text:
|Year : 2017 | Volume
| Issue : 4 | Page : 203-207
|Histological follow-up in patients with atypical glandular cells on Pap smears
Gokhan Boyraz1, Derman Basaran1, Mehmet Coskun Salman1, Akbar Ibrahimov1, Sevgen Onder2, Orkun Akman2, Nejat Ozgul1, Kunter Yuce1
1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Hacettpe University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
2 Department of Pathology, Division of Cytology Hacettpe University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
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|Date of Web Publication||6-Oct-2017|
| Abstract|| |
Context: Atypical glandular cells (AGCs) result in the Papanicolaou (Pap) smear may be associated with significant genital and nongenital neoplastic processes. Aims: To evaluate the underlying histopathology in women who had AGCs on Pap smears. Settings and Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study. Patients and Methods: Clinicopathological data of patients who had AGC on Pap smears and underwent histological workup between January 2004 and December 2014 were retrieved from the computerized database of a tertiary care center. Patients with a prior history of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or gynecological cancer were excluded. Statistical Analysis Used: Chi-square test or Fisher's exact tests were used as appropriate. Results: Cytological examination of the uterine cervix was carried out in 117,560 patients. We identified 107 patients (0.09%) with AGC and 80 of those with histological follow-up were included in the study. The median age at diagnosis was 47 years (range, 18–79), and 32 women (40%) were postmenopausal, while 56 (70%) had gynecological symptoms. Significant preinvasive or invasive lesions on pathological examination were detected in 27 (33.8%) patients, including 12 endometrial adenocarcinomas (15%), 8 cervical carcinomas (10%), 3 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia II/III (3.75%), 2 ovarian adenocarcinomas (2.5%), and 2 metastatic tumors (2.5%). Univariate analysis showed that postmenopausal status (P < 0.001), age >50 years old (P < 0.001), having symptoms at the time of admission (P = 0.041), and AGC “favor neoplasia” smear results (P = 0.041) were the clinical factors associated with significant pathological outcome. Conclusions: Patients with AGC on Pap smears should be evaluated vigilantly with histological workup, especially if they are postmenopausal or symptomatic.
Keywords: Atypical glandular cells, carcinoma in situ, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, neoplasms
|How to cite this article:|
Boyraz G, Basaran D, Salman MC, Ibrahimov A, Onder S, Akman O, Ozgul N, Yuce K. Histological follow-up in patients with atypical glandular cells on Pap smears. J Cytol 2017;34:203-7
|How to cite this URL:|
Boyraz G, Basaran D, Salman MC, Ibrahimov A, Onder S, Akman O, Ozgul N, Yuce K. Histological follow-up in patients with atypical glandular cells on Pap smears. J Cytol [serial online] 2017 [cited 2021 Jan 23];34:203-7. Available from: https://www.jcytol.org/text.asp?2017/34/4/203/216128
| Introduction|| |
Cervical cytological evaluation with Papanicolaou (Pap) smear is the standard screening test for cervical malignant and premalignant lesions. Positive screening may reveal either squamous or glandular cell abnormalities. Glandular cell abnormalities are found far less commonly than squamous cell abnormalities. According to the literature, glandular cell abnormalities are found in <1% of cervical cytology samples and atypical glandular cell (AGC) incidence varies from 0.1 to 2.1% in the literature., AGCs are defined as cells that demonstrate changes beyond those encountered in benign reactive processes, still are not sufficient for the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma. Although these cells usually originate from the glandular epithelium of the endocervix or endometrium, they may originate from various locations such as salpinges, ovary, or other intraperitoneal organs. According to the Bethesda 2001 system, glandular cell abnormalities are subclassified into: (i) AGCs either endocervical (EC), endometrial (EM), or not otherwise specified (AGC–NOS); (ii) AGCs favor neoplastic (AGC-FN), either EC or not otherwise specified; (iii) EC adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS); and (iv) adenocarcinoma.,
The identification of AGCs in a Pap smear More Details is clinically important due to its close association with premalignant and malignant diseases. In the literature, 9–38% of the women with AGC have cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2, CIN 3, and AIS; 3–17% have invasive carcinomas. The commonly detected malignancies in patients with AGC cytology is EM adenocarcinoma, EC adenocarcinoma, and squamous cell cervical carcinoma. Occasionally, ovarian or Fallopian tube More Details malignancy could be detected. Ovarian cancer has been reported in 0.1–0.6% of women with AGC in the literature., Thus, patients with AGC require further aggressive diagnostic evaluation for premalignant or malignant conditions of the cervix, endometrium, ovary, and fallopian tube. Colposcopic examination, cervical biopsy, EC curettage, EM biopsy, and gynecologic ultrasonography should be considered for women with AGC smear results to detect possible malignant or premalignant diseases.,, Although a number of studies have addressed the incidence, clinical implications, and management of patients with AGC, the results have varied significantly. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the significance of AGC by analyzing the final histologic diagnosis results attained via histologic follow-up.
| Patients and Methods|| |
Clinicopathological data of patients who had AGC on Pap smears between January 2004 and December 2014 were retrieved from the computerized database of a tertiary care center. Liquid-based cytology (ThinPrep or SurePath systems) system was used for liquid-based cytological analysis. Patients with AGC on cervical cytology who underwent histopathological workup at our Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology were included. Patients with previous personal history of CIN or any gynecological cancer were excluded. Relevant study flowchart is presented in [Figure 1]. Following AGC result, cervical colposcopy with directed cervical biopsies and sampling of the EC canal was performed by gynecologic oncologists in our department. We performed EM sampling for all patients aged 35 years or older. For younger patients EM sampling was done if they had risk factors for EM cancer, including abnormal uterine bleeding, obesity, or polycystic ovarian syndrome. The clinical and pathological characteristics including patient's age, symptoms, menopausal status, Pap test findings and subclassifications, EM, EC, or cervical biopsy results were evaluated.
The Institutional Ethical Committee approval was not sought as this study represented a retrospective database review.
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 17 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) was used for the data record and statistical analyses. P value <0.05 was considered significant. Chi-square test or Fisher's exact tests were used, as appropriate.
| Results|| |
Cytological examination of the uterine cervix was carried out in 117,560 patients between January 2004 and January 2015. Of these patients, 107 were diagnosed with AGC at a detection rate of 0.1%. After exclusion of cases with previous history of gynecological cancer or cervical preinvasive disease and those without proper follow-up, 80 patients were included in the study with a median age at diagnosis as 47 years (range: 18–79 years). Of these women, 32 (40%) were postmenopausal and 56 (70.0%) had gynecological symptoms. The most frequent symptom was postmenopausal bleeding, which was found in 35% of study population. Menorrhagia was present in 22 patients (27.5%). Two patients (2.5%) had post coital bleeding and four (5.0%) had chronic pelvic pain. The remaining 24 (30%) AGC cases were detected on routine follow-up in asymptomatic women.
Among the 80 patients with AGC, 39 (48.8%) had AGC-NOS (not otherwise specified), 18 (22.5%) had AGC-EC (of endocervical origin), 14 (17.5%) had AGC-EM (of endometrial origin), 4 (5.0%) had AGC-FN, 3 (3.7%) had AGC-EX (from extragenital origin), 2 (2.5%) had AGC and atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) [Figure 2].
Histopathologic evaluation confirmed a clinically significant pathology in 27 patients with AGC (33.8%) [Table 1]. Of these, endometrium was the most common (15%) site for significant pathology, including 10 cases with endometrioid EM adenocarcinoma, 1 with serous EM adenocarcinoma, and 1 with EM carcinosarcoma. A total of seven cases had cervical squamous lesions, which were squamous cell cervical carcinoma in four and CIN 2/3 in three patients. Four cases (5.0%) had invasive cervical adenocarcinoma.
When the association with significant pathology was evaluated according to different AGC subgroups, a diagnosis of AGC-FN was the most serious one that was associated with invasive disease in all cases (P = 0.04). It was followed by AGC-EX (AGC of extragenitalial origin) which was associated with invasive malignancy in 2 out of 3 patients (66.7%) [Table 2].
In an attempt to demonstrate the risk factors for significant pathology in patients with AGC, univariate analysis was performed [Table 3]. Being postmenopausal, being aged 50 years or older, and having a gynecologic symptoms during initial presentation were found to be statistically significant risk factors for having such pathologies [P< 0.001, P < 0.001, and P = 0.04, respectively).
| Discussion|| |
