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There are a lot of different sports betting sites to chose between online, and which one that is best for you depends on a long row of factors. Since each punter is an individual, it is difficult to point at a particular site and hail it as the best one. We each have our own needs and preferences, and a factor that is a deal-breaker for one person can be quite insignificant for another. It should also be noted that it has become increasingly common for sports bettors to have accounts with several sports betting sites, to be able to effortlessly use the one that is offering the best value at the moment.
Here are a few examples of questions that can help you find the right sports betting site for you:
- Does the site have a good reputation among your fellow sports bettors? Every site will have some disgruntled members, so you need to look at the big picture here.
- Is the site available in a language that you are comfortable using?
- Can the odds be displayed the way you want them to be displayed? Decimal odds, fractional odds, etc.
- Does the site have a great offer for the sports and events that you are most likely to bet on? What markets are available and how generous are the odds?
- How's the live betting and the live streaming of events (if any)?
- Is this a site that you would deposit with even if they didn't have that alluring welcome offer? Welcome bonus offers, free bets and other promotions are nice, but don't get overly enthralled by them because in the long run other factors are more important for your bankroll and overall satisfaction with a betting site.
- When is the support open and is this when you normally engage in betting? Is support available the way you prefer (phone call, call back service, email, live chat, etc)? Do you need to make an expensive call abroad to get phone support? Is support available in a language that you are comfortable using?
- Does the site accept any of your preferred methods for deposits and withdrawals? Are there any fees associated with deposits and withdrawals using these methods?
- Where is the sports betting site licensed? Is this considered a serious and reputable jurisdiction or could any scam site get a license from them?
- Do you find any other kind of games that you want to play, like casino games, such as blackjack, roulette, slots etc.
- Do you enjoy mobile betting? If so, don't forget to check out the site's mobile offering. App or browser betting? Compatible with your mobile device?
Bet365 offers pre-event betting and live betting. Examples of available markets are result, 1X2, half time/full time, over/under, asian handicap, draw no bet, score cast, number of corners, and number of cards.
You can bet from your computer, a smartphone or a tablet. Sports betting (including horse racing and greyhound racing) is the main attraction here, but you can also bet on financial markets, TV-shows, awards, political elections, and more. Betting on virtual events is possible.
Bet365 was founded back in 1974, and still has an offline presence. Nowadays, Bet365 is licensed by three different jurisdictions: United Kingdom, Gibraltar, and the Northern Territory of Australia.
10 Bet
10 Bet offers pre-event betting and live betting. This site is famous for accepting really big bets. For some odds, you can send a request to have the standard bet limit lifted specifically for you.
You can bet on sporting events, awards, political elections, TV-shows, and more. The largest and deepest odds offer is the one for association football, especially the European leagues.
Betting on virtual events is possible at 10Bet.
10 Bet is accessible from computers, smartphones and tablets.
10Bet is owned by Cyprus-based ZapZap Marketing Limited and has a gambling license from Curacao.
BetVictor offers pre-event betting and live betting. The site has an enormous odds offer, that is both varied and deep. Do you want to bet on a low football league or a little known surf contest? Go to BetVictor.
In August 2015, Oddschecker hailed BetVictor as the bookmaker offering the best odds most often on the major European football leagues.
You can bet from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
BetVictor arranges virtual horse races, greyhound races, motor races, speedway races, football matches, tennis matches and cycling events around the clock, seven days a week.
The BetVictor site is run by BetVictor Limited, a company based in Gibraltar. BetVictor has a gambling license from Gibraltar and another one from the United Kingdom. BetVictor used to be known as VC Bet, and before that it was Victor Chandler. The company was formed in 1946 by William Chandler. Victor Chandler Sr was his son, and Victor Chandler Jr his grandson.
William Hill
At the William Hill site, both pre-event betting and live betting is available. You can bet from your computer, smartphone or tablet. Switching between decimal odds, fractional odds and American-style odds is easy.
William Hill has odds for sporting events around the world, but their deepest and most varied offer is for events that either takes place within the United Kingdom or for some reason is popular among UK-based punters anyway.
In addition to offering all the typical markets, William Hill is known for having an interesting selection of novelty bets available, especially for association football.
William Hill started out in 1934 and is thus one of the oldest extant bookmakers. The company is traded on the London Stock Exchange but based in Gibraltar for tax reasons. William Hill has gambling licenses from the UK and Gibraltar.
BetFred has pre-event betting and live betting available, and you can bet from your computer, smartphone or tablet. Examples things you can bet on are sporting events, greyhound races, horse races, TV-shows, awards, and political elections. Sports and races make up the bulk of all events.
BetFred is strong when it comes to sports that are popular in the UK and somewhat weaker when it comes to the rest of the world, including continental Europe and the Nordic countries. For association football, BetFred has a great offering with plenty of novel betting forms to explore.
BetFred was founded in England in 1967 and is named after Fred Done, one of its founders. The company is today active both offline and online, and runs over 1,350 betting shops. BetFred is licensed by Gibraltar and by the United Kingdom.


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Name Expedition: 2006 – South America 1
Date/Year: Oct 2006
Places Visited:
Lake Titicaca – Lake in South America
" Lake Titicaca, straddling the border between Peru and Bolivia in the Andes Mountains, is one of South America's largest lakes and the world's highest navigable body of water. Said to be the birthplace of the Incas, it's home to numerous ruins. Its waters are famously still and brightly reflective. Around it are national reserves sheltering rare aquatic wildlife such as giant frogs."
Pictures / Slideshow by 4×4 World Explorer:

subset: commoncrawl


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Shopping mall business has gain popularity in Brazil. The industry has witnessed progressive growth over the years. Roberto is a successful entrepreneur who has transformed the real estate business.
Roberto Santiago has contributed largely towards changing the face of shopping malls in Brazil. He has established Manaira Shopping mall has been recognized as the largest mall in brazil.it has set a record in the kinds of malls that should be established at Joao Pessoa. The mall was opened in 1989. roberto has ensured that the mall undergoes expansion to provide room for more businesses. More stores have been established in the mall after expansion. The move ensures that the mall provides all the products and services that are needed by clients under one roof. Santiago strives to make Manaira Shopping mall a favorite point in the provision of entertainment. The mall has introduced a lot of fun at Paraiba. The introduction of modern entertainment facilities has led to an increase in the customers that visit the mall. The attractive beaches and cuisines have attracted millions of customers. The mall has 11 movie theatres that have installed modern technology equipment.it also has an amusement park, concert hall and learning institution.
The movie theatres at Paraiba have installed 3D technology. The audience is entertained with images with clear views. The customers enjoy the movie regardless of the positon at they have sat. The seats have been designed to incorporate armrest. They also provide soft comfort. The customers who visit the amusement park are surprised with extraordinary entertainment that they receive. The park has ample space for more than 200 machines for gaming.
A modern hall has been constructed at Manaira Shopping mall. The mall with modern technology is called Domus hall. The capacity of the hall can accommodate over 8000 people. Domus hall has enabled many people to hold special events. Some of the vents that have been held in the mall include weddings. Exhibition and music concert. Graduations and international fairs have been held in the hall. The hall has been equipped with modern sound and refrigeration systems. The event organizers are not required to come with their sound systems. The hall has been used a cultural Centre. Many visitors visit the mall with the aim of learning the culture of Brazil. The mall has become popular with students from various colleges and universities. The students visit the mall to learn and experience fun. Roberto Santiago has enabled many people to experience fun in the mall.
Roberto Santiago has also invested in other malls that are operating effectively in brazil.one of the mall is known as Managabeira Shopping mall. The mall is based in Joao Pessoa. Roberto is committed to ensuring that he malls provide excellent services in Brazil.


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In power of Self
About Us
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Create the change you want simply by changing the way you think
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Your privacy is important to Enkr8ia. This Privacy Policy covers how we collect, use, disclose, transfer, and store your information. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with our privacy practices and
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Channing Tatum Bumps and Grinds in Two 'Magic Mike' Red-Band Trailers
Fathers, lock up your daughters -- because we've got two new R-rated booty-lovin' spots for Steven Soderbergh's male stripper opus Magic Mike coming your way.
The film, which was inspired by star Channing Tatum's days as a male exotic dancer, is an odd departure for Soderbergh – who's set to retire sometime in the near future. The new clip features Tatum, Matthew McConnaughey and Alex Pettyfer on the stage shaking their money-makers for an appreciative female audience. It's hard to get a feel for the plot from either of these clips, but we don't think these ads were built to lure in fans looking for a deep meditation on working in the sex industry in the first place.
