1. Introduction {#s0005}
===============

An accessory cavitated uterine mass (ACUM) is a rare congenital Mullerian anomaly where an accessory cavity with normal endometrial lining lies within a normally shaped and normally functioning uterus. This uterine malformation is different from the common Mullerian uterine malformation described in the ESHRE/ESGE consensus statement \[[@bb0005]\]. It occurs due to the duplication or persistence of ductal Mullerian tissue, which is believed to have originated from gubernaculum dysfunction, leading to accessory uterine tissue formation. ACUM is frequently observed in young, nulliparous women presenting with severe dysmenorrhea and recurrent pelvic pain despite taking analgesics or oral contraceptive pills (OCP). Some present with infertility. It is rare among women under 30 years of age. ACUM is a diagnostic challenge and is often under-diagnosed. Differential diagnoses include rudimentary and cavitated uterine horns, adenomyosis with cystic or degenerated areas, and degenerating fibroids. Ultrasound scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and hysteroscopy are helpful in the diagnosis.

Here, we present two cases of ACUM diagnosed in line with the proposed ACUM criteria \[[@bb0010],[@bb0015]\]. The first case was a 22-year-old woman who presented with severe dysmenorrhea and was initially misdiagnosed with non-communicating rudimentary horn. The second was a 36-year-old woman who presented with primary infertility and dysmenorrhea. Laparoscopic excision of the ACUM was performed in both patients.

2. Cases {#s0010}
========

2.1. Case 1 {#s0015}
-----------

A 22-year-old, single, virgo intacta (VI) woman presented with a 3-month history of severe pain after menses. She had attained menarche at the age of 15 and had not suffered from dysmenorrhea. Her menstrual flow was regular and normal. Being a VI, we could not perform a transvaginal ultrasound scan (TVUS) and she refused a transrectal ultrasound scan (TRUS). Transabdominal ultrasound scan (TAUS) showed a retroverted normal-sized uterus with normal endometrial cavity. The ovaries were not clearly seen. There was a cystic mass measuring 2.65 × 3.62 cm on the right side of the uterus, which appeared like a right endometrioma ([Fig. 1](#f0005){ref-type="fig"}A).Fig. 1(A): TAUS shows a cystic lesion on the right side of the uterus. (B): Laparoscopy shows a nodular lesion on the right side of the uterine fundus.Fig. 1

With a diagnosis of a right endometrioma, we proceeded to perform a laparoscopic cystectomy. Laparoscopy showed a uterus with a globular swelling in the right fundal area, next to the right fallopian tube insertion ([Fig. 1](#f0005){ref-type="fig"}B). Minimal endometriotic nodules were found on the right uterosacral ligament and the posterior aspect of the uterus. Both ovaries and Fallopian tubes were normal. A needle was used to aspirate the mass. Brownish fluid resembling endometriosis was obtained. The mass was thought to be a non-communicating uterine horn. Since no consent was obtained to excise the lesion, this was not performed.

The findings were discussed with the patient. We also advised her to undergo a TRUS and hysteroscopy. 3D TRUS showed a cystic lesion in the right side of the uterus measuring 2.65 × 3.62 cm ([Fig. 2](#f0010){ref-type="fig"}A). MRI scan showed a unicornuate uterus with a non-communicating rudimentary horn ([Fig. 2](#f0010){ref-type="fig"}B).Fig. 2(A): TRUS shows a cystic lesion on the right cornual part of the uterus. (B) MRI shows a cystic lesion on the right side of the uterus. There was no communication between the endometrial cavity and the cystic lesion. (C) Showing hysteroscopic cannulation of the right tubal ostium and chromopertubation showing that the right tube is patent.Fig. 2

Just before the second laparoscopy, a hysteroscopy was performed (without injuring the hymen). The right tubal ostium was directly cannulated and chromopertubation was performed. Dye was seen coming out of the right fallopian tube ([Fig. 2](#f0010){ref-type="fig"}C). This indicated that the right fallopian tube arose directly from the uterus and not from the cystic lesion, thus eliminating the diagnosis of a rudimentary horn. Diluted vasopressin was injected into the myometrium of the nodule and excision of the uterine mass was performed with monopolar diathermy. This was done easily without entering the uterine cavity. The defect was sutured with interrupted polyglactin 1 sutures. The specimen was removed in an *endo*-bag after cutting it into smaller pieces.

Post-operatively, the patient had an uneventful recovery and was discharged 48 h later. During her follow-up, she was asymptomatic and an ultrasound scan showed no abnormal findings.

Histopathological examination confirmed a cystic hemorrhagic mass. The cavity was lined with endometrial tissue with glandular atrophy. These results along with the operative findings confirmed the diagnosis of ACUM.

2.2. Case 2 {#s0020}
-----------

A 36-year-old married nulligravida woman presented with a history of chronic pelvic pain and severe dysmenorrhea. She had attained menarche at 12 years of age and had been having dysmenorrhea since then. She experienced intermittent severe colicky pain during the first 3 days of menses every month. For the last 4 years she had been trying to conceive but had been unsuccessful. Her husband\'s semen analysis was normal.

No abnormalities were detected on abdominal and pelvic examination. TVUS and TAUS revealed a normal-sized uterus with a cavitated right-sided intramural mass measuring 3.29 × 3.28 cm ([Fig. 3](#f0015){ref-type="fig"}). The cavitated mass contained echogenic homogenous material resembling an endometrioma measuring 1.01 × 1.77 cm. The uterus, endometrial layer and ovaries were normal. The antral follicle count was 2 in the right ovary and 1 in the left ovary. The mass was thought to be either an ACUM or a degenerating fibroid. Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) was 0.91 ng/ml.Fig. 3TVUS shows a cystic mass on the right side of the uterine fundus.Fig. 3

Since her AMH level was low, we discussed several treatment options. Her main concern was preservation of fertility. Since the cystic lesion did not involve the endometrial cavity, we discussed the option of performing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) first, with embryo transfer and surgery later. Due to time constraints, she decided to do a cycle of IVF, freeze the embryos and then undergo a laparoscopic excision of the ACUM. We thought that frozen embryo transfer after the surgery may give her a better chance of implantation. She was started on an antagonist protocol. Unfortunately, we only collected 2 oocytes, which resulted in a single embryo, which was frozen. We suggested a second IVF cycle to collect more embryos before surgery but she chose to undergo the surgery without this.

Hysteroscopy revealed a normal uterine cavity and both ostia were seen. On laparoscopy, a nodular lesion attached to the right anterior uterine wall close to the round ligament insertion was seen ([Fig. 4](#f0020){ref-type="fig"}A).Fig. 4(A): Nodule seen on the right side of the anterior wall of the uterus. (B): As the nodule was incised, a chocolate-colored material spilled out.Fig. 4

Endometriotic lesions were found on the posterior peritoneum of the broad ligaments, uterosacral ligaments, rectum and over the ureters. The rectum was adherent to the uterus posteriorly. The uterus, both fallopian tubes and ovaries were otherwise normal. Chromopertubation with methylene blue injection confirmed that both tubes were patent. Laparoscopic adhesiolysis was performed. The ureters were dissected out. The rectum was released from the adhesions in the rectovaginal septum. Nodules on the uterosacral ligaments, rectum, posterior wall of the uterus and peritoneum were excised. Vasopressin 20 IU diluted in 200 ml of saline was injected into the myometrium at the junction of the uterus and the ACUM nodule to achieve hemostasis. An oblique incision was made on the mass. Approximately 20 ml of thick, chocolate-colored material spilled out of the mass ([Fig. 4](#f0020){ref-type="fig"}B).

Circumferential incision of the mass was done using monopolar diathermy. The nodule was excised without entering the true endometrial cavity. The defect was then sutured with interrupted polyglactin 1 sutures. The specimen was placed in an *endo*-bag, cut into smaller pieces and retrieved from the peritoneal cavity through a 10 mm trocar site. Anti-adhesion barrier agent was applied to all areas where the surgery was performed. Post-operatively, the patient did well. She was discharged the following day.

The endometriotic nodules and the uterine nodule (ACUM) were sent for histopathological analysis. The first specimen was consistent with endometriotic nodules. The histopathology of the second specimen showed the presence of tubular and mildly dilated endometrial glands with stroma between bundles of smooth muscle fibers. Areas of myxohyaline changes were found adjacent to the stroma with no adenomyotic foci. A significant cellular atypia surrounding the myometrial tissue in the specimen was noted. The histopathological findings were consistent with the diagnosis of ACUM.

After surgery, the patient had no further dysmenorrhea. She was advised not to conceive for 6 months and to undergo frozen embryo transfer after that. However, she conceived successfully on her first attempt. At the time of writing she was 33 weeks pregnant without any maternal or fetal problems.

