Ground broken for new church after tornado

VAUGHN, Ga. (AP) - Residents in the small town of Vaughn are beginning construction of a new church to replace the one that was destroyed by a powerful tornado in April.

Fox 5 Atlanta reports (http://bit.ly/t0tHfk) that members of Vaughn United Methodist Church broke ground on their new building Thursday in the Spalding County town.

Much of the town is still littered with debris from April's storm. Pastor Sandra Findley said the church building hit by the twister was more than 100 years old.

Before the storm, Vaughn had no more than 100 residents. Fox 5 reports that many of those people moved on after the tornado.

With the building of the new church, residents say they hope the town can also be rebuilt.

Vaughn is about 40 miles south of Atlanta.

Information from: WAGA-TV, http://www.myfoxatlanta.com

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.wtvm.com/story/16416445/ground-broken-for-new-church-after-tornado

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Comics & Countries (slacktivist)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

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Photo of the day: Red Rock Canyon's twists and turns

Ed Human / UGC

Ed Human, of Mullica Hill, N.J., took this photo of Red Rock Canyon while visiting nearby Las Vegas last August.

"It was a beautiful, clear and hot day," he told TODAY.com. "The scenery is so different from the East coast, it just jumps out at you with its bold, red-colored rock formations contrasted by the desert ... The surrounding mountains add to the contrast of color and size."?
?
Human said that he doesn't consider himself a profession photographer, but "rather a novice that enjoys capturing these scenes for my family photo collection."

Do you have some photos you want to share? Submit them for a chance to be featured in the weekly gallery by clicking here. While there, vote for your favorite shot.

You can also join our It's A Snap Facebook community by clicking here, and share your photos with others.

More photos:

Source: http://todaytravel.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/28/9770602-travel-photo-of-the-day-red-rock-canyons-twists-and-turns

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- NBA - - FINAL - HOUSTON 95 ORLANDO 104

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US cities struggle to control sewer overflows (AP)

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. ? Twice in recent summers, visitors to parts of Michigan's western coast were greeted by mounds of garbage strewn along miles of sandy beach: plastic bottles, eating utensils, food wrappers, even hypodermic syringes.

At least some of the rubbish had drifted across Lake Michigan from Milwaukee, a vivid reminder that many cities still flush nasty stuff into streams and lakes during heavy storms, fouling the waters with bacteria and viruses that can make people seriously ill.

Thousands of overflows from sewage systems that collect storm water and wastewater are believed to occur each year. Regulators and environmentalists want them stopped, and since the late 1990s the Environmental Protection Agency or state officials have reached legal agreements with more than 40 cities or counties ? Atlanta, Los Angeles, Baltimore, St. Louis and Indianapolis among them ? to improve wastewater systems that in some cases are a century old. Costs are reaching hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars.

But the price of progress is becoming too high for local governments, with the bad economy cutting into tax revenues and residents rebelling against higher water and sewer rates. Responding to pleas for leniency, the Obama administration is promising more flexibility as hard-pressed cities look for less conventional and cheaper ways to reduce overflows.

"The current economic times make the need for sensible and effective approaches even more pressing," said an October memo to EPA regional offices from Nancy Stoner, who runs the agency's water policy office, and Cynthia Giles, chief of enforcement. They said EPA staffers would work out details of the new policy.

It won't be easy, considering the costs and inflamed emotions involved.

Carol Rodwell and neighbors carted away 18 bags of garbage from a 400-foot stretch of Lake Michigan frontage near Ludington after last year's trash flotilla. She was shocked to learn that federal law lets cities discharge untreated sewage when their plants and storage facilities are flooded.

"It was maddening that they had permission to do this and we had to live with the consequences," Rodwell said.

Kevin Shafer, executive director of the Milwaukee sewage system, insisted it was only partly to blame, saying some of the rubbish probably came from trash cans or dumpsters swamped when the area got about 9 inches of rain in a single day.

Milwaukee has spent $4 billion since the 1980s improving its sewer system, Shafer said. It now has 521 million gallons of storage capacity in underground tunnels. Since the mid-1990s, less than 2 percent of the water entering the system each year has been released without treatment.

The ultimate goal is zero overflows, but officials don't expect to get there until about 2035 because it will require being able to handle the kind of flooding that previously happened rarely but is becoming more common.

"It gets a lot more expensive to get that last drop," Shafer said. "The way the economy is today, you have to balance that cost with all the other needs we have. You don't want to bankrupt a community."

One partial solution gaining popularity with cities is "green infrastructure" ? natural and man-made features that enable more water to soak into the ground instead of washing into storm drains and creeks. Stoner and Giles of EPA instructed field staff last year to incorporate green features into storm water and sewer permits as much as possible.

Examples would include requiring office buildings to cover flat roofs with plants, using permeable pavement on roads and parking lots, and increasing parkland and urban green space.

Milwaukee is encouraging residents to use rain barrels and plant "rain gardens," which have wildflowers and deep-rooted vegetation particularly suited to absorbing excess water.

Indianapolis last year renegotiated an earlier deal with EPA that cuts the city's costs by hundreds of millions through greater use of green features, Mayor Greg Ballard said.

