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Sierra Madre, CA Plumbing & Electric
Most of us have enough going on that the last thing we spend time thinking about is our plumbing and electrical systems. Fortunately these systems are usually reliable and require very little attention, but it's important to have expert Sierra Madre, CA plumbers and electricians on call whenever you do find you need service. All plumbing, drain and sewer and electrical issues should be addressed as soon as possible to prevent unnecessary damage and disruption to your life.
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Sierra Madre, CA Plumbing
Ace Pelizon has provided plumbing installation, maintenance and repair services to Sierra Madre, CA homeowners for years. Whether you need your pipes replaced due to their age, or you have a leaky faucet, or your toilet just won't stop running, we're here to help. Our plumbers are trained with the newest technology in the industry to ensure we offer top notch service on every visit. Call today for any type of plumbing service and one of our expert service staff will be happy to assist you.
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Ace Pelizon has the resources and staff on hand to handle all manner of drain and sewer services and installations. We offer full video inspection and high speed jetting to check for and remove clogs from your pipes and can provide a full range of replacement and repair options for sewer lines including trenchless pipe replacement and sewer relining. If you live in Sierra Madre, CA and you have any concerns about your sewer and drainage system, call Ace Pelizon today. Our expert plumbers can quickly be dispatched to diagnose and resolve any problem you might have.
Sierra Madre, CA Hot Water Heaters
It's essential that you have a good hot water heater and that it works well, and we have all of the necessary tools and experience to make sure that's always the case. Whether it's repair services, routine maintenance or a complete water heater replacement, we can get the job done quickly and efficiently.
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Water treatment is a must for any home with hard water or high levels of minerals like calcium, magnesium, sulfur or iron. Ace Pelizon offers a full range of services to treat your water, from initial testing to installation of whole house water filtration systems to ensure your water is safe for drinking. If you're worried about your home's water supply, call Ace Pelizon today and learn what our Sierra Madre, CA water treatment experts can do for you.
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We're also here to meet all of your electrical needs. Our Sierra Madre, CA electricians are highly trained and able to complete any job. From large projects like complete wiring for new home additions to the smallest problem with an individual outlet, we'll have an expert at as soon as possible to assess the situation and complete any necessary work. Don't attempt to perform work that can be dangerous if you are untrained – call the electrical professionals at Ace Pelizon.
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Not an easy repair, but Gary pulled it off
Fred - Sierra Madre, CA
Gary replaced a hidden leaking elbow, with minimum damage to the dry walls. Access was difficult, but Gary pulled it off. He's the best!
Rob's the best.
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I called Friday and they came out Saturday. And it wasn't an emergency. Thanks Anna!
Easy to recommend!
Mutia - Sierra Madre, CA
I have used Ace Pelizon for 16 years. They are fantastic.
Quick and efficient
Fred - Sierra Madre, CA
My service call was handled very efficiently. The Ace Pelizon service man arrived at my door within two hours of my call. He diagnosed the problem quickly and correctly (unlike an other contractor who quoted me $800) and fixed the heater in a little over an hour. Parts were covered by Bradford White warranty. I can certainly recommend Ace Pelizon and will certainly use them again in the future.
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Cleaning a sewer line as preventative maintenance
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Clearing sewer lines and bath drains in Sierra Madre
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Installed a 3/4" water pressure regulator in Sierra Madre.
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Inspect and give a report for a Septic system
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In Sierra Madre repairing a Bradford white water heater
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Water saving western toilet repair by Gary in Monrovia with new ballcock fill valve and new stainless water connector


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2014 Sea Otter Classic: The Nation's Largest Bike Gathering!
It's that time! We excited to once again be attending the Sea Otter Classic, April 10-13, 2014! In addition to having the worthy mission of "making people's lives better through participation in sport and recreation and through celebration of an active outdoor lifestyle," Sea Otter is known for its incredible attendance — some 65,000 fellow bike folk (including professional riders, cycling enthusiasts, and the best bike gear companies) will be out and celebrating all things cycling at this weekend's season opener in beautiful Monterey, California.
Join us in kicking off this year's Sea Otter with Osprey Packs demos, bike races, and great new product! Read more…
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By Hannah J. Goldman | Photo Contributions by Ross Dettman
Thirteen months and three days ago, the Chicago Wolves raised the 2008 Calder Cup Championship banner at their 2008-09 home opener against the Peoria Rivermen. Wolves fans were basking in the glory of the title from the year before, but the team on the ice was a very different group.
Such is not the case when taking a glance at the Chicago roster this season. After a one-year hiatus, center Kevin Doell, and 2008 MVP Jason Krog and defenseman Nathan Oystrick are back in the line-up, hoping to lead another title run in the Windy City.
It's long way from Sweden, where Doell spent the 2008-09 season. And the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, native is excited to be sporting the burgundy and gold uniform once again.
"A lot of things factored into my decision to come back to Chicago," he explained. "I enjoyed my time over in Sweden and everything, but it was always in the back of my mind to give it another shot and maybe win another championship here.
"Obviously, I still have goals to play in the NHL, and if that works out, fine," he continued. "But in the meantime, knowing Chicago and playing here for five years, I have enjoyed it and fell in love with the city and the fans. I just thought that it was the perfect fit, so why not give it another shot?"
{gallery}/breakaway/0910/doell:200::1:0:{/gallery}Since graduating from the University of Denver in 2003, the 30-year-old forward has spent his entire career in the Atlanta organization, working through the ranks from the ECHL Gwinnett Gladiators up to an eight-game stint with the Thrashers in 2007-08.
Doell definitely has accomplished goals that most young hockey players dream of: winning the WCHA title with Denver in 2002; being named ECHL Rookie of the Year in 2004; and recording an astounding hat trick in a span of 77-seconds – a Wolves franchise record – during a Dec. 15, 2007, game. But most important, he helped Chicago capture the 2008 Calder Cup Championship, amassing four goals and five assists during the 24-game playoff run.
"The hat trick was more funny than it was an accomplishment," joked Doell. "Not being a goal scorer in the AHL, being able to get a hat trick was pretty cool. But, definitely the thing that tops all of that was winning the Calder Cup.
"It was a long and exhausting year, both mentally and physically, but after you raise that Cup, it is all worth it. Even now, when you reflect back on it, it is still just as exciting and you remember how much work you did to accomplish it," Doell said.
In a big-league sports city like Chicago, you might think an AHL crown would fly under the radar of the media masses, but the victorious Wolves felt nothing of the sort. Among other events, Doell threw out the first pitch at a White Sox game, an opportunity he garnered by winning a coin toss with his teammates, and also had the chance to take the Calder Cup on a visit to the Chicago Board of Trade.
"I thought that was the coolest thing [we did]," he said. "Every time we would walk by one of the pits, everyone would just stop trading and give us a standing ovation. It was unbelievable. Everyone knew who we were and was congratulating us, and that was amazing."
Although looking back brings good memories, now is the time to look forward. As an assistant captain this season, Doell, along with Krog, Oystrick and right wing Joey Crabb, plans to lead the Wolves with one message: winning.
The Wolves franchise is certainly not used to losing, and Doell plans on making that message loud and clear to everyone in the locker room, especially those who were not part of the 2007-08 roster.
"It is definitely important to get the message across to everybody that the organization does not take losing lightly," Doell said. "In
a way, it is a tough business like that, but when you win here, there is nothing better."
As a captain, Doell does not feel like there is much of a difference in terms of his leadership other than actually sporting the "A." With the group of older guys around the locker room, he feels that the team has good leadership to make a run this year, and for him, it is most important to just lead by example. One thing is certain, with the quartet of captains having all been a part of the '08 championship team, he, Krog, Oystrick and Crabb are united in their goals for the season ahead.
"This organization is all about winning," Doell said. "We need to focus on doing everything we can to win the games on the ice. Off the ice, we will have a lot of fun, but we are here to win hockey games. If we don't do that, then things are not as fun as they should be."
With what has already proved to be an interesting season so far, Doell is concentrating on contributing to his team. He will put a lot of focus on his penalty killing abilities, hoping to be at the top of the Wolves in that category. And although Doell likes to get some goals and put points up when he can, the hard-checking center is more of an energy and defensive forward.
"I will do anything I can to help the team win," he said. "I'll run a guy and hit a guy and start something to get the guys going any way I can. Sometimes we will come out a little flat, so it is my job to get things going and light a spark, so I will do that, too."
As in all sports, seasons can take many unexpected twists and turns, but one thing that Wolves fans can count on is for Doell to give everything he has to bring this team back to the playoffs. And if the Allstate Arena is seeming a little quiet, you can expect Doell to do what it takes to make the rafters shake.


