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2011
09.28

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Source: http://www.associazionesmg.org/?p=3180

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To Be Black in America. Click image to launch.

On Oct. 1, Washington, D.C.'s Corcoran Gallery of Art will unveil a new exhibition called 30 Americans. But don't let the name fool you?this is neither a traditional celebration of Americana nor a sampling of stuffy portraits. It's a compilation of the most provocative artwork of the last decade by black artists. The Rubell family?the collectors who provided the artwork?left "African-American" out of the exhibition name for a reason: "Nationality is a statement of fact, while racial identity is a question each artist answers in his or her own way, or not at all," the family said. The images in this slide show offer a sneak peak at some of the collection's 76 drawings, sculptures, photographs, paintings, and videos, all of which explore the theme of black identity in America.

Elizabeth Weingarten is a Slate editorial assistant.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=36630fb7afe9e7f43d09f5797dcc5482

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Franz Nopcsa was a turn-of-the-century baron of Szacsal in Transylvania who discovered some of the first dinosaurs from central Europe. His ideas about fossil analysis and dinosaur evolution were remarkably prescient, as this article in the October issue describes. Below is a timeline of major events in the dinosaur baron’s life, some of his paleontological discoveries and recent work that has validated his claims. István Fózy of the Hungarian Natural History Museum in Budapest provided many of the biographical details.

Nopcsa’s Life

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Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=bb390909b59dd8c08a32b728e5d12fc3

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New York?PCCP, LLC, a real estate private equity firm focused on commercial real estate debt and equity investments, announced it has provided $24 million in two loan structures to a private institutional investor for the refinance and construction completion of 155 Bay Street and 130 Bay Street Landing, two residential condominium properties in Staten Island totaling 153 units.

The properties are located on Staten Island?s North Shore waterfront, within walking distance of the Staten Island Ferry, which offers direct, 30-minute access to Manhattan, and the Tompkinsville Staten Island Railroad station, which provides access to the southern portion of Staten Island.

155 Bay Street, which is nearly complete, is a six-story ground-up development that is comprised of 52 units of a 57-unit condominium property (five units have been sold) with 19,000 square feet of ground floor retail space and two levels of below-grade parking containing 108 spaces. The first floor contains a retail area and the residential lobby, with one- and two-bedroom residential units on the second through sixth floors. Located at the intersection of Bay Street and Victory Boulevard, the property is situated one block from the water, providing water views from many of the units in the building.

130 Bay Street Landing is approximately 75 percent complete and is a 101-unit, warehouse conversion and redevelopment project consisting of approximately 132,500 square feet of residential space, 4,000 square feet of community space and 197 planned outdoor parking spaces. On-site amenities will potentially include a gym, library, game room and storage area. ?Prior to its redevelopment, the property was a dry storage cocoa warehouse. The six-story warehouse has since been converted with three additional floors being added.

Obama signaled last week he's on board with the shift. His latest debt plan for Congress omitted an increase in the Medicare eligibility age, a proposal he'd put on the table in earlier discussions with House Speaker John Boehner. Gone was the consensus-seeking compromiser as Obama threatened to veto Medicare beneficiary cuts unless Congress also raises taxes on the rich.

Publicly, Republicans say bring it on. While they were nervous over the skeptical public reaction to their Medicare privatization plan this spring, they now insist they can hold their own in a debate. After all, Obama himself has publicly acknowledged Medicare is headed toward insolvency.

It's hard to see anything but the economy mattering to voters in 2012, but Medicare may be different.

It's perennially a top issue for older voters, who turn out more regularly than younger people.

Voters 60 and older have swung between Republican and Democratic candidates over the last six House elections, according to Robert Blendon, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health who tracks public opinion on health care.

"On the Medicare side, anything that looks like a major change in the existing program would be very threatening to whichever party is identified with it," Blendon said.

In 2010, Democrats paid the price for using $500 billion in Medicare cuts to finance coverage for the uninsured under Obama's health care overhaul. Older voters saw tapping Medicare as a threat, and they helped deliver the House to Republicans.

Democrats want to return the favor in 2012, and they believe the House-passed GOP budget gives them a way.

The plan by Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., called for replacing Medicare for future retirees with a voucher-like payment. Current retirees ? about 48 million beneficiaries ? could still keep the Medicare they know. People now 54 and younger would use their government payment to pick from a range of regulated private insurance plans.

An analysis by the Congressional Budget Office found that within 20 years, 65-year-olds would on average be on the hook for more than two-thirds of their health care costs, almost a mirror-image of the financial split between current beneficiaries and Medicare.

As expected, the House plan went nowhere in the Democratic-led Senate.

No harm, no foul?

Not if Democrats have their way. Their message to seniors: The Ryan budget will become reality if the GOP wins the White House and full control of Congress.

"This is not a theoretical issue, it is a place where Republicans have taken votes that are very unpopular," Democratic pollster Celinda Lake said. "It would be foolish of Democrats to waffle on this issue."

