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Chiang Sues Life Insurance Company for Violating Unclaimed Property Law
State Controller John Chiang filed a lawsuit against a Texas-based life insurance company for refusing to turn over records needed to audit the company, which is suspected of failing to pay life insurance benefits to the heirs of deceased policy holders.
"In what appears to be a pervasive industry practice, many insurers are fleecing policyholders by warmly welcoming premiums, while turning a cold shoulder when the time comes to pay," Chiang said. "While seven insurers, to date, have responsibly come forward to work out settlements with my office ensuring that families are made whole, ANICO continues to stonewall the basic legal requirement to open up their books."
The complaint alleges that American National Insurance Company (ANICO) failed to turn over data needed for the Controller to conduct audits, which will determine whether the company failed to pay deceased policyholders' beneficiaries or turn the proceeds over to be safeguarded in perpetuity by the State Controller's Unclaimed Property program.
Controller Chiang began auditing insurance company practices in 2008, revealing an industry-wide practice of companies failing to pay death benefits to the beneficiaries of life insurance policies, despite having access to federal records indicating that policyholders had died. This information is contained in the "Death Master File" – a database maintained by the Social Security Administration and regularly scanned by companies that sell and administer life insurance policies.
Despite having access to these records – and in many cases, having direct confirmation from family members that the policyholder had passed away – some companies would instead use the policies' cash reserves to continue paying premiums to the company. Once the cash reserves were depleted, the company would cancel the policy, leaving the beneficiaries empty-handed.
Unclaimed property laws have been in place in every state since 1959 to protect private property from being lost during mergers or bankruptcies, drawn down by service or storage fees, or simply used by private businesses. Administered by the Controller, the California Unclaimed Property program generally provides that businesses must send lost or abandoned financial accounts to the State after three years of inactivity. The Controller maintains an unclaimed property database accessible by any California resident to identify all unclaimed property the State has collected on their behalf. The database is available atwww.claimit.ca.gov.
The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court in Sacramento, seeks to prohibit ANICO from continuing to violate the Unclaimed Property Law by refusing to turn over the requested data, and permit a full, complete and timely examination of all of ANICO's books and records. The Controller also asks the court for damages and penalties due to the State, as well as reasonable attorney fees.


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At the edge of the ramparts, Dar L'Oussia stands as a sentry scanning the horizon. With warm hospitality, attentive and discreet service, Dar L'Oussia welcomes guests to its 24 rooms and suites decorated in traditional elegance. The Riad also offers a traditional hammam and a small spa with massage. This hotel lounges in the sun offering gorgeous views of the bay, the sea, the port and the Medina. It is the perfect place to unwind in this beautiful town.
There are eleven Comfort rooms with a floor space of 25m2. The rooms are stylishly and traditionally decorated with tadelackt, marble and zellige. Each room features heated floors, a separate dressing area and bathrooms with a separate shower and toilet. Hairdryers, bathrobes and shower cosmetics are provided.
Each of the Deluxe rooms are stylishly and traditionally decorated with tadelackt, marble and zellige. The rooms are adorned with fresh flowers every day and jasmine petals are placed on the pillows before each night for better sleep. The rooms have a floor space of 35m2. Each room features heated floors, a separate dressing area and a separate bathroom and toilet.
There are four Junior Suites, each one designed in a unique style, with a floor space of 50m2. Floors are heated. Each Suite features a king size bed with luxurious bed linens, a separate dressing area, and a separate bathroom and toilet.
The restaurant offers Moroccan and International dishes. As the nearby fireplace crackles, it's soothing light dances and plays with shadows on the walls.
Riad Dar L'Oussia offers spa massages and other body treatments. To discover Essaouira, the hotel can organize many activities such as: horseback riding, wind surfing, camel rides and many other activities.

subset: commoncrawl


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THE coach rescued the season in the nick of time by getting the Devils to sniff the roses. But the bloom is off, along with the paint from the locker room walls. Larry Robinson's shaken troops, blistered by their leader after the Flyers went up 3-1
Saturday night, no longer are having fun.
Hard as it is to play against the bigger and dramatically more confident Flyers, hard as it is to accept that a series under control late in the second period of Game 2 has all but gotten away, the Devils also were subjected to this hard appraisal from their leader: It's not my fault boys, all yours.
It was Robinson's read that his favored team, which played the entire Game 4 in the tentative state of semi-shock, needed intense jolts of electrical brain stimulation to gird for a fight to the death tonight in Philadelphia. "I don't regret doing it or anything I said," insisted Robinson yesterday. "I had those feelings inside me and felt it was the right place at the right time."
But he also lost it on the bench after the Flyers broke the 1-1 third-period tie, when the Devils still had seven minutes left for their coach to think of something that might get them a goal and new life. Indeed, there is a time and a place, and our experience is that on the bench nearing the end of a one-goal game is not it. That's not to say that Robinson should have been able to scheme the tying goal, because obviously it was a myth that the Devils are the superior team, just as it was a premature conclusion that their ability to stay the course against Toronto after falling behind in Game 5 of a tied series meant they were over their playoff heebie-jeebies.
Obviously, they aren't, if a 3-goal Flyer burst that wiped out a 3-1 lead in Game 2 could dramatically change the mind set of both teams. The Devils still are a fragile group. And even if they weren't, we've never seen a coach demonstratively angry on the bench or screaming loud enough to pierce walls turn around a series. The players are already under searing pressure to win, and hardly need additional stress.
Carelessness was probably a factor in Game 2, but the Devils have not lost the last two games because of any abject defiance of the game plan. Getting outplayed in every area of the rink, they look bewildered by what has happened to them. Panic causes players to play too individually, a reason why they need calm support, not the abandonment implied when a coach says: "For some reason, they feel they know more than the coaches. If the game was that easy, they wouldn't need coaches."
Players don't need coaches who distance themselves in times of trauma or who aren't seeing the same game as everybody else in the building. It was Robinson's point that the Devils had followed the game plan for two periods to earn a chance to win in the third. But even at 1-1 there wasn't good reason to believe it was working.
The Devils' only goal was off an unforced giveaway. They were only able to make their speed work for them during a second period four-on-four. Sure, a blown coverage allowed Craig Berube a free swipe at Dan McGillis' point drive on the winning goal. But two forced giveaways along the wall preceded the puck coming to the slot. When one team is dominating the boards and front of the net, defensive zone breakdowns are inevitable.
A coach can't will his players to get bigger and at this stage, it's hard to make them bolder. And it's not even necessarily Robinson's fault that it has gotten to this point, because timing and conversion of opportunities usually change series beyond bench control.
The options have dwindled for Robinson, clearly, but he must reach for whatever he has now. If Randy McKay, a zero in these playoffs, can't get it done anymore, then he has to come off the Bobby Holik line in favor of a still-effective Claude Lemieux. If putting more speed with Scott Gomez and Alexander Mogilny might back off the Flyer defense, then maybe Sergei Brylin should be moved there.
Every change has a potential down side, but the Devils are going nowhere other than in that direction if their coach, who promises quick hooks if necessary tonight, doesn't try something more constructive than primal scream therapy.
During a long year, selected and calculated eruptions can keep a team awake. But if the coach can't control his disappointment with the season on the line, he should warm up what's left of his voice, go to a small rubber room filled to capacity with five big Flyers, and fully understand his players' angst.


text: Photo courtesy of Garden Hoe/Flickr. [ Dirt Cheap Laundry Detergent By Joy Larson April 20, 2012 Making your own laundry detergent is surprisingly easy and fun. It also helps you save a little green! Read More Category: National News Tags: home made, laundry, money saver Send to a friend! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr!


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Organizers expect at least 80,000 people will visit downtown Shreveport over the four days of the 31st Annual Mudbug Madness Festival. All that translates into millions of dollars to the local economy. But exactly how much is open to debate.
From the near ceaseless sound of live zydeco music blaring in the background in Festival Plaza in Shreveport, to tons of crawfish prepared every way imaginable, this year's festival is expected a big boost to the economy. According to Melanie Bacon, it's a $10 to 15 million boost.
Bacon is Executive Director of Downtown Shreveport Unlimited (DSU) the agency that runs the Mudbug Madness Festival. She says that estimate is based on a study on the festival conducted years ago. "We impact every segment of the community; retail, groceries, cars. Every impact to the community is, or every segment is impacted by Mudbug Madness."
But a separate study, commissioned by the tourism bureau back in 2009 and conducted by North Star Destination Strategies, estimated the economic impact locally from Mudbug Madness that year was just under $2.4 million.
That estimate is well below the $10 to 15 million estimate quoted by Melanie Bacon. "Actually, we like our numbers better!," she laughs. "No, but um, I'm sure it's somewhere in-between, you know, it's a lot of guesstimates."
Of the two dozen food vendors and two dozen arts and crafts vendors, several say this year's festival is off to a strong start, especially when it comes to crawfish sales. Vendor Robert shaver, of Shaver's Catering told us, "We're expecting a record-breaking year. This should be our number one year."
As for the festival itself, organizers say in a best case scenario they could clear up to $150,000. We're told those profits go right back into the budget to help pay for other downtown events and activities.
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Director Bala's Avan Ivan's audio launch held on April 18th 2011 at the Residency Towers in Chennai. Director Balumahendra released the first CD. Yuvan Shankar Raja has scored the music for the film.
Vishal, Arya, director Bala, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Madhu Shalini, Janani Iyer, Ambika and many others participated at the event.
[nggallery id=778]


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We love offering sales at LinenTablecloth, but as you many of you have noticed, our Canadian customers have not been eligible to receive the same discount prices as our US customers. Many of our Canadian customers have been offended by this decision to not offer savings equal to what we offer our US customers.
We love our Canadian Customers!
We absolutely promise it's not because we don't like you. The grim reality of the situation is that international shipping is incredibly costly with all the duties and taxes involved. Instead of charging Canadian customers a whopping $9.95 per package handling fee (customs), 5% minimum Provincial Sales Tax (PST) or Quebec Sales Tax (QST), and the standard FedEx shipping fee, we at LinenTablecloth decided to simply decrease the savings offered to our Canadian customers so the customers don't have to pay these very expensive shipping costs.
LinenTablecloth has a large Canadian customer base that is both loved and valued, and it is unfortunate that offering both free shipping and the same savings as US sales offers is simply unfeasible at this time; however, we do have something in the works. It has to be kept very secret, and could maybe even use a "TOP SECRET" stamp.
When this strategic move goes into action, we will be able to offer the same high quality linens from your favorite online table linen retailer at the affordable prices you deserve. While this plan is underway, we are happy to provide our Canadian customers with sales offers that are still worthwhile.
In the meantime, we'd like to assure our Canadian customers once again:
Please watch for our announcement of our plan to help Canadian customers cut costs. We thank you for your business and patience!
Credits: Top secret folder found at preapism.com || Canada flag heart found at immigrationdirect.ca