The frequency of AGC according to the Bethesda system is reported to range from 0.1 to 2.1% in the literature.,, In accordance with the literature, AGC was detected in approximately 0.1% of all cervical cytologies in our study. Although rarely reported, AGC diagnosis should raise the clinician's suspicion for significant pathologies either in the genital tract or in extragenital structures. In the literature, the rates of malignant or premalignant lesions ranged from 22 to 53% in patients with AGC. Kim et al. reported that malignant diseases were found in 24 patients (28.9%) during histological follow-up among 83 patients with AGC on Pap smear. In their study group, cervical adenocarcinoma (8/24 patients, 33.3%) was the most frequently observed malignant disease, followed by EM cancer (6/24 patients, 25%), ovarian cancer (4/24 patients, 16.6%), breast cancer (3/24 patients, 12.5%), and stomach cancer (3/24 patients, 12.5%). Krane et al. detected malignant or premalignant lesions in 34.3% of 108 patients with AGC. In their study, 24 patients had cervical neoplasia, while 13 had other neoplasia consisting of five EM adenocarcinoma, 4 EM hyperplasia, 2 ovarian carcinoma, and 2 fallopian tube adenocarcinoma. Mood et al. reported that neoplastic or preneoplastic diseases were detected in 22 of 44 patients (55.3%). Of those, 15 (68.1%) had cervical premalignant disease and 2 (9%) had cervical adenocarcinoma. Other diseases included EM adenocarcinoma, metastatic lobular breast carcinoma, vaginal adenocarcinoma, simple EM hyperplasia, and nonvillous trophoblastic tissue in that series. In the study from Zhao et al., clinically significant pathology was reported to be 22.8% in women with AGC, which mostly consisted of EM lesions (in 51%) followed by cervical squamous and glandular lesions (in 43%).
In the present study, 27 of 80 patients (33.8%) were diagnosed to have either malignant or premalignant disease. The most common origin of significant pathology was endometrium followed by cervix and ovary. Of patients in our study group, 10 (12.5%) had endometrioid type EM adenocarcinoma, which was the most common invasive pathology. In addition, serous adenocarcinoma was detected in one patient and carcinosarcoma of the endometrium was seen in another. Cervical pathologies included invasive squamous cell carcinoma in four patients, invasive adenocarcinoma of cervix in four, and preinvasive cervical disease in three women. Although the most commonly reported pathologies in patients with AGC are preinvasive and invasive cervical lesions and EM diseases are less likely according to the literature,, the highest incidence of EM malignancies in the current series may be attributed to the relatively low incidence cervical neoplasms in Turkey compared to EM neoplasia.
On rare occasions, ovarian cancer may also be diagnosed during the further evaluation of women with AGC cytology. The ovarian cancers in this patient population may be primary or metastatic and the metastases mostly originate from the gastrointestinal system. The rates of ovarian pathology in patients with AGC were reported to be <1%., However, Tam et al. reported that five (3.6%) had ovarian cancer and two (1.4%) had extragenital malignancies among 138 women with AGC. In the present study, ovarian cancer was detected in two patients (2.5%) and extragenital malignancies metastatic to the ovaries were detected in two (2.5%). This high rate of ovarian origin in this series could be a result of relatively small sample size. Nevertheless, in cases without any malignancy detected by pathological evaluation of the cervix and endometrium, abdominal and pelvic imaging modalities as well as serum tumor markers should be used to reveal the ovarian or abdominal origin of malignant glandular cells.
It is apparent that patients with AGC result on cervical cytology carry a significant risk for having a diagnosis of genital or less commonly extragenital invasive or preinvasive neoplasia. The question is whether some women with AGC have more risk of having these neoplasia than others. Several predictive factors were reported on this issue. Tam et al. reported that while 67.6% of the 34 patients with AGC-FN had significant pathology, only 19.2% of patients with AGC-NOS had significant pathology. Similarly, Sawangsang et al. found that the rate of significant lesions in women with AGC-FN was significantly higher than in women with AGC-NOS. In accordance with the literature, while 38.5% of patients with AGC-NOS had significant pathology, all patients with AGC-FN had significant pathology in our study. In addition, among patients with AGC cytology, age was reported to be a predictor for significant pathology in several studies.,,, Cheng et al. showed that women who are aged over 60 years have a higher possibility of having gynecological cancer. The role of age was mentioned by another study where no EM cancers were detected if patients with AGC were younger than 35 years of age. Current study also confirmed the importance of age because the rate of significant pathology was higher if the patient with AGC was aged 50 years or older. The other risk factors for significant pathology in the current series were being in the postmenopausal state and having gynecological complaints during initial presentation.
In conclusion, AGC result on cervical cytology is associated with significant pathology in a considerable proportion of patients. Therefore, such a result should trigger the clinician to thoroughly evaluate the patient with special attention on endometrium and cervix. Ovaries, tubes, and abdominal structures should also be investigated in detail when endometrium and cervix are free of malignancy. It should also be kept in mind that especially older and postmenopausal patients with AGC may carry a higher risk for having premalignant and malignant disease, which may warrant a more aggressive diagnostic workup in those women.
Financial support and sponsorship
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
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Sawangsang P, Sae-Teng C, Suprasert P, Srisomboon J, Khunamornpong S, Kietpeerakool C. Clinical significance of atypical glandular cells on Pap smears: Experience from a region with a high incidence of cervical cancer. J Obstet Gynaecol Res 2011;37:496-500.
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Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara
Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
[Figure 1], [Figure 2]
[Table 1], [Table 2], [Table 3]
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text:
By Ed Greif
The Stone Memorial Lady Panthers played Dade County for fifth place in the Jon Loden Christmas Tournament Monday, after splitting their first two games Friday — losing 56-50 to Upperman and beating host Midway 63-62.
Upperman 56, SMHS 50: The Lady Panthers dropped the quarterfinal game of the annual tournament to the Upperman Lady Bees 56-50.
The Lady Bees started the game with a 10-4 advantage, but back-to-back buckets by Jacki Livesay sparked the Lady Panthers to an 11-7 run to slice the deficit to 17-15 by quarter's end.
Abby Griffin had seven points for SMHS, who was six of 11 from the field.
A trey by Bailey Rutledge cut the gap to 23-21, but a trey by Klaudria Hull sent the Lady Bees on a 10-2 run to swell the advantage to 33-1 with one minute left in the half.
A layup by Riley Hunt made the score 33-23 at the break.
Baskets by Jordan Thompson and Livesay cut the gap to 33-27 early in the third quarter, but the Lady Bees converted seven of 10 free throws to swell the lead to 40-27. Griffin's trey made it 40-30 by quarter's end.
The Lady Panther defense held Upperman without a field goal in the third quarter.
SMHS opened the final quarter with a 7-1 run to reduce the deficit to 42-37; however, Upperman scored 11 unanswered points to raise the margin to 53-37 with 4:49 left in the game.
Livesay tallied 10 points in the 4:49 to help SMHS finish the game with a 13-3 to make the final score 56-60.
Statistical leaders were Tiffany Cokkinias (two rebounds, four assists, two steals), Jordan Thompson (two points, three rebounds), Kirsten Potter (two points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal), Jacki Livesay (24 points, one rebound, four steals), Lacey Metton (three rebounds, one steal), Riley Hunt (five points, four rebounds, one steal), Abby Griffin (13 points, one rebound, one steal), Bailey Rutledge (three points, one assist), Courtney White (one point, one rebound, four assists, two steals) and Sidney Early (three rebounds, three assists, one steal).
SMHS 63, Midway 62: Jackie Livesay buried two free throws with 9.5 seconds left in the game to give the Lady Panthers the win, after the Lady Waves rallied from a six-point fourth quarter deficit to take a 62-61 lead with 19 seconds left on a lay-up by Lexi Taylor.
The Lady Panthers jumped out to a 4-0 start, but the Lady Waves use two 5-0 spurts in a 20-9 run for a 20-13 advantage.
SMHS was six of 12 from the field with three turnovers, while Midway was eight of 14 with three turnovers.
Taylor opened the second quarter for Midway with a lay-up for 22-13 lead, but a lay-up by Tessa Cokknias triggered a 9-0 run to tie the game at 22-22 with 6:26 left in the half. Sydney Early's trey was the tying points.
SMHS fell behind at 31-27 with under 1:30 remaining, but Cokkinias tallied five points to give the Lady Panthers a 32-31 advantage.
The Lady Panthers outscored Midway 15-11 to take a 47-42 by the end of third quarter, as they were four of 22 from the field, while holding the Lady Waves to f our of 14 from the floor with one turnover.
SMHS bulit a 53-47 lead on an Early lay-up, but the Lady Waves used an 11-6 run to take a 58-57 advantage with 2:39 left in the contest. Abby Bertram had seven markers in the Lady Wave spurt.
A Potter jumper with 33.6 seconds left gave SMHS 61-60 lead, setting up the final heroics of Livesay.
Statistical leaders for SMHS were Cokkinias (11 points, two rebounds, five assists, two steals), Thompson (six points, two rebounds), Potter (16 points, eight rebounds, one assist), Livesay (nine points, six rebounds, one assist, one steal), Melton (four points, six rebounds, one assist, one steal), Hunt (three rebounds), Griffin (six points, four rebounds, one assist, four steals), Rutledge (three points, one rebound, one assist), White (six points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals), and Early (two points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals).
Schedule: After Monday's game, SMHS will return home for a 3 p.m. game Jan.3 and then travel to Alcoa for a 3 p.m. game Jan. 4.