3. Discussion {#s0025}
=============

ACUM has been documented in the literature, but using different terminologies, such as juvenile cystic adenomyosis, non-communicating accessory uterine cavities and isolated cystic adenomyoma. It can be confused with several other gynecological diseases. [Table 1](#t0005){ref-type="table"} summarizes the characteristics of ACUM and its differential diagnoses.Table 1Characteristics of ACUM and its differential diagnoses.Table 1Accessory cavitated uterine massNon-communicating rudimentary uterine hornTrue cavitated adenomyomaDegenerating fibroid[Pathophysiology]{.ul}Mullerian anomaly without uterine malformation caused by duplication and persistence of the ductal Mullerian tissue at the insertion of the round ligament, believed to be due to the gubernaculum dysfunction.Mullerian anomaly with uterine malformation due to the failure of one of the Mullerian duct to elongate towards the urogenital sinus while the contralateral Mullerian duct develops normally \[[@bb0045]\].Invagination of the endometrial basalis layer into the myometrium \[[@bb0035]\].\
Misplaced pluripotent Mullerian remnants \[[@bb0040]\].Benign monoclonal tumor mainly composed of smooth muscle cells and fibrous connective tissue.[Definition]{.ul}Isolated cavitated mass consistent with the normal myometrium resembling the normal uterus.\
It is found at the level of round ligament insertion.\
It is associated with a normal shaped and functional true uterus.Usually associated with uterine malformation (unicornuate uterus, bicornuate uterus).\
74--90% of unicornuate uterus associates with rudimentary uterine horn \[[@bb0025],[@bb0030]\].\
An isolated cavity with a horn and fallopian tube attaching on it without communicating with the true cavity.A focal adenomyosis which is not in direct continuity with the junctional zone.\
Has central degeneration and endometriotic fluid accumulation.\
Common among elderly women.\
Often associated with fibroids.Benign tumor of myometrial origin with cystic lesions in the middle of the tumor.\
Fibroids can undergo various forms of degeneration like hyaline, cystic, myoxoid and red degeneration.[HPE findings]{.ul}Endometrioid epithelium line the cavity.\
Epithelial glands and stroma lined the cavity, surrounded by smooth muscle cells.\
Myometrium adjacent to the ACUM may develop adenomyosis but do not present in the rest of the uterus (small foci).Thick myometrial wall.\
Cavity lined by endometrial epithelium.\
No evidence of adenomyosis.Absence of internal epithelial lining of the cystic cavity.\
Lack of uterus like smooth muscle organization.\
Diffusely spread adenomyotic foci in the uterus corpus.It is well circumscribed with solid rubbery firm texture \[[@bb0050]\].\
The color and texture may be different based on the types of degeneration.\
Composed of fascicles of elongated smooth muscle cells with eosinophilic cytoplasm and centrally located cigar-shaped nucleus.\
It is rich in vasculature of various calibers and types including muscle-rich arteries, arterioles and veins.[Fallopian tubes]{.ul}Normal ostia.\
Normal fallopian tubes.\
The uterine horn is attached to the true uterus cavity.The fallopian tube arises from the accessory uterine horn.\
The true uterine cavity only has one fallopian tube.\
Hysteroscopy shows a single tubal ostium.Fallopian tubes arise from the uterus.Fallopian tubes arise from the uterus.[MRI findings]{.ul}A nodular uterine lesion with central cavity containing cystic component and hemorrhagic content within it.\
Hyperintense signal on T1-weighted images.\
Hypointense signal on T2-weighted images and clearly independent from the normal endometrial cavity.The unicornuate uterus is displaced off the midline with normal myometrial zonal anatomy and normal endometrial-to-myometrial width and ratio \[[@bb0020]\].\
If the non-communicating rudimentary horn contains endometrial tissue, the zonal anatomy is preserved while the rudimentary horn may become distended with blood products.\
In an empty non-communicating rudimentary horn, the zonal anatomy is absent with a diffuse low signal intensity shown on the uterine horn.Hypointense mass on T2-weighted images.\
Ill-defined borders, minimal mass effect, multiple bright foci.Cystic degeneration shows isointense relative to myometrium on T1; hyperintensity with lack of contrast enhancement of the internal areas on T2 \[[@bb0050]\].\
Hemorrhagic degeneration shows hyperintensity on T1 and moderate-to-high intensity on T2.\
Hyaline degeneration appears isointense on T1, hypointense on T2; similar to non-degenerated fibroids.\
Fatty degeneration appears consistent with fat on MRI.

Based on the criteria \[[@bb0010],[@bb0015]\], ACUM diagnosis can only be suspected preoperatively and confirmed only after histopathological examination. However, accurate preoperative diagnosis is important to determine the need for and type of surgery, as this will differ in different conditions. The 2 cases reported here demonstrate that ACUM is readily managed with surgery, as the endometrial cavity is not entered.

There are several lessons that can be learnt from these 2 cases. In the first case, a diagnosis of right endometrioma was made only with a TAUS. Endometrioma can usually be diagnosed confidently with only a TVUS, with no need for MRI. Since this patient was VI, TVUS could not be performed. TRUS will give an equally clear picture of the pelvis and could have distinguished an endometrioma from a uterine cystic lesion. So, if a VI patient refuses TRUS, then MRI is mandatory to exclude ACUM. An office hysteroscopy and/or hysterosalpingography is another way of differentiating an ACUM from a rudimentary uterine horn ([Table 1](#t0005){ref-type="table"}). These tests were not done in this patient, as she was VI.

In the second case, ACUM was the provisional diagnosis from the beginning. Excision of the ACUM was done after 1 cycle of IVF. Fortunately, the patient conceived spontaneously after the excision of the ACUM and endometriotic nodules in the pelvis. It is difficult to postulate whether the excision of the ACUM and/or the endometriotic nodules in the pelvis was the reason she conceived spontaneously.

4. Conclusion {#s0030}
=============

ACUM is a difficult condition to diagnose. One needs a high index of suspicion. Since most patients with ACUM suffer from dysmenorrhea, surgical excision is necessary and can be easily done by laparoscopy. When a cystic lesion seen in the myometrium is asymptomatic, it is difficult to distinguish ACUM from its differential diagnoses ([Table 1](#t0005){ref-type="table"}) and a correct diagnosis can be made only after excision and histopathological evaluation.

Contributors {#s0035}
============

Sevellaraja Supermaniam is the corresponding author and was the surgeon in charge.

Wei Lin Thye was in charge of collecting and assembling the data.

Both authors participated in the writing and critical revision of the manuscript and both read and approved the final version.

Conflict of Interest {#s0040}
====================

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this case report.

Funding {#s0045}
=======

This case report did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Patient Consent {#s0050}
===============

Written informed consent was obtained from both patients for the publication of this case report and the accompanying images.

Provenance and Peer Review {#s0055}
==========================

This case report was peer reviewed.


Visualization of [3H]docosahexaenoic acid trafficking through photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium by electron microscopic autoradiography.
[3H]docosahexaenoic (DHA) acid was followed through the retinal pigment epithelial cells and photoreceptors for up to 5 days after injection to specifically determine which membrane systems of the retinal pigment epithelial cells are used in the handling of [3H]DHA after shedding and phagocytosis of rod tips. Frogs (Rana pipiens) were injected with [3H]DHA in the dorsal lymph sacs, and maintained for up to 5 days. Retinas were processed for electron microscopic autoradiography, stored for various periods of time, and then analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. After 1 day, [3H]DHA had accumulated within photoreceptor ellipsoids, and had begun to appear as dense label in newly formed discs. By day 5, the basal region of dense label had expanded apically. Newly shed rod outer segment tips were diffusely labeled; but occasionally after several hours, they acquired additional label as they moved near Bruch's membrane. Retinal pigment epithelial cytoplasm maintained a constant level of label, with myeloid bodies sometimes slightly labeled. Oil droplets of the retinal pigment epithelium accumulated dense label throughout this study. When [3H]DHA enters the retinal pigment epithelium, some is retained within oil droplets, whereas the rest is passed on to the photoreceptors. [3H]DHA is initially taken up by inner segments and then dispersed to photoreceptor synaptic terminals as well as to ellipsoids where discs are assembled. Phagosomal labeling exactly matches rod outer segment tips, but occasionally increases as degradation occurs near Bruch's membrane. Normally, density of label remains constant throughout the degradation process.


Q:

Difference between System.getProperty("line.separator"); and "\n" ?

While developing GUI with Java FX , I seem to get different results with  System.getProperty("line.separator"); and "\n"  during writing to a file or getting data from internet. What basically is the difference ?

A:

System.getProperty("line.separator") returns the OS dependent line separator.
On Windows it returns "\r\n", on Unix "\n". So if you want to generate a file with line endings for the current operating systems use System.getProperty("line.separator") or write using a PrintWriter.

A:

on the Windows platform, System.getProperty("line.separator") is "\r\n",
"\n" (Linux and MacOS X), "\r" (MacOS 9 and older)

A:

System.getProperty("line.separator") is platform dependent:

"\n" on UNIX style machines
"\r\n" on Windows machines

Whereas "\n" is only "\n".


BMW Ljubljana Open

The BMW Ljubljana Open is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor red clay courts. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challenger Tour. It is held annually in Ljubljana, Slovenia (former Yugoslavia), since 1990.

Past finals

Singles

Doubles

External links
Site about Slovenian Tennis
ITF Search

Category:ATP Challenger Tour
Category:Clay court tennis tournaments
Category:Tennis tournaments in Slovenia
Category:Sport in Ljubljana
Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1990
Category:1990 establishments in Yugoslavia


Q:

Does $P^{-1} A P = P P^{-1} A$?

I hung up on the following step in a derivation I'm following and could use some guidance as to why it's true. I'm trying to show that the trace of a matrix is invariant under any similarity transformation, and I'm not sure why this step is legal.
\begin{align}
    \text{Tr} (\mathbf{B}) = \text{Tr} (\mathbf{P}^{-1}\mathbf{AP}) =\text{Tr} (\mathbf{PP}^{-1}\mathbf{A})
\end{align}
From there, it's simply the identity matrix and therefore the matrix $\mathbf A$ is invariant under similarity transformations. But, matricies are not commutative. So, I'm not sure  the right hand side is true.

A:

It is true because, for any two $n\times n$ matrices $A$ and $B$, $\operatorname{tr}(AB)=\operatorname{tr}(BA)$.

