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AnnaLee and GoGo — SuicideGirls of the Day
Meet AnnaLee and GoGo, two SuicideGirls who both list their location as being lost. They may not know where they are, but we're happy these hotties found each other for these steamy photos!
Name: AnnaLee
Age: 27
Location: I'm lost
Into: Living a good life
Not into: Cars, television, cigarettes, meat, drinking culture, negativity, superficiality and people with no imaginations or desires
Makes me happy: Reading and collecting books, drinking tea, solitude, ornithology and natural history, listening to the radio, baking cakes, my cat, pockets, sleeping, the sea, museums, the history of mathematics, etymology, entomology, marzipan, walking and cycling, equality, understanding, compassion, passion, good manners, hermit crabs, olives, peace and quiet, the sky and meteorological phenomena, Orson Welles' voice, drawing, painting, churches, mindpower, foxes, nature taking over man-made things, wall paintings, bees, stoicism, cats and dogs, cinema, hot baths, cooking and food, gardens and wild places, lochs and rivers and anything wet, plants and trees, perfume, cardigans, grey, being a stranger in new cities, unusual encounters with other creatures, marmalade, moths, butterflies, fresh air, bioluminescence, collecting things, adding to the tattooed aviary, being productive, cold climates, wallpaper, mosses, lichens, positivity, sewing, film soundtracks, the changing seasons, red hair, pickles, whiskers and paws and cats purring, cephalopods especially cuttlefish
Makes me sad: When my family is unhappy; how little we care about non-human animals, our planet and each other; people not living life as well as they could do; the fact that work, productivity and consumerism overtake life — I hate the way our society is structured; wasting time; negativity; physical and mental illness; intolerance; cages; ownership
Five things I can't live without: A book, a quiet place, fresh air, hot tea and, of course, music
Vices: Book buying, but that's probably not too unhealthy. I am also addicted to expensive chocolate
I spend most of my free time: In a book
Name: GoGo
Location: I'm lost
Occupation: Mononoke wolf queen
My idea of a good time: Stay in and watch old movies on TV
Makes me happy: Jezzy Blackwater
Favorite bands:
- Tom Waits
- Black Heart Procession
- Howlin' Wolf
- The Tallest Man on Earth
- Micah P Hinson
- Explosions in The Sky
- Neurosis
- Three Mile Pilot
- Pinback
- 65daysofstatic
Favorite films:
- Oldboy
- A Bittersweet Life
- El Topo
- The Fountain
- In Bruges
- Moon
- Wristcutters
- Primer
- Blue Valentine
Favorite books:
- MPD Psycho
- Less than Zero
- Kafka on the Shore
- A Game of Thrones
Favorite TV shows:
- Carnivale
- Doctor Who
- Pushing Daisies
- Deadwood
- Sons of Anarchy
Favorite video games:
- Silent Hill
- Rule of Rose
- Deadly Premonition
SuicideGirls is a community that celebrates alternative beauty and alternative culture from all over the world. Since 2001, tens of thousands of models have submitted millions of photos to their website hoping to become SuicideGirls.


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Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Red Hot Tomato
MBMJ Ozzie square bag, H&M blazer, dress and cuff, Zara wedges, FineFinds necklace, YSL arty ring,
Joining the bag family is my newly purchased Marc by Marc Jacobs Ozzie Square Smith Flap Satchel in Tomato. What a mouthful! I cannot express how much I adore this structured (yet feminine) crossbody bag that's functional for both work and play. Made of textured leather, this bag resembles ostrich without the astronomical price tag and it's roomy with a ton of compartments to help me stay organized (As Lisa puts it, it's an OCD person's dream!). The bold tomato red with a hint of coral is just the pop of color I'm looking for this fall/winter, and you can bet I'll be wearing it all though spring/summer too.
To let the ozzie bag get the spotlight, I wore it against nothing but nude tones with small gold accents. The fringe dress, a summer favourite, was worn with my beloved cream blazer (also seen in outfits here and here). How adorable is the birdcage necklace from FineFinds? The best part of boutique shopping is stumbling on unique pieces like this. Where else would you find a necklace where the door actually opens to a birdie swinging on a triangle? Certainly not at H&M!
54 comments:
- Veronica Ho said...
You're hair is SO nice, I wished I had your hair!
You look gorgeous, as usual :)
Keep it touch girly, x
- November 9, 2010 at 11:08 AM
- Faboulista said...
carolina i love this bag. i was never fan of marc jacobs bags but this one i adore. i might splurge early for christmas and get it too. did u get it at holts?
plus the birdcage necklace is stunning. thats also a piece that i would love to have. actually i wish i could live in your closet cause you have the most amazing clothes ever!
- November 9, 2010 at 11:10 AM
- fshnonmymind said...
I was eyeing this bag on Shopbop, it is beautiful!!! And I love that birdcage necklace, too cute. :)
- November 9, 2010 at 11:17 AM
- Katie Renee said...
You look stunning girl.
That bracelet is extremely adorable love x 10, oh and the tights arnt too shabby either : )
- November 9, 2010 at 11:28 AM
- Jaime @ La vie...J'aime said...
I adore that bag- great purchase! Gorgeous color :)
- November 9, 2010 at 11:30 AM
- Anya said...
You're a picture of femininity lady! Marc's Ozzie bag is perfect for you. I'm glad you got it!
Love :)
- November 9, 2010 at 11:49 AM
- Rosa said...
such a lovely pic of you girl :) That bag and stockings look great
- November 9, 2010 at 11:55 AM
- lisa said...
I love your entire outfit and the details in particular. Hearts on sheer black tights, the bright tomato hue of the Ozzie bag, the necklace and ring--perfection! I smiled when I saw the H&M cuff too. Here's to lunchtime purchases. ;-)
- November 9, 2010 at 12:09 PM
- Melissa said...
What a lovely outfit Carolina! The bag is perfect.. the colour and shape. It definitely brightens up this dreary weather.
- November 9, 2010 at 12:15 PM
- J'Anns Boutique said...
Love your bag!!!! Color is nice too.
Visit my blog!
- November 9, 2010 at 12:48 PM
- Alexandra said...
Gorgeous as usual and such pretty photos. I love the traditional structure of the bag but modernized with a long strap. Also loved it with the nudes :) xx
- November 9, 2010 at 1:01 PM
- Francesca C said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- November 9, 2010 at 1:27 PM
- Francesca C said...
great bag!!
- November 9, 2010 at 1:29 PM
- Marinka said...
You look really nice, I like your cage bird necklace, and your bag the color is really stunning!
- November 9, 2010 at 1:43 PM
- The Owl's Closet said...
Such a beautiful MBMJ bag!! Love the vintage feel to it. What a cute birdcage necklace! I love that the door actually opens! Too cute:)
- November 9, 2010 at 2:21 PM
Very pretty! :D The birdcage necklace is super cute!
- November 9, 2010 at 3:31 PM
- Kassandra said...
I love this bag! I saw it in a magazine and was drooling over it! I also love this whole look! Those tights are so cute! Are they little hearts or polka dots?
- November 9, 2010 at 3:36 PM
- faye lu review said...
absolutely gorgeous bag. loved how you've teamed it with a nude outfit. really makes it POP. does it fit all of your daily essentials? i'm lookig for an investment... and this could be 'the one' love your blog xo
- November 9, 2010 at 3:49 PM
- ThE fAsHiOn WoRsHiPeR said...
this bag is amazing...I love MBMJ bags, they hold up so well & always seem to be so versatile :)
XoXO-Kelli K
- November 9, 2010 at 3:52 PM
- Cee said...
I love this whole look!! The MBMJ bag is amazing, the color is so rich and saturated. Ladylike bags are definitely in this winter and after seeing yours, I think I'll have to buy myself one too :)
- November 9, 2010 at 6:06 PM
- Alison said...
That bag is gorgeous! I'm not usually down with MBMJ designs but the texture + colour combo is totally on point for fall.
- November 9, 2010 at 6:48 PM
- Debby said...
SO Cute. I love the bag! You look stunning!
xoxo Debby
- November 9, 2010 at 7:03 PM
- LyddieGal said...
I love the elegance of this look. The red bag is simply gorgeous, and hooray for organized insides!
Chic on the Cheap
- November 9, 2010 at 7:07 PM
- libys11 said...
that purse is so so amazing!!! i missed your posts!! :D
Animated Confessions
- November 9, 2010 at 7:17 PM
- J said...
you look so pretty! the bag is beyond gorgeous! i love your tights too :)
- November 9, 2010 at 7:40 PM
- หåи∂ said...
the last photo is the best
i like your bag and the tights
they are so stylish
i hope you visit my blog
- November 9, 2010 at 8:18 PM
- Lisa Tustin said...
Fantastic bag and photos! You look great.
- November 9, 2010 at 9:53 PM
- Beautygirl24 said...
That bag is so bright and beautiful. The material makes it even more lux and expensive looking.
You look gorgeous as always =) I get so happy when I see you have a new outfit post!
- November 9, 2010 at 9:55 PM
- YOURS TRULY, JOSELYN said...
So beaitufulllllll
i love your bag, accessories, shoes, outfit and everything !
♥ joselyn
- November 10, 2010 at 1:18 AM
- Sher said...
What a lovely, lovely bag! And the birdcage necklace is too adorable!! I'm still loving those sheer heart tights too:)
- November 10, 2010 at 2:18 AM
- Rumyana said...
I love your tights! And the color of your bag is stunning!
- November 10, 2010 at 11:15 AM
- aliciafashionista said...
You would get the Marc by MJ bag..it's stunning! Instantly adds a pop of colour to the Fall muted colour stories. This whole outfit is super cute, me likey xoxo
- November 10, 2010 at 11:40 AM
- Style Worthwhile said...
Love the pop of colour! And I love that blazer, it looks so silky. I've been trying to find more silk items lately.
- November 10, 2010 at 2:36 PM
Great look but I think I love your nylons with hearts even more! Hope all is well!
