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Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
- What Is Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma?
- NHL Classification
- Clinical Presentation
- NHL Diagnosis and Staging
- NHL Treatment
- Treatment Toxicities and Complications
- Prognosis for NHL
- On the Horizon
- Selected Sources
The use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and effective prevention and treatment strategies for opportunistic illnesses (OIs) have dramatically increased survival for people with HIV disease. As a result, there is a growing focus on serious complications that may arise during the course of illness, including AIDS-associated malignancies (cancers). Current AIDS-defining malignancies include Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma, systemic non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), and invasive cervical cancer. This article will review systemic NHL.
What Is Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma?
Lymphoma is a cancer characterized by rapidly dividing, abnormal lymphocytes, which are white blood cells that comprise part of the immune system. One type of lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, has a unique appearance under the microscope, as well as a typical clinical course and treatment. All other types are collectively termed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Only NHL is currently considered to be an AIDS-defining illness, though there is accumulating evidence that Hodgkin's disease may also occur with increased frequency in HIV-infected individuals.
While HAART has reduced the rate of OIs in people with HIV, its overall effect on the incidence of NHL is not clear. NHL occurs in approximately 5-10% of HIV-positive individuals, typically late in the course of their disease. Due to this late presentation, NHL is the AIDS-defining diagnosis in only 3% of AIDS cases, but eventually accounts for up to 16% of AIDS-related deaths.
Although the precise cause of NHL is unknown, multiple studies have shown that compared with the general population, HIV-positive individuals have a 200- to 600-fold increased risk of developing NHL, particularly the more aggressive subtypes. This much higher incidence in the HIV-positive population is attributed to two main causes. The first has to do with altered immune function. Reduced numbers of functional CD4 cells in people with HIV leads to impaired immune surveillance, or failure to recognize and destroy abnormally multiplying cells. In addition, there is evidence that several lymphocyte-signaling molecules -- such as interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 10 (IL-10), and chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) -- play a role in the development of NHL in people with HIV, possibly due to abnormal stimulation of cell proliferation (rapid reproduction or replication).
The second main cause of increased NHL in people with HIV has to do with the role of viruses. Continuously multiplying HIV constitutes a chronic (long-term) stimulus for proliferation and activation of lymphocytes. Over time, this constant lymphocyte hyperactivity may progress to an unchecked, cancerous state. In addition, HIV viral genes have been found to integrate into the DNA (genetic material) of human macrophages, another type of white blood cell, thereby inducing these immune cells to overproduce signals that stimulate lymphocytes. Finally, other viruses -- such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV, the cause of mononucleosis) and human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8, associated with KS) -- also have been implicated in certain subtypes of NHL, though their exact roles remain unclear.
NHL Classification
Although the malignant, or cancerous, cell type in NHL may be either B cells (lymphocytes that produce antibodies) or T cells (lymphocytes that attack infected or cancerous cells directly), the overwhelming majority of NHL in people with HIV is of the B cell type.
Traditionally, the different types of NHL have been classified according to the Working Formulation proposed in 1982, which categorizes lymphomas according to the appearance of the malignant cells (small-cleaved vs large), their growth pattern in lymph nodes (follicular vs diffuse), and the aggressiveness with which they multiply and spread (low, intermediate, or high grade). Thus, a low-grade, follicular, small-cleaved B cell lymphoma would have a more indolent, or slow, course than an intermediate-grade, diffuse (widespread), large cell lymphoma.
Over the past two decades, new technologies have enabled more sophisticated characterization of malignant lymphocytes beyond simply describing their appearance under the microscope. Specifically, immunophenotyping and flow cytometry are techniques that identify specific marker molecules, such as CD4 and CD20, found on the cell surface of lymphocytes. By identifying the specific surface marker signatures of various lymphomas, and also by detecting certain chromosomal (genetic) abnormalities specific to these lymphomas, it is now possible to tease apart types of NHL which previously had been lumped together due to their similar appearance under the microscope, but which are actually separate disease entities with different clinical courses and prognoses. Thus, the new Revised European-American Lymphoma Classification and World Health Organization (REAL/WHO) system now includes 23 subtypes of B cell and T cell NHL.
Most common among the HIV-positive population are the more aggressive (intermediate- and high-grade) subtypes such as Burkitt's lymphoma, diffuse large cell lymphoma, immunoblastic lymphoma plasmacytoid, and anaplastic large B cell lymphoma. Only the high-grade, more aggressive forms of NHL are considered AIDS-defining, though individuals with HIV may have an increased risk of low-grade NHL as well.
Clinical Presentation
The most common symptoms heralding the onset of NHL in people with HIV are the so-called B symptoms, which consist of unexplained fevers, drenching night sweats, weight loss (more than 10% of normal body weight), and fatigue. If lymphoma cells take hold and grow in the peripheral lymph nodes, such as those in the neck or groin, the individual may begin to notice painless, firm, enlarging lumps in these areas. As noted above, people with HIV tend to develop the more aggressive, high-grade subtypes of NHL. For this reason, approximately two-thirds of individuals already have widely spread (late-stage) disease at the time of diagnosis, with up to 90% presenting with extranodal lymphoma (i.e., lymphoma that has progressed beyond the lymph nodes).
The most frequently involved extranodal site (in up to 33% of people) is the bone marrow, where white and red blood cells and platelets (cells that assist in blood clotting) are produced. When lymphoma cells infiltrate the bone marrow, they displace the normal precursors of white cells, red cells, and platelets, leaving no room for normal blood cell development. As a result, a person presenting with bone marrow involvement may have a low white blood cell count (contributing to increased risk of infection), a low red blood cell count (anemia, contributing to fatigue and breathlessness), and/or a low platelet count (contributing to easy bruising or bleeding).
The gastrointestinal tract (stomach and intestines) and liver are involved in approximately one-quarter of NHL cases, leading to symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, constipation or diarrhea, and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes). Lymphoma in the rectum may occur, and present as a local mass or pain on defecation. A work-up (thorough diagnostic examination) of any new rectal mass in a person with HIV, especially if other systemic symptoms are present, should include a biopsy (removal of tissue for study) prior to excision (total removal) to rule out the possibility of lymphoma.
Central nervous system (CNS) involvement is found in approximately 20% of HIV-positive people with NHL at the time of diagnosis. In these cases, malignant lymphocytes typically are found within the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the meninges, the membranes that encase the brain and spinal cord. CNS involvement is frequently asymptomatic, but a person may experience headaches, back pain, nausea, and sensitivity to light, similar to the symptoms of infectious meningitis (inflammation of the meninges). In cases of more aggressive CNS involvement, lymphomatous masses may become implanted in the meninges, or they may invade the brain itself, leading to more significant symptoms such as altered mental status and facial weakness or paralysis. [Ed. note: CNS involvement in NHL is distinct from primary CNS lymphoma, which originates as a mass in the brain or spinal cord and is usually associated with the Epstein-Barr virus. Unlike NHL, primary CNS lymphoma generally does not occur in people with more than 50 CD4 cells/mm3.]
NHL Diagnosis and Staging
Typically, a person with HIV/AIDS might present to a healthcare provider with some combination of the symptoms described above, for example, intermittent fevers and night sweats, fatigue, abdominal bloating, and an enlarged lymph node in the neck. The diagnosis of NHL is made with a needle biopsy of the lymph node, followed by microscopic examination and flow cytometric analysis of the tissue sample by a pathologist (a specialist who identifies diseases by examining cell and tissue samples).
If a needle biopsy does not reveal the presence of lymphoma, the node should be excised (removed) and examined to definitively rule out lymphoma. If there is no enlarged lymph node readily visible for biopsy, imaging studies may be done, such as a chest x-ray or a computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest and abdomen. If imaging reveals enlarged internal lymph nodes or masses, then a biopsy is performed guided by CT or ultrasound.
After the pathologic tissue diagnosis of NHL is made, the clinical stage of the disease must be determined. More advanced stages portend a worse prognosis (prospect of recovery and survival) and require more aggressive treatment. The Ann Arbor staging system is a scheme initially devised for staging Hodgkin's lymphoma, but it applies to NHL as well. It is based on the concept that lymphoma cells spread first through the lymphatic system to various lymph node groups, and from there to extranodal organs. Thus, there are four stages that correspond to increasingly distant spread of disease and worse clinical prognosis:
Stage I refers to NHL found in only one lymph node region -- for example, an enlarged neck lymph node -- but no other disease.
Stage II refers to disease involving two or more lymph node regions on the same side of the diaphragm (the large sheet of muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity), for example, enlarged lymph nodes in both the neck and chest.
Stage III disease involves lymph node groups on both sides of the diaphragm, for example, in the neck and groin.
Stage IV refers to widely spread disease that involves other organ systems, such as the CNS, the bone marrow, or the gastrointestinal tract.
To determine disease stage, several tests are performed at the time of diagnosis. CT scans of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis help to determine the extent of involvement of lymph nodes and extranodal organs. A bone marrow biopsy is performed to look for malignant lymphocyte infiltration. Under local anesthesia, a biopsy needle is inserted into the posterior iliac spine (the back of the pelvis) and a small amount of marrow is withdrawn and examined under a microscope for the presence of malignant lymphocytes. Similarly, a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) is performed to look for CNS disease. Again under local anesthesia, a needle is inserted into the space surrounding the spinal cord at the level of the lumbar spine, and a small amount of CSF is withdrawn and examined microscopically for the presence of malignant cells.
The blood level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is checked, as this enzyme, produced by rapidly dividing lymphocytes, provides a prognostic index that reflects disease burden (i.e., how extensively the lymphoma has spread). Also, uric acid levels are checked, because this byproduct of lymphocyte proliferation can potentially cause kidney failure. Finally, all patients undergo basic blood tests to determine levels of white and red cells and platelets, as well as to assess liver and kidney function.
Two other tests are typically performed at the time of diagnosis, but these are done for treatment-related reasons rather than for staging purposes. The first is a functional imaging study, either a gallium-67 scan or positron emission tomography (PET). For these tests, the individual is first injected with a harmless radioactive substance that is taken up by cells with very high metabolic rates, including rapidly dividing malignant lymphocytes. These areas of uptake then light up on the scan, showing the location of the lymphoma. The gallium-67 or PET images complement the CT scans and serve as a useful baseline for disease location.
Often after NHL is treated, repeat CT scans reveal residual masses in lymph nodes or extranodal organs. This does not necessarily mean that treatment has failed. In some cases, although all the malignant lymphoma cells have been eliminated, residual scarring and swelling remain, which a CT scan cannot differentiate from actual lymphoma. Here lies the utility of a functional study. When the gallium-67 or PET scan is repeated, the masses noted on the CT scan can be checked for radioactive uptake. If these areas continue to light up, as they did in the baseline functional study, then the residual masses indeed represent persistent lymphoma. On the other hand, if the masses do not light up, then the residual areas noted on the CT scan can safely be regarded as simple scarring, not persistent disease.
The second test that may be performed for treatment purposes is an echocardiogram (ECHO), a noninvasive imaging method that uses ultrasound to visualize the chambers of the heart and to ensure normal contractile function. One class of chemotherapeutic drugs used to treat NHL -- the anthracycline class, specifically doxorubicin (Adriamycin) -- can cause cumulative damage to heart muscle. For this reason, a baseline ECHO is done prior to initiation of therapy (see below). While it is often acceptable to forgo an ECHO in young, otherwise healthy individuals, this study is essential in older people and those with known cardiac disease, or whenever there is doubt regarding a person's baseline cardiac function.
NHL Treatment
The approach to treating NHL in people with HIV largely depends on its grade and stage. As previously noted, the overwhelming majority of NHL in people with HIV consists of intermediate- to high-grade aggressive disease. Accordingly, the majority of existing data, and most of the discussion in this article, pertain to this type of disease rather than low-grade NHL, which is relatively less common in people with HIV.
Briefly, low-grade NHL has a more indolent nature and is associated with longer survival. Paradoxically, because low-grade NHL cells grow and divide more slowly, they are relatively resistant to chemotherapy, which kills only rapidly dividing cells. Stage I or II low-grade NHL, which is localized by definition, can be treated with radiation therapy. Radiation produces up to a 50% relapse-free survival rate at 10-15 years in the HIV-negative population. Treatment for stage III or IV low-grade NHL ranges from simple observation, to single agent chemotherapy, to full-strength combination chemotherapy.