The House budget would have also kept Obama's Medicare cuts, the $500 billion that Republicans accused Obama of "raiding" the program for. And it would have repealed a provision of the health care law that is starting to bring down costs for seniors with high prescription drug bills.

Republicans say they're not backing down. According to the top domestic policy expert for 2008 GOP presidential candidate John McCain, his party was right to take on Medicare, but the timing was off.

"The lesson of the House budget was that it's premature to start offering solutions when you haven't educated the American people on why you can't sustain the status quo," said economist Douglas Holtz-Eakin, now president of the American Action Forum, a conservative public policy center.

Holtz-Eakin doesn't think Republicans harmed themselves. The Medicare trustees, among other neutral parties, have provided ample evidence of the program's long-term financial problems. If Obama and the Democrats are going to criticize Republicans for offering a solution, they have to spell out a fix of their own. And those fixes almost surely would require painful cuts for beneficiaries.

"If the status quo is untenable, and it is, then (Obama) has an obligation to produce some reforms," said Holtz-Eakin. "Otherwise, he's defending something that's broken, and raiding it, to boot."

The top GOP presidential candidates have jousted with one another over who would be quicker and more effective in overturning Obama's health care law. Less clear is what they would do about Medicare.

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann voted for the House budget, but she hints that as president she might make some changes to the plan.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has been getting criticized for comparing Social Security to a Ponzi scheme. His stance on Medicare could prove just as controversial. A law he signed this year calls for the federal government to turn over Medicare and Medicaid to groups of states.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney praises the House GOP budget as an honest attempt to save Medicare. He says his own plan will differ but share the same objectives.

GOP candidates have the luxury now of playing to an audience of conservative primary voters, but Democratic pollster Lake says that won't last.

"Cutting Medicare is a much more dicey proposition in the general election," she said. "Medicare is popular even among the people who think it's in trouble."

___

EDITOR'S NOTE ? Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar covers health care issues for The Associated Press.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politicsopinion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110927/ap_on_an/us_health_care_reset2012_analysis

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Posted by admin on September 27th, 2011

Mirror mirror on the wall. well in this case not on the wall but an antique vanity mirror in your home. In the beginning, Natural glass was used to make glass products, which came from volcanoes that melted granite and it turned glassy when cooling. later people learned to make glass but the origin is not known, glass beads turned up around 4000 B.C. and the first glass industry did not start until much later leading to the creation of mirrors.

With such a large variety of styles to choose from you can design your home in a way of expressing yourself through decor. a favorite for many is to fill their treasured corners and walls with history by using antiques mirrors from the past. What is an antique? An old collectible item. What makes a vanity with a mirror antique? Age, beauty, rarity, condition and history. Antiques are often family heirlooms passed down from generation to generation and an antique vanity with a mirror is very special because they are often created by someone with a love of wood and an artist?s heart. the craftsmanship is usually unique and precise to what the crafter intends and many times you can tell who the crafter is by their personal touches to the finished product.

The vanity mirror comes in many shapes and styles. Oval, with or without inlays. Square, oblong, three sided, tall, short and so on. All of them can have different designs etched into them. the mirror can also be made with different colors of glass which can give the mirror a smoky reflection, mild reflection or the everyday bright reflection. Gold mirror frames were popular in the 1700?s and were covered with real gold on the leaf etchings, but very few could afford them. Usually only the very rich had them or they were installed on ships or common areas in high-end businesses.

Madame?s and brothels were famous for having vanities with mirrors for their ladies sit at. Handheld vanity mirrors were all the rage when they came out in the early days of ancient Greece and Rome and people could afford them, later full length mirrors were made. Today you can buy beautiful antique vanities and antique vanity mirrors in countless places. You can buy vanity mirrors that are surrounded by brass or wood that are used on table tops or dressers or antique vanity mirrors that are attached to a vanity dresser or hutch type of dresser.

Beautiful old handheld vanity mirrors with ceramic, tile wood or metal on the back and colorful pictures are on the market also. Just holding one in your hand can let you see that craftsmanship is not only for vanity mirror tables or table top vanity mirrors but for handheld mirrors also. there are so many choices and so many styles you will certainly want to do some research and compare some prices but in the end these pieces of furniture and mirrors are lovely warm editions to any home.

Antique Vanity Mirror

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MOUTNAIN VIEW, Calif. ? President Barack Obama says the financial crisis rippling through Europe is "scaring the world" and that steps taken by European nations to stem the eurozone debt problem "haven't been as quick as they need to be."

Speaking at a town hall hosted by LinkedIn, Obama said Europe never fully healed from the financial crisis in 2007. He said Europe's troubles have spilled beyond the continent and are affecting the U.S. economy as well.

Obama's comments were in response to a question posed by a laid-off worker.

