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In Tunisia, the World Summit on the Information Society sets global goals
TUNIS, Tunisia — Declaring that the free flow of information and ideas can greatly strengthen social and economic development, governments at the World Summit on the Information Society here approved a global agenda for making information and communications technologies more open, accessible, and available.
"We recognize that freedom of expression and the free flow of information, ideas, and knowledge, are essential for the Information Society and beneficial to development," said world leaders in one of the Summit 's two main outcome documents.
Held in this North African capital on 16-18 November 2005, the Tunis Summit was the second part of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), and its focus was on acting to ensure access and openness in information and communications technologies, or ICTs.
The Summit 's first part was held 10-12 December 2003 in Geneva , Switzerland . It focused on making a declaration of principles and plan of action to guide humanity's progress towards a global "information society," which many people see as an inevitable outcome of the revolution that comes with new technologies like the personal computer and the Internet.
In that context, both sessions of the WSIS as a whole had a huge symbolic value, in that it brought into the international mainstream the idea that new information and communications technologies have a huge potential for development.
"The WSIS reflects a dawning recognition by the world community that information technology is an integral part of social and economic development — and that it can in fact speed up and make more efficient such development," said Laina Raveendran Greene, who represented the Bahá'í International Community at the Tunis Summit.
"ICT is a tool that cuts across all issue areas and can be used to improve human rights, gender equality, the environment, education, health, the protection of indigenous cultures, and so on," said Ms. Raveendran Greene.
High level of participation
The degree of interest in ICTs for development and as an increasingly important feature of global society was reflected in the high level of participation by governments and civil society in the Tunis Summit.
According to the United Nations, 19,401 people participated in the event, representing 174 national delegations, 92 international organization (like UNESCO or UNICEF), 606 non-governmental organizations, 226 business entities, and 642 media outlets. These totals rank with some of the best-attended UN world conferences of the 1990s.
"Our meeting today represents a summit for the 'global village' created by the new virtual realities, whose networks have been established, and whose components have been connected, through information and communication technologies," said Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in opening remarks on 16 November.
Other speakers likewise pointed to the growing impact of new technologies.
"ICTs are changing our society in ways which are as fundamental as the changes wrought by steam engines in the 19th Century or motor cars in the 20th Century," said Yoshio Utsumi, the secretary general of the International Telecommunications Union, the UN agency that served as the Summit 's secretariat. "As those machines did, ICTs help us to be more productive and efficient than ever before in order to fulfill our desire for a better life."
Several hundred workshops, panel discussions, and other side events were held in parallel with the main Summit meeting, hosted by UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, technical bodies, and corporate representatives.
Bahá'í representatives were directly involved in two such events specifically: a presentation on "Corporate Social Responsibility" by the European Bahá'í Business Forum and a workshop on the contribution of the information society to a culture of peace, held by the NGO Caucus on Values and Ethics, of which the Bahá'í International Community is an active member.
"At the Tunis Summit in particular, every country presented case studies of how the Internet and ICTs have impacted their countries," said Ms. Raveendran Greene, who participated in the Values and Ethics Caucus event.
"In the past, countries might have said: 'We need to build more schools,' only to realize they don't have enough books or teachers. But now they are realizing how they can use ICTs to make schools more effective by giving them access to books and libraries and teachers that are located elsewhere.
"Now ICTs are being seen not as a luxury item but as something that can be used to more quickly scale up projects for health and education and so on," said Ms. Raveendran Greene.
Beyond the general discussion of the importance of ICTs for development, the Summit addressed three key issues that dominated the preparatory process in the lead-up to the Tunis: Internet governance, financing strategies to bridge the "digital divide," and implementation mechanisms for the Action Plan developed in Geneva.
In the area of Internet governance, the Tunis Summit created a new non-binding "Internet Governance Forum" (IGF), to be convened by the UN Secretary-General, to foster and enable multi-stakeholder dialogue on public policy and development issues.
Designed to provide a platform for discussion of crosscutting public policy issues not adequately addressed by current mechanisms, the Forum will not however replace the role currently held by existing Internet governance institutions, such as the quasi-independent organization that manages domain names, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
"This represents a major compromise," said Ms. Raveendran Greene, who is also a specialist in field of telecommunications and ICT. "There were some countries who were not happy with what they perceived as United States control of ICANN, and who talked of creating an alternative Internet. But the whole power of the Internet is that it is one entity, enabling people to communicate anywhere. This preserves that, and gives the world a new forum for coordination and consultation on the Internet."
Although the outcome documents upheld the concept of ensuring a free flow of information, it also stated that "policy authority for Internet-related public policy issues is the sovereign right of States," an obvious compromise between those governments that wish to restrict Internet access in their own countries and those that proclaim freedom of information.
The problem posed by the so-called "digital divide" – the gap between the developed world and the developing world in terms of access to and the use of computers, the Internet and other ICTs – had been a major point of discussion in Geneva, and it was hoped that new financial mechanisms for closing that gap would be found in Tunis.
While no new government funding mechanisms were agreed upon, the Tunis Summit gave its stamp of approval to the Digital Solidarity Fund, a voluntary fund open to interested stakeholders who wish to contribute to ending the digital divide.
"We agree that the financing of ICT for development needs to be placed in the context of the growing importance of the role of ICTs, not only as a medium of communication, but also as a development enabler, and as a tool for the achievement of the internationally-agreed development goals and objectives, including the Millennium Development Goals," stated the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, the Summit's second main outcome document.
The Tunis Agenda established a specific list of possible moderators and/or facilitators for each of the 11 "action lines" established in Geneva .
As well, the importance of public/private partnerships in follow-up and implementation was stressed.
To this end, much was made of an announcement of the development of a prototype US$100 laptop by Nicholas Negroponte of the MIT Media Lab, which backers hope can be sold by the millions to governments for distribution to school children and teachers in developing countries.
"As the PC and the internet have leveled the playing field the competitive rules have changed," said Craig Barrett, chairman of the Intel Corporation, in a plenary address to the Summit . "One has only to look at young children in the poor districts of Sao Paulo, Cairo, or Bangalore when given access to and instruction in PC/Internet to realize that every child on the face of the earth now has the potential to succeed."


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London South Bank University
Course Introduction
At the centre of towns and cities is regeneration, it is the duty of planners to take into account the views of business and local communities. It is a broad area of work that can require many different skills and others the option of specialisation ' be it protecting the historical environment or urban design. BA (Hons) Urban and Environmental Planning is also accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
Course Modules
Year 1: planning history and principles; planning for sustainability (includes field trip to Cornwall); law and development management; town planning as an art; society, space and planning; geographical information systems. Year 2: strategies, visions and design; planning, transport and mobility; regeneration and local planning (includes field trip to Manchester); development process and finance; policy evaluation and research; environmental management and climate change. Year 3: dissertation (double module: 40 credits); planning specialism project; strategic spatial planning; cities, representations and planning; planning law and policy.
|Duration & Attendance
|Tuition fees
|Fee type
3 years
Full Time
|BA (Hons)
4 years
Part Time
|BA (Hons)
Qualifications required:
- Tariff 104-112
- International Baccalaureate 24
- GCE AS-level
- SQA Higher
- GCE A-level
- SQA Advanced Higher
- GCSE/SQA Standard Grade
- OCR National Certificate (6 Units)
- OCR National Diploma (12 Units)
- OCR National Extended Diploma (18 Units) M2
- BTEC Scottish Higher National Certificate
- BTEC Scottish Higher National Diploma
- BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma
- BTEC Level 3 Diploma D*D*
- BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma MMD
- BTEC Level 3 National Certificate
Key Course Information
The KIS is an official overview of comparable information on higher education courses for prospective students. Read more.
- The course is well organised and is running smoothly 45%
- I have been able to access general IT resources when I needed to 68%
- The library resources and services are good enough for my needs 75%
|In work
|Studying and working
Total Written: 11%
Total Coursework: 85%
Total Practical: 4%

subset: commoncrawl


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It was shocking news for me to hear that the Court of Appeals in Malaysia has banned non-Muslims from using the word 'Allah' to talk about God.
As an Arabic-speaking Christian coming from Syria, I feel that this extremely awkward decision is even offensive because it shows the deep ignorance of the Malaysian Appeal Court regarding the roots of the word which does not belong to Islam alone at all. I would like to explain the linguistic history of this word so that Muslims and non-Muslims may know the background of the word 'Allah' and stop pretending that this word belongs to one religion or another.
Between 1400-1200 BC, the Ugaritian tablets (part of the Canaanite religion in the Levant region) tell us that El was the head of the gods, the supreme god in the whole area. He was also the father of humanity. El could also be a generic name for any god and this was the case for many centuries. El is also means in Arabic "إله", "Elah", which means "a god". This meaning was common amongst most of the cultures and Semitic religions in the Levant region.
The definite article in Arabic is "ال", "Al" and if we add this to the word "Elah", we get "Al-Elah" which means "The God". This word developed to be pronounced "الله", "Allah".
This is the origin of the word and it is definitely not a word which was only revealed in the Quran or was invented by Islam. I think no one has ever the right to ban anyone from using a word in a language as long as they are not using it to offend or attack or degrade anybody or any religion. We must remember that Christianity, and also Christian Arabs in the Arabian Peninsula, existed for over six centuries before Islam even started – and Christian Arabs have always called God, 'Allah'! I think we need proper education and awareness before rushing to such insensitive decisions which can be enormously unfair and insulting to other cultures and religions.


