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The past year has brought so many new drug approvals that even some HIV experts are scratching their heads as they try to figure out how all of these meds work and how they can best be used to treat people with HIV.
Today, we're going to look at one of the new classes, or types, of HIV medications. Called CCR5 inhibitors, this drug class attacks HIV in a totally new way. Helping us to understand this new drug class will be Dr. David Hardy, a researcher and clinician who is the director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He is also one of the leading researchers looking at Selzentry (maraviroc, Celsentri), the first CCR5 inhibitor to be approved in the United States. He'll give us the lowdown on how this new drug class works and put it into context.
Welcome, Dr. Hardy. Can you explain what's so unique about CCR5 inhibitors?
I think the most important uniqueness of this new class of medications is really just that: It's a brand new class of medications that works by what we call a "new mechanism of action," by the way it stops HIV from getting inside of a human T cell. I think that's really the most important thing here because when a medication works by a new mechanism of action, it is predictably going to be active against viruses that have become resistant or non-responsive to our previous classes of medications.
The CCR5 inhibitors are a class of medications that we've never used before. Just last year, in late 2007, the first medication of its kind, called Selzentry, was approved by the FDA [United States Food and Drug Administration] for use in treatment-experienced HIV-positive persons. This offers a really important new advantage to those persons who have become resistant to the previous classes such as the nucleosides [NRTIs], non-nucleosides [NNRTIs], and protease inhibitors [PIs]. Because this medication works in a new and different way, we would not expect those viruses to be resistant to this new class.
Can you describe a little bit how CCR5 inhibitors work that's different from previous HIV medications?
HIV begins its life cycle when it binds to a CD4 (or T-cell) receptor and one of two co-receptors on the surface of a CD4+ T- lymphocyte. The virus then fuses with the cell. After fusion, the virus releases RNA, its genetic material, into the cell. For more on the HIV life cycle, click here.
I think some of the excitement about this revolves around that very point. About 10 years ago, we became much more knowledgeable about how HIV gets inside of a cell. Previous to that time, we thought it was a pretty simple process whereby the virus simply attached to an outside molecule on the human T cell and then basically got pulled in. We now know that the process is a little more complex than that and includes at least three different steps.
One of those steps, the middle step, is one in which the virus has to use a specific kind of receptor on the outside of the cell. The scientific name for it is a chemokine coreceptor. Using a lock-and-key mechanism, the virus has to use a specific type of coreceptor to gain entrance into the cell. The CCR5 inhibitors block that key-and-lock mechanism such that the virus cannot put its key, so to speak, into the lock on the outside of the cell and then interact with the cell in a key-and-lock mechanism sort of way to gain entrance inside the cell.
These new mechanisms of action have been very exciting because our previous classes of anti-HIV medications have worked only after the virus has gotten inside the cell and has already been doing some of its infection processes. This new class of medication works at a much earlier point in the HIV infection cycle so that it blocks the virus's ability to get inside the cell to begin with.
So it's an entry inhibitor.
Exactly. It is classified as a type of entry inhibitor as well as a CCR5 inhibitor.
It's like Fuzeon [enfuvirtide, T-20] in that way.
It is in the same class as Fuzeon. However, Fuzeon works at the third step of the entry process of HIV getting inside of a cell. The two medications -- the CCR5 inhibitor and the fusion inhibitor work in different ways, but they work, as we know so far, probably in complementary ways, where they don't inhibit or compete with each other, but yet, in fact, probably can work together to better block HIV's entry inside of a cell.
Let me just recap this. There are different types of HIV, like HIV-1 and HIV-2, and there are different subtypes of HIV. Now, it turns out, that every single person with HIV has a type of HIV that can enter through different coreceptors on the CD4 cell. Is that right?
When someone first becomes infected with HIV, about 98 percent to 99 percent of the time, whether it's sexual transmission, mother-to-child transmission, and in the majority of injection-drug-use transmissions, the type of HIV that causes infection is what's called a "CCR5-using virus." For short, we just call that an R5 virus.
That's true. One thing that has been really important as we have studied and learned more about HIV is that it's a little more complex than we thought it was going to be. The important information that you just alluded to there, Bonnie, is the fact that we know HIV changes over time. When someone first becomes infected with HIV, about 98 percent to 99 percent of the time, whether it's sexual transmission, mother-to-child transmission, and in the majority of injection-drug-use transmissions, the type of HIV that causes infection is what's called a "CCR5-using virus." For short, we just call that an R5 virus. This happens in almost all persons that become infected with HIV.
Over time, it's been noted that in some persons, the R5 virus -- meaning one that uses the CCR5 coreceptor to gain entrance into the cell, that lock-and-key mechanism we spoke about before -- that R5 virus will change over time. It seems to change at points in time when the person's T cells are falling and when the person seems to be headed for what we call clinical progression or opportunistic diseases that are associated with HIV and AIDS.
This doesn't occur in everyone we know, but it does occur in some people. This transition is called an R5 to X4 viral change. HIV, at some point in its life cycle, will start using a different coreceptor called the CXCR4 coreceptor. For short, we call that the X4 type of HIV. This switch from R5 virus to X4 virus has usually been associated with a declining course of T cells and declining health, so it's something that we've always been kind of concerned about as a signal of bad things to come. We don't know exactly what causes this to happen. We don't know whether it's the virus that changes and causes the T cells to fall or whether it's perhaps the falling T cells that have some effect on the virus. But we do know that about half the people who do go on to die from HIV will have an R5 to X4 virus switch sometime during their decline in T cells.
How does someone find out what kind of virus they have?
The best way to do that right now is through a test called a tropism test, very much like a phenotype/genotyope test -- in fact, it is a type of phenotype test -- that is run by a laboratory in Northern California called the Monogram Biosciences Laboratory. It can determine whether a person's virus is an R5 virus or an X4 virus. The reason that that laboratory test was developed was to be able to determine whether that person's virus would be susceptible to medications that block the R5 receptor, i.e., the CCR5 inhibitors, the drug class that we talked about earlier in this interview. That test is available widely now throughout the United States and it's one that's being done commonly when patients and their physicians are considering using an R5 inhibitor.
It's a blood test, right?
It is a blood test. It is exactly like a phenotype test. It uses the same laboratory technique that a phenotype uses when one is trying to determine which medications their virus might be susceptible to.
Does this mean you can't have an undetectable viral load when you take this test?
That is true. It's just like other kinds of viral resistance tests that require that a person have a viral load of 500 to 1,000. The test that is done is a tropism test, as it's called, or what's called a Trofile test by the brand name. The person must have a viral load of at least 1,000 for the test to be done well.
I understand that testing is pretty expensive. What if a patient's insurance doesn't cover the testing? Is there any sort of program?
In the state of California where I live, both our ADAP [AIDS Drug Assistance Program] program as well as our Medicaid equivalent here called Medi-Cal are covering the tests in patients whose physicians will order it. Insurance coverage so far has not been a big problem.
Most PPO/HMO insurances are also covering it as well. [For questions about coverage of this test, call the test's maker, Monogram, at 1-800-777-0177 or click here.]
Once you find out what kind of virus you have, then you'll know if you can include a CCR5 inhibitor in your treatment regimen, is that right?
Correct. The clinical studies that have been done to evaluate where the CCR5 inhibitors will work best have studied people who have both what we call CCR5-using, or R5-using, virus and also persons who have another kind of virus that contains the X4 type of virus.
These studies have clearly shown that where the CCR5 inhibitors work best are only with the patients who have the CCR5-using, or what we call R5-using, viruses. The other kind of viruses that use X4 are not inhibited by this new medication. So that's why the test needs to be done, because what the test does basically is something very similar to the genotypes and phenotypes that we've been doing for a while. It helps to better define which medications will work against a person's virus.
So CCR5 inhibitors will not work against your virus if you have the wrong kind of virus?
Correct. The study that actually evaluated that situation in which a CCR5 inhibitor in combination with other anti-HIV medications as part of a HAART [highly active antiretroviral treatment] regimen, or cocktail, showed that the addition of a CCR5 inhibitor to a regimen of other anti-HIV drugs did not add any better viral suppression than adding a placebo if the patient had a X4-containing type virus population.
What if you have a mixed population? Is there such a thing as a little bit of X4 and a little bit of R5?
There is a type of HIV that is "bi," so to speak, meaning that it can use both the R5 lock-and-key mechanism and it can also use the X4 lock-and-key mechanism. We call those dual viruses. They can go either way, with R5 or with X4.
Yes, there is. There is a type of HIV that is "bi," so to speak, meaning that it can use both the R5 lock-and-key mechanism and it can also use the X4 lock-and-key mechanism. We call those dual viruses. They can go either way, with R5 or with X4.
Then we also know that HIV really exists as a mixed population of viruses oftentimes -- the viral population can contain both R5- and X4-using viruses. So we group those viruses into one big group called dual or mixed viruses.
Whenever any X4-using virus is found in a person's virus, we consider that to be a type of virus in which a CCR5 inhibitor will not work very well. Any dual or any mixed virus population will not have a good result with a CCR5 inhibitor.
Do most people with HIV have all of one type of virus or all of the other type or do most people have a little bit of each? It sounds very confusing. If I was just diagnosed yesterday, what's the likelihood that I'll have mixed-tropic virus?
Click on the image to view. This video's terrific imagery may help you understand how CCR5 inhibitors work even if the narration is overly technical.
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This is something we've also gotten some very good data on. The type of virus a person has changes over time. About 98 percent to 99 percent of people are infected with only an R5 virus. Rarely are people -- only 1 percent to 2 percent -- infected with a virus that contains any X4-using type virus. If someone has never been treated with HIV medications, what we call treatment-naive individuals, studies have shown that somewhere between 85 percent to 95 percent of those persons' viruses will be R5-using viruses only. Where this virus tends to be much more commonly found is in people who have never taken HIV medications before and in people who have T cells that tend to be higher, say, over 200, rather than lower T cells, say, less than 200.
As a population goes through multiple regimens for HIV, multiple cocktails -- say, after three or four regimens that perhaps have not worked or been tolerated -- the percentage who only have R5 virus declines. After people have been on three or four HIV medication regimens, the percentage of those persons who have pure or only R5 virus drops to somewhere between around 50 percent to 60 percent.
Do you think that these types of drugs are destined to be used in first-line or second-line treatment, since most people who are very treatment-experienced cannot take them?
Right now, I should just point out first of all, that when the FDA approved the first CCR5 inhibitor called Selzentry last fall, that the approval was only for persons who were treatment-experienced: those individuals who had, or are known to have, virus resistant to other HIV drug classes -- basically, the ones who need a new class of medications. That's where the CCR5 inhibitor, Selzentry, is now approved for use.
That medication has not been approved for use in the persons you just mentioned, those who have never taken HIV medication before. Although biologically, based on what I mentioned about how common pure R5 virus is based on the number of regimens a person has been on, the more rational group of people to be treated with this kind of medication would be those who have never taken HIV medication before, because more of them, 85 percent to 95 percent, have the kind of virus that this type of medication will suppress.