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Accueil > Boston news > Philippe's Megaphone : On how efficiency depends on privacy
Philippe's Megaphone : On how efficiency depends on privacy
mardi 19 novembre 2013, par
November 19, 2013
In the absence of real privacy, Brazil's data policy is prudent if inefficient.
... Brazil wants its data to stay domestic.
... Alarm at the Financial Times ?
... Self-serving, hypocritical, short-sighted !
... My data is mine to mine.
Brazilian move sparks furore over internet privacy bid
by Joe Leahy (Financial Times) - November 12, 2013
Brazil going too far on internet security
editorial (Financial Times) - November 13, 2013


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ISLAMABAD, Jan 7: A citizen, who appeared before the Supreme Court on Monday during a hearing about implementation of its judgment on Karachi law and order, alleged that President Asif Zardari's foster brother Mohammad Awais Tappi and sister Faryal Talpur were running the affairs of the Sindh government instead of Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah.
"Both are the real chief ministers of Sindh and they run the entire show in the province whereas Qaim Ali Shah is just a rubber stamp who would be removed the day he raises a dissenting voice," alleged Mahmood Ahmed Naqvi, an intervener who has moved an application before the court.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had taken up implementation of the Oct 6, 2011, overarching judgment on the law and order situation and target killings in Karachi in which it had held that the "unimaginable brutalities in Karachi" were the result of a turf war aimed at keeping socio-political control over the city.
Mr Naqvi who had earlier challenged the dual nationality of Interior Minister Rehman Malik and several other politicians alleged that Awais Tappi, the foster brother of the president, had played havoc in the provincial revenue department and was behind the appointment of Waseem Khawaja as Deputy Superintendent of police for Karachi's Darakhshan area.
DSP Khawaja was investigating the murder of 20-year-old Shahzeb Khan, who was gunned down in Karachi on the night between Dec 24 and 25. He had been suspended recently because the apex court had taken serious notice of the case, he said.
Earlier, Sindh Advocate General Abdul Fateh Malik informed the court that a number of police officers given out of turn promotions had been sent to their parent departments.
But Mr Naqvi also accused Chief Secretary Raja Mohammad Abbas of disregarding a clear Supreme Court order to reverse out of turn promotions and depoliticise the police department by re-appointing a number of retired officers instead of giving promotions to honest police officers.
He alleged that Riaz and Rizwan Soomro, brothers of the provincial law minister, had not been reverted despite the fact that they had been promoted out of turn, rather an ordinance had been issued to protect their appointments. The ordinance lapsed in December.
Denying that the chronic problem of extortion had ended, he alleged that Sub-Inspector Waseem 'Beater', allegedly of the Karachi underworld, patronised gambling dens, illicit drugs, extortion and all kinds of smuggling and regularly provided share to top officers of Sindh police.
"I am saying on oath that Waseem Beater claims to be son of Inspector General Fayyaz Leghari," he alleged.
Mr Naqvi alleged that Waseem wielded such an influence in police that he could manage appointment of anyone in the department and only because of him Shahbaz Moghal, who earlier was the staff officer of Additional Inspector General Waseem Ahmed, had been promoted to the post of DSP.
He accused Mr Moghal of running a racket of issuing arms licences for Rs25,000 each.
When the chief justice asked the senior police officers, including the IG, about Waseem Beater, AIG Waseem Ahmed admitted that he used to be a police officer but had been removed.
He said Mr Naqvi was continuously trying to pressurise the police department to appoint one Ali Raza as SHO of the Karachi airport police station.
The court asked police not to entertain any request of Mr Naqvi.
At this stage, Investigations DIG Bashir Memon and Hyderabad DIG Sanaullah came forward and acknowledged before the court that Mr Naqvi's statement was true. Both conceded that Waseem Beater used to run a gambling den in a police station in Hyderabad, he should be arrested and he was an influential man.
The court praised the two officers and observed that prima facie it had been established that police did not want to implement the judgment.
The court regretted that people who had been held with weapons of prohibited bore had been released on bail although the offence was not bailable and expressed dismay that not a single militant wing of any political party in Sindh had been disbanded or unarmed. "We are focusing on Karachi because it is the face of Pakistan and hub of all the economic activity," the chief justice said.
He said sectarian attacks, target killings and turf wars were going on unabated.
"We painfully note how it would be possible to control the law and order situation when neither the IG nor any senior officer has knowledge of any mafia operating in Karachi," the court observed.
It ordered the IG and the chief secretary to submit a comprehensive report about implementation of the judgment and spell out reasons for not executing the orders.
The court asked the IG to provide protection to Mr Naqvi who had expressed apprehensions that he would be killed because of his outburst.
The hearing will resume on Jan 22.


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Meal Replacement Fruit Drink Berry Blast, 7 Servings - WonderSlim
- Description
WonderSlim Berry Blast Fruit Flavored Weight Loss Drink
7 Servings Per Box
Take a break from rich texture of protein shakes and diet smoothies with this refreshing fruit punch flavored drink. Each serving of this meal replacement drink delivers a full 15 grams of quality protein and a healthy quantity of 24 essential vitamins and minerals. You'll get the nutrition your body needs for healthy weight loss while enjoying the lighter, brighter taste of a low-carb fruity drink when you choose the WonderSlim Berry Blast Fruit Drink.
Key Features of WonderSlim Berry Blast Weight Loss Drink:
- Perfect Portion Control for Weight Loss
- High Protein - 15 grams of Protein per Serving
- Low Carb - 7g Net Carbs*
- Fortified with 24 essential vitamins and minerals
- Qualifies as a meal replacement
- Quick and Easy to Make
- Low Calorie - Just 100 Calories Per Drink
- Low Fat - Only 1.5 grams per Serving
- Trans Fat Free
- Saturated Fat Free
- No Gluten Containing Ingredients
- Buy a Box = Give 2 Meals. Every box of this WonderSlim product you purchase will provide 2 meals** to people in need.
* g Net Carbs = Total Carbohydrates - Fiber - Sugar Alcohols
** 2 meals is the monetary equivalent of $0.18. $0.09 helps provide 1 meal secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks. WonderSlim guarantees a minimum of 1,333,334 meals (monetary equivalent of $120,000) to Feeding America® and member food banks from 02/15/2017 to 02/14/2018.
OUR GUARANTEE: We're so certain you'll be pleased with the quality of these products, we gladly offer our 150% Money Back Guarantee on all purchases.
* These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.
- Directions
Directions Berry Blast Meal Replacement Drink:
- Empty the contents of one Berry Blast packet into a glass.
- Add 8 ounces of cold water. Stir thoroughly until dissolved.
- Add ice for even more sipping pleasure.
- Nutrition
- Ingredients
Whey Protein Isolate (From Milk), Fructose, Corn Oil, Calcium Chelate (Calcium Hydroxide, Potassium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Phosphoric Acid), Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Potassium Citrate, Corn Syrup Solids, Maltodextrin, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Soy Lecithin, Malic Acid, Dipotassium Phosphate, Magnesium Phosphate, Guar Gum, Magnesium Oxide, Sucralose, Vitamin C, Ferric Orthophosphate, Xanthan Gum, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol Acetate), Red #40, Niacinamide, Soy Protein Isolate, Copper Gluconate, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Thiamin Mononitrate, Tocopherols (To Preserve Freshness), Yellow #5, Chromium Nicotinate Glycinate Chelate, Folic Acid, Molybdenum Glycinate Chelate, Selenium Glycinate Complex, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin K (Phytonadione), Magnesium Carbonate, Vitamin D3, Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin).
Prefer These to Most of the Shakes
by Kari on 1/22/2017
I think this is a love-it or hate-it product. I absolutely love these! I find that the increased protein has kept me satiated long past when should have had a snack (especially my AM snack) and these are easy to drink, so I'm not feeling like I'm trying to choke down a meal replacement.
by Julia on 7/19/2016
So far the only item I cant stand form Wonder Slim. I don't want to waste my product, so I mix it with Crystal Light and then drink it. Still kinda gross though.
I would DEFINITELY skip this drink!
by Natalie on 6/12/2016
This is the only thing I didn't like, so far.
Weird after taste.
by connie on 8/8/2015
I love these on hot summer days... very refreshing
NOT a fan...
by Bonnie on 6/14/2015
Tastes sort of like liquid jello... Horrible aftertaste.
* Results not typical. Weight loss will vary for each person based on their individual weight, metabolism, age, activity level and commitment to their plan.


