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BG00012 – A Novel Oral Therapy in Development for the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis
Published Online: June 4th 2011 European Neurological Review, 2008;3(1):99-103 DOI: http://doi.org/10.17925/ENR.2008.03.01.99
Authors: Robert J Fox
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the brain and spinal cord characterised by focal areas of demyelination and neuronal destruction. Historically, disease-modifying therapies used to treat MS have been administered by injection, exerting their effects through generalised immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.1 These injection therapies are only moderately effective in reducing relapses and disability progression,2–5 and many patients discontinue therapy due to tolerability concerns, fear and/or inconvenience of frequent injections.6,7 Thus, there is an unmet medical need in MS for safe and effective oral therapies with novel mechanisms of action.
Similar to MS, psoriasis is an autoimmune-mediated disorder. Fumaric acid esters (FAEs) have been used for the treatment of psoriasis in Europe for over 20 years, and a formulation of FAEs – dimethyl fumarate and ethylhydrogen fumarate (Fumaderm®) – has been approved for the treatment of severe chronic plaque psoriasis in Germany since 1994.8–12 BG00012 is an oral formulation of dimethyl fumarate that may exert a combination of anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective biological effects. Pilot and phase II clinical studies of Fumaderm and BG00012, respectively, in patients with MS have shown positive results, and BG00012 holds promise to be one of the first oral therapies available for the treatment of relapsing MS.
This article discusses the potential mechanisms of action of BG00012 and reviews the available clinical data of its efficacy and safety in patients with MS. In addition, two phase III clinical trials of BG00012 in patients with relapsing–remitting MS that are currently recruiting patients are described.
Potential Mechanisms of Action in Multiple Sclerosis
MS is an autoimmune-mediated disorder characterised by inflammation, destruction of myelin, loss of oligodendrocytes, axonal damage and subsequent neuronal loss in the central nervous system (CNS).13–16 Although the pathogenesis of MS is not completely understood, blood–brain barrier (BBB) breakdown has been postulated as an early event in the disease process.17 It is believed that interactions between adhesion molecules on activated leukocytes and their complementary receptors on endothelial cells of the vessel wall promote leukocyte migration across the BBB.18 In the CNS, immune cells initiate a series of events that lead to upregulation of the expression of endothelial adhesion molecules, recruitment of additional lymphocytes and monocytes and production of inflammatory cytokines.19,20 In addition, there is accumulating scientific evidence that oxidative stress may play a major role in the neuronal damage that occurs in MS.21 For example, activated macrophages and microglial cells may degrade myelin and damage oligodendrocytes by generating oxygen or nitrogen free radicals, producing excitatory amino acids and releasing proteolytic and lipolytic enzymes.22
FAEs have been shown to affect aspects of the inflammatory cascade thought to be involved in MS. Data from in vitro studies showed that dimethyl fumarate and related FAEs increase the production and induce the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-10, IL-4 and IL-5.23–26 Other in vitro studies demonstrated that dimethyl fumarate and its primary metabolite, monomethyl fumarate, can both inhibit expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, IL-1β and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and inhibit the secondary effects of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β and TNF-α.25,27–31 Hence, it is thought that dimethyl fumarate can induce a shift from a T helper (Th)-1 (pro-inflammatory) to a Th-2 (anti-inflammatory) T-cell response.32
In addition to exerting anti-inflammatory effects, BG00012 may modulate metabolic homeostasis and cellular response to oxidative stress, a possible cause of cell and tissue damage in persistent inflammation (see Figure 1). Dimethyl fumarate is a well-known inducer of phase II detoxification genes, and treatment of cultured astroglia and microglia with FAEs has been shown to upregulate the Phase II detoxification enzyme NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase-1 (NQO-1).30 The NQO-1 gene is a prototypical transcriptional target for the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), a transcription factor that controls Phase II detoxifying gene expression and is critical for oxidative stress response and immune homeostasis.31,33,34 Recent studies have demonstrated that BG00012 and monomethyl fumarate can activate Nrf2 in vitro.35 The Nrf2 pathway has been implicated as a mediator of a range of neuroprotective effects in the CNS, including inhibition of oxidative and excitotoxic neuronal damage,36–40 protection of the BBB41 and regulation of myelin maintenance.42 Hence, the current body of experimental evidence suggests that BG00012 may provide a dual neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory therapeutic effect not targeted by contemporary MS therapies (see Figure 2).
Clinical Efficacy and Safety
A pilot study by Schimrigk et al. investigated the safety and efficacy of Fumaderm in MS patients.26 This was a prospective, open-label, baseline-controlled study conducted in 10 patients with relapsing– remitting MS. The study comprised four phases: a six-week baseline phase, an 18-week treatment phase (weeks 0–18), a four-week washout phase (weeks 19–22), followed by a second 48-week treatment phase (weeks 23–70). At the beginning of each treatment phase, the dose of FAE treatment was titrated over nine weeks up to a dose of 240mg (120mg tablets) three times/day (TID), administered by mouth (PO) during the first treatment phase, and up to 120mg TID PO during the second treatment phase. Safety was assessed by the incidence and severity of adverse events, physical examination, neurological examination, blood chemistry/haematology, electrocardiogram, and urinalysis. The primary efficacy end-point was the number and volume of gadolinium-enhanced (Gd+) lesions on T1-weighted images on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Clinical outcomes included the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score, the ambulation index (AI) and the nine-hole peg test (9-HPT).26
The most common adverse events were gastrointestinal symptoms (diarrhoea, cramps, nausea) and flushing, which were experienced by almost all patients. These events decreased after the first six weeks of the treatment phase. FAEs significantly reduced the mean number of Gd+ lesions after 22 and 70 weeks of treatment: the mean number of Gd+ lesions decreased from 11.28 (range 2–39) at baseline to 0.57 (range 0–3) at week 22 and to 0.28 (range 0–1) at week 70 (both p<0.02). Similarly, Gd+ lesion volume was significantly reduced with FAE from 244.5mm3 at baseline to 8.6mm3 at 22 weeks and 2.14mm3 at week 70 (p<0.018). Six of the 10 patients who completed the study had either stable or non-significant improvements on EDSS, HPT and AI scores over the course of the study.26
Based on its efficacy in psoriasis and the positive results of the pilot study conducted by Schimrigk et al.,26 a phase IIb study was conducted to further explore the efficacy and safety of BG00012 in patients with relapsing–remitting MS.45 This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging, multinational study of BG00012 involving 257 MS patients. Patients were randomised on a 1:1:1:1 ratio to receive BG00012 120mg PO once daily, BG00012 120mg PO TID, BG00012 240mg PO TID or placebo for 24 weeks.
The study comprised a 24-week blinded, placebo-controlled treatment period (part 1) followed by a 24-week dose-blinded safety extension period (part 2) during which all patients received BG00012. During the safety extension, patients who received BG00012 during the treatment period were maintained on the same BG00012 dose and patients who received placebo were treated with BG00012 240mg TID. The primary end-point was the total number of new Gd+ lesions on MRI scans at weeks 12, 16, 20 and 24. Additional end-points included the cumulative number of new Gd+ lesions (weeks 4–24), new T2-hyperintense and T1-hypointense lesions at week 24 and annualised relapse rate. Safety and tolerability were also assessed.45
The results of this study showed that BG00012 240mg TID met the primary end-point and significantly reduced the total number of Gd+ lesions by 69% compared with placebo (p<0.001). In addition, BG00012 240mg TID significantly reduced the number of new or enlarging T2-hyperintense lesions (p<0.001) and the number of new T1-hypointense lesions (p<0.014) compared with placebo.45 The results of this study also suggest that BG00012 has a favourable safety profile. Of 257 enrolled patients, 176 (92%) BG00012 patients and 59 (91%) placebo patients completed the 24-week treatment phase. The most common adverse events were flushing, headache, nasopharyngitis and nausea. The incidence of infection was similar between BG00012- and placebo-treated patients.46 BG00012 continued to be safe and well tolerated during the 24-week safety extension phase, with a reduction in the incidence of common adverse events observed in patients who received BG00012 treatment over the entire study.47 The favourable efficacy and safety profiles of BG00012 observed in the phase IIb study led to the initiation of two phase III registration studies.
Ongoing Phase III Studies
