Diagnostic test shows potential to noninvasively identify significant coronary artery disease

Public release date: 26-Aug-2012
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Contact: Sally Stewart
sally.stewart@cshs.org
310-423-4768
JAMA and Archives Journals

CHICAGO Among patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease, use of a method that applies computational fluid dynamics to derive certain data from computed tomographic (CT) angiography demonstrated improved diagnostic accuracy vs. CT angiography alone for the diagnosis of ischemia, according to a study being published online by JAMA. The study is being released early to coincide with its presentation at the European Society of Cardiology Congress.

"Coronary computed tomographic angiography is a noninvasive anatomic test for diagnosis of coronary stenosis [narrowing of a blood vessel] that does not determine whether a stenosis causes ischemia [inadequate blood supply]. In contrast, fractional flow reserve (FFR) is a physiologic measure of coronary stenosis expressing the amount of coronary flow still attainable despite the presence of a stenosis, but it requires an invasive procedure. Noninvasive FFR computed from CT (FFRCT) is a novel method for determining the physiologic significance of coronary artery disease (CAD), but its ability to identify ischemia has not been adequately examined to date," according to background information in the article.

James K. Min, M.D., of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, Los Angeles, and colleagues conducted a study to evaluate the performance of noninvasive FFRCT compared with an invasive FFR reference standard for diagnosis of ischemia. The study included 252 patients with suspected or known CAD from 17 centers in 5 countries who underwent CT, invasive coronary angiography (ICA), FFR, and FFRCT between October 2010 and October 2011. About 77 percent of patients had experienced angina within the last month. Ischemia was defined by certain criteria. Anatomically obstructive CAD was defined by a stenosis of 50 percent or larger on CT and ICA. Among 615 study vessels, 271 had less than 30 percent stenosis and 101 had at least 90 percent stenosis.

Among study participants, 137 (54.4 percent) had an abnormal FFR as determined by ICA. The researchers found that the diagnostic accuracy for FFRCT plus CT was 73 percent, which did not meet a prespecified primary end point for accuracy (as pre-specified based on the lower limit of a calculated 95 percent confidence interval). By comparison, diagnostic accuracy of CT alone for detecting coronary lesions with stenosis of 50 percent or greater, was 64 percent. When comparing FFRCT alone with CT alone for detecting these lesions, FFRCT demonstrated superior discrimination.

"On a per-patient basis, diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of FFRCT plus CT were 73 percent, 90 percent, 54 percent, 67 percent, and 84 percent, respectively," the authors write. They note that the sensitivity and negative predictive value of FFRCT were high, indicating a low rate of false-negative studies. "These diagnostic features of FFRCT may encourage a greater sense of diagnostic certainty that patients who undergo CT who have ischemia are not overlooked, such that clinicians may be confident in not proceeding to invasive angiography in patients with stenoses on CT when FFRCT results are normal."

"Taken together, these study results suggest the potential of FFRCT as a promising noninvasive method for identification of individuals with ischemia."

(doi:10.1001/2012.jama.11274. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com)

Editor's Note: This study was funded by HeartFlow Inc. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, etc.

Editorial: Detecting Obstructive Coronary Disease With CT Angiography and Noninvasive Fractional Flow Reserve

In an accompanying editorial, Manesh R. Patel, M.D., of Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C., writes that future studies with the FFRCT technology "should be aimed at diagnostic strategies involving patients with varying pretest risks, thereby providing information on the incremental benefit from the test."

"Additionally, important comparison technologies beyond invasive angiography are needed, although improved access techniques and safety of invasive FFR may make it a plausible comparator. In addition to diagnostic performance, other outcomes of interest such as resource utilization and clinical outcomes should be captured. Finally, future studies will need to have local sites rather than core laboratories perform, analyze, and interpret the images to provide a sense of real-world function. It is with these types of continued rigorous studies that noninvasive technologies such as FFRCT plus CT may move the clinical community closer to the holy grail of a high-quality combined anatomic and functional test for detection of CAD that improves efficiency and patient outcomes."

(doi:10.1001/2012.jama.11383. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com)

Editor's Note: The author has completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.