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Top 5 big name apps we want to see on iPhone and iPad in 2011
TiPb breaks down the must have apps we want to see from Apple, Adobe, Google, Microsoft, and RIM/BlackBerry for iPhone and iPad
Despite hundreds of thousands of iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps in the App Store, there are still some huge gaps, and major apps missing from the big players, including Apple themselves, Adobe, Google, Microsoft, and BlackBerry maker RIM. Some of the best known software on the market simply isn't available for iOS. We're hoping that changes in 2011, and after the break are the apps we're hoping help make the change!
Apple: Files
I wrote at length about the need for a Finder app and amended it to a Files app in 2010 and now, at the beginning of 2011, it still tops my list for new iPhone and iPad apps I want from Apple. The reason is simple: document access on iOS as it currently stands is a nightmare. Apple's own iDisk and third parties like DropBox and Box.net offer functionality that really should be native and as off-line as it is on. Again, the Photo app is the model. It preserves the sandbox by providing a central repository for files, and allows them to easily be opened via the Picker in any other app. What Photos does or images and video, Files should do for documents (and both should do via Safari so we can upload to the web, just saying...). Apple, make it happen.
Also want:
- iWork for iPhone. We have it for iPad, we've seen it teased for iPhone, it can't possibly not be released in 2011.
- iPhoto for iOS. Create albums, move photos between them, do basic editing like crop and red-eye removal, and sync selected photos. We got iMovie for iPhone (and hopefully for iPad 2 soon), give us iPhoto.
Adobe: Flash Player
For years people have been angry at Apple for the lack of Flash support. And that's ridiculous. It's entirely Adobe's fault for coasting on shoddy code for the last five years and only delivering a workable mobile Flash, in beta, near the end of 2010. But deliver it they have. It's not great; I've disabled it on my Nexus One, but Adobe is working on it fearfully hard, and Google and Palm and RIM have chosen to support it (and in so doing slowed the switch to HTML 5. Jerks.), so it'll get good enough. I don't think Apple would allow a Flash plugin like on other devices -- it's a security risk and a user experience hit -- but a Flash Player? Apple could work with Adobe to create a Flash app much like the YouTube app. A single app that, if it detects Flash video anywhere else on the device, especially Safari, it can take the handoff and play it in its own little, highly optimized, hopefully hardware accelerated, Flash-cookie-free sandbox. (Much how the QuickTime player handles H.264 video). It's not 2007 anymore, and 2011 isn't Flash free, so it's time to bite the bullet on this one.
Also want:
- Creative Suite Viewer That I can view AutoCad docs on my iPhone and iPad and not Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign is a disgrace. Get on that, Adobe!
Google: Gmail
I don't want to come off as greedy, since my mind is still blown by getting Google Voice and Google Latitude in 2010, but in 2011 I really, truly would like a native Gmail app that can handle things like attaching pictures and video (and Files.app, right Apple?). In a perfect world Google would have made Gmail more compatible with other mail systems, seamlessly handling labels as folders and stars as flags. In a perfect world, Apple would actually handle things like stars/flags in the built-in Mail app. But keeping with the pragmatic theme of this post, and acknowledging how annoying separate email apps are on Android, I'd still like a native Gmail app for iPhone and iPad. If it gets decent push notifications built in, like the Google Mobile app, I won't even have to worry about iOS not having a "set default mail client" setting.
Also want:
- Google Navigation When Android got this for free we heard rumors iPhone would be getting it as well. Then not. Then again. Then not again. Google, just do it.
(If you could somehow get Apple to add those newfangled vector graphics to the Google-powered, built-in Maps app, we'd appreciate that as well).
Microsoft: Office
Documents to Go is great. QuickOffice is grand. Even Google Docs is usable over the web. But Microsoft, baby (can I call you baby?) none of those are Office. Sure, Office is a beast of a suite, as frustrating as it is fantastic, but it's the standard and it belongs on iPhone and iPad. You've built it for Windows Mobile. You've built it for Windows Phone. You've even built it for Mac and are working on it for Nokia. You know how to do Apple and you know how to do mobile, so it's time to do Mobile Apple. Sure you lose a differentiator for your own OS, but you had no problem doing that for Exchange, did you? Microsoft, stop teasing us and make 2011 the year of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for iPhone and iPad. Okay?
Also want:
- Outlook ActiveSync is okay but for hard core Exchange users a native Outlook app is every bit as important as a native Gmail app is to Googlers. Let's get that sync'ed.
- Zune Pass Apple hasn't done subscription music yet but they have sold a gazillion iOS devices. Get those users on Zune Pass before iTunes.com launches.
RIM: BlackBerry Connect
CrackBerry Kevin already laid out why, in a post Kik-world, RIM would be better off owning the cross-platform instant messaging space than sitting on the sidelines while some third-party service breaks the crack off from the berry, so I'll just echo his sentiments here. BlackBerry Connect used to bring BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) to other devices; it could do the same again. Do I expect to see Big Mike bound across a WWDC stage any time soon? No, but Apple did announce a Microsoft ActiveSync license at the iOS 2 event in 2008, so announcing a BlackBerry Connect license in 2011 wouldn't be unprecedented.
Also want:
- BrickBreaker. Kidding! Give me BBM and I'm good.
Your picks?
Those the top 5 big name apps I'd like to see come to iPhone and iPad in 2011. What are yours? (Besides Facebook for iPad, of course!)
Have something to say about this story? Leave a comment! Need help with something else? Ask in our forums!
Reader comments
Top 5 big name apps we want to see on iPhone and iPad in 2011
You will never see flash player. Iworks probably instead of office. You might have to wait for google to make an app for gmail. Rim doesn't want to help out apple. The kinda likely one is files.
None other than BBM on my iPhone. I'd be the happiest living being on this planet.
Files is desperately needed, Flash is just a waste of time and will never happen the way it does on Android, but I think most likely and most useful app is the Gmail app. Most power iPhone users have Gmail as their primary personal email address and to have it separate from your work Exchange account would be magnificent. Push notifications and attachment handling would make it a must have since Gmail simply does the web interface better than anything else out there.
HUGE YES to all of these. Best article in a long time, illuminating exactly what this phone needs in Apps. Thanks!
P.S. I still kinda miss brick breaker. I got obscenely far into that game a few times.
I'd like to see better support for PDF files. I downloaded PDF Reader Lite from the apps store ( www.Kdanmobile.com/iphone/ ) and I love it but it seems like better PDF support should have been native.
I disagree on a couple of things... If the file system gets opened up to the end user, then people just start to lose files.. then you need a spotlight index so that you don't have to care about the file system again... why not just skip the middleman plus tear down the walls between apps? Your pdf viewer apps should just automatically see every pdf available, etc. Palm used to do this just fine with their file type/creator scheme (sounds familiar?)
The thing I really would like to see is a global presence/availability switch. FaceTime, Skype, Meebo, Beejive or whatever, you should be able to say "I'm busy" and all of them should read and obey that.
And Flash? Just let it die.
Rene, get your facts straight. Bbm never ever worked on a different platform. Blackberry connect was email only. But really man, get your facts straight before you publish on the site. You look bad right now. At least ask Kevin about the blackberry stuff. Your mistakes make tipb look second rate. Wether it's spelling mistakes, grammar, pure fiction, or non facts such as this.
A great big Oh He!! No! to Flash. It would absolutely blow, and Apple would get the blame, even though it's Adobe that can't get their act together. Just let Flash die already.
iWork would be nice to have. I couldn't care less about BBC. Don't think I know more than 2 people who still carry a BB these days.
MS Office... I doubt we'll see this any time in the foreseeable future. MS won't do it until Windows Mobile in any incarnation is completely dead.
Native Gmail app... Yes, flags & such would be nice, but there are already 4 different ways to get Gmail built into the stock iPhone. Mail does Pop, IMAP and Exchange protocols plus the web interface from mobile Safari. I just got a unified inbox in mail, why would I want to break my gmail account out of that to yet another app?
Files! Yes! Absolutely! I was kind of surprised it wasn't in 4.0. It really should be.
Luke; no, it's not. Personally, I'm sure as hell not giving some random third party app maker access to something with so much of my life as my gmail account and password. Might as well use a no-name third party banking app.
As a new owner of the iPad2, I'm really enjoying the device. My wish would be for the video app on my iPad to be able to "see" video files on the camera connector kit. As it currently works, videos on a SD card are shown without their file names or thumbnails - so picking out a video requires that you know how long each video's runtime is. A bit silly.
Such an enhancement merely formally extends the photo app metaphor to provide a more robust solution for videos. Perhaps a similar capability for documents might suffice, without making Apple nervous about exposing the file system's inner workings.
Files, Flash Player, Office, and Gmail are good ideas. Also, a iPhoto app would be great.
Let me get this straight.1-I use up my data allocation2-I can get the current episodes free3-Though my cable costs 2xs as much I get 10 the programming channels plus on-demand (back episodesno charge for the channel I already get)for $10 a month!!!Sounds too high to me


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Jan. 15, 2001Chicago hosts the 2001 IHL All-Star Game at the Allstate Arena. The Wolves defeat the IHL All-Star Team, 4-0, the first-ever shutout in an IHL All-Star Game. Left wing Steve Maltais notches his 11th and 12th points to set the IHL record for points scored in career IHL All-Star Games.
Jan. 18, 2006
Chicago earns its 500th all-time regular-season victory with a 7-3 win against the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights at the Allstate Arena. Captain Derek MacKenzie leads the way with three goals, the team's 51st all-time regular-season hat trick.