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Tags Happiness
Tag: Happiness
The key of patience
When you're anxious or worried, be patient. The key of patience opens the door of happiness.
Very little is needed to make a Happy Life
"Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking."
A very rich man once wanted to become happy
A very rich man once wanted to become happy. He had tried all kinds of ways but everything had failed. He went to many...
Doing Good to Others
"Doing good to others is not a duty. It is a joy, for it increases your own health and happiness."
True Happiness
"True happiness is found in simple, seemingly unremarkable things."
The ultimate source of a Happy Life
"The ultimate source of a happy life is warm-heartedness. This means extending to others the kind of concern we have for ourselves. On a...
"Sadness gives depth. Happiness gives height. Sadness gives roots. Happiness gives branches. Happiness is like a tree going into the sky, and sadness is...
Capable of being Alone
"Only those people who are capable of being alone are capable of love, of sharing, of going into the deepest core into the other...
Happiness Happens
"Happiness happens when you fit with your life, when you fit so harmoniously that whatsoever you are doing is your joy."


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3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Capacity: 10
Photo Gallery
Property Description
Bedrooms: 3. Bathrooms: 3
This fabulous penthouse unit is sure to be a hit with everyone who stays.� Two bedrooms on the main floor boasting views of gardens and even a sea lion or two means everyday will be a new adventure of sights and sounds. Balcony overlooks the wonderful dolphins of the Vallarta Adventures adventure center as�well as a full view of the marina chock full of�yachts and sailboats for you to admire.�Watch the dolphins and sea lions�train, play, and show off their tricks or the ships meander quietly to their�docks. �Fully equipped and furnished unit also boasts a third private bedroom on the palapa rooftop patio and a fourth bed under the palapa and open to the stars and sea air. The pool is perfect for lazy days and the beach is just a three minute walk along the marina boardwalk to sun, sand , and surf. This condo is close to shopping, restaurants, and transportation..Consider this almost new property for your next stay in beautiful Puerto Vallarta
Owner Contact Information
|Galvan Real Estate
Armando Contreras
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Jalisco 48380
Click here
|Member Since:
|Jun. 23rd, 2006
|Other Listings:
|View here
Rental Rates
- Budget Season $225.00
- High Season $295.00
- Holiday Rates $325.00
AmenitiesParking , Attractions , Golfing , Waterpark , Beach , Restaurants , Jet Skis , Boating , Fishing
3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Capacity: 10
Minimum Stay: 5 Nights
Ocean View
Further Information
3 bedrooms plus a King Sized bed under a massive palapa roof with open walls and ocean breezes to create the best sleep you could have ever dreamed for
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Kirsten Dunst Finds Key To Success
The girl that everybody loves to hate, Kirsten Dunst, is the cover girl for the April 2007 issue of W Magazine as photographed by Craig McDean. The 24-year-old moppet-haired former child star opens up about finally finding the key to success:
- On her self-proclaimed best performance in the 1994 film Interview with a Vampire that costarred Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt and earned her a Golden Globe nomination: "I've never been so good! After 11, it all went downhill."
- On her disappointment of Marie Antoinette's failure to connect with a wider audience: "I'm really disappointed in taste right now. I hope I don't sound weird," she explains. "I'm not bitter. I'm just a little, Well, that sucks because I really liked the movie. Whatevs. It'll live on."
- On her personal life: "I don't want to get into any of that because I don't want to ruin my life. I'm done talking about anybody until I'm married. I'm a person who likes to hang out. I would never go on a blind date. That sounds like the most uncomfortable thing on the planet earth. It's like, 'Hi. Nice to meet you. So, what kind of music do you like?' Date ended."
- On who Kirsten wants to end up with: "I need to eat a piece of pizza on a stoop in New York, and I cannot be with anybody fancy."
- On being a cheap-o: "Even though I was making tons of money and doing movies. I would still be excited to go with $20 to Contempo Casuals."
- On coming to terms with being a celebrity: "I'm okay with it. I love what I do, and I know that I've been given this gift. But there was a time when I wasn't, of course. And if I didn't struggle with it, I probably wouldn't be a good actress at all. I used to feel like I had to be the best at what I did, but I realized I don't have to be the best. It's so freeing. I've never been this happy."
Read Kirsten Dunst's full W Magazine interview here.


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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7616818704326975625.post5698590130328926108..comments2017-04-21T00:16:43.289-07:00Comments on Holier than You Blog: Caltrain Shuttle Statsmurphstahoehttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7616818704326975625.post-32372767973737954402013-08-26T09:57:43.012-07:002013-08-26T09:57:43.012-07:00This blog is really informative i really had fun r...This blog is really informative i really had fun reading it.

Employee shuttle san francisco
Employee shuttle bay area
Paul Smithhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7616818704326975625.post-49838185828119621572009-10-05T13:59:58.694-07:002009-10-05T13:59:58.694-07:00@Rafael =v= Actually Caltrain's first priority...@Rafael =v= Actually Caltrain's first priority is to provide transportation as an alternative to automobile use. That's in their mission statement and has been affirmed many times by Bay Area opinion polls and Bay Area voters. To provide such an alternative requires solving the "last mile problem" -- getting to and from the train station.

Human-powered bicycling is by far the most energy-efficient solution for the last mile problem, and as far as anyone has been able to determine, bicycle carriage on trains is the most cost-effective way to achieve this combination.

Bicycle carriage on trains is nothing new; it's been a right enshrined in the California Civil Code for over a century.

Folding bikes are great (I use one), but they are no substitute for proper capacity planning.Jymhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7616818704326975625.post-83288775510603522682009-10-05T11:35:35.671-07:002009-10-05T11:35:35.671-07:00@Rafael- That's why there's a special bik...@Rafael-

That's why there's a special bike car for cyclists, so those without bikes can enjoy all the other cars: http://bit.ly/uwTs3

@Murph-

One counterpoint to your coach theory is that from my experience Apple's coach has decimated the caltrain bikecar ridership more than any other group. I know many former caltrain_bike riders who now only ride the train once every other week to get a fun ride in. You'd have to be a serious masochist with a lot of free time to take only public transit through sf (1 hour) to the caltrain (1 hour) and then onto work in the south bay.ammonhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7616818704326975625.post-10242923663259425052009-10-05T07:39:54.505-07:002009-10-05T07:39:54.505-07:00@ ammon - the problem isn't really Caltrain, ...@ ammon -

the problem isn't really Caltrain, it's too many cyclists all insisting on bringing fixed frame bikes on board during rush hour. Caltrain's first priority has to be moving people, not their stuff.

Folding bikes would be more compatible. There are even a few models with electric motors and Li-ion batteries on the market. While those are still expensive, they mean cyclists aren't going to board the trains all sweaty, a courtesy other passengers would surely appreciate.Rafaelhttps://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-7616818704326975625.post-90615722005663254602009-10-04T23:32:06.509-07:002009-10-04T23:32:06.509-07:00guilty as charged - these days I take the train le...guilty as charged - these days I take the train less than 1/2 as much as I used to since the corporate shuttle is more convenient for me in the evening.

And speaking of caltrain usage, even their extra trains on Saturday weren't enough to cause this bike car disaster at cal ave (many were bumped later):
http://www.trailguru.com/wiki/index.php/Image:Crowded_caltrain1.JPG

We fit 8 bikes in one rack (2 on top), plus 3 wheels from disassembled fixies lined up next to the rack:
http://www.trailguru.com/wiki/index.php/Image:Bikes_on_caltrain2.JPG
http://www.trailguru.com/wiki/index.php/Image:Bikes_on_caltrain.JPGammonhttps://firstname.lastname@example.com