A:

With Einstein's notation, we have that
$$\text{Tr}(AB)=A_{ij}B_{ji}=B_{ji}A_{ij}=\text{Tr}(BA)$$
And for 3 matrices:
$$\text{Tr}(ABC)=A_{ij}B_{jk}C_{ki}=C_{ki}A_{ij}B_{jk}=\text{Tr}(CAB)$$


668 N.E.2d 77 (1996)
282 Ill. App.3d 322
217 Ill.Dec. 892
Patricia T. KRANTZ, executor of the will of Quentin R. Krantz, and Jay S. Bleecker, Petitioners-Appellees, and Cross-Appellants,
v.
Kenneth C. CHESSICK, Respondent-Appellant and Cross-Appellee.
No. 1-95-0455.
Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, Third Division.
June 26, 1996.
*78 John W. Fisk, Schaumburg, for Appellant; John W. Fisk, of Counsel.
Paul E. Peldyak, James R. Madler, Chicago, for Appellees and Cross-Appellants; Paul E. Peldyak, of Counsel.
Justice CERDA delivered the opinion of the court:
Respondent, Kenneth C. Chessick, appeals from a judgment order of the circuit court of Cook County finding in favor of petitioners, Patricia T. Krantz, executor of the will of Quentin R. Krantz, and Jay S. Bleecker, in a dispute over the amount of attorney fees owed to respondent. Petitioners cross-appeal. We affirm.

I. Facts
Quentin R. Krantz ("Krantz") and Bleecker hired respondent, an attorney, to prosecute their claims, and each executed a retainer contract, which stated in part:
"I agree to pay KENNETH C. CHESSICK for services to be rendered pursuant to this retainer and employment, a sum equal to thirty-three and one-third percent (331/3%) of any sum which may be received on my said claim and cause of action on trial in Court, or which I receive in settlement thereof * * * together with all reasonable and necessary advances, costs and expenses, if any, paid or incurred by the law office."
Respondent represented Krantz and Bleecker, who were plaintiffs in a lawsuit in federal court. A jury awarded Krantz $160,000 ($60,000 were punitive damages) and awarded Bleecker $20,000 ($10,000 were punitive damages), but no judgment was entered. Respondent filed a motion seeking an award of costs and attorney fees for Bleecker pursuant to the federal civil rights law (42 U.S.C.A. § 1988 (West 1994) ("section 1988")). The motion was never ruled upon.
The federal case was settled for $195,000. There was one settlement check for the entire amount, and the release form did not allocate the funds between Krantz and Bleecker. Krantz and Bleecker signed over the settlement check to respondent, who tendered a $71,532.50 check to Krantz ($73,668 minus $2,135.50 in unpaid costs) and a $19,531.50 check to Bleecker ($21,667 minus $2,135.50 in unpaid costs). Based on their belief that they were entitled to more settlement money, Krantz and Bleecker refused the checks, one of which was marked "Final Settlement Krantz" and the other "Final Settlement *79 Bleecker." Respondent placed the funds in a trust account with interest paid to the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois, apparently pursuant to Rule of Professional Conduct 1.15(d) (134 Ill.2d R. 1.15(d)).
Krantz died and his widow initiated proceedings in the probate court to recover his settlement proceeds from respondent. Bleecker intervened in the case to pursue his claim against respondent. The trial court made an interim order for respondent to pay to Krantz's estate and to Bleecker the amounts of the checks previously tendered by respondent.
Petitioners moved for summary judgment. Respondent swore to the following in an affidavit in opposition: In a settlement conference in the federal case, the judge indicated that he would reduce Krantz's punitive damages award to $40,000 and Bleecker's punitive damages award to $5,000, he would recommend a total $205,000 settlement in which Krantz would receive $120,000 (subject to the contingency agreement), Bleecker would receive $20,000 (not subject to the contingency agreement), and respondent would receive $65,000 in section 1988 attorney fees. Respondent discussed the judge's recommendation with Krantz and Bleecker, who agreed to the judge's recommended $205,000 settlement and allocation of the settlement, but the federal defendants would settle only for $195,000.
Respondent prepared a file memorandum that stated that Bleecker and Krantz agreed to settle for $195,000, with Bleecker, Krantz, and respondent each reducing their recovery by $3333.33 (one-third of the $10,000 difference between the $205,000 and the $195,000), and with the expenses to be divided equally by Bleecker and Krantz. According to respondent's calculations, Krantz would receive $73,668, Bleecker would receive $21,667, and respondent would receive $99,665.
A trial was held in the probate court after the motion for summary judgment was denied.
Respondent Chessick testified at the trial that in a meeting in October 1988 he informed Bleecker of the possibility of the federal court making an award of section 1988 attorney fees. He told Bleecker that if the court awarded attorney fees, his firm would be entitled to them. They had several discussions about the section 1988 attorney fees, after which Bleecker signed the retainer contact.
Jay Bleecker testified at the trial that there was no discussion about the fee agreement before he signed the retainer contract. Respondent only mentioned section 1988 attorney fees once, after the fee agreement was signed. He and Krantz refused to accept the checks Chessick tendered because the amounts were incorrect.
On December 2, 1994, the trial court entered a judgment order, which stated in part: (1) petitioners Krantz and Bleecker were entitled to $125,729, which represented the settlement amount less a one-third contingency fee payable to respondent and less expenses; (2) petitioners were entitled to judgment against respondent for $9,891.78 in interest on $125,729 for the period from February 11, 1991, through January 25, 1993, plus $34,665 of the funds that were previously sequestered by the court, together with any accrued interest; and (3) petitioners were entitled to their costs of litigation but not attorney fees.
Respondent filed a motion to reconsider and vacate. The motion was denied on January 6, 1995.
Respondent appealed, and petitioners cross-appealed.

II. Respondent's Appeal
Respondent Chessick argues that the contingency-fee agreement did not address the allocation of section 1988 attorney fees because they were covered by an oral agreement providing that if they were awarded to Bleecker, respondent would be entitled to only the section 1988 fees and not to the one-third contingency fee. Respondent argues that he was entitled to $65,000 in section 1988 attorney fees for Bleecker's case and to $34,665 as the contingency fee for Krantz's case. Petitioners argue that the only fee agreement was the written agreement and that respondent was not entitled to $65,000 in section 1988 attorney fees.
The parties disagree over the application of the parol evidence rule, over whether the *80 alleged section 1988 agreement was a modification of the original fee agreement, and over the existence of consideration for the alleged section 1988 agreement, but we do not reach these issues because the trial court heard the evidence and entered judgment in favor of petitioners. The trial court determined that the parties did not enter into an oral agreement concerning section 1988 attorney fees.
Bleecker testified that there never was an agreement that respondent was to get any section 1988 attorney fees. Respondent testified that there were several discussions about section 1988 attorney fees and that there was an oral agreement followed by the execution of the retainer contract. The trial court held that any oral agreement regarding attorney fees that preceded the written retainer contract merged into the retainer contract. The retainer contract governed the terms of the attorney-client relationship in the federal lawsuit.
Respondent argues that he properly testified about an agreement concerning a matter that was not part of the original contingency-fee agreement, but the fact remains that the trier of fact made the determination, after weighing the credibility of the witnesses, that the only fee agreement with Bleecker was the written contingency-fee agreement.
A trial court's findings of fact will not be overturned unless they are against the manifest weight of the evidence. Cosmopolitan National Bank v. Cook County, 103 Ill.2d 302, 318, 82 Ill.Dec. 649, 469 N.E.2d 183 (1984). We hold that the trial court's findings of fact were not against the manifest weight of the evidence. The trial court correctly calculated the amounts of the attorney fees and the settlement proceeds due to petitioners.
Respondent next argues in his appeal that the award of prejudgment interest to petitioners was erroneous primarily because the funds were unliquidated and because he acted in good faith.
The interest statute provides for interest on money, including money that becomes "due on any bond, bill, promissory note, or other instrument of writing." 815 ILCS Ann. 205/2 (West 1993). A reviewing court may reverse a determination of prejudgment interest only if it is against the manifest weight of the evidence. Boyd v. United Farm Mutual Reinsurance Co., 231 Ill.App.3d 992, 1000, 173 Ill.Dec. 465, 596 N.E.2d 1344 (1992).
An instrument in writing within the meaning of the statute is one that sets up a creditor-debtor relationship. Wilder Binding Co. v. Oak Park Trust and Savings Bank, 173 Ill.App.3d 34, 42-43, 122 Ill.Dec. 856, 527 N.E.2d 354 (1988), rev'd on other grounds, 135 Ill.2d 121, 142 Ill.Dec. 192, 552 N.E.2d 783 (1990). Prejudgment interest will be awarded for amounts due on an instrument in writing if the amount was liquidated or was easily computed. Oldenburg v. Hagemann, 207 Ill.App.3d 315, 327, 152 Ill. Dec. 339, 565 N.E.2d 1021 (1991). If the amount is determinable, interest can be awarded on money payable even when the claimed right and the amount due require legal ascertainment. Martin v. Orvis Brothers & Co., 25 Ill.App.3d 238, 251, 323 N.E.2d 73 (1974). A good-faith dispute would preclude an award for prejudgment interest in claims brought for unreasonable refusal to pay but would not preclude an award in a claim brought under a written instrument. Michigan Avenue National Bank of Chicago v. Evans, Inc., 176 Ill.App.3d 1047, 1061-62, 126 Ill.Dec. 245, 531 N.E.2d 872 (1988).
We find that the contingency-fee agreement was an instrument in writing within the meaning of the interest statute, that the amounts due to petitioners were easily calculable, and that an award of prejudgment interest was appropriate under the circumstances of this case. As there was no agreement that respondent would be entitled to section 1988 attorney fees in lieu of the one-third contingency amount, there was no justification for respondent to retain more than what was owed under the contingency-fee agreement. This was not the case where opposing parties in a dispute over a claim to money had different legal positions on the division of the money. Here there were conflicting accounts on whether there was in existence an agreement that would provide the basis for only one party's claim to the *81 money at issue. Only the credibility of the parties was at issue.
Respondent argues that he tendered the undisputed amounts in compliance with Rule of Professional Conduct 1.15(b), which requires that an attorney is to promptly deliver to his client any funds that the client is entitled to receive. 134 Ill.2d R. 1.15(b). Respondent tendered the undisputed amounts to his clients on more than one occasion. We note that these checks were marked "for final settlement" or similar language, which indicated that the checks were probably meant to be full payment. The clients' acceptance of these checks as labeled might have discharged their claims for additional money from respondent. See A.F.P. Enterprises, Inc. v. Crescent Pork, Inc., 243 Ill.App.3d 905, 911, 183 Ill.Dec. 356, 611 N.E.2d 619 (1993) (when there is an honest dispute of the amount due and the debtor tenders a check with the explicit understanding of both parties that it is full payment of all demands, acceptance and negotiation of a check with notice of the condition is an accord and satisfaction).
Respondent's tender of the undisputed funds was not unrestricted, and petitioners were deprived of the use of all their funds. We hold that petitioners are entitled to an equitable award of prejudgment interest on the entire balance owed to them and not just on the amount tendered by respondent in the checks. See In re Marriage of Pitulla, 202 Ill.App.3d 103, 119, 147 Ill.Dec. 479, 559 N.E.2d 819 (1990) (prejudgment interest was awarded for client for excessive attorney fees to compensate client for time that she was deprived of the use of those funds).