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How much is a diploma if slim borows a web camera.
How much is a diploma if slim borows a web camera.
BU diploma and DVD prices. If you decide to not purchase a diploma, please post your scores (and videos if available) anyway.
Hi Dave,
I took a quick look through the stuff, and will take more time later, but I did have one quick question. On your page which compares ranking systems, you show "Fargo" as having a ratings range from zero to 750+, with no max.
The game of Fargo with which I am familiar is an equal-offense-type game where you try to run a rack of 15 balls. You run them in random order for 1 point per ball, and can switch to rotation order at any time for two points per ball. So, the maximum score for a rack is 30 points if you run all 15 in rotation. The rules that I downloaded about 15 years ago indicated that a typical "test" session would consist of 10 innings, or a max score of 300 points, and had a ratings scale based on that.
In your table, what are the assumptions for Fargo scoring? By the normal Fargo rules, the max would have to be an integer multiple of 30.
Last edited by SpiderMan; 06-18-2013 at 03:00 PM.
"If it's yellow and smells bad, it must be nine-ball. Or a diaper (or a Frenchman)."
I don't recall trying to paint you as a poor player. If so, I apologize - it would be very out of character for me to tell anyone that they were "bad", even if I believed it to be true. But as I recall we played on one occasion only, and I don't even remember how we matched up.
I might be brutally honest when discussing any particular player's skills with another player, but I like to believe I have more sense than to say something deliberately discouraging to anyone (regardless of skill level). Hopefully I did not have an asshole moment.
Last edited by SpiderMan; 06-18-2013 at 03:43 PM.
"If it's yellow and smells bad, it must be nine-ball. Or a diaper (or a Frenchman)."
AZB thread, we've had quite a few already. I look forward to any feedback or suggestion you might have after you go through the process. In particular, I would like to know how well you think your BU rating matches your actual level of play.
Fargo Player Rating and Handicapping System, on which the BU rating comparisons are based, is very different from the the drill or game Fargo ... hence the confusion.
It's good to hear from you again. It's been a long time. That's too bad this forum isn't as active as it used to be.
Catch you later,
Last edited by dr_dave; 06-18-2013 at 03:44 PM.
Last edited by SpiderMan; 06-18-2013 at 03:53 PM.
"If it's yellow and smells bad, it must be nine-ball. Or a diaper (or a Frenchman)."
I remember playing you in Dallas (about 8 years ago?) at the old Petty place. I'm a much better player than I was back then, but I knew enough to recognize that you were a good player on that bar box. Regardless, it was fun hanging with you, the D-man, and the gang.
Catch you later,
The site of the Billiards University looks great.


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40 in 40: How all the kraziness began for Krazy George
Quakes legend talks the start of his career as a professional cheerleader
August 27, 2014
40 years later, and he's still a well-known Quakes legend. Krazy George is notorious for his chants, dramatic entrances and of course his ability to single-handedly get a crowd louder than ever.
Ahead of his first autobiography debut on Saturday - which fans can meet him and purchase a copy in the Epicenter at our match vs. RSL - we caught up with the man himself to see how all the kraziness started.


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Radisson Blu Hotel, MilanWith a convenient location in Milan's business district, this hotel is ideal for work travelers and also provides easy access to transportation for those who wish to go sightseeing. Guests have a choice of 250 spacious rooms decorated in warm earth tones and complete with amenities such as Free high-speed, wireless Internet and 24-hour room service. The on-site Leonardo Restaurant serves authentic Italian cuisine, while the Lobby Bar provides a comfortable space to have a cocktail at the end of a long day. Travelers can also unwind at the indoor pool and fitness club or take advantage of the abundant meeting and event facilities.
© 2015 The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. All rights reserved.


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Lessons from MotownWritten by Michael Miller | Editor in Chief Emeritus | email@example.com
A recent visit to the Motown Museum and recording studios has led to a happy immersion in the music from that movement's glory days. My car speakers and earbuds are thrumming with the sounds of The Marvelettes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Martha Reeves, The Temptations and several other artists.
Naturally, I have been excited to share this music with my sons, Evan and Sean, who are nearing their seventh and fifth birthdays. I am playing the upbeat, fun songs such as "ABC" by The Jackson 5, "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" by The Four Tops and "The Way You Do The Things You Do" by The Temptations.
I was discussing this with a friend who gently admonished me, saying I should still play "educational" songs for the boys, things from Elmo and The Wiggles and their ilk.
"Pop music isn't going to teach them anything," he said.
I strenuously disagree.
In addition to the joy of creating and sharing the finer emotions evoked by music, many of the greatest songs, specifically Motown songs, contain encapsulated life lessons that run the gamut from appreciating peace, love and understanding to the horrors of war. My boys aren't ready for all of these lessons, but then, who amongst us is?
So, thanks to such writers as Wonder, Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong, Berry Gordy, Harvey Fuqua, Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Eddie Holland, Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson and scores of others artists, here is a tiny slice of "Everything I need to know about life I learned from Motown."
- "Before you take a girl and say I do now/Make sure she's in love with you now/My mama told me/You better shop around"
- "I don't like you, but I love you/Seems like I'm always thinking of you/Though you treat me badly, I love you madly/You really got a hold on me"
- "Has high blood pressure got a hold on me, or is this the way love's supposed to be?"
- "I don't need no money, fortune, or fame/I've got all the riches baby one man can claim/I guess you'd say, what can make me feel this way?/My girl …"
- "It doesn't matter what you wear, just as long as you are there/So come on every guy, grab a girl/Everywhere, around the world"
- "I heard a cryin' man/Is half a man, with no sense of pride/But if I have to cry to keep you/I don't mind weepin' if it'll keep you by my side"
- "You can't hurry love/No, you just have to wait/You got to trust, give it time/No matter how long it takes"
- "Now show me a girl, a girl that's fine/And I'll choose the one with true lovin' every time/I know that beauty's only skin deep"
- "People say believe half of what you see, Son, and none of what you hear"
- "When you believe in things you don't understand, then you suffer/Superstition ain't the way"
- "This love we're contemplatin'/Is worth the pain of waitin'/We'll only end up hatin'/The child we may be creatin'"
- "As I walk this land of broken dreams/I have visions of many things/Love's happiness is just an illusion/Filled with sadness and confusion/What becomes of the brokenhearted/Who had love that's now departed?"
- "Reading and writing, arithmetic/Are the branches of the learning tree/But without the roots of love every day, girl/Your education ain't complete"
- "If you see an old friend on the street, and he's down/Remember his shoes could fit your feet/Why don't you reach out and touch somebody's hand/Make this world a better place, if you can"
- "Air pollution, revolution, gun control/Sound of soul/Shootin' rockets to the moon/Kids growin' up too soon/Politicians say more taxes will solve everything/Ball of Confusion, that's what the world is today"
- "War! Good God, y'all, what is it good for?/Absolutely nothin'"
- "We don't need to escalate/You see, war is not the answer/For only love can conquer hate/You know we've got to find a way/To bring some lovin' here today"
- "Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand/With an equal opportunity, for all to sing, dance and clap their hands/But just because a record has a groove, don't make it in the groove"
- "Poison is the wind that blows from the north and south and east/Oil wasted on the ocean and upon our seas, fish full of mercury/Radiation underground and in the sky/Animals and birds who live nearby are dying/Oh mercy, mercy me/Things ain't what they used to be/What about this overcrowded land/How much more abuse from man can she stand?"
- "I'm telling you beware, beware of the handshake/That hides the snake/Beware of that pat on the back/It just might hold you back/Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes/They don't tell the truth"
- "Money, we make it/Before we see it, you take it/Inflation, no chance/To increase finance"
- "Hey Mama, folk say that Papa was never much on thinking/Spent most of his time chasing women and drinking/Mama, I'm depending on you to tell me the truth/Mama looked up with a tear in her eye and said, 'Son, Papa was a rolling stone/Wherever he laid his hat was his home/And when he died, all he left us was alone'"
- "Don't you know how sweet and wonderful life can be/I'm askin' you baby, to get it on with me/I ain't gonna worry, I ain't gonna push/So come on, come on, come on, come on baby/Stop beatin' round the bush"
- "We are amazed but not amused/By all the things you say that you'll do/We're much concerned but not involved/With decisions that are made by you/But we are sick and tired of hearing your song/Telling how you are gonna change right from wrong/'Cause if you really want to hear our views/You haven't done nothing!"
- "I hope you hear inside my voice of sorrow/And that it motivates you to make a better tomorrow/This place is cruel, nowhere could be much colder/If we don't change the world will soon be over/Living just enough, just enough for the city"
- "Now there's some sad things known to man/But ain't too much sadder than/The tears of a clown, when there's no one around"
- "Is her sweet expression/Worth more than my love and affection?"
- "I know flowers grow through rain/But how can love grow through pain?"
- "Now if you feel that you can't go on/Because all of your hope is gone/And your life is filled with much confusion/Until happiness is just an illusion/Come on reach on out for me/I'll be there with a love that will shelter you/I'll be there with a love that will see you through"
Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Email him at email@example.com.
Tags: Barrett Strong, Berry Gordy, Brian Holland, Eddie Holland, Harvey Fuqua, Lamont Dozier, Lighting The Fuse, Martha Reeves, Marvin Gaye, Michael S. Miller, Nickolas Ashford, Norman Whitfield, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, The Jackson 5, The Marvelettes, The Temptations, Valerie Simpson