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Now, it gets real.
All the adjustments should be made by now. All the experiments of certain players in certain positions should have yielded their intended results, one way or the other, except for those moves made due to injury.
It's time to play the games that really count.
Aside from 2-5A and some of the six-man leagues that begin next week, district play starts for the majority of the South Plains this week. As coaches are fond of saying, everyone is 0-0.
But, are they really? I mean, c'mon, we know pretty much the teams that will make the playoffs barring a major collapse, and we know teams that don't have a snowball's chance.
We know Coronado has some major doing to do if it wants to be in the picture three weeks from now.
We know that, even though none of the other coaches are going to concede anything, District 4-4A for all intents and purposes will be decided next week at Lowrey Field between Frenship and Monterey.
We know, or at least I think we know, that despite Shallowater's dominance so far, District 2-3A is still too close to call. Defending champion Cooper will have plenty to say about who wins that district, and don't think Estacado, Levelland, Seminole and Andrews are going to go away lightly.
We know Littlefield and Muleshoe (1-2A, Division I), Idalou (2-2A, Division I), Abernathy (1-2A, Division II) and Springlake-Earth (3-1A, Division II) are still the prohibitive favorites to win their districts.
But we also know there are some new teams — Post, Slaton, Sudan, Ralls — that are going to play a big factor in their district races, possibly pulling a few upsets. As it stands right now, Ralls has usurped Crosbyton as the district favorite in 4-1A, Division II. Sudan will be Springlake-Earth's biggest challenge in 3-1A, Division II, while Post and Slaton have been two of the more consistent teams through the first six weeks of the season.
And, of course, some unknown team, some squad flying just under the radar, is ready to pounce and throw all our certainties into a huge mess.
But above all, there's one thing of which we can all be assured. The next five weeks will give us some really exciting football. It always has.
Let the real games begin.
The picks
Plainview at Lubbock High (Thursday): The good news is the Westerners are losing games like other teams, with turnovers and mental mistakes. The bad news is the Westerners are still losing games. Maybe. Lubbock High 24, Plainview 21.
Odessa at Coronado: All along, the Mustangs were set up to have some success in the second half of the district season. It starts with this game against the Bronchos. Coronado 28, Odessa 17.
Monterey at Hereford: The Plainsmen showed two weeks ago they could handle an all-out passing team, which pretty much describes Hereford. And the Whitefaces don't have as much firepower. Monterey 38, Hereford 14.
San Angelo Lake View at Frenship: This used to be a pretty good game just a few years ago. But the Chiefs continue to struggle climbing out of the cellar, and this is no way to start 4-4A. Frenship 41, Lake View 7.
Estacado at Levelland: In a way, we're going to learn everything we need to know about these two teams right here. Has Estacado fixed its holes on both sides of the ball? How will the Lobos fare as the competition takes a turn upward? Estacado 27, Levelland 13.
Shallowater at Seminole: Has a week off cooled Jarek Black and the Mustangs? Doubtful. The Indians will have to solve their turnover bug to stay in this one. Shallowater 31, Seminole 13.
Andrews at Cooper: If the Mustangs can get quarterback Shane Dolgener back, they might have a chance. Slim, but a chance. Cooper 42, Andrews 7.
Post at Roosevelt: The Eagles have been one of the more disappointing teams through the first half of the season. The Antelopes have been one of the big surprises. Nothing here indicates any deviance from that path. Post 28, Roosevelt 10.
New Deal at Tahoka: The Lions survived their first full game without running back VJ Gamez. But they need more production from their backs now that district has started. New Deal 45, Tahoka 42.
LCHS at Muenster Sacred Heart: If the Eagles can shake off the taste of last week's defeat, they could surprise the Tigers. If not, it will be a long bus ride back. Sacred Heart 30, LCHS 14.
Last week: 1-2
Season: 33-16 (.673)


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Issue Date: January 28, 2013
Major Cleaning Product Ingredient Lists
News Channels: Environmental SCENE
Keywords: cleaning, detergents, ecolabel, environment, safety
Safer Chemical Ingredients List: A recently launched list of more than 500 safer chelating agents, colorants, defoamers, enzymes, fragrances, oxidants, polymers, preservatives, solvents, surfactants, and other ingredients for cleaning products. Products are marked with a green circle, a half-green circle, or a yellow triangle in decreasing order of environmental safety. Suppliers are not named. Sponsor: Environmental Protection Agency
CleanGredients: A list of approximately 430 preferred surfactants, solvents, chelating agents, and fragrances plus companies that supply them. Products are considered to have superior environmental characteristics compared with conventional alternatives. Categories are being expanded to include all in the Safer Chemical Ingredients List. Sponsor: GreenBlue
Cleaning Product Ingredient Inventory: A list of more than 900 chemicals used by American Cleaning Institute member companies to manufacture consumer cleaning products. Launched last year, the list is scheduled to be linked to publicly available health and environmental safety data. Longer term, ACI plans to conduct exposure assessments and screening-level risk assessments. Sponsor: American Cleaning Institute
- Chemical & Engineering News
- Copyright © American Chemical Society


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old boar
August 8, 2002, 05:34 PM
Been looking at semi-autos, 20ga. to be used on the skeet, trap, and sporting clay ranges. Light loads required. Never had a semi before but age and arthritis are pointing me toward this style. Has anyone have any suggestions on which would be a proper semi to look at in choosing a gun with the above requirements. My sholder thanks your inputs.


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Washington DC (STT News) - The first (official) annual Flag Wash Day event down on the Potomac River was held today as politicians from both parties go to try and undirty themselves in the holy water of a river that George Washington once crossed.
Republicans worked to remove all the blue while the Democrats bleached all the red, leaving a flag once called 'Old Glory', nothing but a sullen white.
One Libertarian simply watched, as his party had no part in what he called "An utterly disgraceful display."
The Flag Wash event began unofficially over 30 years ago when American politics began tail-spinning into a maelstrom of polarizing division. The idea was to erase all of the color of the opposing party but, when both sides participated and both erased their opposite's color, the flag that was left was a sad shade of white that is most often associated with surrender.
The onlooking Libertarian went on to say, "This is our America of the 21st century. These people are more interested in eradicating anything that doesn't click its heels to a specific agenda and they really don't care about the outcome as long as it appears to suit their own."
Across the way, a large gathering was having far more fun; music, dancing and the gulping of green beer all while enjoying a St Patrick's day weekend.
"We still have a lot to learn." he said while walking away.