There is a study that has been ongoing now for about two and a half years that has been studying the use of Selzentry, the first CCR5 inhibitor approved, in treatment-naive persons. The results were that it was almost as good as a Sustiva [efavirenz, Stocrin] plus Combivir [AZT/3TC] regimen, but not considered to be as fully active in terms of suppressing HIV. The FDA has not ruled on whether or not Selzentry can be used in treatment-naive people.
It makes sense that it will be earlier in the game rather than later, because of all the reasons you mentioned.
It does make sense. I should add that in the treatment-naive study with Selzentry versus Sustiva, while the results were very close in terms of suppressing virus, Selzentry was not quite as good as Sustiva. But, on the other hand, the patients who got the Selzentry did have a significantly higher number of T cells after a year's treatment and also had less side effects in terms of the kinds of side effects that usually make people stop taking their medication, particularly the neurologic side effects that can occur with Sustiva.
More and more we are taking a larger perspective on new HIV medications in terms of how well they may raise a T cell count in individuals and also how well they may be tolerated.
Were there any gender or racial differences seen in the responses to Selzentry?
No, there were not. I do have to say that in the large 1,000-patient study of Selzentry that the FDA used to approve Selzentry, the proportion of women was about 10 percent to 12 percent, so the experience with women is much less than the experience with men, as in many other studies of HIV medications. But looking at that 10 percent to 12 percent of women compared to the men in the study, there does not seem to be any evidence of difference in terms of gender. There were somewhere between about 30 percent to 40 percent of people who were not Caucasian in the studies and again, no difference in terms of race or ethnic group either.
What are the most typical side effects with Selzentry?
The large clinical studies that have been completed with Selzentry have been very good studies for trying to determine what side effects may happen when you add that new drug, compared to adding no drug, meaning a placebo. That kind of study design gives us a very good look at the side effects a new drug may add. Basically, the only side effect that patients reported that was more common with Selzentry versus the placebo was a slightly increased number of colds, what we call upper respiratory tract infections: colds, coughs, that kind of thing. Why an increased number of coughs, colds or respiratory tract infections in the head and neck was more common in people taking Selzentry compared to those taking a placebo has not really been clear.
I think the important thing is that there was no greater number of cases of diarrhea, nausea, headache, fatigue, and the common side effects that are sometimes seen with HIV medications. There were also no neurological side effects that were reported in terms of dreaming, in terms of difficulty with sleeping or feeling groggy.
The other side of the coin that's always important for us is to look at the laboratory side effects. So far there has been no evidence, no indication, that Selzentry has been associated with any problems with liver disease or causing liver disease or liver irritation, kidney disease or kidney irritation, or pancreatic irritation or bone marrow suppression, meaning causing anemia or suppressing one's white blood cell count -- the infection-fighting cells.
When I start patients on Selzentry now, when I sit down and talk to them about what they might expect in terms of side effects, I really have very little to tell them. It's been a refreshing and new sort of way of introducing a new drug to a patient because there have really not been a whole lot of side effects that I can think of that they have to be warned about. It's been a significant advancement that this medication does not carry with it any significant side effects so far.
Do we know if Selzentry has any effect on body shape changes, facial wasting, or fat accumulation?
To date there have not been any specific studies about that that I know of. We often first pick up that kind of thing from what we call "anecdotal reports," meaning that someone will say, "I treated five patients with this medication and three of them came back and told me that their faces were getting thin and not looking so good."
Even the anecdotal reports so far -- of the almost 2,000 persons who have been treated with Selzentry in studies -- have not shown any kind of fat-wasting or fat accumulation, the lipodystrophy problems that we've noticed with other HIV medications. So far so good, of course, we haven't seen anything like that. But, of course, the medication has not been studied in a huge number of patients so far or given to a huge number. It was just approved in the U.S. [in August of 2007] and put on the market in September of 2007.
We do know one thing about it that's kind of interesting, and that is one thing that can sometimes or sometimes not be associated with fat changes in the face and body or what we call lipid changes -- changes in the fatty substances in the blood, like cholesterol and what we also call triglycerides. So far, one large study with Selzentry demonstrated that in over a year's period of time, the change in the cholesterol and the triglycerides was really negligible from where the patient started. Even in comparison to a drug that generally does not cause many lipid changes -- the drug Sustiva -- we've seen so far that Selzentry causes even fewer problems with cholesterol and triglycerides than Sustiva does.
Are there any long-term safety issues that we still don't understand about CCR5 inhibitors? I understand that there were some cancer diagnoses in the vicriviroc [SCH 417690; SCH-D] study. Is there a chance that the CCR5 receptor is more important to normal immune function than we think?
That's a very good question, Bonnie. First of all, let me say that with any brand new class of medication, we really do have to take an optimistic watch-and-wait sort of attitude in terms of looking at what side effects might occur over a long time.
For example, no one suspected in 1996 that protease inhibitors -- which work so well in dropping viral load and helping T cells to come back up -- would be associated with the lipodystrophy problems that occurred by 1998 and 1999 in many patients.
In order not to try to make that same kind of mistake, the studies that have been done with Selzentry in most cases, which have lasted somewhere around two and a half to three years for most patients, are going to be continued for a total of five years. This way the patients will stay in the studies and be carefully observed and we can make sure that if any kind of new and different kind of problems we haven't seen before, such as cancers, such as increased infections, such as anything that may pop up later on in the drug's use for long-term therapy, that those will be caught and will be able to be carefully observed in terms of numbers and how many patients it's occurring in.
I can tell you so far, with Selzentry, there has been no sign that any increased cancers have been seen -- either lymphomas or Kaposi's sarcoma, which are commonly seen in persons with AIDS [advanced HIV], or any other kind of skin cancers or other kinds of cancers at all.
You referred to a different, second CCR5 inhibitor called vicriviroc, which is not approved yet. It's still in the development stages. In one small study with that drug, there appeared to be a potential increase in the number of lymphomas in the persons who got the vicriviroc compared to those who received the comparative placebo treatment. Whether or not that's going to be borne out in larger studies has really not been seen at this time. I think with any brand new class of medications, we do have to be cautiously optimistic about watching and waiting to see what, if any, kinds of side effects may occur down the road.
Have the CCR5 inhibitors, whether vicriviroc or Selzentry, been tested with pregnant women?
They have not been tested yet. In initial studies with new medications, especially a new class of medications like this, the FDA in our country prohibits pregnant women from being given those medications until we know whether or not there are any kinds of side effects that may affect the unborn baby.
We do know that Selzentry is classified as what's called a category B medication. On the FDA range from A to F for a medication's ability to cause birth defects in babies -- A being none, F being "do not ever use that medication in a pregnant woman" -- right now Selzentry is considered to be a B. [This means that in animal studies in which pregnant animals (rats, dogs, rabbits) were given Selzentry and had babies, there was no evidence that birth defects occurred in those animals. Because not enough pregnant women have been given this medication, there's still something to be learned, but so far it looks pretty good.
What about people coinfected with hepatitis C? Can they also take CCR5 inhibitors?
So far there's been no problem with that. In the large studies that were responsible for the FDA approving Selzentry, about 15 percent to 16 percent of the people in the studies had either hepatitis B or hepatitis C. The effect on the liver in those persons was not any more severe or problematic than it was in persons who didn't have hepatitis B or hepatitis C. The safety of the medication in all persons, whether they have hepatitis B or C or not, seems to be very good in terms of liver effects.
What is known about CCR5 inhibitors and HIV drug resistance? Can you develop drug resistance to CCR5 inhibitors if you don't take them on time, just like with other HIV drugs? And if you become resistant to one CCR5 inhibitor, does that mean you're going to be resistant to the others?
Again, I think that's one of those questions that I've heard very little good answers for so far. We do know that in a small number of cases in which someone who is taking Selzentry or vicriviroc, and the viral load was suppressed, but then bounced back up -- what we call a rebound in viral load -- that when the studies in the laboratory were done to look at that person's virus, a very small number of them became resistant to the medication.
There have been some limited studies looking at what we call "cross resistance" between one CCR5 inhibitor and another. So far, that has not been something that has commonly occurred and the different CCR5 inhibitors do seem to continue to work even when a virus may become resistant to one. The clinical application of that has really not been seen yet since only one CCR5 inhibitor, Selzentry, has been used in a fairly large number of patients. This is the only one approved by the FDA and now on the market, so the opportunity to treat a person who has failed one CCR5 inhibitor with a second one has really not been possible.
Besides vicriviroc, are there other CCR5 inhibitors currently being developed?
There is another CCR5 inhibitor being developed by a third pharmaceutical company in the United States that looks like it's going to be a once-a-day given medication. It's still in very early studies. I know I saw results last summer from a phase 1 study, which demonstrated that the drug did have some good short-term activity over a 10-day period in suppressing R5-type HIV. I have not seen more studies on that drug to date.
I guess the one thing that may suggest that the drug may be an improvement is that currently Selzentry is licensed to be given as a twice-a-day drug, once in the morning and once at night. The unapproved CCR5 inhibitors still in development -- both vicriviroc and this other drug I mentioned -- are both given once a day.
Are there ongoing studies looking at how well CCR5 inhibitors work, particularly Selzentry, or are all those studies done?
The studies done in treatment-experienced people -- the trials are called the MOTIVATE-1 and MOTIVATE-2 studies -- are going to be continued out through five years. Most patients are somewhere between two and a half to three years into the study right now. Those studies are going to be ongoing for about another two to two and a half years. The studies in the treatment-naive patients -- that is people who have just started treatment -- those studies are about two and a half years mature and the 700 people in those studies are going to be followed for another approximately three years as well.
I don't know exactly how many new studies the company, Pfizer, who makes Selzentry, is planning. I know that they are starting studies in children and adolescents age 16 and less in order to see what kind of effects it has in children. I think they're also looking at studying more women and more persons of color because the first trials did not have adequate representation of those populations.
I think there's also some interest in studying Selzentry in new and different applications. There's a study on the books or on the drawing board to study Selzentry as a vaginal microbicide -- putting it into a gel that can be inserted vaginally, or perhaps even rectally -- that could block the ability of HIV to be sexually transmitted by blocking its ability to attach to a human cell to begin with. Now that the drug has been approved, more and different kinds of studies are being set up for the future.
Why is it going to be studied as a microbicide?
The primary reason that it's being studied as a microbicide is because we know that when transmission of HIV occurs from person to person, particularly in sexual transmission, that the type of virus that is transmitted from person to person is predictably going to be about 98 percent to 99 percent an R5 virus, the type of virus that Selzentry can block. Knowing that that's the kind of virus that gets through the person's skin or mucosa (the lining inside of a vagina, rectum, or mouth), you would particularly want to block the R5 virus. The type of virus that Selzentry can block is an R5 virus. Therefore, using it as a topical microbicide in the vagina or the rectum would seem to make a lot of sense. That's why it's been chosen to be studied for that purpose as well.
Great. Thank you very much, Dr. Hardy. This has been really interesting.
My pleasure, Bonnie. Thank you.
To find out more about CCR5 inhibitors in development or Selzentry, browse through our collection of articles.