-Stephen Pham
- November 10, 2010 at 10:15 PM
- Black is the New Black said...
beautiful photos! I miss autumn in the pacific northwest...
thanks for posting!
- November 11, 2010 at 7:51 AM
- AndreConny said...
very very nice...
follow us....
- November 11, 2010 at 1:02 PM
- The Backseat Stylers said...
Love this outfit! Who knew such fab pieces could all be found at H&M? I haven't had any luck there in a while...this shows me I must keep trying! Will you be lining up for Lanvin x H&M?
The bag, btw, is amaaazing. I would never have guessed that such a sophisticated looking bag was by M by MJ. The red ostrich embossed leather is just beyond! The perfect pop of colour. Was that a Holt's buy during the Early Christmas event?
- November 11, 2010 at 5:28 PM
- nicole said...
Carolina, you look absolutely stunning! Autumn chic and feminine pretty, all in one. LOVE the bag, of course, it's a gorgeous colour. I can't tell if the dress is sequined or fringe, but I love it! Great tights and shoes as well ;) Take care and I'll see you when I get back from my trip! We should do another girls' night xo
- November 12, 2010 at 2:04 AM
- nicole said...
P.S. Love the new layout too!
- November 12, 2010 at 2:04 AM
- Dexter said...
Your new bag is lovely, I also like the excellent shots about all the details!
- November 12, 2010 at 5:42 AM
- Shop T.O. Live said...
A couple of things I love about this outfit. The YSL ring is gorgeous, and that birdcage necklace is totally precious.
I also loved the dress you wore for Halloween! If I could find that now, I would totally get it! The caged skirt is just amazing!
- November 13, 2010 at 7:05 AM
- Daisy said...
Love the entire look. The heart nylons are my fave <3 <3
New follower :)
- November 13, 2010 at 9:46 AM
- ClosetCravings said...
I am absolutely lovin' the newest edition to your handbag family. Your heart tights are so cutesy too. =)
Closet Cravings - Your Source For Celebrity Fashion
- November 13, 2010 at 1:17 PM
- Finder said...
amazing bag..i want to get him:(
we have a lot of fashion stuff who are waiting you,for find those brand...please help us...
and follow us
- November 16, 2010 at 11:33 PM
- herwaisechoice said...
Carolina, how lovely you are :) The super pale lavender in your pieces contrast so nicely with your hair colour. And that bag is GORGEOUS! I think I'm going to get the wallet version of it! Such a pretty colour and you're right, it looks so expensive. What an adorable necklace too-- I need to make a visit to Fine Finds!
- November 17, 2010 at 12:01 AM
- A. said...
Is the first time I visit you and I love your blog and your style!
Come to see my first outfit and follow me if you want to!
- November 18, 2010 at 10:44 AM
- sharonlei said...
Carolina!! You always look so chic. I'm jealous. That bag is fabulous and the color is simply amazing. Great pop! I also love you accessories. The bird cage necklace is adooorable.
Hope you're enjoying your Sunday. :)
xx Love & Aloha
- November 21, 2010 at 11:21 AM
- Fashion Guru said...
you look picture perfect
- November 22, 2010 at 8:08 AM
- The Little Dust Princess said...
Love your accessories. You look amazing!
xx The Little Dust Princess
- November 22, 2010 at 10:48 AM
amazing pics you look wonderful! ♥
- November 22, 2010 at 1:05 PM
- Suz said...
love the ysl ring so much!
- November 23, 2010 at 5:21 AM
- Lesley said...
That bag is killer!!!
- November 26, 2010 at 8:46 AM
- Laureen Uy said...
I love your stockings. xx
- November 29, 2010 at 3:50 AM
- lydia-lee said...
lovely bag! wowowowo! x
- December 4, 2010 at 1:23 PM

subset: commoncrawl


text:
U.S. stocks rose, after the Standard & Poor's 500 index fell the most since April, as investors weighed earnings and geopolitical tensions. Treasuries dropped with gold, while European equities slid on concern the conflict in Ukraine is deepening.
The S&P 500 rose 0.2 percent at 9:30 a.m. in New York, as technology shares advanced on better-than-estimated sales from Google Inc. International Business Machines Corp. slid 1.3 percent as revenue slipped. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index fell 0.4 percent. The yield on 10-year notes rose two basis points, while the yen weakened against all of its major counterparts. Gold sank 0.8 percent.
Ten-year U.S. debt jumped the most since March yesterday, leading a rally in haven assets after a Malaysian Airlines jet went down over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board, just a day after the U.S. and the European Union imposed further sanctions on Russia over the conflict. The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting over the incident today. Equities extended losses and bonds rallied after reports that Israel began a ground operation in Gaza.
"It's difficult for the situation in Ukraine to calm down, given that human losses are involved," said Veronika Pechlaner, who helps oversee $2.3 billion at Jersey, Channel Islands-based Ashburton Ltd. "It comes at the worst possible time, a day after sanctions were announced against Russia. It's a natural reaction for investors to be a bit risk averse."
Missile strike
Ukraine's state security service said it intercepted phone conversations among militants discussing the missile strike, which brought down flight MH17 near the eastern town of Torez, which is about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Russian border. Russia's President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine's government bore responsibility for the crash because it wouldn't have occurred without the current strife in the east of the country.
The MSCI Emerging Markets Index lost 0.5 percent, erasing its advance this week. Russia's Micex Index slid 1.7 percent, extending its weekly drop to 5.6 percent, the biggest decline since April.
Malaysian Airline System Bhd, which lost another plane in March, dropped to 11 percent, pushing the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI to its lowest level in a month. The airline has slumped 35 percent this year.
The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index, the gauge of S&P 500 options prices known as the VIX, rallied 32 percent yesterday, the most since April 2013 to close at a three-month high.
Greater uncertainty
"There will be a greater level of uncertainty in the market today with yesterday's events in Ukraine," Nick Skiming, who helps manage $10 billion at Ashburton, said in a phone interview. "But big names such as Google will provide some fill. The U.S. is in a good place right now, with positive results from several domestically-focused companies."
The S&P 500 had its biggest drop since April 10 as concern about the implications of escalating tension in Ukraine and the Middle East overshadowed corporate earnings reports.
About 76 percent of the S&P 500 companies that have posted results this season beat analysts' profit projections, and 70 percent topped sales estimates, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


text:
Gophers Fall Prey To Hawkeyes Sunday
The Minnesota Gophers took a 16 point lead halfway through the first half but could not hang on in a blowout loss at Iowa Sunday.
Minnesota stormed out to a 21-5 lead with about eleven minutes on the clock in the first half, but were blown out by Iowa in the second half in a 72-51 drubbing at Carver Hawkeye Arena.
The Hawkeyes (17-9, 6-7) outscored the Gophers (18-8, 6-7) 38-22 in the second half to complete the comeback--and then some.
Minnesota committed 17 turnovers, shot just 36% from the floor and made only 60% of their free throws. Iowa had 12 turnovers but shot 49% from the floor and 80% from the charity stripe.
The Gophers are at Ohio State Wednesday night.


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Celebrate the arrival of a new bundle of joy with this special gift box full of baby goodies
A gorgeous baby gift hamper with cute owl themed baby gifts, perfect for a baby boy or girl
Containing a stylish baby Bandana Bib, large plush Security Blanket and Playette Organic Bamboo Gift Set.
The baby gifts are delicately encased in white tissue paper and presented in our gorgeous signature gift box; then lastly tied with a satin ribbon. Each gift box is accompanied with a gift card with your own personal message.
$9.95 DELIVERY CHARGE Australia Wide. The timings below are based on gift boxes ORDERED BEFORE 2.00PM (AEST)
Estimated Delivery Timing
A $13.50 re-delivery fee will be charged if an incorrect delivery address is provided or if the recipient is not available upon delivery.
Hospital Deliveries: Please be certain that the gift recipient will still be in hospital during the time frames stated above. If possible, please provide us with the mother's full name, room number, and ward. If the recipient is discharged on the scheduled day for delivery a re-direction fee to her home may be charged to you. Therefore, If you are not sure how long mother and baby will be staying in hospital we recommend you address the gift box to their home address instead.
03 9782 1374
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Wow, what a beautiful gift we got yesterday from you guys, very touching thank you
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text:
Amaro formulating plan for Phillies' future
ANAHEIM -- There are more questions than answers at this point. At least everybody seems to agree on that.
The Phillies open a three-game series Friday against the Giants at AT&T Park, and Philadelphia is in last place in the National League East with the sixth-worst record in baseball. The Phils have about six weeks to play, which gives them time to do what exactly? Implement their plan to get back into contention -- if not next season, then perhaps in 2016?
ANAHEIM -- There are more questions than answers at this point. At least everybody seems to agree on that.
The Phillies open a three-game series Friday against the Giants at AT&T Park, and Philadelphia is in last place in the National League East with the sixth-worst record in baseball. The Phils have about six weeks to play, which gives them time to do what exactly? Implement their plan to get back into contention -- if not next season, then perhaps in 2016?
But is there a plan? The Phillies have spoken mostly in generalities about their desire to improve quickly, but they have offered few specifics about how they plan to do it. Of course, no team is going to divulge every secret, every free-agent target, every plan to reshape the organization from the bottom up, but Phils fans seek reassurance after three consecutive seasons of decline since a franchise-record 102 victories in 2011.
"Overall, the biggest plan is to make sure we improve offensively and with our pitching overall," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Wednesday afternoon at Angel Stadium. "You win baseball games with pitching and defense, but I think it's clear that we're not offensive enough a club. We haven't been performing offensively enough to be able to be a contending team right now.
"That combination of starting pitching and lack of offense, those areas of performance have not been good enough for us to contend. So those are two areas we need to address. For us it's a matter of doing it in a variety of ways. Just like in most situations, you have to look into a variety of ways to get to the solution."
But what about the way the Phillies do business, from amateur scouting to player development to pro scouting? Have the Phils discussed issues they might have at those levels?