Two phase III studies, the Determination of the Efficacy and Safety of Oral Fumarate in Relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis (DEFINE) study and the Comparator and an Oral Fumarate in Relapsing–Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (CONFIRM) study, are being conducted to confirm and further evaluate the efficacy and safety of BG00012 in patients with relapsing MS (see Figures 3 and 4). DEFINE and CONFIRM are placebo-controlled studies, which are the most effective type of study for determining the efficacy and safety of a therapy, minimising confounding variables. However, in both studies potential ethical concerns of placebo-controlled studies are addressed by obtaining full informed consent regarding available treatment options at study entry and upon signs of confirmed disease activity, and by giving patients the option of switching to rescue MS therapy following signs of confirmed disease activity. Hence, these studies address concerns surrounding the increased risk of disease progression with delayed treatment.48,49 These studies are currently enrolling patients.
DEFINE and CONFIRM are multicentre, parallel-group, randomised, placebo-controlled, dose-comparison, phase III clinical studies. In the double-blind DEFINE study, patients are randomised in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive oral BG00012 240mg TID, BG00012 240mg BID or placebo (see Figure 4). In the CONFIRM study, patients are equally randomised to receive oral BG00012 240mg TID, BG00012 240mg BID, placebo or subcutaneous glatiramer acetate (GA) 20mg once daily (see Figure 4). CONFIRM is rater-blinded for all four treatment groups and double-blinded for BG00012 and placebo. The duration of both studies is 100 weeks.
In both DEFINE and CONFIRM, patients may switch to open-label rescue MS therapy if they experience one of the following: one confirmed relapse at >24 weeks (DEFINE) or two confirmed relapses at any time (CONFIRM), and have completed at least 48 weeks of blinded treatment, or significant protocol-defined disability progression (≥1.0-point increase in the EDSS score from a baseline score of ≥1.0, or ≥1.5-point increase from a baseline EDSS score of 0, sustained for 12 weeks) at any time. Patients are provided with informed consent regarding available treatment options at study entry and upon confirmed disease activity. They may choose any MS therapy as optional open-label rescue therapy. If a patient chooses intramuscular interferon beta-1a, it will be provided.
Approximately 1,000 patients across 27 countries are being enrolled in the DEFINE study, and approximately 1,200 patients across 24 countries are being enrolled in CONFIRM. In general, suitable participants in these trials are persons who are 18–55 years of age with a confirmed diagnosis of relapsing–remitting MS and EDSS 0–5.0 and who experienced at least one relapse in the past 12 months or a Gd+ lesion on recent MRI. More detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria of eligible patients are summarised in Table 1.
End-points
In DEFINE, the primary end-point is the proportion of patients relapsing at two years. Secondary end-points include the number of new or enlarging T2-hyperintense lesions over two years, the number of Gd+ lesions at two years, the rate of clinical relapse at one year, and the rate of disability progression at two years. Progression is defined as a ≥1.0-point increase in EDSS score from baseline EDSS ≥1.0 sustained for 12 weeks, or a ≥1.5-point increase in EDSS score from baseline EDSS = 0 sustained for 12 weeks.
In CONFIRM, the primary end-point is the rate of clinical relapse at two years. Secondary end-points include the number of new or enlarging T2-hyperintense lesions over two years, the number of new T1- hypointense lesions at two years, the proportion of patients relapsing at two years, and the rate of disability progression at two years. In addition, the benefit–risk profile at two years of BG00012 versus placebo compared with GA versus placebo will be evaluated. Exploratory comparisons for the primary, secondary and tertiary efficacy end-points will be made between GA and placebo. The comparison between BG00012 and GA will be made by comparing the relative effect of each active treatment against placebo.
The safety and tolerability of BG00012 are assessed in both studies. DEFINE and CONFIRM are also assessing the potential neuroprotective effects of BG00012 on MRI measures. In a subset of patients in both studies, conventional MRI measures will include Gd+ lesions, T2 lesions and T1 holes at baseline, six months, one year and two years. Additional imaging studies will evaluate the effect of BG00012 on magnetisation transfer ratio (MTR) and brain atrophy at six months, one year and two years. MTR in normal-appearing tissue will indicate the effects of BG00012 on reducing tissue damage, particularly myelin loss, and MTR within lesions will measure the effects of BG00012 on tissue recovery, including re-myelination. Brain atrophy will assess the ability of BG00012 to reduce permanent tissue damage and neurodegeneration.
Schedule of Assessments
In both DEFINE and CONFIRM, study visits are scheduled every four weeks from baseline (visit 0) to week 100 (visit 25) for assessment of relapses and monitoring of safety. Relapses are also assessed at unscheduled visits as necessary and confirmed by an independent panel of blinded neurologists. This independent panel will help ensure unbiased assessment of relapse events for all treatment arms, allowing consistent and objective evaluations and preserving the integrity of the primary end-points. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, disability progression as measured by EDSS and the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC) is assessed at baseline and every 12 weeks thereafter. Brain MRI scans are performed in a subset of patients (approximately 400 patients in DEFINE and 550 patients in CONFIRM) at baseline and weeks 24, 48 and 96. Safety assessments include the following: blood chemistry (monthly), including tests of liver and renal function; parathyroid hormone and vitamin D levels (annually); haematology (monthly for three months, then quarterly); lipid profiles (monthly for six months, then quarterly); urinalysis (monthly), including microalbumin and b2-microglobulin (quarterly); and electrocardiogram (every six months).
Preliminary clinical data suggest that BG00012 is a promising oral therapy for the treatment of MS, with a mechanism not currently targeted by other therapies; BG00012 activates the Nrf2 pathway, which may have a dual neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory therapeutic effect. The phase III registration studies of BG00012 in patients with relapsing–remitting MS (DEFINE and CONFIRM) are currently enrolling patients. The objective of these studies is to confirm the efficacy and safety results of the phase IIb study of BG00012 in MS patients. The DEFINE and CONFIRM studies are uniquely designed to address the ethical dilemma posed by the use of placebo controls in clinical trials in the era of effective disease-modifying therapies. Furthermore, the uncomplicated monitoring schedule and criteria for rescue therapy of the BG00012 phase III studies should result in their straightforward implementation while ensuring patient safety. ■
The author thanks Nancy M Bormann for providing editorial assistance.
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matsya = fish Matsyasana is often sequenced as a counter-pose after Shoulderstand.
1. Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent, feet on the floor. Inhale, lift your pelvis slightly off the floor, and slide your hands, palms down, below your buttocks. Then rest your buttocks on the backs of your hands (and don't lift them off your hands as you perform this pose). Be sure to tuck your forearms and elbows just under the sides of the torso. Straighten the legs, aducting them toward each other.
2. Inhale and press your forearms and elbows firmly against the floor. Next press your scapulas into your back and, with an inhale, lift your upper torso and head away from the floor. Then arching the back, release the head back onto the floor. Depending on how high you arch your back and lift your chest, either the back of your head or its crown will rest on the floor. There should be a minimal amount of weight on your head to avoid crunching your neck. (For more about this, see the Beginners Tip below.) Keep the abdominals engaged.
4. Stay for 15 to 30 seconds, breathing smoothly. With an inhalation lift the head off the ground and with an exhalation lower the body, releasing the elbows and lower the head to the floor. Draw the thighs up into the belly and squeeze.
• Beginners sometimes strain their neck in this pose. If you feel any discomfort in your neck or throat, either lower your chest slightly toward the floor, or put a thickly folded blanket under the back of your head.
• The back bending position in Matsyasana can be difficult for beginning students. Perform the pose with your back supported on a thickly rolled blanket. Be sure your head rests lightly on the floor and your throat is soft.
Deepen the Pose: To increase the challenge in this pose, slide your hands out from underneath your buttocks and bring them into Anjali Mudra (Salutation Seal) with arms outstretched and fingertips pointing toward the ceiling.
Teacher's Tip: Press the bottom of a student's feet so that they are flexed instead of pointed. Approach them from the front, straddling them and place both your hands behind their backs on their upper thoracic spine, and gently lift them upwards.
Variations: This pose is typically performed with the legs in Padmasana, a position that's even beyond the capacity of many experienced students. The following is a challenging variation of the pose described above. Perform the pose with the legs straightened on the floor, as described in step 3. Then with an exhalation lift the legs off the floor to an angle of 45 degrees relative to the floor, without compromising the arch in the back. This will protect the lower back. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, pressing actively through the heels. Finally lower the legs to the floor with an exhalation, and lay the torso and head on the floor. The benefit of this variation is not how high you lift your legs but in experiencing the intense pull of the hip flexors on the accentuated lumbar arch.