Obama's reference to the European debt crisis came on the heels of remarks by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (GYT'-nur) this weekend urging governments to unite with the European Central Bank to help defuse the "most serious risk now confronting the world economy."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110926/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_europe

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by Kerry Graves
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Domestic Violence Investigations More Details about Domestic Violence Investigations here.

Domestic violence affects millions of people each year. It is generally described as physical or emotional abuse inflicted by one's spouse, intimate partner, or housemate. A domestic violence investigation allows the victim to gather evidence in order to press charges against the perpetrator. A private investigator assists both men and women in compiling proof and documentation to pursue their domestic violence legal case.

Many times, domestic violence incidences are hard to prove. These occurrences are often "he said, she said" situations where there is little hard evidence to determine what really happened. Because domestic violence situations typically include physical violence, intimidation, psychological abuse, and the threatening behavior, many victims are hesitant to report incidences to the proper authorities.

There are many reasons that an abuse victim is hesitant to report the crime. Often, she is embarrassed about the situation. She may not want her friends, family, and co-workers to know what has been going on. Many times, the victim is so used to the maltreatment that she does not realize how bad the problem really is. Many victims are so intimated and frightened by their abuser that they are afraid to seek help. Their abuser may make things more difficult by threatening to take away the kids, withholding access the monetary funds, or sheltering the woman from her loved ones.

Nobody can make a victim decide to do something about domestic violence. He or she must make the choice to leave the situation and press charges if warranted. Many times, a victim will go to a private investigator for guidance before leaving. He can gather documentation and evidence of the abuse that may be used in any legal proceedings, including divorce and child custody agreements.

One of the best ways to prove physical abuse is through photographs. Taking pictures of injuries and documenting the time and date they occur is valuable and powerful evidence. Verbal or emotional abuse may be documented by recording phone conversations, saving emails, or installing hidden cameras. A private investigator will be able to assist you with this type of undercover operations that allow you to gather valuable evidence to prove your accusations. He may also interview family members, friends, and co-workers to establish that this person has violent or abusive tendencies.

If you should decide to leave, a private investigator will assist you in finding a safe place and social services that will allow you and your children to permanently get away from the abuse. Should you need personal protection for fear of retribution, an investigator who offers bodyguard services is a valuable ally to have. He can document the comings and goings of your abuser to prove that he is stalking his victim as well.

According to research done by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), four women die each day in this country as a result of domestic violence. That equates to approximately 1,400 women a year. Domestic violence should not be ignored. It can have devastating outcomes for victims. If you know of someone who is suffering, please contact the authorities in your area and encourage that person to seek help before it is too late.

Kerry Graves is a licensed private investigator and the owner of Graves Investigations, located in Greensboro, NC. His firm provides personal security, surveillance, and background investigations for clients in NC, SC, and VA.

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Kerry Graves
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More Details about Domestic Violence Investigations here.

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ATHENS, Texas (AP) ? Scuba divers splash into the silent underwater world and commence exploring sunken objects in a Caribbean-blue lake at an unlikely site inside this East Texas town?s business district.

Wearing self-contained underwater breathing apparatuses, a mask and air tanks strapped on their backs, they propel themselves through the water by kicking fins on their feet.

Just ahead are a 210-foot long, man-made cave and a surprising array of submerged wrecked vehicles to explore, including two jet airliners, two cabin cruisers, three buses, 16 speed boats, house boats, two sail boats and nine motorcycles.

?With all the stuff down there, it?s kind of like an underwater amusement park for divers,? Staci Murphy, a diver from Canton, said as she and her husband, Steve, prepared for an afternoon of scuba diving.

The cave and sunken objects provide ?a great training facility,? fun and recreation for scuba divers to experience in a safe environment, said Calvin Wilcher, developer of Athens Scuba Park.

A 35-foot-deep, eight-acre spring-fed clay pit at the park is a popular dive site and favored destination among East Texas and out-of-state scuba divers.

The lake was formed as the old Harbson-Walker brick factory, one of the area?s first industries. Natural white clay was excavated for use in making refractery bricks for fire places from the late 1800s until the 1960s.

With its white clay bottom, the lake is like a clear bowl of water and affords divers good visibility.

Divers drive long distances to dive into the warm water, which has good visibility, in contrast to many other East Texas lakes, swimming holes and quarries that have brown water.

Wilcher heard about the old Athens clay pit on North Murchison Street while looking for a good place in East Texas to scuba dive in 1987.

It was surrounded at the time by 50-foot hills built up as the clay was dug out. Standing on one of the mountains, Wilcher marveled that the water was clear enough that he could see a little boy swim all the way to the bottom after diving off an inner tube in the middle of the lake.

?It?s very unusual. I went ?Wow! That?s a perfect place to scuba dive. I?ve got to have that,?? recalls Wilcher, who learned to scuba dive in Lake Texoma while growing up in the Texas Panhandle.