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text:
Above: Amazon’s Jeff Bezos at a 2010 event.
The big question today was whether Amazon would post positive earnings, and the answer is sort of.
Amazon reported revenue net sales of $29.33 billion, and diluted earnings per share of $0.45. Analysts expected earnings of $0.17 cents per share on revenue of $29.67 billion.
Amazon has been on the decline in the last two quarters. During the second quarter of 2014 the company reported losses of $126 million in earnings, or ($0.27) a share, and by the third quarter Amazon was reporting losses of $0.95 cents a share.
Earnings have never been Amazon’s focus. The company famously prizes product growth and traffic over earnings. To that effect, Amazon reported strong sales of 88.99 billion, compared with $74.45 billion in the third quarter of 2013.
Worldwide membership of Amazon Prime grew 53 percent in 2014, the company reports. The annual membership gives customers access to free two-day shipping as well as a host of content — like its award-winning original series, Transparent.
Amazon launched a number of competitive products this quarter, including a one-hour delivery service called Prime Now that operates in New York City; a corporate email and calendar service; and Amazon Echo, a $200 voice-activated speaker that plays music, the news, and answers questions. All these serve to get Amazon’s brand in more places, which conceivably will lead back to more sales for its e-commerce site.
Looking forward to next quarter, Amazon expects net sales to be between $20.9 billion and $22.9 billion, a growth of 6 -16 percent from quarter one of 2014. Operating losses are believed to run a wide range between $450 million and $50 million. In Q1 of 2014, Amazon saw net losses of $146 million.
In after-hours trading Amazon’s stock is up nearly seven percent.
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where cu… read more »
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- Stationary bike
- 24-hour front desk
- Multilingual staff, Spanish
- Laundromat coin operated
- Safe deposit box
- Cable or satellite television
- Fax services, nominal fee
- Fax machine
- Computer available
- Computer modem hookups
- Wedding services see Catering Manager
- Ballroom up to 100 guests
- Coffee shop Seven Seas Cafe, featuring local favorites. Breakfast options available for purchase. 6:00 am - 10:00 pm.
- Ice/vending machines, Several ice and vending machines located throughout our 12 acre property.
- Outdoor parking
- Higher rates may apply for holidays/special events
- Exterior corridor
- Free wireless Internet available in public areas. Free in-room wireless Internet access. Free wireless Internet access available in public areas and all guest rooms
- Free parking
- Free wireless high-speed Internet access. Hard Wire options available.
- Group Sales office. Group rates available on 10 or more rooms. Contact the hotel direct for assistance.
- Attraction tickets available for purchase: Sea World®, San Diego Zoo, Legoland®
- Lobby computer, high-speed Internet access. Computer and printer access