###

To contact James K. Min, M.D., call Sally Stewart at 310-423-4768 or email sally.stewart@cshs.org. To contact editorial author Manesh R. Patel, M.D., call Sarah Avery at 919-660-1306 or email sarah.avery@duke.edu.

---

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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: 26-Aug-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sally Stewart
sally.stewart@cshs.org
310-423-4768
JAMA and Archives Journals

CHICAGO Among patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease, use of a method that applies computational fluid dynamics to derive certain data from computed tomographic (CT) angiography demonstrated improved diagnostic accuracy vs. CT angiography alone for the diagnosis of ischemia, according to a study being published online by JAMA. The study is being released early to coincide with its presentation at the European Society of Cardiology Congress.

"Coronary computed tomographic angiography is a noninvasive anatomic test for diagnosis of coronary stenosis [narrowing of a blood vessel] that does not determine whether a stenosis causes ischemia [inadequate blood supply]. In contrast, fractional flow reserve (FFR) is a physiologic measure of coronary stenosis expressing the amount of coronary flow still attainable despite the presence of a stenosis, but it requires an invasive procedure. Noninvasive FFR computed from CT (FFRCT) is a novel method for determining the physiologic significance of coronary artery disease (CAD), but its ability to identify ischemia has not been adequately examined to date," according to background information in the article.

James K. Min, M.D., of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, Los Angeles, and colleagues conducted a study to evaluate the performance of noninvasive FFRCT compared with an invasive FFR reference standard for diagnosis of ischemia. The study included 252 patients with suspected or known CAD from 17 centers in 5 countries who underwent CT, invasive coronary angiography (ICA), FFR, and FFRCT between October 2010 and October 2011. About 77 percent of patients had experienced angina within the last month. Ischemia was defined by certain criteria. Anatomically obstructive CAD was defined by a stenosis of 50 percent or larger on CT and ICA. Among 615 study vessels, 271 had less than 30 percent stenosis and 101 had at least 90 percent stenosis.

Among study participants, 137 (54.4 percent) had an abnormal FFR as determined by ICA. The researchers found that the diagnostic accuracy for FFRCT plus CT was 73 percent, which did not meet a prespecified primary end point for accuracy (as pre-specified based on the lower limit of a calculated 95 percent confidence interval). By comparison, diagnostic accuracy of CT alone for detecting coronary lesions with stenosis of 50 percent or greater, was 64 percent. When comparing FFRCT alone with CT alone for detecting these lesions, FFRCT demonstrated superior discrimination.

"On a per-patient basis, diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of FFRCT plus CT were 73 percent, 90 percent, 54 percent, 67 percent, and 84 percent, respectively," the authors write. They note that the sensitivity and negative predictive value of FFRCT were high, indicating a low rate of false-negative studies. "These diagnostic features of FFRCT may encourage a greater sense of diagnostic certainty that patients who undergo CT who have ischemia are not overlooked, such that clinicians may be confident in not proceeding to invasive angiography in patients with stenoses on CT when FFRCT results are normal."

"Taken together, these study results suggest the potential of FFRCT as a promising noninvasive method for identification of individuals with ischemia."

(doi:10.1001/2012.jama.11274. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com)

Editor's Note: This study was funded by HeartFlow Inc. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, etc.

Editorial: Detecting Obstructive Coronary Disease With CT Angiography and Noninvasive Fractional Flow Reserve

In an accompanying editorial, Manesh R. Patel, M.D., of Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C., writes that future studies with the FFRCT technology "should be aimed at diagnostic strategies involving patients with varying pretest risks, thereby providing information on the incremental benefit from the test."

"Additionally, important comparison technologies beyond invasive angiography are needed, although improved access techniques and safety of invasive FFR may make it a plausible comparator. In addition to diagnostic performance, other outcomes of interest such as resource utilization and clinical outcomes should be captured. Finally, future studies will need to have local sites rather than core laboratories perform, analyze, and interpret the images to provide a sense of real-world function. It is with these types of continued rigorous studies that noninvasive technologies such as FFRCT plus CT may move the clinical community closer to the holy grail of a high-quality combined anatomic and functional test for detection of CAD that improves efficiency and patient outcomes."

(doi:10.1001/2012.jama.11383. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com)

Editor's Note: The author has completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.