Towering above the modern streets and buildings of Irbil, the citadel's narrow alleyways and dusty courtyards stand almost deserted. Its mud-brick houses, built atop layers of ancient civilizations stretching back through millennia, are crumbling.
Irbil's citadel, claimed to be one of the longest continuously inhabited urban areas on Earth with a history of more than 8,000 years, is in danger. Its slopes are eroding and its buildings are collapsing.
But authorities in northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region have a plan to rescue it. They hope to turn the citadel, and the vast archaeological wealth buried within the mound on which it stands, into a world-renowned tourist site complete with hotels, coffee houses, art galleries - and a vibrant, permanent living community.
The planned reconstruction is a beacon of hope for Iraq's rich cultural heritage, and highlights the vast differences between the relatively tranquil Kurdish region in the north, and the violence in other parts of the country.
In Irbil, the Kurdish region's capital 215 miles north of Baghdad, the only indication that this is still a country at war is the tall concrete blast walls, featuring bucolic murals, that protect government buildings and major hotels from bombs.
Still, saving the citadel is a tall order. Of its more than 800 homes, "no more than 20 are in an acceptable state," said Mohamed Djelid, director and UNESCO representative for Iraq.
"You have now a very important monument ... in the heart of the city, and it is dead," said Shireen Sherzad, who heads newly formed committee leading restoration efforts and is also an adviser to the Kurdish region's prime minister, Nechirvan Barzani.
Also, Sherzad estimates it will cost $35 million for the initial three years of the project, and for now, "We don't have any funding resources."
But all agree that the citadel, with its three mosques, its 650-year-old hammam, or Turkish bath, and homes with painted interiors and elegant arches, needs urgent attention.
The situation "is very critical. All the houses are crooked" and liable to collapse when it rains, says Ihsan al-Totinjy, the representative of a Czech company helping in restoration efforts and using digital imagery to map out the site.
The company, Gema Art Group, has taken more than 200 photos inside the citadel and another 250 outside, along with satellite images and 90 photos from a military helicopter, it said in a 2007 report. Before this mapping project, the most recent plan of the citadel was a map from the 1920s.
The company is also creating a virtual three-dimensional model, expected to be completed by the end of February, that will help pinpoint restoration needs.
Across Iraq, cultural and archaeological treasures are at risk - at best neglected, at worst looted, vandalized and bombed.
The International Council of Monuments and Sites, a Paris-based nongovernmental organization of experts, listed the citadel in its 2004-05 report on endangered sites in Iraq as one of five cases "where the damage was so serious that one can talk of cultural genocide."
Little is known about the early inhabitants of Irbil, but the citadel's secret is water - an abundant supply has maintained civilization after civilization.
The site "is a rich historical repository holding evidence of many millennia of habitation, more than 8,000 years old, making it the longest continuously inhabited site in the world," said UNESCO's Djelid.
The citadel sits atop a roughly 100-foot-tall mound formed by layers of successive settlements, including Assyrians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Persians and Greeks.
The epic Battle of Gaugamela, in which Alexander the Great defeated the Persian King Darius in 331 B.C., is believed to have been fought just 20 miles to the north, local authorities say.
The site has never been fully excavated. Recent geophysical tests have revealed what some believe could be an ancient temple buried beneath the center of the citadel, said Kanan Mufti, general director for archaeology of the regional government's Culture Ministry. Part of the project includes mapping areas for future archaeological excavation.
But there is much to be done before then.
Until little more than a year ago, the citadel was home to Irbil's poorest. Most earlier inhabitants left in the mid-20th century as they grew prosperous and built bigger homes on the plains below, said Mufti, who was born in the citadel and whose ancestors lived there for 500 years.
The squatters - including refugees who fled Saddam Hussein's onslaught against the Kurds in the 1980s - lived crammed into 25 acres between the fortified walls. With no sewerage or drainage, the water seeped into the earth, eroding the land on the citadel's supporting slopes.
"Every day 750,000 liters (nearly 200,000 gallons) of water were damaging the citadel," Mufti said.
Even the buildings themselves changed as inhabitants divided rooms and built extensions.
Without intervention, the citadel was doomed. So in November 2006, the 840 families living there were each offered a plot of land outside the city, with electricity, sewage and water, and $4,000 toward building a new home, said Irbil Gov. Naouzet Hadi. All agreed.
The city also prevailed upon one family to accept compensation but stay in their citadel home to ensure there is no break in the site's continuous habitation, and to manage the pumps that control the water flow.
"I don't feel lonely - I like it here," said Hadida Hamademin Kader, who still lives with her seven children in a house near the center. The plan to renovate the citadel "has made us very happy," she said, pouring strong, sweet tea for visitors.
The committee's Sherzad acknowledges there's a long way to go, but says restoring the citadel is crucial.
"It is for all mankind," she said. "For Kurdistan, it's our pride."