Have a gander at both trailers (one for theaters, a slightly tamer one for television) below. And to answer your most pressing question – yes, there's a scene where Tatum impersonates a cop before ripping off his pants.
Oh – and in case it wasn't clear, these clips fall into the Not Safe for Work category…unless you work in a strip club. Then it's just business as usual. Enjoy.
Magic Mike will dirty dance its way into theaters on June 29th.
Movies.com, the ultimate source for everything movies, is your destination for new movie trailers, reviews, photos, times, tickets + more! Stay in the know with the latest movie news and cast interviews at Movies.com.
Copyright © 2019 FANDANGO MOVIES.


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It's been a busy busy week and an over busy Friday for me. and the coming week will even be more hectic because of the big event (work related) on the 4th of February.
Can you believe it? It's the end of the month already..time flies so fast! and I'm turning 37 next week! just in case you do not know ( reminder for my friends) it's on the 8th of February. If you need gifts suggestions just ask my husband..hehe! I would gladly accept a Minka Aire lights, or a couch.
I have only one wish though for my birthday and my close friends surely know that. And although it is my major prayer request too, It will still be ok if the Lord will still not grant it this year, He has greater plans for us and I trust His plans are way better than mine,
On the other hand, I am also praying for a new computer as ours was broken already. Thank God for friends who let me borrow their laptops so I can still work at home. Please help me pray that I'll be able to get new one soon.
Have a happy weekend everyone!!!


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eTutoring is closed to new writing submissions
Welcome to eTutoring at Edison State Community College
eTutoring is available January 14 - May 3, 2019
Edison State Community College is a partner in the Ohio eTutoring Collaborative, enabling us to provide online tutoring support for all of our students. For this semester, students have ongoing access to online professional tutoring services in the following areas:
Logging into eTutoring
To log in, use your assigned Edison Username. The first time you log in, your password will be Edison2018. You will need to change your password as soon as you register!
If you need technical assistance with the eTutoring platform, please click on SUPPORT on the uppermost part of your screen, or here: email@example.com.
If you need assistance logging in, send an e-mail (with an explanation of your issue) to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Student Evaluation of Services
Approximately 48 hours after you use an eTutoring tool you will be sent a very brief survey link via email. We ask that you complete this brief survey so we can better serve your needs.
eTutoring Services
The Online Writing Lab allows you to submit a draft of your paper for grammatical review, ask for specific feedback, and receive a tutor's response within 24-48 hours.
Live Tutoring via eChat allows you to meet with a tutor in one-on-one tutoring sessions via a fully interactive, virtual online environment (with audio, video, and interactive whiteboard screen). Live sessions are offered for Algebra, Anatomy and Physiology, Astronomy, Chemistry, Math, Calculus, Statistics, Physics, and Writing Coaching.
The offline eQuestions allow you to post a specific question for an eTutor, who will respond within 48 hours. eQuestions may be submitted for any of the subject areas covered.
Please Note
If you choose eChat, colored tutor icons will show which tutors are online. Click on the tutor icon you wish to 'chat' with. Note that your browser must be set to allow pop-ups in order for eChat to work.
If a tutor isn't available for eChat, you can leave the tutor an eQuestion.
The Weekly Tutor Schedules are available in the lower right hand side of the welcome page.
We look forward to working with you and hope you will take advantage of the online tutoring resources offered by eTutoring through your academic career!


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Jules & Jim
Sleek and stylish, Jules and Jim is maternity brand that all expecting mothers will love. This designer maternity clothes line specializes in simple and elegant maternity styles that are perfect for the office, a night out on the town, or an upcoming special event. Designed in Canada by Jules et Jim maternity clothes.


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- Research
- Open Access
Induction of calcification by serum depletion in cell culture: a model for focal calcification in aortas related to atherosclerosis
- Howard H. T. Hsu1Email author,
- Antonio Artigues2 and
- Maria T. Villar2
© Hsu et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2008
- Received: 03 December 2007
- Accepted: 29 January 2008
- Published: 29 January 2008
Since aortic calcification has been shown to initiate in the lower zone of well-thickened plaques (LZP) adjacent to the aortic media of rabbits fed supplemental cholesterol diets, a restricted supply of serum to vascular cells could play a role in vascular calcification. This study was designed to use a cell culture model to support this hypothesis.
Rabbit aortic smooth muscle cells were grown to confluence in a culture media containing 10 % fetal bovine serum (FBS). The confluent cells were then exposed to the media for 2 hrs with or without serum at a Ca × P ion product range of 4.5–9.4 mM2. In contrast to the cells cultured in the presence of FBS, confluent cells in its absence displayed marked mineral-positive alizarin red staining and infrared absorption of mineral phosphate. A kinetic parameter C1/2 was used to designate the concentration of serum or its protein constituents needed to reduce the deposition of Ca and P by half. The C1/2 for FBS and rabbit serum was 0.04–0.07 % The C1/2 value for rabbit serum proteins was 13.5 μg/ml corresponding to the protein concentration in 0.06 % of serum. This C1/2 was markedly smaller than 86.2 μg/ml for bovine serum albumin present in 0.37 % serum (p < 0.05). Serum depletion also caused marked membrane translocation as evidenced through a specific apoptosis dye uptake by cells. The proteomic analysis of calcifying vesicles, which can be released by serum depletion, revealed several calcification-related proteins.
The aortic smooth muscle cell culture model suggests that serum depletion may play a role in the initiation of aortic calcification. The serum exhibits remarkable ability to inhibit cell-mediated calcification.
- Vascular Calcification
- Aortic Calcification
- Membrane Translocation
- Serum Depletion
- Thoracic Aortic Calcification
Clinical and epidemiological studies have implicated vascular calcification in myocardial infarction [1], instability and rigidity of the arterial wall [2], bioprosthetic valve failures [3], etc. In spite of the evidence that both physiological and pathological calcification is regulated through gene expressions of osteopontin (OPN) [4], matrix γ-carboxyglutamate protein (MGP) [5], and osteoprotegerin (OPG) [6], the mechanisms whereby calcium phosphate minerals are initially deposited in the arterial wall remain uncertain [7–9]. The issue of the involvement of the active process vs. passive process in atherosclerosis-related calcification was reviewed by Schinke et al. [8]. This issue can be further complicated by the difficulty in separating the effects of the agents on nascent mineralization from those on mineral proliferation. The paradoxical nature of different hypotheses could stem from the lack of detailed information of the specific molecular events aiming at the earliest stage of calcification. The development of strategies for arresting the initial stage of calcification could be a crucial step in the prevention of further spread of unwanted calcification. One of the underlying mechanisms of vascular calcification was proposed to be tightly linked to osteogenesis [10, 11], since bone formation and calcification in human aortas were first described by Virchow in 1863 [12] and later shown to be in human cardiac valves by Mohler and colleagues in 2001 [13] both at the advanced stages of atherosclerosis. However, on the basis of genetic analyses and the rare occurrence of bone formation in human lesions, Schinke et al [8, 9] conceptualized the onset of vascular calcification as being related to a dystrophic process independent of osteogenesis. An alternative hypothesis for the participation of a remote bone resorption process in vascular calcification was advocated by Price and colleagues using hypervitamin D-treated rat model [14]. This model was deduced from the observation that subcutaneous injections of specific bone resorption inhibitors such as bisphosphonates to the rat inhibited calcification in arterial media. Another interesting observation that may also underlie the cause of vascular calcification in human subjects was the finding of mineral-associated nanobacteria-like structures in advanced atherosclerotic aortic walls [15].
Induction of calcification in vitro by serum depletion
List of identified proteins related to calcification in calcifying vesicles from tadem spectrometry. Data were analyzed using a Biowors 3.2 (ThermoFinnigan) program.