domain: travel


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David Atkins has a piece in the Washington Monthly warning that the anti-democratic tactics and strategy of the Republican party run the gamut from undermining democracy within the rules of the game to just tossing those rules aside if necessary:
What will the institutions of liberal democracy do when Republican officials simply refuse to concede Democratic victories? The question isn’t as far-fetched as it may seem, and the reckoning may be coming far sooner than most expect.
The entire left-leaning political world has spent the months after the 2020 election obsessed over the fairness of elections, and conservative attempts to rig the vote through gerrymandering and voter suppression. This is for good reason, of course: Republicans know they lack the support to win majority support in a fair contest, but believe they have the right to rule nonetheless for reasons that ultimately boil down to white supremacy, religious dominionism and antiquated patriarchal beliefs. So Republicans have been busy passing bills to restrict voting among young people and non-whites, while doing their best to ensure that exurban conservative whites continue to be dramatically and unfairly overrepresented in the House, Senate and Electoral College.
But there’s another even more sinister trend among conservative politicians that deserves greater attention: an unwillingness to concede any electoral victory by a Democrat as legitimate, and an eagerness to punish any Republican elected official who concedes the will of the voters. The Big Lie that Trump really won the election is now canon among a majority of Republican voters. Any Republicans who refuses to toe the line is branded a heretic, and elections officials who dared to certify Biden’s win are being censured or stripped of their power. Arizona Republicans have sponsored a bogus “audit” of the election full of crackpot conspiracy theories, and Republican legislatures have been busy taking control of both running and certifying elections out of the hands of county official in Democratic-run cities and counties. The context of the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol was the attempt by Congressional Republicans to refuse to certify the Electoral College tally, in the hopes of sending the election back to gerrymandered Republican state legislatures, thus handing Trump a win as part of a anti-democratic coup. It was a physical coup attempt designed to intimidate Congress into enforcing a legislative coup. Republicans who refused to back the latter are facing steep primary challenges.
It’s hard to overstate how dangerous this is, and what its consequences might entail in the very near future. As Greg Sargent notes, the “GOP appears to be plunging headlong into a level of full-blown hostility to democracy that has deeply unsettling future ramifications.”
Biden’s electoral college win was only certified because enough Republican secretaries of state and county election board officials did their duty to democracy and resisted pressure to thwart the will of the voters. Every lever of Republican power has since been wielded to punish them. Minor county board officials have been receiving organized harassment and death threats. Georiga Secretary of State Raffensperger is not only facing a major primary challenge, he was also stripped of his power to certify the election in the future. Every Republican not already committed to preserving their power by any means necessary has been put on notice that if they do not cooperate they will be physically threatened and politically replaced.
So what happens in 2024 if President Biden or Vice President Harris win the Electoral College, but local Republicans on county boards with majority Democratic votes refuse to certify the election; when state legislatures who have seized control of certification refuse to certify their state tallies; when a potential Republican majority in the House of Representatives refuses to certify the Electoral College tally? What happens when they refuse to certify Democratic wins in purple state Senate races, throwing control of the Upper Chamber into limbo and chaos? What happens if Biden/Harris wins the popular vote by 8 million votes and 30 electoral college votes, only to see Republicans in states like Georgia and Wisconsin decide that their GOP legislatures will send electors for Trump or Tucker Carlson or Josh Hawley instead? What happens if Democrats legitimately add to their lead in the Senate, only to see Republicans refuse to certify those tallies as well, keeping GOP Senators in place for the next session?
This is all disturbingly true as far as it goes, but there’s an implicit assumption in these sorts of arguments that Republican attempts to subvert democracy are in some fundamental sense unprincipled. The deeper truth is more disturbing than that: the contemporary Republican party is made up almost exclusively of people who oppose democracy on principle. Subverting democracy is quite literally required by their beliefs, given that democracy leads to the electoral defeat of ideological positions that are themselves completely contemptuous of democracy itself.
Expecting a white supremacist, or a theocrat, or a Randian believer in plutocracy, or a reactionary misogynist (obviously we’re talking about a lot of overlap here) to believe in democracy as anything other than a potentially valuable means to power in certain circumstances is as absurd as expecting a Marxist-Leninist in Russia in 1917 to believe in democracy. These people don’t believe in democracy in anything other than purely instrumental terms because, given their ideological priors, democracy is a bad thing.
The difference between all these people are small d democrats is that the latter types believe in democracy for its own sake, although of course liberal democrats believe that democracy must sometimes give way before other considerations, such as various fundamental individual rights.
But the contemporary Republican party is made up almost exclusively of people who hate democracy on principle. The notion that, if successfully cobbled together into an electoral majority, the rabble should be able to violate God’s ordained plan for His chosen (white) people, or should be empowered to violate the fundamental rights of Property (in the libertarian universe the rather mysterious concept of “natural” property rights fills the placeholder occupied by God in the theocratic ontology) is just so much bawling on paper and nonsense on stilts, as Jeremy Bentham said of a couple of famous late 18th century political experiments based on expansive notions of human rights.
Republicans who are trying to undermine democracy because democracy is bad for their ideological commitments are being, in their own perverse way, completely principled about this. That is why they and their principles must be crushed.