"We have organizational meetings every year," Amaro said. "We'll have them again this year. We'll continue to do that. That's not really for anybody's business, whether they want to know about it or not."
Is there potential for change?
"That's not for anybody's business," Amaro said. "Listen, that's my job as a GM. Continue to assess what we can do better. And how we can improve. These are good challenges for us and good times for us to do that."
Fans have been puzzled recently at a perceived conflict between winning and personnel evaluation, although they don't necessarily have to be separate entities. Playing to win puts inexperienced players in big situations, which shows front-office officials how they handle those situations.
Of course, those inexperienced players have to play.
A few weeks ago, Ryne Sandberg clearly stated that he wanted to see players other than just Ryan Howard at first base, specifically somebody like Darin Ruf. But a few days later, when Amaro said he expected Howard to be his Opening Day first baseman in 2015, Sandberg scrapped his plan to evaluate Ruf at the position, and Howard has been playing nearly every day since.
Both Sandberg and Amaro said the manager was not ordered to play Howard regularly.
"Right now, we're trying to win as many games as possible," Amaro said. "At the same time, at some point, we're going to have to start looking to the future. And once we're 'eliminated' … listen, is it a long shot to get back into this Wild Card race? It is. Numerically it's not impossible, but right now obviously I'd be foolish to say it's something that's probable.
"And at some point, we may be looking more at what we have to do for 2015 as far as what's going on, on the field. But until then, we'll make the decision when it's the appropriate time, when it's time to start to looking to 2015 and beyond. We're not quite there yet."
The Cardinals are on pace to win the second NL Wild Card spot with 86 wins. The Phillies (53-68) would need to finish 33-8 (.805) to win 86 games.
The Phils don't have multiple high-level prospects champing at the bit for playing time in the big leagues. Ruf is 28. Domonic Brown is 26, with his hot first half of 2013 a distant memory. Triple-A third baseman Maikel Franco is a likely September callup, but other potential callups include Freddy Galvis, Cesar Hernandez and Cameron Rupp.
"There are only nine positions on the field, and we have several players that could still be in the mix for our club," Amaro said. "Part of it is being able to see them all, part of it we may not. We may have to go on faith. And the assessments we make as far as how they've performed this year and in the past, like I said, we've got questions we're not prepared to answer today. But I think the players themselves will help dictate how they perform and the opportunities that they get, and how they perform in those will help us make some determination with who we move forward with and who we don't."
Amaro said he believes he and Sandberg are on the same page. He also said he likes the job the manager has done, although Sandberg ruffled feathers with the way he handled Jimmy Rollins in Spring Training and Howard more recently, and he has drawn criticism with the way he has used players, along with some in-game decisions.
"Ryno was dealt kind of a difficult task," Amaro said. "When you have veteran guys and young guys and expectations are very high, and we had the kind of injuries and stuff that hurt our rotation in particular -- which was supposed to be a strength of ours -- it makes life difficult for him. I think he is trying his best to rotate the lineup and do some things that try to create wins for us.
"At some point, we'll get together to discuss when and if we get to the point to start looking to 2015, 2016 and beyond that. We'll get on the page and start talking about what it is that needs to be done as far as playing time and other stuff. But I think Ryno has done a good job. Just like anybody else in this situation, he's still learning the process.
"But I don't have any issue at all with how our veteran guys are playing. Particularly with the position we're in right now in last place and not in contention, these guys are still coming out and playing hard and doing their jobs."
So the Phillies will play out the string, trying to win, while also getting a gauge on the future. Amaro said the organization has a plan, but everybody will have to wait and see how it plays out.
"Everybody is entitled to their opinion," Amaro said. "A lot of people don't really know much about the inner workings of our organization unless they're working with us. They're entitled to have those opinions. We believe in the people that work with us. We know that we have to improve in certain areas, and we'll continue to try to do that. We have some questions to answer. It's a broader question than I'm able to answer completely, but we have a lot of questions that have to be worked on."
Todd Zolecki is a reporter for MLB.com.


text:
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration at the Maltz Museum
Sponsored by Huntington Bank
Free Admission to all Museum galleries and special programs!
(January 6, 2012) Cleveland, OH – Participate in our tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. with guided tours of An American Story, where the stories of how individuals overcame discrimination, prejudice and adversity come to life. Young and old alike will enjoy the special jazz, blues and traditional musical performance Unchained: From Slavery to Civil Rights featuring vocalist Evelyn Wright accompanied by Roots of American Music artists bass-master Ray DeForest, keyboard player Joe Hunter and guitarist Kevin Richards.
Schedule of the day's programs:
Special Musical Performance…1:30pm
Free 45min Guided Tours…11:30/12:30/2:45/3:30
HATE (Maltz Museum's award-winning short film)…11:30/12:00/12:45/3:00/3:45


text:
Alphabird is a vertically integrated audience development company that guarantees targeted, engaged audiences for online video on a performance basis. Alphabird was an early pioneer in the distribution of Click-To-Play video content and ha...
Innity is the leading provider of interactive online marketing platforms and technologies for advertisers and publishers. Innity has a strong foothold in the South East Asian market with offices spread across Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia,...
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In terms of market share, Alphabird is clearly lagging behind, losing to Innity in all segments.
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Alphabird hasn't got a lead over Innity in any websites category.
Innity is leading in most countries, including Malaysia, United States, Indonesia, Thailand and 77 other countries.
Alphabird hasn't got a lead over Innity in any country.


text:
The HIV Community Sounds Off: Does "Undetectable" Mean "Uninfectious"?
August 3, 2008
One of the most provocative sessions of the XVII International AIDS Conference likely took place before the conference even officially began. In a charged satellite event, a panel of researchers and a huge audience took part in a debate over whether it's safe for an HIV-positive person in a monogamous relationship to have unprotected sex with an HIV-negative partner, provided they have an undetectable viral load, are on stable antiretroviral therapy and have no sexually transmitted diseases.
One of the most fascinating portions of this event was the lengthy period in which the speakers opened up the floor to questions from the audience. Here is the discussion that ensued.
[In addition to this question-and-answer session, you should also read the transcript of this excellent summary of the issues by the final speaker, Bernard Hirschel, M.D.]
Ulrich Marcus: My name is Ulrich Marcus. I'm from Germany. I'm working at the Robert Koch-Institut in Berlin. This is more a general statement, not a specific question. In Germany, we made the experience after the publication of this restatement that there is some expectation from the community that we adopt a similar statement in Germany. What we see is that the pressure to adopt a similar statement comes mostly from the MSM community, not from heterosexual people who are infected with HIV. What do people understand if they hear the message from the Swiss statement, whose first desire is not to get a child in a serodiscordant relationship, who are not monogamous, and who come from a community? HIV-positive MSM have, in recent years experienced, in Europe and in North America, a rise of co-epidemics of other sexually transmitted infections.1 We have STI in HIV-positive MSM, bacterial STIs in the range of 30% to 50% per year. That's very high incidences of STI, of bacterial STI co-infections.
Again, how do people understand this message? And how do they want to act on these messages? If you look at HIV serodiscordant couples in MSM, then we can see from studies we did that the HIV-positive partner in such a serodiscordant couple has higher STI incidence than the HIV-negative partner in such a serodiscordant couple, which is related to another strategy that has evolved in recent years, mainly in HIV-positive MSM, which is sero-sorting: not taking condoms if they think their partner has the same sero status.2,3
You have a lot of issues for us, for the panel to look at. So let's stop there. There's another question. Do we have other questions from the audience?
Ron Bayer: My name is Ron Bayer. I'm from the United States, from Columbia University. I think there is a little confusion on the panel, actually, because the statement by Nancy Padian,4 and the statement that I thought I understood as coming from the Swiss statement,5 were completely different. My understanding was that the Swiss statement did not say that couples should continue to use condoms and be on therapy, but rather that the option was available, where a discussion had taken place about whether to use condoms or not. That's a very, very different statement. I think we have to be clear about what the Swiss statement was saying.
The other thing about potential risks with viral blips, etc.: There is no such thing as risk-free existence. The question is, if there is the potential for a viral blip, and if there is the potential for a viral blip in conjunction with an STI -- I'm not talking about Africa, now -- then the question is, how often will these occur and, on a population basis, what risk is created? That, it seems to me, is the question; not whether there is zero risk. Pregnancies aren't zero risk. Having penicillin isn't zero risk. So I think the idea of trying to place the level of risk in the context of what, in research, we described as negligible risks, is precisely the way to go.
Thank you. And one last question?
Manuel Battegay: Manuel Battegay, Switzerland. Actually, as a disclosure, I was in a subclinical commission, also, regarding these guidelines. Just a very short statement, and then a question: First, I would like to say that these guidelines are really an excellent instrument for physicians to have really very good thoughts about this situation. So my question to all non-Swiss panelists is: Is there a movement now to do guidelines, at least, I say now, for the Western world, as there are treatment guidelines for developing countries and developed countries? They may differ, but you have comprehensive guidelines, which take into account some very good thoughts of this excellent symposium. I congratulate the organizers because I think the time is ripe. I see that there is not a real, great contradiction in what is said. There are very good caveats we discuss with patients and nevertheless, I think it would be very useful not to just say the guidelines are not optimal, or this and that; but that we go on a way, even if data is lacking, as we did before, in all fields of medicine where evidence is not complete to have comprehensive, worldwide guidelines. I think the time would be ripe. [applause]
So we have a number of key questions to the panel. The first was the example of Germany, where there was pressure within Germany not to make a statement from, in this case, the MSM community for, among other reasons, STI epidemic or other co-infections. There was a question of how the message has been received in Switzerland, in terms of the statement. What has been the response? There was a question about the movement in other countries, from our last questioner here. Will this have an impact on other countries to follow suit or continue further study? And then a question specific to the Swiss statement. What did it say about condoms, relative to transmission? And questions about viral blips and risk levels. So why don't we start from this end of the panel and see who else wants to respond to these many questions.