Peptide Sequence
Calpactin I Heavy chain
Calreticulin or CRP55
Integrin beta 1
ATPase β subunit
ATP synthase
A previous report in this laboratory demonstrated that unlike the control experiments in which abundant blood vessels with bone marrow were present in Saos-2 osteosarcoma extract-induced ectopic bones in nude mouse skeletal muscles, the lower zone of plaques (LZP) in atherosclerotic rabbit aortas lacked the evidence of vessel intrusions and bone formation [7]. These observations suggest that the induction of LZP calcification could be caused by the restriction in blood supply to the LZP due to intimal thickening without a prerequisite osteogenesis [10, 11] or remote bone resorption [14]. This contention was further supported by the present data obtained from the experimentation with cultured rabbit aortic smooth muscle cells exposed to serum depletion. In spite of the present in vitro model, factors that underlying the mechanism of the serum depletion-induced LZP calcification remains to be established. A reduced amount or a lack of some serum proteins in the LZP may play a role in LZP calcification. For example, anhydrase and hemoglobin are essential proteins in the regulation of blood pH and their absence could potentially influence pH dependent-mineralization process. The lack of hemoglobin may affect oxygen tension and could in theory alter acid-base chemistry through the isohydric shift, although the role of oxygen in LZP calcification has yet to be established. Moreover, potent mineralization inhibitors such as OPN [29] and MGP [30] in blood could be prevented from reaching LZP by intimal thickening. Other factors such as alterations in osmolarity, which can be affected by serum protein deletion, remain unknown. However, the present observation shows that much less amounts of whole serum proteins than serum albumin were needed to inhibit calcification, suggesting that change in osmolarity by serum depletion may not play a significant role in the calcification. An attempt to reproduce intimal thickening in vivo by the addition of cholesterol to SMC culture increased neither cell proliferation nor calcification (not shown). This is expected since aortic calcification in rabbits fed cholesterol diets did not occur until intima was extensively thickened [7, 18, 19].
The minimal requirement of Ca × P ion products of 5.0 mM2 in excess of the serum level of 3.5 mM2 for serum depletion-induced calcification in vitro suggests that additional mechanisms are needed to increase Ca and/or P in the LZP. The current experiments using a sensitive measurement of Ca with Arsenazo III dye [31] indicated that 5.02 ± 0.25 mM Ca (6 serum samples) was present in rabbit serum vs. 3.23 mM using an electrode assay procedure [32]. A protein-free fraction of serum obtained from 10% trichloroacetic acid (TCA) precipitation followed by the removal of TCA through lyophilization yielded the same result (not shown). The precision and accuracy of the procedure was verified by the use of known quantities of calcium carbonate and calcium mono- or dibasic phosphate dissolved in 0.1 N HCl. Although the difference in quantities between the two procedures could be due to the technical issue, the data suggest a large pool of serum Ca available for calcification through the diffusion process. High ion products can be further achieved via the hydrolysis of phosphoesters in cells. High concentrations of β-glycerophosphate ranging from 5–10 mM were routinely used in numerous studies of calcification in cell cultures including bone cells [33] and bovine SMCs [34]. However, the current data indicated that rabbit SMCs cultured for up to 14 day in the presence of 10% FBS and/or 10 mM β-glycerophosphate with a biweekly medium changes did not display calcification (data not shown). This is expected since rabbit SMCs and aortas neither have alkaline phosphatase activity nor the ability to hydrolyze β-glycerophosphate [18]. The paradoxical difference in the effect of serum on calcification between rabbit and bovine SMCs remains to be established. Moreover, the Ca × P ion products needed to initiate mineralization with varying Ca and constant P levels appeared to be lower than those with constant Ca and varying phosphate levels (p < 0.05). The changes in FT-IR of amide peak after mineralization also suggest that the perturbation of protein absorption in the infrared spectrum could be attributable to Ca binding or by overlapping mineral deposits.
We previously reported that serum depletion in culture media increased the production of calcifying vesicles, which contain enzymes capable of hydrolyzing nucleotides including Ca-Mg ATPase, AMPase, ADPase, and nucleoside triphosphate pyrophosphohydrolase [21, 22]. The elevated enzyme activities could increase either Ca or P accumulation in favor of mineralization, [7]. The present mass spectral data as shown in Table 1 demonstrate the presence of various calcification-related proteins in calcifying vesicles. These observations, therefore, further support the role of the release of these vesicles in vascular calcification [7, 19, 21, 22]. Furthermore, calcifying vesicles could be trapped and concentrated within LZP by intimal thickening, thereby promoting focal calcification. The ability of serum depletion to induce calcifying vesicles in SMCs is consistent with the observation that calcifying vesicles can be released from human osteosarcoma cells (Saos-2) within 30 min after exposure to serum-free media [35]. Thus, the increased vesicle activity resulting from serum depletion in LZP and the availability of a large pool of serum Ca and/or P diffusible through LZP could provide a mechanism to surpass the threshold ion product needed for calcification.
Apoptotic bodies have been suggested to play a role in physiological and pathological calcification. The present observations of the association between serum-depletion-induced membrane translocation (MT), which is an early event of apoptosis and calcification suggest that the change in membrane topology may play a pivotal role in vascular calcification. Such contention is consistent with our observation that calcifying vesicles were accumulated on the surface of SMCs upon incubation with serum-free culture. The lack of association between peroxide-induced MT and cell-mediated calcification is likely due to the presence of serum in the MT assay, since the MT induced by serum depletion or peroxide can be fully reversed within 30 min by the serum replenishment (data not shown). The less degree of the dye uptake shown in Fig. 8A than in 8B was probably due to a partial inhibition of MT by the inclusion of serum in the assay for peroxide-induced MT. Thus, these data indicate that serum can inhibit both membrane translocation and calcification.
The marked inhibitory effect of extensively diluted serum indicates that minute quantities of some serum protein components play a pivotal role in LZP calcification. It appears from C1/2 data that serum albumin may need to synchronize with other serum proteins to produce maximal effect. Despite these experiments, the mechanisms underlying the inhibitory effect of the minute amounts of serum on calcification are unclear. In contrast to the preventive effect of serum on calcification in rabbit SMC culture reported herein, a rat model in which animals were injected with high dosage of vitamin D, the increase in fetuin-mineral complex level in rat serum was shown to correlate with arterial calcification in the media [36]. The paradoxical differences in the effects of the serum on vascular calcification at the two distinct parts of the arteries between these two species are unclear. It is also plausible that some minor proteins in the serum with the ability to inhibit mineralization such as osteopontin (OPN) [29, 37], matrix γ-carboxyglutamate (Gla) protein (MGP) [30], and osteoprotegerin (OPG) [38] may play a major role in the serum effect. Giachelli and colleagues [32] demonstrated that OPN at a level of 50 ng/ml inhibited bovine SMCs in vitro calcification, which occurred after a 10-day exposure to the media containing 10% serum and 10 mM β-glycerophosphate. Since the effective concentration of OPN in these experiments was 5-fold higher than the serum OPN level [29], whether the serum level of OPN can inhibit serum depletion-induced calcification remains to be established. A direct test to see if OPN or MGP at the serum levels can inhibit calcification in the rabbit aortic SMC short-term cell cultures awaits the availability of purified proteins for testing. The purified recombinant OPN from EMP Genetech did not inhibit SMC calcification (not shown), probably due to insufficient phosphorylation in the recombinant protein. Since a range of 5–11 ng/ml of OPN was present in human sera [29], a comparison of C1/2 values among the total serum proteins and regulatory proteins could rule in or out whether one of these proteins is essential for the prevention of unwanted calcification. In addition, whether there is a need of synchronization with other essential proteins can be addressed by the comparison of C1/2 values among these proteins.
Altogether, the data from the in vitro cell culture experiments herein support the hypothesis that serum depletion in LZP imposed by lesion thickening could trigger calcification through the accumulation of calcifying vesicles on the cell surface [7] and/or the elimination of the potent serum mineralization inhibitors in the LZP. The short-term nature of the effect of serum depletion on calcification in cultures also suggests that the initial events of calcification in rabbit thoracic aortas during dietary cholesterol intervention are independent of osteogenesis and could be related to membrane translocation, an early event in apoptosis [7–9, 23].
The aortic smooth muscle cell culture model suggests that serum depletion may play an important role in the initiation of aortic calcification. The serum exhibits a remarkable ability to inhibit cell-mediated calcification.
Animals, culture reagents, and chemicals
DMEM, FBS, and all reagents for culture were obtained from GIBCO. Normal rabbit serum was a product of Sigma Chemicals Inc. For Ca and P determinations, serum samples were taken from the ear veins of normal rabbits kept in our animal facility center. Arsenazo III dye kit for Ca determination was purchased from Fischer Scientific. A standard phosphate assay kit was a product of Sigma Chemicals. Apoptosis assay kit was purchased from Accurate Chemical Scientific Corp. BaF2 windows for Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopic analysis were obtained from Spectra Tech. Rabbits were purchased from Myrtle Farm. Rabbit chows with and without 0.5% cholesterol and 2% peanut oil supplements were purchased from Harland Teklad.