A new ordinance in Santa Monica, Calif., orders building developers to capture the first three-quarters of an inch of rainwater in a storm and encourages meeting the requirement with green infrastructure. Cleveland has pledged to spend $42 million over eight years on green projects, said Jennifer Elting, spokeswoman for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.

An assortment of measures are required in Chicago under a deal struck with EPA this month that sets deadlines for completing a gigantic tunnel and reservoir project, which has lagged since work began nearly 40 years despite repeated sewer overflows.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors has pressured EPA to give cities more time and options for limiting overflows. Testifying before Congress this month, Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle said the agency's embrace of green infrastructure was a welcome change from a heavy-handed approach that demanded big-ticket investments in conventional water treatment equipment.

"Using enforcement actions as the default option sends the message via the mass media to our citizens that mayors are not trustworthy, and that they condone water pollution," Suttle said.

The federal government should help struggling cities pay for sewer improvements but shouldn't let them off the hook for overflows, said Lyman Welch, water quality program manager with the Alliance for the Great Lakes, a Chicago-based environmental group.

"Cities have had decades to deal with this problem," Welch said. "We need firm deadlines and we need strong enforcement so it can finally be solved."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111226/ap_on_re_us/us_awash_in_sewage

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Column: Cheap tickets from a cheap franchise (AP)

The Cincinnati Bengals haven't been anywhere near the vanguard of the NFL for two decades now, a stretch that began not coincidentally when club founder Paul Brown died and son Mike took over.

Yet the Bengals might be again ? for all the wrong reasons ? if a mild downturn in league-wide attendance since 2007 becomes a trend.

The team's 65,500-seat stadium, named in Paul Brown's honor but financed by taxpayers, was less than two-thirds full Saturday as the team locked up just its third winning season in the last 21 years. Hoping to head off an even more embarrassing number of no-shows when Baltimore visits Sunday with a playoff berth on the line for Cincinnati, the team and players are practically begging fans to come.

"We need all of you this week," said cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones, one of a handful of players who made postgame pitches.

Cincinnati has finished in the middle of the pack in attendance season after season despite results that would doom a franchise in just about any other pro sport. But as a trio of TV deals announced just two weeks ago proved again, the NFL is unlike any other league. Despite stumbling through a lockout this summer and scrambling to cope with a growing concussion problem, it remains North America's most popular game by just about any measure.

But even the NFL is not immune to a struggling economy. According to figures compiled by Business Insider, attendance at games has slipped four years in a row. In 2007, the league's teams, on average, played to 99.9 percent capacity; last season, that figure was 94.6 percent. An NFL spokesman said Monday that 2011 attendance was down 0.5 percent ahead of the final regular-season weekend.

Already ahead of the curve, the Bengals touched a new low at Paul Brown Stadium this season against Buffalo (41,142) and sold out only one home game ? a gift from thousands of Steelers' fans who made the journey from Pittsburgh. Although Cincinnati currently occupies the league's cellar in terms of attendance ? 72 percent capacity, on average ? St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Miami, Buffalo and even NFL-crazy Washington are all below 90 percent this season. Large swaths of empty seats weren't uncommon in Jacksonville, San Diego, Kansas City and Indianapolis, too.

If there's any consolation to be had from those numbers, it's two-fold. First, other leagues would love to be playing in front of crowds at 95 percent capacity. Second, none of the other franchises lingering near the bottom have built up quite as much ill will with their fan base over time as the Bengals. Considering how much the NFL invests to help teams achieve parity and contend every so often ? revenue-sharing, hard salary caps, franchise tags and the draft ? it's not easy to be as bad as the Bengals have been for that long.

Since taking over from his father, Mike Brown has skimped on front-office hires, drafted badly and dabbled frequently in washed-up free agents whose antics with previous teams made them not just available, but cheap. Instead of taking responsibility for the mess, Brown seems almost amused by it. So many of his players ripped him over the years that he tried ? unsuccessfully ? to put loyalty oaths in their contracts. When fans made their discontent known by hanging a banner just above his box in old Riverfront Stadium more than a decade ago ? "If it's Brown, flush it down," the sign read ? the owner let it be known that he, too, thought it was funny.

No one on either side of the divide is laughing at the moment, though. Despite the Bengals' surprising 9-6 record this season, fans bearing grudges are staying away. That means less business for downtown merchants and lower tax revenues for a county struggling to cover the cost of basic services ? let alone pay off the mortgage for a stadium that has been a boon for the Brown family.

This latest revolt, at least, caught his attention. No sooner had Saturday's game ended than an offer to season-ticket holders began flashing on the scoreboard ? buy one ticket for the Baltimore game and get a second free. Next came the unbidden ? we assume ? locker room sales pitches from players and coach Marvin Lewis. By Monday morning, fans who turned up to buy what the team said were a "couple thousand" tickets for the Baltimore game munched on hot dogs, cotton candy, hot chocolate and water free of charge (though considering Brown's tight-fisted ways, chances are good it was leftover food from last weekend's games).

The ruse likely will work, so look for a sellout. As precedents go, however, the league can't be too pleased with lowered ticket prices. While TV revenues skyrocket, attendance already has been dented by everything from the bad economy and high prices ? average cost for a family of four last year: $426.84 ? to fantasy-football followers who can watch multiple games on their HD sets at home without paying $7 for a beer. Plus, it gets cold in plenty of NFL towns by the time December rolls around.