Pietro Vernazza: I take the liberties to start. One thing that I would like to make sure -- that these shouldn't be questions and answers. It's not that we have the answers. I think there's a big group of experts in the room, and I would just enjoy if we could discuss these issues. So for the German experience, I don't really know what the problem is. But one thing I can tell you from the experience in Switzerland after this statement: I think we have never talked so much about STDs after this statement. So I think what the statement really made is to stress the importance of STDs. And it is my big hope that patients and partners would actually understand the importance and implement that, and take this into their daily life. So there are many other collateral effects that we haven't expected, actually. So I wouldn't be too much concerned. I have many other issues, too, that I have dealt with.
Catherine Hankins: Yeah, I'd just like to make a comment about the communications issue here. There's no doubt that physicians worldwide who are dealing with patients who have undetectable viral loads and no STDs and are in committed, monogamous relationships need to be equipped to counsel them, both about conception risks, and about HIV transmission risks. But when one holds a press conference, we live in a very global world; that message goes out worldwide.
Now, I've heard a lot of anecdotes about the effects of the statement. I'll just mention two, one from Geneva, where the organization working with sex workers in Geneva said they were having trouble explaining on the ground the meaning of the statement, that sex workers who were HIV positive and on treatment interpreted it to mean that they did not have to use condoms and therefore could make more money. The other was from the head of a national AIDS commission who said -- I asked, "What happened in your country? How did you deal with the statement?" -- and he said, "We suppressed it. Journalists contacted us and we said, 'We have no comment. This has no relevance for our population.'"
So I think we have to be very careful to be very sure about what we're saying, and to whom it applies, because there are many negative -- unintended, but negative -- consequences.
Myron Cohen: I would just add a few points. One point is, of course, the study that was shown by several different speakers was focused on heterosexual vaginal intercourse. So the probability number that was described does not relate to receptive anal intercourse. Receptive anal intercourse is much more efficient. The discussion of whether ART has the power to suppress receptive anal intercourse -- we don't understand that transmission very well. It's just worth keeping in mind, based on our German colleague's statement.
I'm a little concerned. Kate Hankins indicated one of her big concerns -- I'm going to criticize another panelist, take the liberty -- one of her big concerns was a technical concern. That is, having the ability in a country outside the developed countries, or less resource-constrained countries, of measuring minimal viral load, for example. I think that's a technical problem but there is a lot of work going on and within a couple of years, I suspect there will be tests that are cheaper and more widely available. So I think that it would not be a reason not to pursue this line of reasoning, that technical limitation. I think that would be a soluble problem.
Third, I'm a little concerned. I'm much more confident that the population level benefits -- again, I'm going to argue with Kate a little -- I think the population level benefits of more testing, people knowing their status, using more antivirals, that we will see reduced prevalence. And I know Julio plans on doing this study in British Columbia that I really think is worth just mentioning. Because your hypothesis is a population-level hypothesis; not a per-couple hypothesis.6 And I'm going to turn the microphone over to you and force you to mention what you're interested in in a second.
Lastly, in terms of the U.S. guidelines: The U.S. guidelines are policy statements that come from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.7 They are having a panel meeting in October. I don't know the full scope of what will be discussed, but it certainly is related to the benefits of ART, as they relate to prevention. But I don't know that they will get into this issue. So we'll see. But they are having a meeting. Julio?
Julio Montaner: It doesn't take much to force me to talk about these issues, so I'll gladly accept. A few years ago, we were struggling with some of these same issues, and we took the position that while we are not a hundred percent confident at the individual level how all this works, and you can tell in the degree of your controversy around it, it's a lot easier to understand that at a populational level, if we lower the population of viral load through the use of antiretroviral therapy, we could act as an added second sort of layer of protection, and therefore see decreases in HIV transmission.8
I don't want to take too long to explain where that comes from but, at the end of the day, we use populational data to model these, and the data is quite compelling, in the sense that we expect that the direction or the effect of wider coverage of antiretroviral therapy in the population to be associated with increase in transmission.9
There is a unique window of opportunity to do this because, with the newer guidelines that greatly expand the number of people who meet a medical indication of antiretroviral therapy, and with the greater willingness of our bureaucrats and politicians to really drive an effort to expand antiretroviral therapy, we think we are in a position to make a demonstration project out of this.
I must confess that at a private level, when we have been able, or asked to, counsel in the real world, specifically on the issues procreation, or for a variety of particularly reasons, even before the Swiss guidelines were out, we had taken a similar position: that there may be a risk and the risk will be relatively small, and probably acceptable within the risks that you are seeing in the real world, and have demonstrated comfort since you are already engaged in a serodiscordant couple where, as you pointed out earlier, condoms do break and accidents do occur, and so on and so forth. So I think that with that, I have come completely clean on this issue.
Bernard Hirschel: I have just one thought to add to the German colleague's statement about very elevated levels of STIs in German gays. Well, that must mean that they are not using condoms, doesn't it? And that is a problem, because, you know, I have heard it said that doing the same thing twice and expecting a different result is the essence of what is stupid. And if the result of 20 years of condom promotion in Germany is that we have a very high incidence of sexually transmitted infections, then maybe it's time to look for other means of prevention. I would add that the same is true of some studies from Africa, where infection rates in programs with condom promotion are shockingly high, and suggest that condoms have not been used, in spite of the promotion. [applause]
Just because he was not introduced ... He's also going to be summarizing this session. Who just spoke was Dr. Bernard Hirschel, who is a self-described dinosaur of the HIV/AIDS world. He's currently the director of the HIV/AIDS unit at the Geneva University Hospital in Geneva, Switzerland. I'm sorry, Niko?
Nikos Dedes: What I wanted to say, both about the statement from the German colleague, and from the Swiss physician, is that indeed these highlight the need to agree on how we communicate what the data show. And we have to agree on specific counseling guidelines for doctors or other communicators towards HIV-positive people.
I wanted to make a comment about some of the caveats that I see in many slides and that are mentioned many times. I wonder why Bernard [Hirschel] doesn't trash them. For example, these so-called blips. Blips in therapy mean that you have a detectable viral load of 80 or 150 or 200, but you cannot call a blip something which is 2,000. And for all the data that has been published, there is no transmission which has occurred when viral load is less than 1,500. Therefore, it is very probable that these blips are completely irrelevant for the increased risk of transmission.
The other point I wanted to make is about the acceptable risk. It was mentioned by Ron Bayer that we live in a life where we have to accept risk. I would like to remind the audience that young people today, if they are heterosexual, they pay no attention to condoms. Even if they engage in gay practices, they also don't pay any attention to use of condoms, one of the reasons being that HIV is no longer perceived as a terminal disease. So the perception of risk, even if one gets infected, has decreased very much.
But what we are discussing here is not this type of behavior. We are discussing whether it is an acceptable risk to have unprotected sex with someone who is on treatment, which is actually a lower risk than to have sex with a condom with someone of unknown status, or who is HIV positive. And for the prevention messages, and for the prevention interventions, it is vital that we understand that the people who do not know their HIV status are actually contributing to HIV infection much more than people who have diagnosed their HIV status. [applause]
Nancy Padian: Quickly: Just because my name was brought up, I feel like I have to say something. But it really just gets back to the issue about communication. Honestly, Ron, I don't understand what you thought that was a misunderstanding. Just to reinforce what everyone is saying: This is a tool, insofar as I understand it, and I don't want to speak for you guys; but this is a tool for people who are counseling to use to counsel people about potential risk. And that is, in fact, again, it's up to the negative partner, whether jointly or individually, whether they want to use condoms knowing that. If I screwed that up in my presentation, then I apologize.
Any more comments and questions from the audience? Please stand up behind the microphones.
Rolande Hodel: My name is Rolande Hodel, and I run an organization. It's called AIDSfreeAFRICA. I do work in Africa. It's interesting to see that the entire panel is white. What I would like to beg you, and plead with you, is when you speak, always make clear which population you're speaking about. In Cameroon, where I work, two-thirds of positive people are female. And in the population I have never, ever seen a couple, where one person is positive and the other person is negative. The infection occurs immediately in couples. And I want somewhere here on the panel to answer the question: Have you ever calculated a percentage of people that you're actually talking about? We have 42 million people that are HIV-H positive.10 You are talking about 2-1/2 million on treatment. And from those 2-1/2 million, actually, it's only a very small part that's the one that has no STDs, no other infections, that are monogamous; and I can go on and on.
So you're speaking of a population of, what? .001 percent? [smattering of applause]
Pietro Vernazza: Just to make a brief comment here. I think you're perfectly right, and I would like to repeat what we said in our media letter: good news for a few individuals. And I think I couldn't agree more with what you said.
OK. Sir?
Graham Brown: I'm Graham Brown from the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations. I also work in a school of public health. And my main question is that, I suppose, realistically what we're looking for is being able to open up the kind of discussions that we'd like to have between, within community, with doctors and so forth, so that it's actually clear, and it's honest, and it's up front, and we can actually start talking realistically about risk and things that have been happening for some time now.
My concern is that, with all the data, in Australia a lot of the concern and the reluctance and so forth around the statement, one of the major issues has been that the studies have been predominantly within heterosexual contexts, and haven't engaged. ... It's not a lot of data, apparently, around risks of anal intercourse. What I'd like to know, and on behalf of everyone else, is, what are we then doing about that? Because it concerns me often that we tend to sometimes go down the path that if we don't know the answer, therefore we can't go there. Of if there's not the evidence, that means we don't go there.
What I'd like to be knowing is, if this is already happening -- which we know it is, in couples, in relationships -- what do we know about how this translates within anal sex? And if we don't have all the answers, how are we going to get them?
Edwin Bernard: Edwin Bernard, from the U.K. I'd like to ask about the other part of the statement, which was driven by the draconian HIV exposure laws, both public health and criminal laws, in Switzerland.11 And I wonder whether there might actually be unintended negative consequences by your suggesting that the positive partner needs to disclose to the negative partner, and the negative partner needs to make the decision about whether condoms are used during unprotected sex. Because HIV exposure laws are actually disclosure laws. HIV exposure laws that happen in jurisdictions all around the world, particularly in many states in the U.S. and all over Canada; they actually force disclosure when and HIV-positive person has unprotected sex and people are being prosecuted and are in prison for just one incidence of unprotected sex without any transmission, just exposure. So, no actual harm.