Localized stage I or II intermediate- or high-grade disease historically has been treated only with local radiation therapy. In this procedure, a radiation oncologist (cancer specialist) carefully maps out and marks the region of the body that contains the lymphoma, and this field is then irradiated using a machine resembling an x-ray scanner that emits a strong beam of radiation. Daily sessions last approximately 15 minutes, and the full course is given over a period of 3-4 weeks. More recent studies have shown that combining radiation with chemotherapy leads to improved response and survival rates. Thus, the current standard of care for stage I or II intermediate- and high-grade NHL is radiation therapy along with a short course of combination chemotherapy, typically the CHOP regimen.
The CHOP regimen consists of four drugs: cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan, Neosar), hydroxydaunorubicin (doxorubicin), vincristine (Oncovin), and prednisone. CHOP is typically given every three weeks. On the first day of each 21-day cycle, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and vincristine are infused intravenously (into a vein) over several hours. Prednisone is given orally on days 1 through 5. Over the next three weeks, the patient is monitored for signs of infection and for significant drops in blood cell counts, and side effects such as nausea are treated until the cycle repeats.
While the optimal treatment for stage I and II NHL consists of three cycles of CHOP along with radiation therapy, treatment for stage III and IV disease relies on chemotherapy alone, since the lymphoma is too widespread to be included in a radiation treatment field. Over the years, multiple studies in the HIV-negative population have investigated a variety of chemotherapy regimens, but none have been shown to improve upon the survival benefits of CHOP. Thus, the current standard of care for stage III and IV intermediate- to high-grade NHL in people with HIV consists of six cycles of CHOP. However, the question as to whether other regimens are more effective in this population is still under investigation. (See "Clinical Trials" in this issue for currently enrolling studies.) Occasionally, the six cycles of CHOP are followed by a course of local radiation therapy to sites of residual disease. If CNS involvement is documented or strongly suspected, another chemotherapeutic agent -- either methotrexate or cytarabine (Cytosar-U, DepoCyt) -- is infused intrathecally into the CSF (similar to a lumbar puncture) once weekly for four weeks.
Treatment Toxicities and Complications
The most common side effects of treatment are the toxicities caused by chemotherapy and radiation. With respect to CHOP, the main toxicities of cyclophosphamide include bone marrow suppression (resulting in low white and red blood cell and platelet counts), nausea and vomiting, hair loss, and (rarely) urinary bladder inflammation.
Toxicities of doxorubicin include bone marrow suppression; nausea and vomiting; hair loss; irritation of the gastrointestinal mucosa (mucous membranes); and cumulative, dose-related heart muscle damage. The lifetime dose of doxorubicin cannot exceed a specific limit, beyond which there is a serious risk of heart failure.
The main toxicity associated with vincristine is peripheral neuropathy, which can manifest as numbness or tingling in the hands and feet. Prednisone's side effects include bloating, fluid retention, sleep disturbances, psychosis, elevated blood sugar, and gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining).
The side effects of local field radiation depend on the area being irradiated, but generally include local skin and mucous membrane inflammation, gastrointestinal distress (e.g., diarrhea), and possibly bone marrow suppression.
Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) is another concern when starting chemotherapy, especially in people with stage III or IV lymphoma and a heavy disease burden. The rapidly dividing malignant lymphocytes are often exquisitely sensitive to chemotherapeutic drugs, and many millions of these cells may die and rupture, or lyse, in the first hours of chemotherapy. Like all cells, lymphocytes contain high levels of potassium, phosphorus, and uric acid. These products are released into the bloodstream in large amounts when the lymphocytes rupture, potentially leading to electrolyte disturbances that can cause irregular heartbeat, kidney failure, and death if left untreated.
In people with a heavy disease burden at diagnosis, measures should be taken before and during chemotherapy to avoid TLS. Allopurinol (Zyloprim), a drug that inhibits the production of uric acid, may be started a few days before chemotherapy. During chemotherapy, copious intravenous fluids are given to wash out and rapidly eliminate the accumulating TLS products. Bicarbonate is also sometimes given to alkalinize the blood and urine, facilitating elimination. Finally, in people at high risk for TLS, blood electrolyte levels are checked frequently to monitor and rapidly correct any abnormalities.
Immune suppression due to chemotherapy is perhaps the treatment-related issue that has received the most attention in people with HIV. As described previously, one of the major side effects of most chemotherapeutic agents is bone marrow suppression, which may cause a drop in levels of white blood cells, specifically neutrophils that fight infection. Neutropenia (low neutrophil count) following chemotherapy results in greater vulnerability to infection, especially in HIV-positive people who are already immunocompromised. Thus, in the pre-HAART era, up to 50% of NHL deaths in people with HIV were attributable to treatment-related OIs. To address this problem, several clinical trials were performed comparing the standard CHOP regimen with less immunosuppressive, reduced-dose chemotherapy regimens. These studies demonstrated that lower chemotherapy doses indeed caused less neutropenia and were just as effective in terms of survival.
The HAART era has brought a return to full-dose chemotherapy regimens such as CHOP for people with HIV. HAART increases CD4 cell counts, reduces HIV viral load, decreases the risk of OIs, and often leads to immune reconstitution. Because of these immune-boosting effects, rates of OIs in people on HAART who receive full-dose chemotherapy have decreased dramatically. Thus, the current standard of care is to integrate HAART with full-dose chemotherapy as early as possible in the treatment of NHL, while keeping in mind possible antiretroviral toxicities. For example, AZT (zidovudine, Retrovir) can suppress the production of neutrophils to such an extent that it may be preferable to substitute another anti-HIV drug for the duration of chemotherapy.
Several other measures may be taken to minimize the risk of infection. Immediately after the completion of chemotherapy, subcutaneous injections of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF, filgrastim, Neupogen) may be given. GCSF is a natural hormone that stimulates the production of neutrophils. Regular use of GCSF in people with HIV after chemotherapy for NHL helps to reduce the incidence of neutropenia and fever, as well as the length of hospital stays. It also allows for fewer reductions in chemotherapy doses and fewer treatment delays. Antibiotic prophylaxis (preventive treatment) against Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) also should be provided to all HIV-positive individuals receiving chemotherapy for NHL. Antimicrobial prophylaxis against Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) should be given to those with CD4 cell counts below 50 cells/mm3.
Prognosis for NHL
Large retrospective studies in the general population have identified several key factors that determine good response to therapy and favorable overall prognosis. These factors, which comprise the International Prognostic Index (IPI), include age below 60 years, LDH enzyme levels within normal limits, early disease stage, no more than one site of extranodal disease, and a good overall performance status (ability to carry out activities of daily life). In the HIV-negative population, stage I NHL and a favorable IPI is associated with a five-year overall survival rate of 94%. Stage II NHL and one poor IPI risk factor is associated with a five-year overall survival rate of 70%. Stage I or II NHL with three poor IPI risk factors reduces the five-year overall survival rate to 50%. Stage III and IV NHL have a five-year overall survival rate of 50%, but this drops with additional poor IPI risk factors.
The prognosis for NHL in people with HIV is worse than that for the HIV-negative population because the former generally present with high-grade, aggressive, late-stage disease. Favorable prognostic factors in HIV-positive NHL patients include a CD4 cell count greater than 100 cells/mm3, age below 35 years, a normal LDH level, early disease stage at diagnosis, good performance status, no history of a prior AIDS-defining illness, use of HAART, and an adequate initial response to therapy.
Unfortunately, even among those who initially have a complete response to NHL therapy (up to 70% in people with HIV), 25% experience relapse (return of illness) within six months. In the pre-HAART era, this translated into an average survival period of 5-8 months. Since the introduction of HAART and the return to full-dose chemotherapy, several studies looking at various regimens have found improved average survival times, ranging from 18 months to as long as 53 months, though such results have not been consistently borne out in larger clinical trials.
For those who relapse or do not respond to initial treatment, the prognosis is grim. A variety of more potent, experimental chemotherapy regimens have been investigated, but these are associated with significantly increased toxicities. Whether such therapies in conjunction with HAART will improve the outlook for HIV-positive people with relapsed or refractory (treatment-resistant) NHL is not yet known.
On the Horizon
Clearly, the poor prognosis of NHL in people with HIV demands continued exploration of new treatments. One of the most promising approaches is the use of immunotherapy. The most well-known and effective of these -- already widely used in the HIV-negative population -- is rituximab (Rituxan), a human/mouse hybrid antibody that targets the CD20 antigen found on the surface of up to 95% of NHL lymphocytes. Studies reported in 2002 demonstrated that in the HIV-negative population, the addition of rituximab to CHOP increased the complete response rate as well as overall survival in elderly patients. A similar large trial in people with HIV has recently been completed and results are expected to be presented later this year.
Variations on the anti-CD20 antibody theme are also in development. Tositumomab (Bexxar) and ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin) are anti-CD20 antibodies linked to radioactive agents. When they bind to malignant lymphocytes, their radioactivity helps to destroy the cells. At present, their use in individuals with HIV remains investigational.
Another novel tactic for treating NHL in people with HIV is the use of high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous (self-derived) bone marrow transplantation, or auto-BMT. The first step in this procedure is the collection of stem cells -- bone marrow precursor cells that give rise to all white and red blood cells and platelets -- from a patient. After the stem cells are collected and stored, the patient receives extremely high doses of chemotherapy aimed at eradicating the lymphoma. The chemotherapy doses are so strong that the bone marrow is completely destroyed, leaving the person with no means of producing white and red blood cells and platelets. Normally this would lead to the patient's rapid demise, but auto-BMT allows the individual's previously stored stem cells to be reinfused, after which they reconstitute the bone marrow and begin to produce new white and red cells and platelets. The strategy of auto-BMT therefore enables the use of much higher doses of chemotherapy than would otherwise be tolerated. The procedure already is commonly used in HIV-negative patients. Recent small studies in people with HIV have demonstrated that this approach is also feasible in this population, and may extend survival times.
Other novel therapies are showing promise. Interleukin 12 (IL-12), a cytokine, or immune system signaling molecule, has been shown to induce the production of interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), two other cytokines that stimulate immune system cells to attack and destroy cancerous cells. Synthetic polyamine analogs are another class of signaling agents that interfere with normal cellular function and induce programmed cell death. Bryostatin-1 is yet another antitumor agent that induces programmed cell death, in this case by interfering with the cellular processing of cancer-causing genes.
Numerous other experimental agents are undergoing intense laboratory and clinical investigation. With time, the most effective of these will expand the armamentarium used to combat NHL in people with HIV, in the hope of extending and enhancing the lives of those who are battling this serious illness.
Amir Goldkorn, M.D., is a physician in the University of California at San Francisco hematology and oncology fellowship program.
Selected Sources
Gates, A.E. and Kaplan, L.D. Biology and management of AIDS-associated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America. In press.
Gates, A.E. and Kaplan, L.D. AIDS malignancies in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy. Oncology 16(4): 441-459. April 2002.
Levine, A.M. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related lymphoma: clinical aspects. Seminars in Oncology 27(4): 442-453. August 2000.
Porcu, P. and Caligiuri, M.A. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related lymphomas: future directions. Seminars in Oncology 27(4): 454-462. August 2000.
Tirelli, U. and others. Epidemiological, biological and clinical features of HIV-related lymphomas in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy. AIDS 14(12): 1675-1688. August 18, 2000.
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One of Northeast Georgia's best-known community banks failed Friday, Jan. 29. Community Bank & Trust was taken over by state and federal regulators and the bank's assets sold to SCBT, N.A. of Orangeburg, SC.
CB&T is based in Cornelia, GA, and has 36 branches, many in Northeast Georgia, including Jackson and Barrow counties. The firm pioneered supermarket banking in the area. It had assets of over $1.2 billion.
Officials said the bank would continue to operate under the CB&T name, but depositors would automatically become depositors of SCBT.
"This evening and over the weekend, depositors of Community Bank and Trust can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards," the FDIC said in a news release. "Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual."
Officials said the bank's failure would cost the Deposit Insurance Fund some $354.5 million.
The bank's demise comes amid continuing real estate and foreclosure problems in the area. Although it is the largest local bank failure to date, most had expected the FDIC action to happen. The bank had been under a scathing cease and desist order since last summer and its bank rating status had fallen to the lowest level in recent months.
Customers who have questions about Friday's transaction can call the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-430-7974. The phone number will be operational Friday evening until 9:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST); on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., EST; on Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m., EST; and thereafter from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., EST. Interested parties also can visit the FDIC's Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/cbt-cornelia.html.