text: Targeted MRI Contrast Agents for Pediatric Hepatobiliary DiseaseCourtier, Jesse L.*; Perito, Emily R.†; Rhee, Sue†; Tsai, Patrika†; Heyman, Melvin B.†; MacKenzie, John D.*Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition: April 2012 - Volume 54 - Issue 4 - p 454–462 doi: 10.1097/MPG.0b013e3182467a4b Invited Reviews Abstract Author Information Article Outline ABSTRACT New options are available for the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessment of pediatric hepatobiliary disease. This article describes the potential utility for MRI with contrast agents tailored for hepatobiliary imaging. MRI contrast agents that preferentially target the liver may be helpful in characterizing liver masses and bile duct abnormalities in select children. The imaging approach is noninvasive and relatively rapid to perform. It also provides anatomic and functional information and is a radiation-free alternative to other imaging strategies. This relatively new imaging procedure is placed in the context of more established imaging modalities. The pharmacokinetics, technical considerations, and potential applications of these hepatobiliary-specific contrast agents also are discussed. *Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging †Department of Pediatrics, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco, CA. Address correspondence and reprint requests to John D. MacKenzie, MD, Assistant Professor and Chief of Pediatric Radiology, Department of Biomedical Imaging, Pediatric Radiology, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, 505 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94143-0628 (e-mail: email@example.com). Received 16 June, 2011 Accepted 12 December, 2011 The present study was supported in part by NIH grants K24 DK060617 (MBH) and T32 DK00762 (ERP). The authors report no conflicts of interest. Abstract CONVENTIONAL STRATEGIES FOR HEPATOBILIARY IMAGING Ultrasound Computed Tomography MRI (Conventional) Interventional PHARMACOKINETICS OF HEPATOBILIARY-SPECIFIC AGENTS TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR HEPATOBILIARY-SPECIFIC MRI POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS FOR MRI WITH HEPATOBILIARY-SPECIFIC ... Liver Lesions Focal Nodular Hyperplasia Hepatic Adenoma Primary Malignant Liver Lesions Liver Lesions With No Clearly Established Role for Hepatobi... Biliary Duct Pathology Intrinsic Bile Duct Obstruction Extrinsic Bile Duct Obstruction Aberrant and Congenital Variations in Bile Duct Anatomy Subtle Abnormalities of the Ducts: Primary Sclerosing Chola... FUTURE APPLICATIONS CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES Hepatobiliary-specific contrast agents (HSA) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were recently approved for use in the United States. Originally developed to improve detection and characterization of liver lesions, these agents also provide exquisite detail of bile duct anatomy. HSA are injected intravenously (IV), actively transported into hepatocytes, and excreted into bile ducts. This targeted imaging of the hepatobiliary system is advantageous when characterizing liver lesions and bile duct abnormalities. The test also obtains functional information. Although originally described in adults (1–4), recent data support several promising pediatric applications for HSA (5,6). MRI with HSA may complement traditional imaging strategies and surmount several difficulties encountered when imaging the pediatric liver and biliary tract. This review describes the present state of the art for imaging the pediatric hepatobiliary system and suggests emerging applications for MRI in light of these new HSA. Back to Top | Article Outline CONVENTIONAL STRATEGIES FOR HEPATOBILIARY IMAGING Unique challenges exist to noninvasively detect hepatobiliary disorders in the pediatric population. Overall, the ideal imaging test should be noninvasive, rapid to perform, and free of ionizing radiation but still provide exquisite anatomic detail and perhaps functional information. Selection of the appropriate imaging test depends on a number of factors. First, children have smaller anatomic structures and require imaging strategies with higher resolution. For example, normal pediatric common bile duct (CBD) measures between 1 and 3 mm in diameter (7) and intrahepatic bile ducts are submillimeter in size (5), whereas normal adult CBDs approach 6 mm. Second, young children and older children with special needs may be unable to tolerate or hold still for an imaging test, so they may require sedation or anesthesia. Third, the use of imaging tests with ionizing radiation should be minimized given that children may be more sensitive to the long-term affects of radiation exposure than adults. Back to Top | Article Outline Ultrasound Ultrasound is the least costly and most widely used noninvasive method to evaluate the pediatric hepatobiliary system. Ultrasound is often the first imaging test of choice because it offers quick, noninvasive evaluation of the liver parenchyma and bile ducts. The sonographic appearance of benign and malignant hepatic neoplasms may be difficult to differentiate by imaging alone, although significant information can be provided. The size and number of hepatic lesions, as well as the appearance of the underling parenchyma, can be readily determined, aiding in narrowing differential diagnoses (8). CBD dimensions as measured sonographically increase by age and demonstrate small changes in caliber during daily fluctuations in bile flow. In a study of sonographic CBD measurements in 173 healthy patients ages 1 day to 13 years, normal CBD diameters were ≤1.6 mm for patients younger than 1 year and ≤2.5 to 3.0 mm for children and early adolescents (7). Evaluation of the distal CBD by ultrasound can be limited because of overlying bowel gas, and no functional information is obtained. Back to Top | Article Outline Computed Tomography Contrast-enhanced multidetector computed tomography (CT) provides better visualization of the distal CBD than ultrasound. Liver lesions and their involvement with adjacent structures may be depicted with excellent spatial resolution (9). Multiphase contrast-enhanced CT will further characterize liver lesions and improve diagnostic specificity, but at the expense of increased radiation exposure. Dual-phase helical CT is reported to have a sensitivity of 69% to 71% and specificity of 86% to 91% for characterizing benign and malignant hepatic lesions (10). The multiplanar display of CT images also gives improved anatomic localization and visualization of focal liver and biliary lesions. Shorter imaging times also decrease the need for sedation (11,12). The intrahepatic bile ducts in normal, healthy pediatric patients are often barely perceptible by CT. Their assessment can be augmented with the use of hepatocyte-specific contrast agents such as 52% iodipamide meglumine (Cholografin meglumine; Bracco Diagnostics, Princeton, NJ) (4,5). Use of this agent, however, requires premedication because of its increased risk of allergic reactions as an ionic contrast agent. It is typically used for preoperative assessment of living adult liver transplant donors and is not commonly used in children because of its allergic potential and its use of ionizing radiation. An optimum balance between low-dose radiation and diagnostic quality imaging must be established at institutions performing CT in pediatric patients. Back to Top | Article Outline MRI (Conventional) MRI and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) afford comparable anatomic detail to CT without ionizing radiation. MRI is far superior in tissue contrast. Multiphase MRI using nonliver-specific contrast agents has a slightly improved ability to detect liver lesions compared with dual-phase CT but was significantly superior in lesion characterization (13). T1- and T2-weighted appearance and enhancement characteristics assist in narrowing diagnostic considerations in liver lesions. Because MRI is free of ionizing radiation, repeated imaging with multiple phases after the injection of contrast can be obtained. Limitations to MRI include longer imaging times and the need for sedation in younger patients. Improvements with faster sequences will likely lead to further reduction in sedation requirements. Heavily T2-weighted 3-dimensional (3D)-MRCP sequences also provide exquisitely detailed imaging of the biliary system. T2-weighted MRI images allow creation of maximum intensity projections as well as 3D reconstructed models of the biliary tract. Using this technique, bile ducts as small as 1 mm can be depicted (14). Obtaining such high-resolution duct anatomy requires excellent patient cooperation or anesthesia to limit motion. Moreover, no functional information is provided with the present study. Back to Top | Article Outline Interventional In cases in which diagnostic confirmation or intervention is necessary, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography may be performed. These tests involve the direct injection of contrast into the biliary system and allow for both diagnosis and intervention. The risks of this procedure that appear to have similar rates in adults and children (15,16) must be balanced with the higher resolution and therapeutic options offered by ERCP over MRI with HSA. Back to Top | Article Outline PHARMACOKINETICS OF HEPATOBILIARY-SPECIFIC AGENTS MRI contrast agents for hepatobiliary imaging are injected IV and specifically target the liver. Both HSA and more routinely used non-HSA are designed with 2 basic components: gadolinium and a chelate for gadolinium. Gadolinium alters surrounding water hydrogen molecules, producing increased signal intensity on T1-weighted MR images. The chelate prevents the escape of free gadolinium, and, more important, the outer coat of the chelate localizes the HSA to the liver. The outer surface of the chelate is recognized by hepatocytes for active transport into the liver and subsequent biliary excretion. Several transport mechanisms exist that allow transport from the hepatocytes to the biliary system. HSA are low in molecular weight, so they will pass readily into interstitial spaces; contrast remaining in the blood pool will be excreted rapidly by the kidneys. Several contrast agents have been tested for depiction of the biliary system. Gadoxetate disodium was Food and Drug Administration–approved for use in the United States in 2008 and marketed as Eovist in the United States and Primovist in Europe (17,18). Although imaging children with gadoxetate is presently an off-label use, an ongoing, multicenter observational cohort study sponsored by the manufacturer is under way to examine the safety and efficacy of gadoxetate in pediatric patients (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01043523). HSA initially follow similar blood distribution kinetics as other non-HSA. Peak arterial enhancement typically occurs within 30 seconds and peak portal venous enhancement within 60 seconds. Peak enhancement varies depending on cardiac output and age of the child. Obtaining imaging during this early time will produce images similar to a routine contrast-enhanced abdominal MRI (non-HSA), yielding excellent depictions of abdominal organs and masses. Later than 60 seconds after the IV injection, the HSA show a different biodistribution than non-HSA. The liver takes up approximately 50% of the HSA, with a noticeable decrease in hepatic venous enhancement and increase in liver enhancement (Fig. 1). Approximately 50% of HSA contrast is excreted through the kidneys, compared with the majority of non-HSA contrast. FIGURE 1 During the next 20 to 40 minutes, the hepatocytes transport and excrete the HSA into the bile ducts. This accumulation of contrast material facilitates depiction of the biliary system (19). Maximal biliary excretion, and thus optimal visualization of duct anatomy, occurs at approximately 20 to 60 minutes. Because HSA relies on hepatocyte transport mechanisms, alterations in liver function alter the transport of HSA. Thus, liver function must be considered when interpreting these MRI examinations (20). Patients with end-stage or decompensated cirrhosis will have substantially decreased liver uptake and biliary excretion, so liver lesions and bile ducts will be less well visualized in a cirrhotic liver (21). This is likely the result of reduced number and function of organic anion transporting polypeptide 1 and canalicular multispecific organic anion transporter. Unfortunately, decreased liver uptake and excretion of HSA do not appear to correlate with serum markers of liver function (22). Several other facets need to be considered when interpreting MRI with HSA in patients with liver dysfunction. Uptake and excretion times are similar to normal in patients with early or well-compensated cirrhosis (20). Alterations in the kinetics of HSA biodistribution in various forms of pediatric liver dysfunction have not been studied to date, but a safe assumption is that uptake is delayed. Cholestasis and cirrhosis are also associated with a longer plasma half-life but attenuated enhancement of the hepatic and portal veins. Renal insufficiency will further prolong blood vessel enhancement. As with non-HSA, HSA are contraindicated in patients with decreased glomerular filtration rates because of the associations among renal failure, IV gadolinium administration, and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis. Back to Top | Article Outline TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR HEPATOBILIARY-SPECIFIC MRI Imaging of the hepatobiliary system has rapidly advanced during the past 5 to 6 years. High-resolution images of the biliary tree can now be routinely obtained in 20 to 30 seconds, well within the ability of most children to hold their breath. New hardware and pulse sequence design have enabled faster imaging with good signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). High SNR is important to produce quality images with adequate image resolution and tissue contrast. These capabilities are found on MRI equipment developed by the major MRI manufacturers within the last 5 to 6 years. Increased field strength (23–25), fast gradients, and multichannel array coils (26–28) give increased performance with higher SNR, better spatial resolution, and improved speed. This combination greatly improves body imaging, and high-resolution images can be obtained in a single breath-hold. The other critical component in both conventional MRI and MRI with HSA is the selection of pulse sequences. Pulse sequences drive MRI hardware to create images that emphasize different tissues based on T1 and T2 weighting. Pulse sequence design also allows wide flexibility in balancing image resolution and acquisition speed. The strategy for imaging bile ducts with HSA is completely different from conventional MRCP. Conventional MRI/MRCP emphasizes structures that contain primarily water and uses heavily T2-weighted pulse sequences. Tissue contrast is decreased on T2-weighted imaging, such that structures containing water—like the lumens of the bile ducts, gallbladder, duodenum, and renal collecting system—are bright in signal intensity. Surrounding tissues that contain little water produce little signal, so the bile ducts stand out in contrast and are well depicted. In MRI with HSA, 2 factors allow for increased visualization of ductal anatomy. First, rather than highlighting water contained in ducts, the T1-weighted pulse sequences highlight structures with gadolinium. Gadolinium increases the SNR for better visualization of duct anatomy (4,29). Second, the 3D gradient echo T1-weighted imaging is performed in a single breath-hold, at a higher resolution, and can be transformed into 3D images (23). Ductal anatomy may be visualized in 1-mm slice thickness (Fig. 2). This resolution is less than percutaneous or endoscopic cholangiography but MRCP provides extraluminal information, is less invasive, and is radiation free. FIGURE 2 One important drawback of MRI with HSA should be mentioned. The time spent waiting for excretion of the contrast agent into the biliary system results in longer overall imaging times than conventional T2-weighted MRCP. Although the extra 20 to 45 minutes the child spends in the MRI scanner are approximately 30% to 100% longer than conventional MRCP, select children will likely benefit from the present study as illustrated by the cases below. Back to Top | Article Outline POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS FOR MRI WITH HEPATOBILIARY-SPECIFIC AGENTS Liver Lesions Several clinical scenarios exist in which HSA provides information beyond other tests for the diagnosis and management of liver masses. Although liver masses are rare in children, proper classification is crucial for appropriate management. HSA identifies and helps distinguish between benign and malignant lesions and extends the capabilities of diagnostic imaging beyond other imaging modalities (CT/ultrasound/conventional MRI). Table 1 lists lesions in which HSA may be useful to characterize liver lesions in children. TABLE 1 Back to Top | Article Outline Focal Nodular Hyperplasia MRI with HSA is an excellent diagnostic choice for characterizing focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH). The unique cellular composition of FNH, combined with the hepatocyte and biliary targeting properties of HSA, usually allow separation of FNH from other liver lesions on MRI. FNH contains normal hepatocytes, which readily take up HSA. Because of the malformed bile ducts present in FNH the hepatocytes fail to excrete the HSA. Thus, FNH lesions readily enhance on the arterial phase of imaging and continue to enhance for an extended period (Fig. 3). FIGURE 3 FNH lesions remain high in signal intensity on MRI long after other liver lesions have washed out (lost signal intensity from clearance of the HSA) compared with surrounding normal liver parenchyma (Fig. 3C). Separating FNH from metastasis and malignant tumors of liver origin is one of the primary advantages of HSA over ultrasound and conventional CT and MRI. Several studies have shown improved diagnostic capabilities for detecting FNH during the liver-specific phase of gadoxetate compared with noncontrast MR and spiral CT (30–32). Back to Top | Article Outline Hepatic Adenoma Similar to FNH, hepatic adenomas contain hepatocytes, although adenomas do not contain bile ducts. Adenomas are typically hyperintense to liver parenchyma on T1-weighted imaging (either secondary to intratumoral fat and/or hemorrhage), enhance on arterial phase imaging, and commonly show loss of signal on opposed phase sequences. Fat content is not specific for adenoma, however, because hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can also contain fat (33). Adenomas also tend to be solitary, round, or ovoid, contain a capsule, and often lack the central scar of FNH. Hepatic adenomas are rare in the pediatric population but are seen occasionally in adolescent girls, particularly those on oral contraceptives, or in children with glycogen storage disease type 1a, and in patients with Fanconi anemia (34). Experience with other hepatocyte-specific agents, specifically gadobenate dimeglumine, suggests that the lack of bile ducts can be used to distinguish between adenomas and FNH. Adenomas are typically hypointense to liver parenchyma on hepatocyte phase imaging because of their lack of biliary canaliculi (35). FNH, as described previously, often demonstrates hyperenhancement on hepatocyte phase imaging. There is, however, reported variability in the enhancement pattern of adenomas with gadoxetate and larger dedicated investigations are needed (20). Because the risk of hemorrhage, rupture, and malignant transformation associated with adenomas makes surgical resection the usual treatment, correct diagnosis is important and often possible with HSA. Back to Top | Article Outline Primary Malignant Liver Lesions Hepatoblastoma, HCC, and liver sarcomas are the primary malignant liver tumors in children and imaging may help distinguish these tumors from benign masses. Features atypical for FNH or hepatic adenoma on MRI with HSA should raise suspicion for a malignant tumor. Hepatoblastoma is the most common primary malignant liver neoplasm in pediatric patients, with the vast majority (>90%) of patients younger than 5 years at presentation (36). An association exists between hepatoblastoma and certain syndromes, most notably Beckwith-Weideman. The majority (>80%) appear as large solitary lesions. These tumors contain differing amounts of epithelial and mesenchymal elements and thus can have a variable imaging appearance. Typical imaging appearance includes heterogeneous T2 hyperintensity, predominant T1 hypointensity, and heterogeneous enhancement with standard MRI contrast agents. With hepatobiliary-specific agents, hepatoblastoma has been described as hypointense to background liver parenchyma on all of the phases (37). HCC contains hepatocytes dedifferentiated to varying degrees, and HCC tends to show rapid arterial enhancement just as FNH; however, unlike FNH, HCC lesions will quickly wash out and not show delayed enhancement (Figs. 4 and 5). This washout of HSA should raise the possibility that a lesion is HCC. FIGURE 4 FIGURE 5 Several caveats are important in interpreting imaging studies when HCC is suspected. HCC can be difficult to differentiate from regenerative nodules in the cirrhotic liver (Fig. 5). Regenerative nodules contain functioning hepatocytes surrounded by fibrous septa. Thus, uptake of HSA in the hepatocyte phase should ideally match that of background liver tissue (21). There is, however, a spectrum of appearance in regenerative nodules that can be complicated further by underlying heterogeneous enhancement in a cirrhotic liver. Studies in adults suggest that HSA may be particularly useful in differentiating small HCC lesions from other hypervascular arterial enhancing pseudolesions because the former are usually hypointense in the hepatobiliary phase and the latter are typically isointense (38). The appearance of HCC on hepatocyte phase imaging depends on the degree of differentiation (20). Moderate to poorly differentiated HCC appear hypointense relative to background liver parenchyma during the hepatocyte phase because they do not uptake HSA well, but well-differentiated HCC with functioning hepatocytes can mimic the uptake of benign tumors. Back to Top | Article Outline Liver Lesions With No Clearly Established Role for Hepatobiliary-specific Agents HSA would not be expected to provide additional information for liver lesions that lack hepatocytes (Table 1). For example, hepatoblastomas contain mainly incompletely differentiated hepatoblasts and mesenchymal cells (34). Given the cellular constituents of this tumor, HSA is not likely to add significantly to standard contrast-enhanced MRI in its diagnosis because this lesion will likely have isointense signal intensity to background imaging on hepatocyte phase imaging. Infection is usually readily separated from tumor on conventional imaging. MRI with HSA will provide similar information as non-HSA. Central enhancement is usually not seen in infection because the lesions in focal liver infections tend to displace or replace hepatocytes. The lack of early or delayed enhancement of a liver lesion raises the possibility of infection. Similarly, liver cysts are usually readily appreciated on conventional imaging. Liver hemangiomas are also characterized well by ultrasound and confirmed by multiphase MRI with non-HSA (Fig. 6). Table 2 summarizes the imaging appearance of the commonly encountered pediatric liver lesions with HSA. FIGURE 6 TABLE 2 Back to Top | Article Outline Biliary Duct Pathology MRCP with HSA can add additional information to the diagnosis and characterization of pediatric bile duct abnormalities. Several studies illustrate the utility of MRCP for defining bile duct abnormalities and pinpointing diagnosis in children (39–41). MRCP with HSA will likely expand these capabilities. Furthermore, our initial experience with HSA suggests that this imaging tool is particularly useful in subtle or atypical biliary lesions, as illustrated in the cases below. Back to Top | Article Outline Intrinsic Bile Duct Obstruction MRCP with HSA has several roles when evaluating children with known or suspected biliary stone disease. First, MRI with HSA provides radiation-free evaluation of the intraluminal anatomy with exquisite resolution (Fig. 7). Second, unlike ultrasound, in which bowel gas may obscure the distal CBD, MRCP with HSA can depict the majority of the biliary system and is less invasive than ERCP. FIGURE 7 Although MRCP with HSA is usually not the first imaging test to consider when doing a workup children for bile duct stones, moving to MRCP with HSA may be reasonable if ultrasound is uninformative. Furthermore, MRI may reveal unexpected findings outside the ducts. This may be helpful in patients with underlying chronic diseases who are susceptible to biliary stones as well as other abdominal pathologies, such as chronic hemolytic disease, cystic fibrosis, history of total parenteral nutrition or intestinal resection, familial hyperlipidemias, and cirrhosis or chronic cholestasis (42). The utility of HSA is expected to increase because of the anticipated increase in prevalence of biliary obstruction in tandem with the obesity epidemic in the United States (43). Back to Top | Article Outline Extrinsic Bile Duct Obstruction The capability of MRCP with HSA to show extraluminal pathology also helps with the diagnosis of extraluminal bile duct stenosis. Extraluminal pathologies such as tumor are readily depicted on the abdominal imaging component of the examination and help distinguish between bile duct stenosis (Fig. 7) and extrinsic compression from masses. Back to Top | Article Outline Aberrant and Congenital Variations in Bile Duct Anatomy MRI with HSA may have a role in mapping out the anatomy of choledochal cysts. Although cysts are seen readily on conventional MRI (44), MRI with HSA can be particularly helpful in diagnosing extremely subtle dilatations or stenosis of the biliary or pancreatic ducts or show communication between pancreatic and biliary systems (Fig. 8). This may assist in surgical planning. FIGURE 8 Back to Top | Article Outline Subtle Abnormalities of the Ducts: Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis The high-resolution imaging provided by MRCP with HSA may show subtle lesions in early primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). The onset of PSC is usually insidious, with vague signs and symptoms (45). Thus, diagnosis usually requires clinical suspicion and targeted imaging. Both MRCP and ERCP are helpful in diagnosis, with sensitivities estimated at 80% to 91% and specificities of 80% to 96% in blinded studies of adult patients (46,47). Studies in a pediatric-specific population revealed sensitivity of 81%, specificity of 100%, negative predictive value of 62%, positive predictive value of 100%, and accuracy of 85% in the diagnosis of PSC in children (48). Our experience suggests that the biliary excretion of HSA aids in the noninvasive identification of subtle PSC changes, particularly in the intrahepatic ducts. Back to Top | Article Outline FUTURE APPLICATIONS The cases above illustrate applications specifically relevant for children with hepatobiliary disease and suggest the potential of HSA for additional diagnostic purposes. Given the recent Food and Drug Administration approval of gadoxetate disodium for adults, its use in children has been guided by early experience with adults. The indications in childhood hepatobiliary disease rely on this adult experience. Specific roles for MRI with HSA are presently undertested in children. The excretion of gadoxetate disodium through the biliary ductal system also may be useful in delineating bile duct patency or perforations. One case report suggests that HSA can detect active bile leak following laparoscopic cholecystectomy (49). Bile duct injury and leaks occur in children after liver transplantation and choledochal cyst resections as well as more routine operations such as cholecystectomy. HSA may provide a noninvasive method to delineate the extent and location of bile leaks; however, MRI does require sedation in younger children and does not provide therapeutic opportunities, as does ERCP or percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography. Use in the peritransplant period should also be carefully considered depending on the patient's present and past renal function, given the risk for nephrogenic systemic sclerosis. Although a role for HSA in children suspected of having biliary atresia has been proposed, the potential duct and liver dysfunction in these patients will likely alter the biliary excretion of HSA. Similar to hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid scans, poor uptake and excretion prolongs imaging times and delivers less HSA into the liver and ducts, making it challenging to differentiate biliary atresia, Alagille syndrome, or neonatal hepatitis by using MRI with HSA. Liver uptake and excretion of HSA will be delayed, decreased, or absent within a reasonable time frame for imaging in all 3 of these entities. The small size of bile ducts in neonates and infants coupled with decreased biliary excretion will make visualization of ducts, when present, challenging given the present resolution and tissue contrast capabilities of MRI with HSA. More important, as with hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid scans, lack of visualization of the ducts does not rule in biliary atresia, so MRCP with HSA would not avoid the need for intraoperative cholangiogram or liver biopsy in suspected biliary atresia. Despite these limitations, criteria and a role for MRCP with HSA may be developed to triage neonates suspected of having biliary atresia, especially when function tests are still relatively normal. MRI with HSA also may be useful for identifying and delineating postoperative remnants of choledochal cysts. Cholangiocarcinoma is rare in children, but it is a major risk of retained choledochal cysts. It is also seen in children with sclerosing cholangitis and familial adenomatous polyposis. Preliminary studies in adults suggest that MRI with HSA may improve cholangiocarcinoma detection because the abnormal epithelium shows irregular peripheral rim enhancement during the arterial phase followed by hypointensity relative to adjacent liver in the hepatocyte phase (20). Back to Top | Article Outline CONCLUSIONS MRI contrast agents targeted to the liver and bile ducts add a new dimension for diagnosis and patient management and will likely complement existing imaging techniques. Interpretation of MRI with HSA uses the unique properties of the contrast agent for uptake into liver cells and subsequent excretion into the biliary system. These properties give functional information about liver masses and provide exquisite anatomic detail of the bile ducts. Although additional experience will be necessary to further establish roles for pediatric patients suspected of having liver lesions or bile duct disorders, MRI with HSA will likely play an increasing role in clinical decision making.Back to Top | Article Outline REFERENCES1. Gupta RT, Brady CM, Lotz J, et al. Dynamic MR imaging of the biliary system using hepatocyte-specific contrast agents. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2010; 195:405–413. Cited Here... | PubMed | CrossRef 2. Lee NK, Kim S, Lee JW, et al. Biliary MR imaging with Gd-EOB-DTPA and its clinical applications. Radiographics 2009; 29:1707–1724. Cited Here... | PubMed | CrossRef 3. Seale MK, Catalano OA, Saini S, et al. Hepatobiliary-specific MR contrast agents: role in imaging the liver and biliary tree. Radiographics 2009; 29:1725–1748. Cited Here... | PubMed | CrossRef 4. Yeh BM, Liu PS, Soto JA, et al. MR imaging and CT of the biliary tract. Radiographics 2009; 29:1669–1688. Cited Here... | PubMed | CrossRef 5. Emery KH. 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Liver Transpl 2008; 14:1545–1556. Cited Here... | View Full Text | PubMed | CrossRef 35. Grazioli L, Morana G, Kirchin MA, et al. Accurate differentiation of focal nodular hyperplasia from hepatic adenoma at gadobenate dimeglumine-enhanced MR imaging: prospective study. Radiology 2005; 236:166–177. Cited Here... | PubMed | CrossRef 36. Chung EM, Lattin GE Jr, Cube R, et al. From the archives of the AFIP: pediatric liver masses: radiologic-pathologic correlation, part 2. Malignant tumors. Radiographics 2011; 31:483–507. Cited Here... | PubMed | CrossRef 37. Meyers AB, Towbin AJ, Serai S, et al. Characterization of pediatric liver lesions with gadoxetate disodium. Pediatr Radiol 2011; 41:1183–1197. Cited Here... | PubMed | CrossRef 38. Sun HY, Lee JM, Shin CI, et al. Gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging for differentiating small hepatocellular carcinomas (< or =2 cm in diameter) from arterial enhancing pseudolesions: special emphasis on hepatobiliary phase imaging. Invest Radiol 2010; 45:96–103. Cited Here... | View Full Text | PubMed | CrossRef 39. Chavhan GB, Roberts E, Moineddin R, et al. Primary sclerosing cholangitis in children: utility of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography. Pediatr Radiol 2008; 38:868–873. Cited Here... | View Full Text | PubMed | CrossRef 40. Krause D, Cercueil JP, Dranssart M, et al. MRI for evaluating congenital bile duct abnormalities. J Comput Assist Tomogr 2002; 26:541–552. Cited Here... | View Full Text | PubMed | CrossRef 41. Takaya J, Nakano S, Imai Y, et al. Usefulness of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography in biliary structures in infants: a four-case report. Eur J Pediatr 2007; 166:211–214. Cited Here... | View Full Text | PubMed | CrossRef 42. Heubi JE. Diseases of the gallbladder in infancy, childhood, and adolescence. In: Suchy FJ, Sokol RJ, Balistreri WF, eds. Liver Disease in Children. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press; 2007: 346–66. Cited Here... 43. Wang G, Dietz WH. Economic burden of obesity in youths aged 6 to 17 years: 1979–1999. Pediatrics 2002;109:E81–1. Cited Here... | PubMed | CrossRef 44. Delaney L, Applegate KE, Karmazyn B, et al. MR cholangiopancreatography in children: feasibility, safety, and initial experience. Pediatr Radiol 2008; 38:64–75. Cited Here... | View Full Text | PubMed | CrossRef 45. Erickson NI, Balistreri WF. Sclerosing cholangitis. In: Suchy FJ, Sokol RJ, Balistreri WF, eds. Liver Disease in Children. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press; 2007: 459–77. Cited Here... 46. Berstad AE, Aabakken L, Smith HJ, et al. Diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance and endoscopic retrograde cholangiography in primary sclerosing cholangitis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2006; 4:514–520. Cited Here... | View Full Text | PubMed | CrossRef 47. Moff SL, Kamel IR, Eustace J, et al. Diagnosis of primary sclerosing cholangitis: a blinded comparative study using magnetic resonance cholangiography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiography. Gastrointest Endosc 2006; 64:219–223. Cited Here... | PubMed | CrossRef 48. Ferrara C, Valeri G, Salvolini L, et al. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography in primary sclerosing cholangitis in children. Pediatr Radiol 2002; 32:413–417. Cited Here... | PubMed | CrossRef 49. Marin D, Bova V, Agnello F, et al. Gadoxetate disodium-enhanced magnetic resonance cholangiography for the noninvasive detection of an active bile duct leak after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. J Comput Assist Tomogr 2010; 34:213–216. Cited Here... | View Full Text | PubMed | CrossRef Keywords:contrast agent; liver and biliary disease; magnetic resonance imaging Copyright 2012 by ESPGHAN and NASPGHAN Article Outline Abstract CONVENTIONAL STRATEGIES FOR HEPATOBILIARY IMAGING Ultrasound Computed Tomography MRI (Conventional) Interventional PHARMACOKINETICS OF HEPATOBILIARY-SPECIFIC AGENTS TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR HEPATOBILIARY-SPECIF... POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS FOR MRI WITH HEPATOBILIARY... Liver Lesions Focal Nodular Hyperplasia Hepatic Adenoma Primary Malignant Liver Lesions Liver Lesions With No Clearly Established Role fo... Biliary Duct Pathology Intrinsic Bile Duct Obstruction Extrinsic Bile Duct Obstruction Aberrant and Congenital Variations in Bile Duct A... Subtle Abnormalities of the Ducts: Primary Sclero... FUTURE APPLICATIONS CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES Source Targeted MRI Contrast Agents for Pediatric Hepatobiliary Disease Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition54(4):454-462, April 2012. Full-Size Email + Favorites Export View in Gallery Email to a Colleague Colleague's E-mail is Invalid Your Name: (optional) Your Email: Colleague's Email: Separate multiple e-mails with a (;). Message: Thought you might appreciate this item(s) I saw at Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. Send a copy to your email Your message has been successfully sent to your colleague. Some error has occurred while processing your request. 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Happy Memorial Day! A time to reflect all of those brave soldiers and military servicemen and women who have sacrificed their lives and families for the safety of ours. Big applause and respect goes out to them and grateful we have a safe and secure country to live in because of them.
In honor of the holiday, I rounded up a few of my favorite recipes to celebrate. Wishing you all a lovely holiday, hopefully filled with family and friends, food and drink and grateful hearts to our heroes.
Grilled Sambal Chicken Skewers
Grilled Corn and Poblano Chile Salad
Hope you enjoy the weekend and here's a few more links to Memorial Day recipes and menu ideas!