Objective: A retrospective study was initiated to determine if Hcys levels and other blood markers were altered in subjects taking an oral functional food supplement containing a mixture of phosphoglycolipids (NT Factor®) and vitamins.
Many chronic diseases and illnesses are associated with one or more chronic infections, dysfunction of mitochondria and reduced production of ATP. This results in fatigue and other symptoms that occur in most if not all chronic conditions and diseases.
Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 2006; 13(1): 57-68.
Mitochondria provide most of our cellular energy needs; therefore, mitochondrial dysfunction can cause fatigue and other symptoms that are commonly found in every chronic and many acute conditions.


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Matías de Bocanegra (Puebla, 1612 - 1668) sacerdote, poeta, dramaturgo e historiador jesuita mexicano. En 1628 ingresa en la Compañía de Jesús. Su producción literaria era muy estimada por virreyes y obispos de Nueva España.

Biografía
Matías de Bocanegra nace en Puebla de los Ángeles en el año 1612, siendo uno de los Jesuitas de la Provincia de México con más ingenio y de más instrucción en las Letras humanas, al igual que en el área de las Ciencias Sagradas. Tras finalizar sus estudios en Letras humanas, se distingue como un colegial consumado en el conocimiento de la poesía latina y española. Durante el año 1627 concluye el curso de artes para después ingresar a la Compañía de Jesús en 1628. En los años posteriores de su noviciado, se sabe que fue profesor de gramática y retórica en el Colegio jesuita de Querétaro por el 1633. En 1644 tiene una acusación de haber sido denunciado al santo oficio (de la Inquisición), pero prueba la falsedad de las incriminaciones y realiza su profesión de cuatro votos en 1645. Como sacerdote de la Compañía se dedica principalmente al ejercicio de la predicación, ministerio en el cual logra distinguirse, pero también realiza otras actividades acorde a su profesión. Muere el 7 de septiembre de 1688 en México.

Obra
El autor tiene varios títulos bajo su nombre, más uno que le es atribuido: Sufrir para merecer. No obstante, sus obras más conocidas, y examinadas, son Canción a la vista de un desengaño y la comedia de San Francisco de Borja o Viage del Marqués de Villena por mar y tierra a Mégico. Otros de sus trabajos son:
 Theatro gerárchico de la Luz, Pira cristiano política del Gobierno (México, Juan Ruiz, 1642)
 Sermón predicado en la fiesta de la solemne colocación de la cruz de Piedra hallada en Tepeapulco (México, 1648).
 Sermón de la publicación de la Bula de la Santa Cruzada en Mégico el día de S. Miguel del año 1649 (México, 1649).
 Historia del Auto público y general de Fe, celebrado en Mégico en 11 de abril de 1649 (México, Calderón, 1649).

Canción a la vista de un desengaño
La Canción a la vista de un desengaño, también conocida con los nombres Sobre la canción a la vista de un desengaño o Canción famosa o Canción alegórica a un desengaño, trata el tema del dolor que es sentido por los jóvenes al haber sido obligados a seguir el camino del sacerdocio, es decir, habla sobre su frustración y tristeza; es de esta manera que la obra "plantea el conflicto de la libertad y sus peligros, y resuelve la moraleja en favor de la sumisión y el cautiverio." Debido a su temática, se considera un caso extraño en la literatura colonial.

Esta obra no fue muy leída durante su época, sin embargo se volvió un argumento de competencia entre varios ingenios mexicanos a fines del ; siendo sobre todo parodiada e imitada. La más antigua de las imitaciones conocidas, a partir de los temas barrocos, es la de Bartolomé Fernández Talón en 1652, mientras que a fines del  fue emulada por el padre Juan de Arriola, Francisco José de Soria, José Manuel Colón Machado, Tomás Cayetano Ochoa y Manuel Antonio Valdés. Las reproducciones posteriores también tuvieron una gran difusión e incluso algunas de ellas fueron impresas varias veces.

Respecto a la fecha de su primera edición, no se tiene algún registro, en cambio sí se conoce que existe una reimpresión hecha en Puebla de los Ángeles en 1775 y otra en México en 1782. Asimismo circularon numerosas reimpresiones en los siglos XVII y XVIII.

En cuanto a la inspiración de este poema, proviene del estilo de Luis de Góngora junto a una mezcla de Fray Luis de León por los heptasílabos y endecasílabos de los versos. También, algunos consideran que Bocanegra pudo haberse inspirado en Antonio Mira de Amescua a partir de Canción real de una mudanza o que inclusive sea una paráfrasis de ésta, sólo que en la alegoría de Amescua, Bocanegra añade elementos narrativos y discursivos que acercan el poema al área de la fábula por el enlace claro de un hecho a su predeterminada moraleja, pero la adjetivación y otras notas estilísticas son menos afortunadas en el poema mexicano.

La poesía de Bocanegra se considera didáctica o, mejor dicho, una alegoría en la que los modelos de Góngora llegarían en metáforas e hipérboles o como una sombra de Calderón de la Barca, otra posible influencia, en los conceptos sobre la libertad y el "tono jesuístico"; este canto es el acercamiento al culteranismo por la tendencia a la amplificación, así como al énfasis en lo descriptivo y a la profusión verbal como fermosa cobertura de la intención filosófico-moral y de varios prosaísmos de expresión y de estructura, a lo que añade el empleo de ciertas contraposiciones de conceptos que recuerdan a La vida es Sueño de Calderón.

Comedia de San Francisco de Borja
La Comedia de San Francisco de Borja es impresa en México, por primera vez, bajo el nombre de Bocanegra en 1641, mas su publicación ya se había realizado con anterioridad, en 1640. La obra en su momento pasó "inadvertida" por un problema bibliográfico en su título, ya que ésta fue conocida como: Viaje de tierra, y mar, feliz por mar, y tierra, que hizo el Excellentissimo señor Marques de Villena mi señor, yendo por Virrey, y Capitan General de la Nueva España en la flota que embió su Magestad este año de mil y seiscientos y quarenta, siendo General della Roque Centeno, y Ordoñez: su almirante Iuan de Campos. Dirigido a don Ioseph Lopez Pacheco, Conde de Santistevan de Gormaz mi señor. Con licencia del Excellentissimo Señor Virrey desta Nueva España. Impresso en Mexico: En la Imprenta de Iuan Ruyz. Año de 1640. Después, el escrito tendría su nueva edición en 1641 en donde está la sección que encabeza el nombre de la comedia, como la conocemos actualmente, junto con el autor.