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ENGG 300: Enterprise Experience Project
Hands-on experience with existing enterprises can create a valuable training and enrichment experience for students in the Thayer graduate programs. For this course, you will propose and arrange a paid or unpaid internship in an existing enterprise (industry, government or other) in consultation with your faculty advisor prior to enrollment. Enrollment is concurrent with the internship and should be for a period of one quarter. At the end of the internship, you will make a presentation to the Thayer community that addresses the nature of the enterprise you were engaged in, the problem you were assigned, and the results and impact of your project. The purpose of the presentation is to share lessons learned from the experience with the Thayer community. The presentation will be accompanied by a short but complete written report. Neither the presentation nor report should contain confidential information of the enterprise.
An Internship Proposal form is required prior to committing to an internship, and must be signed by your faculty advisor and the instructor. The forms are available in the Thayer School Registrar's Office. The course is graded on a credit/no credit basis by the instructor after completion of the report. Enrollment is open to M.S. and Ph.D. students that have completed at least three (3) quarters of program residency. Students may enroll in the course more than once, but students holding F-1 visas should consult with the Office of Visa and Immigration Services (OVIS).


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April 30, 2011
KEENE, NH-Host Keene State raced to a 12-2 halftime lead and defeated the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's women's lacrosse team, 18-8, in a Little East Conference match at the Owl Athletic Complex Saturday.
After the Owls took a 2-0 lead, junior midfielder Allison O'Rourke (Weymouth, MA/Weymouth HS) scored to make the score 2-1, but KSC scored eight consecutive goals before senior midfielder Samantha Wonson (Lowell, MA/Lowell HS) ended the run with a goal at 8:24 of the first half.
Sophomore attacker Brittney Enos (East Falmouth, MA/Falmouth HS) and freshman attacker Taylor Corsano (Bourne, MA/Bourne HS) led UMass Dartmouth with two goals each, and O'Rourke had three assists. Caitlyn Corace led KSC with four goals.
"In the second half, we played probably the best half we've played all year," said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Jerry Jennings. "We played them even in the second half, but we got off to a slow start. We were undermanned today, but we really scrapped in the second half, and I'm proud of our team. Overall, I was pleased, and we're looking forward to the tournament next week."
The Owls outshot the Corsairs, 39-13. Sophomore goalkeeper Angelina Donovan (Medford, MA/Medford HS) made 12 saves for UMD, while Libby Curran and Erin Taylor combined to make seven stops for Keene State.
The Corsairs dropped to 5-10 and 1-5 in the Little East Conference with the defeat, while the Owls improved to 11-5 and 5-1 in LEC play with the victory. Both teams will return to action in next week's LEC playoffs.


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Barack Obama's fundraising tour through Austin drew a large, diverse crowd outside of Austin Music Hall Tuesday. Supporters ranging in age, race and nationality formed a block-long line on Nueces Street as they awaited the POTUS.
Bertha Means, a delegate for then-nominee Obama at the Democratic National Convention in 2008, said she could not miss another chance to see the President speak. Means, 91, said her first-hand experience with Jim Crowe laws and her involvement in the civil rights movement in the 1960's has entrenched her as a life-long Democrat.
"After experiencing that, I told my husband I would picket until we set the town straight," Means said. She has lived in Austin since 1939.
Some attendees were present to show their support for President Obama's policy decisions during his first term. Supporters of the LGBT movement Mel Montanez and Daniel Pacheco said the president's public declaration in favor of same-sex marriage in May will be a considerable decider at the poll in November.
"It's one of the biggest factors," said Montanez. "He's the first president to ever come out in support of marriage equality."
Three men held signs countering the overall pro-Obama sentiment across the street from the event. One, Bob Green, said he knew the Republican Party of Austin can not turn Travis county blue, but would work toward the reachable goal of turning it "purple."
"I wanted to let people know this president doesn't deserve to be re-elected," Green said.
Secret Service approached the three men and carefully read each sign, one of which calling for voters to "take out" Obama in the same way Seal Team Six eliminated Osama Bin Laden.
"It's just in a political sense," Green said. "Voters will take him out collectively."
A Ron Paul supporter, Jeremy Walker, was also among the protestors and carried a "Come and Take It" flag across the street from those waiting in line to see President Obama.
"America was founded on the principles of liberty and the idea of self responsibility and the current administration supports the opposite," Walker said. "Furthermore, this country is still supporting a modern day holocaust by continuing an illegal war in Afghanistan and Iraq."
Occupy Austin also made an appearance downtown; approximately 15 members marched around city hall bearing "We are the 99%" banners and picket signs criticizing the Obama administrations use of tactical drones in Afghanistan and Pakistan.


