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CCL3L and CCL4L genes encode HIV-suppressive chemokines, colocalize on chromosome 17q12 and have copy number variation. Copy number variation of CCL3L associates with HIV-AIDS susceptibility. Here, we determined the influence of the combinatorial content of distinct CCL3L and CCL4L genes on HIV-AIDS susceptibility.
By designing gene-specific assays, the association between doses of all CCL3L or CCL4L genes or their individual duplicated components (CCL3La/b and CCL4La/b) with HIV-AIDS susceptibility was determined in 298 perinatally exposed Ukrainian children.
The odds of transmission was increased in children with less than two copies of CCL3L or CCL4L, compared with those with at least two copies, and 10-fold higher when both mother and offspring had less than two CCL3L or CCL4L copies, compared with mother–child pairs with at least two copies. The extent of the pair-wise correlations between CCL3La, CCL3Lb, CCL4La and CCL4Lb copy number varied extensively, with an inverse correlation between CCL4L genes that transcribe a classical chemokine (CCL4La) versus aberrantly-spliced transcripts (CCL4Lb). Children possessing only CCL4Lb progressed four times faster to AIDS than those with only CCL4La. A lower content of CCL3L and CCL4L genes that transcribe classical chemokines was associated with enhanced HIV-AIDS susceptibility.
Transmission risk is greatest when mother and offspring both have low CCL3L or CCL4L gene doses. The impact on HIV-AIDS susceptibility of the chemokine gene-rich locus on 17q12 is dependent on the balance between the doses of genes conferring protective (CCL3La and CCL4La) versus detrimental (CCL4Lb) effects. Hence, the combinatorial genomic content of distinct genes within a copy number variable region may determine disease susceptibility.
The results of the recent STEP trial [1] showing that a HIV-1 vaccine may have increased the risk of acquiring HIV prompted a call to define with greater precision the correlates of protection. A powerful approach to accomplish this is to identify host genetic determinants that alter risk of HIV acquisition and disease progression rates. Identification of such determinants in children exposed perinatally to HIV can be especially informative because approximately 70–90% of such children resist infection, despite high exposure to virus and absence of antiretroviral prophylaxis [2]. Here, we investigated such children to determine the impact on HIV-AIDS susceptibility of duplicated genomic regions that are enriched for chemokine genes for whom in-vitro studies [3–10] implicate a central role for their encoded products in HIV-AIDS pathogenesis.
Copy numbers of DNA segments [denoted as copy number variations (CNVs)] are implicated in disease susceptibility [11–16]. A CNV with relevance to HIV-AIDS susceptibility is for the segmental duplication that contains the gene encoding CC chemokine ligand 3-like 1 (CCL3L1). CCL3L1 [macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha P (MIP-1αP)], a nonallelic isoform of CCL3 (MIP-1αS), is the most potent agonist of CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5), the major HIV coreceptor, and among CCR5 chemokine ligands it exhibits maximal HIV-suppressive properties [5–8]. Association studies for the Δ32 and other polymorphisms in CCR5 [17–23] established a key role for CCR5 expression in HIV pathogenesis. By analogy, the genotype–phenotype associations for the copy number of the CCL3L1-containing segmental duplication suggest a role for this structural variation in HIV-AIDS pathogenesis. Prior studies indicate that a low copy number of CCL3L1 is associated with an increased risk of acquiring HIV infection [24–28], higher viral loads [24,26,29,30], a faster rate of decline of CD4+ T-cell counts or progression to AIDS [24,30,31], impaired recovery of CD4+ T-cell counts [31] and function [30] during antiretroviral therapy (ART), lower HIV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses [29], reduced CCL3 chemokine levels [24,25,32], higher numbers of HIV target cells (%CD4+/CCR5+ cells) [24,33] and reduced cell-mediated immune responses [30]. Extending this concept to nonhuman primates, a low copy number of CCL3L genes in Asian and Chinese macaques is associated with an accelerated progression to experimental AIDS in these animals [34].
However, these previous studies have not accounted for the full impact on HIV-AIDS susceptibility of CNV of other chemokine genes that along with CCL3L1 localize to chromosome 17q12, a hot spot for segmental duplications [11,12]. These genes include two other CCL3L (CCL3L2 and CCL3L3) genes and two CCL4L (MIP-1β-like) genes designated as CCL4L1 and CCL4L2 [3,4,9,10,32]. One possibility was that if the CNV of all the CCL3L and CCL4L genes reside on a single segmental duplication, then the associations of these CNVs with HIV-AIDS susceptibility should be identical. However, this is unlikely because this genomic region is replete with many potential breakpoints that may lead to nonidentical duplicated segments [36]. Underscoring this, although there is a high degree of correlation between the copy number of CCL3L and CCL4L genes, individuals contain more copies of CCL3L than CCL4L [32]. We therefore tested the hypothesis that the overall phenotypic impact of the chemokine gene-rich locus at chromosome 17q12 region on HIV-AIDS susceptibility will be influenced by the combinatorial content of different CCL3L and CCL4L-containing segmental duplications. To test this, we developed specific probes for the distinct CCL3L and CCL4L genes and determined their associations with HIV-AIDS susceptibility in a cohort of children exposed perinatally to HIV-1 from the Ukraine.
We studied a cohort of 298 children from Ukraine who were exposed perinatally to HIV-1 between 1998 and 2006. Of these, 178 (59.7%) were infected. This distribution is not indicative of the perinatal transmission rate for HIV-1 infection, as the recruitment of children was based on HIV status. DNA was also available from the mothers of 89 children. To minimize potential confounding due to population stratification, only children and mothers of Slavic descent, the most common ethnic group found in Ukraine, were included in the study. These patients were recruited at the main outpatient HIV-1 reference centers ('Municipal Centers for HIV Management and Prophylaxis') in the Dnepropetrovsk region. All pregnant women within this region who test positive for HIV are referred to these centers. Additionally, all HIV-positive children born to these mothers also receive their medical care in these centers. Informed written consent was obtained from parents or legal guardians of all the children, and directly from the adults. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Boards of the participating institutions. The characteristics of the study individuals are given in Table 1.
The main outcome measures were HIV serostatus and progression to AIDS [1993 criteria of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classification for children].
Taq Man real-time assays similar to those described previously [24] and described in the Supplementary Materials and Fig. S1 were used to quantify the CNV of CCL3L and CCL4L genes. Primer and probe sequences are listed in Supplementary Table 1.
The association between gene copy number and risk of acquiring HIV infection was assessed by using logistic regression analyses, and rate of disease progression was investigated by using Kaplan–Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards modeling. Attributable fraction was estimated as described previously [24]. The pattern of correlations among the copy numbers of the different CCL3L and CCL4L genes was determined using principal components analyses. For this, a factor solution provided by using a minimum eigenvalue of one with the results optimized using the varimax rotation was used. Details of factor analyses are as described in the Supplementary Material. All statistical analyses were conducted using the Stata 7.0 (Stata Corporation, College Station, Texas, USA) software package.
In this study, we denoted CCL3L1 (MIM:601395), CCL3L2 (MIM:609467), CCL3L3 (MIM:609468), CCL4L2 (MIM:610757) and CCL4L1 (MIM:603782) as CCL3La, CCL3Lb, CCL3La, CCL4La and CCL4Lb, respectively (Fig. 1a and b), for the following reasons. In prior studies [24–32], because of the nature of the PCR primer probes used, we and others assessed the copy number of all CCL3L genes (CCL3L1, CCL3L2, CCL3L3) and had previously designated this composite as the CCL3L1-containing segmental duplication (Fig. 1a and b). CCL3L1 and CCL3L3 are separate genes, each having three identical exons that encode identical proteins [3,5], and therefore they are together denoted here as CCL3La (CCL3L1 + CCL3L3 = CCL3La; Fig. 1a–c). On the basis of current literature, CCL3L2, designated here as CCL3Lb, is thought to contain only two exons whose sequences are identical to those found in exons 2 and 3 in CCL3L1 and CCL3L3 [3,5]. Because CCL3Lb (CCL3L2) lacked the first exon found in CCL3La (CCL3L1 or CCL3L3), it has been considered as a pseudogene [3,5]. However, by bioinformatics and mRNA profiling, we identified novel 5′ exons for CCL3Lb, which give rise to two alternatively spliced transcripts (CCL3Lb-v1 and CCL3Lb-v2, Fig. 1c and data not shown). These alternatively transcribed mRNA species contain chemokine-like domains but are not predicted to encode classical chemokines (data not shown). Hence, CCL3La and CCL3Lb transcribe two distinct kinds of transcripts; the former encoding classical chemokines and the latter encoding alternatively spliced transcripts with novel 5′ exons (Fig. 1c).
Similarly, CCL4L represents a composite of CCL4Lb (CCL4L1) and CCL4La (CCL4L2), two distinct genes that have identical exonic sequences (Fig. 1a and b, [3,5]). Although these two genes have identical exonic sequences, a (A→G) transition in the splice acceptor site in the intron II of CCL4Lb relative to CCL4La leads to generation of aberrantly spliced CCL4Lb transcripts, that is, formation of transcripts with retention of portions of intron II or partial loss of exon 3 (Fig. 1d). Hence, CCL4La produces transcripts that are predicted to encode a classical chemokine, whereas CCL4Lb transcribes aberrantly spliced mRNA species (Fig. 1d).
On the basis of the aforementioned, we developed two separate assays to quantify the total copy number of all CCL3L or CCL4L genes, and separate assays each for the individual components of CCL3L (CCL3La and CCL3Lb) and CCL4L (CCL4La and CCL4Lb). The PCR assays we developed estimated the copy number of these individual chemokine gene CNVs with high precision (Fig. S1). The estimates of the sum of the copy number of CCL3La and CCL3Lb or CCL4La and CCL4Lb using these individual PCR assays were very similar to the estimate of the total copy number of CCL3L or CCL4L genes, respectively, with 100% concordance between the estimates for zero, one, two or at least two copies (data not shown).
The distribution of CCL3L copy number in Ukrainian HIV-positive or HIV-negative children and HIV-positive mothers were similar to those observed in individuals of European descent [24], and the average copy number of CCL3L in this population was two (Fig. S2a). Although the copy number of CCL3L and CCL4L were highly correlated (92%, P < 0.0001), the gene dose of CCL3L was higher than that for CCL4L (Fig. 1e and f). Given this high correlation, predictably, the distribution of CCL4L and CCL3L were very similar (compare Fig. S2a and b), and therefore associations of the total CCL4L gene dose with HIV-AIDS susceptibility would be expected to be similar to those detected for the total CCL3L gene dose.
In a previous study [24], we found that in European–Americans or Argentinean children, possession of a copy number of CCL3L that was less than the average found in the overall population (two) was associated with an increased risk of acquiring HIV infection. Concordantly, among Ukrainian children exposed perinatally to HIV, possession of a copy number of CCL3L or CCL4L that was less than two was associated with a trend for a nearly 75% increased risk of acquiring HIV before or after accounting for receipt of zidovudine (ZDV) prophylaxis, respectively, compared with children who had at least two copies of CCL3L or CCL4L (Fig. 2a and b).
We next determined whether risk of transmission differed based on whether a mother and her offspring had similar or dissimilar doses of CCL3L. Compared with mother–child pairs in which both the mother and her offspring had at least two CCL3L copies, the risk of transmission was significantly higher by a factor of approximately 10–13 only when both the mother and her offspring had a CCL3L gene dose of less than two (Fig. 2c). In these 89 mother–child pairs, identical associations were detected for the copy number of CCL4L. HIV-positive children with less than two CCL3L or CCL4L copies had experienced an approximately two times faster rate of progression to AIDS than those with a higher gene dose (Fig. 3a and b).
We next investigated the phenotypic impact of the different components of CCL3L and CCL4L genes. Figure S2 (c) and (d) show the distribution of the copy numbers of the different CCL3L and CCL4L genes in the study individuals. The distribution patterns of CCL3La and CCL4La were very similar to those of the total copy numbers of CCL3L and CCL4L, respectively, whereas most study individuals lacked CCL3Lb and CCL4Lb (Fig. S2).
The pair-wise comparisons of the copy number of the different CCL3L and CCL4L genes revealed the following pattern. There was a highly statistically significant positive correlation between the copy numbers of CCL3La and CCL3Lb, CCL3La and CCL4La, CCL3La and CCL4Lb, CCL3Lb and CCL4La (Fig. 3c). In contrast, there was a highly statistically significant negative correlation between the copy number of CCL4La and CCL4Lb (r = −0.30, P < 0.0001; Fig. 3c).