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Pointe De La Chery, Loisirs & Tourisme, 97223 Le Diamant, Martinique – Show map
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6 properties in Le Diamant
Including hotels, apartments, villas and more.
306 verified reviews
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Marine Hotel Diamant's staff speaks: French, English
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Outdoor Pool (all year), Grounds, Terrace
Tennis Court, Golf Course (within 2 miles), Diving
Food & Drink
Bar, Snack Bar
WiFi is available in public areas and is free of charge.
Free private parking is available on site (reservation is not needed).
Car Rental, 24-Hour Front Desk, Baggage Storage, Laundry, Fax/Photocopying
Newspapers, Safe, Facilities for Disabled Guests, Family Rooms, Air Conditioning
From 3:00 PM
7:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Cancellation and prepayment policies vary according to room type. Please enter the dates of your stay and check what conditions apply to your preferred room.
Children and Extra Beds
All children are welcome.
All children under 12 years stay free of charge when using existing beds.
There is no capacity for extra beds in the room.
Pets are allowed on request. No extra charges.
Cards accepted at this property
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Based on 306 reviews
Value for money
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Hôtel Diamant Les Bains is located in the Grande Anse du Diamant Beach, 4 km from Rocher du Diamant. It features a swimming pool, tropical garden and free Wi-Fi throughout.
Score from 58 reviews Good
Located just 300 ft from the beach, Hotel La Bateliere offers great sea views from its rooms and outdoor swimming pool. It is in Schoelcher, 3 miles from Fort-de-France.
Score from 456 reviews Good
Situated on the beachfront in Sainte Luce, Les Cayalines offers an outdoor pool, tropical gardens and bright self-catering accommodation with free Wi-Fi. Water sports facilities are available on site....
Score from 93 reviews Very good
Decorated in bright colors, this hotel in Trois Ilets is 3 miles from Empress Josephine Golf Course.
Score from 320 reviews Very good
Good location near Le Diamant, great view of the Diamant, best bang for the buck in the area. 35-40mins from the Airport, easy accessible by car, ideal for beach days in Trois Ilets, Anse D'Arlet or St-Anne. Close to Le Marin and Saint Luce, not far from Fort de France either. Safe and secure parking.
It has no beach, it's not a hotel that you spend much time in it, just for the night sleep. It has a nice pool but you'll probably use it once. Rooms are OK, not too clean, it's a 3 star French style, more like a Super 8 Motel in North America. It has a kitchenette with fridge, stove, microwave, all the dishes and so on. Nice for breakfast on the balcony with a great view but that's about it. It has potential but I don't see the owners wanting more out of this place. The bar and the resto are closed by 10PM, not much in Le Diamant either past 10PM, clients are mainly french, they go to bet by 10PM and wake up early. Be prepared to speak in French.
Good pool Friendly staff at bar
Room dated and some cockroaches Some of reception staff not too helpful Wifi only available at reception
Beachside location, large pool - with flume!
Gated hotel carpark (not really necessary); closed restaurant and birds entering the terrace restaurant (breakfast)and fouling the plates
Nice view from room.
Many mosquitos inthe room and reception They lock the gate. It's good for security but I feel tight.
No wi fi (((
SWIMMING POOL, STAFF, PIZZAS, LOCATION, VIEW
rooms are a bit small...
The view. The swimming pool.
Room filthy. The bed had been slept in by someone else for a considerable time. There were hairs, pubic hairs and stains of a bodily nature. I went to complain and was moved without apology. The double bed next door was clean but had tow single sheets placed across it rather and a double sheet which parted in the middle. The rest of the room was not very clean either. The barman was rude. I ordered a second two glasses of beer and he asked me agressively in French "Eh? Et ou sont les verres?" he wanted to put the beer in the dirty warm glasses. Just a hideous depressing experience overall. Thank goodness only one night.
Great swimming pool, nice views of the sea.
No beach, no bar, impossible to get a cup of coffee or any other drink anywhere. Unfriendly reception staff.
Out of numerous hotels/appartments/flats/bungalows/- ;... I've been in my life, this one has just the worst price/performance ratio... Ever!
wonderful view from balcony, lovely grounds, relaxed family-type place, close to interesting little village and great beaches
no flyscreen on sliding door, sliding door very stiff, difficult to open
- The pool - The ocean view - The kitchen,enabling escape from high prices in restaurants
The rooms are bit worn out and need renovation, especially the bathroom Car is needed to go anywhere, including to the beach
Great pool, nice view from the balcony, quiet, friendly staff
No WIFI in the room, taxi to "Le Diamant" 40 € (called by the staff)
Pool The view Waterslide
The bathroom The room
Very nice view
No wireless in the rooms The navigation map is wrong, so we had a very hard time finding it
Nice pool, quiet rooms with kitchenette and fridge, parking. Nice view on the sea and Diamant Rock, jetty for the boat trips and diving excursions. Lazy and intimate resort.
Lack of turists (not a lot people is a advantage) but prices kept high, no beach, wi-fi only at reception, pool bar closed, restaurant - available pizza but no local food, rooms clean but simple. Good for elder and families, prices need to be adjusted. (Next to this resort the similar one is closed due to bankrupcy)
Expensive breakfast, rooms OK but old.
Our kids lovved the pool and water slide. The staff was really nice and helpful. The grounds are well maintained and beatiful.
Property is not located on a beach. Rooms are small and basic. But what do you expect for the price?
The Hotel has an excellent location and a wonderful view of the diamond cliff
The room was full of small ants that were everywhere even in the bed.
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Watsons Mint Dental Floss is coated with wax which can slide easily into interdental spaces to remove dirt debris and plaque where most toothbrush bristles cannot reach expand upon contact with saliva and fill interdental spaces for effective cleaning. The mint flavour helps freshen your breath.
Place of Origin
Usage1. Wind approximately 45cm of floss between the middle finger of each hand 2. Grasp the floss between your index finger and thumb leaving approximately 12cm of floss exposed 3. Gently slide the floss between each tooth using back and forth motions just to the gums line then slide it up and down along the tooth surface to remove food debris and plaque.
Caution keep out of reach of children. Do not force the dental floss betwin teeth Do not swallow

domain: medical


Blotter, Sept. 1, 2010
High winds injure worker
The Mesa County Sheriff’s Department was called Monday to the 3400 block of Silverstone Court in Whitewater to assist with a construction worker who reportedly was knocked off an unfinished home by high winds. The winds were strong enough to blow the under-construction home off its foundation.
Cause of blackout unknown
Xcel Energy spokesman Fred Eggleston said a fuse blew at 1:18 p.m. Tuesday, knocking out power to 195 customers between Main Street and Ute Avenue and First and 14th streets. The outage reached the Mesa County Sheriff’s Department and the Mesa County Justice Center, which are west of First Street. Power was restored at 1:50 p.m.
Eggleston said workers suspect a bird or tree branch came into contact with a power line. Operations at the Sheriff’s Department and Justice Center weren’t interrupted because both facilities have backup generators.
According to the Grand Junction Police Department:
John Siviter, 54, homeless, was issued a summons Sunday on suspicion of misdemeanor assault in the 2800 block of Orchard Avenue.
Rita Soderstrom, 47, and Cynthia Lancaster, 27, were issued summonses Monday on suspicion of disorderly conduct after they allegedly physically harassed someone in the 200 block of Linden Avenue.
Thomas Dausel, 45, address unavailable, was issued a summons Saturday on suspicion of being an intoxicated pedestrian in the roadway at North First and West Grand Avenue.
According to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Department:
A woman in the 2600 block of H 3/4 Road reported Monday that someone charged approximately $300 to her debit card. The woman learned about the possible fraud after receiving her monthly bank statement.
A man in the 700 block of Foxfire Street on Monday reported 35 solar lights were stolen from his property for a loss of more than $300.
A woman in the 500 block of Shoshone Street reported Monday that several items of mail were stolen from mail boxes in the area. The report was forward to federal authorities.
According to the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Department:
Deputies were called out Aug. 22 after a 62-year-old man accidently shot himself in the hand during target practice with a .44-caliber handgun in the area of Cumberland Pass.
Deputies received a report Aug. 25 of a man identifying himself as a police officer to residents north of Gunnison, but authorities determined they had no officers in the area at the time.