La comedia es de categoría hagiográfica y fue representada por los alumnos del Colegio de San Pedro y San Pablo, a causa de la visita del virrey, Marqués de Villena, al plantel de la Compañía de Jesús con el objetivo cumplimentar al Virrey y de evocar los desengaños de Borja ante la visita de la muerte. La obra inicia con la loa en honor del virrey y se divide en tres actos empezando con una escena de cacería. Hay en ella personajes históricos de la realeza y religiosos; otros representan de manera alegórica a la Hermosa y a la Vanidad, a la Virtud y a la Compañía de Jesús; hay un ángel y un paraninfo; también hay personajes que a su vez se disfrazan de otros personajes; hay bandoleros y soldados. Este título termina con un mitote o tocotín acompañado de música ejecutada con instrumentos indígenas o, bien, ayacatztles.

En esta comedia y el tocotín, Bocanegra reúne a España y a América, a la Compañía que llegó a México y a Villena que llegó a la Nueva España. Se cuenta que al virrey le gustó la obra y que por ello, en el final del texto, se indica que: "Mereció el lleno de esta fiesta la calificación que le dio el agrado de su Excelencia, diciendo ser digna de que se hiciese a los ojos de Su Majestad en su Real Corte."

Sufrir para merecer
Respecto a la atribución dudosa de Sufrir para merecer, ésta se otorga a Bocanegra, debido a una circunstancia relatada por Julio Jiménez Rueda en la nota que antepone a su edición del texto en la que dice que algunos papeles debieron pertenecer a este autor barroco, ya que se encontraban en ellos versiones de Canción a la vista de un desengaño, que siguen conservándose en el Archivo General de la Nación. No obstante, muchos no aceptan la pieza como parte de la escritura de Bocanegra, porque ésta no tiene la misma semejanza en el tono, estilo y versificación que en Canción a la vista de un desengaño.

Referencias

Nacidos en Puebla de Zaragoza
Escritores de México del siglo XVII
Jesuitas de México
Poetas de Nueva España
Dramaturgos de México
Escritores de Puebla
Fallecidos en Ciudad de México

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
National CMA
Welcome to the Indianapolis Catholic Medical Association
We are a group of Indianapolis-area physicians wanting to grow in the spirit of Christ in our personal and professional lives, so we can bring His Spirit to the science and art of medicine.
DIV Link
The White Mass for Healthcare Workers
A co-celebration of Catholic physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals with the Indianapolis and Lafayette diocese.
A White Mass is named for the white coats of the physicians and was traditionally celebrated on the Feast of Saint Luke (the patron Saint of physicians) in hospitals, chapels, parish churches, cathedrals, and everywhere that the physicians routinely gathered with their chaplains. White Masses honor all those who work in health care – from nurses and physicians, to dietary staff and lab workers, and their families and friends. Healthcare workers from all faiths are welcome.
The 5th Annual White Mass took place on September 22, 2022. Check back for the 2023 details.
Prayer to St. Raphael the Archangel
Glorious Archangel St. Raphael, great prince of the heavenly court, you are illustrious for your gifts of wisdom and grace. You are a guide of those who journey by land or sea or air, cousoler of the afflicted, and refuge of sinners. I beg you, assist me in all my needs and in all the sufferings of this life, as once you helped the young Tobias on his travels. Because you are the "medicine of God" I humbly pray you to heal the many infirmities of my soul and the ills that afflict my body. I especially ask of you the favor of my special intentions and the great grace of purity to prepare me to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
St. Raphael Guild of Indianapolis
c/o Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Church
520 Stevens Street | Indianapolis, Indiana 46203
Donate to St. Raphael Guild
St. Raphael Catholic Medical Guild of Indianapolis is recognized as a 501(C)(3) public charity by the Internal Revenue Service. Gifts are tax-deductible.
© 2023 St. Raphael Catholic Medical Guild of Indianapolis | All rights reserved.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Cutler Wins BDN Endorsement in Maine Governor's Race - But Does it Matter?
Susan Sharon
MPBN
BANGOR, Maine - At the headquarters of independent gubernatorial hopeful Eliot Cutler, staffers are celebrating today's editorial endorsement of their candidate by the Bangor Daily News. Cutler will pick up all of the large daily newspaper endorsements in Maine this year -- but that's because the Bangor Daily News is the only paper that's still carrying on that tradition.
There's this thing about independent candidates for governor and the Bangor Daily News: Forty years ago it was the only paper to back James B. Longley, who surprised everyone with a victory. Then, in 1978 the BDN endorsed Baptist minister Herman "Buddy" Franklin - who lost. In 1994, it passed on independent Angus King and opted for Susan Collins - who also lost.
Then, four years ago, the BDN, along with the Lewiston Sun Journal, the Portland Press Herald, the Kennebec Journal and the Waterville Sentinel, endorsed Cutler. This year, the BDN is backing Cutler once again, and this time it is among the last of Maine's larger daily newspapers to continue that tradition. BDN Editorial Page Editor Susan Young says the decision was not made without considerable discussion.
"You have to wonder whether the tradition of political endorsements is something that's still valuable today," Young says.
Maine Today Media might have passed on candidate endorsements, even if the publisher's wife was not 1st District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. But the chain's flagship paper, the Portland Press Herald, and its sister publications in Augusta and Waterville, sidestepped the uncomfortable role of endorsing Pingree by simply adopting a policy that says: "We've decided that it's not our job to tell you how to vote - we work for readers, not candidates."
At the Lewiston Sun Journal, Editor Rex Rhoades says the publication has decided to shelve its tradition of endorsements, like other papers across the country. But at the BDN, Young says the paper believes it has an obligation to it readers.
"We have access to candidates, we get to meet with them one on one, we have coverage that our reporters have done," Young says, "and it seems a valuable thing for us to do to draw on those meetings and that coverage to use our voice as an asset."
The BDN is bucking a national trend, according to Rick Edmonds, media business analyst at the Poynter Institute. "I do think the times are changing in the sense that the notion that the newspaper should be the arbiter of these elections," Edmonds says.
"I tend to disagree with that," says Mark Brewer, a political science professor at the University of Maine. Brewer says that the newspaper endorsements still matter - particularly among a certain segment of voters. "I think that newspaper endorsements do still matter - maybe not to all voters, but I think particularly for voters who may be undecided in a particular race or on a particular ballot question."
In addition to the BDN endorsement, Eliot Cutler is also backed by the Portsmouth Herald and several York County newspapers.
PoliticsEliot CutlerMaine governor's raceYour Vote 2014
Maine Election Twist: GOP Funds Mailer Touting Independent Cutler