On the basis of the observed inverse relationship between CCL4La and CCL4Lb (Fig. 3c) and because CCL4La but not CCL4Lb-derived transcripts are predicted to encode a classical chemokine (Fig. 1d), we surmised the following: those who had more 'functional' chemo-kine-encoding CCL4La copies than CCL4Lb copies might fare better in terms of their disease course than those who only possessed CCL4Lb copies. To test this possibility, we stratified HIV-infected children into three groups as shown in Fig. 3d. Consistent with our hypothesis, possession of only CCL4Lb was associated with a four-fold faster rate of disease progression than those who only possessed CCL4La (compare blue and red Kaplan–Meier plots, Fig. 3d). By contrast, those who had one copy of CCL4La and CCL4Lb displayed an intermediate disease phenotype (green Kaplan–Meier plot, Fig. 3d). The Kaplan–Meier plot of individuals who had higher copy numbers of CCL4La than CCL4Lb was similar to those who only possessed CCL4La (data not shown). These findings underscored the beneficial and negative associations of CCL4La and CCL4Lb copies on HIV disease course, respectively. There were too few individuals who were null for CCL3La to conduct similar analyses.
The importance of accounting for the complexity imposed by the combinatorial gene content generated by variable CNV on the 17q12 was underscored by the observation that there was a positive correlation between the frequencies of each of the CCL3L and CCL4L genes except for the pair-wise comparison of CCL4La and CCL4Lb (Fig. 3c) and the contrasting disease-influencing effects associated with these two genes (Fig. 3d). This raised the possibility that the relative balance between the content of 'protective' versus 'detrimental' duplicated chemokine genes influences the HIV-AIDS-influencing phenotypic effect of the chemokine gene-rich 17q12 regions that have undergone segmental duplications. We used principal components analyses to address this possibility as well as to gain a greater understanding of the observed pattern of correlations between the chemokine gene copy numbers.
By factor analyses, we found that these four components loaded differentially onto a two-factor solution (Fig. 4a): CCL3La and CCL4La loaded heavily onto the first factor (factor 1), whereas the second factor (factor 2) was represented by CCL4Lb loading very highly onto it. Of note, CCL3Lb loaded almost equivocally on both the factors suggesting that this is a distinct component. The degree of uniqueness of CCL3La, CCL3Lb, CCL4La and CCL4Lb was 0.05, 0.59, 0.04 and 0.11, further emphasizing that with regards to the copy number distribution, the copy number of CCL3Lb was uniquely different from the distribution of CCL3La, CCL4La and CCL4Lb. Thus, factor 1 largely reflects CCL3La and CCL4La, whereas factor 2 largely reflects CCL4Lb.
To assess whether biological interpretations made from the correlation patterns and principal components analyses were justifiable, we conducted the following analyses. Using the results from principal components analyses, we generated standardized scores for the first and second factor for each individual. On the basis of this, we surmised that a lower score for factor 1, which equates with a lower number of CCL3La and CCL4La copies would more likely associate with an HIV-positive status. Consistent with this, we observed that the median for the factor 1 score (in parenthesis) in HIV-negative children (0.25) was significantly higher than that found in HIV-positive children (0.13; P = 0.042 for comparison) and HIV-positive mothers (−0.43, P = 0.0067 for comparison). These observations suggested that a reduction in the overall gene content of CCL3La and CCL4La confers a differential risk of acquiring HIV.
We next examined whether the relative content of these two factors in a given individual was a determinant of the risk of acquiring HIV infection and progressing to AIDS. A ratio of the factors 1 (f1) and 2 (f2) scores (referred to here as f1/f2 score ratio) exceeding one indicates a relative enrichment of the first factor, whereas a value less than one indicates a relative enrichment of the second factor. We found that HIV-uninfected children had significantly higher values of the f1/f2 ratio compared with HIV-infected children and HIV-infected mothers (Fig. 4b). Using logistic regression analysis, we then determined if the risk of HIV acquisition is influenced by the f1/f2 score ratio. We found that each log-fold increase in the f1/f2 score ratio was associated with approximately 43 and 41% reduced likelihood of acquiring HIV before and after accounting for ZDV prophylaxis, respectively (Fig. 4c). Similarly and to a comparable extent, we found by using Cox proportional hazards regression analyses that a log-fold increase in the f1/f2 score ratio was associated with an approximately 38 and 37% decreased rate of progression to AIDS in the HIV-infected children before and after accounting for the receipt of prophylaxis, respectively (Fig. 4c).
The present study has two major findings. First, they confirm and amplify the results of previous studies which showed that a low dose of CCL3L genes (referred previously as the CCL3L1-contianing segmental duplication) is associated with an increased risk of acquiring HIV and progressing rapidly to AIDS. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that a low CCL4L gene dose has similar associations. These results add credence to the notion that these genetic determinants may influence epidemic spread of HIV. Successful transmission of HIV-1 depends on both the infectiousness of the HIV-positive individual and susceptibility of the HIV-negative individual. Infectiousness is in part dependent on the viral load [37,38], and previous studies [24,26,29–31] indicate that a low copy number of CCL3L is associated with a progressive HIV disease course and higher viral load. Thus, it follows that mother–child dyads in which both members have a low copy number of CCL3L should have the highest probability of transmission, which is what we observed in this study. In 12.4% of mother–child pairs, both the mother and the child possessed less than two CCL3L (or CCL4L) copies and 91% of these children had acquired HIV infection. This translated to an odds ratio of more than 10 for the risk of transmission, which is among the highest odds for transmission that we have observed, and an attributable fraction of 18.4% (95% confidence interval 6.1–30.6%). These results suggest that a substantial proportion of vertical transmission in our study individuals may be explained by mother–child dyads in which each member has a low CCL3L/CCL4L dose. By analogy, we hypothesize that a similarly high proportion of transmission may occur among HIV-positive/HIV-negative sexual partner pairs when each member has a low CCL3L dose, a premise that is also supported by our modeling studies [39]. As there was complete concordance in the gene copy numbers of CCL3L and CCL4L in the mother–child pairs in which both mother and offspring had less than two CCL3L copies, these data also reflect the effects of the overall CCL4L gene copy number on transmission.
Second, our findings illustrate a chromosomal region whose genomic architecture is highly complex such that individuals do not inherit the same complement of CCL3L and CCL4L genes. However, we suggest that uncovering this complexity might be necessary to define the true phenotypic impact of these duplicated genes on HIV-AIDS susceptibility. This is exemplified by the finding that the copy numbers of CCL4La and CCL4Lb are inversely correlated and have opposing effects on AIDS progression rates, despite the fact that sequences of the coding exons of these two genes are identical [3,5]. Furthermore, we show that the balance between the copy numbers of the genes that transcribe classical versus aberrantly spliced CCL3L and CCL4L mRNA species influences HIV-AIDS susceptibility; a higher gene content of CCL4Lb (CCL4L1) or a lower content of CCL3La and CCL4La increased the risk of transmission and an accelerated disease course. Underscoring the negative influence of CCL4Lb on HIV acquisition, a previous study [9] also found that HIV-positive individuals were enriched for more copies of this gene compared with HIV-negative controls.
It is conceivable that there are additional tiers of genetic and mRNA complexity in this locus. We have identified novel 5′ exons for CCL3Lb, a gene that was previously thought to only have two exons, which are homologous to exons 2 and 3 of CCL3L1 or CCL3L3; for this reason, CCL3Lb was considered as a pseudogene [5]. We found that these novel 5′ exons give rise to two alternatively (CCL3Lb-v1 and CCL3Lb-v2) spliced transcripts. These transcripts contain chemokine-like domains, but are not predicted to encode classical chemokines, and additional studies will be required to uncover the functional properties of these CCL3L mRNA species.
The present findings have four implications. First, although CCL4La and CCL4Lb share 100% sequence identity in their coding sequences, the findings presented herein and those from our preliminary studies in other populations indicate that the pair-wise correlations among and between CCL3L and CCL4L genes, and the degree of the inverse correlation between the copy number of CCL4La and CCL4Lb genes may vary between populations. This suggests that genotype–phenotype association studies may need to account for interpopulation differences in the genomic architecture of this locus.
The second implication of our results is that the assessment of CCL4L dose is capturing the sum of two genes (CCL4La and CCL4Lb) whose copy number frequencies are inversely related and who have opposing effects on HIV disease course. Thus, the true phenotypic impact of CCL4La and CCL4Lb cannot be made using CCL3L copy number as a proxy for CCL4L or by evaluation of the composite CCL4L. This might explain in part why previous studies may not have found an association between CCL4L copy number and HIV disease [40]. Third, the CCL3Lb copy number loaded weakly and equivocally on factor 1 or 2, indicating that this gene may influence HIV-AIDS pathogenesis by as yet unidentified means. Consistent with this possibility, we have found that CCL3Lb (CCL3L2) generates alternatively transcribed transcripts whose 5′ exons differ from those of CCL3La (CCL3L1 and CCL3L3) (Fig. 1c). Fourth, greater insights into the immune correlates linked to a high gene dose of specific CCL3L and CCL4L chemokine genes that confer protective effects may provide novel insights into the correlates of protection. The importance of elucidating these correlates is also highlighted by the recent observation that CCL3L copy number may influence susceptibility to Simian-AIDS in rhesus macaques [34,41].
In summary, we confirm and extend significantly prior results indicating that a low copy number of CCL3L influences risk of HIV acquisition and disease progression in a cohort of children exposed perinatally to HIV. We demonstrate a role for CCL4L CNV in HIV-AIDS susceptibility. However, we show that dissecting the combinatorial genomic complexity posed by varying proportions of distinct CCL3L and CCL4L genes among individuals is required to elucidate the complete phenotypic impact of this locus in HIV, and suggest that the balance between the copy number of the different CCL3L and CCL4L genes influences HIV-AIDS susceptibility. From a broader perspective of relevance to the CNV field, it might be important to determine whether the combinatorial genomic content generated by distinct genes within a copy number variable region determines disease susceptibility.
Supported by award no. UKB2-2705-DP-05 of the U.S. Civilian Research and Development (CRDF) to L.S.K. and S.K.A., the Veterans Administration Center on AIDS and HIV infection at the South Texas Veterans Healthcare System and a MERITaward (R37046326) from the NIH to S.K.A. This work was also supported by a Elizabeth Glaser Scientist Award and Burroughs Wellcome Clinical Scientist Award in Translational Research to S.K.A.
We thank George Crawford for invaluable programmatic support at UTHSCSA; Vince Marconi for critical advice; staff members and patients at the Department of Pediatrics at Dnepropetrovsk State Medical Academy for logistic support and participation in the study, respectively; Birju Shah, Vivian Ahn, Lisa Beachy and Jill King for technical assistance; and A.S. Ahuja for forbearance. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not reflect the views of CRDF.
L.S.K. and S.K.A. conceived the project, obtained funding for the study and provided expertise into different aspects of the study. L.S.K. and Z.A.C. enrolled patients, collected samples, conducted experiments and analyzed data. G.C. and W.H. designed the experimental protocols and analyzed data. R.S. helped establishing the PCR assays. G.G., S.M. and S.K.A. planned and performed the mRNA cloning and sequencing work. M.J.D., S.S.A. and R.A.C. provided critical conceptual input and analyzed data. S.K.A., H.K. and G.C. wrote the initial draft and all authors critically reviewed the manuscript and provided feedback. H.K. and S.K.A. conceived the statistical design.
There are no conflicts of interest.
PubMed Central Canada is a service of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) working in partnership with the National Research Council's national science library in cooperation with the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the U.S. National Library of Medicine(NCBI/NLM). It includes content provided to the PubMed Central International archive by participating publishers.