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Mens Sweaters Sale
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Virtual Symposium #2: Cisco ONE
We decided to take advantage of the fine collection of smart people running around at CiscoLive in San Diego, and tape another in our Virtual Symposia series. This one was a bit different than in that we started with a Cisco-specific seed topic and we did not take live Q&A due to the logistics of being live and onsite at CiscoLive.
I think the show turned out well–we have a wide ranging discussion on not just the Cisco ONE announcement but also SDN, network programmability and implications for networking folks.
This wide-ranging discussion touched on a number of topics:
- Contrasting Cisco's ONE strategy with SDN and OpenFlow in general
- APIs, OpenFlow, and XML
- What will people do with SDN in the future?
- Distributed and autonomous versus centralized
- Standards: IEEE vs. IETF, de facto and interoperability
- VXLAN and the Nexus 1000V – Is 1000V SDN?
- Operational and organizational impacts
- Systems engineering
- Thinking of networks as flows
The video is hosted on the Tech Field Day site.
As I noted last week, we will be hosting Virtual Symposia #3 (more on network programmability) and #4 (VM networking) later this month. I should have the registration links up tomorrow. We have a killer panel coming together and we will once again have most of the show dedicated to audience Q&A, so I hope you can join us for those.
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.


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Asia Pacific Business Outlook: Twenty Five Years and Many More Opportunities
Guest blog post by Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco
J. Sánchez
This story is part of an ongoing series highlighting the information available to participants in the 2012 Asia Pacific Business Outlook (APBO)
This is my second year keynoting the 25-year old USC Marshall School's Asia Pacific Business Outlook (APBO) Conference. It was great to see the diversity of participants, from representatives of businesses across the United States, as well as non-profit organizations, chambers of commerce, and trade associations from both the United States and countries in Asia and Latin America.
It seems as though it's also a reunion and convergence of sorts of 16 Senior Commercial Officers (SCOs) from Asia and local Commercial Service trade specialists. For the first time, we have the SCOs from Brazil and Russia joining the conference, contributing their insider knowledge and providing market briefings in one-on-one counseling sessions.
During my address yesterday, I was able to outline our ongoing priorities here at the International Trade Administration and across the Obama Administration as well as provide updates on some major accomplishments achieved in the past few years.
This month marks the two-year anniversary of the President's National Export Initiative and good things are happening. Last year, U.S. exports surpassed $2 trillion for the first time in history. They supported nearly 10 million jobs, an increase of more than a million when compared to 2009 numbers. So the formula is pretty clear: exports benefit jobs, businesses and the national economy. That's why we've got to continue to increase U.S. exports.


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New electrical permit fees were approved by the Seneca Township Board at the Aug. 10 meeting.
The new fee scheduled calls for the following fees: water heater, $7; air conditioner, $10; sub panel, $10; administrative fee, $35; and an additional inspection, $30.
The fall trash collection day was approved for Sept. 26. Allied Waste will provide a collection truck from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
DRAIN—The board approved a resolution authorizing drain maintenance of excess of $5,000 a mile for work on the Seneca Drain 2 and Seneca Drain 2, Branch 2.
The Lenawee County Drain Commission needs authorization from local government when the cost of the work exceeds $5,000 a mile.
FENCE—Discussion with attorney Mark Bruggeman, representing the township, continued about the need for a fence at a child care facility on Weston Road owned by Dayna Cordts.
Township law requires a fenced area of at least 5,000 square feet for nursery schools, day nurseries and child care centers. Cordts claims she is exempt from the law because her facility is classified as a day care group home (for seven to 12 children).
Bruggeman advised one of two options: Comply with the fence ordinance or seek a variance to the 5,000 square foot requirement. If neither is done, the township must report the issue to state licensing authorities that rely on special use permits granted by local government units. Seneca's permit includes the fence requirement.


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Sprint's CEO sees 2014 rebound as stock price climbs
Sprint Nextel shares have outperformed Apple this year, along with all but one other stock in the Standard & Poor's 500 index. Can this be real?
"I tell the team here, 'You're not going to see any mission accomplished signs anywhere on this campus,'" CEO Dan Hesse said in an interview from his office in Overland Park.. "This is a long process."
In his five years running Sprint, Hesse has worked to fix the mess he was handed after the $36 billion purchase of Nextel failed and 7.7 million monthly subscribers fled the carrier. Though he has had his own struggles, such as a turbulent joint venture with Clearwire and a foray into dead-end WiMax technology, he predicts that Sprint is on track to return to profit growth in 2014, following seven years of losses.
Some analysts agree — with reservations.
"One thing that keeps people skeptical is that we've seen these head fakes before," said Phil Cusick, an analyst with JPMorgan Chase & Co. in New York. "There's no one on Wall Street who has been around for a while that hasn't lost money on Sprint."
Sprint's challenges remain daunting. It's a distant third to Verizon Wireless and AT&T in customers, and the bigger rivals have more extensive LTE networks, letting them offer speedier service to customers across the nation. Even if Sprint turns the corner in 2014, it will have suffered almost $50 billion in losses over a seven-year stretch, including estimated losses for 2012 and 2013.
Despite all that, Cusick has a buy rating on the stock. With Sprint shares up more than 140 percent this year, Wall Street has shown increasing faith in the comeback. A year ago, investors were concerned the company would crack under the pressure of a $7 billion network upgrade plan and a costly bargain to get the iPhone, a deal that requires Sprint to buy $15.5 billion worth of devices from Apple.
Since then, Sprint has gotten bigger benefits than expected from the iPhone, both by helping it attract customers away from other carriers and by boosting the size of users' phone bills. Sprint also delivered on its promise to introduce a speedy LTE network in at least six cities this summer. LTE, short for long- term evolution, is being added to 100 more cities.
"A year ago, management was talking about all the things they needed to do — it was hard to listen to them, they had so little credibility," said Scott Dinsdale at Montpelier, Vt.-based KDP Investment Advisors, which owns Sprint bonds. "You just held your nose and held the bonds. Now they've gotten to the point where you can see light at the end of the tunnel."
Sprint shares Monday rose 5 cents to $5.70. In the S&P 500 this year, the stock is second only to PulteGroup, the Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based homebuilder.
Sprint gained renown as an upstart long distance competitor in the 1980s, when it touted a fiberoptic network with pin drop clarity. After shifting its focus to the wireless market, the company pursued the Nextel Communications acquisition in 2005. Gary Forsee, then the CEO, saw the deal as a way to compete with the industry's big two — AT&T and Verizon. Instead, network glitches and customer service complaints put Sprint further behind.
Nextel's network had 16.1 million customers when it was acquired. That number had plunged to 4.4 million as of June. In 2007, less than three years after the Nextel deal, Forsee was forced out by the board and Hesse was hired.
Forsee, who served as president of the University of Missouri for three years after leaving Sprint, declined to comment.
Hesse, a lanky 58-year-old who prefers to work in jeans, said he is orchestrating Sprint's turnaround in three stages.
The past four years have been a recovery period.
This year and next, he said, are the investment phase. That's when Sprint dismantles the outdated Nextel network and installs LTE technology.
"Right now, we are spending money like crazy revamping the network," he said.
Adding to the costs are the heavy iPhone subsidies, an expense to acquire lots of customers that will "pay off longer term," he said.
Stage three will be Sprint's growth phase, when these improvements begin to flow to the company's bottom line. Sprint will see profit margin expansion and earnings growth in 2014, Hesse said.
Sprint's shares have beat the S&P 500 by 123 percent this year. Before 2012, the stock had underperformed the index by 86 percent since the beginning of 2007.
The transformation has hinged in part on slimming down the company. When Hesse took over in December 2007, Sprint had 60,000 employees. Today it has a third fewer, about 40,000.
The diminished ranks are evident at its leafy headquarters, a $1 billion complex of brick and marble-column buildings that looks like a college campus in July. Built during the late-1990s Internet boom to hold 14,500 employees, it houses 6,500.
A return to profitability in 2014 is no sure thing. Analysts predict that Sprint will be right around the break-even point that year, though they do see the company solidly in the black by 2015, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
"There's still a considerable amount of risk in Sprint since they are not quite halfway through the network migration," Dinsdale said. "They are chronic in their disappointments."
When Sprint acquired Nextel, it promised seamless "interoperability" between the two networks. Instead, the deal saddled Sprint with incompatible technology that forced Hesse to cut the losses and shut it down. Sprint ended up writing off about $30 billion, or 80 percent of the purchase price.
Now Sprint has to coax those customers onto its main network. Initially the company had been converting about 25 percent of defecting Nextel customers into Sprint users. By last quarter, after focusing more intently on courting those subscribers, the company's recapture rate rose to 60 percent.
Higher retention will help slow the loss of customers, though the company will continue to post user losses until the Nextel network is shut down next year, Hesse said. Sprint also may eventually drop Nextel from its corporate name, he said.
Then there's Clearwire. Without enough money to build its own national fourth-generation network, Sprint contributed some of its airwaves to a joint venture with Clearwire in May 2008. Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Google and Intel also invested in the business, which planned to use WiMax technology to build a fast, national wireless service. The venture has yet to break even, and it stopped its WiMax expansion last year to focus instead on LTE.
Next month will be the anniversary of Sprint's stormy 2011 analysts day, when it refused to share information about the iPhone purchase agreement and the impact on finances. Sprint further irked investors by saying it would have to raise more money to fund its network upgrade plan. The shares fell the most in three years, dropping 26 percent over a two-day period.
The company later agreed to share more data about the iPhone, and the Apple deal is now seen as a smart move. Sprint may look even smarter a year from now, when the LTE network is more complete and the full impact of the company's deal with Apple is known, Dinsdale said.
"It was a huge transaction — it was transformational," Dinsdale said. "But it needed to be done and they had the guts to do it."