text:
Coach irked by lowered expectations for Syracuse women's basketball: 'It's insulting'
Syracuse Women's Basketball Media Day 2019
By Lindsay Kramer | lkramer@syracuse.com
Syracuse, N.Y. -- Syracuse women's basketball coach Quentin Hillsman was in his element Friday afternoon, the shadow of a new season edging closer and the chip on his shoulder growing by the day.
Hillsman concluded his opening remarks at media day with a warning for doubters who expect SU to plummet because of the loss of star point guard Tiana Mangakahia, who will miss the season as she recovers from breast cancer.
At the end of last season the Orange with Mangakahia was projected as Final Four-caliber team. ESPN.com tabbed Syracuse at No. 10 in its way-too-early Top 25.
But the predictions since news of Mangakahia's illness broke have been less rosy. A recent NCAA.com poll excluded SU from its top 10.
And Hillsman, in his 14th season running the Orange, has apparently found enough spare time in-between prepping his team for its Nov. 5 opener against Ohio to notice.
"It's insulting. It really is. We've worked hard to get this program to a level," he said. "We started the season top-10 in the country. You look at the rankings and you're out. They're going to find out very soon that we have a very good basketball team. A lot of people have these wrong rankings. I don't know what to tell you.
"We're ready to go. We're going to be in a hostile state. I'm ready to play, I'm sure they're ready to play and we're really tired of hearing the comments of where we are and how far we've fallen. We haven't fallen much yet."
Hillsman has led Syracuse to seven straight NCAA Tournaments and often likes to spice up preseason talk by predicting his team will go undefeated. He stood by that objective Friday, though he added another guarantee even if things go very wrong.
"You're going to see a very aggressive basketball team. (If SU went) 0-38, you're going to say this is the best 0-38 team you've ever seen because they played hard every night," he said.
Hillsman insisted he had planned on not having Mangakahia anyways because he figured she would leave for the WNBA after last season. Instead, she returned for a fifth year and looked to ignite a loaded lineup that returned four starters.
Hillsman maintains his optimism because of the talents of returning point guard Kiara Lewis, who shared time with Mangakahia last year, plus the addition of another strong recruiting class. Hillsman said this could be his fastest and most athletic team yet.
"We're right where we need to be as far as talent, as far as athleticism and depth at positions. We've had some lineups to where we just went big and weren't as quick. But now, we don't have that anymore," Hillsman said.
"I think that instead of looking at it like a one-person loss, we're looking at it as six-person gain," returning swing player Emily Engstler said of the newcomers. "The players that he recruited that are here now are great players. I think this is a special group. I really believe in this team."
The complicating factor is that the Orange is playing what will likely be its most challenging schedule in the Hillsman era.
Ohio was 30-6 last season, and the non-conference warmups get tougher from there. SU hosts NCAA title contender Oregon and will travel to Michigan for the ACC/B1G Challenge.
The Victoria Invitational over Thanksgiving carries the potential for Syracuse to face heavyweights Stanford and Mississippi State. Michigan State and West Virginia loom at the Florida Sunshine Classic to wrap up non-conference action.
Then comes the ACC, the toughest women's basketball conference in the country. A change in league scheduling pits SU against national powerhouses Notre Dame and Louisville twice instead of just once.
"We're not scared of nobody. We wish Tiana was here, of course. She's a great player," said senior guard Gabrielle Cooper. "But she's not so we have to keep moving forward."
Thanks for visiting Syracuse.com. Quality local journalism has never been more important, and your subscription matters. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.


Hilton's old playground was over 20 years old, and the outdated equipment was inaccessible to all students.
The PSO surveyed students, families, teachers and staff to determine the most desired elements in the new playground. The Playground Committee included parents, teachers, school staff, as well as physicians and occupational therapists offering their expert opinions on the playground design.
Our final design came from Service Supply Ltd., based in Columbus, utilizing the quality equipment of Landscape Structures.
Studies have shown strong evidence that recess improves children's physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development.
Research reviews show that minimizing recess results in decreases in academic performance.
Research suggests that children with disabilities play more interactively when integrated with typical peers.
Recess is the best way to offer unstructured free play, which is essential for child development.
Studies have also shown that for recess to be effective, it must be safe and well-supervised. Well-maintained playground equipment and safe environmental conditions are essential.
The children wanted to thank everyone who donated to the Playground project.
Over the 2014-2015 school year, the Hilton PSO finalized the playground design and raised funds through the school and district communities to reach their goal of a $100K budget.
Thank you to all the organizations and families who donated funds to make our dream playground a reality!
A Buddy Bench is a simple idea to help kids foster friendship and spread the message of kindness.
If a student feels alone on the playground, (s)he can sit on the Buddy Bench and wait for another student to offer an invitation to play or talk.
The Bench comes to Hilton, with love, from the following retired Hilton staff members: Joanne Beshara, Lynne Bobula, Peggy Ciolek, Barb Cuy, Peggy Garrison, Sandy Hendricks, Mary Kilbane, Sally Metcalfe, Roberta Petznick, Ellene Raleigh Lucas, Gayle Sokolowski, Barb Stupp, Kathy Szczepaniak, and Mary Toth.
We extend a special thank you to Bob Smith (Concrete Works), Lisa Mann (Caruso's Coffee), Paul Petznick and The Hilton PSO who helped with time and materials.