III. Petitioners' Cross-Appeal
Petitioners argue that the trial court erred in not deducting expenses before computing the contingency fees owing to respondent.
Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5(c) provides in part:
"A contingent fee agreement shall be in writing and shall state the method by which the fee is to be determined, including the percentage or percentages that shall accrue to the lawyer in the event of settlement, trial or appeal, litigation and other expenses to be deducted from the recovery, and whether such expenses are to be deducted before or after the contingent fee is calculated." (Emphasis added.) 134 Ill.2d R. 1.5(c).
Respondent's contingency-fee agreement stated in relevant part that the clients agreed to pay one-third of any sum received on their claims "together with all reasonable and necessary advances, costs and expenses" paid by respondent. Although the agreement could have clearly stated that expenses would be deducted "after" the contingency fee was calculated, we interpret the word "together" as having the same meaning. A writing is ambiguous if the language is susceptible to more than one meaning or if the meaning is obscure. Meyer v. Marilyn Miglin, Inc., 273 Ill.App.3d 882, 888, 210 Ill.Dec. 257, 652 N.E.2d 1233 (1995). This agreement is not ambiguous because it is not an equally plausible interpretation that the expenses were to be deducted before the contingency fee was calculated.
Petitioners next argue that the trial court erred in not awarding them the fees they paid to an attorney to recover the settlement money from respondent.
Under the general "American" rule, a successful litigant may not recover his attorney fees unless authorized by statute or by agreement. Dreyfuss Metal Co. v. Berg, 210 Ill.App.3d 189, 199, 155 Ill.Dec. 19, 569 N.E.2d 19 (1990). Petitioners argue that one who commits a wrongful act is liable for all the ordinary and natural consequences of his act, including attorney fees in bringing a lawsuit against the wrongdoer. Petitioners cite in support Nalivaika v. Murphy, 120 Ill.App.3d 773, 76 Ill.Dec. 341, 458 N.E.2d 995 (1983), in which the court held that attorney fees were recoverable if they were incurred in litigation with third parties and if they were necessitated by defendant's wrongful act. Petitioners also cite Sorenson v. Fio Rito, 90 Ill.App.3d 368, 371, 45 Ill.Dec. 714, 413 N.E.2d 47 (1980), in which the court found to be recoverable the attorney fees of a second attorney hired by plaintiff to attempt to obtain refunds of tax penalties that were *82 assessed solely as a result of a former attorney's negligence.
The Illinois Supreme Court in Ritter v. Ritter, 381 Ill. 549, 554, 46 N.E.2d 41 (1943), noted the general rule that "where the wrongful acts of a defendant involve the plaintiff in litigation with third parties or place him in such relation with others as to make it necessary to incur expenses to protect his interest, the plaintiff can then recover damages against such wrongdoer, measured by the reasonable expenses of such litigation, including attorney fees." Petitioners in the underlying action have not been involved in litigation with third parties as a result of respondent's conduct. Nor were petitioners compelled to incur expenses to protect their interests. Petitioners had to file suit to recover their money because of respondent's conduct, but the American rule bars successful plaintiffs from recovering attorney fees.
Petitioners also rely on Chambers v. NASCO, Inc., 501 U.S. 32, 45-46, 111 S.Ct. 2123, 2133, 115 L.Ed.2d 27, 45 (1991), which held that attorney fees can be awarded by federal courts when the party "acted in bad faith, vexatiously, wantonly, or for oppressive reasons." Chambers discussed the federal courts' inherent power to assess attorney fees for fraud committed on a court, for a party's bad faith in delaying or disrupting litigation, or for the hampering of enforcement of a court order. None of these types of conductengaged in after commencement of litigationare involved in the underlying action. Furthermore, in Illinois there is no bad-faith exception to the American rule on attorney fees. Cummings v. Beaton & Associates, Inc., 249 Ill.App.3d 287, 320, 187 Ill. Dec. 701, 618 N.E.2d 292 (1992).
The judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
Affirmed.
TULLY, P.J., and GREIMAN, J., concur.


Imagine my happiness when I found out that they planned to do a series of movies about the book
with the author directly involved in the project.

Well, today they published a short film called "Devil at the Door" just as a preview for the things to
come... And things to come are fucking depressing, see it for yourself.

Tactically this is a joke, both the attackers and the defense had no fucking clue what they were doing.

The defense should have used better defensive positions, being holed up in the
ground and being
distributed in the area, not in a fucking line 30 cm
apart from each other!!

It seems they don't know the difference between cover and concealment, wood pallets won't stop rifle
bullets, they won't stop even handgun bullets!

The attackers where playing around with their motorcycles while they where getting shot, and the
ones on foot didn't even use the trees as cover.

Fuck is so frustrating I have seen better
tactics in Hollywood movies, people filming Lights out
supposedly are
preppers they should know better...

The acting sucked so
fucking bad I can't believe it and the FX are non existent.

Damn, I'm so disappointed...

EDIT:
Travis Fox the Executive Producer of the project replied to some comments similar to mine with this:

In the movies themselves, we'll dig trenches, fortify fighting positions, have interlocking fields offire, etc. The barricade here was meant to deny movement more than provide cover (although therewere sandbags and items like a backhoe bucket). This was a two day film shoot intended to share theconcepts of the story on a very limited budget. Your points are very valid, though.

Sorry for not explaining this trailer better.  This wasn't cherry picking scenes - this is a short film thatcaptures the concept of the movie series. The movies have NOT started filming yet. We have nomovie footage to use, and this footage will not be used in the movies. This was a two day film projectintended to get your attention. We couldn't dig trenches and do a lot of things we WILL do in theactual movies here.


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10 Superstitious Beliefs of Filipinos That Influence Their Life

Filipinos are very superstitious. Added to that, the beliefs have great influence in their day to day life. Many people still believe that these superstitious beliefs can help them cope with life; although many new generations aren't affected by the beli

Many Filipinos still cling to the traditional practices, beliefs and traditions. They are still strongly rooted to the superstitious beliefs that they believe could help them deal with day to day occurrences and events.

This trait was influenced by the Hindus who have been part of the past colonization of the Philippines.

Despite the computer age that has changed the lifestyles of most Filipinos, many Filipinos still spice their life with superstitious beliefs that they strongly believe could help them cope with day to day activities especially the most important events in life such as marriage, finding a job and moving to a new house.

To a lot of Filipinos, superstitious beliefs are very crucial in making decisions and planning an important event. The superstitious beliefs of Filipinos are often consulted especially during important occasions such as weddings, trips, moving to a new house, opening a business, finding a job and many more major events in life.

Here are 10 superstitious beliefs that many Filipinos believe can help them deal with life:

The phase of the moon is very important when planning very important events.

According to Filipino beliefs, the phase of the moon is crucial when planning something. Thus, it is better to find a job during the waxing period of the moon rather than during the waning period.

A black cat crossing your path means bad luck.

Many people in the Philippines believe that when a cat crosses their path they should go back to their house and postpone their plan or errand for the day because pushing with the plan may produce bad results. To some, the black cat means a warning that something dangerous maybe waiting to happen. In order to be safe, people prefer to stay at home first.

The bride should never try on the wedding dress.

It is believed that if the bride tries on the wedding dress before the wedding takes place, the wedding will not pursue or something negative will occur.

A single woman who sings while cooking will marry a widower.

Single women are often advised not to sing while cooking because they will marry a widower.

Combing hair at night means you are inviting the early death of your parents.

The old people forbid combing hair at night because of the belief.

Black ants inside the house means good luck.

When black ants are parading inside the house, you should be happy because it means that there is something good brewing. It could mean money coming or a job promotion.

Taking pictures with your boyfriend or girlfriend means engagement will be broken.