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Strange six-tailed asteroid makes a scene
Hubble Space Telescope, NASA, ESA
A six-tailed asteroid lurks in the rocky belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Astronomers first spotted the space rock, called P/2013 P5, as a fuzzy ball in August. That was a bit of a surprise because asteroids often appear as tiny points of light. In September, scientists used the Hubble Space Telescope to follow up on the asteroid and were shocked to see that six dusty tails shot from the space rock, giving it a cometlike appearance.
Observations taken 13 days later showed that the asteroid's structure seemed to have rotated, the researchers report November 7 in Astrophysical Journal Letters. The team plans to continue to observe the quasi-comet asteroid to determine how the object's tails form and evolve.


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Country superstar Jason Aldean and his wife have reportedly split, just months after he was snapped kissing "American Idol" contestant Brittany Kerr at a club in Los Angeles.
Sources tell Us Weekly magazine that Aldean and Jessica Ussery parted ways in January. The couple did not attend the Academy of Country Music Awards together earlier this month.
A representative for the singer tells the publication, "I can confirm that Jason and his wife are having problems, but there is nothing more to share at this time. It's a private family matter, and we hope everyone will respect that he would like to keep it that way."
Aldean and his wife tried to work through the cheating scandal, which hit headlines in September, and they sat down for a joint TV interview in November. The star apologized for acting "inappropriately" and "embarrassing" his wife and their kids.
When asked how their relationship was following the incident, Aldean said, "I think we're fine. I think anytime you go through anything like that. … I mean it's tough. We've been together for a long time and through a lot of things together. Those are things that most people get to deal with in private, but we didn't have the luxury of doing that."
The couple wed in 2001.


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This is not an offer for credit and should be used for estimation purposes only based on the information you provided. You should not base your decision on this estimate alone. Title, registration, tax and other fees, and personal circumstances such as employment status and personal credit history, were not considered in the calculations.
From bow to stern, this durable bass boat has all the right features to get you in position to reel in some trophies. Like a roomy bow casting platform, plenty of rod storage, a 22-gallon livewell and an ergonomic recessed foot control. Put it all together with you throwing a line and it adds up to some pretty big bass.
Please note: This boat model may or may not be in-stock. A Nationally Advertised Price, if listed, may change without notice or include accessories not fully described herein. Please contact your local, authorized dealer for exact details on model availability and package pricing.
Category: Power Boats Outboard


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Hemingway meets Bogart in Embedded
We are on Eighty-Six, a planet with a peace-keeping operation that might be the first real war in an interstellar cold war. Lex Falk is an acclaimed and seasoned war correspondent and he sees straight through the stonewalling from the military. Determined to find out the truth he allows himself to be embedded in the mind of one of the soldiers fighting the insurgency. But the soldier takes a bullet under the eye that scrambles his brain and the only thing keeping him alive is Falk who has to survive the ambush and get them out.
I enjoyed how the military tried to control the media and Falk's inner commentary as well as his interaction with his fellow journalists. There are some obvious contemporary commentary embedded in this novel about the military and the media. He comes across some old friends and he rekindles his friendship with them in a way that makes me want to know more of his previous life and paints a picture of the universe in an elegant way without using info dumps. There is also this initially annoying but tenacious young rookie out on her first assignment that we see evolve as the story goes along.
Falk himself has a serious case of ennui in the beginning but as the going gets though he gets going. His character reminded me in some ways of Humphrey Bogart or someone out of a Hemingway novel. Falk is reasonable competent as a soldier and his personal flaws make him human. He has to keep up appearance with the soldiers he comes across while he brings his man home from enemy territory. Layer after layer of what is going on is revealed as they hike. The military action is up personal and you keep guessing what is really going on and when you think you know you are wrong. I had all kinds of theories up until we saw Embedded revealed.
Dan Abnett is an author that knows his craft and the story is easy to read and I had trouble putting the book down. Now I don't know why I haven't read anything of him before because this was really good. I have this general principle of not getting involved in TV or game tie-ins but I am seriously considering Dan's Warhammer 40k novels.
Embedded has character, personality, action, combat, mysteries and a love interest. It fulfills my high expectations and makes me hungry for more. This is a standalone novel and the ending is conclusive but I can't avoid wishing for more stories about Falk and the universe herein. I wonder if Dan Abnett has written any more stories in this universe.
Title: Embedded
Author: Dan Abnett
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Angry Robot (2011)
Copy: Review copy
Order from: Amazon US | UK
The stunning military science fiction novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Prospero Burns.
The colony planet of Eighty-Six looks as dull as all its fellow new worlds to veteran journalist Lex Falk, but when a local squabble starts to turn violent, and the media start getting the runaround from the military high command, his interest is seriously piqued.
Forbidden from approaching the battlezone, he gets himself chipped inside the head of a combat veteran – and uncovers the story of a lifetime. When the soldier is killed, however, Falk must use all his resourcefulness to get back home again… and blow the lid off the whole damn thing.
FILE UNDER: Science Fiction [ Future War | Breaking News | A Dead Host | Long Way Home