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Sufficient uteroplacental blood flow is essential for normal pregnancy outcome and is accomplished by the coordinated growth and remodeling of the entire uterine circulation, as well as the creation of a new fetal vascular organ: the placenta. The process of remodeling involves a number of cellular processes, including hyperplasia and hypertrophy, rearrangement of existing elements, and changes in extracellular matrix. In this review, we provide information on uterine blood flow increases during pregnancy, the influence of placentation type on the distribution of uterine vascular resistance, consideration of the patterns, nature, and extent of maternal uterine vascular remodeling during pregnancy, and what is known about the underlying cellular mechanisms.
This review summarizes the patterns, pathways, and mechanisms involved in maternal uterine vascular remodeling during pregnancy.
The clinical relevance of maternal uterine vascular adaptation during pregnancy is underscored by the fact that its aberrance is associated with several common gestational pathologies, including intrauterine growth restriction, gestational diabetes, and preeclampsia.
In addition to the changes in vessel structure, uterine vascular reactivity is also altered during pregnancy, with the general pattern being one of reduced tone and enhanced vasodilation/blunted vasoconstriction (52, 72, 111, 112, 118). Space limitations preclude in-depth consideration of the ionic and enzymatic mechanisms that underlie reactivity, but it is worth noting that, in vivo, uterine vascular resistance (and, therefore, blood flow) is ultimately determined by the combination of vessel size and reactivity.
We also avoid examining the complex angiogenic mechanisms associated with implantation and placentation, other than to consider how hemochorial vs. epitheliochorial placentation influences uterine hemodynamics and vascular remodeling. Although the remodeling of spiral arteries by fetal trophoblast is considered, the main focus of this review is on upstream maternal uterine arteries and veins, since the processes involved in their remodeling have not been reviewed to date. Readers interested in endovascular trophoblast invasion and mechanisms underlying spiral artery remodeling are referred to several reviews on this subject (9, 31, 71, 101).
Nomenclature Used to Describe Vascular Remodeling
Circumferential remodeling is normally termed inward or outward to denote narrowing vs. widening of the vessel lumen. The term expansive remodeling has also been used and can be substituted for "outward" in describing an increase in circumference. This classification was proposed by Mulvany (86) and is further refined to include consideration of wall mass, which can increase (hypertrophy), decrease (hypotrophy), or remain unchanged (eutrophy). Various patterns of arterial remodeling are shown in FIGURE 1⇓; see legend for additional detail and for consideration of how changes in cross-sectional area, a two-dimensional quantity (e.g., μm2), relate to changes in wall mass, a three-dimensional quantity (e.g., μm3).
Uterine Hemodynamics During Pregnancy; Blood Flow Patterns and the Importance of Placentation Type
Uterine vascular anatomy
An overview of comparative uterine vascular anatomy is presented in FIGURE 2⇓, which describes and illustrates the uterine circulation in humans (FIGURE 2A⇓), rodents (FIGURE 2B⇓), and ungulates, such as sheep and pigs. Please see legend for additional detail.
Uterine and placental blood flow during pregnancy
Early (1953–1960) human studies by Assali et al (3, 4) and Metcalfe (78) utilizing the diffusion equilibrium principle (most often nitrous oxide, N2O) or electro-magnetic flow probes placed directly on the uterine artery reported that total uteroplacental blood flow (UPBF) increases from a baseline value of 20–50 ml/min to 450–800 ml/min in singleton pregnancies, with values in excess of 1 l/min measured in twin pregnancy. Subsequent measurements of uterine artery blood flow with 133Xe (106), placental metabolic clearance rate techniques (29), and most recently and directly transvaginal Doppler ultra-sonography (99) support these early findings. For example, in the latter study, unilateral uterine artery blood flow at week 36 was calculated to be 353 ml/min; total UPBF would therefore be in excess of 700 ml/min, with some additional increase likely in the remaining few weeks of gestation (the authors' estimate was 921 ml/min).
In experimental animals such as rodents or sheep, relative changes in UPBF are equal to or greater than those of humans, with increases in flow at term ranging from 10- to 100-fold above nonpregnant levels (6, 10, 15, 26, 37, 38, 44, 48, 56, 62, 112).
Since blood pressure normally decreases or is unchanged during pregnancy, uterine hemodynamic changes are principally affected by a profound decrease in uterine vascular resistance. This is accomplished by several different but complimentary mechanisms, including circumferential structural enlargement of the entire uterine vascular tree (including the veins), a reduction in vascular tone (vasodilation), and the creation of the placenta. From a systemic standpoint, increases in UPBF are facilitated by the combination of a substantially increased cardiac output and an expanded vascular volume that are characteristic of gestation in every species studied (129).
In humans (4, 127) and guinea pigs (6), the increase in UPBF is gradual and fairly linear, whereas in the rat, which has a 22-day gestation, increases in total uterine blood flow are first detectable on or around day 15, i.e., the last "trimester" of gestation (26). A similar pattern of augmented flow in the last trimester has been reported in sheep (112). Moreover, as pregnancy advances, there is a progressive increase in the proportion of blood directed to the placenta. This was shown by Dowell and Kauer in the rat (26), where <10% of uterine blood flow was placental on day 15 of pregnancy; near term (day 22), the value increased to 90%. Similar estimates have been made in sheep (112) and primates (65).
Absolute blood flow to the myometrium increases in proportion to uterine mass, whereas relative uterine blood flow (milliliter per minute per 100 g of tissue, excluding the placenta) may fluctuate and decrease somewhat (6, 112, 137) or remain fairly constant (26, 37) during pregnancy.
Influence of placentation on distribution of uterine vascular resistance and blood flow
Mice, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, and humans share a hemochorial type of placentation, in which intraplacental pressure created by the maternal blood occupying the intervillous space must be kept low enough to avoid compression of the intravillous (human) or intralabyrinthine (rodents) fetal vessels, necessitating the contribution of significant resistance by upstream vessels (83).
To examine this concept directly, Moll and colleagues measured the blood pressure in premyometrial arteries in a number of species (guinea pig, rat, rabbit, sheep) under anesthetized conditions by direct arterial puncture (81, 82). A substantial pressure drop occurred in the arcuate and radial arteries of rodents, such that the arterial pressure of maternal blood entering the placenta in rats, rabbits, and guinea pigs was only 8–14 mmHg. Based on this finding, they determined that the majority of uterine vascular resistance was localized in the upstream vessels of the mesometrial arcade. Although comparable measurements have not been carried out in humans, the values are likely similar, since a subsequent study by the same group showed that pressures within the spiral arteries of primates (Rhesus monkeys) were also quite low, ranging from 9 to 15 mmHg (84).
With hemochorial placentation, for a molecule to pass from the maternal to the fetal compartment, only two fetal cell layers (trophoblast and intravillous endothelium) need to be traversed. Conversely, in animals with epitheliochorial placentation such as sheep, both maternal and fetal blood flow through small vessels that are separate from but in close apposition to one another. The site of gaseous and nutrient exchange is therefore between two microvasculatures and, because of the greater resistance inherent in this anatomical arrangement and an increase in the number of cell layers (4 to 6) separating the two circulations, the inflow pressure to an epitheliochorial placenta is significantly higher than that of a hemochorial placenta, e.g., >80 mmHg in the ewe (81). Also, epitheliochorial placentation is less efficient than the hemochorial type (83), which may explain why UPBF in ungulates such as sheep and pigs is relatively higher than that of humans or rodents, with values in excess of 1 l/min reported in studies with sheep (112) and pigs (37). Thus differences in the type of placentation have a major influence on the pattern of afferent (arterial) remodeling and on the pressure head of blood as it enters the placenta.
Pattern, Nature, and Extent of Uterine Vascular Remodeling During Pregnancy
Pattern of circumferential remodeling and changes in vessel cellular properties
During pregnancy, the diameter of the main uterine artery approximately doubles in size in humans (99). This finding is supported by a host of published studies using sheep, pigs, guinea pigs, and rats, where uterine artery diameters also generally increase two- to threefold (2, 45, 46, 56, 75, 79, 92, 99, 132, 133). This enlargement in arterial caliber occurs most often with little or no thickening of the vascular wall (2, 97), with the one apparent exception being the mouse, where media thickness increased significantly during the course of gestation (132, 134). With or without wall thickening, the increase in lumen diameter nevertheless results in an increased cross-sectional area; thus the pattern of circumferential remodeling is outward hypertrophic.
Smaller arcuate and radial arteries remodel in a similar pattern, with documented enlargements in lumenal caliber ranging from 25 to 220% and with either no change or an increase in wall thickness (20, 21, 41, 74, 80, 81, 97, 119, 120).
In one study on human myometrial radial arteries from preeclamptic women (94), the pattern of remodeling was reported to be one favoring a smaller lumen and a thicker wall, with no change in cross-sectional area, suggesting rearrangement of existing wall elements around a smaller lumen, i.e., inward eutrophic remodeling.
Since the media occupies the greatest proportion of the wall, lumenal enlargement would be accomplished most simply by an increase in vascular smooth muscle cell length (axial hypertrophy), and this does indeed appear to be the case: e.g., unstressed smooth muscle cell length in arcuate vessels from pregnant vs. virgin nonpregnant rats was increased by 20% in rats (20). In guinea pigs (49), smooth muscle cell length increased from 21 to 39 μm (86%), along with a comparable increase in cellular thickness (from 4.6 to 9.6 μm, or 108%). Morphometric measurements also suggest that elongation of vascular smooth muscle cells occurs in sheep (2). Surprisingly, no human data are available, although hypertrophy of myometrial smooth muscle is well established (e.g., Ref. 11).
In the main uterine artery of the sheep, vascular smooth muscle mass and protein content (including actin and myosin) doubled during pregnancy, with a corresponding (twofold) increase in cell volume (2). These changes in smooth muscle ultrastructure are associated with an increased force-generating ability (stress) per cross-sectional area, suggesting that the concentration of the contractile proteins (myosin and actin) may also increase. As noted by the authors, the magnitude of the increase in stress exceeded the magnitude of the increase in protein content, suggesting the existence of other mechanisms that augment force production, for example, changes in myosin duty cycle or force generation per stroke.
In addition to cellular hypertrophy, there is also strong evidence for hyperplasia within the vascular wall, since increased rates of smooth muscle cell division have been reported in uterine arteries and veins from rats and guinea pigs (20, 21, 47, 56, 57, 98). Although endothelial hyperplasia has been documented in the rat (20), changes in endothelial hypertrophy (increased cell area or mass) have not yet been detailed and await further study.
Changes in vessel biophysical properties
The biomechanical properties of uterine vessels also change significantly during pregnancy. In an early (1985) study by Griendling et al. (45), the incremental passive elastic modulus, which measures the relationship of stress to strain, increased from 4 to 29 dyn/cm2 in main uterine arteries from near-term pregnant vs. nonpregnant sheep. Since this is essentially a stress-to-strain ratio, higher values indicate a less compliant material, and the authors interpreted their data as being indicative of increased arterial stiffness (decreased compliance). In the same study, however, arterial distensibility as a function of pressure was clearly increased, and this finding is consistent with other reports of increased distensibility of main uterine arteries from pregnant guinea pigs (56, 75). In rats, smaller arcuate and radial arteries are also more distensible than those from their nonpregnant counterparts (97, 98), and, in the rabbit, preplacental radial arteries were significantly more distensible than premyometrial vessels (21). In a different study, the distensibility of the main uterine vein was also increased in the rat, and associated with reduced elastin content (98).
Most commonly, changes in compliance are attributed to alterations in extracellular matrix volume, composition, and collagen and elastin fiber orientation. Some species differences may exist in this regard. In main uterine arteries from sheep (45) and pigs (46), collagen content decreased significantly, with no change in elastin; hence, the collagen-to-elastin ratios were decreased. Conversely, Robertson and Manning (109) found a decrease in the elastin content of spiral arteries of pregnant women, although there were no changes in vessels "remote from the placental bed" (presumably upstream uterine arteries, location not defined). In rats, we measured decreased elastin content in the uterine vein (collagen was not measured), and this correlated with significantly increased circumferential distensibility (98).
Spatial and temporal considerations; trophoblast invasion of spiral arteries
The time course and pattern of remodeling may also be specific to vessel size and location and may vary with species. For example, the results of one study in rats suggest that remodeling may begin in the smaller vessels proximal to the sites of placentation or uterine wall and then, as pregnancy progresses, proceeds to the larger, more upstream vessels (20). This observation is based on the mitotic rates of vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells, which were highest in smaller vessels in mid-pregnancy (day 16/22) and in larger upstream vessels later in gestation (day 20/22) and is consistent with the concept of trophoblast invasion of spiral arteries immediately proximal to the placenta being an initiating event in the remodeling process (9, 71, 101). Corroborative evidence can be found in other papers using guinea pigs as the experimental animal of choice (56, 124).
In addition to the influence of gestational age and species on the nature and extent of remodeling, differences in remodeling patterns have been noted in vessels of different size, type, and location. For example, preplacental vessels enlarge more than premyometrial arteries in rabbits (21) and rats (41, 47) and may also show significant differences in rates of cell division, distensibility, and reactivity. A photograph of a premyometrial vs. preplacental radial artery in the rat is shown in FIGURE 3⇓ to illustrate the differences in structure.
As can be seen, mesometrial preplacental vessels widen progressively as they approach the placenta and may be several-fold wider at their distal vs. proximal ends. These changes are especially dramatic in the guinea pig, with threefold increases in circumference (or diameter) occurring along the length of a single vessel during pregnancy. Guinea pig preplacental arteries show 50-fold increases in mass and 30-fold increases in nuclear DNA in addition to substantial changes in collagen breakdown (80). Fragmentation of elastic tissues and transformation of cellular wall constitutents into a necrotic, homogenous, acellular fibrinoid was also noted (79), as reported in human spiral arteries as well (8, 105). Differences in the diameter along the length of the main uterine artery have also been noted, at least in the guinea pig, with a pattern of widening at each end (92). Localized differences in structure may be related to different rates of shear stress, a mechanism likely involved in the expansive remodeling process, as described below in Shear stress and NO.
Differences in the structure of spiral arteries immediately proximal to the placenta are normally ascribed to the trophoblast invasion that occurs in association with placentation. In this unique endovascular process, fetal trophoblast cells migrate into the arterial lumen, ablate the endothelium and smooth muscle of the arterial wall, and reorganize the matrix elements (1, 7, 9, 14, 22, 31, 54, 71, 101). The involvement of other cell types, such as natural killer (NK) cells, a type of lymphocyte, is also likely to play a role in placentation and spiral artery invasion and remodeling (28, 115) and has been implicated in the development of preeclampsia (42, 116).
This process of endovascular invasion in vessels that completely lose their ability to contract (41) and take on a trumpet-like, splayed shape further decreases resistance and facilitates an increase in flow. Several studies have implicated a reduction in the depth and extent of this process in the genesis of hypertension associated with preeclampsia (9), suggesting that insufficient spiral artery remodeling leads to placental ischemia, triggering the release of placental signals that increase maternal blood pressure to provide more driving force (a higher perfusion pressure) for UPBF.
Axial (longitudinal) remodeling of uterine arteries
In humans, elongation (axial growth) of arcuate arteries must occur as the uterus enlarges circumferentially to accommodate the fetoplacental unit. In women, it is not clear whether this is accomplished by actual longitudinal growth or by progressive straightening of coiled vessels. Tortuosity is characteristic of the human uterine vascular anatomy (32, 33), and there are no studies that have attempted to differentiate between vessel straightening due to altered mechanical forces and true growth, which would involve cell division and an increase in wall mass.
In rodents that bear many young (rat and mouse), significant axial growth of the main uterine artery is clearly evident, and the length of the main utero-ovarian artery at term is double or triple that of the non-pregnant state in the rat. The guinea pig, which only gives birth to several young and has a much longer gestation than the mouse or rat (55 vs. 20 and 22 days, respectively), exhibits comparable elongation of the main uterine artery (92).
Rat and guinea pig mesometrial (arcuate and radial) vessels elongate as well, increasing three- to fivefold in length (80, 97). These measurements were made in the unstretched and unstressed state and thus reflect true increases in vessel mass. Taking both circumferential and axial remodeling into account, the actual increase in uterine artery wall mass in the rat is quite substantial, on the order of 300–700%, based on available measurements.
It is interesting to consider the influence of circumferential vs. axial remodeling on uterine hemodynamics, since increases in length would have opposite influences on resistance from those of increased diameter. With an approximate doubling of each parameter, as has been noted in several studies, the effect of widening should predominate, since the relationship between length and resistance is linear (i.e., a doubling of length equals a doubling of resistance), whereas the relationship of diameter (or radius) to resistance is inverse and quadratic (i.e., doubling of diameter theoretically decreases resistance 16-fold), as per Poiseiulle's Law. This mathematical formulation relates changes in vessel length, diameter, and blood viscosity to altered flow resistance by: R = εL/r4, where R is resistance, ε is viscosity, L is length, and r is inner radius.
Thus, without considering changes in tone and reactivity, the combined effect of doubling both the length and the diameter of a tube would theoretically reduce resistance by a factor of 8 and, in the absence of changes in viscosity or growth of new vessels, induce a corresponding increase in blood flow. Clearly, expansive circumferential remodeling and decreased distal resistance due to placentation exert a synergistic effect that can result in the many-fold increases in UPBF.