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What were these Indian celebs doing at Cannes, anyway?
Apart from the usual set of Bollywood folk, a lot of 'extra' faces popped up on the red carpet
Seeing the hordes of Bollywood folk at the 66th Cannes film festival made an industry insider snidely remark that was it Cannes or Lokhandwala that was on view? The prestigious festival, which wrapped up over the weekend saw just about anyone and everyone at the event this year.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan may have made her 13th consecutive year appearance thanks to her brand endorsements while Anurag Kashyap over the years has all his films (either made or supported by him at the event) winning accolades.
Vidya Balan made her presence felt being part of the jury while Amitabh Bachchan due to his Hollywood film The Great Gatsby's screening. As part of the 100 years celebrations of the Indian film industry there was also Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee and Zoya Akhtar. While Sonam Kapoor makes it due to her endorsements and Nawazuddin Siddiqui due to his films but what about the rest?
Fringe benefits?
From Ameesha Patel to Poonam Dhillon and Rituparna Sengupta, Puja Gupta to Vishaka Singh and even a Sandeep Soparrkar. Not to forget Sherlyn Chopra and Mallika Sherawat - everyone appeared to be there primarily to showcase their designer threads (or disasters) at the red carpet.
Mallika needs no introduction at the festival. She knows how to make her presence felt either through her outfits (she walked the red carpet with a python around her neck for her film Hisss in 2010) or through her motormouth (about her dirty dance with Antonio Banderas at an after party last year).
She has also been stating on her microblogging site, "Need new haters, old ones r beginning to like me:)" after she has been giving interviews to mags saying that she was the first Indian actress to wear a bikini and kiss on screen." Or if not tomtomming about her conquests: "Hung out with my FAV costar Jackie Chan, Thank u Jack 4 being there 4 me Always." Or posting snapshots of her with "His Royal Highness Prince Albert Of Monaco."
Like Mallika, Sherlyn tried hard to impress in her see through outfit to promote her film Kamasutra 3D. Says a festival regular, "There were so many Indians this year as over the year going to Cannes has become like going to Lokhandwala. You either get there due to your film or endorsement.
Even if you don't fall into these two categories, you can always showcase your film. Everyone just wants to be on the red carpet to display their outfits. More than a festival, it has become a haven for fashionistas and designers to showcase their skills. Even a Rakhi Sawant can go to Cannes next year."
Poonam Dhillon attended the festival courtesy the National Film Development Corporation while Ameesha took her forthcoming film Shortcut Romeo on her own. As the insider informs, "If you are not invited, you wrangle an invite and once in Cannes, do as the rest do and go with the flow. Blow kisses on the red carpet and pirouette."