Of course, there's another business model out there that proves a small-market team in an even-colder climate can fill up its stadium every Sunday. That would be the Green Bay Packers, who have come up with a solution that Brown likely never seriously considered.

It's called winning.

___(equals)

Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org and follow him at http://Twitter.com/JimLitke

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111227/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_jim_litke122611

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Comparison of House, Senate payroll tax cut bills (AP)

Highlights of legislation renewing payroll tax cuts, jobless benefits approved by the House and Senate:

House bill, approved last Tuesday:

_Price tag over $180 billion.

_Keeps this year's 4.2 percent Social Security payroll tax rate paid by 160 million workers through the end of 2012, instead of rising to 6.2 percent on Jan. 1.

_Extends expiring benefits for the long-term jobless through 2012, but at a maximum of 79 weeks coverage, less in some cases, which is well below this year's 99-week limit. Revamps program to require beneficiaries without high school diplomas to seek an equivalent degree; lets states test applicants for illegal drug use.

_Prevents 27 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors for 2012.

_Blocks Obama administration rule curbing pollution from industrial boilers; extends tax break for businesses buying equipment for 2012.

_Requires President Barack Obama to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline within 60 days unless he declares the project would not serve the national interest.

_Paid for by extending current pay freeze on civilian federal workers another year through 2013 and requires them to contribute more toward their pensions; raises fee Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac charge for insuring mortgages; raises Medicare premiums paid by higher-income elderly; cuts some health care overhaul law programs; sells part of broadcast spectrum; prevents illegal immigrant parents from collecting child tax credit refund checks; bars food stamps, unemployment benefits for the wealthy.

Senate bill, approved Saturday:

_Price tag $33 billion.

_Extends 2-percentage-point cut in Social Security payroll tax through Feb. 29.

_Renews benefits for the long-term unemployed at current levels through Feb. 29, no other changes in program.

_Prevents 27 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors; extends other health care fees through Feb. 29.

_Same provision on Keystone as House.

_Paid for by increasing home loan guarantee fees charged to mortgage lenders by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration by one-tenth of 1 percentage point. The fee is passed on to home buyers and will apply to many new purchases and refinancings starting Jan. 1.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111220/ap_on_re_us/us_congress_payroll_tax_bill_comparison

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Indonesian leader welcomes raised credit rating (AP)

JAKARTA, Indonesia ? President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Friday a decision to award Indonesia "investment grade" status for the first time since the 1997 Asian financial crisis will help fuel his country's booming economy.

Fitch Ratings became the first of three credit agencies to lift Indonesia's sovereign credit rating from junk status to triple-B-minus, citing steady economic growth, low government debt and strong macroeconomics policy.

Standard & Poor's and Moody's are expected to follow sometime next year.

"We are delighted," Yudhoyono said, smiling broadly at a news conference at the presidential palace in the capital, Jakarta. "Especially amid economic uncertainties that have resulted in credit downgrades for many other countries ? including the U.S. and Europe."

"With this investment grade, international capital will flow in with a long-term, low interest rate," he said, adding that could open up many new business opportunities. "This momentum should not be wasted."

Indonesia, a sprawling archipelagic nation of 240 million people, has one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia. Its gross domestic product was growing at 6.5 percent in the latest quarter, thanks in large to domestic consumption and a fast-growing middle class.

That lags only behind China and Argentina, each with 9.5 percent.

Still, the country has struggled to attract much-needed international investment since the 1997-1998 monetary crisis, due to poor infrastructure, legal uncertainties, corruption and bureaucratic red tape.

Yudhoyono said Indonesia will try to keep its budget deficit below 2.5 percent until 2014 to avoid problems experienced by other countries with high debt-to-GDP ratios.

"We need to continue to have a prudent macro policy," he said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_bi_ge/as_indonesia_credit_rating

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Research Roundup: Insurance Coverage In The Great Recession ...

Topics: Health Costs, Hospitals, Insurance, Health Reform, Uninsured, Public Health

Dec 16, 2011

Every week, Kaiser Health News reporter Shefali S. Kulkarni?compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.

Archives Of Internal Medicine: Effect Of MRI On Treatment Results Or Decision Making In Patients With Lumbosacral Radiculopathy Referred For Epidural Steroid Injections --The researchers how physicians examined claims of lower back back pain and note that part of the "rising economic cost of this epidemic is the burgeoning use of indiscriminate imaging," specifically MRIs.?Researchers divided patients?into two groups and "the treating physician in group 1 patients was blinded to the MRI results, while the physician for group 2 patients decided on treatment after reviewing the MRI findings." The authors conclude:?"our results suggest that although MRI may have a minor affect on decision making, it is unlikely to avert a procedure, diminish complications, or improve outcomes. Considering how frequently ESIs are performed, not routinely ordering an MRI before a lumbosacral ESI may save significant time and resources" (Cohen et. al., 12/12).

New England Journal of Medicine: The Relationship Between Hospital Admission Rates And Rehospitalizations -- This study looks at the regional variation in the number of patients with congestive heart failure or pneumonia who are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days.?The researchers found "a substantial association between regional rates of rehospitalization and overall admission rates. Although most interventions designed to reduce readmissions thus far have focused on better disease management and the coordination of care, our results underscore the importance of policy efforts directed at reducing the general incentives to use hospital services" (Epstein, Jha and Orav, 12/14).