WordPress is one of the most popular platforms for hosting websites, especially blogs, since the website owner doesn't have to design and develop the website right from scratch, but rather get it crafted according to their individual needs by WordPress. As WordPress grows, more and more ambitious people on the internet have begun opting for it to get started with their online presence. However, beginners have always found it difficult on deciding the hosting specifics of their WordPress website.
WordPress has become so enormous since it's conception because of its huge open source community. Apart from core WordPress core development, people from all over the world contribute to various free plugins.
For WordPress hosting, you can get plans for a few dollars per month to more than seven hundred dollars per month for massive business websites.
This vastness of WordPress confounds and confuses new entrants to WordPress as they don't know where to begin. But fear not, we have something here for you.
This guide essentially delves into WordPress hosting for beginners which helps them resolve this issue to a great extent. We encompass the key features that one needs to look for a WordPress hosting service.
In this guide, we are going to compare five different types of WordPress services based on three important points.
Are you just starting out blogging? or want to start a new blog? Shared hosting is for you. You don't have to shell out a lot of money for shared hosting plans. Bluehost offers shared hosting plan for just $3.45 per month.
WordPress hosting for beginners becomes easy when they go for a shared plan in cases when they are running mostly blogs or less complex websites that do not receive a lot of traffic. These plans are crafted especially for those who are looking for a very basic plan, devoid of any high payment structure.
So why is it called shared hosting? It's because the user shares the server resources with another user, given that his own WordPress hosting needs are not very high since the requirements are not high-volume. Such a hosting costs a couple of dollars for a user.
However, once your website starts receiving more number of users, you can upgrade to the next level.
Following are my recommendations for shared WordPress hosting.
If you are starting out large and if you want features such as auto updates, security, backups, WordPress support, then you can certainly go for this option. In this case, you just have to worry about your content. Everything related to WordPress software will be taken care by the hosting provider. As compare to other hosting, websites running in managed WordPress hosting are faster and secure.
Taking a security backup of all your website data.
Protecting your website with firewalls and anti-malware.
Activating performance boosters such as server-side caching.
Following are my recommendations for managed WordPress hosting.
A virtual private server provides you with all the benefits of a dedicated server. However, they still differ from them in a significant manner. Here is how.
When you host your website on a Virtual Private Server, you get special position reserved for you on their server. So even if you are sharing the server space with other users, you will still be able to have a separate space for your own website.
So any plans and customizations in the plan that you choose, will not apply to others and will remain exclusively only on your website.
No sharing of resources- all the resources that you use are exclusive to your plan and your website.
Managed plan- your host manages your plans, and there is no need for you to have any technical knowledge of the plan.
WordPress cloud hosting is the one that fits all sizes. So whether you are an owner of a small website or if you are running a big website on WordPress, a cloud hosting plan will fit any type of web hosting requirement. Cloud services have been making waves for the past several years and have proven themselves to be cost-effective and competent.
In a cloud hosting service, you can scale up and scale down the services as per your requirement. So even if you are planning to scale your plan to a higher degree, you don't need to go for another type of hosting altogether. All you have to do is to scale up your plan to a higher level.
The best feature of a cloud platform based WordPress hosting is that you have to pay only for what you are using. This is in stark contrast to other hosting services where you have to pay for loads of other services only because you are sharing the plan with others.
Following are my recommendations for Cloud WordPress hosting.
If you are running a massive web application on WordPress that requires high processing power and cannot afford to share the resource with any other user, this is the type of plan that will benefit you.
A dedicated hosting plan helps you to have a complete control of a server, as the name suggests, it is dedicated only to your website and no other application. So you don't need to think anymore about sharing the server resource with any other web application at all.
Also, managing your website is an easy job now, since you don't have to worry about errors and troubleshooting as the whole server is dedicated to your website. In addition, you also get support from the hosting provider for the various problems that you may face.
Following are my recommendations for dedicated WordPress hosting.
These were the five main types of WordPress website hosting methods to choose from when you have begun your WordPress journey. However, it is mostly the lower-end plans that you are going to need when you are a beginner since most of the other plans are meant for those who already have a scaled up website.
You can always scale up, whenever your website gets more and more visitors.


Currently, several media sharing applications that allow social interactions between distributed users are gaining momentum. In these networked scenarios, synchronized playout between the involved participants must be provided to enable truly interactive and coherent shared media experiences. This research topic is known as Inter-Destination Media Synchronization (IDMS). This paper presents the design and development of an advanced IDMS solution, which is based on extending the capabilities of RTP/RTCP standard protocols. Particularly, novel RTCP extensions, in combination with several control algorithms and adjustment techniques, have been specified to enable an adaptive, highly accurate and standard compliant IDMS solution. Moreover, as different control or architectural schemes for IDMS exist, and each one is best suited for specific use cases, the IDMS solution has been extended to be able to adopt each one of them. Simulation results prove the satisfactory responsiveness of our IDMS solution in a small scale scenario, as well as its consistent behavior, when using each one of the deployed architectural schemes.
Montagud Climent, M.A, Boronat, F, Stokking, H.M, & Cesar Garcia, P.S. (2014). Design, Development and Assessment of Control Schemes for IDMS in a Standardized RTCP-based Solution. Computer Networks Journal , 70(9), 240–259.


Groenkloof is a no-go area. I would rather try places like Nkwe. Further away, but close to Hans Strijdom that is going to Unitas.
Thanks for the recommendation. Booked a tent stand this morning for the upcoming long weekend.
It looks great but is it safe?
why I like Baslake it's like a fortress, I sleep well with no issues.
Dit lyk goed! Kan jy meer inligting gee?
Daar is dam waar jy kan visvang. Warm water swembad maar is meer net op te chill. Pool Tafel en Tafel tennis. Daar is ook wild op die plaas. As jy wil kan jy bass in die rivier vang. Mooi groen Gras en bome. Let wel die tent stand is groot genoeg vir n trailer en tent. Die ander is vir karavaan bedoel. Krag is daar ook en mooi amblusie blok. Twee storte per kant. Dit is op dieselfde pad as wat jy willems rus toe ry net aan die linkerkant.
Spent the recent long weekend at Ezemvelo campsite...R500 for 3 nights...such a lekker spot ...great night sounds.
Any thoughts on Dinokeng Resort? We enjoyed Willem's Rus but would like to try another camp. The limited reviews I could find online seem very favourable.
We've been to Dinokeng Resort. Very nice. We see Almega is also supposed to be very popular.
Also awaiting confirmation for a booking for this weekend at Dinokeng Resort. Will be first camp with with my newly acquired Wilderness 310.
My girlfriend asked me to whisper 4 special words into her ear... so I said : "Ons gaan NOU braai!"
Also awaiting confirmation for a booking for this weekend at Dinokeng Resort. Will be first camp with with my new acquired Wilderness 310.
They are very slow to respond to emails. I had to phone a few times before I got confirmation that we were booked.
Last edited by rocketscientist; 2017/05/15 at 10:29 AM.
Thanks for the heads up, will give them a call in the next few minutes.
Had an awesome weekend at Dinokeng Resort. Highly recommended!
The bunch from the FB page Kamp-Mal booked the whole place earlier in the year, and everybody's feedback was very positive. The people who manage the place is very friendly and helpful, and I know that a lot of people return to Tshikwalo time after time.