I wonder whether your statement actually reinforces some of these HIV exposure laws by recommending that the HIV-positive person discloses that they are on treatment, discloses they have an undetectable viral load, and means that the HIV-negative person has to make the choice. Because good public health education suggests that the responsibility is equal. It lies with both the HIV-positive and the HIV-negative person. [smattering of applause]
I'm going to ask our panelists to take notes of issues or questions you want to respond to, and take a couple of more statements or comments from the audience.
Henner Geiss: My name is Henner Geiss and I'm from AIDS Free Denmark. And we are, in fact, one of the countries in the world which has exposure conversation in relation with HIV. And my question is very similar to the question before, but more specific. Because you have talked about condom use and kind of put up a measurement for that, and also for when people are on treatment. And I would like to just have a clear answer. Would you consider a condom breakage as the same as being on treatment? Because in Denmark, if you have a condom breakage, the law in Denmark doesn't apply anymore. So would you say that treatment will do the same in our case, of our law? Thank you.
Pietro Vernazza: Can you repeat the question? I wasn't quite ...? Condom breakage?
Are you saying that condom breakage is criminalized? Was that what you were trying to say?
Henner: No. The condom breakage is when the law doesn't apply anymore in Denmark -- when you can prove that you have condom breakage. Then the law doesn't apply anymore in the exposure law. But what I'm saying is the equivalent of condom breakage. Is that the same risk as being on treatment? Does that clarify?
Essentially, he's saying if you use a condom but it breaks, you're not liable. And so what is the relative of this statement to others, from a legal perspective? Yes. Sir? Have you spoken already? OK. Go ahead. I'd like to give the chance to folks who haven't asked a question yet, if you don't mind. Please, at the back?
Mic Rasmussen: I'm afraid this will just take a little bit longer. It's not really a question. It's a statement, because I supposed that you also wanted to hear about the organizations of PLHIVs. Not only the statement of Nikos Dedes; I think what you will experience now is a live comment to Ulrich Marcus's statement, as well as in support for at least the last statement in Nikos's very fine presentation. It's called the Mexico Manifesto, which has been a paper running around for the last several weeks, and under nondisclosure until today.12 The Mexico Manifesto is a call for action by people who live with HIV and AIDS. It has until now been subscribed by a considerable number of organizations, PLHIV organizations in Europe, as well as some individuals in the U.S. And I don't know whether my Brazilian friends are here and they have already decided to sign, as well.
Sir, can you tell us what the manifesto says?
Mic Rasmussen: What is the benefit of it? It's meant to support the EKAF statement, this statement by the Swiss Commission. We PLHIVs really, really welcome this statement and we also draw some conclusions in the sense of requests that we wish to address to all actors and key players in the field of HIV, as well as to the media. Finally, this could help improve some stigmatization and discrimination and criminalization effects that we are still suffering from.
I didn't want to tell it. But I was a member of LHIVE, the Swiss national organization, a member of the board. My name is Mic Rasmussen and I would like Michèle Meyer, who is the initial author of this manifesto, just to give you the six key sentences of this manifesto. She is actually the president of LHIVE, and I didn't want to tell it. She's also my partner. And here are two young girls. We are one of the serodiscordant partnerships, or different, we like to say, who really engage for this statement. So if I could give a word to Michèle now.
Sir, if we could, before going into that: I think you have physical copies of the manifesto. And perhaps give us the electronic link. There are many other issues to discuss, and I think we want to congratulate you for your action but continue with our discussion around a variety of issues, if that's OK. We have one more comment?
Elizabeth Kisani: I think that we -- to go back to this issue of risk -- everyone takes risks. We decide what risks we take in the light of the best available information that we have. Sero-strategic positioning: that wasn't something that came from public health professionals. It was something that came from a community that was trying to minimize its risk and maximize its pleasure in sexual relations as best they could in front of the data that they had. And the same thing with sero-sorting.
Now, sero-sorting actually is working quite well for people who are HIV positive, barebacking among people who are both positive. It's not working so well for people who are HIV negative. Why? Because if you are on Gaydar, or Gay.com three times a week, or four times a week, looking to bareback with another HIV-negative partner, you're quite likely to find a partner who is undiagnosed, newly infected, very highly infectious. And therefore, you put yourself at great risk. So in fact this statement is of enormous use to people who do make sophisticated decisions about the risks that they take every day of their lives. And this just gives them an extra piece of information, which is, oh, gosh; if I'm going to bareback, maybe I should do it with someone positive, on treatment, rather than someone who says they are negative. [applause]
I want to just, before we take more comments from the floor, ask our panel to make any responses to some of the many issues that were brought up. Hopefully you were taking notes. Some of the key issues were on criminalization and legalization issues. What were some of the outcomes about anal sex? How was this taken into context? And who was targeted by the statement? was the first comment that we had from the floor. So, all of the other issues that were brought up: Does anyone want to make some comments? Kate?
Catherine Hankins: Yeah, just two comments. One is that I agree with Nikos that if this puts the spotlight on undiagnosed people, and encourages knowledge of HIV status, then this is a positive consequence of all of this. And I would just like to clarify, for the woman that's working in Cameroon; I actually have in front of me data from DHS from five countries, including Cameroon.13 Basically, two-thirds of infected couples are discordant couples, two-thirds of them. In 30% to 40% of them it's the woman that's the HIV-positive person.
So I think there's an assumption among people that if one person is positive then the other one must be as well. We need to be really encouraging serodiscordant -- well, non-diagnosed -- couples to come forward and be tested. And if they are serodiscordant, there are things that we can offer. Part of it is treatment. Part of it might be male circumcision. Certainly, prevention of mother-to-child transmission. It creates a possibility for prevention and for treatment.
Does anyone have any comments about the criminalization issue that was brought up?
Pietro Vernazza: Maybe a short comment about the criminalization issue. I think the EKAF statement was not addressing couples that do not disclose HIV information. So I couldn't see how the statement could address those couples. The legal issue that we have in Switzerland is that you are liable even if you disclosed your information to your partner, and if you have sex with your partner without a condom, you actually are liable of trying to transmit an infectious disease.11 And we wanted to stop at least that point. I couldn't see the other problem ...
One thing: I'm very happy with the information that Kate Hankins just corrected from Africa. I was very surprised to hear those figures. And one thing that I also would like to correct, which you said; we did actually not meet at a conference. That was not our aim. We never did that. We actually wanted to respond, to meet the conferences that have taken place already. And that is one thing that you also mentioned.
Physicians: you think it's OK physicians talk to their patients. Our point was that we don't know what they talk to them, and what we have realized now: they haven't talked about STDs and adherence as we do it now. So I think the statement addresses these important parts that will also answer the concerns that Mike had with resistance. I don't see a single patient who develops resistance if he is six months suppressed, and remains with perfect adherence. That just doesn't exist.
No other comments from the panel? OK, from the floor? Yes, sir?
I would really welcome it if we could use the Swiss statement on reduced infectiousness under antiretroviral therapy if we adopted two populations like MSM; if we can use it to refocus the attention on the problem of the STI co-epidemics that have evolved in these populations. If that would be the outcome, I would welcome that very much.
So far, I think the health care systems in countries with MSM epidemics have been very inefficient to address the STI problems in the MSM communities. So in HIV-positive men who get antiretroviral therapy, so, who should see a health care provider at least four times per year, in Germany, they have just a slightly minor STI incidence than HIV-positive people who don't see a health care provider. So, much about the efficiency of the health care systems to address the STI epidemics in MSM communities.
Thank you. Sir?
Adrian Camacho: Hi. My name is Adrian Camacho (sp?). I'm an ADID Fellow here in Mexico. Just a brief question. How is the Swiss government planning on doing an evaluation on the outcome of this statement, positive or negative? And should we be waiting for another statement?
Thank you. Go ahead, sir.
Jim Pickett: Thank you for a great panel. My name is Jim Pickett. I'm the Chair of the International Rectal Microbicide Advocates. I haven't heard a lot of discussion about new prevention technologies, vaginal microbicides, rectal microbicides, prep. And I'm wondering how this, I think, fabulous statement and very important statement, might be a way to help us push forward in the need for more technologies to protect ourselves that go beyond condoms and speak to things like pleasure and enjoyment of sex. And that could be for anybody, but perhaps the gentleman who spoke on behalf of the community.
Any other comments from the floor, please?
Michèle Meyer: My name is Michèle Meyer, from Switzerland. I just wanted to say about communication: I think it's time to accept maturity of individuals and society. So I'm wondering, maybe we are asking what should be communicated and what not. And then I want just to say that the manifesto, you can find on www.lhive.ch. So you can see who has signed the manifesto.
Just to repeat: that would be www.lhive.ch.
Sidney Martinus: Sidney Martinus from Australia. I just wanted to firstly say thank you to Switzerland. [applause] I applaud you, I applaud, I applaud you. You are magnificent, courageous, and I will stand by you 100 percent all the way.
I would also like to ask some clarifying questions, as well. Could you please clarify to us the implications that this statement has for male-to-male sex? Because a lot of the studies were around heterosexual sex. And also, in the direction of how do we get research on clarifying these questions. So they are the two things I'd like the panel to maybe make some comments on.
Good. One more question?
David Gilden: I'm David Gilden, from New York City. Actually my question is a follow up to his question. It's also a clarifying question. There's been a lot of discussion about the role of STDs and whether that obviates protective effective treatment. Do we really know that? That people who are suppressed due to treatment then become unsuppressed, at least in their genital fluids, if they have an STD? Have there been studies, or have I missed them somehow, that detail that?