He tracked down the owner and bought a 50-acre tract of downtown Athens that includes the lake/pit and surrounding land. Wilcher gave up his job as one of the developers of a cellphone company in Tyler and spent the next two years carving down the hills for easy access and setting up the beginning of what today is Athens Scuba Park.

In time, Wilcher turned the park into a resort that regularly attracts scuba divers from four states, but occasionally draws divers from many corners of the world. The popular park lures divers mostly from across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, although some have come from as far away as California, New York, Australia, England and Taiwan.

Attendance, which fluctuates with the temperature and weather, averages 700 to 800 people per week and totals about 25,000 in a season. The park is a major tourism draw for the community and a contributor to the local economy since divers stay in motels, eat in restaurants and shop.

They come as often as weekly or only once a month for enjoyment of the sport of scuba diving and to hone their diving skills. Experienced divers flock in, along with beginners who train here to become certified scuba divers.

People scuba dive for different reasons.

?It?s a big family sport for entertainment together,? Wilcher said.

In addition to recreational scuba divers, some people scuba dive because they want to learn marine biology. Others train at the park before signing up for a Seals program.

?Mostly they (scuba dive) for the excitement of seeing what?s underwater ? it?s just spectacular,? Wilcher said.

Wilcher, a master scuba diving instructor, and his team of eight instructors teach 27 levels of scuba diving, from beginner level courses through advanced and specialty diving.

?We?ve trained people from 10 years old to 80 years old,? Wilcher said

Divers can carry over the skills and experience gained at Athens Scuba Park to explore the seas.

The park has a unique training program for public safety personnel, including police officers, firefighters and other government officials.

They learn to search for jet airliners that crash into an ocean and for buses and other vehicles that run off bridges into lakes or rivers. They train to search for survivors, for bodies, murder weapons and for remnants of vehicles. A heavy lift bag course teaches how to run straps underneath a sunken boat, fill the air bags with air and raise the boat to the surface.

There are courses in wreck diving, search and recovery, night diving and commercial salvage diving.

It?s not just the park?s staff that trains scuba divers here. Fifty-seven dive shops in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana that sell scuba gear bring their customers to Athens Scuba Park and train them here because of the way the park is set up.

?There?s not another place in the United States that I know of that?s set up like we are with all of this in one location,? Wilcher said, referring to the park?s amenities.

The park has a classroom, an 11-foot-deep heated swimming pool, a lake with carpeted underwater training platforms as well as coral wrecks for divers to explore, a full-service dive shop, 11 pavilions, picnic tables, docks, bathrooms and showers with soap, shampoo and cr?me rinse; primitive camping areas and RV hookups, a sandy volley ball court, horseshoe pit and basketball goal.

The park even has 10-by-10-foot cages under trees where divers can leave their dogs with food and water while diving.

About a dozen docks scattered around the lake?s perimeter allow divers to enter and exit the water with ladders.

Similar to big road culverts, an underwater cave system is a major attraction for divers. It consists of 17 pieces of steel pipe 6 feet in diameter shaped into a ?y? and a ?t? to form maize that gives divers the sense of exploring real caverns.

Among the numerous other submerged objects for divers to explore are the first Greyhound bus that country singer Ray Price toured in, a Lockheed C-140 Jet Star plane and a space capsule.

Training starts in the classroom and with watching a home video. The average class takes about four days, although there is a fast track, two-day class available.

Basic training for first-time divers is conducted in the heated swimming pool, starting on the shallow end and progressing to the deep end.

?We give a test to make sure you understand it. That afternoon, we go to the swimming pool. You do it over and over again until it?s perfect,? Wil-cher said.

Divers then walk over to the lake and go through the training exercises again on the bottom from carpeted training platforms.

Scuba diving lessons cost about $400, with scuba gear furnished, except for fins and a mask, which the diver provides. Once certified, a diver can buy the gear at prices ranging from $900 to $2,000, but it will last 20 years, Wilcher said.

After a scuba diver has purchased the gear, diving is inexpensive. ?You can come out and spend $15 bucks and enjoy the whole day at Athens Scuba Park,? Wilcher said. The lake also can be used for snorkeling and kayaks after paying a $5 entry fee.

?I?ve been here 23 years and never had one accident,? Wilcher said. ?We have a perfect track record.? He noted, though, that all of the staff is trained in first aid and as first responders in case they need to respond to a mishap.

One of the area?s oldest dive shops, the scuba park?s dive shop, sells, repairs and services all kinds of equipment.

?It takes a long time to get something of this size built this way,? Wilcher said. ?With all the gear we provide and we teach you how to use, you can safely go out in any ocean or river or lake and enjoy the underwater environment,? Wilcher said. ?It?s spectacular to see. There?s more beauty down under the water than on top.?

The scuba park?s lake and various sunken vehicles provide a training facility where divers can have varied underwater experiences in a safe environment and are designed to increase their diving abilities, Wilcher said.