If you want to marry your boyfriend or girlfriend then avoid taking pictures with him or her. In some instances, young men and women who are just playing around with their girlfriend or boyfriend would invite their sweetheart to take pictures with them in the hope that their relationship will end. Some surprisingly achieve their wish but others end up marching to the altar.

Before moving to a new house; you should bring the following to the house first: salt, rice, water and a religious image.

According to Filipino beliefs, these things will help bring positive energy to the house which will help the occupants become successful.

You should not sit on a pillow because it will mean slow recovery from an illness.

According to beliefs, a person who sits on his pillow will undergo a slow recovery process when he gets sick.

A child becomes smarter if you trim his hair when he is exactly one year old then insert his cut hair between books.

According to beliefs of some Filipinos; children are supposed to have their hair trimmed only if they are already one year old. Some strongly forbid trimming the kids hair if they are not yet one year old.Â According to some, it is best if you trim the child's hair and insert the cut hair in books.

These are only superstitious beliefs but many Filipinos make these beliefs part of their day to day life. Whether they are advantageous or disadvantageous depends on how the person involved sees the situation. The modern age has made many Filipinos changed their lifestyle including the traditions. Most of the younger generations do not anymore believe in superstitious beliefs.


[ Master Post ]Title: Rhapsody in Ass Major – Chapter 251Co-Conspirator:MaverikLokiFandom: Dragon AgeCharacters: Cormac Hawke ♂, Anders ♂Rating:M (L2N3S3V0D0)Warnings: Black humour, something that could have been angst if it wasn’t these two, mild smuttingNotes: Late-night, semi-serious conversation, in bed. Revelations, confessions, everything’s not all right, and it never will be, and that’s just fine.

When Anders slept in Cormac’s bed, it was his choice, the same as when he slept in his own bed, or really when Cormac slept in his bed. They weren’t together every night. A lot of nights, but not every night. Anders didn’t even sleep, every night, which Cormac gave him a lot less trouble about than he’d been expecting, but then, Cormac slept the strangest hours, in the oddest places, left to himself.

But, Anders was free to come and go as he chose, with heavy doors to keep out intruders — to keep out templars. It was still a lightless hole he lived in, maybe less so since Varric had gotten him the fungus lamps, but it was his lightless hole. His home, his decision to stay in it, his choice to be with Cormac. And he had no doubt that Cormac would let him stay, even if they never shared a bed again. And somehow, as much as it hurt to imagine anyone doing that for him, it made him want to stay with Cormac all the more. Sometimes, they’d tease — the errant ‘you owe me’ — but it was never serious, never more than a promise that when the terror of the moment was over, there would be that dance of hands and flesh and reassurance they were both still alive after whatever idiot decision that had been.

Sometimes, Anders cried, and if he said he wasn’t, Cormac would say only one tart thing, and then pretend that was true, just telling stories and making terrible jokes, while Anders kneaded Cormac’s chest hair like a cat, making the occasional squeaky choked-up laugh. Cormac said he sounded just like a kitten, and Anders would mutter something about dirty secrets. Sometimes, Cormac cried, great heaving sobs, but very rarely, when he didn’t have some immediate and obvious reason, like Anders’s tongue buried in some fresh, deep gash in his flesh. And Cormac screamed for more, howled for Anders to tear him apart and wept to be made whole. And Anders trusted him, completely, trusted that Cormac would never ask him to break something he couldn’t fix, knowing Cormac was already in so many ways irreparable. They both were.

"Cormac?" Anders breathed, the name barely a sound in his mouth, but Cormac heard, anyway. He always did.

"Mmm?" Cormac had learnt to pretend he hadn’t woken up like a shot, brain fully engaged, and ready to lay down death on anything that came near his family in the night, or any other time of day. It had been discomfiting to Artie, when they were young, so he taught himself to sound half-awake.

"Just… hold my hand." Anders’s voice was tight, like he’d woken from a nightmare, or maybe hadn’t slept at all.

"So, we’ll go. Anton can keep the city from burning down for a couple of weeks. I promise you, Anders, you say the word, and we’ll go. I’ll have to come back, of course, eventually, but I can go on holiday with you. I can take you home." And that was the thing — Cormac couldn’t stay away from Kirkwall. Even going for a few weeks made him nervous, but he had no doubt that Fenris could take care of Artemis for that long. Especially now, with Danarius dead. All he had to do was keep Artemis out of the Gallows.

"There’s nothing to go back to." Anders shook his head. "I was twelve, Cormac. Twelve. No one wants me there. I’m a mage. I don’t belong there. If there’s even a there still there."

"From Kassel, aren’t you? It’s still there." Cormac sounded a little confused — not about the mage part, that much was obvious, but the idea of there no longer being a ‘there’.

"Sort of. I’m said to be from Kassel. It’s where we could have letters sent. But, Kassel’s a city," Anders explained. "And we’re from the other side of the river, where the farms were. The river had the docks along one side, to both sides of the city, but the other side was the lakes. Lake, when the floods came. It’s good land, but it’s dangerous. So close to the city, it wasn’t as bad for darkspawn, but, you know, it’s the Anderfels. There’s a reason all of Thedas uses our words for them. There’s always stories of little farming villages disappearing — lost to the floods, the wind, or the darkspawn. I never saw it, but there were a lot of things I never saw."

"Just glad I wasn’t your first Rivaini, or you’d have a terrible opinion of all of us," Cormac teased.

"You’re not even Rivaini, Cormac, you’re as Fereldan as dogs and dogshit." Anders tried to laugh and wound up coughing, instead.

"Arf." Cormac bit Anders’s shoulder. "Grr."

Anders cackled, quietly. "Bloody doglord."

"Maybe a little. I’m not Anton, though."

"Thank the Maker. I don’t know what I’d do." Anders shook his head.

"Probably not get naked and cuddly," Cormac pointed out. "Have I mentioned how much I appreciate it when you’re naked? That you give me that incredible view of every sharp line of you, every jagged scar, the way that little bit of hair on your chest turns the light gold along the edge of this one right here…" Cormac moved his hand to run a finger down one of Anders’s scars without letting go of Anders’s hand.

"That one was Howe’s favourite, too. Well, kind of. There was more of it then. It was straighter." Anders didn’t make the obvious point — that he’d been lacking the most obvious scar, then, the one that interrupted most of the others on his chest.

"So, I’m not the only one?" Cormac teased running his fingertips down to trace swirls on Anders’s belly.

Anders looked over his shoulder. "Your entire family. Cullen. It must be the worst kept secret in Kirkwall, by now."

"Yeah. I’m not really big on explaining how I walked away from that. The others, magic would have been enough. That one… Justice wanted to live, so we did. I’m not saying I didn’t, but what I wanted had nothing to do with what happened. No man should have survived that. No man, no mage, no magister. But, here we are." Anders curled around Cormac’s arm.

"Justice," Cormac whispered against Anders’s back, "thank you."

"We killed them all. They thought they knew what we were, but we killed them all. Do you know what metal smells like when it catches fire? Because I do. The fire took everything. Looked like a dragon had gotten us all." The words spilled out of Anders on distant, dizzy breaths. "I worked at it, but the flesh wasn’t mine any more, and he fought me. For years, I’ve been working on my heart. It’s mine, again. Another few years and maybe I’ll trust it without his help. The scars set too long. I’m not what I used to be."

"You’re all I’ve ever known you to be. Kind and strong and gorgeous. So fucking patient with me. You telling me you’d have been any less of that before?" Cormac teased, nibbling at Anders’s back.

"Yes."

The word hung between them for a long moment, before Anders spoke again. "I was stronger, prettier, healthier. But, I wasn’t kind, and I wasn’t patient. Not then. Maybe, before that, but you’d have to ask—" He laughed bitterly. "No, I don’t even know if he’s still alive — not that he’d admit it if he was. I don’t know if they made him Tranquil. I was determined, maybe. But, I wasn’t kind. I may still not be kind, but I suspect I am just."

"You are the sweetest thing ever to crawl out of the wreckage of Andraste’s word, and I am including my brother in that assessment, because he is such a damnable asshole," Cormac insisted, rubbing Anders’s belly.

"So am I, Cormac. Just not as much to you." Anders buried his face in the pillow. "What about the at least three times I called you ‘Karl’ and then stole all the blankets and kicked you onto the floor, naked?"

Cormac shrugged, hooking his knee over Anders’s hip. "Grief. Also, it was seven times. It’s not like you covered me in rashvine, while I was sleeping, like Artemis did."

"Yet, you still sleep with both of us. I openly dispute that I am the patient one of us, at this point."

"I may be patient with you, but who’s patient with me? Who doesn’t do things like put fucking nettles in my bed when I fuck up?" Cormac rested his head against the back of Anders’s shoulder again. "To be fair, he is my brother, and brothers are supposed to do shit like that."

"Why would I put nettles in your bed? For one, I sleep in it." Anders looked over his shoulder again and swallowed before he spoke again. "And you’re good to me."

"I’m decent to you," Cormac corrected. "I don’t treat you so differently to the way I treat Isabela or Anton. You’re part of my family, Anders. Other people don’t get to talk shit about you, in front of me, unless they are equally related, and there’s really no one related to us with anything shite to say, at this point, except maybe Carver, and he’s just looking for an excuse to punch me. I make sure you have what you need. I drag you out on stupid expeditions where we all almost get killed."