Pietro Vernazza: There are so many questions; I would like to start with the last one. That's the one I could remember. I would like to make this very clear. We did not say that an STD under completely suppressed treatment actually increases the risk of transmission. This is something we don't know. There is only one study I know from Birmingham, U.K., where they looked at urethritis, and they found 2 out of 20 patients under HAART had a slightly increased viral load in semen during the urethritis episode.14 Otherwise, it was always suppressed.
But we did not say those individuals are more infectious. We said if we are uncertain, if there is a confidence interval, if we are close to the place where we wouldn't be so confident, we would decide that those would be the individuals where we would be more careful. So we didn't say it is more infectious. We just made our concerns. I think that is an important difference.
There was a question about evaluation. Would you speak to that?
Pietro Vernazza: One thing: We are not the Swiss government. We may make suggestions to the Swiss government. We, as a commission or not, in a status that we develop evaluations, but I realize that, not only in Switzerland, but also in other countries, this statement has stimulated a lot of research questions, and people are starting to address them. But I think we are not the right group to address that.
Other comments from the panel?
Myron Cohen: There was a question about the broader use of antivirals as preventive agents. And I think that's probably one of the most prolific and important topics going on right now. The meeting next door is about antivirals for pre-exposure prophylaxis. There are at least ten different topical microbicide trials that are involving different single or combination antiviral agents.
So this whole idea of antiviral therapy for prevention: We're focusing now on the infected person, but the package is post-exposure prophylaxis, pre-exposure prophylaxis. And it's a field that hasn't realized its potential, because there was so much -- I don't want to call it commitment -- there was so much belief that we would make a vaccine that was going to solve this problem, that perhaps the energy that's now being realized in the ART field is kind of surging. And because we can modify drugs, and because some of the newer drugs have very unusual and positive properties for prevention, it seems inevitable to me that the topic that one of the gentlemen asks; it's going to get broader and broader and broader. I think it's also inevitable that we're going to see success. And those successes are going to have to be measured, and become part of public health policy. So I think that was a very good question.
Dr. Cohen, someone asked about homosexual transmission. And the study that you're doing, will that include ...?
Myron Cohen: Let me clarify something. I think it's incredibly wrong to look at anal intercourse as limited to MSMs. This is wrong. This is about a sex act that is common among heterosexuals, as well. I think a recent study came out from Africa. I don't know the exact number; I think it was something like 12% to 14% of South African mature couples were actually engaging in heterosexual anal intercourse.15 So it's about the act, not about the selection of partner. So that's my number one, overriding concern -- that we not just focus on MSMs.
Now, recognizing, though, that obviously. ... Well, recognizing all the obvious, that this is a behavior that is not well studied. It's a difficult behavior to study. We don't understand the transmission events, the probabilities that occur in that, and we don't understand a lot about ART in that setting. So this is going to require more research. I'd be wrong to say more than that.
Anyone else?
Julio Montaner: I want to say hi to my fellow treatment activists from the prevention field. Indeed, the EATG and the community, of course, we support very much the use of new, preventive technologies. And perhaps they will be the only solution for the next years. That was one of my statements from the public health impact of the guidelines; that actually, prevention is treatment, in the sense that, within the comprehensive package, with the ways that treatment can be used, as Myron mentioned.
I also wanted to say something about what Ully Marcus said about. ... Indeed, this statement, and what it says in there, should be used. We should turn this information into positive outcomes. And STIs are not regularly screened in HIV units, which, given the data, is criminal. I said that these are preventable and treatable. So screening should be one of the priorities for strategies for people who are followed in clinics.
Myron Cohen: For the sake of full, kind of, discussion, I have to add something. And this is complicated. And there is one additional paper that you didn't cite, by Nago, N-A-G-O, who is at the NRS (?). One problem we have is that HSV-2 is very ubiquitous. It's a lifelong disease. It's been very popular in the HIV/STD overlap field, because the shedding of HSV occurs quite silently. And some of the investigators believe that HSV shedding, while subclinical, drives HIV shedding, as well. What Nago showed in his paper was -- this is very recent -- that even paper on ART, unless they also received acyclovir, had in increased shedding. These were females, women. Whether that amount of virus is enough to cause a transmission event is totally unknown. There would be no way to get into that. And I want to separate those two issues. But it is also true that a substantial number of people around the world also have HSV-2 infections, which are chronic, asymptomatic, of very little clinical consequence to the average person. But it really has to weigh in to the whole discussion. So when you talk about screening, it would be very difficult to deal with HSV-2, in all candor.
Julio Montaner: Yes, but to answer to that, there was also this question of what kind of research do we need. And indeed, the presence of STIs does not necessarily result in increased risk of HIV transmission, and the other very important research question is: Is there a threshold under which transmission does not occur? Whether we need enough of an inoculum in order to have transmission.
Therefore, even this shedding that you are describing probably would be relevant.
OK, let's take maybe three more comments, and then we're going to have a summation of the session. So please, go ahead.
Nick Archer: Nick Archer from the Terrence Higgins Trust in the U.K. I just want a clarification, if I may. I recognize that the statement is good news for a few people. Can I just be clear that those, anyone who enjoys anal sex, are not part of those few people that have good news in this statement? Because that was the suggestion I was getting from you, Mike. That actually, irrespective of sexuality, what the Swiss statement says excludes people who enjoy anal sex.
Because the question about anal sex has been sort of dodged. It's been asked four times now. So can we be clear about how the statement goes for serodiscordant couples who enjoy anal sex? Just to help me understand it.
Pietro Vernazza: I just would like to make very clear that we did not discern anal sex, vaginal sex, whatever sex. The reason why is that the most important source of our confidence was the fact that, after ten years of HAART, we don't see these cases, regardless of the mode of sexual content. So all the other biological arguments help to explain it, but the evidence is the same situation as with households' context, as I explained in 1986.
Yes, please go ahead, Julio.
Julio Montaner: One way to understand this is, if you start with the risk of mother to child transmission, which is from 20% to 40%, the introduction of one pill, or a two-pill combination, actually makes transmission very, very unlikely.16 When you compare that to sexual risk of transmission, which is much lower than the -- I'm talking about anal risk, which is much higher than vaginal, but still, it does not begin to compare with mother to child transmission. If you then have the same impact of the antiretrovirals, it goes to say that the risk is infinitesimal. So what the Swiss have been describing is that it is irrelevant. And that's why, in my presentation, I said that the reduction of risk is logarithmic, and parallels the logarithmic reduction of viral loads.17
Thank you. OK, two more comments. Yes?
Eric Fleutelot: Thank you. I'm Eric Fleutelot from Sidaction in France. And I share your concern, Kate, on privilege and viral load test access. The availability of viral load tests is very weak. But it remains for me that we need to improve access to viral load and that's it.
I have a very naïve question, and please be indulgent with me if you think it's a stupid question. How come it was possible last year to promote circumcision in many high prevalence countries, even if the efficiency of circumcision is lower -- if I remember well it's just 60% from women to men -- it's lower than the efficiency of prevention of HIV transmission with treatment. So I don't understand UNAIDS and WHO are so shy now, compared to what you did last year on circumcision. [applause]
Next comment?
You know, I think that listening and talking about this statement makes me realize how much this statement is about privilege and the privilege in access to medical care and doctors and regular treatment and intervention. I think that it comes with responsibility and acknowledgment that there's always a trickle-down effect. Having worked as a provider in both the States and what is considered the global south, I don't see that in a couple of years there's going to be a change and there's going to be a lot more viral load testing and there's going to be the possibility of access to medical care in a way that makes the statement relevant to a lot of places.
I guess what I'm asking is, what are the next steps? What is happening to make this statement true for everyone who is infected with HIV? How is that becoming a global statement, in a real and practical way?
Thank you.
Susanna Attia: My name is Susanna Attia. I'm from Houston, Texas, working with the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine in Bern, Switzerland. And we're also looking at the evidence regarding transmissibility of HIV according to usage of HAART, viral load, and STIs. So far we have found, in a review of the literature, that the lowest transmitting viral load has been 362 copies per milliliter. If you'd like to know more, I'm actually presenting on Thursday at 5:15 in Session Room 11 on this exact topic. So I hope that it's of interest. Everyone can help in this discussion.18
Thank you. Kate, did you want to respond?
Catherine Hankins: I'll just respond. We're not shy. Don't worry about that. But what we want to do is to make sure that the messages are well contextualized. Anything that increases the choices for people, the options for people, for HIV prevention, is important. More people are getting infected each year than all of the ones that are on treatment so far. So we have got a real negative balance here. I think it's important to get the message across that this is for a select few people and, yes, we need to increase viral load testing in countries. We need to decrease the number of people with undiagnosed infection, because that's where the bulk of infections are occurring. And we need to look at options and combinations. So that's why male circumcision -- three randomized control trials, and now further phase 4 trials, showing very good results in the community -- that's really strong evidence.
We're not saying male circumcision replaces everything else. Everything has to be additive and synergistic with what we have.
This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
This article was provided by TheBodyPRO. It is a part of the publication The XVII International AIDS Conference.
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text:
9 Futuristic Real Estate Apps That Already Exist
Author: Tara-Nicholle Nelson
Written On: Wed, 16 Jan 2013
Remember the Jetsons? When you think back on it, it's uncanny how many of the so-called space age technologies that George, Jane, Judy, Elroy (and the inimitable Rosie) had in their 2062-era home exist right now - 40 years ahead of schedule! Video phone calls, mobile devices with video and phone capabilities, flatscreen "televiewers" with scrolling news updates (à la the internet), digital diaries, even robotic cleaners like Roomba: all Jetson gadgetry, and all of it exists as we speak.The light-speed at which web and mobile applications, or apps, are being developed and launched today means that it's easy to find yourself pining away for an app that could work a particular sort of futuristic wizardry in your house hunt or home sale - when, in fact, that app already exists! Don't get stuck in a real estate time warp - instead, tap into this list of 9 futuristic real estate apps that already exist.