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Housesitting is the lifestyle plan for me and Phil, my husband, going forward
Eventually we will sign up with an agency, probably Trusted Housesitters. We have not needed to as yet as we were fortunate enough to land our first housesitting assignment through a uni friend.
I hadn't seen my old uni friend for over 20 years and as part of the round the world trip Phil and I did in 2011/2 the plan was to go visit her in Melbourne. Our dates clashed with her planned visit to England, which was disappointing as I was looking forward to seeing her again. Then she mentioned that all they needed to organise was a house and dog sitter and I proposed that we could be those sitters. Surprisingly she said yes, having only met my husband at our wedding. I had never met hers. However they entrusted us to look after Mac and Poppy while they were away.
And so it was in November 2011 we got to Melbourne and panicked when questioned by passport control about where we were staying in Melbourne.
'I don't know.'
Having since watched Border Control I now realise this was not a good answer to give.
'My friend is meeting us'
I had realised by then to say 'a friend I have not seen in over 25 years and just recently got back in touch with through Facebook' would not have been a good idea.
'Do you have a phone number for her?'
'No, I don't and I don't have a phone that will work in this country yet.'
'What if she doesn't meet you?'
'She will.'
I don't think they checked if we were met, but I guess they could see that we had a flight booked out of the country so we reckoned they did not consider there was a big risk of us overstaying our visa. We were let into Australia. Also as it was incredibly busy in the arrivals hall, I think they just needed to get us out of there.
My friend was there at the gate.
And I got to spend two weeks with her as she had to change her dates due to some big music awards thing (Aria is pretty big) she had to attend. It was great because it gave us the opportunity to reconnect, and she and her husband got to show off their city. And we got to see Dolly Parton in concert, for free.
The next time we went in 2015 I had the addresses, emails, phone numbers all ready if I got questioned. Although we had no idea where we were staying in Sydney. As one of our hosts was a barrister I reckoned she would get us out of the airport if detained.
'Don't mention housesitting, I have heard they have a dim view on housesitting.'
I must have said this to Phil a dozen times.
The arrivals hall was empty and we were made to use the retina recognition machines (always a challenge to those of us who wear specs) and sailed through border control in a matter of minutes.
Up until that moment I was convinced we would get the same questions, especially as I had a different visa than I had in 2011. But that is another story. I really must stop watching Border Control.
And now Phil and I are going back for the third housesit at the same house with the same dogs and I am getting all panicky about the visas again. This time it is because we will be in Australia for just under 3 months, the maximum time the e visa allows us to stay.
The reason for the longer stay is that we have two house sits booked now, both in Melbourne, with a gap between them.
Travel plans
The plan was to zoom in, get over jet lag, dump excess luggage in Melbourne and then fly to Darwin, travel over land to Alice and see Uluru. In 2 days, since beginning to write this post, plans have changed. We will now be arriving in Melbourne the day before the sit begins.
This is because Carole King is playing in Hyde Park, London. To make the most of the three-month visa restriction I have had to change our plans. Do you see how complicated and random my life is? Fortunately nothing was booked.
I have three itineraries in front of me and numerous tabs open on the desktop. Australian Border Control, Viator, Tripadvisor, tour companies to help decide on tours we can make in-between and after sits. I want to use an Australian based company to tour with, not some big multinational company based in Canada. It is hard to tell with some of them and if you book via Viator I have yet to find out if you can see who the tour operator is.
There are other things to consider.
Do we drive from Sydney to Brisbane? Wait, didn't I just say we were going to Darwin, Uluru and Alice? Yes I did. That is still the plan between house sits.
We have to go to Sydney as Yum Cha is a must with our friends there. I wanted to go to Tassie to but no time to fit it in and it will be cold in August. Darwin and Brisbane will be warmer, although the tour operators warn that temperatures drop at night in the NT. I am taking thermals.
So far the itinerary looks like this
10 July Birmingham to Melbourne via Dubai
13 July arrive Melbourne
14 July house sit until 22 August
23 August fly to Darwin
24 August 10 day Kakadu to Uluru tour
3 September fly from Alice Springs to Melbourne
4 to 21 September house sit in Melbourne
22 September fly to Sydney
22 to 25 stay at Rocks YHA Sydney – may do a Bridge climb, will go for Yum Cha
26 September drive to Brisbane using this itinerary
1 or 5 October Five day Fraser and Lady Musgrave Island tour (dates to be confirmed by operator) the trip gets great reviews although it is expensive
11 October fly Brisbane to New Zealand (tbk) or home or……..
With just two days left on the visa.
I am panicking that something will go wrong and we will overstay the visa and be banned from entering Australia for 3 years (Border Control again).
The other issue I have is packing. What to pack and what in? I still have my back pack but my back is not good. On tours you need to take minimum, yet in Melbourne we will be city slickers and need at least one good outfit. My Dubarry boots with a dress sufficed for Melbourne casual dining but those boots will not be suitable for hiking around Uluru and scuba diving at Lady Musgrave Island. They will not fit in a back pack.
And if we go to New Zealand, do we get a camper van again? We had a love hate relationship with our camper in 2011. Do we fly into Christchurch and see more of the South Island? Will it be too cold? It is often cheaper to hire cars and campers in Christchurch if going to Auckland as the companies want the main stock on the North Island.
After New Zealand I would quite like to visit The Cook Islands. Those Dubarry boots will be of no use there either. Men don't have these problems.
Oh, did I mention we have a friend working in LA ? We would like to go see him too, and maybe drive to Las Vegas, maybe San Francisco and we always said we wished we had spent more time in Pismo Beach.
Maybe one big road trip across America?
Decisions, decisions.
And then there is the insurance to sort out….. our annual policy will not suffice. The to do list is getting longer.
Where do you think we could go?