US 95 SB Ramp to I-15 SB Ramp Detoured Nightly 9/17 – 9/19
The US 95 southbound ramp to I-15 southbound will be detoured nightly September 17 through 19 at Charleston Blvd. Click on the exhibit below for more details.
Expanded HOV Network Now Open!
On Monday, May 20, an expanded HOV network of 20+ contiguous miles will open along US 95 and I-15, providing direct access to/from the HOV lanes and valuable connectivity from the south side of town to the far northwest. The HOV network will operate 24/7 with specific points of entry/exit. Visit our HOV page for more details on the rules, access points, benefits, and the future plan for HOV lanes in the Las Vegas Valley.


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Balgownie Veterinary Hospital
Veterinarians - Balgownie, NSW
We are an A class hospital offering more services and higher standards than any veterinary clinic or surgery in the area and have been since our doors opened in November 1991.
The Balgownie Veterinary Hospital (BVH) is an A class hospital that offers a very high standard of veterinary care in a friendly and pleasant environment. The hospital opened up in November 1991, since then has taken care of thousands of pets and their owners in Balgownie and the surrounding areas.
We take pride in our work using the most advanced equipment available. We have just upgraded our radiographic facilities to computed radiography which allows us to convert normal radiographs to a digital image enhancing the radiographs and giving us better bone and soft tissue detail. We are continually refining our techniques to ensure that your pet receives the best treatment available. We also value wellness in your pet and our preventative medicine is designed to ensure that you and your pet have a fun filled future together.
We offer consultations by appointment except in an emergency. This allows us to give you and your pet 15 – 20 minutes of our full attention so we can discuss your concerns and explain all treatment options. It also means less waiting time for you and your pet.
We look forward to seeing you soon.


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Out of the Dust
Utah's Lost Mines and Hidden Treasures
Stephen B. Shafffer
Written for the adventurer in all of us, Out of the Dust: Utah's Lost Mines and Treasures is a unique guide that surpasses all other books of its kind.
Author Steve Shaffer brings to light stories of lost gold and silver mines carved out of the earth by Spaniards and Mexicans. Other stories tell of modern miners and their quest for hidden wealth in the hundreds of mountains and valleys of the West. While some treasure seekers have been rewarded with fabulous wealth, others have known only grief and disappointment.
Explore the vast Uinta Mountains and their rich mining heritage. Learn of long-lost mines that few treasure hunters have even heard of. Discover the secret of the Lost Rhoades Mine and the real story of the Lost Josephine Mine. Find out where to look for treasure and buried mines in Utah's desert country.
Utah's Lost Mines and Treasures features many photos and sketches published here for the first time and reveals long-forgotten cryptic and decoded treasure signs. This book, a treasure trove itself, is an essential asset for every adventurer and treasure hunter.
top of page
Expect delivery within two weeks of ordering
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Gordon Brothers, the global advisory and investment firm, has named Samantha Schackman Director, Business Development.
Schackman works with asset-based lending, investment banking and private equity professionals in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont to identify valuation, disposition and lending opportunities for Gordon Brothers and will expand the firm’s presence in the Northeast.
Based in Boston, Schackman has nearly 20 years of experience in the valuations industry. She was previously Director, Valuations within the retail valuation practice at Gordon Bothers responsible for providing appraisal services for and expanding the firm’s partnerships with retail companies throughout North America.
“Sam is a respected valuations professional and thought leader whose depth of industry expertise will play a critical role in our continued expansion,” said Frank Grimaldi, Senior Managing Director, North American Sales Manager at Gordon Brothers. “She works collaboratively with leaders across the firm and will continue to do so to deliver our best-in-class integrated services to clients.”
“As a longtime member of the Gordon Brothers’ family, I look forward to supporting the firm’s continued success and building upon the impressive global reach and incredible growth in recent years,” said Schackman.
About Gordon Brothers
Since 1903, Gordon Brothers (www.gordonbrothers.com) has helped lenders, management teams, advisors and investors move forward through change. The firm brings a powerful combination of expertise and capital to clients, developing customized solutions on an integrated or standalone basis across four services areas: valuations, dispositions, financing and investment. Whether to fuel growth or facilitate strategic consolidation, Gordon Brothers partners with companies in the retail, commercial and industrial sectors to provide maximum liquidity, put assets to their highest and best use and mitigate liabilities. The firm conducts more than $100 billion worth of dispositions and appraisals annually and provides both short- and long-term capital to clients undergoing transformation. Gordon Brothers lends against and invests in brands, real estate, inventory, receivables, machinery, equipment and other assets, both together and individually, to provide clients liquidity solutions beyond its market-leading disposition and appraisal services. The firm is headquartered in Boston, with over 30 offices across five continents.

domain: economics


Improve overall urban accessibility
Reduce congestion and journey delays
Tourism trends in Malta are extended in the traditional shoulder months. The mobility system must therefore be adapted to deal with emerging demands.
Reduce energy consumption
Reduce emissions/ increase air quality
- Economy-sharing driven mobility solutions
- Switching to less polluting transport modes
- Creating a modal shift from land to sea transport modes
Improve cost effectiveness and integration of transport and mobility services
Development of business models to guarantee the financial viability and lasting impacts of the measures
Replicate & Disseminate
- Working group representing over 150 cities ®ions following the project as observers;
- Links to China, to strengthen international cooperation;
- Dissemination locally to replicate innovative green mobility measures outside the Valletta region
Approach for Malta
The project tests and develops intelligent sustainable transport solutions aiming to improve quality of life, urban accessibility, to reduce emissions and energy consumption and to improve cost effectiveness and integration of transport services.
Measures tested within this project will be taken on as valuable experience to be built on and adopted on a national level post-project. All measures to be piloted will be monitored and assessed in view of their eventual inclusion in the SUMP to be compiled as part of this project.


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In this article, Tete Heigrujam looks at the four pivotal trends stimulating global vertical farming market share over 2021-2027.
The global vertical farming market is expected to gain significant momentum over the forthcoming years. This is due to the increasing environmental degradation and climate change across the globe.
An increasing scarcity of land for farming activities, coupled with the burgeoning global population, is significantly compromising the global food supply and demand, which in turn, pushing the agriculture industry towards vertical farming.
The demand for vertical farming equipment has been rapidly increasing over the past years, driven specifically by the rising focus on natural resource conservation and recycling to stabilise crop production.
As per reliable statistics, there are over 2.2 million sq. ft. of indoor farms operating worldwide. The number is likely to increase tenfold to 22 million sq. ft. over the next five years.
This dramatic rise in indoor farming activities will lead to the production of fresh goods in spaces using reduced natural resources.
These factors, alongside the profound potential of vertical farms to ensure food security and sustainability, will expand the scope of the overall industry growth over the coming years.
As per Global Market Insights, Inc. estimates, the global vertical farming market size is anticipated to surpass $19 billion by 2027.
Below are four key trends that would be outlining the overall industry growth outlook over 2020-2027:
Fishing industry’s shift to aquaculture
With growing awareness about wildlife conservation and the uncertain nature of deep-sea fishing, the world has slowly been shifting towards aquaculture to meet its seafood demand. This change is nowhere best apparent than in the tilapia industry.
On the basis of product, the tilapia segment is poised to depict a CAGR of over 23% through 2027, which is attributable to its large size and enhanced taste of the fish.
In addition, the product prefers a water temperature below 80°F and can be reared in brackish, fresh, and salty water.
Moreover, this fish species has been gaining widespread adoption for aquaponics as its wastewater contains key nutrients required for crop cultivation.
Growing prominence of outdoor vertical farming
With regards to the application spectrum, the outdoor segment accounts for nearly 25% of the vertical farming market share.
This farming activity can be conducted in high-rise buildings, barren lands, skyscrapers, deserts, and other building structures like retails, restaurants, etc., without the need for pesticides and fertilisers.
Extensive R&D activities to increase vertical farming yield in skyscrapers with sunlight and artificial lights will contribute to the rising product popularity over the foreseeable future.
Increasing adoption of aeroponics technology
In terms of segmentation by technology, the global vertical farming market from the aeroponics segment will hold an appreciable share in years ahead, owing to its capability to aid the growth of plants in an air or mist environment with the use of minimal water.
The technology has also been gaining high prominence due to myriad benefits such as the requirement of 90% less water, unlike hydroponic systems, and less space compared to conventional farming techniques.
In addition, the segmental growth can further be propelled by the non-requirement of pest control activities, thus lowering labour costs.
Several other advantages associated with the aeroponics technology include the ability to control moisture for high plant growth, deliver seamless crop harvest as compared to traditional farming and high-quality produce, and reduce labour costs via automation.
A strong presence of vertical farmers and industry players in Europe
From a regional perspective, the European vertical farming industry is set to exhibit around 20% CAGR through the forecast timeframe, which can be credited to the substantial availability of vertical farming equipment makers and farmers in the region.
Recently, Staay Food Group collaborated with Philips and Rijk Zwaan B.V. to establish a 900-m² vertical farm in the Netherlands.
The competitive landscape of the vertical farming market consists of companies such as Spread Co, American Hydroponics, Urban Crop Solutions, General Hydroponics, Mirai Co., Ltd., Plantagon International., Aerofarms, Green Spirit Farm, and Sky Greens, among others.
These industry participants are implementing strategies such as product innovations and business expansions to strengthen their market share.
To illustrate, in November 2020, Swegreen secured over $1 million in funding from Vinnova to further advance its platform for an AI-driven vertical farming project.
Armed with a post-graduate degree in English literature, Tete Heigrujam takes a keen interest in exploring the ever-evolving content landscape.
She has been working as a content writer for over a year now and pens down articles on numerous subjects, blending her knowledge of the language and the technical expertise that reflects in her pieces.