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|The most helpful favorable review
|The most helpful critical review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
By mark from USA on 2014-01-13 04:57:31Things I liked:It is much better than I expected. Great looking wood parts, hefty feel. With a real WW2 sling on it looks great. Shoots straight with nice punch. Even full automatic is accurate.
Things I would have changed:Alignment of Rear sight is good but can't seem to be able to use the notch for sighting, only the peep aperture. Elevation and windage adjustable. But just keep the front blade centered, and you can shoot tight groups on single fire, and on full automatic you are on target with no problems.
What others should know:Excellent from 5m. Shoots good from 10M, not bad for the FPS. Battery lasted for 3 full magazines at least.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
By Dave from USA on 2012-06-09 19:03:45Things I liked:gun felt good to hold. had good weight and was very accurate. fun to shoot.
Things I would have changed:pistol grip is held in place by 1 screw only. I found that it would wobble a bit while I was shooting. I would add a 2nd screw somewhere to stabilize it better. also the safety lever was a bit loose. it did not have a good secure click to it when putting it on or taking it off.
What others should know:62 days and 600 rounds after I received this gun it just stopped working. Pyramid air informed me that I was beyond the 60 day warranty and therefore there was nothing they could do for me. not good. I'm taking my business elsewhere.
|By Haydon from USA on 2014-11-28
|By Edith from USA on 2012-06-11
CheckoutSubtotal (USD):
does not include shipping and tax


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Man charged with lying about crashMarch 01,2013Police: man lied
about crash
A Chittenden man charged with lying about being the driver in a crash on Adams Road in Pittsford pleaded innocent to the felony offense this week.
Andrew N. Rasulo III pleaded innocent in Rutland criminal court to a charge of false swearing, which carries a potential 15-year jail sentence.
Vermont State Police arrested Rasulo late last month following a crash on Jan. 6 that involved his 2001 Nissan Maxima. A passing motorist found the car at the crash scene at 3:32 a.m. No one was in the vehicle, but police say they found Rasulos cell phone in the wreck, according to court records.
Rasulo reported the car stolen later in the day and also filed a claim with his insurance company. Police say using evidence obtained from the phone, they suspected that Rasulo was driving the car at the time of the crash.
When confronted with evidence, Rasulo allegedly told police he struck a patch of black ice, lost control and crashed. He told police he was in shock and scared after the crash and left the area.
Asked later why he lied about his vehicle being stolen, Rasulo told police Because I thought my insurance company would pay for it.MORE IN This Just InThe family of a Connecticut man who was killed in a car accident on Route 4 last Friday night is... Full StoryAssociated Press Full StoryIt seems like I just started to warm up from last winter and I see back-to-school displays. Full Story
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- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day 1739, 'Richard Palmer' identified in prison at York Castle as the notorious outlaw DICK TURPIN; IN 1836, Battle of the Alamo begins near San Antonio de Bexar, Texas; 1896, the Tootsie Roll invented by LEO HIRSCHFELD.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1472, Orkney, Shetland islands put up as collateral by Norway to Scotland in lieu of dowry for MARGARET OF DENMARK on her marriage with JAMES III, king of Scotland; 1962, JOHN GLENN first American to orbit Earth.
- TOMORROW'S HEADLINES TODAY: City mayoral candidates debate campaign issues; Hartford, Conn., woman still missing; Neal Goswami reports attempts to legislate suicide; local woman loses 100 pounds through TOPS program.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1878, JOHN TUNSTALL murdered near Lincoln, New Mexico, by the outlaw JESSE EVANS; in 1930, ELM FARM OLLIE first cow to fly in aircraft, first to be milked airborne; 1955, nuke test WASP; '79, snow in Sahara.
- TOMORROW'S HEADLINES TODAY: Rutland Herald News Editor Alan J. Keays and staff writer Gordon Dritschilo discuss stories planned for the February 18, 2015, edition of the newspaper: Winter budgets maxed, legal marijuana, Springfield bank job, USPS slowdown
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1249 AD, ANDRE of LONGJUMEAU is dispatched by LOUIS IX of France to meet the KHAGAN, ruler of the Mongol Empire; in 1804, during 1st Barbary War, STEPHEN DECATUR scuttles the pirate-held USS Philadelphia in Tripoli.


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These Sterling Silver Roman Numeral style sterling silver earrings measure .5 inches long and 2/8 inch wide and are rhodium finished giving these earrings a platinum look. An array of Roman numerals encircle the bands to offer the lastest style in earrings. These are fun to wear with our other roman numeral pieces.
Eve's Addiction.com wants you to be a happy customer. We want you to be completely satisfied with the sterling silver jewelry that you receive from us, as we only sell high quality silver and cubic zirconia cz jewelry. We do understand that you may not like your purchase for some reason.
You may return or exchange your jewelry within 60 days of purchase if you are not satisfied with it. The jewelry must be returned in its original condition for a refund or exchange. Engraved, personalized, photo, monogram, name and initial, chocolate and clearance items are not returnable or exchangeable.


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Julian Bond narrates this introduction to The Civil Rights Act of 1964. The video is included in the Library of Congress Exhibition "The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom"
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Congressman John Lewis, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, writer Taylor Branch and others explore the impact of the 1964 Civil Rights Act on American society and throughout the world. The video is included in the Library of Congress Exhibition "The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom"
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* Please note: All vehicle images and car descriptions on this site are for illustration and reference purposes only and are not necessarily an accurate representation of the vehicle on offer. All offers are subject to change at any time and are subject to finance approval and vehicle availability. Failure to maintain payments may result in termination of your agreement and the vehicle being returned, this could effect your credit rating and make it more difficult to obtain credit in the future. All prices correct at time of publication.
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This beautiful sterling silver peace sign ring accompanies any outfit, day or night. The peace sign rests on a sterling silver band and has 1mm cubic zirconias representing the peace sign, which also trails to the sides of the ring. Pair this with the peace sign key pendant to make it an outfit that will never be forgotten!
Eve's Addiction.com wants you to be a happy customer. We want you to be completely satisfied with the sterling silver jewelry that you receive from us, as we only sell high quality silver and cubic zirconia cz jewelry. We do understand that you may not like your purchase for some reason.
You may return or exchange your jewelry within 60 days of purchase if you are not satisfied with it. The jewelry must be returned in its original condition for a refund or exchange. Engraved, personalized, photo, monogram, name and initial, chocolate and clearance items are not returnable or exchangeable.


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Spice up your meals with fresh or dried chiles.
A video guide to hot peppers: varieties and how to prepare and use them.
Find out why Danny Cash's is the only hot sauce sold in Antarctica.
Welcome to Zack & Zane's, a family-run business with a saucy reputation.
The ladies take on the Scovile Scale and find out who's hottest.
Ching's chile chicken wins her a multitude of fans at a midweek market.
Get Cooking Channel on your TV.


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March 18, 2009
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - Cal State Northridge will welcome 53 decathletes and heptathletes to the Matador Track & Field Complex this Thursday and Friday, Mar. 19-20 for the Spring Break Open.
The Multi-Events meet gets underway on Thursday at 9 a.m. with section B of the decathlon. Friday's events also begin at 9 a.m. with section B of the decathlon.
Cal State Northridge roster will send out Sherrina Lofton, Stella Dugall and Ese Ntkume in the heptathlon while Lance Gonzales, Owen Morse, Robert Robinson and Jonathan Talkington will represent the Matadors in the decathlon.
MEET RESULTS: Results of the Spring Break Multi-Events will be posted at the conclusion of the meet to the official site of Northridge athletics, www.GoMatadors.com. A link to a complete event schedule is posted on the men's and women's track and field sport pages. Simply go to GoMatadors.com, and click on "Track & Field" from either the men's or women's sports pull-down menu and search the Quick Links to find the most updated meet information.


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It's a typewriter, on the iPad, brought to you by Tom Hanks. Enough said.
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Take a screenshot, build a shopping list with SnapUp
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App Invasion: Get to know the new Foursquare, your mobile concierge
Check-ins are out, recommendations are in. Foursquare veterans will need time to get used to this strange new world, but the updated app has a lot to like.
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PhoneTag Messenger for iOS combines photos with quick voice memos, stored as a back-and-forth thread exchange between you and a friend.
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Here's why you should get on board Pocket Trains, another clever sim from NimbleBit.
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App Invasion - Zombie Fish Tank
Not even your fish are safe from a zombie attack, as Amber Bouman reveals in this week's App Invasion.