From time to time, the park sponsors special training oriented events for divers, such as underwater scavenger hunts and underwater poker games.

For the poker games, Wilcher said, ?We hide cards in the lake in baggies with rocks. You have to find them and make a hand and come up and play your hand.?

For monthly treasure hunts, he explained, golf balls are hidden in the lake. You find the golf balls. They have a number on them, and the number is equal to a prize. We give away an average of $35,000 a year in dive gear.?

Caribbean music floating through the air from a stage accentuates the Caribbean atmosphere. Jamaican bands come in three or four times a year from South Africa, Jamaica or Dallas.

For an annual Hawaiian luau, everybody dresses in Hawaiian garb and eats Hawaiian fixings, vegetables and fruit plates, pork and barbecue.

?It?s a good environment to be in,? diver Steve Murphy said. After talking to 15 scuba trainers, he and his wife chose Wilcher and Athens Scuba Park. People at the park are ?great and fun to be around,? he said.

Diver Jerry Wusterhaesen, of Bastrop, paused on his third trip to the park, saying that the owners are hospitable and ?all the people here are cool to chat with.? But what draws him back more than anything, he said, is the visibility in the water.

Chris Bluethman, of Tulsa, Okla., also cited the very clear water, along with the cave system as attractions he likes.

Bob Carnie, of Willis, north of Houston, said he likes the camaraderie among scuba fans and the many submerged objects for divers.

?There?s a lot of stuff for us to look at and play on in the water,? Rick Smith, of Tulsa, Okla., said.

?We do this to enjoy ourselves,? Smith said, referring to fellow scuba club members from Tulsa.

On a recent weekend, 17 Boy Scouts and nine dads from Troop 514 from the Colleyville-Grapevine area descended on the park for a snorkel campout.

?The dads enjoy the fellowship of being together and spending time with our sons; the boys like being in the water and the chance to dive down and see the boats and airplanes (sunk in the lake),? Jeff Pistor, one of the troop leaders, said.

Scout David Bataldua, 13, said, ?I?m enjoying camping and swimming and being with my friends and working on my camping badge.?

Scout Austin Pistor, 12, said, ?I like being underwater and seeing things from a different perspective.?

___

Information from: Tyler Morning Telegraph, http://www.tylerpaper.com

Source: http://modernscuba.com/blog/2011/09/25/divers-splash-into-underwater-world-at-scuba-park/

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? ?

Question by Olu: Real Estate Investment Advise in Midtown Atlanta Ga.?
I had an offer to purchase a piece of property in an up and coming area of Atlanta Ga (called Midtown). The unit in question is a 1-bedroom apt. about 820 sq.ft for 4K.

This price is the pre-sale price as the original owner?s credit is not high enough, thus denied the financing. The going rate for similar units is around 0K (and above). I could rent it out and get up to 00 a month on it.

Question is even though it sounds like a good investment (both short term and long term) is there something I need to watchout for?
Thanks

Best answer:

Answer by boston857
Midtown has been a popular area for investors and it sounds like you have a sweet deal, whcih I would jump on at the soonest. The only thing that concerns me about the area is that there is a glut of units coming up. So much construction concentrated in one area is never good for existing properties and may affect value down the road. This is not say, value will not appreciate but probably not as rapidly as in past years. So if you are a short term investor interested in flipping, then you might not do as well as you would have hoped. But if you are in it for the long haul, then holding on the property for rental income may pay out better down the road.

Add your own answer in the comments!

Source: http://realpropertymanagement.tk/real-estate-investment-advise-in-midtown-atlanta-ga/

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CANBERRA, Australia ? Aborigines suffer far higher rates of sexually transmitted disease than other Australians despite being targeted by safe sex initiatives such as Outback trees being festooned with free condoms, a report showed Tuesday.

Aborigines were diagnosed with gonorrhea at a rate of 804 per 100,000 last year ? almost 27 times higher than the rate of 30 per 100,000 in the wider Australian community, the University of New South Wales' Kirby Institute reported to a sexual health conference.

The diagnosis rate of infectious syphilis was five times higher among Aborigines than other Australians and chlamydia was more than three times higher.

The disease rates add to the range of grim statistics that mark Aborigines as Australia's most disadvantaged ethnic group. Aborigines make up 2.3 percent of Australia's population and die more than a decade younger than other Australians. Aborigines are more likely to suffer a multitude of illnesses that are often associated with impoverished lifestyles.

James Ward, an Aborigine who heads the Kirby Institute's indigenous health program, blamed several factors for the STD rates remaining stubbornly high among Aborigines for more than 20 years.

He noted the Aboriginal population is far younger than the Australian average and STDs disproportionately infect younger people. The rates were worst among Aborigines aged 16-to-19 years and in remote Outback communities where a quarter of Aborigines live.

He said Aborigines also lacked knowledge about STDs and health workers often focused on more pressing health needs in their disease-ravaged communities.