Finally, additional rheological factors, such as a reduction in the viscosity of the blood (95), also occur during pregnancy and contribute to reducing blood flow resistance according to Poiseiulle's Law.
Remodeling of uterine veins
The process of expansive remodeling is not limited to arteries, since the veins also enlarge substantially during pregnancy, although the available data are much more limited. The fully distended diameter of the main uterine vein in pregnant vs. nonpregnant rats averaged 1,576 vs. 956 μm, respectively (an increase of 65%), along with a doubling in unstressed length (98). Increased venous diameter was also accompanied by increased distensibility and reduced elastin content, adaptations that would further enhance venous capacitance. Significant uterine venous enlargement during pregnancy was also reported in the mouse (34).
Mechanisms Underlying Gestational Uterine Vascular Remodeling
The role of local vs. systemic influences on uterine vascular remodeling
As pointed out by Poston and colleagues (55), vascular remodeling is an active process that is dependent on at least four cellular processes: growth, death, migration, and production/degradation of extracellular matrix. Each of these processes is subject to multiple regulatory and interactive influences, including physical forces such as pressure/stretch and shear stress, humoral/endocrine influences such as VEGF and the sex steroids, and local factors generated within the vascular wall, e.g., endothelial NO, angiotensin, and endothelin. Multiple linkages between cellular inputs and outputs further complicate understanding the precise mechanisms involved. For example, VEGF, estrogen, and shear stress all stimulate NO production, and both estrogen and NO regulate matrix metalloproteinase activity and, hence, passive mechanical properties and matrix composition (27, 43, 103).
In addressing the question of how uterine vascular remodeling is accomplished during pregnancy, one might first consider whether this process is due to the influence of local factors (e.g., those associated with implantation, placentation, and fetal growth), to systemic changes in hormonal levels, particularly those of estrogen and progesterone, or a combination thereof.
Three different experimental approaches have been utilized to investigate this concept: induction of pseudopregnancy (in animals such as the rat and rabbit that are induced ovulators), hormone replacement in oophorectomized animals to mimic the steroidal milieu of the pregnant state, and surgical ligation of (and, thereby, restriction of implantation to) one uterine horn in animals that have duplex uteri, such as the rat and rabbit.
In animals that are induced ovulators, sexual stimulation induces endocrine changes similar to those of pregnancy (pseudopregnancy), at least for the first half of gestation. Circulating estrogen and progesterone levels increase progressively during this time, allowing the evaluation of their influence without the complicating presence of fetoplacental units.
Peeters' group from Maastricht explored this question in mice (134) and reported that pseudopregnancy resulted in a 25% increase in main uterine artery lumen radius and a 71% increase in cross-sectional area on day 11 of pseudopregnancy. Structural changes were accompanied by reduced smoothelin expression and an increased proliferation of uterine artery medial smooth muscle cells. The effects of pseudopregnancy paralleled changes in control pregnant animals at 5 days and were about half as large as those measured in pregnant animals on day 11.
These data support the idea that placental and ovarian steroids may initiate the process of circumferential remodeling, which then becomes more dependent on local (fetoplacental) factors as pregnancy progresses. Interestingly, despite early arterial enlargement, increases in UPBF are quite modest, or absent, until much later in normal pregnancy in rodents (26), perhaps because changes in length (not documented in the Peeters' study) counteract those of increasing diameter. In addition, there may be an increased level of tone that maintains resistance and prevents an increase in blood flow; neither of these possibilities has been investigated to date.
Hormone replacement.
Uterine arteries contain receptors for both estrogen and progesterone (66–68, 72, 73) and respond to these steroids via genomic and nongenomic mechanisms. Most attention has been directed at estrogen, especially in sheep (by Rosenfeld and Magness, e.g., Refs. 72, 73, 111, 112), since its injection results in both acute and chronic increases in uterine blood flow related to vasodilation and increased cardiac output (19), and its in vitro application to isolated vessels induces vasorelaxation, albeit in concentrations that are several orders of magnitude higher than those present in vivo. Daily injections of estradiol benzoate (7–11 μg) for 3 wk induced a greater than twofold increase in the internal diameter of segmental mesometrial arteries of ovariectomized guinea pigs (85). Exogenous estradiol treatment in guinea pigs also stimulated DNA synthesis within the uterine artery (74) and increased cellular responsiveness to growth factors such as platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) by a PKC-dependent mechanism (57). This latter study used isolated vascular smooth muscle cells from the guinea pig uterine artery and reported that cells from the uterine artery, but not the aorta of pregnant animals, showed enhanced spontaneous DNA synthesis and growth. Changes in pseudopregnancy (134), already discussed, are presumably due to an altered endocrine profile and, although more modest than those that occur during pregnancy, are nonetheless measurable and significant.
Exactly how estrogen increases arterial size is not known. Its actions may be indirect, via augmentation of endothelial NO synthesis (58, 59) since nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in outward circumferential remodeling (96, 132) and by the induction of uterine artery vasodilation (123). Along with progesterone, it is also an important determinant of growth factor secretion, e.g., VEGF (50), and is known to affect matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity and arterial biomechanical properties (138, 139).
It thus appears that steroids promote uterine vascular remodeling through their modulation of numerous cellular processes associated with vascular contractility, growth, and matrix deposition. The reader is referred to a recent review by Chang and Zhang, which provides an excellent summary of steroidal influences on uterine vascular adaptation to pregnancy (19).
Unilateral horn ligation.
In animals with duplex uteri, especially rodents, the two horns are physically separate so that one horn can be made to remain barren either by ligating the cervical end (which prevents the passage of sperm) or by tying off the ovarian end (which prevents eggs from entering the uterine lumen), and both experimental approaches have been used.
The uterine horn ligation model has been used to explore a variety of pregnancy-related questions in several species, including the cow (35), pig (36, 60), rabbit (137), guinea pig (128), rat (136), and mouse (34), and the available evidence points to local rather than systemic factors playing a primary role in gestational uterine vascular remodeling and increases in blood flow.
In a rat model, this can be readily seen in the photographs shown in FIGURE 4⇓, where the increase in arterial length is clearly apparent (also in diameter, although this parameter is more difficult to evaluate visually without higher magnification). Vessel dimensions in the nonpregnant horn were similar to those of a nonpregnant animal in terms of the length and diameter of both large and small arteries. Consistent with this, uterine vein size was found to be increased only in the pregnant horn of single horn ligated mice, with values from the nonpregnant horn being similar to that of nonpregnant controls (34).
Physiological mechanisms of uterine vascular remodeling during pregnancy
Shear stress and NO.
Studies by Langille, DeMey, and others (5, 13, 16, 30, 63, 64, 69, 117, 131) have firmly established that an increase in shear stress stimulates expansive remodeling of both large and small arteries in a number of vascular beds. Interestingly, despite the number of citations, the species diversity is limited since virtually all of the data in these studies have been obtained using rodent models.
This mechanism is appealing from a physiological standpoint, since an increase in vessel caliber allows the maintenance of increased flow, while at the same time normalizing endothelial shear stress due to a decrease in blood flow velocity. A good discussion of the biophysical and theoretical aspects of shear stress in vascular tissues can be found in several recent papers (102, 107), and the inquisitive reader is also referred to a classic 1975 paper by Rodbard (110) for a more historic perspective of our understanding of the relationship between vascular caliber and flow.
Elevation in shear stress is a plausible mechanism for uterine arterial enlargement during gestation in view of its well established nature as a physiological mechanism and the fact that the reduction in downstream resistance that occurs secondary to placentation would be an effective stimulus for increasing the velocity of flow (and, therefore, shear stress) in upstream arteries. Vasodilation and/or vessel growth would allow the augmented flow to continue, but with a slower velocity, thereby normalizing shear stress in the process.
Yet, the velocity of blood in the uterine artery of women in week 36 of pregnancy was nearly eight times faster than in the nonpregnant state (averaging 61.4 vs. 8.4 cm/s), whereas arterial diameter increased approximately twofold (99). These data do not support normalization of shear stress, although, unfortunately, it is not possible to calculate vascular wall shear without knowing the actual velocity and viscosity of blood at the endothelial surface–a difficult proposition for a non-Newtonian fluid delivered in a pulsatile and sometimes non-laminar fashion.
The molecular mechanism(s) by which shear stress leads to circumferential vessel growth is not known, although several recent studies have indicated that endothelial NO may be an important mediator of this process (114, 130–132). This observation is pertinent to uterine gestational remodeling in view of the well established upregulation of eNOS and NO signaling in the pregnant state and is supported by several lines of evidence. First, both message and protein levels of NOS-3 (or eNOS), the enzyme responsible for NO production by the endothelium, are increased by shear stress, as is the release of NO (131). Accordingly, NO synthase activity and expression (91) and relaxation to acetylcholine (90) are augmented in uterine arteries from pregnant women. Second, mice lacking the gene for NOS-3 show a reduction in uterine vascular remodeling and decreased uterine blood flow (132). And third, chemical inhibition of NO production by NO inhibitors such as l-NAME virtually abolished the expansive remodeling of the main uterine artery and of smaller radial arteries in the rat, although, notably, axial growth was completely unaffected (96).
There is also some evidence against a role for NO in flow-induced remodeling (16), although the focus of this paper was not on gestation, and observations were limited to the mesenteric circulation, which does not undergo expansive remodeling during pregnancy and may develop different, and sometimes even opposite, patterns of reactivity (23, 24). Differences in regional vascular responses have also been documented in other studies (23, 100). In a study that utilized NOS-3 knockout mice (132), the growth of the main uterine artery was less than that of wild-type animals but still significantly greater than that of nonpregnant controls, suggesting that mechanisms other than those linked to shear stress-induced endothelial NO release play a role. NO production by guinea pig extravillous trophoblast has also been described (88), raising the possibility that other cell types such as macrophages or trophoblast may migrate into the periarterial space and stimulate vasodilation and remodeling of both the arterial and venous wall through mechanisms linked to NO.
A number of other signaling pathways have been implicated in flow-induced arterial remodeling (although not in the setting of gestational remodeling) including MMP activation (130), adrenergic influences (30), toll-like receptors (51), cytoskeleton (69), including vimentin (117), and membrane-asssociated tyrosine kinases such as PYK2 (125).
Matrix metalloproteinases in gestational vascular remodeling.
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a vital role in matrix turnover and are, in turn, subject to regulation by both sex steroids and NO. For example, both estrogen and progesterone, alone and in combination, have been shown to modulate smooth muscle cell MMP gene and protein expression, matrix turnover, and deposition (43, 89). The activity of several MMPs is elevated in vascular tissues during pregnancy (55) and MMP levels, particularly those of MMP-2 and MMP-9, are altered in preeclamptic women (87, 104). This combination of regulation by gestational signals and a broad spectrum of actions on the structure of the vascular wall (e.g., matrix reorganization and composition, and smooth muscle cell migration) has established a central role for MMPs in vascular remodeling (77). The linkage between estrogen and MMP activity was already discussed above, and several reviews highlight our understanding of these processes in greater depth and consider the role they may play in pregnancy under physiological and pathological conditions (55, 104).
Other mechanisms (e.g., the renin-angiotensin system and altered VEGF/PlGF signaling) in uterine vascular remodeling.
If elevated shear stress secondary to decreased downstream vascular resistance (due to placentation) were the only stimulus for remodeling, one might not expect to see any remodeling in vessels that deliver blood to the myometrium. Yet, although the extent of remodeling of premyometrial radial arteries is less than that of preplacental radial vessels, at least in rats (41, 47), these arteries are still clearly larger and longer than those of age-matched nonpregnant animals. Thus it is likely that other mechanisms are involved in the remodeling process.
For example, the renin-angiotensin system may play a role in view of the association between angiotensin II and smooth muscle cellular hypertrophy (39), and one current theory of preeclampsia posits that, at least in some women, this disease may have an automimmune component related to the production of agonistic antibodies directed at the AT-1 receptor (25, 108). Exposure to auto-antibodies extracted from the serum of preeclamptic women resulted in the development of a preeclampsia-like syndrome in pregnant mice, and this syndrome could be prevented by co-administration of losartan, an AT-1 receptor blocker, or by an antibody-neutralizing seven-amino acid epitope peptide (140). Although uterine vascular remodeling was not measured in this study, placental abnormalities and small fetus size were reported, and uterine blood flow is a well established determinant of fetal growth (62). Presumably, this is a humoral mechanism that would therefore have a similar effect on both preplacental and premyometrial vessels.
A related observation was made in a study by St-Louis et al. (119), who showed that administering a low-sodium diet, which is associated with over-activation of the renin-angiotensin system (113), to pregnant rats during the last third of gestation attenuated the normal increase in arcuate artery diameter by ~50%.
In contrast, although a recent study (135) describing a transgenic rat model with an overactivated renin-angiotensin system reported fetal growth restriction, impaired uterine artery endothelial relaxation, and hypersensitivity to the constrictor effects of phenylephrine, the Doppler resistance index decreased during pregnancy compared with control pregnant animals, suggesting unimpaired uteroplacental flow in the uterine artery. Unfortunately, arterial remodeling was not evaluated directly, and the differentiation of large vs. small, or premyometrial vs. preplacental artery adaptations as contributing factors was not evaluated.
Changes in vasodilator influences may also occur. For example, a number of studies (12, 53, 61, 70, 121, 126) have implicated abnormal VEGF/PlGF (placental growth factor) signaling in preeclamptic women due to overexpression of a soluble receptor for VEGF/PlGF (called sFlt-1 or sVEGFR-1). Rats injected with an adenovirus that overexpresses sFlt-1 develop several features associated with preeclampsia (76), although direct evaluation of uterine blood flow or vascular remodeling, either in women or animals, has not been carried out to date. Growth factors of the VEGF family are appealing candidates for mediating this process since they induce vasodilation, stimulate endothelial mitosis, and are associated with hypervascularization and enlargement of existing vessels (at least in the mouse ear; Ref. 93), but their role in pregnancy-induced uterine vascular remodeling and of effects on different segments of the vasculature (e.g., mesometrial vs. intraplacental, large vs. small, and preplacental vs. premyometrial arteries, or in arteries vs. veins) has not been defined.
Venoarterial signaling as a pathway for arterial remodeling.
That the molecular signal or signals that induce remodeling originate from the uterus or placenta is an intriguing idea, especially since the latter is a fetal organ known to be a rich source of vasoactive and growth-promoting molecular signals. Involvement of periplacental maternal tissues, e.g., the decidua, is also possible and has yet to be investigated. The principal question, however, is: How can molecules secreted into the uterine or placental venous effluent affect the structure (and/or tone) of the afferent (arterial) circulation?
One mechanism that deserves mention is venoarterial transfer. Illustrated diagrammatically in FIGURE 5⇓, it posits that secreted placental and/or myometrial signals (such as growth factors) pass across the uterine venous wall and thereby influence the structure of adjacent uterine arteries. Since growth factors such as VEGF and PlGF are also potent vasodilators, this mechanism could also provide a short loop pathway for regulating placental perfusion by inducing changes in arterial tone.
An anatomical basis for venorterial transfer does exist in the uterine circulation, since arteries and veins are arranged in close apposition in a number of species (17, 18, 40) and in humans (122). Moreover, physiological plausibility derives from studies that have established this as a mechanism of luteolysis (40). Prostaglandins secreted by the uterus and carried in its veins are transferred to the ovarian artery, where they travel to the corpus luteum and induce a number of processes leading to luteal demise, with ischemic vasoconstriction among them.
Thus venoarterial exchange is plausible from both an anatomical and a physiological standpoint. The venous permeability of isolated rat uterine veins is considerable, even to large molecular weight signals (70 kDa), significantly enhanced during pregnancy, and regulated by physical forces such as wall tension and molecular signals such as VEGF (17, 18).
At the same time, evidence that conclusively demonstrates (or refutes) the importance of venoarterial transfer as an in vivo mechanism for uterine vascular gestational remodeling is currently lacking, and the determination of whether this mechanism is physiologically important awaits further research.
Coordinated and sufficient uterine vascular remodeling must occur to facilitate the many-fold increase in uteroplacental blood flow that is required for normal pregnancy outcome. This physiological process is unique in the adult vascular system and likely occurs via a combination of mechanisms. Table 1⇓ and FIGURE 6⇓ are intended to provide a summary of the pathways, signals, and physiological processes that may be involved in uterine vascular remodeling during gestation. This table and figure also provide a basis for the consideration of future research, since the evidence implicating the involvement of these pathways and signals is largely indirect and inferential, i.e., based on other studies conducted in settings outside of the subject of this review.
Further investigations whose experimental design is clever enough to provide more specific, definitive information would help us bridge the theoretical with the real and provide deeper understanding of a process that is, at this point in time, still largely defined in descriptive rather than mechanistic terms.
The authors gratefully acknowledge the research support of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH RO1 HL-079253 and HL-073895).
- Copyright © 2009 the American Physiological Society