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- Impact of land-use on savanna vegetation and populations of non-timber forest product-providing tree species in West Africa (2011)
- Savannas are the most important timber and non-timber forest products (NTFPs) providing ecosystems in West Africa. They have been shaped by traditional human land-use (i.e. agriculture, grazing, and harvesting) for thousands of years. In the last decades, land-use has drastically changed due to the rapid population growth and the growing production of cash-crop in West Africa and this process is still continuing. The percentage of land intensively used for agriculture has increased, while the length of fallow periods has decreased. Such changes have enormous ecological, economic, and social consequences. In the context of land-use changes, there is an urgent need to better understand and evaluate the impact of land-use on savannas. Such an understanding provides insights on appropriate management activities that ensure the maintenance of savannas and guarantee the availability of savanna products for subsistence and commercial use of rural West African people. The major objective of the present thesis was to study the impact of land-use on savanna vegetation and diversity as well as on populations of two important NTFP-providing tree species in a semi-arid area in West Africa. The study area was located in the south-eastern part of Burkina Faso and comprised the protected W National Park and its adjacent communal area. In the first study (chapter 2), I investigated in cooperation with a colleague from Burkina Faso (Blandine Nacoulma) the impact of land-use on the savanna vegetation. We analyzed which environmental factors determine the occurrence of the vegetation types and investigated the effect of land-use on vegetation structure and the occurrence of life forms and highly valued tree species. Furthermore, we tested whether land-use has an impact on plant diversity pattern and if this impact differed between the vegetation types and layers (woody and herb layer). Vegetation relevés were performed and the vegetation and plant diversity of the protected W National Park were compared with those of its surrounding communal area. Our results reveal five vegetation types occurring in both areas. Elevation and physical soil characteristics and thus soil water availability for plants played the most important role for the occurrence of the vegetation types. The influence of land-use on plant diversity differed between the five vegetation types and the two layers. The impact was highest on the vegetation types with the most favorable soil conditions for cultivation and lowest on rocky habitats with poor soils. While the diversity of the woody layer was increased under human land-use, the diversity of the herb layer was diminished. Overall, as land-use effects were not only negative, our findings suggest that land-use does not automatically lead to a loss of plant species and to a degradation of savanna habitats. We conclude that both protected and communal areas are of great importance for the conservation of savanna vegetation and diversity. Our study highlights furthermore the importance of different management strategies for each vegetation type. In the following two studies (chapter 3 and 4), the impact of land-use - and in particular of harvesting - on populations of Adansonia digitata L., the baobab tree, and Anogeissus leiocarpa (DC.) Guill. & Perr. was examined. These two tree species were chosen as they provide several NTFPs for the local population and as they show different levels of human protection and opposed life histories. Thus, they may react differently to land-use. Stands of the protected W National Park were compared with those of its surrounding communal area (in fallows, croplands, and villages). I applied dendrometric methods to study the population structures and combined it with rates and patterns of NTFP-harvesting (debarking and chopping/pruning). Furthermore, the impact of land-use and harvesting on the fruit production of A. digitata and on the sprouting ability of A. leiocarpa were studied. The inverse J-shaped size class distribution curve indicates that the stands of A. digitata were in a healthy state in the park, while the low number of smaller size classes in fallows, croplands, and villages may give evidence of an ageing population. However, a high number of seedlings were recorded in villages. The stands of A. leiocarpa were also in healthy states in the park and likewise in fallows. In contrast, the absence of saplings gives evidence of a declining population in croplands. Both species were strongly harvested by local people and harvesting was tree size-specific. Pruning in interaction with tree-size had a significant impact on fruit production of A. digitata. While smaller trees were more vulnerable to pruning, bigger trees benefited from slight-pruning. A. leiocarpa had a great ability to respond to chopping by sprouting. The sprouting ability increased even with higher chopping intensity. Results suggest that despite the intense harvesting and the land-use impact, populations of both species are still well preserved. While A. digitata can withstand the harvesting and land-use pressure by its longevity, extremely low adult mortality rates, and particularly due to positive human influences, A. leiocarpa is able to withstand the use pressure by its fast growing, high recruitment, and high sprouting ability. I conclude that a none protected tree species (A. leiocarpa) might not necessarily be at higher risk to the harvesting and land-use impact than a protected tree species (A. digitata) as the adverse impact of harvesting and land-use can be compensated by its specific life history. Important additional information to such ecological findings can be provided by local people. Learning from traditional knowledge and management systems of local people will help to produce culturally and ecologically reasonable conservation and management strategies. Thus, I investigated local uses and management strategies of A. digitata and A. leiocarpa in the last two studies (chapter 5 and 6). Quantitative ethnobotanical surveys among the Gulimanceba people were conducted in the communal area in order to document uses of the different plant parts, harvesting modes, perceptions about the population status, and conservation status of both species. Hereby, differences in knowledge between gender, generations, and people from different villages were tested. Interviews reveal that both species are harvested for multipurpose and emphasize the high importance of both species for local people. Especially the leaves and fruits of A. digitata add valuable minerals and vitamins to the otherwise micronutrient-"poor" staple crops of the Gulimanceba people. In comparison with other studies in West Africa, it has turned out that people in this area could benefit even more from A. leiocarpa, e.g. for dyeing of clothes, for treatment of malaria and skin problems. Local knowledge did not differ between genders and generations, while it slightly differed between people from different villages. The lack of age differences suggests that the traditional knowledge about these two species is passed on from one generation to another. Differences between people from different villages might be explained by influences from the neighboring countries Niger and Benin. Current local harvesting modes and management strategies of both species resulted in sustainable use. However, ongoing land-use intensifications require adapted harvesting and management techniques to guarantee the persistence of these economically important species. These results provide, in combination with the ecological findings (chapter 3 and 4), appropriate management recommendations for A. digitata and A. leiocarpa that are reliable under currently practiced management strategies.
- Nephronectin regulates cardiac valve development via BMP4-HAS2 signaling in zebrafish (2011)
- It has been estimated that about 1% of live births carry severe congenital heart defects and 20-30% among them have valve malformations. Despite its medical importance the underlying cause of many valvular diseases remains undiscovered. Thus, it is important to identify genes that play a crucial role in cardiac valve formation and maturation. A temporal RNA expression analysis of heart development suggested that the extracellular matrix protein Nephronectin might be a novel regulator of valve development and/or trabeculation. Nephronectin is transiently expressed during rat heart development at the time of heart valve morphogenesis and trabeculation. Moreover, the extracellular matrix is known to be crucial for organogenesis. It is a complex, dynamic and critical component that regulates cell behavior by modulating the activity, bioavailability, or presentation of growth factors to cell surface receptors. In order to verify the hypothesis that Nephronectin is a novel regulator of valve formation and/or trabeculation the zebrafish was chosen as model system. Females are able to spawn at intervals of 5 days laying hundreds of eggs in each clutch. Development progresses rapidly with precursors to all major organs appearing within 36 hours post fertilization. Zebrafish embryos develop externally, are translucent and continue to grow for several days despite developing severely malformed, non functional hearts. In addition, gene expression can be easily modulated. During the present study it has been shown that Nephronectin expression is correlated to valve development and trabeculation. Morpholinomediated knockdown of Nephronectin in zebrafish caused failure of valve formation and trabeculation resulting in > 85% lethality at 7 days post fertilization. Cardiac valve formation is initiated at the junction of atrium and ventricle and is characterized by extracellular matrix deposition and endocardial cell differentiation. In accordance with the above-described phenotype the earliest observed abnormality in Nephronectin morphants was an extended tube like structure at the atrio-ventricular boundary. In addition, the expression of myocardial genes involved in cardiac valve formation (cspg2, fibulin1, tbx2b, bmp4) was expanded and endocardial cells along the extended tube like structure exhibited characteristics of atrio-ventricular cells (has2, notch1b and Alcam expression, cuboidal cell shape). Inhibition of has2 in Nephronectin morphants rescued the endocardial but not the myocardial expansion. In contrast, diminishment of BMP signaling in npnt morphants resulted in reduced ectopic expression of myocardial and endocardial atrio-ventricular markers. Taken together, these results identify Nephronectin as a novel upstream regulator of BMP4-HAS2 signaling playing a crucial role in atrio-ventricular canal differentiation.
- Cell specific crosstalk of the Wnt/β-catenin and the Shh pathway: implications for tumor development and regression (2011)