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Discussion in 'General Pro Player Discussion' started by JohnnySpot, Sep 15, 2009.
So...are we? Discuss!
Yes extremely weak when hard-hitting mugs like Del Potro can win slams. Only Sampras-types should win slams.
Who are you and what makes you a PRO analyzer and such???
NAHHHHHHHH :twisted:
Sampras-types were one dimensional. Spank a serve, and VOlley. Spank a serve, and VOlley. Spank a serve, and VOlley. Spank a serve, and VOlley.
I like Sampras though. Cat had 14 GS with a Spank-Serve & Volley.
The GameSampras clones are gonna have your head for this.
Sounds like you don't know much about Sampras or tennis.
But of course.
Talentless hacks like Delpo beating Fed hahaha yada yada yada hate hate hate.
And so on.
You guys are on crack. Do you have any idea just how good these men are on the tour today? Del Potro is anything but a talentless hack. He's 6' 6", quick as a cat, a serve that is great and still getting better, a monster game from the baseline, is showing that if he works at it, he can become a good volleyer, and a psyche that is only now beginning to believe in himself.
This guy is so good as to be called freakishly good. That goes for the rest of the top players, too. You all on this thread, do you play tournaments? USTA? Do you win them regularly? And at what level? 3.0? 4.0? 5.0? Doesn't matter. Anywhere you look, anywhere you play, there is talent in your area to match yours. It's never easy to dominate, even if you're just a wannabe schmoe like most of us.
These are the best players in the world! Pete Sampras one dimensional??? Dude. Seriously. They'd have beaten you every time if you'd ever played them, even if they were five and you were ten. They were ten and you were twenty. In a wheel chair and you able bodied.
Quit fooling yourselves and wasting time wondering how "weak" they are. Enjoy a player like Del Potro today, because tomorrow, like in five years tomorrow, he'll have won a whole bunch of slams and tourny's, and some kid who's the next big thing will hand him his ass in a sling like he did to Nadal yesterday and Federer today. That's just the natural order of things.
My two cents.
Dave C.
Separate names with a comma.