Cell culture
Rabbit aortic smooth muscle cells were grown to confluence in 3.5-cm dishes at a seeding density of 4 × 104/ml from cell fractions isolated by collagenase digestion or from explants of normal male New Zealand White rabbit thoracic aorta fragments [7]. Cells were further cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium (DMEM) containing 10 % fetal bovine serum (FBS) in 5% CO2 chamber until about 1.4 × 105 cells/dish were reached. The absence of alkaline phosphatase activity and the presence of NTP pyrophosphohydrolase activity of cell homogenates were consistent with previous observations with either tissue homogenates or collagenase digests [7, 18, 19, 21, 22]. For calcification assay, the Ca × P ion product in DMEM was modified to various levels by adding small aliquots of 100 mM stock solutions of CaCl2 and phosphate buffer at pH 7.5 to the media. The endogenous concentrations of both Ca and P in the media and serum were taken into consideration during the adjustment on the basis of the following information. DMEM from the supplier contains 1.8 mM Ca and 0.9 mM P corresponding to a Ca × P ion product of 1.62 mM2. A 10 % FBS contributed about 0.18 mM of Ca ions and 0.09 mM of phosphate ions to the culture media. The confluent cells were washed twice with Hank's buffer and then exposed to a 2.5-ml DMEM adjusted to a Ca × P ion product range of 4.5–9.4 mM2. Stock solutions of CaCl2 and sodium phosphate buffer at pH 7.5 were prepared fresh and filtered through 0.02 μ-filters for sterility and the exclusion of calcium carbonate particles that could be formed upon prolong storage. To prevent pH fluctuations during storage, DMEM were sealed tight with parafilm during the storage and kept in the refrigerator to minimize the loss of bicarbonate resulting from hydrolysis. The media were discarded after 1 week of storage. Sterile tubes with 2.5 ml media in each tube were kept in 5 % CO2 for 24 hrs prior to the calcification assay. The change in oxygen tension and osmalality as a result of serum depletion were neither measured nor adjusted.
Alizarin red staining for mineral deposits
After cells were exposed to modified DMEM with or without FBS for 2 hrs, the media were removed. The cells were washed twice with PBS (phosphate buffered saline) and then twice with distilled and deionized water. Unless stated otherwise, the initial Ca × P ion products of 4.6–9.37 mM2 were present in the media. A 2.5 ml of 1% alizarin red (AR) solution was then added to each dish. After 1 min, the dishes were washed twice with water, once with PBS, and photographed. Under these experimental conditions, the control cultured dishes, which contained cells exposed to culture media with 10% FBS were faintly yellowish and did not exhibit red stains. In contrast, the cells exposed to serum-free media showed bright red stains after 2 hrs of incubation.
Quantification of mineral deposited by cultured cells
After confluent cells were exposed to modified DMEM with or without serum and different Ca × P ion products for various time intervals, the cells were washed twice each with 2 ml of TBS (Tris-buffered saline, pH 7.6), followed by scraping the cell layers with 0.5 ml of 0.1 N HCl, and then mixed thoroughly using Pasteur glass pipets until the cells were finely suspended. A 10-μl aliquot of the extracts was then taken for protein determinations using a BioRad assay kit. The remaining extracts were centrifuged at 10,000 rpm in a microfuge for 10 min to collect supernatants. Aliquots of 1/5 of diluted supernatants were then taken for the determination of Ca and P content in the supernatants using a commercial Arsenazo III kit (Fisher Scientific) [31] and a standard molybdate-phosphate complex assay procedure (Sigma Diagnostics, Inc.), respectively.
Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopic analysis
The Ca × P ion product of DMEM was initially adjusted to 9.37 mM2. After 2 hrs of exposure to the modified culture media with or without the serum, cells were washed twice with TBS and twice with water and then scraped off from the dishes and finely suspended with Pasteur pipets. Five-μl aliquots (about 1 μg proteins) of suspensions were then spotted onto BaF2 windows for infrared analysis. The infrared spectra were obtained by scanning the deposits over a 0.6–0.8 cm path. The wavenumber at 1650 represents the protein amide peak whereas the wavenumbers at 1050–1080 indicate the mineral P phase. A Shimadzu Fourier-transform infrared microspectroscopy model AIM8400/8800 was used for analysis.
Membrane translocation assay
The assay was performed using a commercial apoptosis kit (Accurate Chemical Scientific Corp.), which measured the uptake of a specific dye by cells as a result of apoptosis-induced membrane phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylcholine translocation [24]. The procedure was used to monitor membrane translocation as a result of serum depletion in cell culture. The assay was performed in 96-well microtiter plates. Cells were grown to confluence and followed by a thorough rinse with PBS to remove serum, and then exposed to media with or without 10% serum for 1 1/2 hrs. At the end point, each well was washed with PBS and then exposed to an apoptosis dye reagent in DMEM with or without 10% FBS for 30 min. The cells were then photographed after the removal of dyes and followed by PBS rinsing. For quantitative assay, the dye was solubilized with the provided detergent and then read at 550 nm in a BioTek EL 800 reader.
Mass spectroscopy procedure
For spectrometry analysis, calcifying vesicle fractions at protein concentration of 0.5 mg/ml were centrifuged at 250,000 × g for 20 min and then re-suspended in aliquots of water equal to the original volume of fractions. An equal volume of 1 % deoxycholate was added and mixed vigorously. After centrifugation, the precipitates were re-suspended in an aliquot of water. Proteins were precipitated by adding excess volume of alcohol. The precipitated proteins were then solubilized in small aliquots of water and then subjected to 4 M guanidine chloride denaturation and proteolysis by trypsin. Following trypsin digestion, each sample was pressure loaded on a C18 reverse phase nano-column (75 μm ID fused silica packed in-house with 9 cm of 100 Å, 5 μ, Magic C18 particles, Michrom Bioresources). Following a wash with 0.1% formic acid for 15 minutes at 0.5 μl/min, the column was mounted on the electrospray stage of an ESI IT FT ICR mass spectrometer (LTQ FT, ThermoFinnigan) and the peptides were separated on-line with a Surveyor LC with a 0 – 90 % acetonitrile gradient in 120 minutes at an approximate flow rate of 0.3 μl/min. An electrospray voltage of 1.9 kV was used, with the ion transfer temperature set to 350°C. The mass spectrometer was controlled by the Xcalibur software to perform continuously mass scan analysis on the FT followed by MS/MS scans on the ion trap of the six most intense ions, with a dynamic exclusion of two repeat scans of the same ion, 30 s repeat duration and 90 sec exclusion duration. Normalized collision energy for MS/MS was set to 35%. For data analysis all MS/MS scans were searched using the Sequest algorithm included in Bioworks 3.1 (ThermoFinnigan) using a rabbit database derived from the NCBI Nr (2006-07-08) repository.
Statistical analysis
Student's t test was used to compare the significance of the mean differences between control and experimental groups. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the significance of the differences among 3 or more groups. Three replicate experiments were used for each set of tests. For each experiment, duplicate determinations for Ca and P determinations were averaged prior to statistical analysis. ANOVA analysis was initially done globally for overall estimates and followed by Tukey analysis. A Prism software program was used for statistical analysis.
We thank N. Culley for the collection of rabbit aorta and sera, and L. Gorman for histological preparations. This work was supported by an NIH grant R01HL65287.
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This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


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Silly Bicho & Kanti & Wolfgang Run up to Greet
Code: D-03542
Price: $0.00
Quantity in Basket: None
Photographed on March 25, 2013 -- A very silly photo of three wolves running up to greet.
Remember, none of the text you see on the images here will be on your print!
Location : Wolf Park


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May 16, 2018
The HPHA – Seaforth Community Hospital is recruiting new volunteers!
If you want to contribute to your community, are looking for a new challenge, want to lend a helping hand, or are looking to develop new skills and expertise, then consider joining our team of dedicated volunteers!
"Volunteers are one of our most valuable resources," says Cheryl Hunt, Corporate Lead Volunteer Services. "From offering a lending hand to raising funds, our volunteers' contributions are a vital part of the everyday operations of our hospitals."
Current areas of volunteer opportunities available at the hospital include:
Auxiliary: The Auxiliary's primary focus is on special event planning to raise much needed funds to help purchase patient care equipment. Duties of the Auxiliary Volunteer include attending monthly meetings to plan and evaluate special events and the implementation of these special events. The Auxiliary is also responsible for the management of the Gift Shop. The dollars flow through the Auxiliary to the hospital, where the Auxiliary gets to choose what medical equipment their fund raised dollars will purchase. Auxiliary Volunteers are team players who are passionate about supporting their local hospital! Click here to apply!
Gift Shop: Gift Shop volunteers greet patients, visitors and other customers in a friendly manner and offer exceptional customer service and assistance. They process sales and ensure items are in appropriate spaces and restock when necessary. Occasionally they may assist with other duties such as inventory, to keep the gift shop running efficiently. Click here to apply!