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A message from President Rochon concluding the Ithaca College Mascot Search
Last November Ithaca College initiated a search for an official mascot to accompany our Bombers nickname. Our hope was to select a mascot that would reflect our institutional pride and personify the school spirit that connects us all. As this initiative began, I envisioned it concluding with a mascot that would bring additional life to student events around campus as well as leading the charge on the sidelines and in the stands at athletic contests.


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Your lifestyle may affect your fertility. A healthy lifestyle may contribute to your ability to conceive. Here are some lifestyle factors that have been shown to impact the fertility in some couples.
If you're concerned about any of them, or want to learn more about healthy living, talk to your doctor or fertility specialist.
Smoking strongly contributes to infertility. As well, smoking has been known to increase the risk of tubal pregnancies, cervical cancer and pelvic infections, and has been linked to sperm problems in men.
You should speak to your health care provider about the potential effect of smoking on your ability to conceive. Your health care provider may also be able to help you find a program to help you quit smoking. The Health Canada website, www.hc-sc.gc.ca, has several helpful resources and links for smokers who want to quit.
Body mass index (BMI) is a measure to determine the amount of body fat and amount of lean body mass. It gives a general indication that determines whether weight falls within a healthy range.
Being overweight or obese may reduce a woman's fertility. A body mass index (BMI) of 25.0 to 29.9 is considered overweight, while a BMI of 30.0 or higher is defined as obese. Being obese may increase the risk of infertility, may cause irregular or infrequent menstrual cycles, and may increase risk of miscarriage. For women who are obese, weight loss of 5% to 10% may dramatically improve ovulation and pregnancy rates.
Please be aware that BMI values may not be as indicative of your physical condition if you are very fit or muscular, since muscle mass can increase body weight. However, if you are extremely fit or underweight, you may also have hormonal changes and reduced fertility levels as a result.
For more information about weight management and what you can do about it, talk with your health care provider.
Alcohol consumption has been shown to compromise the fertility of both men and women. If you are trying to conceive, you may want to consider reducing or eliminating alcohol from your lifestyle. Studies have shown that alcohol has the potential to affect the developing fetus, causing fetal alcohol syndrome. For men, alcohol use can damage sperm. Your health care provider can provide you with more information regarding whether or not your level of alcohol consumption could be affecting your fertility.
Prolonged exposure to high temperatures
Prolonged exposure to high heat from hot baths, whirlpool tubs, and steam rooms can lower a man's sperm quality. If you are trying to conceive, the male partner should try to avoid these.
Using lubricants such as petroleum jelly or vaginal creams may affect the sperm's ability to reach and fertilize the egg. While trying to conceive, avoid using lubricants unless one is explicitly recommended by your fertility specialist.
Stress and worry
A recent study surveyed 151 women about their concerns and worries while undergoing ART (assisted reproductive technology) treatments for infertility. The results showed that women who worry about the medical procedure, their finances, or missing work due to the procedure are likely to produce fewer eggs and have less chance of conceiving than women who don't worry. You may want to consult your doctor or fertility specialist about resources available for stress management.
Low-to-moderate consumption of caffeine (less than 300 mg/day, or about 3 cups of coffee) does not appear to lower a woman's chance of becoming pregnant. Some studies, however, have suggested that higher amounts may make it harder to conceive. Caffeine may also have an effect on sperm quality. Caffeine can be found in coffee, tea, soft drinks, and chocolate.
Occupational risks
Exposure to toxic substances on the job, such as pesticides, radioactivity, X-rays, and electromagnetic or microwave emissions, may lead to sperm abnormalities. If you've been exposed or if you're concerned about occupational hazards, talk to your human resources department or person in charge of occupational health and safety at your workplace.
Some medications for heart disease and high blood pressure may cause infertility in men. If you have questions about your medications, talk to your health care provider. Also, before you start a new medication, let your doctor or pharmacist know that you and your partner are trying to conceive, so you can make sure the medications won't interfere with your fertility.
If you'd like to learn more...
If you have concerns about your fertility, you should talk to your health care provider or a fertility specialist. If you make an appointment, read some suggested questions that you might want to ask your health care provider.
You should also see a doctor (find a fertility clinic near you) if you are under 35 and have been trying to conceive for at least 12 months, or if you are 35 to 37 and have been trying to conceive for at least 6 months. Women over 37 do not need to wait 6 months before seeing a doctor because waiting too long to seek help could harm their chances of conceiving.