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In 1524 the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazano was sent by the French king Francis I on an expedition ostensibly to find a shorter route to China. However, his true mission, Steven Sora suggests, was to contact a Templar colony that might have been established in Newport, Rhode Island, by Henry Sinclair at the end of the 14th century. In his expedition log Verrazano recorded that his only stay on this journey was at Newport Harbor, the site of a tower built to the exact measurements of a Templar baptistery, a sacred sanctuary representing baptism and eternal life.
This tower is a remnant of Sinclair's voyage to America nearly a century before that of Columbus (who had access to Sinclair's maps thanks to his wife, who was Sinclair's great-granddaughter). While Verrazano's mission succeeded in finding the tower, the colony itself eluded him. His backers then decided to resurrect the dream of Acadia--a place where they could aspire to higher knowledge without fear of Church or state--by creating a new Secret Society that included Huguenots and Catholic Sulpicians. This Company of the Holy Sacrament would lay the foundations for Montreal in an attempt to realize the ambitions of Sinclair and his Templar companions, as well as to stave off efforts by the Jesuits to transform Quebec into a fiefdom of the orthodox Church. Quebec's motto, "Je me souviens" (I remember), is a reference to this secret history.
About the Author(s) of The Lost Colony of the Templars
Steven Sora has been researching historical enigmas since 1982 and is the author of Secret Societies of America's Elite and The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar. He lives in Easton, Pennsylvania.
Praise for The Lost Colony of the Templars
"Steven Sora is a writer and researcher dedicated to looking behind the traditional gloss towards a history that is either ignored or covered up or both. Of course history really isn't even taught now [in the high schools] and what is is usually a revisionist politically correct version.
"In his best book yet, Mr. Sora does fabulous detective work and delivers mountains of facts, dates, quotes, and more, all in his theory that the visit of Verrazano was not what it purported to be. Sora shows that the Italian explorer [sent by French King Francis I] was not looking for a 'shorter route to China' but travelled in 1524 to investigate a lost Templar Colony.
The windmill is mentioned in the 1677 will of the Governor of Rhode Island, Benedict Arnold, who wrote of his "stonebuilt-windmill." John Hull, a contemporary of Arnold, observed the Arnold windmill also in 1665 (Diaries of John Hull, 1847,Transactions of the American Antiquarian Society, pp 208,213,218, cited in Kuhlmann 1929:5). Hull goes on to state that Arnold built the tower to resemble a windmill he had know back home in England. This is the Chesterton Windmill in Warwickshire, which although different in style is a stone windmill built on columns, and although the columns are square and have capitals, they look very much alike. It used to be argued that it was originally built as an observatory, but recent work on the Chesterton estate records has confirmed it as a windmill (Wise 1994).
Originally posted by Hanslune The reason people who said that man had arrived earlier clovis were doing so without evidence, after the evidence was found the status changed. That is the way science works, the evidence drives the concensus not belief.
Originally posted by Anonymous ATS
Canadian academic Michael Bradley covers this anomalous structure fairly comprehensively in his book "Grail Knights of North America: On the Trail of the Grail Legacy in Canada and the United States".