"You found me in a sewer and bought me breakfast. I threatened you, I hit you, I cried all over you, and you just kept showing up with food and keeping me warm. You gave me a home, a real home that’s actually mine, where I can be alone if I want to be. You don’t just give me what I need, you look after me — you remind me to eat, you make me sleep, you make Justice sleep. You let me get ink stains all over your good robes, because I forgot what I had on my hands." Anders finally rolled over, so he could see Cormac’s face, instead of just his ear. "You deserve so much better…"

"I really prefer you not dead. Let’s start there. I found you in a sewer and bought you breakfast, because I was kind of worried about you being dead, if I didn’t. And as I recall, it was a pretty good guess. Eating and sleeping are also part of this not dead thing. Threatening me, hitting me, and crying all over me? I have four siblings, Anders. This is just another day with the Hawkes. A home? You’ll remember we made an offer to Fenris, too. The two of you didn’t really have anywhere else to go, but he’s a stubborn prick and you actually like me, for some reason." Leaning in, Cormac kissed Anders under the chin. "I deserve better? Where exactly am I going to find better than what I have? I have a family that I love, I have the money to care for them, and I’m a nobleman in one of the most important ports in all Thedas. On top of that, I’m the apostate son of the infamous Rivaini apostate-mercenary Malcolm Hawke, and I look exactly like him. Everyone knows who I am, and they all have suspicions about what I am. It’s… there is no ‘better’ from here. This is more than I have any right to hope for, and I’d really like it if you stuck around, while it lasts. While I still have something to give."

"Cormac Hawke, you ignorant shit, you will have something to give until you’re good and dead, and we both know it. You just— I don’t even know how you do it. I’d say magic, but I’m a mage and you don’t see me doing it." Anders took a breath and Cormac cut him off.

"Yes, I do. Every day." Cormac tucked his head under Anders’s chin. "One of these days, I’m not going to be there to catch you, and you’re going to work yourself to death. Don’t even tell me it’s not possible. I watched you almost succeed."

"That’s not what’s going to kill me, Cormac, I promise."

"Please don’t die, Anders. Please don’t make me choose." Cormac curled tighter around Anders, knowing that when it came down to it, he’d always put Artemis before any of them, himself included. Himself, especially. But, Carver…

"There’s no choice for you." The smile was clear in Anders’s voice. "I know what you have to do, and so do you. My point, you breathtakingly sexy fool, is that I’m not going to work myself to death, with or without you."

"Am I going to regret taking you at your word?" Cormac grumbled, tipping his head back to nibble at Anders’s neck.

"I hope not! After all this, to think of you being disappointed in my survival!" Anders pulled back just enough to look Cormac in the eyes. "Sounds terribly familiar, really."

"Sodding queynt." Cormac shoved Anders back far enough to get a good look at him. "I’m not going to be disappointed if you live. There are things you could do that would make me regret not stopping you, but I’m not going to regret your continued survival."

"Even if?" Anders asked, not finishing the thought.

"Yeah. Yeah, even if you make me—" Cormac studied Anders’s face. "Can you please not do that? Or the other that?"

"I can’t imagine why I would do either one." Anders’s eyebrows lifted. "I’m— I’m not… It’s not going to be like that. I’m not going to do that to you."

Cormac touched Anders’s cheek, brushing back a wisp of hair caught in the stubble along his jaw. A thousand things he could say, points he could make, flashed across his eyes, but he settled on, "Weren’t we trying to sleep?" He pressed his lips to Anders’s, feeling that long, lean body relax against him, after a moment.

Slowly, Cormac nibbled along Anders’s lower lip, tongue occasionally flicking against the chewed-ragged edges, until Anders responded, catching him in a long, demanding kiss that left them both panting.

"In a minute, tomcat. I need that hand for a bit, yet," Cormac reminded Anders, pressing his knob against Anders’s very, very nice ass. That was something Cormac had noticed, over the years — that old coat fit Anders better and better, as time passed, and the suggestion of a shapely bottom became much more of a factual statement. As tired and ragged as Anders had looked lately, it was still an improvement over when they’d met.

Huffing like he’d been greatly inconvenienced, Anders let go, letting himself relax as Cormac eased into him. "Cormac?" The name slipped out in a long, slow breath.

"Hmm?"

"I need you."

"I’m so sorry." Cormac laughed against the back of Anders’s shoulder, hand finally splayed across Anders’s belly, tracing the faint lines of muscle.

"Asshole," Anders scoffed, reaching back to swat Cormac sharply across the ass.

"I do." Anders pressed his face against the pillow, laughing, as he reached out to pull another pillow to his chest.

"I still think you could fit your fist," Cormac muttered, nibbling at the edge of Anders’s shoulderblade.

"That’s have, not are," Anders pointed out. "And you’re crazy."

Cormac snorted. "Tell me something I don’t know." He picked up a slow, gentle rhythm, barely moving, rocking his hips in time to the lazy circling of his hand, as he listened to the soft sounds Anders made, relaxing against him. It wasn’t what either of them usually meant by ‘fucked into unconsciousness’, but it would do, for now. Cormac couldn’t find it in him to complain, as Anders drifted off, in his arms.

Profile

Ywain Penbrydd writes mountains of crappy fic. These stories are now written here, where he has the ability to filter them for suck before releasing them into the wild. Occasionally, he also makes icons, banners, and other art-garbage.

Feel free to link to anything here, but don’t republish or translate, without leaving a comment on the original work with a link to your copy. Saving my stuff for private use, in any format you like, is totally cool with me. All characters are the property of their creators, and, yes, some of them do belong to me. Original content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Credits for other people’s fantastic work that went into this theme are on the ‘About‘ page.


Q:

(Only) YouTube Videos automatically fast forward

I recently updated my Ubuntu from 11.10 to 12.04 lts and there seems to be a problem while I'm playing YouTube videos they, for no reason, start to fastforward (audio and video). This does not happen with other programs or websites only in YouTube videos. It does not matter if they are in flash or in HTML 5 player this problem persists throughout

A:

In my case I solved it this way; First install "PulseAudio Volume Control" if it is not installed yet;
sudo apt-get install pavucontrol

Now start "PulseAudio Volume Control" and go to the Configuration tab. Under "High definition Audio Controller" I had "Digital stereo (HDMI) Output" selected. I had to change that to "Off". I also had to change the build in audio profile from digital to analogue, otherwise I didn't hear anything.
edit: after the change above, it still happens sometimes. But I can use pulseaudio -k to restart pulseaudio. (-k will kill it, but it will restart automatically).

A:

For a very brief time, Youtube recently exposed an experimental player on their site with fast and slow play capabilities, and this may be affecting the current player. If this is the case, it would help to clear your browser cookies.


                          UNPUBLISHED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
                FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

JOANN W. HARRIS,                          
                   Plaintiff-Appellant,
                 v.
DONALD L. EVANS, Secretary; GRANT
ALDONAS, Under Secretary; TIMOTHY
HAUSER, Deputy Under Secretary;
FARYAR SHIRZAD, Assistant                        No. 02-2250
Secretary; BERNARD CARREAU,
Deputy Assistant Secretary; RICHARD
MORELAND, Deputy Assistant
Secretary; SUSAN KUHBACH, Office
Director; UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE,
               Defendants-Appellees.
                                          
           Appeal from the United States District Court
            for the District of Maryland, at Baltimore.
                 J. Frederick Motz, District Judge.
                        (CA-01-3808-JFM)

                      Submitted: March 26, 2003

                       Decided: May 30, 2003

   Before MICHAEL, TRAXLER, and SHEDD, Circuit Judges.

Affirmed and remanded by unpublished per curiam opinion.
2                         HARRIS v. EVANS
                            COUNSEL

Joann W. Harris, Appellant Pro Se. Tarra R. DeShields-Minnis,
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY, Baltimore,
Maryland, for Appellees.

Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. See
Local Rule 36(c).

                             OPINION

PER CURIAM:

   Joann W. Harris appeals the district court’s order granting sum-
mary judgment in favor of the Appellees. Harris filed this complaint
pursuant to the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 ("WPA"), 5
U.S.C. § 1201 (2000), and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
as amended, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000 et seq. (2000), alleging race discrimi-
nation and retaliation by Appellees.

   We review an award of summary judgment de novo. See Higgins
v. E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., 863 F.2d 1162, 1167 (4th Cir.
1988). Summary judgment is appropriate only if there are no genuine
issues of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment
as a matter of law. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c); see also Celotex Corp.
v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322-23 (1986). The evidence is viewed in
the light most favorable to the non-moving party. See Anderson v.
Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 255 (1986).

   Judicial review of a WPA claim occurs only after the Merit Sys-
tems Protection Board ("MSPB") has issued a final decision on the
claim. See 5 U.S.C. § 1214(c)(1)(2000); 5 U.S.C. § 7703 (2000). Dis-
missal of a claim is appropriate when a plaintiff fails to exhaust his
or her administrative remedies. See McKinney v. Reich, 1996 U.S.
Dist. LEXIS 21925 (S.D.W. Va. Mar. 25, 1996), aff’d without opin-
ion, 208 F.3d 208 (4th Cir. 2000). Harris failed to exhaust her admin-
                            HARRIS v. EVANS                             3
istrative remedies by not submitting her claim to the MSPB.
Furthermore, because the district court lacked jurisdiction to hear
Harris’s whistleblower claim in the first instance, it also lacked the
power to excuse her failure to exhaust her administrative remedies.
See Stella v. Mineta, 284 F.3d 135, 144 (D.C. Cir. 2002). Therefore,
the district court properly granted summary judgment in Appellees’
favor on Harris’s WPA claim.