domain: geography


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After a busy festival season alongside two shows supporting Royal Blood, Australia's Psychedelic Porn Crumpets gear up for their their own headline tour in support of their latest album 'And Now For The Whatchamacallit'. We caught up with the band ahead of the shows to hear their top tips and stories from the road.
2019 is the year of touring for Demob Happy, who completed their biggest UK headline tour to date in Spring, toured Europe with Royal Blood and now gear up to tour extensively through North America with Band Of Skulls, before returning to the UK for a run of dates supporting The Amazons. We caught up with the band ahead of their US tour to hear their top tips and stories from the road!
Reigning Days bring the rock with the release of their new record Eclipse, recently dropped via Marshall Records - is this debut album going to be groundbreaking or leave fans wanting more?
When you have a formula as simple as Royal Blood, how do you keep it fresh without ruining your whole sound? On their second album the Brighton duo came up with a simple answer - don't do anything at all.

domain: entertainment


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Sat, Feb 18|
Venus Moon Wellness Boutique
Illuminate Your Love an Electric Tantra Experience
Date night just got even more exciting! Get creative and explore your partner connections through tantra and the art of body painting. This one-of-a-kind experience is prefect for couples looking to express their artistry and have a unique and unforgettable weekend!
Time & Location
Feb 18, 2023, 6:00 PM – Feb 19, 2023, 9:00 PM
Venus Moon Wellness Boutique, 44301 W Maricopa-Casa Grande Hwy Ste. 5A, Maricopa, AZ 85138, USA
About the event
Welcome to Illuminate Your Love!! This two-day event is designed to help couples deepen their connection through eye-gazing, heart connection, and the art of bodypaint. Literally letting your love Glow (UV) Our workshop will provide a safe and supportive environment for both partners to cultivate trust, understanding, and intimacy in their relationship.
We will begin our workshop with a guided meditation to bring your attention inward and help you both connect with each other on a deeper level. We will then explore various techniques for eye-gazing, and how to use this powerful practice to open the heart and share the unique energy that exists between two people.
Next, we will move into the practice of heart connection. We will guide you through a series of tantric exercises and to help you both open up and share your innermost feelings and desires.
Finally, on day two we will take a break from the mental and emotional work and explore the fun and creative side of connection with the art bodypainting. Illuminate your love (literally make your love glow) at our Electric Tantra class using UV black lights and neon colours, you will have the opportunity to express yourselves through art and create a masterpiece on a unique canvas- your partner.
Whether you are in a new relationship or have been together for years, we invite you to join us for this extraordinary date night experience. Come explore the depths of your connection and have some fun along the way!
No artistic experience necessary!
Price is set per couple
You can choose to attend both days Illuminate your love and Electric Tantra or purchase single event pass. space is limited, we aim to keep it intimate and will cap this event at 8 couples
- Two hour tantric experience lead by a tantric practitioner
- Demo by a professional artist
- Intimate body painting experience where you and your partner paint eachotherunder UV lights
- Assistance for your painting by a professional artist *optional
- All necessary materials are provided and no experience is necessary.
How to prepare:
Day1: dress comfortable and or in layers massage oil is available this day
Day2. Just you, your date, and your imagination. wear something you don't mind getting paint on or bring a change of clothing to leave in... all paints are removeable with soap and water.
Participants who are uncomfortable being topless in front of other people in class, can wear a backless top etc. Get as comfortable as you like.. some couples may choose to paint in the nude. This is a judgement free zone. Couple's are encouraged to focus on eachothers art and enjoy themselves.
Participants must be 21 years of age or older.
Arrive on time as the doors are locked 20 minutes after ticket time. Late arrival will forfiet your ticket purchase.
This event will last approx. 2 hours each day. This is a private event and not suitable for non-paying guests or spectators.
Make sure to join our Illuminate your love group
Meet Your Sensual Hosts:
Chamica Nicole & Tariq Sabur
Illuminate your LoveDay 1
Electric RendezvousDay 2

domain: artistic


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Little Miss Ann is a Chicago-based Filipina-American artist who teaches at the Old Town School of Folk Music and was recently a featured artist at the virtual Folk Alliance conference. The former Chicago Public School teacher pivoted to making music for kids about a decade ago, and since then has performed at venues around the country, including stages at the SXSW and Lollapalooza festivals. Little Miss Ann will release a new album called "28 Days" on May 7 and before then families are invited to a sneak peek party. Ann will be play some songs from the album, sharing album videos, provide the lyrics and chords to play along, and chat about the songs with one of the vocal guests on the album: Brooklyn kids' musician, Suzi Shelton.
Event Cost: Free
Event Times: 5 p.m.


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Cancer covers Eastern Greenland, Iceland, United Kingdom, France, Spain and North West Africa. These are all coastal countries with strong naval histories. They also have a strong sense of home and personal security.
Cities NH Cancer I Ching Hexagrams in relation to Geographical Longitude.
Click on the image to enlarge and scroll!


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Rota Island Experience
Travel by boat or plane and experience rich culture and delicious ethnic foods and tropical scenic landscapes, where nature reigns in its wildest form, unblemished and preserved in it's natural beauty. Replenish yourself in the hospitality of the locals and where everyone waves at you.
Tour Duration : 2 Nights
Min Tour Package : 6 Pax
*3 yo Fees DO NOT APPLY to this offer


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Parents love to watch their baby’s moments of laugh, cry, and hiccup to have a clue about their health. Not all signs of a problem in babies are easy to get. Bowel movements are a perfect example of changing habits over an entire lifetime. While 4 or more bowel movements a week are considered Okay, any less than that may be a sign of constipation in babies.
Signs and Symptoms of Constipation in Babies
Babies, generally, don’t have a bowel movement every single day as long as they only consume breast milk. Their bodies successfully absorb all the nutrients found in breast milk. Therefore, babies rarely get constipation.
In contrast, around 3 to 4 bowel movements every day are common in formula-fed babies. In fact, even 1 bowel movement is quite normal in such babies. Signs of constipation in babies are crucial to understanding to detect the potential issue and resolve it in time.
The following are some common signs of constipation in babies:
1. Occasional bowel movements
In babies, the number of bowel movements fluctuates as you add new foods to their diet. If you experience missing bowel movements for 2 to 3 days, typically after a recent diet change, and then see a hard stool, it could be a sign of constipation.
You need to know that constipation is not defined by just infrequent bowel movements but by their consistency as well. Thus, a hard stool after a few days of missing bowel movements refers to constipation.
2. Strains during a bowel movement
Another sign of constipation in babies, which you need to carefully observe, is if your baby is straining during a bowel movement. Constipated babies, sometimes, have a hard and clay-like stool, which is difficult to pass.
Babies may have to push/strain more than usual to pass the stool and they may cry during a bowel movement.
3. Tight stomach
A tight belly could be another sign of constipation in babies, which further causes bloating and creates pressure in their stomach, making it look stiff.
4. Blood in the stool
As a hard stool is common in constipation, you may observe a red streak of blood in your baby’s stool. This usually occurs when they push very hard to pass the stool. It may cause tiny tears across the walls of the anus and lead to a bright red streak of blood in the stool.
Home Remedies for Constipation in Babies
Once you notice the above signs and symptoms of constipation in your baby, try the following simplest home-based remedies to relieve the symptoms:
1. Switch the milk
If you are breastfeeding your baby who just got constipated, maybe you need to change your diet. The baby could be sensitive to something that you are eating, which is a rare case.
Feeding bottle milk can benefit your baby – at least until constipation goes away.
2. Feed solid foods
While some solid foods may cause constipation in babies, others are known to improve it. In case you have recently started feeding solid foods to your baby, consider including a few fiber-rich foods, such as broccoli, peaches, prunes, skinless apples, pears, etc.
Among other fiber-rich foods are oats, barley, and quinoa while crackers, whole-grain bread, and bran cereals add bulk to stool and help prevent/relieve constipation.
Breast-fed babies may not have bowel movements for a few days, as the entire nutrients in the breast milk are absorbed by their bodies. In case you notice symptoms of constipation in your baby, talk with a pediatrician about the concern. In the meantime, try some home remedies to relieve the symptoms.