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SOPA, the Stop Online Privacy Act, is regarded by many as a potential death blow to the internet. Internet giants like Cheezburger CEO Ben Huh, Internet creators like Vint Cerf, major companies like AOL, Google, and Facebook, and Mythbusting celebrities like Adam Savage have all come out against SOPA.
And now Hitler, regarded by many as the most evil man in history, has picked his side in this epic battle over the internet.
Hitler, who apparently puts videos of himself singing Justin Bieber and Katy Perry on Youtube, is outraged with the United States for even considering a bill that would alter the landscape of the internet.
Yes, Hitler is against SOPA.
Do you agree with Hitler? Seriously, that isn't a trick question.


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LR3 Leaking in California Stormsin Technical Talk
Started by KSuttle, 18 Feb 2017 water leak, lr3, storm
Last Post by KSuttle , 20 Mar 2017


text: Rupz01 0 Posted July 25, 2012 HI all, My w reg ford fiesta zetec s has a fault. when i brought the car the rear fog fuse was not in the fuse box slot, so i have just put a fuse in it ( fuse box beside/under steering wheel) and the fog switch and rear fog bulb work correctly but my hazards come on. i have checked every fuse and they are all fine, i have pulled the fuses in and out whilest the 10amp fuse is in and still the hazards stay on. Help would be much appreciated thank you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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Chapter 1 : I Never Existed
|Rating: 15+
|Chapter Reviews: 29
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"I'm sick of it, sick of it all."
A ravened haired boy paced around his room, his actions were similar to that of a caged animal, seeking release, violent to the core with the frustration of helplessness.
He turned quickly towards the owl, almost violently he reached out towards the white snowy bird.
"I'm going to stop it all Hedwig, I swear it, I'm not going to play the fool anymore, not again."
His Hedwig, the only friend he had, hooted in agreement, she was free of her cage but instead of hunting she watched from his dresser sensing his frustration, his need to be free.
"I won't let him take anyone else, not again."
The boy looked up at his bird, rage streamed from his emerald eyes, the anger, the pain it all radiated like a dark ominous aura. Earlier that night he had received news that the Weasly family, his only true family left, had been caught unaware and were tortured and then killed by Voldermort himself, he actually risked his life to get back at Harry, it was all Harry's fault. He stopped for a moment and looked down at his hands.
Last summer he had a chance to finish this all, Voldermort had asked one simple thing, if Harry could kill someone anyone, then he would let himself be taken down. Of course Harry didn't believe it, but now he felt guilty, if he had given in to this temptation then he could have died, he could have killed. He could have done so many things!
Harry kicked the edge of the bed violently. He was useless, so bloody uselss. Not only had Ron been forced to witness this tragedy but later at St. Mungo's he couldn't take it anymore, he couldn't live without his family. The letter Harry had thrown to the floor and was walking on was a letter from the director. While whole in body Ron's soul and mind had fled, in his last attempt he cast the death curse on a mirror which took his life.
Hermione had been attacked as well, this note had come from Lupin and her parents, she had been working in a small retail store, she never had a chance, she didn't even have her wand on her.
"What was she thinking! Its a war! We are at WAR!"
Harry yelled for a moment, breathing hard he looked at the timeturner they had sent to him. Hermione's parents begged him to find a way to bring back their baby girl, she was so young, so beautiful, so talented. There were many things Hermione was, and Ron's love, Her love, they were all gone. Harry looked around except for Hedwig he was alone. He started pacing again, shaking his head, stopping every few minutes to swear and cry intermittently.
"So many people Hedwig! So many, all my friends, family everyone."
Harry stopped his paces again, noticing that it was just before Hedwig he reached over and patted her on the head, his last friend. He looked out the open window and saw the stars. He heard a whistling noise rushing towards him, Hedwig glanced up at him nipped him on the finger one last time she knew what was coming her eyesight was better than his. She took flight and managed to fly just in front of Harry, catching the long arrow that had been cast at Harry. In the moonlight he saw it pierce her through, her wings stretched out and a garbled cry echoed out into the night.
"Hedwig No!!"
Harry screamed out to her in pain and frustration, he caught her falling body, still from the arrow, it had pierced true. She was his last friend his little girl, his only comfort, she had died to save him, why does everyone do that! Harry started to cry just a little he went to lay his last friend on the bed, sitting down he noticed the timeturner, glinting off the blood of Hedwig.
"I'm not going to forget you, and I'll find you again, don't you worry Hedwig."
Harry giggled just a little, he had finally lost his sanity, this was too much at once. He didn't care what happened to him as long as his friends were alive, he didn't care if he changed the entire course of events this was nothing compared to the loneliness that he felt now, that the world would feel. He picked up the turner violently, flipping it more and more, he flipped it further and further, faster and faster. The world began to swim around him, so quickly and fast he could barely see anything. When the spinning had stopped he was in a shell of a house, the house he'd grown up in hadn't even been built yet. He saw a construction worker, he rushed over to him, jumping over random pieces of wood.
"Excuse me, where am I, what day is it?"
The man stood up and looked at Harry What the bloody hell is this bloke doing here...I could have sworn he wasn't here before.
Harry looked up at the dirty man wearing blue coveralls, pleading him to answer.
"Well young rascal you're in England, aren't you a bit daft. The day well lets see….I think it be April 1st 1972."
Harry stared at the man, 40 years! That means Tom's still in the orphanage… Harry thought for a moment trying to place how old he would be 5 years old! He wouldn't be corrupt at all. Harry quickly ran off the construction site, fleeing the man, even if he called. Once he was far enough away he held up his wand praying that the Knight bus still ran back at this time. A gleaming Triple Decker bus pulled up in front of him.
"Hogwarts please."
Harry quickly climbed on and laid down on a bed, within no time he arrived at the school. He ducked into the library and searched up the location of Tom Riddle. Harry found it quickly and dashed out of Hogwarts. He got back on the Knight bus and told them to step on it towards the orphanage. Harry walked into the room that little Tom Riddle was confined to, he saw the little boy playing on the ground by himself, and Harry raised his wand at him and shouted
"Avada Kervada."
A shot of green spun quickly towards Tom, who turned to see the spell, it hit him and he fell over, like a doll, dead. The workers at the orphanage ran over to where the little boy lay dead and turned towards Harry, looking at him in disbelief, he turned the wand on himself and disappeared before their eyes.
For years after wards there were whispers at that orphanage that a child had died, or disappeared in a green light. More fantastically was the young man who pointed a stick and disappeared as well!
Harry stood over a mountain crag where a little cut in the rock revealed a cavern inside he slowly went about building a hermits life.He realized that by destroying Tom Riddle the world would never have a Voldermort, and he would never be the boy who lived. He couldn't let himself destroy himself, the time paradox was to great.
~ 40 years later ~
Lilly and James proudly brought their oldest son to Diagon alley so that he could get his things for Hogwarts, it was his first year! They walked into the pet shop the last on the list, and only because Harry had been nice to his little sister and repaired her doll that the dog had chewed. Harry looked at all the different animals in the shop remembering that he could only have cat, rat, or owl he looked around. He saw a beautiful snow white owl and walked over to the cage.
"Hello there,"
Harry reached into the cage and pet the owl. Harry looked back at his mom who had been wandering, putting on his best face he said,
"Mom, I want this one, I'll call her Hedwig, she's perfect!"
Lily smiled at him, the owl was a bit expensive, but it was his first real pet, at least it could send letters.
"Alright, well we'll get Hedwig then."
Harry Potter walked out of the shop with his new pet and went to the hotel with his parents not as the boy who lived but as the young wizard of Lilly and James Potter, happy and content in his life as a normal Wizard.
~ The first Harry ~
When Harry turned 51 that year he realized that this would be his first year at school, no one recognized Harry anymore, and he had slowly reentered wizarding life. They asked little about his scar, and even less about his past. He watched in silence as his younger self, the happy one went to Diagon alley. It was greatly different from his own but it made him glad. Had he continued to watch Harry would have seen Ron and himself meeting up for a bit of ice cream before they had to go home.
The world was indeed a different place, the sacrifice was worth it all.
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I Never Existed: I Never Existed
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I Love Cool, Breezy Fresh Air
Personal Stories, Advice, and Support 76 People
RelaxLast night I went out in the yard at the MIL house and just stood there. The breeze was fresh and crisp and the few clouds that fluttered by were illuminated by the moon light. It was just so calm and relaxing. The only thing that would have been better would have been to be on...
mysplitpersonality 36-40, F 0 Oct 28, 2007