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Former President Bill Clinton spoke Sept. 4, 2013 at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. He said supporters and opponents of the health care law need to work together now to implement it and to fix the inevitable problems. Clinton says our health, family stability and strength of our economy depend on it.
President Bill Clinton's speech on the promise and pitfalls of the Affordable Care Act
Health ST. PAUL, Minn. ·


text:
[African Choir Intro]
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Controlled by assets
Owned by financial forecasters
Who are the Masters?
They are the Gangsters
They are the bankers
The ones who tax us
The Masses
They are us
The sheep, the people
Divided in classes
I go off like a Shi'ite bomb
And All ya'll see I'm on my
War paint on my face, shit
My nine millimeter on my waist
I'm a problem
Shoot up your place shit
Let a few go
Then I get low
Blazing Haze again
The Masters, The Wall Street War Chiefs
The Elitists Groups
The Masses
They pray to Jesus
Saying he will see us through
The Masters are the aristocratic
The Masses
Ask if the Most High
Is On his way here
I'm trying to stay clear
My mind is my modern day Spear
[Hook 2: Jr. Gong]
I say...
This Spear, huh!
Shaka Zulu, Bobo Shanti, Man a Gideon
Man a Mau Mau Warrior
Despair, eh
Fear and desperation no depression can't tarry ya
This Spear, hey
Through the hands of time and cruel men
It has slew more than a billion
Despair, eh
It keep on suppressing the humble man's opinion
[Nas - Verse 2]
This lead it'll Swiss cheese
When the fist squeeze
The media misleads
Scares you to the point
Where you miss sleep
With that said
This lead with this Ruger
And that shooter
Sub-machine gun
Ratta tat through you
Copper tops, hollow points
Will do ya something bad
Our future
Is Mislead
Three strikes
There's no school
When a teacher strikes
This economy
This monopoly
Get no job
Just own your property
Now it's back to
What comes natural
Must survive any how you have to
Despair, Desperation
But I have no fear
When I hold This Spear
[Jr. Gong - Bridge]
Make some boy know me nah smile
Cause this spear nah beg friends
Man a run racket
Man a run scheme
Man a run race
Man a run down Benz
Can't trust a she nor he nor we nor I
In a contact lense
Man a run from police
And a run down wealth
And dollars and nah make sense
[Jr. Gong: Verse 3]
Rise up to my defense
Hollow pointed is my preference
Should have been deterred
Don't know what you heard
Get referred
By the wrong reference
When this spear start dispense
It a fly and a tear through fence
Dismember your members
And all of your limbs
Body bust in enough segments
Man a run drugs
Man a run risk
Man all a run out a time and ends
Man a run up and down
And a run fi dem life
And a run down this month rent
Nutin' nah go a yard
And food the a road
Then man have to go touch pavement
Despair was a tool
That was used to enslave man
And make manservant
Escape from Despair and Desperation
Becomes more urgent
Mankind needs to cleanse and wash out dem soul
With spiritual detergent
A distant army
A distant relative
Controlling the circumference
And any man move with no permission
They're feeling the circumstance of
[Hook 3: Jr. Gong]
This Spear, hey
Shaka Zulu, Bobo Shanti, Man a, eh
Man a Mau Mau Warrior
Despair, eh!
Fear of your recession and depression can't tarry ya
This Spear, hey
Inner city youth dem rise it up disguised as AK-47
This Spear, eh!
And anytime them clap it up the whole city level
This Spear
Like Burning Spear
And such and such before I
Who all fought for the cause and
This Spear, eh!
They can't ignore me
[Outro: Dennis Brown]
What do you think of Africa?
Africa, Africa
Ha ha ha, Africa
Just, just the mention of it
Just the mention of it, man
It's like you call me name, man
Well you know Africa is motherland
And Africa is were we rightfully belong
And that's were I want to be
The title of the song is a double entendre:
1) The title refers to dis-spear, as in this spear, which is a reference to the recurring metaphor used in the song.
2) The title also refers to despair, which phonetically sounds similar to dispear. Additionally, the ideas in the track are about the despair of "the masses," or the disadvantaged people.