Ward said coordinating a national health campaign against these diseases was difficult in the Outback, where people often live in remote areas.

Outback Aboriginal settlements have been encouraging young people to use condoms without the embarrassment or expense of buying them for more than a decade by creating so-called condom trees.

Under the program, health workers hang brightly painted canisters decorated with indigenous designs and full of condoms from trees where people can pocket them anonymously.

Ward said he still believed the condom trees were working.

The study found that the rate of HIV infections among Aborigines is not much higher than Australia's national average, which is relatively low by international standards. Aborigines had an HIV diagnosis rate of 4.6 per 100,000 last year, compared to a national rate of 4 per 100,000.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110927/ap_on_he_me/as_australia_aborigines

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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, left, embraces Prime Minister Vladimir Putin after his speech during a United Russia party congress in Moscow on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has proposed Vladimir Putin as presidential candidate for 2012, almost certainly guaranteeing Putin's return to office. Medvedev made the proposal Saturday in an address to a congress of United Russia, the pro-Kremlin party that dominates Russian politics. (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Yekaterina Shtukina, Presidential Press Service)

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin speaking at a United Russia party congress in Moscow, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011. Russia's dominant political party on Saturday nominated Vladimir Putin for president, almost certainly ensuring his return to the office he held for eight years, and approved Putin's proposal that current president Dmitry Medvedev swap places and become prime minister. (AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Alexei Druzhinin, Pool)

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev speaks at a United Russia party congress in Moscow, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011. Russia's dominant political party on Saturday nominated Vladimir Putin for president, almost certainly ensuring his return to the office he held for eight-years, and approved Putin's proposal that current president Dmitry Medvedev swap places and become prime minister. (AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Yekaterina Shtukina, Presidential Press Service)

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, left, waves as he leaves the podium after Medvedev's speech during a United Russia party congress in Moscow on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has proposed Vladimir Putin as presidential candidate for 2012, almost certainly guaranteeing Putin's return to office. Medvedev made the proposal Saturday in an address to a congress of United Russia, the pro-Kremlin party that dominates Russian politics. (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Yekaterina Shtukina, Presidential Press Service)

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin waves as he speaks at a United Russia party congress in Moscow, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011. Russia's dominant political party on Saturday nominated Vladimir Putin for president, almost certainly ensuring his return to the office he held for eight years, and approved Putin's proposal that current president Dmitry Medvedev swap places and become prime minister. (AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Alexei Druzhinin, Presidential Press Service)

MOSCOW (AP) ? Vladimir Putin said Saturday he'll run for Russia's presidency next year, almost certainly ensuring he'll retake the office and foreshadowing years more of a strongman rule that many in the West have criticized as a retreat from democracy. The announcement sets up the possibility that Putin could reign over Russia until 2024.

In nominating Putin on Saturday, his United Russia party also approved his proposal that President Dmitry Medvedev take over Putin's current role as prime minister. Putin took over the premiership after serving as president from 2000-2008, bowing to term limits. But he was always the more powerful figure, with Medvedev viewed as a caretaker president.

Putin's return to the presidency also is unlikely to ease Russia's dispute with the United States over the building of a European missile-defense system. Economic pressures, however, could push Putin to pursue more business-friendly policies, analysts said.

During his presidency, Putin ruled Russia with a steely command, bringing about a system known as "managed democracy" that saw opposition politicians all but eliminated from the national eye. His personal popularity aided his maneuvering. Many Russians view Putin as the strong, decisive figure needed by a sprawling country troubled by corruption, an Islamist insurgency and massive economic inequality.

Putin cultivates an image of absolute certainty, substantial strength and acerbic humor. The 58-year-old's widely covered pursuits often revolve around "manly" activities, such as hunting, fishing and motorcycling. Photos of a bare-chested Putin have been a hit.

His nomination at a congress of the United Russia party ends months of intense speculation as to whether he would seek to return to the Kremlin or whether he would allow the more mild-mannered and reform-leaning Medvedev to seek another term in next year's election.

The presidential election, to be held March 4, is preceded by national parliamentary elections on Dec. 4, in which United Russia will seek to retain its dominance; the party has 312 of the 450 seats in the current parliament.

The period for formal submission of presidential candidates' names has not yet begun, and it is unclear who might choose to challenge Putin for president. Constitutional changes have extended the presidential term to six years from four beginning in 2012, meaning Putin could stay on as president through 2024.

As president, Medvedev called for improvements in Russia's unreliable court system and for efforts against the country's endemic corruption. But his initiatives have produced little tangible result. Moving Medvedev to the premiership could set him up to take the brunt of criticism for austerity measures that Putin has warned will be necessary for Russia amid global economic turmoil.

Medvedev's advisers, likely to lose influence if he moves to the premiership, were clearly disappointed that he would not have another term in the Kremlin to try to continue pursuing reforms, and bristled at political maneuverings.