Kaiser Family Foundation/The Urban Institute: Changes In Health Insurance Coverage In The Great Recession, 2007-2010 -- The authors of this?issue brief?write:?"While the number of uninsured children declined in recent years, the number of uninsured adults rose. The only notable drop in uninsured adults was for young adults ages 19-25 in 2010, most likely due to the provision of the health reform law that permits young adults to stay on their parents? insurance. The paper also considers trends in coverage by work status, race and ethnicity, citizenship status and geographical region" (Holahan and Chen, 12/15).?

Government Accountability Office: Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan: Comparison of Implementation and Early Enrollment With The Children's Health Insurance Program --? Pre-existing condition insurance plans (PCIP) are the high-risk pools set up in the 2010 health law to provide coverage to uninsured people with medical problems. The study looks at the amount of time it took to implement PCIPs and CHIP in all states, the enrollment trends for the two programs and?trends in enrollment, "between states that had high risk pools prior to the enactment of [Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act], and those that did not." The report concludes that "enrollment in the PCIP and CHIP programs was slow to start but increased steadily over the first year, ending with more than 27,000 and 705,000 enrollees, respectively" (12/13).

This is part of Kaiser Health News' Daily Report - a summary of health policy coverage from more than 300 news organizations. The full summary of the day's news can be found here and you can sign up for e-mail subscriptions to the Daily Report here. In addition, our staff of reporters and correspondents file original stories each day, which you can find on our home page.

Source: http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2011/December/16/KHN-Research-Roundup.aspx

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Air Force investigates photo of airmen with casket

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (AP) ? The Air Force said Thursday it was investigating a photograph of a group of airmen posing with another airman pretending to be dead and lying in an open casket with a noose around his neck.

Written at the bottom of the photo are the words: "Da Dumpt, Da Dumpt ... Sucks 2 Be U."

Though apparently unrelated, the photo is particularly sensitive because word of it follows revelations about the mishandling of remains of the war dead at the Air Force mortuary in Dover, Del.

Todd Spitler, an Air Force spokesman at the Pentagon, said the airmen in the photo are from Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and were attending training at Fort Lee, Va., when the photograph was taken.

In the photo, 15 airmen wearing military fatigues surround another airman standing nearly upright in the casket. The airman in the casket has chains on his body and a noose around his neck. Most of the airmen surrounding him have their arms crossed in front of themselves in an "X'' formation.

Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said he was saddened the photo could cause further grief to families of the fallen.

"Such behavior is not consistent with our core values, and it is not representative of the airmen I know," he said in a statement.

Lackland spokesman Gerry Proctor said the photo was taken in August and appeared on Facebook in October. He said officials first learned about the existence of the photo on Monday after the military was contacted by the Air Force Times. The Air Force Times said it had been emailed the photo on Monday.

"It's something that we take very serious," Proctor said. "The image, regardless of how one interprets it, the image does not portray our values or the values of the Air Force and that is why the investigation was launched immediately."

Proctor said it's premature to say whether any kind of disciplinary action would be taken. He said he did not know how long the investigation would take or what message the airmen were trying to convey in the photo.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-12-15-Air%20Force-Casket%20Photo/id-dda0fa27ffe749339338932585c84e0f

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From Napoleon to Liz Taylor: perfect pearl?s $11 million journey

Stan Honda / AFP - Getty Images

"La Peregrina," the pearl, diamond and ruby necklace owned by Elizabeth Taylor on display during a preview of The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor at Christie's in New York on Dec. 1.

By Olga Luna and Eduardo Sunol, Telemundo News

MIAMI?? If there?s any woman in the world envied for her jewels and exceptional beauty, it?s Elizabeth Taylor. And this week the world was reminded of her wealth, her power and her ability to get the best out of men, including love and gems.

Christie?s sold a 55-carat pearl known as ?La Peregrina,? a tear-shaped gem that Richard Burton gave Taylor in early 1969, for $11.8 million at auction on Tuesday evening.

By the time Burton bought it, ?La Peregrina? had already spent centuries traveling from the hands of a slave to Spain, France and the United States in an intense bidding war between Spain?s Royals, France?s emperor?s family and America?s millionaires.

?It has become the most expensive pearl ever sold at auction,? Rahul Kadakia, head of Christie?s New York Jewelry Department, told Telemundo News.

---

?

From Spanish royalty to Napoleon
La Peregrina was discovered in the early 1500s by an African slave at the Pearl Islands in the Gulf of Panama. Its name means ?rare,? or ?special,? and it was offered to King Phillip II of Spain, becoming part of the crown jewels of the Spanish Crown.

At the time it was valued at 714,000 maraved?, a gold and silver coin currency brought to Spain by the Moorish Almoravids, which would be the equivalent of $8,000 U.S. dollars today.

La Peregrina was inherited by Phillip III of Spain and it passed from generation to generation of Spain?s royals.? But in 1808, when Jose Napoleon was named king of Spain by his brother Emperor Napoleon, the jewels of the Spanish Crown fell into his hands, and La Peregrina was one of them.