text:
|EVE vs Beverage?
|firstname.lastname@example.com (email@example.com)
|Sun Aug 13 18:35:21 1995
Does anyone have info on a comparison of a single element EWE vs a one to two wavelength Beverage for 160/80M contesting/DXing use? Also, are their any improvements/constuction tips for the EWE described in Feb95 QST? TNX & 73 Jim, email@example.com >From Hans Brakob <email@example.com> Sun Aug 13 21:46:43 1995 From: Hans Brakob <email@example.com> (Hans Brakob) Subject: New contest radio? Message-ID: <firstname.lastname@example.com> Does anyone have any good info on the rumored new CONTEST radio from Yaesu? Model number I've heard is to be FT1000MP. >From what I know (which is darn little) this is NOT a rework of FT1000/D, but a new radio. Heard it includes DDS (tx/rx), dual receive (but maybe only "in band"), less than 1Hz tuning resolution, some Collins filter(s), and some "menu" setup items. Is this a step up from FT1000D, or something like the IC775? So many choices, so little money..... sigh! 73, de Hans, K0HB
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text:
Dissidents aim to ignore backlash and strike again
Police fear dissident terror groups are determined to kill again — ignoring the backlash of condemnation that has followed the murder of Catholic police constable Ronan Kerr.
Almost a week after the booby trap bomb attack none of the armed factions has yet admitted responsibility.
But police are not reading anything significant into that |silence.
"These guys are just as, if not more, determined to take more life," a source told the Belfast Telegraph.
And he said that among the dissidents there was "no state of |regret".
Asked which group may have been behind the attack, the source responded: "Who exactly, or what unit, I'm not sure."
But he said the composition of the bomb was not new.
Both the Real IRA and the faction Oglaigh na hEireann have been developing their bomb-making expertise, and the two groups have been behind a series of similar under-car |attacks.
There has also been an intelligence focus on a disaffected group of former mainstream IRA figures in east Tyrone, but there is no information at this stage to suggest a link to the weekend bombing.
Speaking to this newspaper earlier this week, a source revealed that MI5 was monitoring the group, trying to assess its intentions and whether it planned to merge with one of the dissident factions. That assessment is not yet complete.
Police and MI5 will also want to establish the origin of the arms found near Coalisland on Tuesday — a significant arsenal of rifles, ammunition and explosives, including the possibility of Semtex.
There are three possibilities:
- That they were taken by dissidents prior to their split from the mainstream IRA in 1997;
- That they were held back from the decommissioning process in 2005;
- Or, that dissidents have found a new arms supply line.
- A republican source, speaking to this newspaper, speculated that the weapons would turn out to be "ex-Provo", meaning originally part of the mainstream IRA arsenal.
- In February 1999, the IRA leadership disclosed "that a small amount of its weaponry" had "been stolen" by dissidents.
- The weapons were stolen prior to the dissidents defecting.
Belfast Telegraph


text:
hey guys,
i'm mentoring bernat for the gsoc-i18n-project.
we've just completed the concept-phase, and start implementing a basic translation-system to sapphire. if you've got access to the gsoc-wiki, have a look at:
we'd love to hear your feedback - and once we're convinced that the "groundwork" is solid, we'll post a bit more openly to the community.
during august we're implement a translation-UI and try to get first translators on board - if you're keen to help, please contact support at silverstripe com.


text:
This map displays the geotag of the sound On a train in Napoli (Italy), on the 'circumvesuviano' going around the Vesuvius Volcano by felix.blume.
For the full map of all geotags see our global geotag map
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text:
GSTAAD, SWITZERLAND–The 58-room Alpina Gstaad has welcomed its first guests, the first new luxury hotel to be built in this Alpine village in 100 years.
The hotel is located in Gstaad's hilltop area known as Oberfort, five minutes from the center of the village in the center of the Bernese Alps. Bordered by an acre-and-a-half of gardens, the hotel features three restaurants, a full-service spa, fitness center, indoor lap swimming pool, outdoor pool, cigar lounge and private movie theater. Constructed over a four-year period, the project cost an estimated $337 million.


text:
Sequence 1 - Peace at Last - p. 2 | Walkthrough AC: B Guide
Horsing around
The last simple quest will be waiting for you at the stables [1]. Groom will ask you to find your uncle's horse [2].
Animal is marked on the map. Get close to him [1], press B and go to the stable [2].
After dealing with all tasks go to the palace [1], when you will be able to attend an important meeting [2].
After the cut scene, go upstairs [1] and open the door leading to the bed room (B) [2].
You will meet Catharina here. After the night [1] the town will be attacked by Borgia's army [2].
Your horse will ride alone until one of the building will collapse [1]. Ezio will jump on the wooden beam [2].
Press RT and A to jump on the other buildings [1]. Few moments later, you will find yourself near the building with the ladder [2].
When you will be there, a cannon bullet with fly near your character [1]. Use the hole in the wall to go upstairs and then turn left [2].
At the end, you will find a cannon [1]. Use it to destroy cannons located on the left [2].
After dealing with them, try to eliminate enemies located on the right [1]. After some time, one of your mates will be shoot. Get close to his cannon and destroy last enemy units [2].
When you will do this, the second part of the siege will start. Enemy soldiers will start to attack your town [1]. Go there and get close to the wooden pole located near the tower [2]. As a matter of fact, you will be transported above.
Jump down on the other side [1] and then kill all enemies using your counterattacks [2].
At one moment, a knight in the plate armor will appear [1]. Dodge his attacks with RT and attacks with A. After successful dodge release RT, attack him with A and X. Counter attacks are very useful here. Remember that you can change your weapons with D-pad [2].
Emergency exit
Your character will be wounded but he still can fight. Defeat more enemies [1] and go to the villa [2] that is marked on the map.
When you will be upstairs, you will see your sister who will be fighting with some soldiers[1]. Help her (you must be very quick to save her) [2].
Fallow Claudia and you will get close to the building [1]. Hold RB and choose the gun icon. Kill two nearest enemies [2].
Target them with X and then shoot by releasing this button [1]. After the fight follow your sister and enter the building [2].
When you will be inside the corridor go straight ahead [1] until you will get to the glowing point [2]. You will see a longer cut scene now and after the film you will return to the Desmond body.