   Likewise, Title VII requires federal employees to exhaust their
administrative remedies before bringing an employment discrimina-
tion complaint to federal court. See 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000e-16(c) (2000);
29 C.F.R. § 1614.407; see also Brown v. Gen. Serv. Admin., 425 U.S.
820, 832 (1976); Zografov v. Veterans Admin. Med. Ctr., 779 F.2d
967, 968-69 (4th Cir. 1985). The record reveals that Harris did not
exhaust her administrative remedies with regard to either her removal
claim or her non-selection claim. Furthermore, equitable principles do
not weigh against the dismissal of the claims on this basis because she
demonstrates no "affirmative misconduct" on Appellees’ part that pre-
vented her from pursuing her administrative remedies. See id. There-
fore, the district court properly granted summary judgment in
Appellees’ favor on these claims.

   Harris also alleges that she was denied services under the Depart-
ment of Commerce’s Career Transition Assistance Plan ("CTAP"). In
order to qualify for such services, an employee must be considered
"displaced" or "surplus." To show that she was a "displaced"
employee, Harris must show that she "has received a specific reduc-
tion in force (RIF) separation notice or notice of proposed removal for
declining a directed reassignment or transfer of function outside of the
local commuting area." 5 C.F.R. § 330.604(c)(1) (2002). To show that
she was a "surplus" employee, she must show that she "has received
a certificate of expected separation or other official certification
issued by the agency indicating that the position is surplus." 5 C.F.R.
§ 330.604(i)(1) (2002). Because Harris did not satisfy these require-
ments, she was not eligible for CTAP services. Thus, her claim pursu-
ant to these regulations is not legally cognizable, and the district court
properly granted summary judgment in favor of the Appellees.

   Harris also advances a hostile work environment claim. In order to
state such a claim, a plaintiff must identify conduct "‘severe or perva-
4                          HARRIS v. EVANS
sive enough’ to create ‘an environment that a reasonable person
would find hostile or abusive.’" Von Gunten v. Maryland, 243 F.3d
858, 870 (4th Cir. 2001) (quoting Harris v. Forklift Sys., Inc., 510
U.S. 17, 21 (1993)). Furthermore, a plaintiff must show that she sub-
jectively found the environment hostile and abusive and that a reason-
able person would have found the environment to be so. Id. There is
no dispute that Harris subjectively found her work environment to be
hostile and abusive. Nonetheless, she failed to demonstrate that a rea-
sonable person would so find. In particular, Harris is unable to show
that the conduct of which she complains is severe and pervasive
enough to sustain a hostile work environment claim. Thus, we find
that the district court properly granted summary judgment in favor of
Appellees on this claim.

   Lastly, Harris alleged discrimination and retaliation as evidenced
by reassignments, temporary detail, decreased job duties, the lack of
a performance evaluation for fiscal year 1996, and various other
actions. In order to make a prima facie discrimination case, a plaintiff
must show: (1) membership in a protected class; (2) subjection to an
adverse job action; and (3) circumstances surrounding the adverse job
action that support a reasonable inference of discrimination. See Hal-
perin v. Abacus Tech. Corp., 128 F.3d 191, 201 (4th Cir. 1997). Simi-
larly, in order to make a prima facie retaliation case, a plaintiff must
show: (1) participation in a protected activity; (2) subjection to an
adverse job action; and (3) a causal connection between the activity
and the adverse action. See Matvia v. Bald Head Island Mgmt., Inc.,
259 F.3d 261, 271 (4th Cir. 2001). While Harris is able to meet the
first element on both claims, she does not demonstrate the requisite
adverse job action because none of the alleged conduct affected the
"terms, conditions, or benefits of employment." See Page v. Bolger,
645 F.2d 227, 233 (4th Cir. 1981); see also Von Gunten, 243 F.3d at
865. Thus, the district court properly granted summary judgment in
favor of the Appellees on these claims.

   Accordingly, we affirm the order of the district court granting sum-
mary judgment in favor of the Appellees on all claims. We further
decline to rule upon motions filed by the Department of Commerce
asking this court to seal certain documents allegedly protected by the
Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552a (2000), to order the return of these doc-
uments, and to prohibit Harris from making any disclosures of the
                            HARRIS v. EVANS                            5
allegedly protected information. Because we find that these motions
are more properly dealt with in the first instance by the district court,
we remand the case and direct the district court to consider them. To
facilitate the district court’s consideration of DOC’s motions, we
direct the Clerk to return the record to the district court and to enter
forthwith a partial mandate as to this aspect of the case.

   We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal conten-
tions are adequately presented in the materials before the court and
argument would not aid the decisional process.

                                       AFFIRMED AND REMANDED


Survival after lung transplantation in systemic sclerosis. A systematic review.
Lung transplantation is a life-saving option for systemic sclerosis (SSc)-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) patients. However, some programs may be concerned about the possibility of excess post-transplantation mortality related to the extra-pulmonary manifestations of SSc. The objective of this study was to evaluate survival of SSc patients post-lung transplantation. We secondarily evaluated SSc lung transplant recipient characteristics (age, sex, and type of SSc lung disease), and discussed post-lung transplantation survival of SSc patients and non-SSc patients (idiopathic PAH, and ILD). A systematic review of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Trials and CINAHL (all inception to 2012) was performed to identify studies evaluating post-lung transplant survival in SSc compared to PAH and ILD patients. Two reviewers independently abstracted study and survival data. Two hundred twenty-six citations were screened to identify 7 observational studies reporting SSc patients who underwent single lung, double lung, or heart-lung transplantation. Mean age at transplantation ranged 46-53 years. SSc post-transplantation survival ranged 69%-91% at 30-days, 69%-85% at 6-months, 59%-93% at 1-year, 49%-80% at 2-years, and 46%-79% at 3-years. Causes of death included graft failure, infection, cardiac events, hemorrhagic stroke, respiratory failure, malignancy, pulmonary hypertension, complications of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome, anesthetic complication, and scleroderma renal crisis. There were no reports of recurrence of SSc in the lung allograft. The short-term and intermediate-term survival post-lung transplantation are similar to IPAH and ILD patients requiring lung transplantation.


After IFR1 update i have noticed that our AV calls take something 10 seconds to initialize when started. I get the video screen with only black in it and the hang up button immediately. Then it takes that 10 seconds to initialize and then i sound and video comes online and the control buttons.


Designing and evaluating an episodic, problem-based geriatric curriculum.
Medical school geriatric training has been directed primarily at improving students' attitudes and knowledge about elderly patients. This study evaluated a clinical problem-based geriatric course for medical students. The two-semester geriatric course was presented to 136 second-year medical students. Faculty taught students about clinical reasoning in ambulatory geriatrics using written cases, patient-actors, literature reviews, lectures, and discussions. At the end of the course, students' clinical activity was evaluated using audiotaped interviews with standardized geriatric patients. A questionnaire examined students' knowledge, attitudes, and their evaluation of the course. All 136 students completed the post-course standardized patient interview, and 105 (77%) completed questionnaires. Students rated the course favorably and had high confidence scores for ability to assess geriatric problems. Students' knowledge increased during the course compared to a precourse examination (P less than .05). Evaluation of post-course standardized patient interviews revealed that students who scored higher on the knowledge test tended to ask more psychosocial questions during the interview (r = 0.38). Students who scored higher on the attitude test spent more time eliciting patients' feelings during the interview (r = 0.38). Those with lower scores on the attitude test spent more time asking factual, nonpsychosocial questions (r = 0.28). A clinical problem-based geriatric course for preclinical medical students can be successful in improving students' knowledge. Attitudes and knowledge effect the questions a student asks during the medical interview.


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About

Owner of PageF30.com.
Translator of Demian by Hermann Hesse into English - an interlinear translation for German students and those who want to see the original text.
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/mithradates
Fluent in Japanese, Korean. Proficient in Mandarin, Turkish, German, French, Portuguese, others.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Edit: looks like this was a hoax. Impressive! I'll leave the original post as-is though for posterity.

---

Yet another meteorite impact - this one hit Latvia and ended up creating a fiery crater about 5 metres in depth. That link has a video of the crater while it was burning so definitely check it out.

And all this only a day after NASA released a report on another meteorite impact in Indonesia earlier this month. These meteor strikes are actually quite timely as the Arecibo Observatory can point to them as reason enough to keep the observatory well funded since it's our best way to detect these objects before they strike. We obviously need more capability than what we have at present though since fairly large meteors continue to slip past us before we have a chance to spot them.

Just one country to the north we have a good example of what a much larger meteorite strike looks like - Kaali Järv, a small lake in Estonia formed from an ancient meteorite impact. That crater was certainly an inferno after it first fell and a disaster zone for years after, but now it's a nice lake with beautiful trees surrounding it and a school nearby. I went there in 1998.