subset: commoncrawl


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probably get bashed but I thought it was funny
Posted by Anonymous
- 43 Replies
3 moms liked this
I was at Wendy's with my DF and 3 kids.. apparently tonight was teenager takeover ... probably like 20 of them. Well, I was standing in line with my dd bc after 15min of swearing from the teens and one mooning the rest I had enough and asked for The manager. Behind me was 2more teens that didn't want to buy anything, just were asking the cashier to fix their iPhone (the cashier was mentally handicapped) so I said "she's busy doing her job" . Apparently he got mouthy and called me fat (I'm pregnant) well, my fiance went off on the kid. I thought it was hysterical! He put the kid in his place, and the kid got kicked out.
Posted by Anonymous on Jan. 4, 2013 at 9:55 PM
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by Ruby Member on Jan. 4, 2013 at 9:58 PM
2 moms liked this
Lol you're mad at the teens for showing their asses, then your df shows his. Pun intended:) how old are your kids?
by Ruby Member on Jan. 4, 2013 at 10:09 PM
I understand. I used to have a bad temper. Now I'm older and more mature I've realized that you should never let someone get to you like that. Especially in front of your kids. They look to you and learn from you how to handle situations. Plus these were teens lol
Quoting Anonymous:
They're young.. 3, 5, and 8... my DF was pretty fed up and lost it..
Quoting sweetnsassymami:
Lol you're mad at the teens for showing their asses, then your df shows his. Pun intended:) how old are your kids?
by 8675309👾 on Jan. 4, 2013 at 10:13 PM
I'd bust they heads into pieces. Don't fuck with me or mine.
1 mom liked this
Hahaha that does sound funny. My hubby would have done the same. I would love for some punk kid to insult me in front of him. I get a good kick out of him telling idiots off.
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text: Historically, laws regulating family and domestic affairs have been almost exclusively regulated by the states. I see no reason to change that. The Defense of Marriage Act, which I support and which Congress passed in 1996, clearly states that marriage is between a man and a woman. In addition, this legislation affirms the right of states to choose not to recognize same-sex marriages, regardless of where they occurred. Most states, including my home state of Maine, have passed laws declaring that they will not recognize such marriages. Therefore, I voted against proceeding with the constitutional amendment at this time.


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"It happened during my last day of four continuous weeks of training at Mt. Hood, Oregon. We had excellent conditions, blue skies, and a perfectly shaped pipe. I was very motivated because it was my first time filming for a snowboard video, and everything was going well, but not for long.
"It always seems like you get hurt on your last jump. Ross, the camera guy, was so surprised when I did a six-foot-plus frontside Indy that he was unable to get it on tape. "Do it exactly like that again," he said. This is a sentence most snowboarders hate to hear. It happened just as I expected, I missed the landing and smashed my elbow directly on the coping of the pipe. It hurt like hell, but since I could move it, I figured I was okay. Wrong. The next day my elbow was swollen like a blue pumpkin and I couldn't move it. A physiotherapist diagnosed it as a severe soft-tissue contusion. This sounded like no big deal to me, and since most medical treatment in the States comes directly out of your own pocket, I decided against getting X-rays. That's where I blew it.
"When I returned to Munich five weeks later, my elbow still wasn't better. Whenever I put pressure on it or tried to straighten it, there was tons of pain, that's when I finally decided to go to a specialist. He took an X-ray and gave me the bad news. The bone in my joint was chipped and it should have been operated on immediately after the accident. The only thing the specialist could do was send me to physiotherapy to try to recover as much movement as possible. He also guaranteed me that I would have arthritis in twenty years.
"A year later, I don't really have any problems putting pressure on my elbow, but I can't straighten it 100 percent anymore. So, I really advise all you people out there to check with a specialist right away if you experience any pain. Immediate treatment might stop you from snowboarding for a while, but may save you a lot of pain in the future." –Nicola Thost
High-impact forces and strains that occur during an injury can exceed the natural range of motion of an articulation (a joint or junction between bones or cartilage) and the strength of normal bones. This can lead to minor or major injuries. But how can you estimate how severe an injury is?
Severe injuries are usually associated with acute pain, which doesn't fully resolve itself in a short period of time. Fractures and ligament sprains are often accompanied by rapid swelling and motion is painful and limited. Fractures and dislocations can create a misalignment of a body part, which is one of the reasons these injuries need immediate medical attention.
Minor injuries such as distortions and bruises usually are accompanied by slight pain and sometimes swelling, which usually goes away after two to three days. If pain persists or if the injured body part can't be freely moved or weighted, a doctor's visit is recommended to avoid serious long-term damage. Injuries, even if they are minor, should not be underestimated. Immediate and proper treatment can limit the damage and help speed up the healing process.
So in case of an injury, the following first-aid tips help.
R Rest
I Ice
C Compression
E Elevation
Why Ice?
During sport injuries and accidents small blood vessels are destroyed. Ice causes a constriction of these vessels so that less blood can pour out into the soft tissue. Using RICE, as a first-aid treatment, helps to minimize the swelling caused by bleeding; minimized bleeding means less related swelling and less scar-tissue formation within the injured area. With the use of RICE, the healing and rehabilitation process is faster.
•Apply ice for> twenty minutes, followed by a two hour
pause; repeat often for two days.
•Wait until the injury is fully healed before going snowboarding again.
•Never put ice directly on the skin.
•Never use heat on acute injuries.
•Never massage the acutely injured body regions.
This advice is good for any kind of sport-related injuries, including injuries from skateboarding, surfing, and mountain biking.
Dr. George Ahlbäumer is known as one of Europe's top orthopedic surgeons specializing in snowboard injuries, based at the Clinic Gut in the Center of Bone and Joint Surgery in the Swiss Alps of St. Moritz.


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Lakeland Flying Tigers' Six-Game Homestand
Posted on July 6th, 2012 by Rebecca Thompson
Categories: Baseball
The Lakeland Flying Tigers have returned home for a six-game homestand that began Wednesday with a Fourth of July Celebration. Lakeland hosts the Clearwater Threshers July 4-6 and the Daytona Cubs July 7-9.
Tickets for all home games are available by calling the Flying Tigers at
(863) 686-8075. Box seats are $6 and reserved seats are $5 and seniors 55 and over and children 14 and under receive a $1.00 discount. Saturday tickets are an additional $1. Parking is FREE.
Friday, July 6 vs. Clearwater Threshers @ 7:11 p.m. (Gates open at 6:00 p.m.)
- 7-11 Friday's Presented by 7-11 Socrum Loop
- Flying Tigers Baseball Card Giveaway Sponsored by Boring Business Systems.
The Flying Tigers will be giving away team baseball card sets to the first 500 paid fans.
Saturday, July 7 vs. Daytona Cubs @ 6:00 p.m. (Gates open at 4:30 p.m.)
- Fireworks Extravaganza following the game (weather permitting).
- Bright House Customer Appreciation Night
Bright House Networks will be inviting and recognizing customers as part of their annual night at Marchant Stadium. There will be special prize giveaways throughout the game.
- Pre-Game
Tattoo and balloon artists from Twisted Artz will be in the main concourse beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 8 vs. Daytona Cubs @ 1:00 p.m. (Gates open at 12:00 p.m.)
- Kids Day
-All kids 14 and under will receive free admission to the game.
– Kids can play catch on the field beginning at noon (weather permitting).
-Kids can also run the bases just like the Flying Tigers following the game (weather permitting).
-All fans will receive a voucher for a free sundae, compliments of Dairy Queen – North Lakeland.
Monday, July 9 vs. Daytona Cubs @ 6:30 p.m. (Gates open at 5:30 p.m.)
- Dollar Mondays – Fans pay only $1 for the items below:
-$1 tickets
-$1 hot dogs
-$1 small sodas
-$1 popcorn
-$1 peanuts