Medvedev's presidency held hopes for change "but our political elite made a different decision and chose the path to so-called stability," Yevgeny Gontmakher of the Medvedev-established Institute for Contemporary Development think-tank, said on Ekho Moskvy radio.

"This filthy deal of the country's supreme authorities is a blow to the institution of the presidency," Kremlin-connected analyst Gleb Pavlovsky told the radio station.

Some ordinary Russians also expressed dismay at the maneuverings.

"Medvedev has surrendered his post. That is wrong. He should have fought for what he has started and seen it through," said Vyacheslav Mazurkov, spending a cool afternoon in a central Moscow park.

Putin's return to the presidency would likely continue or even strengthen the so-called "managed democracy" system he installed in his first stint as president. Under it, opposition parties face high obstacles to winning seats in parliament; of the four parties currently in parliament only the Communists, whose support is dwindling, act as a genuine opposition force.

Opposition groups' attempts to hold rallies are rarely approved by authorities and unsanctioned gatherings are quickly broken up by police. All major television channels are under state control and rarely present opposition views.

Under Medvedev, Russia's relations with the West have been less tense, even though there has been little change in Russia's domestic politics. The improved relations with Washington largely reflected President Barack Obama's "reset" initiative. It is unclear if Obama will win a second term next year to continue the policy with Putin in the Kremlin.

Despite Medvedev's statements of reformist intent, Russia remained under strong Western criticism. A report by the US-based NGO Freedom House last year said "there has been a steady erosion of the content, if not the formal institutions, of Russian democracy."

In a visit to Russia in March, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden exhorted Russians: "Don't compromise on the basic elements of democracy. You need not make that Faustian bargain."

The U.S. also wants to put elements of a missile-defense system in Europe, saying it is needed to counter the threat of attack from rogue nations such as Iran. But Russia has disputed the need, saying the defense missiles could instead be aimed at it, a stance that is unlikely to change with Putin back at the presidency.

Putin started a carefully orchestrated series of maneuvers at Saturday's session of the party congress in a Moscow sports arena by proposing that Medvedev head the party list for the December elections. Medvedev then proposed that Putin be the party's presidential candidate, and Putin returned to the stage to accept the proposal and express support for Medvedev as prime minister.

On his return to the stage, he found the microphone had been turned off temporarily, but said with a smile "I will speak louder. My commander's voice has not yet been lost."

The congress approved the moves with no apparent opposition. Despite apparently growing discontent among ordinary Russians with the party, United Russia exerts such an overwhelming presence in the country's politics that Putin's election and Medvedev's switch to the premiership is virtually ensured.

Many connect Putin with Russia's turnaround from post-Soviet poverty to prosperity, largely driven by high prices for Russia's vast supplies of oil and natural gas. But growing awareness of the need to move beyond a natural-resources economy could force Putin in a new term as president to pursue reforms, some analysts say.

"I expect Putin will establish a very pro-business and pro-reform cabinet," said Chris Weafer, chief strategist of the Russian investment bank Troika Dialog.

Putin also proposed Saturday that Russia's richest citizens face higher taxes. The flat income tax that came into effect during Putin's 2000-2008 presidency has been widely praised as improving tax collection and Putin's proposal would not change that, but he called for increases in consumption and real estate taxes that hit the rich comparatively harder.

Putin told the congress Friday that salaries and pensions would continue to grow, and promised increased funding for education, health care and housing. But he also cautioned that the government may need to take unpopular steps to cope with the global financial turmoil.

"The task of the government is not only to pour honey into a cup, but sometimes to give bitter medicine," Putin said. "But this should always be done openly and honestly, and then the overwhelming majority of people will understand their government."

___

Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-09-24-EU-Russia-Putin/id-51b1e12268ce436890b51bf7b49d44bb

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United States?(California) - Norco firefighters are asking for a temporary restraining order that would prevent the city from dissolving its Fire Department and contracting with the county for fire services. The request is part of a civil lawsuit filed in Riverside County Superior Court on Sept. 6 alleging the city violated labor laws and good faith negotiations when it failed to increase retirement benefits for firefighters at the Norco City Fire Department or negotiate with them before looking to the county for services.

The city denies the allegations.

Norco is in the process of dismantling its in-house fire department to contract with Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department for fire and emergency medical services, a move expected to save the cash-strapped city $1.4 million.

The labor group that filed the lawsuit, the Norco Firefighters Association, represents 23 firefighters who claim the city reneged on a 2007 binding contract to increase benefits this year. The change would have boosted benefits for those who retire at age 50 to receive 3 percent of their highest salary for every year worked, compared to the current 2 percent, costing the city an additional $282,000 next fiscal year and more than $5 million over the next 20 years.

Instead, the city imposed a 22 percent cut in salaries and $1 million in budget reductions, saying it had reached an impasse during negotiations and union offers did not reflect a true savings.