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Top Items:
New York Times:
Keeping Your Insurance Policy — The Obama administration announced a new policy on Wednesday that will allow many people to renew their existing insurance policies for two more years even though the policies don't provide the comprehensive coverage and consumer protections required by the Affordable Care Act.
Discussion: JustOneMinute and Patterico's Pontifications
Jonathan Easley / The Hill:
Study: ObamaCare not reaching uninsured — ObamaCare isn't achieving its primary goal of extending coverage to the uninsured, according to a new study. — The survey released Thursday by the McKinsey & Co. consulting firm found that only 27 percent of people who have selected a plan …
Discussion: McKinsey on Healthcare, MichelleMalkin.com, Democracy in America and The Daily Caller
Doug Powers / MichelleMalkin.com: Of course: CMS official says number of previously uninsured enrolling in O-care 'not a data point we're collecting'
Amy Goldstein / Washington Post:
New health insurance marketplaces signing up few uninsured Americans, two surveys find — The new health insurance marketplaces appear to be making little headway in signing up Americans who lack insurance, the Affordable Care Act's central goal, according to a pair of new surveys.
Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Fox News, Power Line, Hot Air, Hit & Run and Marginal REVOLUTION
Dylan Scott / Talking Points Memo: It Looks Like Obamacare Is Finally Making Progress With The Uninsured
John Hinderaker / Power Line: Obamacare Exchanges Are Scarcely Impacting the Uninsured
Allahpundit / Hot Air: Brutal: Just one in 10 uninsured who qualify for ObamaCare exchange plans has signed up
Peter Suderman / Hit & Run: Are the Uninsured Signing Up for Obamacare? Maybe Not.
Sam Baker / NationalJournal.com:
HHS Doesn't Know How Many Uninsured Are Signing Up for Obamacare
HHS Doesn't Know How Many Uninsured Are Signing Up for Obamacare
Discussion: Fox News, The Heritage Foundation and Hot Air
Mary Katharine Ham / Hot Air: HHS: Why, no, we are not measuring the very metric ObamaCare was passed to improve
Justin McCarthy / Gallup:
Number of Americans Saying ACA Has Hurt Them Inches Up
Number of Americans Saying ACA Has Hurt Them Inches Up
Discussion: Bloomberg View and Hit & Run
Jonathan Bernstein / Bloomberg View: The Obamacare Placebo Effect?
Peter Suderman / Hit & Run: More Americans Say Obamacare Has Hurt Them and Their Family
Katie Glueck / Politico:
Rick Perry brings CPAC crowd to its feet — NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Texas Gov. Rick Perry delivered one of the best-received speeches so far at the Conservative Political Action Conference, bringing the audience to its feet and eliciting loud cheers Friday morning as he outlined …
Discussion: Washington Monthly and Mediaite
Ed Kilgore / Washington Monthly: Rick Perry Wows 'Em at CPAC
Mike Huckabee / CNN:
Perry: 'Time for a little rebellion'
Perry: 'Time for a little rebellion'
Maggie Haberman / Politico: CPAC 2014: Chris Christie jabs Barack Obama, media
Pew Research Center's Social & …:
Millennials in Adulthood — Detached from Institutions, Networked with Friends — Overview — The Millennial generation is forging a distinctive path into adulthood. Now ranging in age from 18 to 331, they are relatively unattached to organized politics and religion, linked by social media …
Discussion: Firedoglake, Politico, Outside the Beltway, Wonkblog, Poynter and Wall Street Journal
Jon Walker / Firedoglake: Millennials Are Liberal but Not Democrats
Natalie Villacorta / Politico: Poll: Half of millennials independent
Doug Mataconis / Outside the Beltway: Millennials Lean Left, But Reject Political Parties
Christopher Ingraham / Wonkblog: The green movement has a Millennial problem
Andrew Beaujon / Poynter: Millennials: Have more Facebook friends, share more selfies
Laura Meckler / Wall Street Journal: Survey: Millennials Lean Left but Reject Party Labels
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
The wages of weakness — Vladimir Putin is a lucky man. And he's got three more years of luck to come. — He takes Crimea, and President Obama says it's not in Russia's interest, not even strategically clever. Indeed, it's a sign of weakness. — Really? Crimea belonged to Moscow for 200 years.
Discussion: Post Politics and The Monkey Cage
Yahoo! News:
Putin rebuffs Obama as Ukraine crisis escalates
Putin rebuffs Obama as Ukraine crisis escalates
Discussion: TheBlaze.com and The Gateway Pundit
Benjamin Weingarten / TheBlaze.com: Sun Tzu explains Vladimir Putin's foreign policy in 16 quotes
Walter Russell Mead:
Russia Blows Past Obama's "Off Ramp"
Russia Blows Past Obama's "Off Ramp"
Discussion: VodkaPundit, Wall Street Journal and Forbes
Juan Williams / Fox News:
Rutgers rage against Rice — why do liberals have so much hate for black conservatives? — Have you heard the news? — Condoleezza Rice lacks "moral authority." She fails to meet the standards of "exemplary citizenship" and she does not have what it takes to "inspire" graduating college seniors.
Discussion: Hot Air
Issa apologizes, skirts censure — Vista rep says he has personally apologized for cutting off Rep. Elijah Cummings during hearing — A chastened Rep. Darrell Issa says he has apologized to a fellow senior lawmaker for abruptly cutting off his microphone during a hearing Wednesday …
Discussion: Mediaite, USA Today, BizPac Review, Talking Points Memo, PoliticusUSA, Post Politics, Hinterland Gazette and The Fix
Josh Feldman / Mediaite: Issa to Megyn Kelly: Cummings Threw a 'Hissy Fit,' Racist Accusation Beneath Response
Gregory Korte / USA Today: House won't censure Issa for shutting off microphones
Tom Tillison / BizPac Review: Amid failed resolution condemning his actions, Issa apologizes to Cummings
Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo: Issa Apologizes To Cummings But Still Thinks He Threw A 'Hissy Fit'
Jason Easley / PoliticusUSA: Darrell Issa Slithers Out Of Punishment By Apologizing For Cutting Off Democrat's Mic
Aaron Blake / Post Politics: Issa apologizes to Cummings
Janet Shan / Hinterland Gazette: Rep. Darrell Issa Apologizes to Rep. Elijah Cummings for Cutting His Mic
Wesley Lowery / The Fix: Black caucus wants Issa stripped of committee chairmanship
Mary Grace Lucas / CNN:
Issa tries to 'clear the air' with Rep. Cummings
Issa tries to 'clear the air' with Rep. Cummings
Discussion: The Hill, Politico, Daily Kos and The Mahablog
Kevin Liptak / CNN:
Obama drives ahead with domestic agenda - and vacation - amid Ukraine crisis — Miami (CNN) - The standoff between President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin isn't preventing the U.S. leader from pressing forward with the ambitious domestic agenda he laid out in January's State of the Union address.
Discussion: The Daily Caller and Politico
Tal Kopan / Politico: Obama impressionist meets real guy
Darlene Superville / Associated Press:
Ukraine Throws Wrench Into Obama Vacation Plan
Ukraine Throws Wrench Into Obama Vacation Plan
Lucy McCalmont / Politico: Obama trips up on spelling song
Josh Gerstein / Politico:
President Obama, Vladimir Putin speak on Ukraine crisis
President Obama, Vladimir Putin speak on Ukraine crisis
Discussion: Red Alert Politics and The Reaction
Richard K. Barry / The Reaction: A.M. Headlines — (New York Times): "Moscow signals …
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
The Hammock Fallacy — Hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue. So when you see something like the current scramble by Republicans to declare their deep concern for America's poor, it's a good sign, indicating a positive change in social norms. Goodbye, sneering at the 47 percent; hello, fake compassion.
Discussion: Guardian, The Plum Line and Daily Kos
Ana Marie Cox / Guardian: CPAC 2014: maybe the Republicans aren't so insane after all
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line: Morning Plum: There's a hole in Paul Ryan's hammock
Georgia Logothetis / Daily Kos: Abbreviated pundit roundup: GOP's poor approach to poverty, Ukraine, and more
McClatchy Washington Bureau:
FBI probing alleged removal of documents from CIA by Senate staffers — WASHINGTON — The FBI is investigating the alleged unauthorized removal of classified documents from a secret CIA facility by Senate Intelligence Committee staff who prepared a study of the agency's use …
Discussion: emptywheel and The Raw Story
Massimo Calabresi / TIME:
Justice Considers Probe of Senate Staffers in Dispute Over Torture Report
Justice Considers Probe of Senate Staffers in Dispute Over Torture Report
Discussion: Firedoglake and The Dish
Kevin Gosztola / Firedoglake: Justice Department Has FBI Investigate Senate Staffers for 'Unauthorized Removal' of CIA Torture Documents
Andrew Sullivan / The Dish: The Best Of The Dish Today
Paul Glastris / Washington Monthly:
America's "First Blogger" Charlie Peters Hands Over the Reins of his Tilting at Windmills Column — If you have been perusing the new issue of the Washington Monthly—and if you haven't you should because it's full of great reads, like this and this and this and this and this—you may have noticed an important change.
Discussion: Booman Tribune and Greg's Opinion
MJ Lee / Politico:
Jobs report better than expected — A better-than-expected jobs report released on Friday eased some concerns that the economic recovery is stalling, and helped spur optimism that labor conditions could pick back up once the weather improves. — The Labor Department reported …
Discussion: Taegan Goddard's Wonk Wire
Sara Goddard / Taegan Goddard's Wonk Wire: February Jobs Report Better Than Expected
James Taranto / Wall Street Journal:
Democrats filibuster an Obama nominee. — Yesterday marked a first for President Obama, as one of his nominees was deprived of Senate confirmation by a Democratic filibuster. The 47-52 procedural vote that blocked the nomination of Debo Adegbile as assistant attorney general for civil rights …
Discussion: GOP.com and National Review
Ashton Davis / GOP.com: DSCC Teaches Candidates How To Run, Duck & Cover
Ed Whelan / National Review: AAG Nominee Debo Adegbile's Defeat—Part 2
Janet Hook / Wall Street Journal:
Missing: GOP Contender in N.H. Senate Race — Before New Hampshire voters begin relishing their role as early vetters of 2016 presidential candidates, they may be hosting a marquee Senate race in 2014. But for now, that political show is missing a leading man.
Discussion: OnPolitics
Catalina Camia / OnPolitics: Jeanne Shaheen leads Scott Brown by double digits in N.H. poll
Washington Post:
New Post-ABC News poll: Keystone XL project overwhelmingly favored by Americans — Americans support the idea of constructing the Keystone XL oil pipeline between Canada and the United States by a nearly 3 to 1 margin, with 65 percent saying it should be approved and 22 percent opposed, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Discussion: Politico and Watchdog.org
Natalie Villacorta / Politico: Poll: 65 percent back Keystone OK
Haimy Assefa / CNN:
Massachusetts Legislature passes 'upskirting' ban — (CNN) — Massachusetts lawmakers Thursday passed a bill banning "upskirting" in response to a ruling by the state's highest court that said a law aimed at criminalizing voyeurism did not apply to the snapping of secret photos up a woman's skirt.
Discussion: ThinkProgress, Hot Air and The Week
Ryan Nakashima / Associated Press:
AP EXCLUSIVE: MAN SAID TO CREATE BITCOIN DENIES IT — You are here — Home » Business » AP Exclusive: Man said to create bitcoin denies it — LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dorian Prentice Satoshi Nakamoto said Thursday that he is not the creator of bitcoin, adding further mystery …
Discussion: Politico, Gawker, Hit & Run, New York Times, Poynter and The Verge, more at Mediagazer »
Ben White / Politico: Welcome to jobs day — The crazy Bitcoin story gets crazier — Stock rally keeps rolling
Jay Hathaway / Gawker: Here's Video of Dorian Nakamoto Denying He Created Bitcoin
Nick Gillespie / Hit & Run: TRIPLE UPDATED! [Double Updated! Updated!] …
Sydney Ember / New York Times: Cerberus and Safeway Strike $9 Billion Deal
Andrew Beaujon / Poynter: Where the Bitcoin story stands
Josh Lowensohn / The Verge: So-called founder of Bitcoin denies starting the virtual currency