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Jaden's, the upscale restaurant and bar/lounge at the Knox Promenade Center off Central Expressway, was just pronounced dead. The restaurant went first, done in a couple of months ago by dining ennui. The owners kept the bar open, but everyone thought it was dead, too. So they killed it in honor of perception three weeks ago. The owners had $3.5 million sunk in Jaden's, so they're coming up with a new concept. "We've been doing demographic studies and everything else in the area trying to figure out what's needed so that we don't have the same catastrophe we had with Jaden's," says Dirk Kelcher, who along with his brother Mark operates Jaden's, Jack's Pub and the Top Rail Ballroom. Kelcher says the problem was the upscale food. Hard to disagree. So they're downscaling, most likely into sporty mode à la Cool River Café sans the pool tables. But this will mean sinking even more money into the place before reopening under a new name, maybe in August. "It's kind of a shame, because we spent so much to make it an upscale place, and then we have to spend money to bring it down." Our advice: Host a slew of Keystone Light wet midriff T-shirt contests all summer. You'll accomplish the same thing at a profit.
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Sizzle fizzle: The Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House that was to take shape in the former Star Canyon space in the Centrum building flared out with the onset of the Fourth after Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon (Del Frisco's parent) officials failed to come to terms with the Centrum building's owners, Centrum GS Ltd... Marc Haines has now officially cleared his murky relations with Che restaurant and nightclub; he is "official consulting chef for Che." He has also officially hired the official Che chef: Alfredo Gonzales, whom Haines once hired as opening sous chef for Cuba Libre when he was unofficially an official consulting chef for Consilient Restaurants...Bar conquistador Frankie Carabetta will plant an upscale bar where Gino's Vino Wine Emporium once nested on Routh Street after Gino's, operated by former Lawry's the Prime Rib wine buyer Gino Catenacci, collapsed a few weeks ago. Carabetta also has a name for his new bar in the former David's Pub space in North Dallas: Industry...Drink this: With labels like Paraduxx and Decoy, the Duckhorn Wine Company continues its unrelenting march of duck-related labels (how long before we see a Liquid Quack debut?). But the 2003 Migration Anderson Valley Pinot Noir is superb, an earthy drink that shucks the typical hard-candy composure in favor of rich, velvety textures and bright but deep black cherry flavors framed in tobacco and spice. Get it for $28 at www.goldeneyewinery.com.


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Easter Peekers - 12 / Box
Easter Peekers - 12 / Box
Out of stock
- Buy 2 for $19.97 each and save 6%
Peekaboo can be hard work for adults. We have a fantastic short cut for you: Easter Peekers!
Easter Peekers are an interactive toy that fufills the peekaboo longing in children, plus they make a charming addition to your Easter baskets with their traditional holiday colors. With three different googly-eyed holiday faces, like chicks and bunnies, these will provide tons of entertainment to last long after the egg hunts are over.
Each Easter Peeker is filled with crunchy malt eggs, which should be more than enough advertisement to seal the deal for you. Everybody wins with Easter Peekers.


text:
Learn about how Coastal Payroll's workforce management solutions can help you increase efficiency and automate processes, all while having some fun doing it!
Busy employers like you are demanding their payroll providers do more than just provide paychecks to their employees. Businesses need comprehensive human capital management (HCM) solutions that integrate business functions into a single source, automate procedures, increase efficiencies and save money.
Coastal Payroll operates using a a cloud-based, user-friendly solution, iSolved, that makes processing your payroll easier than ever before. And it increases accuracy. With Coastal Payroll, you have time tracking, human resources and benefits enrollment all within one source.
Our employees are our greatest asset and your best resource. We take pride in being a team comprised of unique individuals; CoastalPeople do great work and enjoy ourselves while doing it.
Come meet our people.
Content here will not currently show on the homepage.
We are a small business and it is nice to be given the same priority as a big business. Also the reliability and accuracy of the service is excellent.
"Coastal Payroll was a breath of fresh air! We tried two national payroll companies and found the experiences to be beyond frustrating. With Coastal Payroll, our company was set up and running within a day, response times have always been great and I've enjoyed working with their employees."


text: I'm a working on a denim rag quilt. I'm having a terrible time cutting the seam allowance, to make them fray. I have a pair of snips, that I got a quilt show. They are definitely not going to cut through 2 layers of denim and 2 layers of cotton. Any ideas? I need something that won't make my hands hurt, trying to cut through.


text:
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You might find this hard to believe, but there was a time when weapon-retention training did not exist in American law enforcement. This is not one of those "good old days" articles; it was a serious deficit in police training and needed to be addressed. Four times during my law enforcement career I had to fight to retain my gun, and the first two incidents occurred before I received organized, structured training in the skill set. Interestingly, both went fairly well for me, so I was fortunate.
When I was in the basic police academy in 1976, I had the opportunity to sit with a veteran of the trench warfare of World War I and talk about the extreme forms of close-quarters combat. Theirs was a no-holds-barred type of fighting in which anything from a knife to a trenching tool could be used to fight, and when I asked him if there was a single tip he could offer based on his experiences, he said, "Affect their ability to see and/or breathe, and you shall win the day!" I never forgot this excellent piece of advice.
The first time a suspect tried to snatch my gun, I was carrying a Smith & Wesson Model 19 in a high-ride, thumb-break holster. Compared to today's threat-level holsters, this rig would have been a "minus one," but it was common for the time, and many officers used them. They rode well in daily carry, drew fairly clean, were consistent with off-duty carry and, when using a revolver with a 6-inch barrel, were comfortable when seated in a car.
The first attack came while guarding a prisoner on a routine court appearance. He was expecting to get out on bail, but when the judge set it higher than expected, he went into a deep funk. Just prior to entering a tunnel that went under the street from the court to the jail, he lunged out and tried to grab my revolver. Having no training in how to handle this, I reverted to what I knew, learned from my many years of playing sandlot tackle football, where a straight arm to the face was common. He moved, and I shot out my arm, with my palm landing squarely on top of his nose. It broke, I stepped back and looked around for other threats (something I had not been taught yet, either).


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Female • 17 years old • Mobile, AL
I grew up in a place where sex was rarely discussed. In southern Alabama, schools teach abstinence. Sex is learned through whispered words between schoolmates, or worse, from your parents at the dinner table.
I was fourteen when I first met him in Algebra class. His backpack said "Korn." I was reluctant to talk to this grubby-looking weirdo, and when I did, he talked about things I wasn't familiar with: Wicca, marijuana… blowjobs. But I still noticed his torn baby-blue backpack and the way he stared at me from across every class we had together.
Illustration by Thomas Pitilli
Three years of back-and-forth chasing ensued. He'd advance, I'd retreat. He'd date all my cousins, I'd type at him in all caps on AIM. Finally, in the spring of my senior year of high school, I relented.
I couldn't help it; I was in love. I always had been, really. He was my first real kiss, in his driveway, in the front seat of my Oldsmobile. We had been dating for about a month when his whole family decided to leave the house one afternoon for his little brother's baseball game. I sat on the kitchen counter while he heated a Domino's pizza in the microwave. It was hot. The windows were open. The sweat dripping down my back felt like bugs crawling all over me.
He sauntered up to me and kissed me. That was it. He led me to his bedroom, to his bed. Somehow I was stripped down to a black tank top, and he was completely naked. As he slid into me I moaned in pain. It felt like someone was ripping out my insides with their bare hands. But I begged him to keep going, to keep ripping into me, because the pain was as intense as my feelings for him.
When we were done, we lay there a long time in silence. His family came home soon after; we rushed to get clothes on, and walked out into the living room to face bright lights and accusations. I'm twenty-one now and I'm no longer with him, but he is constantly on my mind.


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|Mt. San Jacinto via Deer Springs Trail
Labor Day Weekend 2003
|Page 1 of 3
|Day1 - Hiked 4.3 miles from highway to Strawberry Jct. Camp
|Day2 - Sunrise at Strawberry Jct. Camp
|Day2 - We're 6.3 up the trail, 1.5 left to Little Round Valley
|Sometime the trail is soft forest duff...
|Sometimes the trail is big rocks at odd angles...
|The distant hills are the Santa Ana Mountains by Lake Elsinore
|Day2 - We hiked from Strawberry Jct to Little Round Valley
|Little Round Valley has a nice meadow in the center


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Tax Resources
We understand that preparing your taxes can be complicated with the different tax provisions for clergy. To assist you, the following resources and on-call experts are available to provide information. We recommend that you discuss specifics with a tax or financial advisor familiar with your specific situation.
2017 Clergy Tax Forms and Resources
- 2017 Tax Guide for Episcopal Ministers (for 2016 Tax Returns)
- State Withholding on Benefit Payments1
- CPF State Withholding For W-4P
- Federal Income Tax Withholding For W4P
Go to Tax Publications to order a printed copy of the Clergy Tax Guide.
1Note: An important form for survivors.
Common Questions
On-Call Experts
Nancy N. Fritschner, CPA
Member of the CREDO Finance Faculty
(877) 305-1414
The Rev. Canon William Geisler, CPA (ret.)
Regular lecturer on clergy and church tax issues
(877) 305-1415
Please note that this service provides information, not personal tax advice. If you need advice or help preparing your tax returns, you may wish to ask your diocese to refer a CPA or tax advisor in your area who is knowledgeable about clergy taxes.
Unless otherwise noted, websites referenced herein that are outside the www.cpg.org domain are not associated with The Church Pension Fund and its affiliates (collectively, the Church Pension Group) and the Church Pension Group is not responsible for the content of any such websites.