Union representatives had wanted to continue negotiating but said the city refused to continue talking, would not discuss intentions to close the Fire Department or explain why it violated the retirement contract.

"They didn't talk about it. They just decided not to live up to that promise," said union attorney Bill N. Woodson III. "At one point, they said 'We'll give you 3 percent at 50 but you pay for it.' That's not exactly good faith."

The lawsuit is asking for an unspecified amount in damages.

Norco City Attorney John Harper had not yet seen the lawsuit but denied that the city negotiated in bad faith. He said the increase in benefits were contingent on the two parties reaching a new contract this year, which was not accomplished.

"The presumption was there would be a subsequent memorandum of understanding and they would continue to be employees," Harper said of the Norco firefighters.

He said the two parties were simply too far apart at the bargaining table.

Written by The Press-Enterprise

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Source: http://www.firefightingnews.com/article.cfm?articleID=101540

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vocavar · ScienceDaily (Sep. 24, 2011)

ScienceDaily (Sep. 24, 2011) ? First results from an international comparison of the care of patients with rectal cancer have shown there are substantial differences in the use of chemotherapy and radiotherapy between European countries.

The European Registration of Cancer Care (EURECCA) study, initiated by ECCO -- the European CanCer Organisation -- compared the treatment of 6,597 patients in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and The Netherlands who were diagnosed with rectal cancer between 2008 and 2009. It also compared the numbers of deaths 30 days after surgery.

In a presentation to the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress, Dr Colette van den Broek MD, a PhD student and research fellow at Leiden University Medical Centre (Leiden, The Netherlands), explained that by using the results from the EURECCA study, she and the other researchers involved in the project, hoped to identify those aspects of cancer care that played a role in improving clinical practice, treatments, survival, and the limiting of undesired side effects. Then, they would be able to develop recommendations for treatment that could lead to more standardised clinical practice across Europe.

The project started three years ago, and the data presented now, which have been obtained from comparisons of cancer registries in the four countries, show that the use of radiotherapy, or radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy, varied enormously between the countries, despite the fact that the patients had comparable stages of disease.

"The use of radiotherapy or chemotherapy or both was the lowest in Denmark at 25 percent, followed by Norway at 50 percent, Sweden at nearly 61 percent and the highest in The Netherlands at 81 percent," said Dr Van den Broek. "Its use varied depending on the stage of the disease in each country. For instance, in Denmark and The Netherlands, patients with stage I, II and III disease received radiotherapy, chemotherapy or both most often; in Sweden it was patients with stage II or III disease, and in Norway patients with stage IV disease, who received it most often."

At present, the researchers are comparing the deaths within 30 days after surgery between countries. "We will be able to compare treatment strategies, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or both, for different stages of disease," said Dr Van den Broek.

"It is clear from our results so far, that different countries in Europe have different guidelines for treating rectal cancer patients. An earlier study has shown that radiotherapy, delivered before surgery, reduces local recurrences of the disease. But, in The Netherlands, we use radiotherapy for almost all stages, while in Denmark, for example, they use a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The differences in treatment do not necessarily cause big differences in survival, and recent research has shown that, although radiotherapy decreases deaths from cancer, it increases deaths due to other causes. So we have to find the right balance between the 'gain and pain' of radiotherapy and between under- and over-treatment. With this study we hope to be able to give an answer to the ongoing discussion about this and it is a first step towards a single guideline that can be used in different countries."

The EURECCA project is looking at a number of cancers in addition to rectal cancer, and Dr Van den Broek says that the researchers are hoping to look at long-term survival as well. "This is just a first step in the process," she concluded.

ECCO president, Professor Michael Baumann, said: "Cancer professionals know well that treatment practice varies widely in Europe. These differences have many reasons, such as regional experience and expertise as well as available infrastructure. To some extent differences in approach may, therefore, be quite appropriate. On the other hand it appears unlikely that all different approaches could be equally effective and equally well tolerable. Comparison of outcome after different approaches in large cohorts is an evidence-based way to identify shortcomings in specific services. For this reason, ECCO and several of its member societies strongly support the EURECCA study, which provides a show-case on what can be achieved for improved cancer care by such multidisciplinary, multinational clinical research projects."

Professor David Kerr, president of ESMO and Professor of Cancer Medicine at the University of Oxford, said: "This important study gives an insight into one aspect of the reasons underpinning variation in recurrence and survival from rectal cancer -- access to optimal treatment around the time of diagnosis. Although heterogeneity in the biology of cancer is accepted and the subject of much research, unwarranted variation in clinical outcome may be related to lack of knowledge, lack of funding, inadequate healthcare systems or failure to apply effective treatment protocols. This report serves as a wake-up call to the European cancer community that further work needs to be done to find how widespread this phenomenon is."

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The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by ECCO-the European CanCer Organisation, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/uCHadspbM4U/110924102550.htm

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