text:
Not only do 4-Romantics often have gifts of expression, such as being musical, artistic, and/or good with words, they often feel the need to express themselves. This partially explains 4-Romantic artistic geniuses such as Beethoven, Billy Holiday, Edvard Munch, and Charles Baudelaire. Fours have strong feelings and do not want to be ordinary.
As a 5-Observer, one of my wings is type 4; my other is the 6-Questioner. I believe my stronger wing (4), accounts for my lifelong love of music. My 6 wing expresses itself as fear and anxiety. The Enneagram diagram below shows each type's wings – the numbers next to each number – and arrows – the two numbers at the ends of lines.
Some characteristics of the 4-Romantic include an appreciation of aesthetics and creativity, compassion, humor, dignity, valuing what's authentic, and the love of beauty. The other side of this type includes feeling depressed, being self-absorbed, behaving overly dramatically, longing, and being moralistic. As a 5, I'm usually even-tempered and quite happy, but occasionally I'll have a day where my 4 wing takes over and I feel moody. Fours' longing is related to their envy for what others have; Fours often feel something is missing from their own lives. Marlon Brando, Orson Welles, Charles Laughton, and Tennessee Williams represent the brooding, melancholy characteristics of some Romantics. Alan Watts and Mike Nichols represent their refinement. 4s are often attracted to life and death situations and to death itself; suicides by 4s include Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Virginia Woolf, Kurt Cobain, and Vincent Van Gogh.
Both 1-Perfectionists and 2-Helpers have arrows at 4. When Perfectionists work too much or take life too seriously, engaging in something creative can free them. If Helpers are too focused on other people, they're encouraged to get in touch with their own creativity and inwardness. Studying people who are type 4-Romantic can help all of us access our creative sides. Who are your favorites of the 4s mentioned here and in the list below? Which seem most like you? Which do you admire most? Learn more about them and 4s you know. Emulate them to help you get in touch with your creativity, your compassion, and the other positive attributes typical of type 4.
Famous Fours: Diane Arbus, Francis Bacon, John Barrymore, Ingmar Bergman, Peter Bogdanovich, Richard Brautigan, Jackson Browne, Raymond Burr, Roseanne Cash, Prince Charles, Eric Clapton, Leonard Cohen, Judy Collins, James Dean, Johnny Depp, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Judy Garland, Martha Graham, Lena Horne, Julio Iglesias, Jeremy Irons, Michael Jackson, Janis Joplin, Naomi Judd, Harvey Keitel, Jack Kerouac, Philip Larkin, T. E. Lawrence, Vivien Leigh, Mary McCarthy, Rod McKuen, Thomas Merton, Yukio Mishima, Joni Mitchell, Jim Morrison, Morrissey, Liam Neeson, Mike Nichols, Stevie Nicks, Anais Nin, Nick Nolte, Laurence Olivier, Edith Piaf, Edgar Allen Poe, Anne Rice, Arthur Rimbaud, Françoise Sagan, Percy Shelley, Simone Signoret, Paul Simon, Meryl Streep, Edna St. Vincent Millay, August Strindberg, James Taylor, Kate Winslet, and Neil Young.
Check out The Happy Introvert and The Enneagram of Death.
Visit http://wagele.com to check out my books, CD, cartoons, essays, music, and Famous Enneagram Types.


text:
Malta have named a 22-man squad for the forthcoming EURO 2004™ qualifiers against Israel and France, with coach Siegfried Held demanding an improvement on last month's defeat by Slovenia.
Tough assignments
Malta face a double header next week, with Group 1 rivals Israel and France visiting the National Stadium in Ta' Qali within four days of one other on 12 and 16 October.
Must do better
It is a prospect the German-born Held faces with optimism. The coach insisted after the 3-0 reverse in Slovenia that there was more to come from his squad. "I was not satisfied with the defeat," he said. "Our performance was adequate but I want my players to do more to earn the respect of our opponents."
Underdog status
"Malta will always be regarded as the underdogs in international competition but we have to make life difficult for any side who plays against us," he continued.
Vote of confidence
The coach's vote of confidence is twofold, as he has stuck mainly by the players who lost in Ljubljana. Striker Michael Mifsud, who is based in Germany with 1. FC Kaiserslautern, has recovered from a broken nose while namesake Miguel Mifsud of Hibernians FC has brushed aside a groin problem to take his place in the group.
Brincat set for century
Meanwhile, Sliema Wanderers FC midfield player Joe Brincat has overcome a niggling hamstring injury and could earn his 100th cap. Brincat returns after missing the last four internationals. But club mate Carlo Mamo is dropped, while FC Lokomotiv Sofia's Stefan Giglio is suspended having been sent off in Slovenia.
First dates
The fixtures are Malta's first senior internationals against either country. Israel won three of their four previous friendly meetings with the Maltese, the other ending in a draw.
Malta squad
Darmanin, Muscat, Carabott, Chetcuti, Ciantar, Debono, Dimech, Said, Theuma, Agius, Brincat, Camenzuli, Camilleri, Holland, Mallia, Turner, Bogdanovic, Licari, Michael Mifsud, Miguel Mifsud, Adrian Mifsud, Nwoko.
©UEFA.com 1998-2017. All rights reserved.


text:
Syrian television presenter Mohammed al-Saeed, kidnapped from his Damascus home in mid-July, has been executed, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday.
"The television presenter, a well-known figure on state TV, has been executed, and the Al-Nusra Front has claimed responsibility for the killing," the Observatory's Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
Al-Nusra, a little-known Islamist militant group, claimed the kidnapping and execution of Saeed in a statement on Friday.
"The heroes of western Ghouta (in Damascus province) imprisoned the shabih (pro-regime militia) presenter on July 19," said Al-Nusra. "He was then killed after he had been interrogated."
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Posted on a forum featuring the Al-Qaeda flag, Al-Nusra's statement showed a photograph of Saeed looking frightened, with his back against a wall in an unknown location.
"May this be a lesson to all those who support the regime," it said.
Contacted by AFP, state TV director Maan Saleh said: "We have no material proof of this killing."
Last month, international media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders issued a statement on Saeed's kidnapping, and urged his captors to release him.
"News media and journalists -- both professional and citizen journalists -- should not be targeted by any of the parties in a war or civil war," it said at the time.


text:
Comcast users cannot install plugin
My dynamic IP address starts with 24.x.x.x – installed your plugin (version 4.0, WP 3.4.2), went to activate it and received this error:
Plugin could not be activated because it triggered a fatal error. Reason code: sbl.spanhaus:153,2,24 ip: 24.x.x.x
I x'ed out my current IP address for obvious reasons. So I went to the spamhaus website, discovered that the entire 18.104.22.168/12 block of IP addresses is listed in their PBL database. I'm unable to remove my address from that list, site would not allow it.
So I took a look at your code, and found this in stop-spammer-registrations.php…
$iplist = array( 'sbl.spamhaus' => '.sbl.spamhaus.org', 'xbl.spamhaus' => '.xbl.spamhaus.org', 'dsbl' => '.list.dsbl.org', 'sorbs' => '.dnsbl.sorbs.net', 'spamcop' => '.bl.spamcop.net', 'ordb' => '.relays.ordb.org', 'njabl' => '.dnsbl.njabl.org'
and I commented out each spam database site one by one. Every single spam site listed in your plugins array considers 220.127.116.11/12 as a spam source. That is a significant number of comcast internet users. I would have to comment out that entire array list to be able to activate this plugin, and in doing so would defeat the purpose of said plugin.
Suggestions? 🙂
- The topic 'Comcast users cannot install plugin' is closed to new replies.


text:
Originally published July 4, 2014 at 8:44 PM | Page modified July 4, 2014 at 8:54 PM
Germany blanks France in quarterfinal match
Germany defeated France 1-0 to advance to a record fourth straight World Cup semifinal. The Germans will play host Brazil on Tuesday.
The New York Times
Follow the 2014 World Cup with our dynamic event guide that has live results, schedule and group info as well as news and predictions from the first kick on June 12 to the final whistle on July 13.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – As appetizers go, it was more of a dessert: a World Cup quarterfinal at fabled Maracana between two European powerhouses featuring 22 starting players who play club soccer in England, Spain, France, Italy or Germany.
For much of the world, it was a heavyweight fight contested in one of the sport's greatest venues.
Here, of course, it was a distinct undercard. Brazil defeated Colombia 2-1 later Friday in a match so big it prompted the Colombian government to declare a national holiday.
Yet even without top billing, Germany will not mind. The Germans defeated France 1-0 to advance to a record fourth straight semifinal. Mats Hummels scored in the 13th minute of a tense, grinding game that left several French players frustrated and in tears at the final whistle.
France, which was one of the strongest teams during the group stage, will head home, while Germany, which had seven players bothered by flulike symptoms entering the match, is set to face Brazil in a semifinal Tuesday in Belo Horizonte.
"It was certainly not a walk in the park, and I think we solved it rather well," Hummels said. "We have the passion, and I think the passion should not be reduced — it must be intensified in every coming match."
That passion, alas, was not on display from either team during the match, which was not played at the high-octane pace that has been so commonplace in this tournament. France's coach, Didier Deschamps, said that was probably because of the weather, with the midday sun beating down.
Germany's coach, Joachim Loew, agreed, adding he was pleased the semifinal and final would both be played in the late afternoon when the sun would be going down.
"It is certainly not easy for us Europeans to start playing at 1 o'clock," he said. "You can hardly breathe; you can hardly move. Europeans are not used to that."
The Germans handled the conditions better, and Loew's tactical decisions paid off as well. The most notable switch was Loew's decision to shift Philipp Lahm, the captain, to right back from midfield. Loew said he was concerned about France's stoutness in the center of the field, with Yohan Cabaye, a sturdy midfielder, clogging things up.
By having Lahm on the outside, Loew said, the German attack could have better flow.
"We were trying to really push, constantly push," Loew said. "We were always stepping on the opponent's toes from back to front."
In Brazil, the Germans are a popular pick to break a hex: No team from Europe has won a World Cup in the Americas. Germany won its group — albeit with some inconsistent play — but was then deemed vulnerable after struggling in the round of 16 against Algeria as the underdogs took the match into extra time.
The French were seen as an enigma after a disastrous 2010 World Cup in which they did not win a match and endured a player revolt. France then nearly failed to qualify for this year's tournament, overcoming a two-goal deficit in a two-game series with Ukraine for one of Europe's final spots.
Since that rally, Deschamps said there was a noticeable surge from his players, and Les Bleus showed that during the group stage when they scored eight goals.
In the quarterfinal, though, their finishing in the attacking end of the field was lacking from the start. France was a bit better in the second half but continued to struggle to finish its movements.
• In a quarterfinal Saturday in Brasilia, perhaps the world's best player — Lionel Messi of Argentina — will challenge one of the best goalkeepers, Thibaut Courtois of Belgium. They know each other well from Spanish-league matches.
Courtois has kept Messi scoreless the last seven times his Atletico Madrid team faced FC Barcelona. If he can do it again, Belgium might reach the semifinals for the first time since 1986 — when it was eliminated by Argentina.
Messi has scored four of Argentina's seven goals in the tournament and set up two of the others.
• In Saturday's other quarterfinal, in Salvador, the Netherlands — which had a tournament-leading 12 goals through the round of 16 — will face a Costa Rica team that has allowed two goals in four matches.
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