578 S.W.2d 456 (1979)
FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF JEFFERSON, Texas, Appellant,
v.
TRI-STATE GENERAL AGENCY, INC., Appellee.
No. 8625.
Court of Civil Appeals of Texas, Texarkana.
February 20, 1979.
Rehearing Denied April 24, 1979.
*457 J. R. Cornelius, The Cornelius Law Firm, Jefferson, for appellant.
Otto A. Ritter, Roberts, Harbour, Smith, Harris, French & Ritter, Longview, for appellee.
RAY, Justice.
This is a negligence case. Appellant (plaintiff), First National Bank, Jefferson, Texas (Bank), brought suit against appellee (defendant), Tri-State General Agency, Inc. (Tri-State), seeking damages in the sum of $5,109.73, together with costs, twelve percent (12%) penalty and reasonable attorney's fees. The jury verdict was favorable to Tri-State and the trial court entered its judgment accordingly. Appellant Bank has perfected its appeal and submits twelve points of error for our consideration.
The judgment of the trial court will be affirmed.
The evidence in this case shows that Donald Van Huss purchased a mobile home which was financed through the First National Bank in Jefferson, Texas. The mobile home was destroyed by fire on March 4, 1975. Van Huss was not carrying fire insurance. Mrs. Helen Jones Hayles, an employee of Tri-State, testified that Mrs. Pat Starkey, an employee of the Bank, called her on the morning of March 7, 1975, about 8:30 a. m. asking Mrs. Hayles if she had received the Bank's application for single interest insurance on the Van Huss mobile home. Mrs. Hayles stated that she had not yet opened her mail and did not know whether the application had been received. Mrs. Hayles then said that Mrs. Starkey told her that the mobile home had burned on March 4th; that the application had been made out after the fire, but that it had been back-dated to February 28th. Mrs. Starkey denied making the phone call and stated that she mailed the application on March 3, 1975. Mrs. Hayles testified that she told Mrs. Starkey on March 7, 1975, *458 during the telephone conversation that Tri-State could not accept a back-dated application and that the company could not write a policy because the fire had occurred before the application was received. It was further stated by Mrs. Hayles that she later opened her mail on March 7, 1975, found the application after learning of the fire, and nevertheless, mailed the application to Tri-State's office in Longview because that office handled all applications for coverage on mobile homes. She informed the Longview office of the fire and therefore no policy was ever issued covering the Van Huss mobile home.
The evidence shows that the application was for single interest insurance which would pay the balance of the note at the Bank in the event of the loss of the mobile home from hazards covered by a policy.
The application was on a form bearing the name of "Bank Services Agency" with a Fort Worth address. The application was apparently mailed by Mrs. Starkey to Bank Services Agency and was thereafter received from Bank Services Agency by Tri-State on March 7th. The procedure was to send applications to Bank Services Agency, a local recording agent, which in turn forwarded the application to Tri-State's office in Fort Worth. Tri-State would then send the application to its branch office in Longview and that office would issue an insurance policy through Dixie Auto Insurance Company, a non-admitted surplus line insurer, if coverage could be provided.
Mr. Bob Libby, a vice president for Tri-State, testified that Tri-State was a surplus line managing general agency that provided coverage for hard-to-place and difficult risks that are not normally covered by local recording agents. A surplus line general agency has contracts with various companies so that the agency can accept applications and issue policies for the companies that it represents. In 1975, Tri-State was writing policies covering mobile homes through Dixie Auto Insurance Company. The Longview office of Tri-State had been designated as the office to represent Dixie as the surplus line managing general agency in Texas and therefore all mobile home insurance applications were handled through that office. Tri-State was not authorized to transact its surplus lines insurance directly with an applicant, but had to deal through a regular licensed recording agent.
In response to special issues, the jury found that the application for single interest insurance was mailed on or before March 3, 1975. Tri-State had a known procedure for rejecting applications when payments to the financing institution were more than thirty (30) days past-due. The jury found that the note on the Van Huss mobile home was more than thirty (30) days past-due on the date the application was mailed. The jury also found that Tri-State did not fail to present the Bank's application to an insurance company for the issuance of an insurance policy. Conditional issues related to the alleged negligence of Tri-State in failing to present the application to an insurance company for coverage were not answered because the jury in effect found that Tri-State had presented the application to an insurance company for coverage.
The evidence supports the jury findings. Mrs. Starkey testified that she mailed the application on March 3, 1975, which supports the jury's answer to Special Issue No. 1. Pat Starkey admitted that the note was more than thirty (30) days past-due and the Bank records so indicated, all of which supported the jury's answer to Special Issue No. 2. Mrs. Hayles testified that she mailed the application to Tri-State's office in Longview on the same date that she received it, that is, March 7, 1975, and that Tri-State's office in Longview was in charge of issuing policies on mobile homes through companies for which it was an agent. This testimony substantiates the jury's finding in response to Special Issue No. 3, that the Bank's application for insurance was presented to an insurance company for coverage because the testimony shows that Tri-State General Agency was an agent for Dixie Auto Insurance Company through whom the policies were ordinarily written.
*459 This case was tried on the theory that the application blanks of Bank Services Agency which were left at the Bank constituted an offer to provide insurance coverage and that when the application was mailed by Mrs. Starkey on March 3, 1975, that such mailing constituted an acceptance of the offer to provide coverage. However, the Bank employees could not testify that Tri-State had left the applications with the Bank or that Tri-State had offered to provide insurance coverage when an application was mailed to Bank Services Agency. There is no proof in the record that Tri-State had in any way made an offer to the Bank to provide single interest insurance coverage on property financed by the Bank. Further, there is no proof in the record which shows that Tri-State was obligated to furnish the Bank insurance upon the receipt of an application for coverage. Since there was no proof that Tri-State owed a duty to the Bank, to provide insurance coverage, its failure to issue the requested policy did not constitute negligence. The usual negligence case is based on a fact situation in which the insurance company unreasonably delays in passing on the application to a potential carrier, thereby depriving the claimant of the opportunity of getting other insurance. See 43 Am.Jur.2d, Insurance, Sec. 215. It cannot be said that Tri-State has been guilty of unreasonable delay in this case since the fire occurred before it received the application. As a general rule, an insurance company is not bound to accept an application or proposal for insurance, but may reject it for any reason or arbitrarily. 43 Am.Jur.2d, Insurance, Sec. 213, p. 269. For an analogy, see Texas Life Insurance Company v. Shuford, 131 S.W.2d 118 (Tex.Civ.App. San Antonio 1939, no writ). Since Tri-State learned of the loss before receiving the application for coverage, it could not issue the policy under the circumstances of this case, even though the application may have been mailed by Mrs. Starkey to Bank Services Agency in good faith. It is contrary to public policy for an insurance company, the business of which is affected with a public interest, knowingly to assume the burden of a loss that occurred prior to making the contract to provide insurance coverage. Burch v. Commonwealth County Mutual Insurance Company, 450 S.W.2d 838 (Tex.1970). In the present case, the loss had already occurred when the application for coverage was received by Tri-State from Bank Services Agency and Tri-State as agent for the carrier had already learned of the loss. No policy could have been issued in good faith and Tri-State would have violated public policy by doing so.
Estoppel is not applicable to this case, as asserted by appellant, for the reason that estoppel cannot be used to create a contract. It is defensive in character and cannot be used to create a cause of action. Snow v. Gibraltar Life Insurance Company of America, 326 S.W.2d 501 (Tex.Civ.App. Dallas 1959, writ ref'd n. r. e.); 22 Tex. Jur.2d, Estoppel, Sec. 20.
The testimony of Milton Jones was properly excluded as being immaterial. His testimony was to have been offered for the purpose of showing that Tri-State was negligent in handling the application, but the Bank never proved that Tri-State owed it any duty to provide insurance coverage. Further, the jury found that Tri-State presented the application to an insurance company for coverage and the testimony of Mr. Jones, as an expert witness, would not have refuted this finding.
Appellant's points of error are overruled. The judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
CORNELIUS, C. J., not participating.


Details

Buckle fastening

Butterfly embroidery to heel

Heel height: 10cm

Upper, lining and sole: Leather

Presented in a Sophia Webster box

Overview

A statement design that will turn heads on special occasions, the Chiara pumps by Sophia Webster boast a dramatic, intricately embroidered butterfly to the heel, with opulent hues cascading down the slim-line heel. Elsewhere the silhouette is pared-down with dainty straps in an opulent metallic tone, working perfectly when shown off with high hemlines.


Canada's Private Sector Union

Toronto – April 5, 2018 – On April 10, UFCW Canada activists from across the country will join in observing Equal Pay Day – a day that represents how far into the next year a woman must work to earn the same amount made by a man in the previous year.

Nationally, women in Canada make 74 cents for every dollar earned by a man per year. According to Statistics Canada, the gap is even wider for women belonging to minority groups. For example, Indigenous women face a 57% gender pay gap; women with disabilities face a 46% gap; immigrant women face a 39% gap; and racialized women face a 32% gap.

UFCW Canada sees closing the gender wage gap as a national priority and continues to push all levels of government to address this urgent issue. Accordingly, we stand in solidarity with organizations like the Ontario Equal Pay Coalition to advocate for a future where women workers are paid what they are owed.

You can help close the gender wage gap by supporting UFCW Canada’s Closing the Gap campaign today. You can also print our Equal Pay Day 2018 poster and post it in your workplace, or post pictures on social media showing your support for closing the gender wage gap using the hashtag #EqualPayDay. Be sure to tag UFCW Canada (@UFCWCanada) when posting your pics!

UFCW Canada’s participation in Equal Pay Day actions across Canada is a part of our union’s ongoing effort to close the gender wage gap and achieve equity for women workers in Canada. For more information on UFCW Canada’s advocacy efforts for women, visit our Women and Gender Equity Committee webpage.


package com.github.megatronking.svg.sample.extend;

import android.os.Bundle;
import android.support.annotation.Nullable;
import android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity;

import com.github.megatronking.svg.sample.R;
import com.github.megatronking.svg.support.extend.SVGView;

public class SVGViewColorSampleActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(@Nullable Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_extend_view_color_sample);
        setTitle(getIntent().getStringExtra("title"));

        // set in code
        SVGView view1 = (SVGView) findViewById(R.id.extend_view1);
        view1.setSvgColor(getResources().getColorStateList(R.color.selector_image_color));

        SVGView view2 = (SVGView) findViewById(R.id.extend_view2);
        view2.setSvgColor(getResources().getColorStateList(R.color.selector_image_color));
        view2.setBackgroundResource(R.drawable.ic_android_red);
    }
}