text: Following Tebble and Chambers (1982) - Polychaetes from Scottish Waters, part 1 Family Polynoidae. Royal Scottish Museum Studies, Edinburgh - to identify specimen of Harmothoe, one has to look for bidentate or unidentate chaetae. This works very well for larger animals. Younger animals, however, only have a few bidentate chaetae, and one has to look very carefully to find them. Does anyone know another (easier) way to identify the younger specimen? Johan Craeymeersch Netherlands Institute of Ecology Vierstraat 28 4401 EA Yerseke the Netherlands craeymeersch at cemo.nioo.knaw.nl


text: I picked up an X-E1 last week on a whim. I like my Nikon gear, but I felt I wanted something small and easy to take out everywhere. Turns out the camera has rekindled my joy of taking photos. Like the other thread here, I was procrastinating between the XPRO and XE1, but I got a really good deal on the X-E1. I think either of these camera's are the better of each other - end of the day just buy the one you can and enjoy it. Fuji have made a real gem that you should get in and enjoy now! I'm glad I did... X-E1 & 35mm @ ISO200, f1.4 Anway, enough sob story, I just love this thing. I have only the 35mm at the moment and am currently about 500k's from a camera store so the simplicity of one lens on a small highly capable camera is a lot of fun. Here's a few shots from the last few days: X-E1 & 35mm @ ISO640, f1.4 (whoops, under exposed this by 2 stops but recovered OK in RAW) X-E1 & 35mm @ ISO200, f4 I can't put it down – this camera does not beat the specs off other cameras, but it does do one thing no other can for me - it makes me want to go out and take photos. X-E1 & 35mm @ ISO800, f1.4 What have I learnt so far? Just pick the damn thing up and shoot. I love the dials, it reminds me of shooting with my old (broken) Nikon F3. The aperture ring is the same. The build quality is superb. I started a little blog, you can see more here P.S. Can you let me know how the images/site load? (speed wise). Cheers


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If you're like many the end of January marks the time when you realize that you haven't kept up with your New Year's Resolutions.
- You haven't been to the gym in a couple weeks
- You've already cheated on the diet
- That stack of paperwork is still sitting there
- Your inbox is still out of control
While I can't help with everything, your email inbox I can make a suggestion on – slim it down so it doesn't look as large of a task.
First, I'm not going to suggest that you declare email bankruptcy and just delete everything. I'm also not going to suggest selecting everything and hitting the 'mark as read' and 'archive' buttons. I'm going to suggest you create an email DMZ that you can work through as time allows.
If use Gmail for your mail among the many features you have available to you is an outstanding search system (go figure). What we're going to do is create an email DMZ for the year 2012 and then move everything prior to January 1st of 2013 into it.
First thing you need to do is create a new label for your DMZ, I would suggest 2012 DMZ as we're looking to create a place for our left over 2012 emails to go. Once you have your label set up you need to then use the powerful search available to you in Gmail and grab all the emails prior to January 1st. As it turns out it's a single search option with the right data point:
As you can see in the screen capture above the trick is to use the "before" option in the search. When you use this option it's important to not the way the date is entered – four digit month first, two digit month, and then the two digit day. For a lot of folks that format is not what you'd expect and takes a bit to get use to but once you do it's a rather powerful way to write the date (more on that in a later post).
Once you get the search results back you can apply your DMZ label and then archive the whole shooting match out of our Inbox.
I can hear you screaming at me now, "you said we wouldn't archive all that email!" Ok, you got me, yes we did archive it out of your inbox but at this point it's also all tagged with a label so you can find all of those emails in one place, a listing you can work through. Of course you may just decide to leave them all there and not touch them again – that's a choice you'll need to make yourself.
Do you use a DMZ for email or do you just declare bankruptcy and delete everything?


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Richmond lawyer Andy Reinhardt was in Miami last week.
But it was hardly for a vacation. Reinhardt (right) is the new president of the Workers' Injury Law and Advocacy Group, known as WILG (pronounced will-ig). The group held its national conference in South Florida Nov. 12-13.
WILG is a national bar group for workers' compensation attorneys. Founded in 1995, it now has about 800 members in all 50 states.
Its mission, Reinhardt said, is simple: To help injured workers and to advocate on their behalf.
Although workers' comp tends to be a state-oriented system across the country, WILG leaders have found themselves appearing before Congress recently, he said, seeking to educate legislators about their mission.
Reinhardt said he expects to be on the road to DC during his one-year term, and to appear before state legislatures to argue and lobby for and against legislation. Other travel will take him to meet with WILG members and groups across the country. He said he already has his first flight booked, heading to Denver for a meeting of trial-lawyer association presidents later this month.
The group also hosts CLE for its members and maintains a listserv. Reinhardt said that WILG members often are active in the workers' comp section of the American Association for Justice, the national plaintiffs' bar, and in state groups such as the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association.
But the leaders in comp work opted to start their own group 15 years ago, and WILG is, he said, "an organization whose time has come."
Reinhardt said that he had heard that it takes about 10 years for a group like this to take off, and WILG now "has crossed that threshold."
The group hired a new executive director, Jennifer Comer, in January and started a new website this year (www.WILG.org).
Coming from a small firm and knowing what it will take to lead an up-and-coming group this year, Reinhardt hailed the strong support of his law partner, Stephen Harper, and his "patient and loving" wife of 24 years, Monet.
"If you print that kind of thing, I'd like to thank them," he said. Sometimes we do.


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Pantera/Poison Idea
Poison Idea/Pantera 7"
Poison Idea was an American hardcore punk band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1980. 'The Badge' appeared on their 1990 album, Feel the Darkness. The song was covered by Pantera for the 1994 soundtrack to 'The Crow.' This Side By Side series 7in is on purple/bronze vinyl
Item Details
- Number of discs: 1
- Label: Warner/Elektra/Atlantic
- Mono/Stereo: Stereo
- Catalog Number: 541926


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