###

To contact James K. Min, M.D., call Sally Stewart at 310-423-4768 or email sally.stewart@cshs.org. To contact editorial author Manesh R. Patel, M.D., call Sarah Avery at 919-660-1306 or email sarah.avery@duke.edu.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-08/jaaj-dts082412.php

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Unity Rehab | Health and Fitness Blog

Aug 26th, 2012 by by admin

The term rehab in the minds of many is closely associated to imprisonment from the family in order to recover from the abuse of dangerous substances. The fact that individuals are kept away from the initial environment is true but for the sake of a full recovery. When it comes to drugs, every abuse is caused by different causes and therefore treated differently too. This rehab facility accommodates several options of recovery starting from detox, alcohol and drug rehab, dual diagnosis for mental instability and wellness care. At Unity Rehab the orientation is clear, a full circle recovery.

Unity Rehab is supported by a staff of the most professional members. Doctors, psychologists, nurses and staff are always there to help you through and assist your needs. The sooner you refer a loved one for help the sooner they can go through treatment and recover. The focus of the treatment not only underlines zero use of drugs, but the readiness to return to the initial environment with a new spirit, perspective, point of view and energy. Many have overcome the challenge and many have succeeded, proving nothing is impossible. The team have pocketed many years of experience allowing you to rest assured your loved ones are in good hands.

The team works on a customized program that is determined after the diagnosis stage. The diagnosis stage is very important as it functions to identify the cause. Without the cause the treatment would be redundant and less effective. Therefore the diagnosis covers as far as it can, dually diagnosing mental impacts and physical implications too. After this stage is accomplished the process moves on to the tailored treatment. Designed to meet the exact needs of the patient to fully recover the output of it is to be able to return to their initial community and fight the urge of abuse with no trouble.

Posted on Aug 26th, 2012 by admin | No Comments

Source: http://www.informapharma.com/fighting-the-urge-of-abuse-at-unity-rehab/

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NYPD: Police bullets hit all nine wounded in Empire State shootout

The police said ballistics indicated that all nine people wounded in Friday's gun battle outside the Empire State building were hit by police bullets.

By Tom Hays and Verena Dobnik,?The Associated Press / August 25, 2012

A policeman in riot gear keeps guard at the scene of a shooting near the Empire State Building in New York Friday.

Lucas Jackson/Reuters

Enlarge

All nine people wounded during a dramatic confrontation between police and a gunman outside the Empire State Building were struck by bullets fired by the two officers, police said Saturday, citing ballistics evidence.

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The veteran patrolmen who opened fire on the suit-wearing gunman, Jeffrey Johnson, had only an instant to react when he whirled and pointed a .45-caliber pistol as they approached him from behind on a busy sidewalk.

Officer Craig Matthews shot seven times. Officer Robert Sinishtaj fired nine times, police said. Neither had ever fired their weapons before on a patrol.

RECOMMENDED:?Behind Empire State shooting: A layoff, a gun, and a targeted ex-boss (+video)

The volley of gunfire felled Johnson in just a few seconds and left nine other people bleeding on the sidewalk.

In the initial chaos Friday, it wasn't clear whether Johnson or the officers were responsible for the trail of wounded, but based on ballistic and other evidence, "it appears that all nine of the victims were struck either by fragments or by bullets fired by police," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told reporters on Saturday at a community event in Harlem.

He reiterated that the officers appeared to have no choice but to shoot Johnson, whose body had 10 bullets wounds in the chest, arms and legs.

"I believe it was handled well," Kelly said.

The officers confronted Johnson as he walked, casually, down the street after gunning down a former co-worker on the sidewalk outside the office they once shared. The shooting happened at 9 a.m., as the neighborhood bustled with people arriving for work.

The gunman and his victim, Steve Ercolino, had a history of workplace squabbles before Johnson was laid off from their company, Hazan Import Corp., a year ago. At one point, the two men had grappled physically in an elevator.

John Koch, the property manager at the office building where the men worked, said security camera footage showed the two pushing and shoving. The tussle ended when Ercolino, a much larger man, pinned Johnson against the wall of the elevator by the throat, Koch said. Ercolino let him go after a few moments, and the two men went their separate ways.

"They didn't like each other," Koch said.