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Radio Liferay Episode 21: Jim Hinkey. Bringing back Javadocs
Company Blogs 2012/05/31 投稿者 Olaf Kock Staff
My apologies for the long break in publishing the episodes - I got distracted with a lot of work and once there is an interruption of a habit, you probably know how hard it is to get back into it. I hope to be on track again now and will publish the archive of already recorded episodes soon - and produce more of them.
This is another episode recorded at the previous Liferay Retreat. I sat together with Jim Hinkey, Knowledge Engineer and part of Liferay's knowledgement and documentation team, since March 2011. He took over ownership of the developer's guide and is the guy to bring back javadoc to Liferay (more about this and how/why Liferay once lost its javadoc at the end of this episode)
We talked about
- How Jim found Liferay
- Life in Raleigh/NC
- One of his biggest chokes, the (re)creation of javadocs for Liferay
- The process that Javadoc now has to go through in order to get into the product
- and other topics
As I managed to get short hold of Brian Chan, I had the opportunity to ask two more quick questions - one about the day when Liferay lost all of its javadoc and one sneaky question about consistency with the example of ThemeDisplay. If you - like me - always wondered where this name came from, you'll have to listen to this episode.
Last but not least, pardon the pun, but this was too good to be true - I just had to include this:
(The source for this cartoon is geekandpoke, licensed under Creative commons by-sa 3.0. Thank you so much, Oliver Widder)
You'll find this episode - and make sure that you don't miss any of the future episodes - by subscribing to the RSS feed, on itunes or with your podcatcher of choice - you'll find all the options on www.liferay.com/radio. And if you want to get notified when the next episode is out, follow @RadioLiferay
And please remember to rate this podcast in your podcast directory of choice and provide feedback here on the episodes as well. Thank you.


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We're stoked when you're stoked — Whichever mountain bike suspension service you need we guarantee to make the process painless, provide fast turnaround and to deliver a dialed fork, shock or seatpost.
We've got over 40 years combined experience, a purpose built facility, a machine shop next door, a bike park a mile away and access to endless killer trails — this is what we do.
No shock, no fork, no seat post, no riding — we get it. We have hundreds of parts in stock and most services are turned around in a day so you and your rig are up and riding in short order.
We use original manufactureR parts or better, top notch oil, brand specific tools, and a careful thought out process that makes sure what you receive is as good as new — usually better.
Email us with your questions or to request service and we'll get back to your right away.


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text:
Unless otherwise stated, all opera performances take place at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W.
416-363-8231 (long distance in Canada and the U.S. 1-800-250-4653)
In Person
145 Queen. St. W., Toronto
By Mail
COC Ticket Services, 227 Front St. E., Toronto, ON M5A 1E8
Ticket Services Customer Service
Moving? Fill out the online change of address form.
227 Front St. E., Toronto, ON M5A 1E8
General Inquiries Webmaster Media Inquiries Artistic and Music Department
Friends of the COC: 416-847-4949
The President's Council Priority Line: 416-363-5801
Donation Office, 227 Front St. E., Toronto, ON M5A 1E8
Donation Inquiry
Friends of the COC
The President's Council
The Golden Circle
Charitable Registration Number: 11883 4829 RR0001
General Inquiries
Facility Rentals
Lost an item? Contact Lost and Found.
Summer Camp Office: 416-306-2385 x. 2449
To register for programs and courses: 416-363-6671
General Inquiries: 416-306-2392
416-363-5584 (direct) or
If faxing a registration form, please fax it to Ticket Services: 416-363-2895
Education & Outreach, 227 Front St. E., Toronto, ON M5A 1E8
General Inquiries
Opera Appreciation Courses and Opera Tours
The Canadian Opera Company does accept requests from charitable organizations for support for their fundraising efforts. Our mandate is to support other charitable arts and culture organizations/groups, along with schools requesting support for arts and cultural endeavours. The standard donation is a gift certificate.
A formal written request (preferably on letterhead) must be submitted with the following information:
Please submit your request by one of the following methods:
Community Support Canadian Opera Company 227 Front St. E. Toronto, ON M5A 1E8
416-363-5584 (Attention: Community Support)
firstname.lastname@example.com (include 'Donation Request' as the subject)
Please note:


text:
A Day Before Election, Candidates Make Final Push
The candidates and their running mates made final stops in key battleground states to claim the last undecided voters. Ray Suarez reports on the Obama campaign's focus on getting supporters to the polls. Then Margaret Warner reports on the Romney campaign, which is counting on supporters' enthusiasm for an election win.
Aired: 11/05/12


text:
More In Taxes
5 Tax Moves to Make Before the Summer's Over
Where, Oh Where, Did My Tax Money Go?
American Tax Bills: Not So High?
The Real Deal on How We Spend Tax Refunds
5 Common Tax Season Conundrums—and How to Decipher Them
Latest On LearnVest
What to Know Before Shopping Online for an Engagement Ring
Whole Foods Is Making Thanksgiving Dinner Cheaper
Don't Let Your Gift Cards Go to Waste! Here Are the Ones They'll Use
I Almost Defaulted on $65K of Student Loans — Now I'm Paying Them Off Ahead of Schedule
Your Efforts to Save Money Are Probably Making You Overspend on the Holidays
4 Top Tax Scams to Avoid
Tax fraud looks a lot like regular financial fraud—it costs you money and causes you a lot of frustration.
The good news is that if you're taking steps to protect yourself against identity theft and credit card fraud, you're on the right track to preventing your tax refund, personal information and money from falling into the wrong hands.
But there's more you should know to prevent yourself from becoming a victim this tax season. Read on for the I.R.S.'s four top tax scams targeting people like you, how to prevent them and what to do if you've already become a target.
Identity Theft
Identity theft in the tax world is a little bit different than your average card scam, but can be just as frustrating. It happens in a couple ways:
- A thief uses your personal information to file a tax return, and then has your refund sent to him or her.
- Someone uses your Social Security number to get a job, and when the employer sends its withheld taxes to the I.R.S., the I.R.S. thinks you have not been claiming all your income on your tax return.
The first clue that this has happened might be when the I.R.S. informs you by letter that two returns have been filed in your name (yet another reason to file early) or that you didn't claim all the income that you made at a restaurant in Texas—400 miles away from where you live.
Because of the rise in tax identity theft, the I.R.S. has ramped up its effort to combat it, putting in new processes for handling tax returns and new compliance filters to detect fraud, and aggressively investigating identity thieves. It's also piloting an initiative that requires taxpayers who have already been targeted to go through a supplementary verification process.
RELATED: A CPA Spills: The Biggest Tax Mistakes I See
Still, identity thieves will continue to find workarounds, so stay vigilant with the following tips:
How to Prevent It
If your wallet is lost or stolen, or you've already been affected by other forms of identity theft, contact the I.R.S. Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 1-800-908-4490. Other steps to protect yourself include:
- Not carrying your Social Security card or any document(s) with your S.S.N. on it.
- Only giving your S.S.N. to businesses when required.
- Protecting your financial information.
- Checking your credit report every four months.
- Securing personal information in your home.
- Protecting your personal computers and mobile devices by using firewalls, anti-spam/virus software, updating security patches and changing passwords for internet accounts on a regular basis.
- Not giving personal information over the phone, through the mail or on the internet unless you have initiated the contact or you are sure you know who you are dealing with.
If This Has Happened to You
If you receive a letter from the I.R.S. telling you that you filed two refunds, or that you owe taxes or are due a refund from a year you did not file, respond immediately to the name, address or phone number on the I.R.S. notice. If you suspect the notice is not from the I.R.S., contact the I.R.S. Identity Protection Specialized Unit, toll-free at 1-800-908-4490. You'll be asked to file a police report and fill out an identity theft affidavit. From there, the I.R.S. will work with you to resolve the issue.
RELATED: Once you ace this test, take the free Ace Your Taxes Bootcamp to get filing done right!