- The canonical Wnt/β-catenin and the Shh pathway as well as the Notch signaling cascade are key regulators in stem cell biology and are independently associated with the development of cancer. Despite the knowledge of a balanced signaling for cellular maintenance, the fundamental biochemical mechanisms of crosstalk are still poorly understood. This study demonstrates that the outcome of interaction between Wnt and Shh is cell type specific. A combined inhibitory mechanism of the Shh and Notch2/Jagged2 pathways on dominant active β-catenin signaling in the adult tongue epithelium keeps Wnt/β-catenin signaling restricted to physiological tolerable levels. In the opposite crosstalk the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in medulloblastoma (MB) of the Shh subtype, in turn inhibits the Hh pathway. The inhibitory mechanism of Shh and Notch2/Jagged2 on Wnt/β-catenin signaling is independent of the degradation complex of β-catenin and takes place inside the nucleus. Furthermore, the negative feedback on Wnt/β-catenin signaling by the Shh pathway relies on transcriptional activity of Gli1/2A. Inhibition of Gli1/2A with the specific inhibitor GANT61 abrogated the negative impact of Shh on β-catenin signaling in vitro. Although the negative feedback loop of Shh is still functional in human SCC25 cells, the inhibitory effect of Notch2/Jagged2 is lost and contributes to the cancerogenic phenotype of these cells. In the inverse situation, the activation of β−catenin signaling has a negative feedback on constantly active Shh signaling and significantly inhibits the Hh pathway. This was shown in Ptch+/- and Math1-Cre:SmoM2Fl/+ MB tumor spheres in vitro, in which inhibition of sphere formation and growth was observed and Hh target gene transcription was down-regulated. This demonstrates for the first time that the activation of canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling in primary MB cells with a Hh pathway over-activation has a negative effect on the growth of these cells in vitro. In summary the results show that crosstalk of Wnt/β-catenin and Shh signaling has context specific outcome on pathway activity. Elucidation of the molecular interactions will improve our understanding of Wnt and Hh associated tumors and contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies.
- Biochemical characterization of Fucoxanthin Chlorophyll a/c binding proteins in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum (2012)
- Diatoms contribute largely to the total primary production of the ecosphere and are key players in global biogeochemical cycles. Their chloroplasts are surrounded by four membranes owing to their secondary endosymbiotic origin. Their thylakoids are arranged into three parallel bands and differentiation of thylakoid membranes into grana or stroma is not observed. The fucoxanthin chlorophyll a/c binding proteins act as the light harvesting proteins and play a role in photoprotection during excess light as well. The diatom genome encodes three different families of antenna proteins. Family I are the classical light harvesting proteins called "Lhcf". Family II are the red algae related Lhca-R1/2 proteins called "Lhcr" and family III are the photoprotective LI818 related proteins called "Lhcx". All known Fcps have a molecular weight in the range of 17-23 kDa. They are membrane proteins and have shorter loops and termini compared to LHCs of higher plants and are therefore extremely hydrophobic. This makes the isolation of single specific Fcps using routine protein purification techniques difficult. The purification of a specific Fcp containing complex has not been achieved so far and until this is done several questions concerning light harvesting antenna systems of diatoms cannot be answered. For e.g. Which proteins interact specifically? Are various Fcps differently pigmented? Which pigments interact with each other and how? Which proteins contribute to photosystem specific antenna systems? Can pure Fcps be reconstituted into crystals like LHCII proteins? In order to answer these questions specific Fcp containing complexes have to be purified. ...
- The socio-economic importance of non-timber forest products for rural livelihoods in West African savanna ecosystems: current status and future trends (2012)
- For millennia, rural West African communities living in or adjacent of savanna ecosystems have been collecting components of local plant species (e.g. fruits, leaves, bark) in order to fulfil essential household subsistence needs (alimentation, medical care, energy demand etc.), to generate cash income and to overcome times of (financial) crisis. Thus, these non-timber forest products (NTFPs) make a considerable contribution to the well-being of local households. However, climate and land use change severely impact West African savanna ecosystems and, consequently, the safe-guarding of dependent rural livelihoods. The conversion of savanna area into cultivated land for subsistence farming owing to the ongoing population growth, as well as the progressive promotion of cash crops (e.g. cotton) is ever-increasing. As a consequence, present land-use management in West Africa has to cope with serious trade-offs. Within this decision-making NTFPs have been constantly understated due to a lack of appropriate economic figures to use within common cost-benefit analysis, and, thus, have been frequently outcompeted by seemingly more profitable land-use options. Therefore, it is crucial to provide appropriate economic data for NTFPs in order to create positive incentives for both decision-makers and NTFP beneficiaries to conserve NTFP-providing trees. The key finding of this analysis is that income from NTFPs accounts for 39 % on average of an annual total household income in Northern Benin, representing the second largest income share next to crop income and proving the respective households to be economically heavily dependent on NTFPs. Thereby, socio-economic characteristics of NTFP users tremendously shape their preferences for woody species. Particularly ethnicity has a major impact on the species used and the economic return obtained by them. Moreover, the study investigated the impacts of climate and land use change on the economic benefits derived from the three economically most important tree species in the region Vitellaria paradoxa, Parkia biglobosa and Adansonia digitata in 2050: Environmental changes will have primarily negative effects on the economic returns from all the three species. At large, the study underpins the economic relevance of NTFPs for rural communities in West African savannas and, consequently, the necessity to appropriately sustain them in order to safe-guard local livelihoods. Providing key figures on the current and future economic benefits obtained from NTFPs can augment common cost-benefit analysis, and, delivering detailed information about peoples' use preferences for local species, this study clearly contributes to improve the basis of decision-making with reference to local land-use policies.
- European pea crabs - taxonomy, morphology, and host-ecology (Crustacea: Brachyura: Pinnotheridae) (2010)
- Pinnotherids are small crabs symbiotic to a variety of invertebrates. The European species infest bivalves and sea squirts. Their way of life is parasitic and poses a threat to commercially exploited bivalves. While juveniles of both sexes still look very similar - being agile swimmers and partially free living - a metamorphosis takes place in the female after mating and results in a conspicuous sexual dimorphism. Thereafter, the female settles in its host definitely and is morphologically strongly adapted to the parasitic life phase. A very high reproductive output was demonstrated among several pea crab species infesting bivalves. Despite from that, hardly any information is present in the literature on the pinnotherids' reproductive biology and the underlying morphology. Due to their cryptic way of life, the sexual dimorphism, and the different morphotypes of the female, the taxonomy of the Pinnotheridae is a serious challenge. Two widely accepted species are recognized on European coasts: Pinnotheres pisum and Nepinnotheres pinnotheres. Pinnotheres pectunculi was so far only known from the bivalve Glycymeris glycymeris in its type locality Roscoff (France), while Pinnotheres ascidicola and Pinnotheres marioni were described as living exclusively in ascidians without careful comparison with the previously described species. In order to produce standardized comparative descriptions, pea crabs were collected and studied from different hosts and localities in the Northeast Atlantic and in the Mediterranean. Nepinnotheres pinnotheres and Pinnotheres pisum were redescribed with consideration to characters of female and male. According to our morphological analysis, Pinnotheres ascidicola and Pinnotheres marioni are junior synonyms of Nepinnotheres pinnotheres, whereas the status of Pinnotheres pectunculi as a valid species was ascertained. Important characters are the mouthparts, the male gonopods, and especially chelipeds that showed consistent characteristics among different crab stages of both sexes. Based on our sampling, we estimated the host-range of the European species. Nepinnotheres pinnotheres lives in ascidians and in the pen shell Pinna nobilis. Pinnotheres pisum infests numerous bivalve species - Pinna nobilis included. For Pinnotheres pectunculi novel host records are presented, all from the bivalve family Veneridae. Furthermore, feeding of the Pinnotheres-species was observed. They use a setae comb ventrally on the claw to brush mucus (and the accumulated food particles) from the bivalve gills. Feeding strategies and host-ecology will be thoroughly discussed in consideration to other Pinnotheridae. We investigated the reproductive systems of European pinnotherids by histological methods, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The Eubrachyura have internal fertilization: paired vaginas enlarge into storage structures, the spermathecae, which are connected to the ovaries by oviducts. Sperm is stored until the oocytes are mature and transported into the spermathecae, where fertilization takes place. In the investigated pinnotherids, the vagina is of the 'concave pattern'. Musculature is attached alongside flexible parts of the vagina-wall to control the dimension of its lumen. The genital opening is closed by a muscular mobile operculum. The spermatheca can be divided into two distinct regions by function and morphology. The ventral part includes the connection with vagina and oviduct and is regarded as the zone where fertilization takes place. It is lined with cuticle except where the oviduct enters the spermatheca by the 'holocrine transfer tissue'. At ovulation, the oocytes have to pass through this multi-layered glandular epithelium, which has a holocrine mode secretion. The dorsal part of the spermatheca is lined by a highly secretory apocrine glandular epithelium, which was to date only found in