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Well several months ago I was turned on to the awesome podcast that has been put together by several people from the org here. My son and I listened to several episodes and really enjoied them and gave us some ideas for customs to make!!
So please take a look and leave a comment and most definetly go listen to the podcast HERE
Take a look at some of the awesome artwork for the podcast HERE
Thanks to all those involved in the podcast and especialy D/L
First up is RAMSKULL
For those who have not listened to the podcast he is The faceless ones ENFORCER!!
Second up is Shokoti a pupil at Zalieca's(s/p) school
I am very happy with how Ramskull turned out!! Shokoti she's okay


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- Features
- News
- Arts
- Life
- Community
- Nightlife
- Scene
- Social
Without question, the International AIDS Conference, returning now to the United States for the first time since 1990, is a global affair. From far and wide, the scientists, advocates and activists will come to Washington for a week of nonstop discussions, plenary sessions, keynotes and networking related to HIV/AIDS.
But the particular flavor of the District of Columbia is unlikely to get lost in the mix, whether that's locals building ancillary events to the conference, or directly joining the Walter E. Washington Convention Center mix.
Take the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C., for example. This will likely be one of the chorus's busiest Julys on record, with the GMCW performing at a World Bank welcoming reception July 20, at the convention center July 22 for the conference's opening plenary reception – streamed live starting at 6:30 p.m. via aids2012.org – and July 24 for Whitman-Walker Health's "Return to Lisner." The chorus's Potomac Fever a cappella ensemble pulls double duty, performing July 21 at the National Cathedral for the AIDS 2012/Names Project Interfaith Service.
"As an organization that has lost many members to the AIDS crisis over the past 30 years, it is an honor to be called upon to entertain and inspire the world leaders who have dedicated their lives to treat and prevent HIV," GMCW Executive Director David Jobin offered in a GMCW statement marking the occasion. "The fact that so many of our members have given of themselves over these summer months to prepare and perform when we are usually on hiatus speaks to the importance of the conference and to the honor of being asked to perform."
The GMCW is just a taste of D.C. flavor, though. Another sort of AIDS 2012 entertainment is Sampson McCormick, who has been invited by the DC Community Coalition, local partner of AIDS 2012, to make 'em laugh.
"I'm honored they asked me to come down," says McCormick, awaiting the final details for the show he expects to perform in the conference's PWA Lounge. "They don't usually think to include comedy."
That performance, he reckons, will likely be limited to registered members of the conference, like much of AIDS 2012. Right across the street from the convention center's Mount Vernon Square main entrance, however, in the Carnegie Library, the DC Community Coalition will be setting up shop for the duration, open to all and sharing a perspective of the District through years of HIV/AIDS.
Just beyond the northeast corner of the convention center, the Metropolitan Community Church, at 474 Ridge St. NW, will mark the July 22 start of the convention with special "MCCDC International AIDS Conference Worship Services, then open its doors through the week at 8 a.m. to offer attendees breakfast and morning services – as well as water and air conditioning through the week.


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Under The Summer Stars
The rusted swing set was already in the back yard when we moved in four
years ago. Dad said he was going to get rid of it as soon as we settled in,
but my sisters and I begged and pleaded and got our way. Being new, we were
pretty much ignored by the other neighborhood kids, so we put all our
energy that first summer into making the swing set something of our very
own. We managed to build and decorate a shabby little playhouse against one
end, dad put up two old tires where the broken plastic swings used to be
and we painted it bright green. The fact that we had more paint on
ourselves than the swing set made it even better. Dad grumbled every time
he had to mow around our masterpiece, but we all sat together out there in
the summer evenings, drinking sweet tea, looking up at the stars and
swatting the mosquitoes that thrived in the North Carolina heat.
It was from the top of dads yard work headache that I met my first friend
here. I sat perched as high as I could go, feeling angry, lost and alone,
just like I had all the other times we were dragged to the next military
base and away from the places and friends that we had learned to love. She
came out from the back of the house next door, smiled shyly and waved. I
waved back, and that was all it took to begin a great friendship. Theres
no way I could add up all the hours Anna and I spent out in my back yard,
sleeping in the playhouse, spinning in the tire swings, making plans and
sharing our dreams as the stars moved above us in those wonderful, long
summer evenings.
Those were just some of the things I was remembering that night when I got
the news. I should have known when dad came home with that look on his
face, but he had promised we would never move again, so it had to be
something else. We were going to retire here, or so he said. Four years is
a long time for a military family to be at one place, and it was heaven for
me to actually feel like I belonged. Dad broke the silence with his well
rehearsed and over used speech about what a great opportunity this job will
be out in wherever. This time it was California. I would be the terrified
new girl starting all over again.
My mom and sisters just nodded and began to clear away the table. I threw
open the screen door and ran to the swing set. The tire swing was always
the place I could go to sort things out. The air was stale and heavy, to
match my mood. I began to spin around and around, just like my thoughts.
The stars became streaks of light. How could he do this to us again he had
promised! We loved it here. Didnt that ever count for anything? Why do we
have to keep throwing away the lives that we know for the sake of some
stupid job? Doesnt he care what we think or how much it hurts to say
goodbye? I wasnt thinking clearly, and I knew it.
When youre in the military, it isnt just a job. Theres a bigger
purpose. Im proud of my dad and what he does, and I wouldnt ask him to be
anything less. Its not easy for anyone in the family to leave, but I was
the only one being selfish and not handling it well. In the starlight I
could see dust dancing in the air around the swing set with no particular
place to go, and that was just how I felt in those last weeks of summer.
Were driving through the night, as we always do when were heading to the
next duty station. The warm, humid air whistles through the open windows.
Theres a constant squeak as the suitcases rub against each other. Dad is
trying to find a radio station that will come in clearly. Despite all the
noise, my mom and sisters have managed to fall asleep. My head hurts and my
eyes are swollen from crying. When we left, I couldnt bear to say goodbye
to Anna, so I just waved to her from the top of the swing set like I had
all those years ago. Only now the wave was an end and not a beginning.
As the miles go by, I can see the stars out the window, unchanging, just as
they looked from the tire swing. Even as I drift off to sleep, wishing that
my life could be as constant as those stars, my mind tries to picture our
next house. I cant help but hope theres a rusted swing set in the back
Written by Erin Wiedower
Mother and Marine Corps Wife of 17+ years


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Authorities are still searching for a tugboat that sank in the Mississippi River, prompting the closure of a stretch of the river south of New Orleans over the weekend.
The Mississippi from its mouth to mile-marker 10 was reopened Sunday night to alternating one-way vessel traffic after no navigation hazards were detected. The Coast Guard said in a news release that it was unclear when the stretch of river would be open to two-way traffic.
Authorities are still searching for the 48-foot tug C-Pec, which sank Saturday. The cause isn't known. Two people aboard were rescued.
One cruise ship bound for New Orleans was diverted to Mobile, Ala. A second cruise ship is due in port Monday morning and will depart New Orleans Monday afternoon.


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Zen Studios, the master maker of pinball tables, will offer a free treat by Halloween for all Pinball FX2 owners. Anyone who picks up the free Pinball FX2 platform on Xbox Live can get the Paranormal table for free from Oct. 26 to Nov. 2.
Paranormal's setup involves "solving" a series of supernatural phenomena served up by a "rotatable mini playing field." Mini games, supernatural events, time portals and floating objects all are features of the playing surface.
Over 22 offerings, to date, in the Pinball FX series, Zen has exploited the limitless possibility offered by a virtual pinball table while still grounding the experience in realistic physics and orthodox pinball gameplay. It's one of my favorite games of the year.
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The filibuster's quick return
Welcome back to filibuster city.
The Senate's agreement to approve President Barack Obama's nominees and avoid the "nuclear option" will expire later this week after senators are expected to vote in two new members to the National Labor Relations Board. That's the last part of the deal that expedited seven of Obama's picks, with the president agreeing to choose two NLRB nominees to satisfy Republicans.
Story Continued Below
But there's already a queue forming of new Obama nominees, and Republicans aren't about to lay down and let this group go through.
( Also on POLITICO: Harry Reid ready to go nuclear)
Rep. Mel Watt's nomination to lead a key housing agency appears in peril. The top Judiciary Committee Republican is slowing down Obama's pick to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is hinting at another talking filibuster — this time of the FBI director nominee — in order to get information on the president's drone program.
Even Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who was instrumental in reaching the deal with Majority Leader Harry Reid last week, said he would hold the nomination of Army Gen. Martin Dempsey to lead the Joint Chiefs of Staff until he gets more information on U.S. military intervention in Syria.
The Republican caucus is already experiencing rifts over the white-knuckle deal on the nuclear option. Senators who worked with Democrats voted opposite their leadership, which distanced itself from the agreement through votes against Obama's nominees, reflecting the right-leaning composition of the majority of the Senate GOP and potentially complicating future agreements to avoid rules changes.
( Also on POLITICO: NLRB picks at crux of Senate fight)
"The implication that somehow now Republicans are just going to roll over on these nominations is very wrong," said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, a member of GOP leadership.
"If we've got members who raise red flags about particular nominees, yeah, the rest of us pay pretty close attention to that," he added.
Both sides agree there was no handshake agreement to clear the path for future executive branch nominees. Reid didn't agree to give up his ability to try and alter the rules by a majority vote and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell declined to shelve his members' filibuster abilities.
( PHOTOS: Obama's second-term Cabinet)
In the words of the Senate's No. 2 Republican, John Cornyn of Texas: "We are where we were before. Which is: It takes 60 votes."
So without any deal, the White House and Senate Democrats are left hoping the good will of last week's Old Senate Chamber meeting instilled lawmakers with a bipartisan spirit that will translate to more cooperation in the future.
"Hopefully, everything will be smoother sailing," said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
That said, some Democrats are happy they retained the ability to go nuclear in the future if they don't like the way things are headed on nominations.
"A rules change is absolutely on the table if these delay tactics reappear," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).
Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, a senior Democrat with strong ties to Reid, doesn't think things will get that far. She just spent weeks shepherding through Gina McCarthy's nomination to the lead the EPA, encountering Republicans who boycotted her hearing and asked McCarthy to answer hundreds of questions before she was allowed to proceed.


