicellular organisms. They can form biofilms, dense structures with powers of resistance against both antibiotics and the body's immune defense system. At the same time, they become more aggressive and increase their mobility. All these changes are triggered when the communication molecules -- short fatty acids with the designation AHL -- fasten to receptors inside the bacterial cells; as a consequence various genes are turned on and off.

AHL can wander freely through the cell membrane, not just in bacterial cells but also our own cells, which can be influenced to change their functions. In low concentrations white blood cells, for example, can be more flexible and effective, but in high concentrations the opposite occurs, which weakens our immune defenses and opens the door for progressive infections and inflammations.

A team at Link?ping University is the first research group to show how AHL can influence their host cells. Using biochemical methods, the researchers have identified a protein designated IQGAP, which they single out as the recipient of the bacteria's message, and something of a double agent.

"The protein can both listen in on the bacteria's communication and change the functions in its host cells," Vikstr?m says.

Their laboratory studies were carried out on human epithelial cells from the intestines, which were mixed with AHL of the same type produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a tough bacterium that causes illnesses in places like the lungs, intestines, and eyes. With the help of mass spectrometry, they have been able to see which proteins bind AHL.

"We have proof that physical contact between bacteria and epithelial cells is not always required; the influence can happen at a distance," Vikstr?m says.

The team's discovery can open the door to new strategies for treatment where antibiotics cannot help. One possibility is designing molecules that bind to the receptor and block the signal path for the bacteria -- something like putting a stick in a lock so the key won't go in. It's a strategy that could work with cystic fibrosis, for example, an illness where sticky mucus made of bacterial biofilm and large amounts of white blood cells is formed in the airways.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Link?ping University.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Thommie Karlsson, Maria V. Turkina, Olena Yakymenko, Karl-Eric Magnusson, Elena Vikstr?m. The Pseudomonas aeruginosa N-Acylhomoserine Lactone Quorum Sensing Molecules Target IQGAP1 and Modulate Epithelial Cell Migration. PLoS Pathogens, 2012; 8 (10): e1002953 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002953

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/W1jOla0FBLQ/121106114241.htm

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FDA grants priority review to Roche's breast cancer drug

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De-stressing the Holidays at our House

The Holiday season always seems to sneak up on us when we are the least prepared to deal with it.? Since I work from home I often lose track of the days of the week; thankfully my son will keep me on track by checking the school lunch menu every morning, followed by deciding whether he would prefer a homemade lunch or opt for one of the school?s choices.

I have learned to take a few minutes every weekend in October and early November to prepare for the unavoidable guest visits during the Holidays.

I will start by assuming that you keep your house fairly clean all year long and that we do not need to cover any last minute housecleaning tricks to make your home presentable.? Here are five of the items that are always kept handy in our home during the Holidays:

• A storage container with a selection of toys for the littler kids such as a Mr. Potato head, some building blocks, toy cars, dolls and a few pint size stuffed animals. You can get most of these at a thrift store and run them through your dishwasher on the top tray in a lingerie bag.
• A game box for the older kids with a selection of board games, puzzles, brain teasers and other non-electronic games.? In my opinion non-electronic games should be in every home as they promote family time instead of TV or computer time.
• A selection of toiletries in small baskets (including wash cloths and hand towels)? which can be pulled out and set on the vanity in the bathroom that will be used by your guests during their visit.? It requires a small investment to put together but well worth having ready ahead of time.
• A pillowcase filled with all the dining room table ?fixings? to make setting up for dinner fast, painless and easy.? Since you prepared it ahead of time you have control over the overall look of your dining area, I consider this a bonus especially since it keeps my kids from arguing on the deem appropriate choice.
• Invest in a set of mid-sized storage containers to be kept in the refrigerator for healthy snacks. These will make it easy to satisfy kids and adults? need for a bite to eat while waiting for the Holiday meal to be served.? I use these all year long to encourage a healthy snack choice and keep my kids away from candy, cookies and potato chips.

During this busy time of the year; the chore box is pulled out and is a great help in keeping my house organized.? I also prepare some of my favorite side dishes ahead of time so they are ready to be pulled out of the freezer for the final cooking right before mealtime.

I am no expert in organization and mind you often am the one caught off guard so I share this in the hopes that you (like me) will find that a few minutes of preparation a few weeks ahead of the time will allow you to visit with your guest and enjoy their company rather than performing a Holiday mad dash that ends in your head crashing on your pillow at the end of the day/night.

?

About the Author:

Suzanne Remington is the owner of The Boy?s Store, a online clothing store dedicated to boys ONLY.? She worked for many years as a dressmaker in Switzerland which gives her an advantage when choosing quality items for her store.? While living abroad she has learned useful tips and tricks that she loves to share with others.

Source: http://momvantage.net/11545/

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Greek unions target austerity skeptics

ATHENS, Greece (AP) ? Greece's unions are holding their third general strike in six weeks in the hope of persuading politicians not to back a major new austerity program that will commit the country to further hardship.

Flights will stop between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. (0800-1100GMT) Tuesday, at the start of a 48-hour strike that will close schools, halt train and ferry services, and keep hospitals running on emergency staff only.

Two days of demonstrations are planned to start at 11:00 a.m. (0900GMT) Tuesday, continuing until lawmakers vote late Wednesday on the bill to slash ?13.5 billion ($17.3 billion) from budget spending over two years.

Conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is facing strong opposition from his Socialist and left-wing lawmakers in his coalition, in the first serious crisis for his five-month-old government.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-11-06-Greece-Financial%20Crisis/id-616df26485ef4d639f078fc04c6721ba

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Val Kilmer Set Pics from Terrence Malick's Next Movie Promise Madness

We've seen a lot of set pics over the past few months of various actors dropping in to Terrence Malick's "Knight Of Cups" and his untitled music-set movie now filming in Austin. But Val Kilmer wins the prize for having the best snaps of any the stars caught on camera. Of all the people who are going to end up getting cut from this movie, here's hoping he isn't.

As usual, Malick and his crew visited Fun Fun Fun Fest this weekend and a surprise guest was on hand in Val Kilmer. Along with Rooney Mara, he joined Black Lips on stage and entered with a walker, wielded a chainsaw, cut his own hair (probably a wig) and then was "forcibly removed." Awesome. We're calling for an immediate Black Lips/Val Kilmer North American tour and/or "The Doors 2" detailing what would've happened if Jim Morrison lived.

Anyway, check out some of the pics below along with a video of Kilmer introducing the band.?Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Ryan Gosling, Natalie Portman, Benicio Del Toro, Holly Hunter, The Lizardman and Berenice Marlohe are all in this movie too to some degree. [Radio UTD/Houston Press/Daily Mail]

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1926192/news/1926192/

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