fiddler crabs of the genus Uca. The male internal reproductive system consists of paired testes and corresponding vasa deferentia. The sperm morphology of pinnotherids conforms to other thoracotremes, with slight differences between Nepinnotheres pinnotheres and Pinnotheres pisum. Spermatozoa become enveloped into spermatophores in the secretory proximal vas deferens. The medial vas deferens is strongly enlarged and stores spermatophores embedded in seminal plasma. The distal vas deferens holds tubular appendices, which extend into the ventral cephalothorax and slightly into the pleon. These appendices produce and store vast quantities of seminal plasma. The copulatory system of the Brachyura is formed by paired penes and two pairs of gonopods, which function in sperm transfer. In pinnotherids, the long first gonopods transfers the sperm mass to the female. It holds the ejaculatory canal inside, which opens proximally and distally. The second gonopod is solid, short and conical. During copulation, the penis and the second gonopod are inserted into the base of the tubular first gonopod. The second gonopod functions in the transport of the sperm mass inside the ejaculatory canal towards its distal opening. The specific shape of the second gonopod is strongly adapted for a sealing of the tubular first gonopod with longitudinal cuticle foldings that interlock inside the first gonopod. The presented results are discussed concerning their function in reproduction and in respect of the systematic account. The role of secretion in sperm transfer, storage and fertilization among the Brachyura is still under debate. It is notable that structure and function of secretion are more complex in pinnotherids and probably more efficient than in other brachyuran crabs, which will be discussed, in view of the parasitic way of life and the high fecundity of pinnotherids.
- Climate-linked temporal and spatial patterns in the evolution of African bovidae (2012)
- Climate and subsequent environmental changes are regarded as one driver of species evolution. Against this background the present study investigates the evolutionary history of the mammalian family Bovidae (Cetartiodactyla, Mammalia), today the most species-rich family of large herbivores on the African continent. Temporal and spatial patterns in that group's evolution are the focus of the present study and were investigated using methods and data deriving from multiple disciplines (palaeontology, genetics, climatology, conservation biology). The results serve as a validation of macroevolutionary hypotheses of species evolution. A major proportion of African mammalian fossils can be assigned to that family. Due to their morphological adaptations, bovid species are highly indicative of their habitats. Hence, bovids are of great importance for paleontology. However, a strong taphonomic bias is present in the fossil record of bovids, favoring large and arid- adapted species. Molecular phylogenies of extant species and species distribution modelling combined with climate reconstructions can help to overcome these limitations. A molecular phylogeny, based on the cytochrome b gene of 136 bovid species served as basis for analysis of temporal patterns. Divergence events were dated using the relaxed molecular clock approach. The tree was time calibrated at 30 nodes using information inferred from the fossil record. Lineage-Through-Time plots and the respective statistical analyses reveal detailed temporal patterns in the evolutionary history of tribes and groups combining arid- and humid-adapted tribes. The resulting pattern shows three distinct phases. Phase 1 (P1) is dominated by speciation events within the humid group, while the second phase (P2) is marked by a dominance of speciation within the arid group. The switch in diversification rates (BDS) from P1 to P2 is dated to 2.8 million years ago. The third phase (P3) shows low diversification rates for all groups, starting around 1.4 million year ago and culminates in a significantly reduced diversification rate for the complete family at 0.8 million years ago. Both transitions are contemporaneous with global climate changes and turnover events in fossil faunal communities. To investigate the impact of climate changes onto the habitat availability within the last 3 million years and its putative influence on diversification rates, the species distribution modeling method was applied. For 85 African species and subspecies the climate niches were established and grouped into 5 climate-groups based on their climate preferences. For each group the available habitat for the period before and after the BDS was calculated on continental scale using reconstructed climate scenarios. To evaluate the modeled habitat distributions, regional analyses were performed in test areas surrounding well studied fossil sites (Laetoli, Olduvai, Chiwondo Beds, Lothagam, Koobi Fora, West Turkana, Swartkrans, Sterkfontain und Toros-Menalla). Habitat profiles (HP) permitted the comparison of the model based habitat reconstruction with the interpretations of classic paleontological reconstruction. The validity of the habitat modeling has been shown in particular for East African test areas. The reconstructions for the northern and southern fossil sites does not support the modeled habitats in these areas. Yet, the method of habitat- profiling may serve as suitable tool for environmental reconstruction of areas lacking sufficient paleontological material. A comparison of habitat availability before and after the BDS on continental scale identified a significant loss of habitat for humid adapted groups (7-22%) and habitat gain for arid adapted groups (19-173%). The climatically intermediate group experiences a tremendous gain of habitat (3366%). The greatest environmental change was modeled for East Africa, initiated by a progressive regional aridification. In addition to the distribution modeling for past climate conditions, the geographical distribution was modeled for the future, i.e. for climate scenarios representing the years 2050 and 2080 under a putative climate change scenario (global surface warming). It was shown that in particular the arid groups have to expect a remarkable loss of habitat (41-76%), while a gain of available habitat can be expected for the humid adapted groups (114-577%). The climatically intermediate group suffers the strongest habitat loss (85%). Regions with locally stable climate conditions were detected and may serve as potential refugia and are already today known as Africa's hot spots of biodiversity. The results show a positive correlation of high diversification rates and increasing habitat availability. None of the tested speciation hypotheses taken alone explains the observations (e.g., Turnover-pulse Hypothesis, Relay Model). A major element in these hypotheses is the passive fragmentation of populations induced by unfavorable climate changes. In contrast, the Periodic Model (Grubb 1999) considers natural, periodically recurring climate changes and moreover, the active dispersal of individuals and resulting founder events. I added the effect of a superimposed directed climate trend – like the progressive aridification since the late Pliocene in Africa – which leads to a bias in the proportion and probability towards leading edge effects. This Directed Periodic Model explains the patterns found in the evolution of Bovidae. The combination of a molecular phylogeny and species distribution modeling, together with information inferred from the fossil record, reveals remarkable temporal and spatial patterns in the evolution of bovids, and helps overcome the limitations of the fossil record. The present study highlights the importance of active dispersal and founder populations in speciation processes. A point widely unattended in speciation hypotheses. The fully dated molecular phylogeny is the most densely sampled tree for the family Bovidae to date and may serve as a framework for a connection of present and future population studies, permitting the connection of medium-scale with long- term effects induced by climate and environmental changes.
- Assessing the combined effects of xenobiotics, climate change and predators on aquatic organisms in multiple stressor experiments - a case study with pyrimethanil (2012)
- The environmental impact of climate change is meanwhile not only discussed in the scientific community but also in the general public. However, little is known about the interaction between climate change and pollutants like pesticides. A combination of multiple stressors (e.g. temperature, pollutants, predators) may lead to severe alterations for organisms such as changes in time of reproduction, reproductive success and growth performance, mortality and geographic distribution. The questions if aquatic organisms tend to react more sensitive towards incidents under climate change conditions remains. Therefore, within the present thesis the aquatic ecotoxicological profile of the fungicide pyrimethanil, as an exemplarily anthropogenic used contaminant, was examined. A large test battery of ecotoxicological standard tests and supplement bioassays with non-model species was conducted to investigate if species-specific or life stage-specific differences occur or if temperature alteration may change the impact of the fungicide. Two of the most sensitive species (Chironomus riparius and Daphnia magna) were used to investigate the acute and chronic thermal dependence of pyrimethanil effects. The results clearly depict that the ecotoxicity of pyrimethanil at optimal thermal conditions did not depend on the trophic level, but was species-specific. With regard to EC10 values the acute pyrimethanil toxicity on C. riparius increased with higher temperature (6.78 mg L-1 at 14°C and 3.06 mg L-1 at 26°C). The chronic response of D. magna to the NOEC (no observed effect concentration) of the fungicide (0.5 mg L-1) was examined in an experiment which lasted for several generations under three simulated near-natural temperature regimes ('cold year, today' (11 to 22.7°C), 'warm year, today' (14 to 25.2°C) and 'warm year, 2080' (16.5 to 28.1°C)). A pyrimethanil-induced mortality increase was buffered by the strongly related increase of the general reproductive capacity, while population growth was stronger influenced by temperature than by the fungicide. At a further pyrimethanil concentration (LOEC – lowest observed effect concentration: 1 mg L-1), a second generation could not be established by D. magna under all thermal regimes. Besides daphnids, the midge C. riparius was used for a second multigeneration study. In a bifactorial test design it was tested if climate change conditions alter or affect the impact of a low fungicide concentration on life history and genetic diversity. The NOAEC/2 (half of the no observed adverse effect concentration derived from a standard toxicity test) was used as a low pyrimethanil concentration to which laboratory populations of the midges were