Jose Napoleon stole them all and gave La Peregrina to his wife, Julie Clary, who proudly showed it until the day the marriage ended. Napoleon then took the jewel with him to the United States, where he lived in New York City and Philadelphia.

Napoleon bequeathed the jewel onto Napoleon III, the ruler of the second French empire, who, after his deposition in 1815 - and later arrest in France - was sent to England were he sold La Peregrina to James Hamilton, later the Duke of Abercorn.

The late actress's legendary jewelry was auctioned off at Christie's in New York. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

The Duke bought the pearl for his wife, Louisa Hamilton, the Duchess of Abercorn, who lost it twice because the heavy jewel fell out of its necklace?s setting, but on both occasions the pearl was recovered.

According to Christie?s records, La Peregrina remained in the hands of the Abercorn until 1914.

Fast-forward to 1969, when it showed up at auction in Sotheby?s. Richard Burton and Taylor, who had married for the first time five years earlier, were both still enjoying the success of their movie ?Who?s Afraid of Virginia Wolf,? which Taylor won her second Academy Award for.?

Burton, evidently still in love during that first marriage (the pair later divorced in 1974, remarried 16 months later in 1976 and divorced again), went to Parke-Bernet galleries, one of the largest auctioneers of fine art in the U.S, on Jan. 23, 1969. The auctioneer had already acquired by the rare pearl from Sotheby?s, and Burton wanted it for his bride.

But Burton had a strong opponent to bid against: Alfonso de Borb?n Dampierre, an envoy of the Spanish royal family whose mission was to get the jewel back to Madrid?s Royal Palace.

Despite Dampierre?s credentials, he was outbid by Burton, who offered $17,000 over what the royal family was ready to offer and took it home at the final price of $37,000.

An unexpected thief
Burton gave it to his wife on Valentine?s Day, and as had happened a century before, one day the pearl went missing from the couples? suite at Caesar?s Palace in Las Vegas.

?I reached down to touch La Peregrina and it wasn?t there,? Elizabeth Taylor wrote in her book ?Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair With Jewelry.?

?I glanced over at Richard and thank God he wasn?t looking at me, and I went into the bedroom and threw myself on the bed, buried my head into the pillow and screamed. Very slowly and very carefully, I retraced all my steps in the bedroom. I took my slippers off, took my socks off, and got down on my hands and knees, looking everywhere for the pearl. Nothing.?

And then, she thought not her husband but someone else in the suite may have it.

?I just casually opened the puppy?s mouth and inside his mouth was the most perfect pearl in the world. It was ? thank God - not scratched.?

Perfect and not scratched it was, indeed. And today, after years traveling from one continent to another, from slave, to kings, to emperors and millionaires, it lives in the hand of an unknown bidder who at $11.8 million has bought not only a pearl, but history in the shape of a tear.??
?

Read this story in Spanish from Telemundo

See more news?from Telemundo

Source: http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/15/9476411-from-napoleon-to-liz-taylor-perfect-pearls-11-million-journey

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Video: Blasts rock Kabul

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/45568188/

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American first at the Montreal Heart Institute: A patient treated with a disappearing heart device

Public release date: 5-Dec-2011
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Contact: Julie Chevrette
julie.chevrette@icm-mhi.org
514-376-3330 x2641
Montreal Heart Institute

Montreal -- The interventional cardiology team at the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) used the world's first drug eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold to successfully treat a woman suffering from coronary artery disease. This landmark procedure was performed by Dr. Jean-Franois Tanguay, interventional cardiologist and coordinator of the Coronary Unit, as part of the ABSORB EXTEND clinical trial. This successful intervention was a first in North America.

A breakthrough that could change the lives of patients

The patient, a woman in her sixties, had suffered from chest pain for a number of months. She was diagnosed with a severe lesion to the heart main artery. She responded favorably to the procedure, was discharged after 24 hours and now, one month after, has regained a normal way of life with no more chest pain.

The investigational ABSORB bioresorbable vascular scaffold, developed by global healthcare company Abbott, is an innovative therapy that restores blood flow by opening a clogged vessel and providing support to the vessel while it heals. Once the vessel can remain open without the extra support, the bioresorbable scaffold is designed to be slowly metabolized until the device dissolves after approximately two years, leaving patients with a treated vessel free of a permanent metallic implant. With no metal left behind, the vessel has the potential to return to a more natural state. After the device has been metabolized, the patient's vessel is free to move, flex, pulsate and dilate similar to an untreated vessel.

For Dr. Jean-Franois Tanguay, it was important to be part of this first intervention, since during his postdoctoral studies he worked on early models of bioresorbable vascular scaffolds. "Treatments for coronary artery disease have progressed tremendously from the days of balloon angioplasties and metal stents leading to improved clinical outcome in our patients," said Dr. Tanguay, who is also an associate professor of Medicine at the Universit de Montral. "By effectively opening up a blocked artery without leaving a permanent implant behind in the blood vessel, this bioresorbable vascular scaffold has the potential to revolutionize how we treat our patients."