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Be sure to check out Dean Jeremy Paul's recent piece in the New York Law Journal, Changing the 'How' But Not the 'Why.' A thought-provoking read!
Category Archives: Jeremy Paul
Faculty Post: With All Due Respect, Mr. President
If you are a subscriber to The American Lawyer, be sure to check out "With All Due Respect, Mr. President," an article by Dean Jeremy Paul and William Henderson:
"If we are going to tackle issues of quality, we need to explore redesigns of law schools that do more than just shorten the time to graduation. A better solution is to encourage law schools to experiment with programs that foster learning on the job."
Faculty Post: Dean Paul on Co-op
by Jeremy Paul, Dean and Professor of Law
After 30 years in the legal academy, including teaching stints at four different law schools and five years as dean at the University of Connecticut, I am thrilled to find myself occupying the dean's office here at Northeastern. Of course, Boston was a draw. From our campus, I can walk easily to the Boston Symphony, the Prudential Center, the Museum of Fine Arts and the particular house of worship known as Fenway Park.
But what ultimately lured me to my new professional home on the Avenue of the Arts is a passion for the virtues of experiential learning. People often say that the value of law school is that it teaches each student to "think like a lawyer." But when I get into a taxi downtown, I don't want someone behind the wheel who "thinks like a driver." I want someone who "drives like a driver." Similarly, I want an attorney who "acts like a lawyer."
I can't think of a better way to train such an attorney than to have him or her experience the joys and challenges of working in a professional setting while still in school. That's the philosophy behind our signature Co-op Program, in which each student completes four, full-time work placements, acting as a lawyer within law firms, government agencies, legal services organizations, corporate legal offices and countless other workplace environments in which legal skills are needed.
Those unfamiliar with our model may misunderstand the Northeastern experience as one that grapples only with the practicalities of going to court or advising a client. We do teach these invaluable skills, but our aspirations are far higher than conveying directions to the courthouse. Co-op isn't like taking typing lessons while your classmates elsewhere read Shakespeare. Co-op is more like playing a piano recital of Bach or Beethoven while students at other law schools work on perfecting scales.
But we need not search for the ideal metaphor to convey the advantages of Northeastern's co-op model. Consider:
- Our students graduate with roughly a year of practice experience giving them confidence and the ability to hit the ground running.
- Our students launch at least four professional networks while still in school, creating a lifelong cadre of attorneys with whom they network.
- Our students complete multiple interview processes, creating opportunities to be far more reflective about whom they are and what they have to offer, not to mention providing considerable experience interviewing and perfecting their resumes.
- Our students sample different forms of law practice so they make far more intelligent decisions about how to manage their careers. They select the geographic locations that best fit their objectives.
- Our students experience numerous transitions from one setting to another just as they will do in the professional world.
- Our students bring their practice lessons back to the classroom thus making class much more interesting because EVERYONE in the classroom has legal and life experiences to share.
We augment the virtues of co-op by providing each student a career coach who stays with each student from the moment they arrive on campus. We are here to guide students at every step as they grow into confident professionals. But the ultimate strength of the Northeastern model grows from our faith in our students. We have built a program based on the idea that students arrive on campus as adults ready to steer their own educational development. I urge readers considering a legal career to join us in this exciting approach to professional education.


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"THE GAME" - (6:00-6:30 p.m. ET)
"The Rules of The Game" (TV-PG, DL) (HDTV)
LET THE HAZING BEGIN - As a favor to Derwin (Pooch Hall), Melanie (Tia Mowry) attends the first Saber Sunbeam meeting of the season, only to learn that unlike the wives, football players' "girlfriends" are not considered legitimate and are treated as such by the other wives. On the same day, Derwin attends his first rookie seminar where he is given a lecture about gold diggers, STDs and is hazed by the other players. Later that night, Melanie and Derwin attend a party where Melanie, has a conversation with another player and is perceived to be flirting with him. When the player's girlfriend confronts Melanie, she realizes the rules of the game in the pros will take some getting use to. Wendy Raquel Robinson, Coby Bell, Brittany Daniel and Hosea Chanchez also star. Ted Wass directed the episode written by series creator and executive producer Mara Brock Akil (#40596-001).


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Barbara M Pivnicka necesitaba un nuevo diseño de camiseta y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
3 ganadores han sido elegidos entre 72 diseños de 17 diseñadores freelance.
I'm Barbara. My brother Pat Milliken was a world class guitarist who died in his sleep at 47 last month. He had a long term heart ailment. A Facebook Page was started (PAT "GOOD TIMES" MILLIKEN--check it out! You can listen to his album Motif, too) with over 500 friends in three days. Pat's vocabulary was unique--lots of "Pat-ism's."
I would like to develop a business to license the use of these "Pat-ism's" for placement on merchandise and products. Proceeds will benefit the Music Therapy Programs at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, where Pat volunteered, playing for patients.
I have surveyed the community of Pat's colleagues and friends through the Facebook page and via direct conversation. There is interest among the musical community around the world--they all play various concert venues and locations. The community is still referring to "Full on Fearless!", EPIC!, and "Good Times!" --what we call "Pat-ism's." They have suggested various product placement ideas including t shirts, mugs, water bottles, bumper stickers, guitar picks and guitar case stickers, in addition to product naming ideas, like a Santa Barbara Coffee flavor, "Full on Fearless."
The audience is dedicated, heartfelt, with some price sensitivity.
I am interested in finding a graphic way to represent the dynamic optimism of Pat Milliken. I would like to see graphic images for these three "Pat-ism's" (Full On Fearless!, EPIC and Good Times!) that would be appropriate for a variety of uses and applications, from t shirt to print to web--but would always have the tagline of Pat "Good Times" Milliken Products, or Full On Fearless Products, used as a copyright or sales mark.
I intend to use CafePress as an online storefront, but the items will additionally be sold at concerts, the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Gift Shop and at music festivals around the world.
I hope that you'll take a look at the FB page PAT "GOOD TIMES" MILLIKEN and read the Discussion Posts about "Pat-isms" or Pat-speak, or Pat haiku's. You may have ideas about other Pat-ism's that would lend themselves to a graphic representation.
Pat was a total cheerleader and booster for his friends, and incredibly positive, ALWAYS. He was a patient in Cottage Hospital for two full years as a teenager, so he became determined to live fully for music. Full On Fearless is SUCH a great anthem for all of us!
Look forward to seeing what you can make of this!
Barbara Milliken Pivnicka


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The city Plan Board unanimously approved a permit for the Spirit of Faith Christian Center to locate and eventually expand on the roughly 20-acre property.
A growing Gainesville church moved closer to taking over the property of the controversial Dove World Outreach Center Thursday.
The city Plan Board unanimously approved a permit for the Spirit of Faith Christian Center to locate and eventually expand on the roughly 20-acre property, which is in the 3700 block of Northwest 58th Place and next to a residential neighborhood.
Spirit of Faith is in negotiations to purchase the property. If the sale goes through, Dove World has plans to move to the Tampa Bay area, pastor Terry Jones said Wednesday.
Since 2009, Jones and his small congregation have generated controversy for their anti-Islam message. A planned Quran burning on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks drew international attention before being called off at the last minute. The following spring, the reaction to a YouTube video and news reports of a Quran burning by a Dove World member included a riot in Afghanistan. At least 20 people were killed.
At Thursday's meeting, Clay Sweger, a land planner representing Spirit of Faith, said that at neighborhood meetings regarding the church's application, residents were "very welcoming of the change" and of "this new neighbor."
Spirit of Faith currently holds Sunday service at the Phillips Center.
If the Dove World purchase goes through, the church, which has a congregation of approximately 1,000, plans to renovate the building on site and move in by September.
The permit approved on Thursday allows for future expansion to include a school and day-care center.
Sweger said those potential plans may be years away but the church wanted to "spell them out up front."
The conditions of the permit cap the congregation at 1,800, the enrollment of the planned school at 300 and the day care at 150 children.
There has to be landscape buffer along Northwest 37th Street, according to the permit. If and when future development moves ahead, a second entrance/exit to the property and sidewalks would be required.


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Montclair, N.J.
A MANATEE has recently been reported lolling about the confluence of the Croton and Hudson Rivers in the vicinity of several Westchester County yacht clubs. Evidently it is unaware of the long waiting list for membership and moorings.
The news media have treated sightings of this large sirenian as more evidence of the transformation of the New York metropolitan area into "Where the Wild Things Are." Bears in New Jersey, coyotes in Central Park, manatees beneath the Tappan Zee Bridge. Can it be long before wolverines give hedge fund managers a run for their money in Connecticut?
But there may be another reason why this maverick manatee refused to spend another hot summer in Florida. Thanks to global warming, Trichecus manatus can spend it with us.
In this the manatee is not alone. A quarter of a century ago, brown pelicans were as rare in this neck of the woods as, well, wolverines. Now the state bird of Louisiana cruises the coasts of New Jersey and Long Island every summer, skimming over the water in single-file troupes.
The lesson here is that canaries in coal mines don't have to be yellow. Birds of all colors and sizes can give advance warning of changes in the environment and climate. Long before the discovery of global warming and the invention of the Internet, and well in advance of the manatee, several American birds whose ranges had been pretty much confined to the South began to creep up the East Coast like kudzu or Nascar. Yes, Al Gore's avian army includes not only penguins but also, much closer to home, turkey vultures, tufted titmice and cardinals.Continue reading the main story
According to the 1949 edition of Richard Pough's "Audubon Land Bird Guide" and his 1951 "Audubon Water Bird Guide," two of the manuals I used when I began bird watching, titmice and cardinals ventured no farther north than New Jersey — the Hudson River was a brick wall — and turkey vultures called it quits in Connecticut. (Brown pelicans occasionally wandered up to North Carolina.)
Once I was bird watching at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, straddling Brooklyn and Queens, when I fell in with an Englishman from the Isle of Wight with the Dickensian name of David Hunnybun. Although the refuge teemed with rare birds that day, including an astounding curlew or stint usually found in Alaska, what transfixed Mr. Hunnybun was a commonplace cardinal, which has no equivalent in Europe. Fifty years ago, the sight of a cardinal in Connecticut could be almost as arresting.
These days the most popular bird book is "The Sibley Guide to Birds." Its range maps show that turkey vultures spend summers on the coast of Maine with Martha Stewart, David Rockefeller and Brooke Astor's daughter-in-law, while titmice and cardinals have made inroads in less fashionable inland Maine as well. A friend of mine frequently ticks off titmice on the Christmas Bird Count in gelid Orono, Maine.
When these population shifts became apparent, their causes were unclear. In the introduction to the 1980 edition of his famous "Field Guide to the Birds," Roger Tory Peterson, who ruled the roost before David Sibley, speculated that the proliferation of bird feeders might have something to do with it. If so, Peterson concluded modestly, his guides "may have played no small part in these range expansions — by introducing birds to so many people."
Peterson, who did more than anyone to popularize bird watching in America in the 20th century, was not misguided. Feeding birds has certainly extended some of their ranges. Doubtless many other factors are at play, and one of these must surely be global warming.
Manatees eat underwater vegetation, so no one is feeding them. They forage mostly at night, when only a diver with a head lamp can observe them. During the day a manatee ordinarily snoozes underwater, surfacing only occasionally for a gulp of air. That's why the sightings in Westchester County have been brief and sporadic.
Anyone who has survived this sizzling summer in the city or its suburbs so far knows about global warming. As I was driving home after seeing "An Inconvenient Truth," in which Al Gore warns that global warming increases the violence and unpredictability of storms, a microburst uprooted a massive pin oak that dented the roof of my house and destroyed my deck and fence. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to join those turkey vultures on the coast of Maine, where it's at least a little bit cooler.Continue reading the main story