chronically exposed under the mentioned temperature scenarios. During the 140-day-multigeneration study, survival, emergence, reproduction, population growth, and genetic diversity of C. riparius were analyzed. The results reveal that high temperatures and pyrimethanil act synergistically on life history parameters of C. riparius. In simulated present-day scenarios, a NOAEC/2 of pyrimethanil provoked only slight to moderate beneficial or adverse effects. In contrast, an exposure to a NOAEC/2 concentration of pyrimethanil at a thermal situation likely for a summer under the future expactations uncovered adverse effects on mortality and population growth rate. In addition, genetic diversity was considerably reduced by pyrimethanil in the 'warm year, 2080' scenario, but only slightly under current climatic conditions. The multigeneration studies under near-natural thermal conditions indicate that not only the impact of climate change, but also low concentrations of pesticides may pose a reasonable risk for aquatic invertebrates in the future. This clearly shows that thermal and multigenerational effects should be considered when appraising the ecotoxicity of pesticides and assessing their future risk for the environment. In addition to temperature further multiple abiotic and biotic stressors alterate pollutant effects. Moreover, to better discriminate and understand the intrinsic and environmental correlates of changing aquatic ecosystems, it was experimentally unraveled how the effects of a low-dose of pyrimethanil on daphnids becomes modified by different temperatures (15°C, 20°C, 25°C) and in the presence/ absence of predator kairomones of Chaoborus flavicans larvae. The usage of a fractional multifactorial test design provided the possibility to investigate the individual growth, reproduction and population growth rate of Daphnia pulex via different exposure routes to the fungicide pyrimethanil at an environmentally relevant concentration (0.05 mg L-1) - either directly (via the water phase), indirectly (via algae food), dually (via water and food) or for multiple generations (fungicide treated source population). The number of neonates increased with increasing temperatures. At a temperature of 25°C no significant differences between the individual treatment groups were observed although the growth was overall inhibited due to pyrimethanil. Besides, at 15 and 20°C it is obvious that daphnids which were fed with contaminated algae had the lowest reproduction and growth rate. The obtained results clearly demonstrate that multiple stress factors can modify the response of daphnids to pollutants. The exposure routes of the contaminant are of minor importance, while temperature and the presence of a predator are the dominant factors impacting the reproduction of D. pulex. It can be concluded that low concentrations of pyrimethanil may disturb the zooplankton community at suboptimal temperature conditions, but the effects will become masked if chaoborid larvae are present. Therefore it seems necessary to observe prospectively if the combination of several stress factors like pesticide exposure and suboptimal temperature may influence the life history and sensitivity of several aquatic invertebrates differently. Besides standard test organisms it is inevitable to conduct test with aquatic invertebrate which are not yet considered regularly in ecotoxicological experiments. For example molluscs represent one of the largest phyla of macroinvertebrates with more than 100.000 species, being ecologically and economically important. Therefore, within the present study embryo, juvenile, half- and full-life cycle toxicity tests with the snail Physella acuta were performed to investigate the impact of pollutants on various life stages. Different concentrations of pyrimethanil (0.06-0.5 or 1.0 mg L-1) assessed at three temperatures (15°C, 20°C, 25°C) revealed that pyrimethanil caused concentration-dependent effects independent of temperature. Interestingly, the ecotoxicity of pyrimethanil was higher at lower temperature for the embryo hatching and F1 reproduction, but its ecotoxicity for the growth of juveniles and the F0 reproduction increased with increasing temperature. More specifically, it could have been observed that especially during the reproduction test high mortality rates occurred at the highest concentration of 1 mg L-1 at all temperatures. Due to high mortality rates no snails were available for the F1 at the highest concentrations (0.5 and 1.0 mg L-1). Compared to the F0, overall more egg masses were produced in the F1, being all fertile and no mortality occurred. For the F1-generation the strongest pyrimethanil effects were detected at 15°C. A comparison of effect concentrations between both generations showed that the F1 is more sensitive than the F0. These results indicate that an exposure over more than one generation may give a better overview of the impact of xenobiotics. With the establishment of an embryo and reproduction test under different temperatures and various concentrations of pyrimethanil with P. acuta we could successfully show that molluscs can respond more sensitive than model organisms and that both, chemical and thermal stressor strongly influence the behaviour of the pulmonates. It can be concluded that the high susceptibility for the fungicide observed in gastropods clearly demonstrates the complexity of pesticide-temperature interactions and the challenge to draw conclusions for the ecotoxicological risk assessment of pesticides under the impact of global climate change.
- Taxonomic revision, molecular phylogeny and zoogeography of the huntsman spider genus Eusparassus (Araneae: Sparassidae) (2013)
- The spider genus Eusparassus Simon, 1903 (Araneae: Sparassidae: Eusparassinae; stone huntsman spider) is revised worldwide to include 30 valid species distributed exclusively in Africa and Eurasia. The type species E. dufouri Simon, 1932 is redescribed and a neotype is designated from Portugal. An extended diagnosis for the genus is presented. Eight new species are described: Eusparassus arabicus Moradmand, 2013 (male, female) from Arabian Peninsula, E. educatus Moradmand, 2013 (male, female) from Namibia, E. reverentia Moradmand, 2013 (male, female) from Burkina Faso and Nigeria, E. jaegeri Moradmand, 2013 (male, female) from South Africa and Botswana, E. jocquei Moradmand, 2013 (male, female) from Zimbabwe, E. borakalalo Moradmand, 2013 (female) from South Africa, E. schoemanae Moradmand, 2013 (male, female) from South Africa and Namibia and E. mesopotamicus Moradmand and Jäger, 2012 (male and female) from Iraq, Iran and Turkey. 22 species are re-described six of them are transferred from the genus Olios Walckenaer, 1837. Six species-groups are proposed: the dufouri-group [8 species: E. dufouri, E. levantinus Urones, 2006, E. barbarus (Lucas, 1846), E. atlanticus Simon, 1909, E. syrticus Simon, 1909, E. oraniensis (Lucas, 1846), E. letourneuxi (Simon, 1874), E. fritschi (Koch, 1873); Iberian Peninsula to parts of north-western Africa], walckenaeri-group [3 species: E. walckenaeri (Audouin, 1826), E. laevatus (Simon, 1897), E. arabicus; eastern Mediterranean to Arabia and parts of north-eastern Africa], doriae-group [7 species: E. doriae (Simon, 1874), E. kronebergi Denis, 1958, E. maynardi (Pocock, 1901), E. potanini (Simon, 1895), E. fuscimanus Denis, 1958, E. oculatus (Kroneberg, 1846) and E. mesopotamicus; Middle East to Central and South Asia], vestigator-group (3 species: E. vestigator (Simon, 1897), E. reverentia, E. pearsoni (Pocock, 1901); central to eastern Africa and an isolated area in NW India], jaegeri-group [4 species: E. jaegeri, E. jocquei, E. borakalalo, E. schoemanae; southern and south-eastern Africa], tuckeri-group [2 species: E. tuckeri (Lawrence, 1927), E. educatus; south-western Africa). Two species, E. pontii Caporiacco, 1935 and E. xerxes (Pocock, 1901) cannot be placed in any of the above groups. Two species are transferred from Eusparassus to Olios: O. flavovittatus (Caporiacco, 1935) and O. quesitio Moradmand, 2013. 14 species are recognized as misplaced in Eusparassus, thus nearly half of the described species prior to this revision were placed mistakenly in this genus. Neotypes are designated for E. walckenaeri from Egypt, E. barbarus, E. oraniensis and E. letourneuxi (all three from Algeria) to establish their identity. The male and female of Cercetius perezi Simon, 1902, which was known only from the immature holotype, are described for the first time. It is recognized that the monotypic and little used generic name Cercetius Simon, 1902 — a species, which had been known only from the immature holotype — as a synonym of the widely used name Eusparassus. The case proposal 3596 (conservation of name Eusparassus) is under consideration by ICZN. The first comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the family Sparassidae with focus on the genus Eusparassus is investigated using four molecular markers (mitochondrial COI and 16S; nuclear H3 and 28S). The monophyly of Eusparassus and the dufouri, walckenaeri and doriae species-groups are recovered with the latter two groups more closely related. The monophyly of the tuckeri-group is not supported and the position of E. jaegeri as the only available member of the jaegeri-group is not resolved within the Eusparassus clade. DNA samples of the vestigator-group were not accessible for this study. The origination of the genus Eusparassus around 70 million years ago (MA) is estimated according to molecular clock analyses. Using this recent result in combination with some biogeographic and geological data, the Namib Desert is proposed as the place of ancestral origin for Eusparassus and putative Eusparassinae genera. Further analyses are done on the phylogenetic relationships of Sparassidae and its subfamilies. The Eusparassinae are not confirmed as monophyletic, with the two original genera Eusparassus and Pseudomicrommata in separate clades and only the latter clusters with most other assumed Eusparassinae, here termed the "African clade". Monophyly of the subfamilies Sparianthinae, Heteropodinae sensu stricto, Palystinae and Deleninae is recovered. The Sparianthinae are supported as the most basal clade, diverging considerably early (143 MA) from all other Sparassidae. The Sparassinae and genus Olios are found to be polyphyletic. The Sparassidae are confirmed as monophyletic and as most basal group within the RTA-clade. The divergence time of Sparassidae from the RTA-clade is estimated with 186 MA in the Jurassic. No affiliation of Sparassidae to other members of the "Laterigradae" (Philodromidae, Selenopidae and Thomisidae) is observed, thus the crab-like posture of this group was proposed a result of convergent evolution. Only the families Philodromidae and Selenopidae are found members of a supported clade. Including a considerable amount of RTA-clade representatives, the higher-level clade Dionycha is not but monophyly of the RTA-clade itself is supported.