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Fascinating NYU experiment reveals surprising data on fluid-dynamics for top-heavy airborne structures.
From ScienceMag (video) via Wired Science:
"Think that floating pyramids are more metaphysics than physics? Think again. Results just in from an experiment that levitated open-bottomed paper pyramids on gusts of air reveal a curious phenomenon: When it comes to drifting through the air, top-heavy designs are more stable than bottom-heavy ones. The finding may lead to robots that fly not like insects or birds but like jellyfish.
The researchers placed hollow paper pyramids inside the cylinder. The objects were about 1 to 5 centimeters high and were made of tissue paper or letter paper on carbon fiber supports, like tiny homemade kites. Physicist Bin Liu led the experiments, attaching a beadlike weight to a post running down the center of the pyramid and changing the height of the bead to give the object a different center of mass. Common sense says that the pyramid should be most stable when the bead is at the bottom of the post, like ballast in the hold of a ship. But when the team released the pyramids over the subwoofer, the opposite was true: the bottom-heavy pyramids were likely to flip over and fall, whereas the top-heavy ones remained upright and continued to hover (see first video), the group reports in an upcoming issue of Physical Review Letters.
Zhang's team suggests that flapping pyramid or cone robots could combine stability and maneuverability. They would quickly right themselves if they leaned further than 30° in any direction, but within 30°, they should move freely."
Views: 1685
But aren't both the Imperial Cruiser and a pyramid bottom heavy?
Yes, I know. Imperial-class Star Destoyers also operate in the vacuum of space and have little concern with aero/fluid dynamics - but they do look a little top-heavy, so. i didn't get it either till I read the article ;)
Unfortunately, Lucas owns the copyright on the words "pyramid" & "for". He'd go after you, then he'd sue Pirate Bay for $100 trillion.
Hmm, Lucas is not that bad, please. But, he'd have a hard time defending against lawsuits from Frank Herbert's family, give that so much of the concept of Tattooine was stolen straight of of Dune.
Back to the article, one can say the resultant force is under the cg in the top heavy scenario vs. the force on the bottom heavy scenario (since a force is generated at the pyramid structure). Very possible the resultant force is acting further away from the cg in the top-heavy config, which could lead to more stability.
Then again, the second video showing the swirls is very interesting and likely the real explanation (pushing vs pulling).
P.S. -- This fictional pyramid was more-or-less hollow. It landed over another pyramid, I believe. Fact following fiction?
looks like there are too many sf fans on diydrones
Who would have imagined that people who build robots for fun would also be fans of science fiction? ;-)
On topic, the natural flight correction is particularly interesting to me. I am already thinking of potential applications that would be enhanced by this kind of design.
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Here's the deal: Free agency's role is changing
Impact signings on the wane as teams lock up homegrown talent
One of baseball's topics du jour -- or topics du, uh, whatever the French word for "week" is -- is the supposed "death of free agency." A ton of talent has been locked up for the long haul in recent days, including Justin Verlander, Buster Posey, Elvis Andrus, Adam Wainwright and Paul Goldschmidt.
Take it back over the last few months, and you can include Felix Hernandez, Evan Longoria, David Wright, Chris Sale, Matt Harrison and Allen Craig. Take it back over the last year, and you've got Joey Votto, Cole Hamels, Matt Cain, Brandon Phillips, Starlin Castro, Adam Jones, Miguel Montero, Ian Kinsler and… Good Lord, will there be any free agents available in future winters?
Well, the answer is yes, of course. Free agency isn't really dying. But it is definitely changing, to the point where an increasingly significant percentage of the pool will be made up of short-term solutions and stopgaps, rather than franchise-altering superstars.
"Remember Shrinky Dinks?" said Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto, referring to the once-popular plastic sheets kids could put in the oven and shrink to small plates. "That's the free-agent market. It's the way of the world now."
And it's a great way to ensure some feel of familiarity, both for the players and the fan bases. Not to oversimplify things, but we seem to be returning, in some sense, to the so-called "good ol' days" when teams had an identity based off their homegrown talent. Kids today will grow up knowing Buster Posey is the Giants and Justin Verlander is the Tigers and Giancarlo Stanton is the Marlins. (Well, OK, ignore that last one, but you get the idea.)
"It's easier to be a fan," said Jay Bruce, who is locked in with the Reds through 2017, "when you don't have guys shuffling in and out. You think about the Big Red Machine back in the day. No one left that team. That's why you had eight Hall of Famers on one team. Of course, if you had that today, you might have a $600 million payroll."
There is, indeed, some amazing money to be made in the game today, but we're seeing a greater percentage of players making it with the teams that drafted and developed them. Extensions are nothing new, but the size of these extensions is significant. The Posey, Verlander and Andrus agreements reached in a three-day span this past week were all nine-figure deals. Not exactly the "hometown discounts" we've come to know and love.
"Fortunately for us," Bruce said, "the dollars have become so large that even when you're signing deals with your team early, they're still close to market. I understand the competitive market and not pushing the market down for players coming after you. I respect that, and that's a big part of keeping things on the up and up on our side. But I don't think that guys are just signing anything put in front of them. There's so much information out there that if you do any due diligence at all, you're going to understand [what's fair]."
The definition of fairness has certainly shifted. Many in the industry were stunned to see the Angels give Mike Trout just $20,000 above the Major League minimum after his historic rookie season, because the new norm is to reward guys even in their pre-arbitration years. The guess here, though, is that Trout gets his reward in-house eventually, given that the Angels are pretty well-armed on the economic front.
Now, obviously, the game's present financial trends are not finite. All that TV money floating around today won't last forever. But the immediate future of free agency is sparse, to say the least. Among the noise of the extensions signed this past week was the news that Robinson Cano is switching agents -- from Scott Boras to Jay-Z -- in a move that seems likely to seal his status with the Yankees for the long term.
Take Cano out of the free-agent forecast for 2013-14, and you're left with a position player cast highlighted by the likes of Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo, Hunter Pence, Justin Morneau and Ben Zobrist. Good players all, but they all have their share of question marks preventing them from being labeled as outright "superstars." The pitching stable will be even weaker, fronted as it is by Josh Johnson and his history of health woes.
What we could see, then, are increasingly lively trade markets. It is a fact that priorities and contention windows change and evolve, so there will likely be situations in which big-market teams essentially rescue small markets from backloaded contracts that have albatross potential, with prospects and/or salary relief changing hands. To me, trade transactions are eminently more interesting than free-agent signings, anyway, so the Hot Stove should still burn bright.
That's the takeaway here: There will always be major player movement in this business because, well, it's a business. It's just that, right now, much of that business is being taken care of in-house, and it's going to leave us with some pretty tepid free-agent waters.


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Neb. lawmakers planning to overhaul state prisons
Lawmakers are looking at ways to reduce overcrowding in Nebraska's prison system, with a focus on services for the mentally ill, drug users and inmates who are least likely to re-offend.
Officials involved in Nebraska's justice system considered a series of options Friday during a meeting at the Capitol. State Sen. Brad Ashford says lawmakers will introduce reform proposals when the Legislature reconvenes in January.
Nebraska's nine prisons currently hold about 4,800 inmates, but only have room for 3,175. The Department of Correctional Services has projected that the population will hit 171 percent of its capacity by 2020.
An April report by the Council of State Governments found that Hawaii, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania are each expected to save millions over the long-term by investing in treatment services.