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Every year brings change for small businesses: new laws and taxes, new challenges, opportunities, and concerns.
The coming year presents even more changes and uncertainty because of laws already passed and the potential fiscal cliff that Congress keeps talking about.
So what does 2013 have in store for small businesses and entrepreneurs?
— New ways to raise money. A few months ago, Congress passed the JOBS Act, an acronym for Jumpstart Our Business Startups, enabling entrepreneurs to raise up to $1 million from the general public and not just wealthy, " accredited" investors, as has been the law.
This is intended to enable companies to use fundraising platforms such as Kickstarter, www.kickstarter.com; Indiegogo, www.indiegogo.com; or Fundable, www.fundable.com to launch startups or new products.
The Securities and Exchange Commission is charged with coming up with rules for these platforms by January 2013. Dozens, if not hundreds, of fundraising platforms are poised to launch. While the SEC is expected to take a conservative approach to help prevent fraud, expect to be intrigued and confused.
— A flood of health-insurance ads. In late 2013, expect to be bombarded by health insurance companies because you're going to need health insurance by 2014.
That's when the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act requiring everyone to have health insurance takes effect. And if yours is a fairly good-size business — with more than 50 full-time equivalent employees such as 100 half-time workers — beginning in 2014, you'll also have to provide minimal health insurance for your employees or, in many cases, pay a fine.
Many states will launch their own health-care exchanges where small businesses and individuals can comparison shop for more affordable and understandable insurance plans.
— A tax rebate for some small companies. If you're a small employer with less than 25 employees and average wages of $50,000 or less in 2013, you're entitled to a tax credit of up to 35 percent of what you pay for your employees' health insurance.
This amount goes up to 50 percent in 2014.
This is not a deduction. Credits are worth more because they count as payments of your taxes, so you could get money back from the government if you have no tax liability.
— A smaller paycheck. As part of the economic stimulus package, Social Security taxes were reduced by 2 percent, but that benefit disappears on the last day of 2012.
So beginning Tuesday, your employees will have a 2 percent higher bite taken from their paychecks. Expect some complaining. And this affects self-employed and business owners as well.
— Payroll confusion. If your small business has payroll employees, you're going to start the year befuddled, not knowing how much to withhold from employees' paychecks for income tax.
The Bush tax cuts, which lowered taxes on all Americans, expire at the end of 2012. President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, agreed to maintain the lower taxes on virtually all Americans, but a faction of the Republican Party refuses to raise taxes on those with high incomes.
If no agreement is reached, taxes go up for everyone.
Look to your payroll company for advice on withholding. if you prepare payroll yourself, the American Payroll Association advises using 2012 withholding tables for the time being.
— Floods, hurricanes, drought. No, the end of the world is not scheduled for 2013, but the past few years have proven that climate change is here.
That means many small businesses will be hit with weather-related emergencies and disasters, and you need to be prepared wherever your company is located. Make sure you have offsite backup of all key files and data, emergency plans in place, and good insurance — and do that in early 2013.
— Tweets, posts and hangouts in your future. In 2012, you may have proudly proclaimed that you don't tweet, wouldn't be caught dead on Facebook and don't even know what Pinterest is.
In 2013, social media is an undeniable fact of business life. People routinely ask their friends, or search on social media for a new hairdresser, lawyer or electrician.
You have to be visible in social media, taking up more of your time, or hire help.
Regardless of what Congress or the weatherman does in the coming year, I hope 2013 brings you and your small business success, health, and joy.
Rhonda Abrams is president of The Planning Shop and publisher of books for entrepreneurs. Her most recent book is "Entrepreneurship: A Real-World Approach." Register for Rhonda's free newsletter at PlanningShop.com. Twitter: @RhondaAbrams. Facebook: facebook.com/RhondaAbramsSmallBusiness.
What's ahead for small business in 2013
Every year brings change for small businesses: new laws and taxes, new challenges, opportunities, and concerns.


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Your willingness to tell fuckers to fuck off makes you so much more important than those that just turn a blind eye.
Date: Wed Jun 15 10:49 2011
The following was posted on Dogs. It must have been 'accidentally' overlooked in pre-mod...
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Late Diagnosis of Cancer Claim
Road Traffic Accidents Abroad Claims
Holiday Accident Injury and Sickness
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)
Amputation Compensation Claims
Harrison Ford's Accident at Work: Star Wars Production Company Prosecuted
Crane Company Fined for Ignoring Improvement Notices
Stress at work 'impacts all aspects of life'
Exercise 'can combat stress at work'
CIPD: Stress at work more common than in 1952
Holidaymakers seeking food poisoning damages
Work man with broken foot lucky to be alive
New employees 'more susceptible to accidents'
Employers 'must look to prevent workplace accidents'
Pensioner seeking damages for head injury
People 'should talk about stress at work'
Arm injury could lead to damages claim
Family to seek more food poisoning damages
Managers urged to take stress seriously
Finger injury to lead to damages claim?
Fall from height to lead to damages claim?
ABI welcomes govt compensation ruling
Stress at work rising in Welsh NHS, figures show
Family awarded damages after asbestos death
Pensioner suing council after fall
Cameron pledges compensation action
Pensioner to seek damages for burns and scarring?
Stress at work 'causing many Britons to wake up unhappy'
Ex-miner awarded £70k compensation
Gas blast at work caused burns & scar injuries
Teenager seeks damages after accident at work
Construction worker breaks bones in fall from height
Family pursuing food poisoning compensation
Ambulance technician seeking £60k for ankle injury
Expert: Workers must protect their hearing
Stress at work 'increases 40% during recession'
Tesco awards compensation after slip
Man Lost Four Fingers in Preventable Work Accident
Managers 'must treat stress seriously'
Food processing firm fined after employee injury
London construction sites put under safety spotlight
Fractured spine leads to damages pursuit
Broken bones to lead to compensation pursuit?
Motorcyclist granted permission to seek damages
Burns and scarring could lead to compensation
Broken pelvis to result in damages claim?
Woman claiming damages after trip
Schoolgirl's mother to seek damages for broken arm
Hospital grants £200k damages for accidents at work
Bus company to face legal action?
People 'get stressed at work as they never switch off'
Leg injury could lead to compensation pursuit
Hand injury could result in damages claim
Union calls for safety improvements on farms
Worker to seek compensation after suffering serous injuries?
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Exercise 'can combat stress at work'
That is if comments made by Charlene Hutsebaut, fitness expert for The De-Stress Diet at de-stressyourlife.com, are anything to go by, as she believes it is vital for individuals …
Burns and scarring could lead to compensation
The unnamed man suffered life-threatening injuries when he struck a high voltage electric cable while participating in construction work on the Crossrail railway service in London…
Motorcyclist granted permission to seek damages
According to the Ripley & Heanor News, Christopher Simmonds also suffered severe orthopaedic and head injuries when he was struck by a car in Kent in April 2008 and the fact h…
Broken bones to lead to compensation pursuit?
Posted by Francesca Witney
28/02/2012 16:32
Fractured spine leads to damages pursuit
The unnamed female suffered a fractured spine when she fell down a lift shaft at a branch of homeware store the Range in Colchester last month and has been kept in at Colchester G…
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Claims Direct is a trading name of Slater and Gordon UK Limited, a company registered in England & Wales with registration number 07931918, VAT 125 446 327, registered office 58 Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3HZ and is an approved Alternative Business Structure authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for insurance mediation activity.


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Veteran cornerback Aaron Ross wasn't out of work long after the Jacksonville Jaguars released him one year into a three-year, $9.75 million contract that he signed last March.
Ross is set to re-sign with the New York Giants, USA Today's Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday. According to the New York Daily News, the deal is contingent on Ross passing a physical.
Selected by the Giants as the 20th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, Ross is coming off a season in which he was benched twice for struggling in coverage.
Although he started 15 games for the Giants as recently as 2011, Ross likely is returning to the Big Apple in a reserve role. With Corey Webster, Prince Amukamara, Jayron Hosley and Terrell Thomas on the Giants' roster, the 30-year-old will help in subpackages.Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.


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Integra Lustra 28mm Curtain Poles Inspired by Integra Products. Contemporary Curtain Pole in a Black Nickel finish with a Zara Ball finial, Stylish Cylinder bracket and Kubus curtain rings. Lustra by Integra boasts stunning finials in contemporary colour finishes. This Metal curtain pole range is the perfect finishing touch for a traditional or contemporary room to create the exact opulence your decor demands.
* Available in 28mm diameter.
* Available in 3 colours Satin Nickel, Chrome and Black Nickel.
* Lengths available up to 4.8m, curtain poles of 3.0m and above are supplied in 2 pieces with a joiner and an extra bracket.
* Curtain poles are supplied complete with all fittings including cylinder brackets, Kubus square cut rings and finials.
* Can be used as an eyelet pole and purchased without rings.
* Extra rings and brackets can be purchased.
* Alternative style rings can replace the Kubus rings if required at no extra cost.
* All rings are lined to ensure a smooth, glide action.
* We recommend using 5 brackets on the 4.8m length.
If you are unsure of colour or finish please request a sample, this will then be added to the basket.
Excellent quality
Fantastic quality curtain pole, you get what your pay for.