A revolution in the way we treat patients with coronary artery disease

This treatment is available in Canada as part of Abbott's global ABSORB EXTEND clinical trial which is a significant milestone toward making this innovative technology available to heart disease patients in Canada. In Canada, the clinical trial is conducted at four centers, including the Montreal Heart Institute (Dr. Jean-Franois Tanguay), Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Qubec (Dr. ric Larose), University of Ottawa Heart Institute (Dr. Marino Labinaz) and St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto (Dr. Christopher E. Buller). The ABSORB EXTEND trial will enroll approximately 1,000 patients from up to 100 centers in Europe, Asia Pacific, Canada and Latin America.

The device is made of polylactide, a proven biocompatible material that is commonly used in medical implants such as dissolvable sutures. ABSORB has CE Mark and is authorized for sale in Europe. It is under clinical investigation around the world with more than 500 patients treated with the device.

###

About the Montreal Heart Institute:
http://www.icm-mhi.org

Information:
Julie Chevrette
Communications Officer
Montreal Heart Institute
514 376-3330, ext. 2641
julie.chevrette@icm-mhi.org

---

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?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 5-Dec-2011
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Contact: Julie Chevrette
julie.chevrette@icm-mhi.org
514-376-3330 x2641
Montreal Heart Institute

Montreal -- The interventional cardiology team at the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) used the world's first drug eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold to successfully treat a woman suffering from coronary artery disease. This landmark procedure was performed by Dr. Jean-Franois Tanguay, interventional cardiologist and coordinator of the Coronary Unit, as part of the ABSORB EXTEND clinical trial. This successful intervention was a first in North America.

A breakthrough that could change the lives of patients

The patient, a woman in her sixties, had suffered from chest pain for a number of months. She was diagnosed with a severe lesion to the heart main artery. She responded favorably to the procedure, was discharged after 24 hours and now, one month after, has regained a normal way of life with no more chest pain.

The investigational ABSORB bioresorbable vascular scaffold, developed by global healthcare company Abbott, is an innovative therapy that restores blood flow by opening a clogged vessel and providing support to the vessel while it heals. Once the vessel can remain open without the extra support, the bioresorbable scaffold is designed to be slowly metabolized until the device dissolves after approximately two years, leaving patients with a treated vessel free of a permanent metallic implant. With no metal left behind, the vessel has the potential to return to a more natural state. After the device has been metabolized, the patient's vessel is free to move, flex, pulsate and dilate similar to an untreated vessel.

For Dr. Jean-Franois Tanguay, it was important to be part of this first intervention, since during his postdoctoral studies he worked on early models of bioresorbable vascular scaffolds. "Treatments for coronary artery disease have progressed tremendously from the days of balloon angioplasties and metal stents leading to improved clinical outcome in our patients," said Dr. Tanguay, who is also an associate professor of Medicine at the Universit de Montral. "By effectively opening up a blocked artery without leaving a permanent implant behind in the blood vessel, this bioresorbable vascular scaffold has the potential to revolutionize how we treat our patients."

A revolution in the way we treat patients with coronary artery disease

This treatment is available in Canada as part of Abbott's global ABSORB EXTEND clinical trial which is a significant milestone toward making this innovative technology available to heart disease patients in Canada. In Canada, the clinical trial is conducted at four centers, including the Montreal Heart Institute (Dr. Jean-Franois Tanguay), Institut Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Qubec (Dr. ric Larose), University of Ottawa Heart Institute (Dr. Marino Labinaz) and St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto (Dr. Christopher E. Buller). The ABSORB EXTEND trial will enroll approximately 1,000 patients from up to 100 centers in Europe, Asia Pacific, Canada and Latin America.

The device is made of polylactide, a proven biocompatible material that is commonly used in medical implants such as dissolvable sutures. ABSORB has CE Mark and is authorized for sale in Europe. It is under clinical investigation around the world with more than 500 patients treated with the device.

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About the Montreal Heart Institute:
http://www.icm-mhi.org

Information:
Julie Chevrette
Communications Officer
Montreal Heart Institute
514 376-3330, ext. 2641
julie.chevrette@icm-mhi.org

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-12/mhi-afa120511.php

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Singer Mindy McCready's 5-year-old son in custody

FILE - In this undated file photo, country singer Mindy McCready performs in Nashville, Tenn. A missing persons report has been filed for McCready and her 5-year-old son Zander. The Department of Children and Families says the report was filed with Cape Coral Police Tuesday night after McCready took Zander from McCready's father's home. McCready doesn't have custody of her son ? her mother does ? and was allowed to visit the boy at her father's home. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, file)

FILE - In this undated file photo, country singer Mindy McCready performs in Nashville, Tenn. A missing persons report has been filed for McCready and her 5-year-old son Zander. The Department of Children and Families says the report was filed with Cape Coral Police Tuesday night after McCready took Zander from McCready's father's home. McCready doesn't have custody of her son ? her mother does ? and was allowed to visit the boy at her father's home. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, file)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) ? By the time Arkansas authorities took country singer Mindy McCready's 5-year-old son from her and into custody on Friday evening, one thing had already become apparent to much of America: McCready's life has come to resemble a bad country song.

Since her emergence in the mid-1990s as a honey-voiced success story out of Nashville, McCready has been increasingly known for her personal foibles instead of her music.

This week's custody battle was the latest in a long saga of personal heartache and brushes with the law.