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The nations around Palestine in the ancient Near East have left stone monuments depicting the life of the people and their garments. From Palestine we have few such monuments. Cloth disintegrates, and thus the identification of cloth and clothing is a difficult task. Fortunately, the nations that did leave stone monuments occasionally depicted people from the region of Palestine and Syria. The clothing of the surrounding nations is instructive but not necessarily normative. Yet some significant archaeological evidence does exist, including an ivory carving from Megiddo, from about the thirteenth century BCE, depicting a victory celebration (see J. B. Pritchard, The Ancient Near East in Pictures [1969], no. 332). This carving not only displays actual Palestinian dress but also exhibits the Middle Eastern cultural attitude toward clothing itself. From the court there are the king, wearing an ankle‐length robe (decorated around the neck and on the lower fringe), a knee‐length cloak, and a togalike shawl over one shoulder (decorated similar to a garment worn by the officer in the chariot; thus, this garment may be related to the king's position as head of the military); a prince or priest, wearing a decorated head covering (servants had to cover their heads in the presence of their masters; before the king even the naked prisoners have their heads covered), a decorated cloak that covers his arms to the wrists, a cassock‐type garment that comes to just above the knees, and an embroidered long robe reaching almost to the ground; a musician, with a plain cassock and a lightly decorated long robe; and palace servants wearing a single long robe that reaches to the ankles and to the elbows. Related to the military are a military officer in a chariot wearing an elbow‐length cloak, something covering his arms, and protection over his thighs; a lower‐ranking officer with headgear and short kilt; an armed soldier with headgear; and naked prisoners. The higher‐ranking people wore more clothes; nakedness meant humiliation. Men of dignity cover the entire body, even the legs; the shame of uncovering the legs is described, for example, in 2 Samuel 10.4–5 and Isaiah 47.2.
The earliest form of clothing in the Middle East as elsewhere was apparently leaves. Tribes in the southern highlands of Ethiopia still wear leaves for working in streams and fields. Such clothing is indicated in Genesis 3.7.
The skins of animals were used for clothing at a very early stage and continued in use as a symbol of an ascetic life‐style (see Mark 1.6; cf. 2 Kings 1.8).
Before the development of metals, hair could only be plucked from animals. In spite of this, goat‐hair tents were constructed and felt was pounded out for caps and other uses. Some wool was plucked during the Bronze Age for clothing, but with the coming of the Iron Age shears were invented, which greatly assisted the development of woolen cloth.
Flax, and later cotton, were grown and manufactured into clothing.
The spinning wheel has never reached the Middle East. Spinning was and in some isolated areas still is done by a simple hand‐held spindle. The wool/cotton is first "carded" to make the fibers parallel. It is then formed into long, continuous strips of fibers. These strips are then loosely wound onto a U‐shaped bent stick. The spinner's hand slips through the lower part of the U and the loosely wound strips of fibers extend out of the top of the hand. The second piece of equipment is a thin dowel about 35 cm (14 in) in length, with a wooden or stone crosspiece/weight near the top. The spinner twists the end of the strip of loose fibers into a length of thread, attaches it to the lower end of the weighted spindle, and then hooks the developing thread into a metal catch on the upper end. With a deft flip of the spindle the weighted stick is set spinning and gradually feeds the loose fibers from the other hand into the thread as it forms. The spindle drops as the thread forms. In the meantime the spindle loses speed. The spinner then grasps the spindle, unhooks the thread from the metal catch at the upper end of the spindle, winds up the newly formed thread onto the lower end of that same spindle, again hooks the thread into the metal catch at the upper end of the spindle, and once more twirls the spindle between the thumb and forefinger, releasing it to spin suspended in air like a top, and starts again to feed the fibers into the twist as new thread is formed. The evenness and thickness of the thread formed is related to the style and skill of the spinner. After months of spinning the family will have enough thread to approach the village weaver for the making of a piece of cloth.
Both the vertical loom and the simpler horizontal loom seem to have been used, the latter probably being more prevalent. Four cubits seems to have been a standard width (cf. Exod. 26.1–2, 7–8). Cloth could be made in long pieces for curtains and hangings, or a single garment could be woven entirely on the loom. Thus a seamless robe (see John 19.23) could come from the loom needing only to be trimmed and finished.
Cloth was made more beautiful and attractive in a variety of ways. Patterns in the weave itself were possible. Dyeing was extensively used. Indigo on white wool produced blue, and on yellow wool, green. Madder or kermes created reds. The Tyrian purple was famous for royal robes. The robes seen in the Megiddo ivory described above demonstrate extensive use of embroidery.
Dress in different ages was inevitably influenced by the wide variety of cultures that dealt with or ruled Palestine. Furthermore, specialized clothing existed for special classes and occasions. There were garments for kings, priests, and prisoners, as well as for mourners.
The dress of men was made up of a loincloth, a shirt/robe, and a cloak. Footwear, belt, and headdress completed their attire. Women wore various types of headcovering and in certain periods veils to cover the face.
The loincloth could be cloth or leather and was common to the military (note the soldier in the Megiddo ivory). The shirt/robe was the standard indoor dress for all classes of people; all of the people around the throne in the Megiddo ivory are wearing them. The outer, heavier cloak was the basic garment of the poor; it was doubled for a blanket at night. Thus, the law demanded that such a cloak be returned before nightfall to anyone who had left such a garment in pledge for a debt (Exod. 22.26; Deut. 24.10–13; cf. Amos 2.8). A belt or sash was essential to hold in the loose‐fitting robe, both to protect the garment and to allow for freedom of movement. If in danger of being soiled by menial tasks, a worker would "gird up his loins," taking the lower edge of the robe and tucking it into the belt.
Women traditionally covered their heads. Such a standard was demanded by the rabbis of the first century CE, because the hair was considered a critical part of a woman's beauty, which should not be on display to the common eye. Paul urges Corinthian women to be sensitive to the cultural traditions of the community and not give unnecessary offense (cf. 1 Cor. 11.2–16).
Across the centuries sandals have been the traditional foot covering. Lack of any such covering gradually became a sign of servanthood; hus the prodigal son was given sandals (Luke 15.22).
See also Fringes.
Kenneth E. Bailey


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text: While she is no stranger to the mall chain, Gisele Bündchen stars in Esprit's latest ads for fall. The Brazilian supermodel is featured in stylish shots that represent fashion all over the world: She is seen shopping on Manhattan's prestigious Fifth Avenue, relaxing at a Parisian café, and partying in Downtown Hong Kong. The campaign was styled by French stylist and fashion editor, Camille Bidault-Waddington, and shot by British fashion photographer, David Sims. It's an exciting time for the brand as it also recently partnered with Erin Wasson.


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In October 2015, we announced the end of life (EOL) for the majority of McAfee email security solutions. The following technologies were included in this announcement:
- McAfee Email Gateway (appliance hardware, virtual appliance, and blade servers)
- McAfee Email Protection
- McAfee Quarantine Manager
- McAfee SaaS Email Archiving
- McAfee SaaS Email Encryption
- McAfee SaaS Email Protection
- McAfee SaaS Email Protection and Continuity
- McAfee SaaS Endpoint and Email Protection
To help transition you to another email solution, Proofpoint is the exclusively supported alternative for transitioning from McAfee's email security solutions. Customers who have purchased McAfee SaaS Email Protection services either directly or via a partner in the PartnerFocus program (formerly the MX Logic partner program), can submit service tickets and access reference materials after login at https://support.mcafeesaas.com.
For additional information, including EOL dates and background, please access the following resources:


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The surf in Malé has transformed from rarely crowded to always crowded over the last decade, helped by the fact that the capital has the highest population density in the world. The large, exclusively local crew are becoming increasingly territorial, because resorts on neighbouring islands exclude them (i.e: non-paying guests) from the line-up. This leaves them with effectively 1 wave to surf - Raalhugandu, the main break in town, which luckily, is one of the most consistent and powerful waves in Maldives. Really wedges at low, but the waves get messed up at high by the massive coastal armouring tetrapods that line the beach. When it maxes out on big SE swells, you could surf Rats treacherous lefts on the backside corner of the island or on the next island west, Vilingili, where shallow rights peel in the biggest swells. There's a left beside the runway on Hulhumalé that is seldom surfed, because the tail section is deadly and access is not easy.
Rightly or wrongly, Male's surfers feel aggrieved and will not welcome boat loads of surfers from the resorts arriving to steal their waves. Few surf-tourists end up in Male for any length of time anyway, but if you do surf here, think how you would feel if you weren't allowed to surf your neighbouring beaches and give the locals extra respect.


text: Students are introduced to the unanswered question about the future of Earth's climate. They explore data showing temperature changes over the past 120 years and data illustrating climate trends over different time scales. Students evaluate the information the data provide and consider the limitations of conclusions based on the data.