Inpatient Program: This program directly supports patients in the hospital through Therapy Support and Meal-Time Assistance. In this role, volunteers work with staff and physicians to ensure patients are receiving the best care possible. Duties include participating in therapeutic activities with patients (conversation, recreation, rehabilitation and social activities), assisting patients with daily chores (meal tray set-up, grooming, writing letters and reading) and preparing program materials. Inpatient Volunteers are mindful of patient confidentiality in accordance with hospital policy, emotionally mature, trustworthy, warm, professional and tactful. Click here to apply!
"We are looking for volunteers who can work independently with minimal supervision," adds Hunt. "Potential volunteers should be energetic and enthusiastic, enjoy working with people and should be serious about making a regular volunteer commitment."
For more information please contact Cheryl Hunt, Corporate Lead Volunteer services at 1-888-275-1102 extension 2551 or via email firstname.lastname@example.com. Volunteers must complete a health review, which includes a two part TB skin test and immunization record, along with providing personal references and completing a Criminal Reference Check.


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There is a couple we're friends with who also have two young children, a bit younger than ours. When we're hanging out and the kids have reached that point where they have used all their patience reserves, are getting tired or hungry, and have simply reached that point of no return where you know meltdowns are inevitable and unstoppable, they like say that we've reached "critical mass". Yes, he teaches science.
Well, this morning it is clear to me that we're at Christmas critical mass. Everyone is exhausted.
Christmas is the culmination of a stressful although joyful Advent season for my pastor husband who has logged more hours this year than even usual as a result of some unfortunate happenings at our church - funerals and illness. I've been working to do all the gift acquisition and preparation, engage the children in meaningful Advent activities, and attempt to continue marathon training and injury rehab. And, oh yea, we had chicken pox here. That brings me to the kids. The kids, like any other, are absolutely almost literally bursting with excitement on top of it all.
My very sensitive and intuitive son is soaking in all of the excitement, stress, and anticipation. His body is literally tingling with it all. He can't wait for Christmas but he doesn't know what to do with it all. My toddler simply doesn't understand why he can't eat all of the cookies and open all the presents he knows are in the house. He doesn't care whether the house is clean or the elaborate dinner is cooked. He just wants to be able to participate in the celebration now. Enough waiting. Enough preparation.
There is much to be done today, but just as Advent does not depend on me (thank you God!), Christmas does not depend on the perfectly cleaned home, perfectly prepared food, or perfectly orchestrated holiday experience. It's not going to be perfect. Some of it may not be done. We're going to focus on the essentials and at the top of that list has to be being with my kids and helping them through the waiting instead of asking them to wait more so that we can get the to do list done.
Today, regardless of what is done or not done (and believe there is much that is not done), we're dropping the to do lists and going hiking with a friend. We're going outside to get some fresh air and enjoy God's creation. We need a break from the presents, the wrapping, the cookies, and the decorations. We need a break from everything that so wonderful builds our anticipation as we wait for our Savior to be born. We need to go be with what God has made in the here and now together as a family with nothing else to do.
Yep, I'm *that* mom. Which one might that be? Oh it's different on any given day. Sometimes I'm the granola crunchy hippy mom... sometimes I'm the mom that wonders if mimosas with breakfast are an okay way to start the day... and all too often I'm the mom who doesn't remember the last time she got to shower.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Christmas Critical Mass
Posted by Jamie @ *that* mom at 9:06 AM
Labels: christmas, holidays, parenting, pastor's wife
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Call for entries:
The Noorderlicht 2006 Photofestival is about photography from South and
Southeast Asia. Submissions from photographers are welcome. Suggestions and
tips from curators or institutions are also appreciated.
At our websitewww.noorderlicht.com you will find the relevant details and
conditions. The deadline for submissions is the 3rd of April. Because the
first programming decisions will be made sooner, we recommend not waiting
till the last moment.
Submissions can be sent directly to Noorderlicht curator Wim Melis:
About the theme:
The 2006 festival will focus attention on the 'other' Asia. This means the
region from Pakistan to the Philippines, with India and Indonesia as anchor
This area is characterized by many contrasts, between the countries as well
as within them. These contrasts, that show themselves on social, economic,
political, religious and social levels, will form the starting point for
this festival.
Noorderlicht 2006 consists of three sections for which submissions are
possible: photographers from the region itself, western photographers who
have worked there and historical work from the region. The following
countries are eligible: India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nepa, Bhutan, Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh, Myanmar (former Burma), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam,
Malaysia, Brunei, Maldives and the Philippines.
The regions that are already often in the news, the economic superpowers and
the so-called 'axis of evil', are not included in Noorderlicht 2006.
About Noorderlicht:
The international Noorderlicht photofestival takes place each fall in
Groningen. It is known worldwide for its combination of powerful photography
and social awareness. The 13th Noorderlicht festival takes place from 10
September through 29 October, 2006.
By tradition, in the even years the festival wants to bring its audience
into contact with photography from a non-Western region. The goal is to
avoid a biased Western view by showing a different, often surprising look
from within.
Please have a look at our website for detailed information and the latest
news. You can also find our submission guidelines there.
We would appreciate it if you relay this call for entries to people whose
work or expertise you feel connects to the subject.
Noorderlicht Photofestival, Gallery, Projects, Publisher
Address: Akerkhof 12, 9711 JB Groningen, NL


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Wow, Ed Rendell has apparently been drinking the Kool Aide (or Cult Aide, as some are now calling it). He has put out a statement regarding "HOUNDS," in reponse to PUMA08. Here is his Credo:
By Governor Edward G. Rendell
We have formed HOUND (Hillary-Obama-United-Not-Divided) in response to the creation of PUMA (party unity, my ass -- or its cleaned up moniker, People United Means Action).
PUMA advocated that Hillary Clinton supporters do not vote for Barack Obama just for the sake of party unity. Even though we in HOUND are loyal Democrats, we agree that no one should cast a vote for President because of a desire to achieve party unity. We believe Sen. Clinton supporters should vote for Sen. Obama because, as Hillary herself said so forcefully and poignantly in her great speech a few Saturdays ago, the best way to achieve the changes she has fought so hard to bring to America, and on which she based her campaign, is to support Sen. Obama, whose policies are almost identical to hers.
The Clinton-Obama plans on health care, the economy, energy, education and on ending the war in Iraq represent the core values that made us all Democrats – values and positions that are light years apart from the conservative policies enunciated by Sen. McCain (e.g., voting against S-CHIP, voting against raising CAF standards, voting against equal pay for women, voting for increased tax credits for big oil and against extending the credit for the production of renewable energy, expanding an increase in the Bush tax cuts, promoting a war without end in Iraq, etc.) If you care about these things, and we believe PUMA members do, then you must support Sen. Obama.
No one worked harder than I did for Hillary and I believe no one could admire her and what she represents more that I do. But we must get over our disappointment and, as Hillary said, not waste time looking back and thinking about what might have been. Our country's challenges must be addressed immediately, not four years from now. Our beloved country simply cannot afford four more years of Republican do-nothing-for-people government. PUMA members risk just that – it could be a Ralph Nader 2000 redux. Don't let that happen. Close your eyes and think about Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton standing together united at a ceremony for the bill signing of legislation that guarantees every American affordable, effective healthcare.
One last point – HOUND is not anti-PUMA. We agree with many of your grievances. For example, we, too, believe that the Democratic Party's nominating process is unfair and undemocratic. We must change the policy where some votes are more important than others and some areas receive more delegates than their number of voters would justify – it violates the spirit of "one person, one vote." We must eliminate caucuses that are inherently undemocratic and disenfranchise seniors (no absentee voting for those who can't go to the polls), shift workers and our military. Forcing people to declare their preference in public also violates another cherished principle that undermines our democracy.
So, we are asking all PUMA members to curb your disappointment, mute your anger and frustration and join HOUND to help change America. While the PUMA may be more swift and athletic, the HOUND is smarter and more perceptive. (http://www.padems.com/node/1368)
Well, Ed, I used to have respect for you. But your patronizing attitude, and dismissal of the REAL concerns of PUMA (and JUST SAY NO DEAL) to put forth your pithy credo have removed that respect. You no longer deserve it. Your sexist suggestion that we should just "mute" our anger, something women in particular have been told to do for far too long, shows your true colors. And you know what? I am pretty sick and tired of men trying to tell me what to do.
The REASONS we are members of PUMA are not just because we support Hillary Clinton, but because the DNC has lost its moral compass. When it games nominations; when it pushes out a candidate who has won the popular vote, whose name Howard Dean is not even planning to put on the first ballot despite the fact HIS was on there with his 167.5 delegates; when the DNC ROBS the voters by taking their votes to give to someone not even on the ballot, well, there is no way we are just going to swallow our anger, put aside our integrity and our conscience, to do your bidding.