text:
4 % voucherCyber Weekend - 4% discount on your whole purchase
Would you like to search for an alternative product?
Search for "Haba Wibble Wobble Bird".
You will see an automatic translation
of the product description.
Get the funny wobbly figures in the children's room and the fun can begin...
Their little sunshine from approx. 1 year will have his joy the fun jiggling bird.
As soon as the figure to be poked, the baby's head bounce up and down. So the curiosity of their favorite is awakened and stimulated to the keys, access and crawling or running.
The funny push toy is made from solid beech wood and the friendly face of the chirpy bird calls on your little sweetheart always and again to play and experiment.
Ideal as a small gift and gift!
Safety tested - made in Germany
Product details:
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text:
Sicelo Sithole
Blackstars Of Beautiful Twilight - Poem by Sicelo Sithole
Winding all the black thoughts of the golden children upon the lost divinity
Enriching the black history of warm words and the soulful sounds of silent dignity
Lining all the black rimes to the history walls painted by the cold face of humanity
Igniting the black sparks of the twisted science of reality upon these cold swords of invalidity
Looking towards the bright future of the black poetry, we proudly declare the shine of cold thought mortality
Enhancing the forever shine of all Blackstrars, brings about my finding of true serenity
Blackstrars of beautiful twilight shine upon my forever...spark the joy and pride upon my black mind
Blackstrars of beautiful twilight shine upon the land of my black history and dreams, be the vision and true joy of my black kind.
Comments about Blackstars Of Beautiful Twilight by Sicelo Sithole
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Sicelo Sithole's Other Poems
Famous Poems
Phenomenal Woman
Maya Angelou
Still I Rise
Maya Angelou
The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost
If You Forget Me
Pablo Neruda
Langston Hughes
Annabel Lee
Edgar Allan Poe
Caged Bird
Maya Angelou
Rudyard Kipling
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
Robert Frost
I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You
Pablo Neruda


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eyelash viper
Its most distinguishing feature, and origin of its common name, is the set of modified scales over the eyes that look much like eyelashes. The eyelashes are thought to aid in camouflage, breaking up the snake's outline among the foliage it usually hides in. B. schlegelii occurs in a wide range of colors, including red, yellow, brown, green, even pink, as well as various combinations therof. They often have black or brown speckling on the base color.
Bothriechis schlegelii is a venomous pitviper species found in Central and South America. Small and arboreal, these snakes are characterized by their wide array of color variations, as well as the superciliary scales over the eyes. Often present in zoological exhibits. Named after the German ornithologist, Hermann Schlegel. No subspecies are currently recognized.
No eyelash viper pets yet!
No eyelash viper pictures yet!
No eyelash viper videos yet!
No eyelash viper owners yet!
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Eyelash viper".


text:
Better bike saddle?
I have been riding three of the last four years, usually to work to and back. It is just over 7 miles one way. For the last couple of years I notice that by the time I have made that short distance I am usually numb in the groin area. I would like to start riding longer distances on the weekend but until I can keep from going numb I am not going to. I saw a seat online called the Spriderflex, does anyone have one of these or now if it or similar types help? Thanks for any help.
Know why there are so many different saddles on the market? It's because somebody loves every blessed one of them. Finding the right saddle is a hunt and peck proposition.
Lots of people like Brooks saddles. I'm one of them. Other folks hate Brooks saddles. I suspect that, if you ask enough people, you'll find the same's true of just about any saddle you might mention.
Pick a saddle and try it for a month or so. If you decide it's not for you, try another. When you find the right one, buy 2 because, when it eventually dies that exact model won't be available anymore. Then you'll have to go through the process all over again.
Thank Retro, I will go by my local shops and see what they have and start trying them.
Thanks Retro, I will go to my local shops and start trying to find one that doesn't cause discomfort.
Saddles can be very confusing. I have two saddles that are similar in look and feel (by touch, not on butt), one is great the other one hurts like the dickens. I can't tell you why one hurts and the other doesn't.
Saddles are one of those things that you can't really ask for recommendations. Well, you can ask about quality but not about how they feel. Though, the general rule is that those big soft, cushy saddles will hurt you on longer rides. They put pressure on parts that shouldn't have pressure.
You could try a saddle that has a center groove, to avoid pressure on the nerve. I have a Serfas Men's RX. It has a full length see thru open groove. I like it a lot.
To make matters worse, when comparing Brooks saddles, they feel different from saddle to saddle, even within the same model. Leather is leather and as such, no two saddles will ever be the same. For example, I have two Pros, one has leather that feels harder and is thicker than than the other one. They are shaped the same, but they both "give" differently.
A good LBS will work with you to get a saddle that works. I have tried other saddles, ones with cut outs and ones without and find that I always go back to Brooks. They just feel right to me.
If you go with Brooks, avoid all of the "break in" methods that you find on the web. Stick with proofide and proper mounting position. And...Don't expect to sit on any saddle for long distances without standing occasionally to relieve pressure.
wallbike.com gives you a 6 month return policy with a brooks.
I used a spiderflex for quite a while and it solved the groin area problem, although it took some getting used to. It works better for a road bike position (bent way over) than for a hybrid's more upright poition. Because of low back and wrist pain problems I went 'bent and have never looked back, concluding that DF is obsolete. bk
I know...TMI.
I am a big fan of leather saddles in general and have had excellent service from my Brooks, even though the saddle I have had the longest is a Wright's 5N (similar to the Brooks B17) I will also second the difference in leather saddles, even if they are the same number. I will also highly recommend Wallingford Bike Parts as the place to get Brooks and other items of interest.
I replaced it with a hard Forte/Velo saddle that I've used for my distance rides since. It's probably not my ideal saddle, but it works well. It's actually a bit less immediately comfortable than I remember the Serfas being, but it's pretty consistent out to 70 and 100 miles.
I like the center groove. I have one that I can ride all day without any discomfort.
The HUGE difference in riding comfort of a recumbent over an upright bike cannot be overstated.
The Dynamik is not quite as comfortable as a recumbent, but it is still a big improvement over a normal upright bike, and still handles and looks fairly normal.
The problem is that a normal bicycle forces you to lean forward onto your crotch, and changing saddles is not going to make that position comfortable.
+1 on Doug5150's plug for recumbents. If it's comfort you want, it's the only way to go. The downside is the expense, even worse if you are partial to mid-high end bikes. Yep, I have 3K in my $1400.00 EZ Sport. Do I regret it? Not one dime of it. It's a real nice ride that is well fitted to me. bk
Thank you all very much for the replies. I will pay a visit to my LBS and see what they have. Until then I will continue to ride as much as I can.
I use an Easyseat.
The WTB saddles I use on a couple of bikes have a Love Channel; might help lessen getting "...numb in the groin area". Is that where Mr. Johnson lives? Absolutely no similar issues with the RANS Comfy Chair.
I second the Brooks. I got a B17 for my birthday last May. It only took a couple weeks to break in nicely. Now it almost feels like part of my butt!
The one thing that I did not see mentioned is to go to your LBS and make sure your current saddle is adjusted correctly, along with the rest of your fit. You can pay $200 for a saddle but if it is not adjusted correctly, it's worthless.
I used a spiderflex, and a couple other noseless saddles after prostate surgery last year. They work, they keep pressure off your parts, BUT until you ride a noseless saddle you don't realize how much of a bikes stability is gained from you gripping the nose of the saddle with your thighs. Riding no hands was out of the question with noseless saddles for me, and I had to be very careful riding with one hand ( like when taking a drink). Also, I suspect the noseless saddles put a little more pressure on the knees. Try lots of different saddles and adjustments before going to a noseless saddle. They should be a last resort.
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God's Hands Bird Feeder
It is the hand of God that created our feather friends. It seems appropriate that the Heavenly Father should feed them. This bird feeder is beautifully crafted of resin and engraved with a verse from the Bible.


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A widower has called on a council to apply cemetery rules fairly after wreaths were removed from his wife's grave but not others.
Geoff Sandall was surprised to see the two wreaths he had laid at the grave of his late wife Heather in Stamford cemetery had been taken away.
Geoff, of Fitzwilliam Road, Stamford, initially thought the grave had been vandalised. But when he called Stamford Town Council, which manages the cemetery, he was told cemetery groundsmen had taken the wreaths away.
This was despite similar wreaths being left at graves either side of his late wife's for another week.
Geoff, who visits the cemetery in Little Casterton Road most mornings, said: "I think what's fair for one is fair for another.
"It should be left to the discretion of the loved ones to move them.
"But if the council is going to do it, do it to everyone. It's better than leaving other people's on for three weeks after mine."
Geoff said he'd removed two wreaths himself because they had died. But the two he left on the grave were "perfectly fine."
Geoff said: "There was nothing wrong with them so I thought it had been vandalised. I was gobsmacked when I realised it was the council."
Town clerk Patricia Stuart-Mogg was unavailable to comment.
Coun Mike Exton (Con), who chairs the town council's amenities committee, said the cemetery was classed as a lawned site, and rules stated that 14 days after Christmas wreaths would be removed.
He was unfamiliar with Geoff's particular case, but added: "We do like to be a little bit sympathetic to the bereaved."