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Guitar Basics: Strumming an Electric Guitar
Strumming means dragging a pick (or the fingers) across the strings of the guitar. You drag the guitar pick in a downward motion (toward the floor) to sound the chords formed by the left hand, but you don't try to do anything except sound the chords. In doing even that, however, you create rhythm.
If you "pick-drag" in regular, even strokes, one per beat, adhering to a tempo (musical rate), you're strumming the guitar in rhythm. And that's music, whether you mean it to be or not. More specifically, you're strumming a quarter-note rhythm, which is fine for songs such as the Beatles' "Let It Be," and other ballads. For the record, strumming an E chord in quarter notes looks like the notation in Figure 1. Note that rhythm slashes are used to show that you should play the entire chord, as opposed to note heads (which indicate only a single pitch).
The hardest part of learning rhythm guitar is realizing — and then maintaining — all the repetition involved. It's not what people expect when they pick up the guitar and want to learn a smorgasbord of cool licks and great riffs. But being able to play in time with unerring precision and rock-steady consistency is an essential skill and a hallmark of solid musicianship. Most rhythm playing in rock guitar involves a one- or two-bar pattern that gets repeated over and over, varying only where there are accent points that the band plays in unison.
After you learn to play consistently, you can then deviate from the established pattern you lay down and work on your own variations, as long as they're tasteful, appropriate, and not too numerous. Like a rock and roll rebel once said, "You have to know the rules before you can break them."
A downstroke is the motion of dragging the pick toward the floor in a downward motion, brushing across multiple strings on the guitar in the process. Because you execute a downstroke quickly (even on slow songs) the separate strings are sounded virtually simultaneously. If you play three or more notes this way, you produce a chord.
Strumming in eighth-note downstrokes
To get out of the somewhat plodding rhythm of a quarter-note-only strumming pattern, you turn to eighth notes. As the math implies, an eighth note is one half the value of a quarter note, but in musical terms that equates to twice as fast, or more precisely, twice as frequently.
So instead of playing one strum per beat, you now play two strums per beat. This means you must move your hand twice as fast, striking the strings two times per beat, instead of once per beat as you did to produce quarter notes. At moderate and slower tempos, you can do this easily. For faster tempos you use alternating upstrokes and downstrokes. For playing the progression in Figure 1, however, simply using repeated downstrokes is easiest.
Figure 2 uses eighth notes for the first three beats of each bar and a quarter note for the last beat of each bar. The quarter note allows you a little more time to switch chords between the end of each bar and the beginning of the new bar. Isn't that humane?
The term sim. in the music notation tells you to continue in a similar fashion. It's typically used for articulation directions, such as down- and upstrokes.
Reading eighth-note notation
Notice that instead of the previously used slashes, you now resort to slashes with stems (the vertical lines coming down from the note head) and beams (the thicker horizontal lines that connect the stems). Quarter notes have single stems attached to them; eighth notes have stems with beams connecting them to each other. An eighth note by itself, or separated by a rest, will have a flag instead of a beam
An upstroke is just what it sounds like: the opposite of a downstroke. Instead of dragging your pick down toward the floor, as you would in a downstroke, you start from a position below the strings and drag your pick upward across the strings. Doing this comfortably may seem a little less natural than playing a downstroke. One reason for this is that you're going against gravity. Also, some beginners have a hard time holding on to their pick or preventing it from getting stuck in the strings. With practice, however, you can flow with the ups as easily as you can with the downs.
You use upstrokes for the upbeats (offbeats) in eighth-note playing as the strokes in between the quarter-note beats.
When you start playing, don't worry about hitting all the strings in an upstroke. For example, when playing an E chord with an upstroke, you needn't strum the strings all the way through to the sixth string. Generally, in an upstroke, hitting just the top three or four strings is good enough. You may notice that your right hand naturally arcs away from the strings by that point, to an area above the center of the guitar. This is fine.
Upstrokes do not get equal time with their downwardly mobile counterparts. You typically use upstrokes only in conjunction with downstrokes. Whereas you can use downstrokes by themselves just fine — for entire songs, even — very rarely do you use upstrokes in isolation or without surrounding them on either side with downstrokes.
So you should first tackle upstrokes in their most natural habitat: in an eighth-note rhythm figure where they provide the in-between notes, or offbeats, to the on-the-beat downstrokes.


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The Danish Girl is a powerful movie! Eddie delivers an enthralling performance. It is a self-realization sojourn of Einar Wegener, a top-notch landscape painter from Denmark, who unfurls gradually into his true identity. Never leaving his side in a full supportive backdrop is Gerda Wegener, played superbly by Alicia Vikander, who depicts a gorgeous shade of loyal love.
The movie leaves you wondering how bold and resolute Einar Wegner really was, to have pioneered the transgender transformation. In an era of hush-hush, where people looked at you differently, Einar managed to do something extraordinary and unorthodox that is worth an ovation. He wasn't really bothered about what people might say or do. He just cared about finding what he was, in an unwavering fashion.
Plot of The Danish Girl (Spoilers)
The story leaves you in tears owing to the "Gerda-persistence". Not for a second does she stop loving her husband, and accepts Einar's true identity and helps him to achieve his transformation. She wavers once, but that was it. Where will you find such altruistic love?
The performance of Eddie Redmayne is mind numbing as Lili. He wears all the womanly expressions to perfection, with the slight but right blush, blinking of his eyes and that crimsoned smile, he just nails every bit like a pro. So reassuring is his performance that he gets lost into it completely. Really convincing! The music and screenplay are simply outstanding. Well played and intelligently written. Acting A1! Plot superbly woven.
Some bits in the movie unknowingly walk into the clichéd territory, for instance when two French guys beat the crap out of Einar, also the fact that Gerda is crushed 'neath her loyalty towards her husband and requited love, seem more like a revisited enclave.
As The Danish Girl rambles to fruition, the movie begins losing its dramatic quotient and charm that had so brilliantly managed to keep us riveted. Editing goes a little bit dodgy there, and it loses its rhythm. The quiet is overshadowed by the shaky focus as frames change one after the other beating melodrama to pulp. Although right at the climax it peaks once again and makes up for all of it. But, still you are compelled to feel something wasn't quite right during the last bits.
However, overall the movie did justice to the transgender pioneer and the girl who never left his side, Gerda the true hero. A splendid flick!
Check out other movie reviews of flicks of Eddie Redmayne.


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Boy wrecks £22k worth of MacBooks by weeing on them
IT department gets pissy
An 11-year-old boy has been charged with vandalism after relieving himself on a cartful of Apple MacBooks at school, causing $36,000 (£22,170) worth of damage.
The computers, the property of Upper Allen Elementary School in Pennsylvania, were destroyed beyond repair, local publication PennLive reports.
Source: James Cridland
The Upper Allen Township police charged the micturating minor with "institutional vandalism and criminal mischief".
Now I'm no mathematician, but that 22 grand sounds like an awful lot of MacBooks to be that badly impaired by the contents of an under-developed bladder.
I'm sure a wash down and a few sprays of 'Eau de new MacBook' would have them back in computer labs in no time.
Police have promised to turn the boy over to the Cumberland County Juvenile Probation Department. That'll teach him not to upset the Apple cart at school. Badum tish. ®


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Sveriges Domstolars webbplatser använder cookies för att fungera på ett bra sätt. Genom att välja "Jag accepterar cookies" samtycker du till att cookies används. Vill du neka till cookies kan du själv stänga av funktionen via din webbläsares säkerhetsinställningar.
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The tool enables a direct, mechanical translation of the text to be made on the website. Neither the Swedish Courts Administration nor any other authority within the Courts of Sweden (Sveriges Domstolar) can be held liable for the correctness of the translation.
A crime is conduct for which a penalty can be imposed according to law. If you have been a victim of a crime you should notify the police as soon as possible.
In non-emergency situations you should usually contact the local police in the area where the crime has occured. To contact your local police you should either phone them, 114 14, or go to the nearest police station that has a front office open to the public. The emergency number 112 should only be used in the case of emergency situations.
When a crime has been committed the police will investigate what has happened, for example through questioning, investigation of the crime scene and a technical investigation. This is known as the preliminary investigation and it will be led by a police officer or prosecutor. Preliminary investigations are always subject to secrecy.
The police or prosecutor can also decide that a preliminary investigation should be discontinued. This will be done in those cases where, for example, it is not possible to find sufficient evidence for a decision to be made regarding prosecution or where there are no surveillance leads.
If the preliminary investigation is not discontinued it may result in the prosecutor deciding to prosecute a person for the crime. This means that there will be a trial at the district court.
The function of the court is to consider whether the prosecutor, supported by the investigation, can show that the accused has committed the particular crime alleged by the prosecutor.
In the case of less serious crimes, the prosecutor may decide on a so-called summary penalty order instead of prosecuting. This means that the prosecutor, without a trial, decides that the suspect should pay fines. A precondition for this is that the person suspected of the offence has confessed to it. Summary penalty orders are common in the case of traffic offences, for example speeding.
Contact the Swedish Police
Read more at Polisens webbplats (website of the Swedish Police).