If we felt Obama truly DID stand for the same things as Hillary, well, then why isn't SHE the nominee? She has the experience, the votes, and the POLICIES!! He is but a copycat of the original, and not a good one at that. We have no reason to believe he will stand with us on ANY policies as his constant flip-flopping has demonstrated he is INCAPABLE of taking a position. He is simply not qualified. Period.
Oh, and Ed? The puma in this video chased off a full grown grizzly bear - do you REALLY think a HOUND has a chance against a PUMA??
RiverDaughter at Confluence has an EXCELLENT response to this "Credo," as does Pagan Power at No Quarter. Check them out!
On 5/31/08, the DNC/RBC engaged in voter fraud and theft. It took delegates from Clinton and gave them to Obama. And, the DNC ignored the reports of caucus fraud;remained silent to blatant misogyny/sexism directed at Clinton (women in general); remained silent at the race-baiting by Obama;and stopped being DEMOCRATIC. This yellow dog Dem stopped being a Democrat that day when I saw what my party had become: UN-Democratic.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Mother Puma vs Grizzly Bear
Wow, Ed Rendell has apparently been drinking the Kool Aide (or Cult Aide, as some are now calling it). He has put out a statement regarding "HOUNDS," in reponse to PUMA08. Here is his Credo:
4 comments:
- Amarissa said...
Hi RR! Beautifully put as usual! I, as many PUMAS, have been filling HOUNDS form with outrageously funny information. There are some examples in PUMA's postings. I am outraged at Rendell for understimating our reasons for not electing BHO. They should understand, first of all, that it is not just a "woman" issue any more, it is a fight for justice being done in their finger selection of this unqualified rookie of a candidate. A fight against the cheating on the part of the Democratic(?) Party. If they do not take us seriously now, they will after their big loss in november. This is our stand. They cannot buy our votes by scaring us with the abortion issue, my God, they are so far behind! Do they really think this is the only issue that matters to us? Please try to post your feelings everywhere, you express our cause so well!
- June 29, 2008 at 3:28 PM
- Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy said...
Thanks so much, Amarissa! I really appreciate it!
And that is BRILLIANT abt going to the HOUND form and putting in different info!! I am out of town right now (short trip - I'll be back home tomorrow night), and have VERY limited internet access, but I'll go take a look tomorrow night. Thanks for the heads up!
And you know I couldn't agree more with your assessment!!
Women State is a GREAT site!!
- June 29, 2008 at 9:45 PM
- LindaA1 said...
Ed Rendell ends his HOUND CREDO by saying "While the PUMA may be more swift and athletic, the HOUND is smarter and more perceptive."
Wouldn't you know somebody didn't do a lot of research on this one?
Dr. S Cohen, author of THE INTELLIGENCE OF DOGS, worked with over 200 show judges to rate the intelligence of 79 dog breeds.
Now I just can't see Ed Rendell as the exotic Pharaoh Hound type (no. 37) or the fancy Irish Wolfhound (no. 41). Although almost halfway down to "dumb dog," these are the two smartest hounds.
I definitely see Ed as a Bassett Hound (no. 71) or a Bloodhound (no. 76) kinda guy.
Even the winner of the dumbest dog distinction is a hound - the prissy Afghan Hound (no. 79).
Still, Ed is an adorable guy. Lovable like the dumbest of dogs - even when they drink out of the toilet or lick themselves inappropriately in public.
- July 1, 2008 at 12:04 AM
- Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy said...
Hey, Lindaa1!
Sorry for the delay in responding - I was out of twon for a coupled of days...
LOVED your comments, though! Very funny!
And yeah - I mean, really - I know someone who lost her HORSE to a puma...
Some people seem to think Ed is a closet PUMA himself!!
THanks for coming by!
- July 2, 2008 at 1:00 AM


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WADA says it's time to impose 4-year doping bans
LONDON -- Enough with the tough talk. Let's see some action.
That's the message from international anti-doping officials, who are becoming convinced that two-year suspensions are too weak and want sports bodies to start imposing four-year bans to send drug cheats a stronger message.
Under the World Anti-Doping Agency code that took effect nearly two years ago, athletes can be punished with bans of up to four years for a first offense in "aggravating" cases.
However, federations and national doping bodies have stayed away from the four-year penalty, apparently worried that tougher penalties won't stand up in court or simply because they're content to stick with the two-year sanctions.
WADA Director General David Howman said those who wanted the option of tougher punishments seem to have lost their nerve.
"This four years was something that people who were advocating stronger penalties really wanted us to include, and so it was included," Howman said in an interview with The Associated Press. "But 18 months later, it's hardly being used, if at all.
"When it comes to the crunch, obviously people are not willing to be as tough as they sound."
Howman said the longer ban is intended to benefit clean athletes.
"They don't want to be lining up against people who cheat," he said. "They get a two-year penalty and, quick as a flash, they're back again."
Arne Ljungqvist, the International Olympic Committee's top anti-doping official and a WADA vice president, agreed that the four-year sanction hasn't been used enough.
"No one has been doing it, so we are waiting for a suitable test case," Ljungqvist told the AP. "So far people are still living with the idea that two years is the standard ban, which should not be the case in serious cases like EPO and steroids and the like. We will take action once we have a good case to pursue."
Some legal experts argue a four-year ban for a first violation is Draconian and a restraint of trade. Costly court cases could make sports bodies think twice before trying to impose a four-year punishment.
"A four-year ban is effectively a life ban in most sports," said Mike Morgan, a London-based lawyer specializing in doping regulations. "It is a very big step to take to impose that. ... The day we start seeing four-year bans, it has to be justified. They really have to back it with some robust arguments and evidence."
Four-year bans used to be the norm, but the penalty was cut in half after there were complaints that it went too far and wasn't legally enforceable.
The four-year option was reintroduced in the code approved at the November 2007 world anti-doping conference and went into effect on Jan. 1, 2009.
The WADA provision states that bans can be increased "up to a maximum of four years" in the event of "aggravating circumstances."
Possible examples that WADA cites include: being involved in a doping conspiracy, using or possessing multiple banned substances or using drugs on multiple occasions, being involved in "deceptive or obstructing conduct" to avoid detection.
The key phrase refers to cases where an athlete "would be likely to enjoy the performance-enhancing effects of the anti-doping rule violation beyond the otherwise applicable period of ineligibility."
Howman and Ljungqvist said medical research has shown that the effects of anabolic steroids can last four years or more.
"It was that scientific evidence that made the legal people say, 'Yes, there are good reasons for extending the ban from two years to four years in anabolic steroid cases," Ljungqvist said.
Yet, the few times where four-year bans have been used recently were in cases where people were accused of supplying -- not using -- drugs.
Last month, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a decision to impose a four-year ban on a Bulgarian soccer coach, Edward Eranosian, for giving his players pills containing steroids before matches in Cyprus. In June, Austrian triathlete Hannes Hempel received a four-year sanction from the national anti-doping agency for allegedly providing drugs to former cyclist Bernhard Kohl.
An exception is the International Weightlifting Federation, which decided on its own in 2008 to double the penalty for a first offense from two to four years after the sport became so riddled with drug scandals that its Olympic future was thrown into doubt.
"The IWF did not want everyone's first reaction to weightlifting to be about doping and cheating," said Monika Ungar, legal counsel at the IWF offices in Budapest. "We wanted to show that this is a sport and not something dirty which everyone looks at with a crooked eye.
"When we made the change, we received warm congratulations from others, but no one followed our lead."
Cycling is another sport that has been plagued by doping, with the current investigation into three-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador for a positive test for clenbuterol just the latest example.
Without referring to Contador's case, international cycling federation president Pat McQuaid said he favors four-year bans to help stop cheaters. He said he has instructed the UCI's anti-doping department to seek four-year penalties for "premeditated" doping and urged national federations to do the same.
"I'm increasingly going for four years because two years is very quick," McQuaid told the AP. "An athlete returns to the peleton very quick. I think it's unfair to the clean athletes that guys who have cheated in premeditated cheating can come back so quickly."
Morgan, the sports lawyer, said there needs to be a clear definition of what amounts to premeditation.
"An athlete may have taken the banned substance just once, on purpose -- that's premeditated," he said. "How do you distinguish that from someone who has been doing it for six years and is taking six or seven banned substances and is part of a wider doping scheme? There has to be distinction between those cases."
Track and field's governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations, had previously imposed four-year bans on a regular basis and had no comment on the issue of returning to longer sanctions.