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Siebren Versteeg, Reflection Eternal
April 20–Jun 4, 2017
Artist Siebren Versteeg
Reflection Eternal
Fake Fire
Danny Liker
2017_03_31_0025663_Today_3800x4600
WP_000444
Reception: Thursday, April 20, 6 – 8 PM
bitforms gallery presents Reflection Eternal, our debut solo exhibition by New York-based artist Siebren Versteeg. The exhibition will be on view from April 20 – June 4.
At the core of Reflection Eternal are three software programs developed by the artist which generate a limitless amount of digital paintings which can be selected, saved, and printed in perpetuity. The programs are presented on a worktable placed in the center of the gallery with examples of their output selected by Versteeg hung throughout the gallery. In these works, the act of making a painting is distilled into the immeasurable potential of algorithms as well as the decision of when to make them stop.
Today (2017) creates and offers an endless march of 16×20 inch canvases which incorporate images scraped in real-time from various online news and image feed sources. In these works, the daily glut of images is combatted by automated gestural responses which literally "see" the image's content and aim to amend it. As the program ticks through the pictures of the day, it can be seen to reflect an artist's struggle to respond to the mammoth force of the continuing passing of time.
Another software program, A Rose (2017), generates one continuously accruing painting that may be saved and presented as ongoing versions of an endless pursuit. Tilted after Jay Defeo's monumental work which accumulated mass for over eight years, Versteeg's A Rose paints ad infinitum. As the work drifts slowly through time, the subtle intricacies of Versteeg's code are revealed in an endless array of painterly variables. While Defeo's Rose accrued over a ton of material, necessitating excavation from her studio in 1966, Versteeg's program speaks to the nomadic flatness and continued dematerialization of 'thingness' in the digital age.
Ubiquity takes many of the same painting attributes as A Rose, yet forms an ever-evolving, endlessly repeating, wallpaper pattern. Examples of output specifically selected for this installation cover the walls as you enter the gallery while an artist's book of thirteen sample compositions selected by the artist is also on view.
Framing the workspace/showroom evoked by the software and paintings are two new works from 'Dummies', Versteeg's series of Internet connected figurative sculptures made of steel and outfitted with custom software. Eye in the Sky (2017) stares blankly into a simulated barrel fire while clutching a monitor that continuously displays feedback images of what it sees as filtered through Google's search by image technology. Evoking a vagabond traversing a placeless landscape, the figure performs the endless feedback loop that parallels the pursuit of painting itself. Danny Liker sits at the central table, programmatically performing the act of pressing the Like heart on a computer logged into Versteeg's own Instagram account…he nearly likes it all.
The exhibition continues Versteeg's ongoing investigation into the relationship between technology and mortality that emerged in his prescient two-channel video installation, Untitled (Film) (2004), which pulled names in real time from birth and death announcement web sites into endless credit scenes of an imagined film. While Untitled (Film) situated the viewer in a space between birth and death, Reflection Eternal implicates Versteeg himself as he confronts the potential for an algorithm to outlive the physical body.
Siebren Versteeg was born in 1971 in New Haven, CT. He holds an MFA from The University of Illinois at Chicago (2004) and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (1996). Solo exhibitions of his work have been mounted at University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, MI; Museum of Art at Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI; Hallwalls, Buffalo, NY; Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, OH; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL; Michael Jon and Alan, Miami, FL; Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago, IL; and Max Protetch, New York, NY. His work has been included in group exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL; The Contemporary Museum, Baltimore, MD; Krannert Art Museum, Urbana-Champaign, IL; The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, PA; National Museum of Art, Prague, Czech Republic; James Cohan Gallery, New York, NY, and Clifton Benevento, New York, NY. Versteeg has received a MacDowell Fellowship (2016), Illinois Arts Council Fellowship (2005), The Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture Merit Fellowship (2004), and Stone Fellowship for Graduate Study from The University of Illinois at Chicago (2002), and was a Kennedy Visiting Artist in Residence at the University of South Florida, Tampa (2009). Prominent collections featuring his work include the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C.; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT; The Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Bufallo, NY; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL; and Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence, RI. Versteeg lives and works in Queens, NY.


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The effect of plastic on workers in the plastic industry, Apple's efforts to resist curbs on distracted driving and amateur video helps a state OSH agency crack down on asbestos violators. These were among the top safety stories featured this week on ISHN.com.
Poor workmanship caused deadly Pennsylvania house explosion
An improperly installed gas connection that allowed natural gas to seep into a single-family house was the probable cause of a deadly 2017 explosion in Millersville, Pennsylvania, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined. The July 2, 2017 explosion at 206 Springdale Lane killed one person and injured three others, destroyed the residence and significantly damaged six neighboring homes, one of which was subsequently condemned.
OSHA's rulemaking procedure under scrutiny
Teenage health care worker regulation change prompted calls for review
The U.S. Department of Labor is investigating whether the U.S. Department of Labor under the Trump administration is following proper procedures when making regulatory changes to worker safety regulations. In a letter to Congressional Democrats, who'd requested an audit of the DOL's rulemaking process, DOL Inspector General Scott S. Dahl said a review of the "integrity of the rulemaking process" at OSHA was already underway.
Pipeline explosion in Mexico kills 85
A week after a similar incident killed people in Nigeria, a pipeline explosion in Mexico has claimed 85 lives, and injured 58, with dozens more still missing. According to news sources, the disaster occurred as people filled containers with gasoline from a pipeline that was illegally punctured. Fuel theft is widespread in Mexico, causing pipelines to be shutdown repeatedly for the repair of punctures.
Oil tanker truck explodes in Nigeria, causing fatalities
A truck carrying oil overturned and exploded in Nigeria on Friday, killing at least a dozen people, and as many as 60, according to news reports. Another 22 people reportedly suffered burn injuries and were taken to local hospitals.
From the NIOSH Director's desk:
NORA gains momentum into 2019
Dr. John Howard
It's a new year, and in many ways a fresh start; but not for the NORA (National Occupational Research Agenda) councils that continue to build on the efforts of the past two years. The ten sector councils from the second decade of NORA carried forward their work to improve occupational safety and health in industry sectors.
BLS: Fatal falls up, workplace violence fatalities down
Statistics released yesterday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed that workplace fatalities declined by less than one percent in 2017. The BLS' 2017 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries noted that 5,147 fatal injuries were reported last year, as compared to 5,190 in 2016. The fatality rate among full-time workers was also down slightly.
Pipeline workers injured in Pa. accident
Two workers were injured Sunday in Pennsylvania when they were struck by equipment they were using to clean the interior of a 20" underground pipeline. One worker was treated at a local hospital and released. The other was hospitalized with a broken arm.
NTSB: 3rd party drilling caused deadly natural gas blast
Two years after a natural gas-fueled explosion rocked downtown Canton, Illinois, killing one person and injuring 11 others, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded its investigation into the incident.
From the NIOSH Director:
Advancing oil and gas workplace safety and health research
The oil and gas extraction industry continues to expand in the United States, but this growth comes with increased risks for workers in the industry. During 2003–2016, 1,485 oil and gas extraction workers were killed on the job, resulting in an annual fatality rate more than six times higher than the rate among all U.S. workers.
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Lincoln Parish K-9 shot, killed in the line of duty
Boco was working to find an attempted murder suspect when deputies said they heard a volley of gunfire.
Author: WWL Staff
Published: 8:14 AM CDT August 19, 2018
Updated: 10:06 PM CDT August 19, 2018
LINCOLN PARISH, La. -- A North Louisiana K-9 officer is dead after a suspect shot him during a chase.
Police said around 7:30 p.m. Friday, they received a call of a suspicious person at a home. When deputies arrived, they found Vincent Roberson from Monroe, who was wanted for attempted second-degree murder for reportedly shooting his girlfriend.
As deputies approached, they said Roberson ran into the woods behind the home, and K-9 Boco was released. Moments later, deputies said they heard gunfire and could not find Boco.
Law enforcement from multiple agencies continue the search and were able to arrest Roberson around 2 a.m. Saturday morning.
Later that morning, deputies were able to find Boco's body.
"Boco died heroically helping to apprehend a suspect in order to keep our community safe," said a post from the Lincoln Parish Sheriff Department's Facebook page.