Florida Department of Children and Families spokeswoman Terri Durdaller said in an email Friday night that her agency was working with Arkansas state officials to bring McCready's son, Zander, back to his maternal grandmother in Florida. His grandmother has been his guardian since 2007.

Officials say he's safe and in good health.

Gayle Inge, Zander's grandmother and McCready's mother, was tearful when she talked about the news by phone Friday night with The Associated Press.

"I'm real excited that he's safe," she said. "But I can't explain what this is like. We feel for Mindy and we feel for Zander."

Inge said Zander was taken into custody at McCready's boyfriend's lake home in Arkansas. Inge said that her son ? McCready's half-brother ? texted McCready, who responded with a text that said her mother would never see her again.

"I want to wrap my arms around her and tell her that I love her," Inge said, adding that her daughter and grandson were found by authorities "hiding in a closet."

McCready, who turned 36 on Wednesday, did not respond to emails late Friday.

The evening's developments capped a days-long struggle between McCready ? who is seven months pregnant with twins ? and several others, including state of Florida child welfare authorities, a Fort Myers, Fla. judge and her own mother.

Authorities say McCready took the boy during a visit late last month to her father's Florida home, where she was allowed to visit the boy. McCready's parents are divorced.

A Florida judge signed an order Thursday telling authorities to take the boy into custody and return him. It's not yet clear whether the singer could face criminal charges.

McCready said earlier in the week that she would not bring her son back from Tennessee, where she has a home, despite violating the custody arrangement. She told the AP that her son had suffered abuse at her mother's house, a claim that Inge vehemently denies.

"I'm doing all this to protect Zander, not stay out of trouble," McCready wrote in an email to the AP on Thursday. "I don't think I should be in trouble for protecting my son in the first place."

McCready told the AP Wednesday night she was in Tennessee and couldn't travel because she is pregnant with twins.

The boy's father, Billy McKnight, told NBC's "Today" show Friday he spoke on the phone with McCready and their boy after the judge's 5 p.m. EST Thursday deadline expired.

"He did sound healthy and ok. He wasn't crying or scared," McKnight said about their son.

"I think she believes she has a case and doesn't realize she's pushing her luck on this one," he said.

McCready and her mother have had a long custody battle over the boy, who was living with McCready's mother.

"We can confirm that Zander has been taken into custody and we are working with Arkansas state officials to bring him back to his legal guardian in Florida," Durdaller wrote late Friday. "He is safe and in good health.

McCready had provided a series of emails to the AP with Lee County Judge James Seals' ruling to return the boy.

"Mom has violated the court's custody order and we are simply restoring the child back into our custody," the judge wrote. "Nothing more. Nothing less. The court makes no judgment about whether Mom will or will not competently care for the child while in her custody. It only wants the child back where the court placed him."

McCready found fame in the mid-1990s when she moved to Nashville at the age of 18, armed with only her karaoke tapes. Her first album, "Ten Thousand Angels," sold two million copies.

Her next four albums weren't as successful. Her personal troubles began encroaching on her professional success. According to her website, she suffers from severe depression.

McCready fought the release of a tape in which she reportedly talked about former Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens, with whom she had an affair as a teenager.

In August, she filed a libel suit against her mother and the National Enquirer's parent company, American Media Inc., over a story published in the tabloid newspaper that quoted Inge.

And in 2008, McCready was admitted to a hospital after police said she cut her wrists and took several pills in a suicide attempt.

During the TV show "Celebrity Rehab 3" in 2010, McCready came off as a sympathetic figure, and host Dr. Drew Pinsky called her an angel in the season finale.

Follow Tamara Lush on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tamaralush

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2011-12-03-People-McCready/id-57997ce20a754f4db7f996681b0a08db

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Brazil: 33 dead in truck-bus crash

Workers check the rubble of a bus after an accident in Milagres, Brazil's Bahia state, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. Brazilian authorities said a tractor-trailer slammed into the bus carrying sugarcane cutters, killing at least 33 people and injuring 13 after the truck driver lost control as he was rounding a corner and heading down a hill early Saturday. (AP Photo/Ag. A Tarde/Agencia O Globo,Zenilton Meira) DO NOT PUBLISH IN BRAZIL - NAO PUBLICAR NO BRASIL

Workers check the rubble of a bus after an accident in Milagres, Brazil's Bahia state, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. Brazilian authorities said a tractor-trailer slammed into the bus carrying sugarcane cutters, killing at least 33 people and injuring 13 after the truck driver lost control as he was rounding a corner and heading down a hill early Saturday. (AP Photo/Ag. A Tarde/Agencia O Globo,Zenilton Meira) DO NOT PUBLISH IN BRAZIL - NAO PUBLICAR NO BRASIL

SAO PAULO (AP) ? Brazilian authorities say a tractor-trailor has slammed into a bus carrying sugarcane cutters, killing at least 33 people and injuring 13 others.

A police spokesman says the truck driver lost control as he was rounding a corner and heading down a hill early Saturday near a town called Miracles in the northeastern state of Bahia. The truck was carrying a load of construction materials, which also slammed into the bus.

The driver of the truck survived and is in a local hospital. Some of the others injured are in grave condition.

The police official spoke on condition of anonymity, saying he was not authorized to provide details.