1. Trulia. I'm not the only one that loves the Trulia mobile app suite. Here's why: wherever you find yourself - at your pal's baby shower or lost in a strange town - you can pull out your phone or tablet, open the Trulia app and it will instantly detect your location and serve you up everything you'd ever need to know about the homes for sale in that area. How's that for futuristic? But there's more! As the New York Times raved, "Trulia includes a well-designed search feature, where users can find homes for sale or rent according to a specified price and the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, or homes that have recently posted price reductions, for instance. Trulia users can also contact a home's real estate agent from each listing, and scan a list of nearby amenities and institutions, like gas stations or schools." The app also allows you to send listings to your agent and save favorites to the same My Trulia dashboard you can access from your laptop, desktop, or other device from home or work. Plus, you can use the Trulia Mortgage Calculator app for iPhone and iPad to help see how much you can afford and compare personalized loan quotes.
Available for: iOS and Android
Price: Free
2. Home Snap. HomeSnap is an augmented reality app that gives you access to all sorts of information about a home, by just taking a photo of the property. In fact, some folks have deemed it the ultimate form of tech-empowered voyeurism, but what's cool about it is that taking a photo is the key that unlocks the information from public records or listing websites.
Available for iOS.
Android version coming soon.
Price: Free
3. House Hunter. I have a practice of asking my home buyer clients to track what's good, bad and ugly about individual properties as we tour them, and to select/rank their top couple from every tour. The House Hunter App represents a high-tech upgrade to that useful, but old-school, exercise of tracking homes' attributes and comparing properties against each other. Because it's a digital experience, it's quicker; it's easier to share with your co-buyer, your parents or your agent; and it's simpler to execute, as the app actually provides a list of over 80 property attributes you can choose from to describe any given home you see on tour.
Available for: iOS
Price: $3.99
4. Houzz. My friends and colleagues have raved about this app - on iPhone, iPad, Android and on the web - since it first came out a couple of years back. But not until I was actually embarking upon a home remodeling project of my own, could I fully appreciate its value in terms of delivering a seemingly endless number of photos of well-designed rooms, and the ability to favorite and track them to help organize your own redesign plans and, even better, to communicate them vividly to your designer or contractor. What's more, house hunters can (and should) tap into the app to compile images that depict their stylistic leanings and aesthetic preferences better than they can do verbally, for the purpose of helping their agent understand their vision.
Availble for: iOS and Android
Price: Free
5. Photo Measures and My Measures. If I have one tape measure I have a dozen - yet I never seem to have one handy when I need them the most. Whether you're the type of house hunter who wants to account for the precise dimensions of an heirloom dining table or a seller who is trying to do as much DIY property preparation as you can, both of these apps equip you with the high-tech capability to simply take a pictue of a wall, room, floor or door and use your fingers to get an accurate measure of any given distance on the image.
Photo Measures available for iOS
Price: $4.99
My Measures available for Android
Price: $4.99
6. DocuSign Ink. Sign any contract document, disclosure, offer or counteroffer - in a moment's time - with your mobile device. This app is also integrated with the basic boilerplate contract forms used by agents in most areas. DocuSign Ink is so convenient and makes signing so easy you'll have to exercise some serious discipline to actually read through things before you sign them.
Available for: iOS and Android
Price: Free
7. Color Capture/ColorSmart/ColorClix/Wall Painter. All of these paint apps are brought to you by individual paint brands, and they're all great - I say, use the one that maps to your favorite paint brand. They all empower you to snap a photo of anything in the world around you and find the company's matching paint color. And for those with futuristic design desires, you can use any of these apps to virtually "paint" the walls of your house and preview the results before you even buy a single bucket of paint, using computer vision and intelligent object detection.
Color Capture available for: iOS and Android
Price: Free
ColorSmart available for: iOS and Android
Price: Free
ColorClix available for: iOS and Android
Price: Free
Wall Painter available for: iOS
Price: $.99
8. Airbnb Neighborhoods. With functionality provided by the site NabeWise, the web-based application Airbnb Neighborhoods is a program that futuristic house hunters can use to power the ultimate decision-making experience: trying a neighborhood on for size, whether for a night, a weekend or a couple of weeks. Though it's currently limited to major world cities like New York, San Francisco and Washington D.C., Airbnb Neighborhoods allows you to click on a city, click on the area "flavor" you want in your future neighborhood (options include "Nightlife" "Loved by Washtonians" "Stunning Views" and more) and it will not only surface the neighborhoods that have been tagged with these characteristics by the folks who live there, it will also pull up available Airbnb homes you can rent on a very short-term basis in those areas, if you want to give the area a whirl before you launch your house hunt in earnest.
Available for: iOS and Android
Price: Free
9. Karl's Mortgage Calculator. When I think of futuristic gadgetry, I envision things that are simple and uncomplicated, yet flexible and powerful when you put them to use. This is precisely how I'd describe Karl's Mortgage Calculator. Not only does it calculate payments from a purchase price and interest rate, it also will calculate any one of those items from the other two - uber-helpful for buyers who know how much they can spend, but not how much that will buy them, and for folks who are trying to evaluate the different payment scenarios of loan programs with several different interest rate levels. Karl's Mortgage Calculator instantly produces very easy-to-understand graphs and charts, and is really helpful for folks considering various scenarios for paying their home loan(s) off early.
Available for: Android
If you go to the link below, the actual article has the active links for the above products!


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Galapagos Islands
Flying over the beginning flecks of islands amongst the clear blue ocean, darkened and lightened with depth, I was reminded of images I've seen in my undergrad ecology class textbooks. Darwin's famed Galapagos Islands, whose contribution to evolutionary advances seemed almost mythical when studied those few months of college, was now about to be a real experience.
I felt the culture embrace me as soon as we stepped off the tiny, rickety plane in Santa Cruz, and onto the brutally windy landing strip where we were ushered inside the open-aired airport to be admitted. A separate immigration form from the one I filled out in Ecuador was required, along with an overall entrance fee to the natural attraction. Ecuadoreans only pay $20 as a sign of partial citizenship since the islands are a part of Ecuador - a decision that was made after neighboring countries couldn't reach an agreement and the closest one was awarded. American's had to pay $200.
The air was cool for August, and considered cold to the natives, who are used to the blistering hot equator temperature. We took a bus from the airport through empty flatlands, whose only form of life was straw colored grasses, cacti, and the random bird. The bland scenery was quickly compensated for by the sudden glimpse of the crystal clear water that separated the island we were on from the next.
We took a single motored ferry with about twenty other people across the channel to the next island where we would travel about 45 minutes in a pick-up truck to our destination, Puerto Ayora. Finally arriving at the opposite side of the small island, we stopped at the local grocery store for some necessities, wine and snacks.
A long dock reached out into the little bay where sailboats and yachts were anchored, and water taxis weaved around them to take customers to their island destinations. In front of the dock was a small outdoor amphitheater and playground, bustling with local children and on-looking parents or siblings. A narrow street separated the water from a curving row of shops, restaurants, and bars, giving it a true island feel.
The water taxi brought us straight up to the back of the grandiose two story yellow house we were staying in, intricately decorated with vibrant colors, artwork, and artifacts. The jacuzzi bubbled and the pool sparkled as the glittering sea danced behind it, effortlessly holding handsome pirate-looking ships in place.
Puerto Ayora had a hiking path that was surprising that it was made with intentions for tours. Climbing over the volcanic rocks in my Tory Burch sandals didn't seem like something I should have been allowed to do without a consent form. We passed a small beach with a surprising amount of people there, and a hotel, the Finch Bay Eco Hotel, that most visitors stay at. There were finches and iguanas everywhere as well as the occasional sea lion by water.
Being a biology major in college paid off randomly when I was able to point out and recognize the differences in the beaks and colors of the little finches, and how they applied to Darwin's theory of natural selection. The birds adapted and evolved according to predators and competition for food, so the size and shape of the beak correlates to what type of food they eat. Even though they are all the same species, their phenotypes (appearances) evolved depending on the ecology of the land they came from.
We then crossed over a marsh area on naturally made stepping-stones, and passed a random bar shack that sold beer and soda and overlooked an even bigger swamp of trapped water. Finally we made it to the massive rock formation where an island guide prompted us to sign a waiver, making me wonder what was going to be more dangerous than the hike. It was, of course, cliff diving at Las Grietas on San Cristobal Island.
We crawled and climbed over numerous rocks that threatened a high and painful fall with one missed step. Wasps swarmed everywhere, making the climb even more terrifying. But the journey was worth it when we saw the crystal clear sapphire water plunging deep between the two cliffs. There were already a few locals there, the children in the water, and mothers watching from the rock cliff shore. They tried to tell me the water wasn't freezing but the shivering snorkeler suggested otherwise. I dove in anyway confirming the icy temperature.
I clung to the side of the rock wall and watched the boys climb straight up the steep cliff, claiming that I was too cold to climb and would surely go numb and fall. Every single one of them landed in a position that made on-lookers wince, and me glad of my decision.
Back at the house, our two local groundskeepers had prepared us a delicious authentic fish and shrimp ceviche with plantain chips. The sandwich they showed me how to make with the chips, mild cheese, ceviche, and sweet hot sauce was so addicting that I kept eating beyond the point of being full.
The water taxi picked us up from our dock and brought us back to the main island where we walked along the shop lined street and stopped to get homemade ice cream. We noticed a dock with several small fishing boats and workers cleaning and displaying massive lobsters and fish for sale. We went to take a look and spotted a little sea lion lying in the middle of the workers like she owned the place and waddled over to greet us like a pet dog. She stopped and I bent down to take a picture with her, but didn't notice while I was smiling at the camera she was coming in for a kiss!
Next we went to the Charles Darwin Research Station, which houses numerous giant Galapagos tortoises. Sadly the oldest and last tortoise of it's kind, Lonely George had just passed away after unsuccessfully trying to breed him with two females from another closely related species. Novelty shops sold T-shirts of the three tortoises jokingly stating, "Lonely George wasn't so lonely anymore".