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lakewood >> Michelle Lewis says the past several years have been emotionally draining and physically exhausting on her father, Robert, who suffers from dementia.
Her father, who is 77, is also the main caregiver for Lewis' 50-year-old brother, who is autistic. And next month will mark 10 years since his wife's death.
"She was the green thumb in the family," Lewis said of her mother.
As a result, Robert Lewis' front and backyards had been neglected, overgrown with weeds and in desperate need of mowing. But last April, Lakewood's Volunteer Day program, in its 18th year, stepped in to help the Lewis family. Volunteers in the project assist residents in need who are unable to maintain their homes.
The city is looking for project sites for its April 26 cleanup and fix-up event. The deadline for applications is March 20.
"This is community service in it's purest form," said Allison Brammer, Lakewood's assistant director of recreation and community services, who helps organize the volunteer program. "It's a win-win for everybody.
"Residents benefit because their house gets a much needed clean up or refurbishing," she said. "The volunteers benefit because they are helping someone who needs assistance."
Lewis, who has volunteered several times over the years in the program, sent an application recommending her father's home receive volunteer assistance.
"The front and backyards were quite an eyesore," Lewis said. "But it was difficult for my dad because it's difficult for him to ask for help. It was very humbling."
About 15 volunteers arrived to help clean up the yards and do some basic gardening, Lewis said,
In the backyard, they removed weeds from flower beds. In front of the house, they pruned a large bush, leveled the grass and pulled weeds and grass growing through paving stones, she said.
The team members also added bark between the paving stones.
"They were wonderful people," Lewis said. "It was lovely to have people come along and help and not judge."
Recipients of Volunteer Day aid must be Lakewood residents. They can be seniors or any individuals who, because they have a disability or limited financial resources, including the ability to hire someone for work, need some neighborly help to make their yard or home exterior a little nicer.
Work can include gardening, yard work or minor painting.
Once applications for proposed project sites are submitted, the paperwork is reviewed by city staff for eligibility and suitability.
Last year, 457 volunteers helped with 35 project sites, including 26 homes, three schools and six city facilities. The city usually accepts from 25 to 30 projects, but last year was especially busy, Brammer said.
"It's a warm feeling to help someone," said Linda Manis, 69, who has been volunteering for 12 years with her husband, Dale, 72.
Manis was team captain last year with the group who worked on the Lewis home.
"They were so excited we accomplished what they wanted," Manis said.
For more information on the Volunteer Day program, call the Burn's Community Center, 562-925-7512, or visit www.lakewoodcity.org/ volunteerday.
Contact Phillip Zonkel at 562-714-2098.


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10 YEARS AGO, Journal, December 19, 2002:
An £800,000 payment from Waitrose towards parking facilities in Newmarket as part of plans for a new store has been described as 'miniscule'. The sum was announced at a meeting of Forest Heath Council's planning committee where councillors were asked to endorse a legal agreement between the council and Waitrose to settle terms before construction begins.
Wicken villagers have vowed to continue their fight to preserve their vicarage which is under threat by church authority plans to build houses in its grounds. An initial planning application was withdrawn before it could be discussed after more than 120 householders signed a petition, organised by the village's action group Paving the Way, objecting to the plans.
Conservative candidate John Humphreys, who unexpectedly won the district council by-election for East Cambridgeshire Council's Soham ward wants to see a concentration of effort to provide services that would meet the needs of people in the town at the lowest possible cost.
25 YEARS AGO, Journal, December 23, 1987:
Cooking nine huge turkeys, 59 Christmas puddings and a mountain of mince pies is all part of the service for the staff in Newmarket Hospital's kitchens. There will be at least ten staff – including cooks, kitchen porters and catering assistants – on duty on Christmas Day. They cook and serve a traditional turkey lunch with all the trimmings for over 100 patients and between 90 and 100 day staff paid for by the Newmarket Journal's Hospital Fund. The fund also provides a buffet meal for the night staff and a glass of wine, sherry or beer for the patients to have with their meal. Among the catering team on duty will be husband and wife, Laurence and Paula Masters.
First year pupils at Newmarket's Scaltback Middle School raised nearly £50 to help replace trees blown down or damaged by the October hurricane, including two in the school grounds. Nicola Hedley, school groundsman John Plumb, Simon Aires, Melissa Snell, Charles Wilsoncroft, headmaster Derek Eastham and Simon Hadley were pictured.
100 YEARS AGO, Journal, December 21, 1912:
Mr G S Fenn, the honorary secretary has just received from Mr F Goldsmith MP his annual subscription of £1 to the Exning and District Football League.
The Soham Brass Band, under bandmaster F Moody, played at several of the private residences in the town, the different selections being well rendered and much appreciated.
The tradesmen of Burwell vie with each other in making seasonable displays of the commodities in which they deal. The local butchers have made abundant provision for Christmas requirements.
The Newmarket Board of Guardians stated that applications for Workhouse medical officer and public vaccinator for No 1 district (Ashley, Cheveley, Kennett, Moulton, the two Newmarket parishes, and Wood Ditton, with an area of 14,444 acres and a population of 9,666) had been received from Drs Maund, Woollett and Crompton of Newmarket.
1955 Cardiff is proclaimed capital of Wales.
1957 Elvis Presley was drafted into the US Army.
1963 The Berlin Wall was opened for the first time to West Berliners, who were allowed one-day visits to relatives in East Berlin for the holidays.
1978 The Saudi Arabian Oil Minister was questioned when the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries raised oil prices by 14.5 per cent instead of the promised 5-10 per cent.
1979 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announced the Right to Buy council house scheme.
2001 The first British peacekeepers arrived in Afghanistan.
1995 The Queen urges the Prince and Princess of Wales to seek an early divorce.


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"Before I Die Wall"-Share Your Bucket List Dreams Here
It was meant to be just a chalkboard in front of an old dry cleaners that's being renovated. But it's turned in to so much more!
Located in Washington D.C., this simple piece of chalkboard has inspired the public to turn it in to a very public 'bucket list'. They are not shy about posting their hopes and dreams for this life.
I invite you to treat this post as a personal 'bucket list'. Tell me about the places that you would visit, the things that you would most like to see or do, or maybe the things that you would say before you pass on!


text: Just bad they never warn anyone before I asked them to write this article. Many odd things, like the pass-thru authentication in the CMC does not work with the novell credentials if logged on a domain. You need to authenticate manually The old NT_SSON setting in config.xml for the pnagent does not work anymore with the new web interface Every components of citrix works as expected for domain groups except the policies, you need to assign them to NDS users NDS integration requires that you re-authenticate in the CMC to browse the novell tree and assign users/groups for policies/published application


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Could someone please repost the site you go on to find a certain fabric. I thought I bookmarked it but apparently I didn't. I am looking for a fabric I bought at Joanns a few years ago, and while I was pulling out my fabric today I came across a piece of one I want to use, but I need maybe a half yard more. Thanks. I have a picture but it didn't come out very good all it has on the salvage is Concord Fabric Inc. not much info on their sight
navy blue, rose, golds, and greens


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My Nonprofit Reviews
Review for Safe Haven Horse Rescue & Sanctuary, Cottonwood, CA, USA
Linda and the volunteers at Safe Haven are an amazing group! They dedicate their lives to the horses and really make a difference in their community as well as surrounding counties. It was a pleasure volunteering for them and I will continue to support their efforts in any way I can! Thanks for all the hard work guys!
Review for ASPCA - American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, New York, NY, USA
Our recent and past experiences with ASPCA Equine division and grant department has been amazing. The process is well explained and the requirements are spelled out. Also the forms used to relay the information is organized and helpful with the grant writing process. We are so appreciative of the assistance they have given us and will continue to support this joint effort in improving animal welfare in our community! Thank you ASPCA!!!
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This shock has a grub screw at the bottom of the shaft to prevent the spring retaining plate
from turning. The problem is that, more than one plus turns of the preload adjuster are almost
impossible since the spring has to spin on the retaining plate. Is it safe to remove this
grub screw and apoxy the hole? Or am I going to get a jet of oil spewing from the shock?
All the shocks today allow the retaining plate to spin freely, allowing preload to be set with
little difficulty, since plate, spring and adjuster turn as a unit.
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ATLANTA - A civil liberties group is releasing a report critical of a program in Cobb County that gives the sheriff's office power to enforce federal immigration laws.
The report by the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia claims the program has been used in Cobb County to detain immigrants unnecessarily, led to racial profiling and made immigrants less likely to report crimes because they mistrust law enforcement.
Azadeh Shahshahani of the ACLU says the report is based on interviews with 10 community members who have been affected by the program and five community advocates and attorneys based in Cobb County.
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