He says an investigation is ongoing.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-03-LT-Brazil-Road-Deaths/id-ae33e23047854756a0d9338b64fa8518

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Video: Bath-loving pooch can't get enough suds

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/45524159#45524159

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FOR THE RECORD: I Just Bet Keith Rabois $1 ... - Business Insider

Sheryl Sandberg, one of the first folks I will add to Yahoo's new board.

Square COO and Valley tech star Keith Rabois was just bellyaching on Twitter about how Yahoo's a goner.

"Put a fork in it," Keith said.

So I pushed back on that.

Yahoo can be fixed, I said. All Yahoo needs is the right leader.

To which Keith said:

There are only 7 people who can fix Yahoo--and they're busy.

I asked Keith to list the 7.

Keith came up with 5-6:

Reid Hoffman, Mark Zuckerberg, David Sachs, Adam D'Angelo, and a couple of other folks.

I noticed I wasn't on Keith's list.

So I bet him $1 that I could fix Yahoo.

And he accepted!

So, now Keith and I have a friendly little bet on the side. If I fix Yahoo, he forks over $1. If I don't fix Yahoo, I fork over $1--via Square.

For what it's worth, I am highly confident that Yahoo can be fixed. And despite the enormous respect I have for Reid and Mark, et al, I actually don't think they're the right folks to do it, in part because I don't think they care about what Yahoo is now or could become.

I also don't think that Yahoo's product needs to be "radically transformed." I think the product needs to evolve, rapidly, to take advantage of the enormous and profound innovations that have been introduced since the late 1990s.

What Yahoo needs, in my opinion, is to be focused, reinvigorated, and radically streamlined. And the fact that absolutely no one in the techo-chamber thinks that it's even remotely possible that the company could become great again is part of the fun.

Aren't tech folks like Keith supposed to think that "impossible is nothing?"

Yes, they are!

And fixing Yahoo is far from impossible.

So, get your $1 ready, Keith.

Meanwhile, I'll get started on persuading Yahoo to give me the job.

SEE ALSO: Media Tycoons Say They Understand Twitter -- Then Reveal That They Don't

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-just-bet-keith-rabois-1-that-i-can-fix-yahoo-2011-12

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Enbridge sees native support for Gateway pipeline (Reuters)

TORONTO (Reuters) ? Enbridge Inc expects to win support for its C$5.5 billion ($5.4 billion) Northern Gateway oil pipeline from a majority of native communities along the proposed route based on current negotiations, an executive said on Friday.

The company has signed deals with some aboriginal groups for an overall 10 percent equity stake in the project, which would carry oil sands-derived crude to the West Coast from Alberta, Enbridge Vice-President Janet Holder said during a conference call to discuss one agreement.

But she declined to say how many deals it has in hand, citing confidentiality agreements.

"Based upon current negotiations, we believe we have majority support from First Nations along the right-of-way," Holder said during a conference call with media to discuss one chief's decision to support the project, aimed at opening up Asian markets for Canadian oil producers.

The developments came one day after more than 60 aboriginal communities said they were uniting to oppose oil pipelines across the Pacific province of British Columbia as well as increased tanker traffic in coastal waters, citing fears of oil spills.

Also on Friday, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver told Reuters he believed deals could be reached with native Canadians that would allow a pipeline to the coast, but conceded it would not be easy.

The industry is banking on a new pipeline to the coast to move crude produced in the vast Alberta tar sands markets in Asia as a way to lessen its dependence on the United States, which is now virtually its only export customer.

Regulatory hearings into Northern Gateway are slated to start in January.

Elmer Derrick, a hereditary chief of the Gitxsan First Nation, broke ranks by making his support public on Friday. However, the proposed route does not cross Gitxsan territory. In addition, elected officials had not been party to the decision, he said.

The community, which has suffered deteriorating social conditions as its timber industry dried up, is looking forward to C$7 million that it will get from returns from its equity stake over the next several years, Derrick said.

"Over time, we have established a relationship of trust with Enbridge, we have examined and assessed this project, and we believe it can be built and operated safely," he said.

Derrick said that Thursday's announcement by the pipeline's opposition did not play a role in his decision to go public.

The pipeline would carry 525,000 barrels of crude a day to the port of Kitimat, British Columbia, where it would be loaded onto supertankers and shipped to Pacific Rim markets.

Ottawa and the oil industry intensified efforts to open up a route to Asia after Washington delayed its go-ahead decision for the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta to Texas.

($1=$1.02 Canadian)

(Editing by Peter Galloway and Rob Wilson)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111202/wl_canada_nm/canada_us_enbridge_northerngateway

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AT&T gives another peek at the LG Nitro HD

Youtube link for mobile viewing

We're still fully expecting to get our hot little hands on the LG Nitro HD tonight in New York City. To pass the hours, though, AT&T's offered up its own video hands-on with the phone, with its 720p display and LTE data. It'll be available Dec. 4 for $249 on contract.

Check it out, and check back in tonight for all the live coverage!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/oaXNznGY-Rk/story01.htm

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Video: Growth in Business

An outlook on the M&A market and what activists are doing to gain opportunities in economic uncertainty, with Donald Drapkin,Casablanca Capital chairman/founder.

Related Links:

Business & financial news headlines from msnbc.com

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/45507066/

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