The IAAF's rules allow for penalties longer than two years, but they have not been used -- except in the case of seven Russian females who were suspended for two years and nine months by CAS in an organized affair involving manipulation of urine samples.
"There's a lot of strength when people are voicing opinions, but when it comes to putting them into practice or reality, that fierceness turns out to be pretty timid," Howman said. "I think some of that does stem from a fear of a legal process. If that's a fear, maybe it's something that people shouldn't be advocating in the first place."
Howman acknowledged that not everyone agrees on the meaning of "aggravating circumstances."
"It's probably one of the reasons that people shy away from it," he said. "What makes it worse than an EPO case? Or is an intentional EPO case aggravated? That's the balance and I don't think that's been found and it will take cases to find it."
Meantime, Howman is running out of patience with the stalemate.
"I'd just like to see people get off the starting blocks," he said. "Otherwise we're only two years into the changed code and it hasn't been used. When it gets reviewed again, people are going to say, 'What's it there for?"
Pablo Gorondi in Budapest contributed to this report.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index
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text:
Churchyard, Thomas (DNB00)
CHURCHYARD, THOMAS (1520?–1604), miscellaneous writer, was born at Shrewsbury about 1520, and in his youth was attached to the household of the famous Earl of Surrey, whose memory he fondly cherished throughout his long life. He commenced his literary career when Edward VI was on the throne, and he continued writing until after the accession of James. His earliest extant production is a poetical tract of three leaves, 4to, without title-page, headed 'A myrrour for man where in he shall see the miserable state of thys worlde,' which the colophon shows to have been printed in the reign of Edward VI. At this early date he had a controversy with a person named Camel, against whom he directed some satirical broadsides (Lemon, Catalogue of Printed Broadsides in Soc. of Antiq. pp. 7–10), which were collected, with Camel's rejoinders, in 1660, under the title of 'The Contention betwyxte Churchyeard and Camell upon David Dycers Drame … Newlye Imprinted,' 4to, 28 leaves; 2nd ed. 1566. In 'Churchyards Challenge,' 1603, there is a list of 'The Books that I can call to memorie alreadie Printed,' in which he informs us that 'The Legend of Shore's Wife,' first printed in the 1563 edition of Baldwin's 'Myrroure for Magistrates,' was written in the days of Edward VI. 'Shore's Wife' was the most popular of Churchyard's poems, and the best; it was reprinted with additions in his 'Challenge.' From the same source we learn that in Queen Mary's reign he wrote a book (now unknown) 'called a New-yeares gift to all England, which booke treated of rebellion,' and that he was the author of 'Many things in the Booke of Songs and Sonets' (i.e. 'Tottell's Miscellany,' 1557). Churchyard was early trained to arms, and for many years he was actively engaged both at home and abroad in military service. In a poem entitled 'A tragicall discours of the vnhappie mans life' (printed in 'The Firste part of Churchyardes Chippes,' 1575), he gives a long account of his adventures. His first campaign was served under Sir William Drury in Scotland, where he was taken prisoner, but by his fair words induced his captors to treat him well. Afterwards he went to Ireland, where by his military exploits he gained 'of money right good stoer.' From Ireland he crossed to England in the hope of obtaining preferment at court, but meeting with no success, he served as a volunteer, first in the Low Countries, and afterwards in France. He was more than once taken prisoner, endured much hardship, and gained little reward. For some time he was a prisoner in Paris, whence he escaped (by breaking his parole, it would seem), and made his way to Ragland in Monmouthshire. Afterwards, for eight years, he served under Lord Grey, and was present at the siege of Leith in 1660. Then, having rested awhile at court, he proceeded to Antwerp, where he assisted in suppressing some domestic disturbances, and made himself so unpopular with the malcontents that he narrowly escaped assassination, and was glad to make his way to Paris in the disguise of a priest. From Paris he set out for St. Quentin, and passed through some surprising adventures on the road. Later he went to Guernsey, and afterwards repaired once more to the court in the hope of finding preferment. He constantly complains of his poverty and his many disappointments. Feeling the need of sympathy and encouragement he chose 'from countrie soile a sober wife;' but his marriage served only to heighten his afflictions. He was indefatigable in issuing tracts and broadsides: they attracted little notice at the time of publication, and are now exceedingly scarce. The following broadsides are preserved in the Britwell collection:
- 'The Lamentacion of Freyndshyp,' n. d.
- 'A greatter thanks for Churchyardes welcome home,' n. d.
- 'A Farewell cauld Churcheyeards round,' n. d.
- 'The Epitaphe of the Honorable Earle of Pembroke, 1570 (reprinted in 'Churchyard's Chance,' 1580).
In 1575 Churchyard published a voluminous collection of pieces, in prose and verse, under the title of 'The Firste Parte of Churchyardes Chippes, contayning twelve severall Labours,' &c., 4to, with a dedication to 'Maister Christofor Hatton, Esquier.' In the dedicatory epistle he quaintly explains why he had given such an odd title to his book: 'And for that from my head, hand, and penne, can floe no farre fatched eloquence nor sweete sprinklyng speaches (seasoned with spiced termes) I call my workes Churchyardes Chips, the basnes whereof can beguild [sic] no man with better opinion then the substance it selfe doth import.' The dedication is followed by a poetical address 'To the dispisers of other mens workes that shoes nothing of their owne,' in which he threatens that when his chips have 'maed a blaes' he will bring 'a bigger … to make you worldlings smiel.' One of the poems gives a description of the siege of Leith, at which the author was present. In 1578 appeared 'A Lamentable and Pitifull Description of the wofull Warres in Flaunders,' 4to, with a dedicatory epistle to Sir Francis Walsingham. It was followed by 'The Miserie of Flaunders, Calamitie of Fraunce,' &c. (1579), 4to, and 'A generall rehearsall of Warres,' &c. (1579), 4to. The latter work, which is dedicated to Sir Christopher Hatton, in an epistle dated 15 Oct. 1579, has the running title 'Churchyardes Choise.' It contains a general review of the exploits of English soldiers and sailors from the reign of Henry VIII to the early days of Elizabeth ; moral discourses, poems, &c. In celebration of Elizabeth's progress of 1578, Churchyard published ' A Disco vrse of the Queenes Maiesties entertainement in Suffolk and Norfolk . . . Whereynto is adioyned a Commendation of Sir Humfrey Gilberts ventrous ioumey ' (1579), 4to. Some copies of this tract contain 'A welcome home ' to Martin Frobisher, whose exploits Churchyard had recounted in an interesting tract entitled 'A Prayse and Reporte of Maister Martyne Froboishers Voyage to Meta Incognita,' 1578, 12mo. In 15S) Churchyard published the following pieces : 1. 'A Plaine or most True Report of a dangerous seruice stoutely attempted and manfully brought to passe by English men, Scottes men, Wallons and other worthy soldiers, for the takynjj of Macklin on the Sodaine, a strong Citee in Flaunders,' 8vo. 2. 'A warning to the wise . . . Written of the late earthquake chanced in London and other places, tne 6th of April, 1580,' 8vo. 3. 'The Services of Sir William Drury, Lord Justice of Irelande in 1578 and 1579,' 4to. 4. 'A pleasaunte Laborinth called Churchyardes Chance,' 4to. 5. 'A light Bondell of liuly discourses called Churchyardes Charge,' 4to, dedicated to the Earl of Surrey, grandson of Churchyard's earliest patron. 6. 