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Faith Hill, Brad Paisley + More Rehearse for 2011 CMA Awards
New footage from the 2011 CMA Awards rehearsals has emerged, featuring country's top stars getting ready for Wednesday's show. Spotlights ablaze, hosts Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley warm up for their duet 'Remind Me' and Faith Hill prepares for the premiere of her long-awaited new single 'Come Home' in the video seen below.
Performing in front of a covered wagon, the Band Perry test their solid harmonies on 'All Your Life,' the first love song from their 2010 self-titled release. "It's always been like the Super Bowl in our household," Kimberly Perry says of the CMA Awards. "We would always — when we would watch at home — grab a pizza, all come in front of the TV as a family, make a night of it." The family band says their CMA stage is meant to recreate their 'All Your Life' video, in which they play the part of traveling performers in the Dust Bowl era.
This behind-the-scenes video also captures Martina McBride rehearsing her heartstring tugging 'I'm Gonna Love You Through It,' which narrates the story of a mother of three battling cancer.
Paisley and Underwood sit down to give an update on this year's show, and the hosts say it's shaping up to be some of the most fun they've ever had onstage together. "I think a lot of us are in a little bubble and we don't pay attention to what other artists are doing all that often, and it's kind of nice to see on a night like this," says Paisley. Asked who they're most excited to see this year, Paisley pauses indecisively before Underwood interjects her two cents: "I always look forward to seeing Brad Paisley."
Watch New Footage from the 2011 CMA Rehearsals


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For her Spring 2008 collection, Bar-el didn't pull out the stops when it came to sparkle, vibrant color and flowing silks and chiffons
Coco Johnsen, former model, debuts her highly anticipated Spring 2008 collection during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
Discover an oasis of beauty and love and be treated like a star when you visit Beverly Hills Skincare studio Boniface Skin Care and Batia & Aleeza Hair Studio
Through the collaboration of Urban Shopping adventures and the LA Fashion District, consumers now have the ability to gain a full experience of shopping in Downtown Los Angeles
Day Four of the Palm Springs Desert Modernism Tour includes breakfast at the Riviera Resort and Spa, and a tour of Frank Sinatra's Twin Palms Estate
Day Three of the Palm Springs Desert Modernism Tour includes a tour of the Palm Springs Art Museum, a spa treat named, Taking of the Waters, and dinner at Johannes
Day Two of the Palm Springs Desert Modernism Tour includes a double-decker bus tour of local mid-century architecture, tour of the ACE Hotel and King's Highway restaurant, and dinner at Trio
Day one of a four day journey in the desert oasis of Palm Springs which is in its fifth year of the annual Modernism Week, showcasing the beautiful modern architecture of the once old Hollywood playground
Gen Arts calls on its alumni, fashion industry vets, and Amber Rose to kick off LA Fashion week with a poolside celebration at the Roosevelt Hotel's Tropicana lounge in Hollywood
Warrior Dash is viewed as an extreme sport that takes just as much will power as physical power to defy the obstacles and proclaim to be a true Warrior, but it is the extreme camaraderie between friends
Through the launch of the latest Rozae Nichols collection titled Ian, we are able to discuss the idea of fashion conscious design with noted social journalists and advisors Arianna Huffington and Willow Bay
Monday night Karaoke at Cinespace in Hollywood is the place to be if you are looking to be a star and party like one too
The neuromuscular Disease Foundation held its third annual fundraiser to promote awareness of the disease and honor its supporters
Matters On Design team up with Kia Motors and bebe to present fun, fashion, and a focus on style at The Grove in Los Angeles
KM2 Shoes is the next big then in shoe design that incorporates vintage beading, jewelry, and feathers that can be tailored for each shoe-loving fashionista
The Kardashian clan host the grand opening of Famous Cupcakes - Beverly Hills
Hills co-star Kristin Cavallari hosts Unite Unveiled featuring the unveiling of Gen Art's Fresh Faces of Fashion for Rock Fashion Week
Bebe Presents Edwardian Fashion show brought out a crowd of fashion lovers all looking to catch a glimpse of the line
Shawne Merriman's Lights On Foundation Hosts its 3rd Annual celebrity-studded event Lights On Bowl at Hollywood hotspot Lucky Strikes Lanes
Project ETHOS presents Pop Universe, a showcase of fashion, music, and art helping to bridge gaps and build the community
Gina Starbuck, cast member of Wicked The Musical, host Art 4 Life 2 in support of the American Cancer Society
Tart Collections Spring 2008 line leaves a blazing trail of fiercness at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and fashion lovers drooling and clamouring for more
See how fashion really rocks as Eric Kim, Founder and Designer of the Monarchy Collection, discusses how the label cultivated itself into creating one of the hottest fashion trends around
Baron Davis and Paul Pierce host the 2nd annual celebrity and nba basketball game and surrounding events in an effort to raise funds and awareness for inner-city communities and its youth
Trifecta Lounge and Sports Bar is bringing sexiness back to Downtown Los Angeles and Darran Matthews of ADM Productions has made the venue home to Rock Star Fridays
Gina Starbuck and other members of the Los Angeles Wicked cast, show their support of the American Cancer Society by holding a silent auction and musical vignettes at Facade - Hollywood
Memorial Day Weekend just got hotter as the 21st Annual JazzReggae Festival prepares to take over UCLA's Intramural Field with musical artists such as Jill Scott, Lupe Fiasco, Luciano and Cham
Day 1 "Jam Day" of the UCLA JazzReggae Festival kicks the two-day event off with performances by Lupe Fiasco and Jill Scott
"Reggae Day" at the 21st Annual UCLA JazzReggae Festival showcases performances from people like Luciano and Cham
On April 19, 2007, the H.E.L.P. Malawi Foundation along with actress Mena Suvari, Lubov Azria and prominent jewelry designer Lori Leavitt, hosted an event to launch the Panthera Jewelry Collection at the Max Azria store in Los Angeles, CA
The W Los Angeles - Westwood & Guy Hepner Contemporary
announce the opening of the latest W Hotels White Space exhibition, "In My Stairwell," by award winning & celebrity photographer Mark Seliger
Directives West showed us what the hottest trends in fashion would be for Fall 2007 during its shows "L.A. Over Easy" and "L.A. Blueprint" which debuted the Paris Hilton Sportswear collection at the California Market Center in Downtown Los Angeles
Hosts Lubov Azria, Mena Suvari and jewelry designer Lori Leavitt will be debuting the Panthera jewlery collection in support of H.E.L.P. Malawi - a foundation designed to spread hope, education, love and protection to the children of Malawi
Kitten Magazine defines everything that's hot in the world of fashion Spring Love
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week kicked off at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, CA (outside of Los Angeles) and the hype surrounding the show proved to be a lot more than hype as celebrities, wannabe celebrities, journalists and everyone in-between made their way into the swanky lounge that played center stage to the madness
Christian Audigier, the designer of Ed Hardy, shows that he knows Rock & Roll and fashion, with the prominent display of his Fall 2007 collection to a packed house of fashion lovers including Janice Dickinson and Jenna Jameson
The Museum of Television and Radio hosted its 24th annual William S. Paley Television Festival at the Directors Guild in Los Angeles, CA
I interviewed the creative team behind Tart Collections as they premiered their Fall 2007 collection during Mercedes-Benz Fashion week in Los Angeles, California
Rising designer and former musician Sterling Williams showcases his avant-garde men and women fashion designs during a soft fashion show at Crustacean in Beverly Hills
Brazilian Nites annual Carnaval made its way back to The Queen Mary in Long Beach,California for a fun-filled night of song, dance, food and drink


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What are you doing New Year's Eve?
I'll be performing in two shows at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank, CA on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2015. One show rings in New Year's on the East Coast, the other on the West Coast. Both are in the club's YooHoo room feature an amazing line-up of comedians, and me. Tickets are $25 and include the show, party favors and a champagne toast! 2 item minimum applies. Click on the show you're interested in for more information and to purchase tickets!
Hope to see you there!


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Carrot, Parsnip & Maple Flavour Soup (v)
Topped with root veg crisps, pea shoots and served with ciabatta bread.
Chester Road, Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, West Midlands, B36 0AG 0121 748 7675
Open today: Opening Hours: (Monday) 8am-11pm (Tuesday) 8am-11pm (Wednesday) 8am-11pm (Thursday) 8am-11pm (Friday) 8am-11pm (Saturday) 8am-11pm (Sunday) 8am-11pm Upcoming Holidays: Christmas Eve 8am-11pm Christmas Day 10am-11pm Boxing Day 9am-11pm Fri 27th Dec 9am-11pm Sat 28th Dec 9am-11pm Sun 29th Dec 9am-11pm Mon 30th Dec 9am-11pm New Years Eve 8am-11pm New Years Day 9am-11pm Thu 2nd Jan 8am-11pm
There are some things you can always count on to make Christmas Day truly special. Like sparkling lights, presents under the tree, shimmering decorations and mistletoe. Oh, and let's not forget, a delicious roast at Toby Carvery.
At the Home of the Roast, we'll be serving up our much-loved carvery, with some added Christmas Day magic for good measure!
Choose from 5 perfectly cooked meats, including lamb, before helping yourself to freshly steamed veg, perfectly ruffled roasties and pigs in blankets, all from just £47.99.
So, leave the cooking at home this year, and pull up a chair for a truly memorable Christmas Day with your loved ones in our comfortable, festive, surroundings.
Please note: A £10 non-refundable deposit per guest is payable at the time of booking. Full payment for Christmas Day is required by 1st December 2019.
To make a booking, head to our bookings page, call Toby Carvery Castle Bromwich or speak to our Christmas Coordinator in house. If you have special requirements or are booking a large party, let us know in advance so we can do our best to accommodate you.


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international law
international law, body of rules considered legally binding in the relations between national states, also known as the law of nations. It is sometimes called public international law in contrast to private international law (or conflict of laws), which regulates private legal affairs affected by more than one jurisdiction.
Sections in this article:
- Introduction
- Evolution of International Law
- Nature and Scope
- Bibliography
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: International Law