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An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster
Fievel is back and this time someone, or something, is mouse-napping in Manhattan, which has all the rats in New York living in fear.
Production Year: 1999
May 7, 2013 15:00 (KSA) ~ May 7, 2013 14:00 (CLT)
Nellie gets a chance when she is assigned to report on mice who disappear overnight into holes that open up on their floor all over New York.
Nellie decides to make up a story of a “monster” that lives under Manhattan and takes mice away during the night to add more excitement to the story and sell more papers.
The night monster creates fear and hysteria among the readers as Fievel and Tanya go in search of the dastardly rat-nabber.
- Thomas Dekker
- Robert Hays
- Susan Boyd
- Candi Milo
- John Mariano
- Nehemiah Persoff
Directed by:Larry Latham


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Fame: the school for stars faces unwelcome limelight
INVESTIGATION It is a college for Sydney's future performing artists. But a property deal involving its founding family has led to a boardroom row, writes Linton Besser.
INVESTIGATION It is a college for Sydney's future performing artists. But a property deal involving its founding family has led to a boardroom row, writes Linton Besser. If it wasn't for The McDonald College, the Sydney Olympics might have opened without Nikki Webster. Sarah O'Hare might never have become a Murdoch.A performing arts school for some of Sydney's most privileged children, it has launched the careers of acclaimed ballerinas and what looks like half the cast of Home and Away. But almost 30 years after it enrolled its first students, the not-for-profit college is in crisis.In late 2010, police charged its head of classical ballet, Allan Cross, alleging he had sexually assaulted female students over 16 years. The shock news only worsened a downward trend of enrolments. In line with sagging financial markets, student numbers fell from 521 in 2004 to as few as 319 this year. The school had to initiate bankruptcy proceedings against parents late on fees.In the end, though, it is a real estate deal promoted as the college's salvation that could be its undoing. It has sparked a bitter dispute in the school's boardroom and raised alarming revelations that college directors may have broken the law. The school's parents are beginning to ask questions.The college, founded by the Markham family, had for several decades existed as a small, almost household affair. But since 1983, when it became a not-for-profit organisation that received government funding, there has sometimes been a tension between the way the family once ran the school and the new governance obligations on the board.Now the Markhams have led a push to sell off a quarter of the college grounds to ease mounting financial pressure. The problem is not that the Markhams want to divest 5000 square metres of the leafy North Strathfield campus. It is that they plan to sell it to a Markham family company without going to tender.The school land is not, it should be made clear, owned by the Markhams it is managed in trust on behalf of the school community. Despite this, the Markhams did not wish to test the market. After decades of devotion to the school, they saw nothing wrong with members of the family sitting on both sides of the transaction."Ask yourself, what material benefit will I get if Markham [Corporation] builds and sells the residential block on the development site?" the school's founding director, Margaret Markham, wrote to fellow board members in late January. "The answer is no benefit whatsoever except the pleasure of seeing my son assisting the college with a philanthropic deal."It matters not that she, her daughter and her son have been variously chairman, principal, and board director of the school or its foundation. Nor that the college has received about $18 million from taxpayers over the past eight years and an unknown sum again from benefactors. Nor, Margaret has told the rest of the board, should anyone have any concerns that her husband, Geoffrey, "was a director of Markham [Corporation] and the college at the same time". This was "irrelevant", she said.Three days before she sent this memo, the family had received confidential legal advice about the way it had handled the obvious conflict of interest involving Margaret Markham and her daughter. "There may have been breaches of the Corporations Act 2001," Gilbert and Tobin said. It offered them some reassurance, though - such breaches may have only been of a "technical nature".The school is named after Margaret Markham's mother, Ann McDonald, who emigrated to Australia in 1912. To fund her studies at the Conservatorium, she taught to local children the dances she had brought with her from Falkirk, Scotland. The college uniform still carries the McDonald tartan.After Margaret took over in the 1980s, The McDonald College proper emerged as a comprehensive private school that combined performing arts with serious academic achievement. She installed an uncompromising culture of excellence and poured herself - and sometimes her money - into the school. Over time, hundreds of students flocked there as its reputation grew. Their parents added millions to its coffers.But over the past decade, student numbers have shrunk, and with them, so too have the school's finances. The college's management was forced to use the school's mortgage as an ATM. It drew down $500,000 first in 2003, then another half-a-million three years later. Last November, when it asked its lender for another $450,000, the mortgage bulged to $7.75 million.But the problems with enrolments may only get worse. Next month, Allan Cross's committal hearing begins. Given police have laid 13 charges against him - including the alleged rape of three girls under his tuition over the very long period that he was in a senior role - the school can expect damaging evidence.Its debts mounting and future uncertain, one director told her colleagues last year the school was "skating on thin ice". With few other options, the school began to contemplate liquidating part of its greatest asset.In mid-2010, Margaret's son, James Markham, brought a proposal to the school. He would develop a corner of the college via his property development firm, Markham Corporation Pty Ltd, and fund the venture by pooling the money of investors. His company targets a return of 20 to 30 per cent a year for investors.When James approached the college, his father, Geoffrey, was a fellow director of Markham Corporation and was on the board of the school (he later resigned). So too was James's mother, Margaret, and sister, Michelle Deaker. Margaret declared a conflict of interest when James presented a formal proposal the following January, and Deaker claims this also covered her. But both continued to play an active role and repeatedly voted on the matter.The proposal, to build up to 156 units on the site, was promising. Markham Corporation would pay the school at least $4.15 million, including $500,000 up-front, and under a complex arrangement, potentially some of the profits. Deaker says "the opportunity to have somebody else completely carry the risk for the school ... [was] very positive".The $4.15 million was based on a valuation of the entire college grounds by a firm called Landmark White. The calculation went like this: if the site was 24 per cent of the total, then its value must be roughly 24 per cent of that for the whole campus ($17.25 million). But in property circles, such a calculation is irregular.It is so unusual that the NSW director of the same valuer, Landmark White, says any such exercise is flawed. "We would not normally do a percentage," Michael Clarke says. "If you adopt 25 per cent you don't take into account ... that it might be the best corner of the parcel, in which case it is worth a lot more than that. If I was a board member [of the organisation selling the land] I would say that is probably not the value that you could achieve in the marketplace."But doubts about the price had already emerged last December, when Colliers International submitted an unsolicited bid to market the property. Although valuers say the prices it promised should be viewed with scepticism, its estimates of the site's value were significantly higher.Markham insisted the land would yield $8.59 million if the council granted sufficient approvals under the same conditions, Colliers said the site was worth $15.75 million. One expert canvassed by The Sun-Herald says if the site had development approval - which it does not - it may be worth between $11 million and $13 million.The Markham contract's profit-share scheme presents a possibility the school could receive a cut greater than the values proposed by Colliers. But the question remains: could a competitive tender have extracted a better offer? And this is why Colliers' bid, and other letters of interest the school received, should have been good news. The school's then chairman, Rick Watkins, told the board he believed "there is significant interest in the property, indicating a substantial value over and above the proposal currently before the council".But Margaret Markham and her daughter were less enthusiastic. "Colliers is simply a statement spruiking for business," Deaker wrote. "I seriously doubt our property valuer could have been far off the mark."In another letter: "I should also point out that there is only so much goodwill a person can show and taking off my family hat (and pointing out I have no interest in Markham Group), I think James has ... been extremely patient with the board."Margaret didn't want her son to even know the school had fielded competing offers. She wrote to fellow directors that Colliers' minimum sale price was "extremely optimistic" and voted to ignore such competing bids. Deaker points out to The Sun-Herald that the board had voted unanimously several weeks before the Colliers proposal arrived to adopt the Markham deal. (One director was absent.)But Margaret might have been disappointed the Colliers bid ever surfaced. Several months earlier, she gave specific instructions to the school principal, Maxine Kohler, about how to handle such things.Kohler reminded the board of these instructions at a highly charged meeting in late December."Maxine advised the meeting that she had been directed by Margaret Markham not to seek alternative expressions of interest prior to the signing of the letter," the official minutes say. "Margaret denied such a conversation and Rick [Watkins] reminded her that he was present at that conversation and confirmed that the conversation took place."On January 23, without warning, those directors loyal to the Markhams moved a vote of no confidence against Watkins. He was ousted as chairman and resigned from the board.What is unclear about the current imbroglio is why it took so long to ferment. While some directors actively supported the proposal, others appear to have become so accustomed to the Markhams' influence at the school that this simply became the latest episode in a long-running family drama. Deaker says the family has "spent their life doing things for the school" she recalls being younger and helping to clean the campus one day. There is little doubt about her family's commitment.But it is also not the first time The McDonald College has sold off land in unorthodox circumstances. In September 1999, it sold an apartment building to the rear of its old campus. It accepted an offer of $1 million for the property and again did not go to a public tender. The buyer appears to have done well out of the deal. She reinstated some of the internal walls and bathrooms the school had removed, and restored the building to eight separate units. Five months after buying the property, she on-sold it for $1.95 million.The buyer was Denise Reid, a barrister, and her then husband. Reid was a close associate of the Markhams and had been a director of McDonald College for six years until 18 months before the transaction, when she stepped down. Five months after on-selling the property, she rejoined the board. While there is no suggestion of improper conduct by Ms Reid or her husband, the circumstances again highlight a failure to put out to tender property owned by the school.Reid tells The Sun-Herald that she and her husband paid a premium above a price that had been nominated by the school's real estate agent, because they wanted "to do something good for the school".There were other examples where the line between the school and the Markham family may have been blurred. Few on the board batted an eyelid in April last year when Margaret announced "she had commissioned Christina Markham ... to prepare draft plans" for a new boarding house - a project that is linked to the wider property development.Christina, Margaret's other daughter and Michelle's twin sister, is an architect. Margaret and Michelle both openly encouraged the board to pay Christina's $30,000 fee neither felt the need to absent themselves from the discussions and no other architects were approached. Deaker says Christina did this work "on spec" and "on the basis the school would apply for a grant for the boarding house and if the school didn't get the grant, she wouldn't be paid". The school did receive the grant, she says.At one point in the board discussions, Deaker suggested James should liaise directly with Christina over the project, as the boarding house overlaps with James's much bigger project. That is, her brother and sister should chat between themselves. It was not until a fiery meeting on December 28, after Margaret Markham and Deaker urged the board to disregard the competing proposal from Colliers, that resistance emerged from an unlikely corner. John Lutman, a long-time friend, board member and co-founder of the school, erupted in anger, arguing Margaret should not even be attending the discussion."Any public perception of failure to deal with conflict of interest properly by The McDonald College board could endanger future funding and invite the possibility of legal action and the payment out of school funds of a judgment against us," he wrote several days later.What prompted the revolt is unclear. But it may have taken some time to digest clause six of the agreement signed with Markham Corporation. Not only was the school selling the development site to a Markham company without tender, it was also granting it "a first and last right of refusal to purchase and develop the balance of the college's land".Finally, on January 19, Watkins, as chairman, wrote to James Markham, seeking revisions to the agreement. Clause six was an issue, he said, and there was another problem to be dealt with. The college, he wrote, needed "to formally comply with the related party transaction provisions of the Corporations Act" before it signed anything more binding.He was deposed four days later in a putsch that horrified the school principal, Maxine Kohler, and Lutman. Once he had left, and an acting chairman was installed, the board voted to ratify its past decisions on the deal - this time with Margaret and Michelle absent. The Markhams' lawyers had drafted these resolutions such that they purported to retrospectively fix the conflict-of-interest problem. Kohler and Lutman were outvoted in each vote, and a letter was sent to James to reassure him he had the green light.Surely this would be the end of the ructions, and the school could get on with the business at hand: reviving enrolments and building flats. "I am very proud of the work that my family have done for the school over their entire life," Deaker says. "It has really been a life[time] working commitment."There is one more hurdle to leap, however. The parents. The donors. But even these issues appear to be in hand. James Markham is to appoint a new public relations team for both his company and the school to manage any adverse publicity. Margaret came perilously close to losing control of her mother's legacy, reduced though it is. At 76, now she can contemplate retirement, hopeful that her son and daughters will carry the torch.
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SCHAUMBURG, Illinois — The average monthly payment for a new vehicle in the second quarter of 2015 was $483, according to the new State of the Automotive Finance Market by Experian Automotive.
In comparison, the average used-car payment was $361 — widening the gap between the two to $122.
The information services company said this is the largest margin since it began publicly reporting the data in 2008.
The difference between the total loan amounts for new and used vehicles also increased significantly, the report said.
On average, car shoppers financed $28,524 for a new vehicle and $18,671 for used.
The study found that 31.4 percent of all new vehicles financed were leased, up from 30.2 percent the previous year.
The percentage of used vehicles financed for 73 months to 84 months increased by 14.8 percent from the second quarter of 2014 to reach 16.1 percent — the highest percentage on record.
A recent Edmunds' analysis found that average used car prices hit a record high of $18,800 in the second quarter, up 7.6 percent — or $1,300 per vehicle — from the second quarter of 2014. Meanwhile, the average age of used cars sold in Q2 2015 was 4.5 years, down from an average of 4.9 years the same time last year.
Edmunds says: Some interesting stats to chew on while you consider your next automotive purchase.


Combining two types of molecular boron nitride could create hybrid material for faster, more powerful electronics RSS
Combining two types of molecular boron nitride could create hybrid material for faster, more powerful electronics
Advancements in electronics have always been driven by the quest for faster and more powerful devices. Researchers are constantly exploring new materials that can push the boundaries of what is possible. One such material that holds great promise is molecular boron nitride.
The Power of Molecular Boron Nitride
Boron nitride is a compound made up of boron and nitrogen atoms. It exists in several different forms, including hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and cubic boron nitride (c-BN). Both forms have unique properties that make them valuable in various applications.
H-BN is an excellent insulator and has a high thermal conductivity, making it ideal for applications in electronics where heat dissipation is crucial. On the other hand, c-BN is a wide-bandgap semiconductor with exceptional hardness, making it suitable for high-power electronic devices.
The Hybrid Approach
Researchers have recently discovered that by combining h-BN and c-BN, they can create a hybrid material that combines the best properties of both forms. This hybrid material exhibits enhanced electrical conductivity, improved thermal management, and increased mechanical strength.
The combination of h-BN and c-BN creates a unique lattice structure that allows for efficient charge transport and heat dissipation. This means that electronic devices made using this hybrid material can operate at higher speeds without overheating, leading to faster and more powerful electronics.
Applications in Electronics
The potential applications of this hybrid material in electronics are vast. It can be used to develop high-performance transistors, integrated circuits, and other electronic components that require fast switching speeds and efficient heat dissipation.
Additionally, the improved mechanical strength of the hybrid material makes it suitable for use in flexible electronics, where durability is essential. This opens up possibilities for the development of bendable displays, wearable devices, and other innovative electronic products.
The combination of h-BN and c-BN to create a hybrid material holds great promise for the future of electronics. Its ability to provide faster switching speeds, efficient heat dissipation, and improved mechanical strength makes it an ideal candidate for next-generation electronic devices.
As researchers continue to explore the potential of molecular boron nitride, we can expect to see exciting advancements in the field of electronics. The hybrid material could revolutionize the way we use and interact with technology, enabling faster and more powerful devices that enhance our daily lives.
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