'Ovid de Tristibus,' reprinted for the Roxburghe Club in 1810. The most valuable of Churchyard's works is 'The Worthines of Wales,' 1587, 4to, a long chorographical poem full of his- torical and antiquarian interest ; it was reprinted in 1776, and a facsimile edition was issued in 1871 by the Spenser Society. In 1588 appeared 'A Sparke of Friendship and Warme Goodwill,' 4to, dedicated to Sir Walter Raleigh ; in 1592 'A Handefvl of Gladsome Verses giuen to the Queenes Maiesty at Woedstocke,' 4to ; and in 1593 'A Pleasant Conceite penned in verse . . . presented on New-yeeres day last, to the Queen's Maiestie at Hampton Courte,' 4to. The 'Pleasant Conceite was presented to the queen in gratitude for a pension that she had bestowed upon the old poet. At the close of the tract there is a laudatory notice of Nashe, with some reflections on Nashe's opponent Gabriel Harvey. There had been a quarrel, of which the particulars are unknown, between Nashe and Churchyard, and in his 'Foure Letters,' 1592 (Gabriel Harvey, Workstcd. Grosart,i. 199), Harvey says that Nashe, 'in the ruffe of his freshest iollity, was faine to cry M. Churchyard a mercy in printe.' Nashe, in Ins 'Foure Letters confuted,' 1593 (Nashe, Worhtf ed. Grosart, ii. 252-3), after acknowledging that he had done Churchyard an 'unadvised indammagement,' adds that the quarrel had been 'deep buried in the grave of oblivion,' and that he was a sincere admirer of Churchyard's 'aged Muse that may well be grandmother to our grandeloquentest poets at this present.' This handsome apology, coupled with a highly complimentary notice of 'Shore's Wife,' gave Churchyard the liveliest satisfaction. The collection issued in 1593 under the title of Churchyard's Challenge,' 4to, contains a number of pieces in prose and verse, some printed for the first time, and others reprinted from earlier collections. In the address 'To the worthiest sorte of People that gently can reade and justly can juoge,' Churchyard announced that ids next work will be 'The last booke of the Worthines of Wales,' and that his last work, which is to be styled his 'Ultimum Vale,' will consist of 'twelve long tales for Christmas, dedicated to twelve honorable lords,' but the promise was not fulfilled. The 'Challenge' contains an enlanped copy of 'Shore's Wife,' dedicated to 'Lady Mount Eagle and Compton.' From the dedicatory epistle we learn that some malicious persons had spread the report that this poem was not written by Churchyard. The libellous statement caused great annoyance to the old poet, who declared that if he had been a younger man he would have challenged his detractors to open combat. In 1594 appeared a revised edition of 'The Mirror and Manners of Men,' 4to (written in the days of Edward VI), with a dedication to Sir Robert Cecil. It was followed in 1595 by 'A Mvsicall Consort of Heauenly harmonie . . . called Chvrchyards Charitie, 4to. Appended to the chief poem is 'A Praise of Poetrie,' in which mention is made of Surrey, Spenser, Daniel, Barnes, and Sidney. In 'Colin Clout' Spenser had referred to Churchyard under the name of Old PalaBmon 'that sung so long untill quite hoarse he grew,' a passage to which Churchyard makes particular allusion in 'A Praise of Poetrie.' In 1590 Churchyard published three poetical tracts : 1. 'The Honor of the Lawe, 4to. 2. 'A Sad and Solemne Funerall of the Right Honorable Sir Francis Knowles, Knight,' 4to. 3. 'A pleasant Discourse of Court and Wars,' 4to, in which he again refers to Spenser's mention of him in 'Colin Clout.' 'A wished Reformation of wicked Rebellion,' 4to, which contains a spirited attack on the Jesuits, was published in 1598, and 'The Fortvnate Farewell to the most forward and noble Earlc of Essex,' 4to, in 1599. In 'The Fortvnate Farewell' Churchyard expresses his gratitude to the old Duke of Somerset for a favour rendered in the time of Edward VI, when the poet, for publishing some verses that bad given offence, was arrested and brought before the privy council. Towards the close of his life Churchyard found a patron in Dr. {afterwards Sir) Julius CsBsar, to whom, in 1602, he dedicated * The Wonders of the Ayre, the Trembling of the Earth, and the Warnings of the World before the Judgement Day,' 4to, acknowledging in the dedicatory epistle that he was indebted to his patron 'for the little that I live upon and am likely to die withall.' In 1603 he published 'A. Psean Triumphall; upon the King's publick entry from the Tower of London to Westminster,' 4to. His two last productions appeared in the year of his deatn, 1604: 1. 'A blessed Balme to search and salve Sedition,' 4to, relating to the execution of Watson and Clarke in November 1603. 2. 'Churchyard's Good Will. Sad and heavy verses in the nature of sn Epitaph for the losse of the Archbishop of Canterbury.' The 'Good Will' is free from those eccentricities of spelling and punctualtion which Churchyard adopted in many of his writings. He was buried at St. Margaret's, Westminster, on 4 April 1604.
Churchyard's poetic merits are not of a high order. His 'Shore's Wife' is a smoothly written copy of verses, but it has been absurdly overrated. He is at his best when he is recounting his own struggles and misfortunes ; he then writes with pathos, and shows occasional glimpses of poetic power. Fuller observes that 'he may run abreast with any of that age writing in the beginning of that reign.' Drayton in his 'Epistle to Henry Reynolds' couples him with George Oascoigue, and remarks :
Had they
Liv'd bat a little longer, they had seene
Their workes before them to have buried beene.
Churchyard lived quite long enough to see the greater part of his multifarious writings consigned to oblivion.
In addition to the works already mentioned Churchyard published the following pieces : 1. 'An Epitaph upon the Death of Kyng Edward,' 15 six-line stanzas. 2. 'The Fantasies of a troubled mannes head' (1566), single sheet, preserved in the Huth collection. 3. 'A Discourse of Rebellion,' 1570, 8vo, 4 leaves, in verse. 4. 'The most true Reporte of James Fitz Morrice and others, the like Offenders,' n. d., 8vo, with a reprint of the preceding piece. 5. 'A Scourge for Rebels,' 1584, 4to, 11 leaves. 6. 'The Epitaph of Sir Philip Sidney' (1587), which was formerly preserved in the Bodleian, but now reposes in the libranr of some unknown collector. 7. 'A Feast full of sad cheere/ 1592, 4to, 10 leaves. 8. 'A true Discourse Historicall of the succeeding Govemours in the Netherlands . . . Translated and collected by T. C[hurchyard], Esquire, and Ric. Ro[binson], out of the Reverend E. M[eteranus] ... his fifteene bookes Historiaæ Belgicæ,' &c., 1602, 4 to. In his ' Challenge,' 1593, he mentions that he had made translations from Virgil and Du Bartas ; also that he had written ' A book of a sumptuous shew in Shrovetide by Sir Walter Rawley, Sir Robert Carey, M. Chidley, and Mr. Arthur Gorge,' which book (he assures us) 'was in as good verse as ever I made;' and that he was the author of 'an infinite number' of 'songes and sonets giuen where they cannot be recovered, nor purchase any favour where they are craned. From the dedicatory epistle to the 'Wonders of the Ayre,' 1602, we learn that he translated a part of Pliny, but put aside his translation when he heard that 'a great learned doctor called doctor Holland' had translated the whole. An unpublished work of Churchyard, entitled 'The School of War,' is preserved in MS. Cotton. Calig. B. 5, art. 74. To 'The Mirrour for Magistrates ' of 1587 Churchyard contributed 'The Story of Thomas Wolsey,' and in that edition he is credited with the authorship of 'The Tragedy of Thomas Mowbray,' a poem assigned in the 'Myrrour' of 1659 to Sir T. Chaloner. Commendatory verses by Churchyard are prefixed to : 1. Skelton's 'Workes,' 1568. 2. Huloet's 'Dictionarie,' 1572. 3. Jones's 'Bathes of Bathes Ayde,' 1572. 4. Lloyd's ' Pilgrimage of Princes,' 1574. 5. Bedingfield's ' Cardanne's Comforte,' 1576. 6. Bamabe Riche's 'Alarmeto England,' 1578. 7. Lowe's 'Whole Course of Chirurgerie,' 1597. ' The 'Censure of a loyal subject,' 1587, by G[eorge] W[hetstone], and ' Giacomo di Grassi, his true Art of Defence, &c., Englished by J. G., Gent.,' 1594, were edited by Churchyard. In Chalmers's introduction to 'Churchyard's Chips concerning Scotland,' 1817, is printed (from Lansd. MS. xi. 56) a letter of Churchyard to Sir Robert Cecil, dated from Bath, and relating to the papists in that neighbourhood. Tanner assigns to Churchyard ' Wonders of Wiltshire and the Earthquake of Kent,' 1580, 8vo. The following pieces were entered in the Stationers' Registers, but are not known to have been published : 1. 'The Comendation of Musyke,' 1562. 2. 'A ballet intituled admonition agaynste dice playe,' 1566-7. 3. 'A book of Master Churchyardes Doinge,'&c., 1603-4. The Spenser Society threatened to issue a complete collection of Churchyard's works, but 'The Worthines of Wales,' 1871, is the only piece that has yet appeared. Select works of Churchyard have been reprinted in Nichols's 'Progresses of Queen Elizabeth,' 'The Harleian Miscellany,' Alexander Boswell's 'Frondes Caducæ,' and Collier's 'English Poetical Miscellanies.'
[Wood's Athenæ. ed. Bliss, i. 727-33 ; Chalmers's Intnxluction to Churchyard's Chips concerning Scotland ; Hazlitt's Bibliographical Handbooks : Corser's Collectanea ; Collier's Bibl. Cat.; Biblioth. Heber., iv. 40-1, 46-52; Catalogue of the Huth Library.]


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