Storm clouds from the passing tropical storm disrupted our day of swimming with the sea lions, but we went out on the choppy water anyway to the tiny island where they all hung out. Hardly any were in the water because, as I was told by the guide, when the water is rough it makes it hard for them to see oncoming predators like sharks; I had no problem staying on the boat. We spotted a clad of about fifteen of them in the water popping their heads up curiously closer and closer to the boat. They tumbled over a small rapid repeatedly like they were going down a water slide, and I was told by previous swimmers that they are very playful when you're in the water with them.
Next we stopped at another small island where we trekked to see a lover's canal, and a lagoon filled with about twenty sleeping sharks. We hiked through the desert like path where the only plant life where cactus trees; cactuses that grow tall but stop growing thorns below a certain height since its predators would no longer be able to reach its fruit.
We were going to go see Dog Beach but about twenty sleeping saltwater iguanas blocked our path. They were black, and ugly, and would snort salt out of their noses every few minutes from swimming in the ocean. There was only one massive male amongst the rest of the smaller females, and none of them so much as flinched at the sight of us.
We ate dinner at a restaurant called Anger Meyer Point, that I wouldn't have known existed if I hadn't been able to see it from the water. The seemingly hidden yet widely known path around houses led that led to the previous trail we hiked also led us to a variety of gates that led to small hotels, discovery centers, and finally the restaurant which was only occupied by one other table. Though the friendly and nice workers were incredibly slow, the drinks and food were amazing. We had island inspired cocktails followed by fresh caught fish with a macadamia nut crust, hand-whipped mashed potatoes, and lobster ravioli in a truffle cream sauce. The lucky sea critters off the dock got our leftovers.
Sadly it was time to leave, but not before stocking up on souvenirs from the numerous little shops that lined the street up to the small, open airport. Flying away seemed surreal, like it was almost unbelievable that we actually got to go to Galapagos, but the memories and photos will always prove one of the most incredible and unique experience I've encountered thus far.


text:
Israel News - Stay Informed, Pray Informed
Israel was stunned on Wednesday, as attested to by the morning newspaper headlines, that US Secretary of State John Kerry had effectively "thrown it under the bus" by apportioning the lion's share of the blame for failed peace talks to the Jewish state.
During a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, Kerry explained the failure of his obsessive peace efforts thus:
"The [Palestinian] prisoners were not released by Israel on the day they were supposed to be released and then another day passed and another day – and then 700 [housing] units were approved in Jerusalem and then poof."
Kerry was referring to Israel's initial postponement of the fourth of four prisoner releases agreed to as a condition for the Palestinian leadership joining the negotiations in the first place.
What Kerry left out is that Israel was prepared to carry out the release, just as it had the previous three, but was fully aware that no agreement was going to be reached by the end of the nine-month timeframe the Americans had put on the current talks.
As such, Israel wanted a guarantee that the talks would be extended, that it wasn't releasing jailed killers for nothing. The Palestinians refused to provided such a guarantee, strongly suggesting that they had no real intention of reaching a compromise peace settlement.
In referring to "700 units…in Jerusalem," Kerry was partially blaming the collapse of talks on Israel's issuing tenders for the construction of new apartments in the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo, which the Palestinians claim is a "settlement" and must be part of a future Palestinian state.
What Kerry left out is that the issuing of such tenders is routine in large neighborhoods like Gilo, and, more importantly, that Israel has officially annexed the whole of Jerusalem and never committed to not building in its own capital.
The Obama Administration tried to downplay Kerry's remarks, or at least the order in which they were made. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki insisted that Kerry "was crystal clear today that both sides have taken unhelpful steps and at no point has he engaged in a blame game."
Indeed, Kerry did accuse both Israel and the Palestinians of taking unhelpful steps. But, as Israeli newspapers and political analysts pointed out, he first, and in much greater detail, blamed Israel.
What Kerry left out is that the "unhelpful" step taken by the Palestinian leadership not only threw a wrench in current negotiations, but was a fundamental violation of all signed agreements between Israel and the Palestinians going back to 1993.
As chief Israeli negotiator Tzipi Livni pointed out, when Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas signed 15 treaties with international organizations and conventions, he reneged on the Palestinians' promise to only seek independence and sovereignty via a bilateral agreement with Israel.
In response to Abbas' maneuvering, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday ordered his government to suspend all ties and cooperation with the Palestinian Authority.
As things currently stand, an overwhelming 92 percent majority of Israelis do not believe negotiations can lead to a final status peace agreement, according to a survey conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University. Even 87 percent of left-wing Israelis said peace with the current Palestinian leadership is beyond reach.
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text: Current Cattle Prices Not Likely to Fizzle Quickly January 24, 2011 07:04 AM Tweet TAGS: Marketing, Overseas December 18, 2014 By Drovers Guest Editor By Donald Stotts, Oklahoma State University A number of producers seem to be feeling a bit of disbelief when it comes to current cattle markets, worrying about a vague sense that there is another shoe to fall. "Such feelings are understandable given everything the cattle industry has been through in the past several years, combined with the amount of volatility in most input and output markets," said Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension livestock marketing specialist. Current high prices Feeder and fed cattle prices are at or near all time highs and are poised to keep moving higher. Both feeder and live cattle futures suggest that higher prices are yet to come. "It is easy to remember corn and wheat markets in 2008 which soared to astronomical heights for a brief period of time," Peel said. "Are cattle markets in the same situation, set for a wild but short-lived ride into the stratosphere? Producers just don't know and that is causing some concern." Numerous factors at work Peel said that the beef industry has never been in a situation exactly like it is now. However, when the factors that put the industry in the current situation are considered, there is good reason to believe current price structures are not a flash in the pan that will fizzle quickly. "Unlike grain markets in 2008, cattle markets are not reacting merely to the short-run impacts of market shocks," he said. "There are numerous factors at work, most of which are long-term in nature and will persist for the foreseeable future. Although the phrase 'perfect storm' is overused, it may apply to the 2011 cattle market situation." The underlying supply situation that is the major driving factor has been developing since the early 2000s, when drought conditions across a significant portion of the United States extended the last major cyclical herd liquidation. "Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy shocks in 2003 pushed the industry to new levels of intensity with tight feeder supplies offset by placing ever younger and lighter cattle into feedlots," Peel said. "This reaction worked well as long as corn was cheap." By 2004, prices had reached a level that resulted in limited herd expansion in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, the world marketplace changed with grain prices jumping to new levels, which have continued fundamentally higher and provoked long-term beef industry adjustments that continue to this day. Peel said the loss of profitability caused by high and volatile input prices since late 2006 also prompted additional liquidation, which has contributed to today's extremely tight cattle inventory numbers. "The point is that there are some very solid reasons why we are seeing record cattle prices and still have expectations for even higher prices," he said. "Limited cattle numbers, high grain prices that temper carcass weights and the need to reduce heifer and cow slaughter all suggest that supplies will tighten significantly in 2011 compared to recent years." Prices may move higher Furthermore, a continuation of strong export demand and indications of recovery in domestic beef demand will allow cattle and beef prices to move higher. How high? Nobody really knows, cautions Peel, but there are likely to be some tipoffs that producers and others in the beef industry can watch. "The key is demand and just how much higher prices can be supported," he said. "As is typical, the market will probably overshoot at some point and pull back a bit to reveal what the top really is." It does not appear that the beef industry is close to that level yet. "Even when we do, we will likely stay at historically high levels for some time," Peel said. "The situation that led us to this point has been a decade in the making and will not unravel very quickly." Back to news


text:
Liberty News
Liberty makes accreditation change
"Most schools only have one [accrediting body]," said Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. "SACS has always been our primary accrediting agency."
The proper accreditation allows colleges to award federal financial aid and confer degrees that meet exceptional standards of quality. Both TRACS and SACS have provided that service.
The university was entirely satisfied with TRACS, Falwell Jr. explained, but maintaining both accreditations was not efficient.
Though LU will not seek further accreditation from TRACS, the university will continue to provide financial support for the association based in Forest, Va.
"Certainly we're going to miss Liberty," said TRACS Executive Director Russell G. Fitzgerald.
While Liberty University was one of TRACS' higher profile schools, the association continues to work with 54 accredited and candidate institutions. Among those are Bob Jones University and Tennessee Temple University.
Fitzgerald said 99 percent of TRACS' schools are only accredited by one institution. Liberty University was one of the first schools to join TRACS, founded in 1971, and LU is now withdrawing on friendly terms.
"I don't see it as anything that's going to cripple TRACS at all," he said. "We just love the people at Liberty. They'll always be a part of us."
Other academic programs at Liberty maintain additional accreditation. For a complete list, click here.
To learn more about accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, go to http://www.sacs.org.


text:
|File:Belegost map.gif
|General information
|Northeast of Mount Dolmed
|Khuzdul, Sindarin
Belegost was one of two great Dwarven cities in the Ered Luin. Its name in Westron was Mickleburg.
Belegost lay the central part of the Ered Luin, and was home to the Dwarven House known as the Broadbeams. Its name in Khuzdul was Gabilgathol probably meaning "great fortess". Belegost in Sindarin translates as "Great Fortress" as well. During the mid First Age its king until Nírnaeth Arnoediad was Azaghâl.
The Dwarves of Belegost were friends to the Sindar and later also the Ñoldor of Beleriand. They did not join the Dwarves of Nogrod in the Sack of Doriath, and actually attempted to dissuade their fellow Dwarves from it.
Unlike Nogrod to the South, Belegost may have partly survived after the War of Wrath, although it was recorded as having been 'ruined' at that time: many Dwarves of Belegost joined Durin's folk in Khazad-dûm 60 years after the war, but there were always Dwarves on the Eastern side of the mountains.
Belegost (beleg + ost) is a Sindarin translation of the original Dwarvish name Gabilgathol and all mean "Great City".
Unlike other names of the Silmarillion, the texts gives us also an English rendering, which is possibly from Westron: Mickleburg. Mickle is a root meanng "big"; see also Michel Delving.