After shooting Ercolino, Johnson, an eccentric T-shirt designer and avid bird-watcher who wore a suit every day, even when photographing hawks in Central Park, walked away as if nothing had happened.

Alerted by a construction worker, officers Matthews and Sinishtaj gave chase as Johnson rounded a corner and walked along Fifth Avenue, in front of the landmark skyscraper.

A security videotape from the scene shows several civilians ? including three sitting on a bench only a few feet away ? scattering as the officers opened fire.

Police have determined that three people were struck by whole bullets ? two of which were removed from victims at the hospital ? and the rest were grazed "by fragments of some sort," Kelly said.

Three people remained hospitalized, all in stable condition, police said.

Both Matthews, 39, and Sinishtaj, 40, joined the nation's largest police department 15 years ago.

Matthews had drawn attention earlier this year by filing a lawsuit against the New York Police Department that accused his superiors of unfairly punishing him for not meeting arrest quotas. A judge threw out the complaint.

There was no immediate response to a message left with the union representing the two officers.

The shooting didn't deter tourists from flocking to the Empire State Building as usual on Saturday.

Patricia Flynn, 57, a retired schoolteacher, visited the building's peak with her elderly mother, who once worked in the skyscraper as a secretary.

"But I didn't tell her what happened," said Flynn, adding that her mother was unaware of Friday's shooting. "And she really enjoyed the view."

A group of 31 tourists from all over France held a meeting Friday night at their nearby hotel to decide whether to cancel their planned Empire State Building visit.

"We were scared, and we thought it was a risk," said Catherine Krukar, 38, a teacher.

But in the end, they went ahead with the visit, she said after descending from the observation tower,

"We know it can happen anywhere, and we wanted to see the Empire State Building," Krukar said. "It was beautiful!"

RECOMMENDED:?Behind Empire State shooting: A layoff, a gun, and a targeted ex-boss (+video)

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/0bqHtHEZO-0/NYPD-Police-bullets-hit-all-nine-wounded-in-Empire-State-shootout

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SpeakerBoehner: House GOP has passed legislation to #stopthetaxhike #4jobs & replace defense cuts to protect our troops http://t.co/GjeZ69y4

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

Source: http://twitter.com/SpeakerBoehner/statuses/239053408508706817

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Diving Into Health Care Is Dangerous To My HealthYour Health ...

From The Brainerd Dispatch?..

If you are anything like me, you have spent the last 10 days listening to President Barack Obama and his Republican challengers accuse each other of being the meanest miser when it comes to denying health care to seniors. Unless you are an actuary or have a fondness for, and facility with, budget math, you were probably left wondering what and whom to believe.

That?s the good news. The bad news is, nothing that has been enacted (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010) or proposed (Republican Representative Paul Ryan?s ?Path to Prosperity?) addresses the fundamental problem plaguing the U.S. health-care system: It is designed to manage disease rather than promote wellness.

Where do Middle East potentates go when they get sick? The United States, of course. This country has the highest success rates when it comes to treating disease.

America?s life-expectancy rates, on the other hand, pale in comparison with other developed and developing nations, even though the U.S. outspends them by a huge margin. Imagine what the U.S. could do if it harnessed its resources and talent and focused on disease prevention.

To read the full story?..Click here

This entry was posted in Health / Fitness Articles and tagged Health, Health Care, Healthy, Len Saunders by Len Saunders. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://www.lensaunders.com/wp/?p=3662

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The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs Golf & Spa Resort | all my friends travel

23 rooms from 1230 USD per night

Check price/availability

Location: Matauri Bay, Northland (New Zealand)Directions:
By Airplane
Air New Zealand operates scheduled flights daily from Auckland to Kerikeri/Bay of Islands airport. Approximately 25 minutes drive from Kerikeri Airport. Kauri Cliffs will meet your flight upon request.
By Car
Approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes from Auckland or 292 kmsGood for: Golf, Spa / Relaxation, Travel Family, Travel Leisure, Travel LuxuryOnsite/nearby activities: Beach & sea, Bicycling, Bird watching, Fishing, Fitness / Gym, Golf, Hiking, Hunting, Mountain bike, Tours ATV, Tours boat, Tours helicopterAmenities: Additional beds, Beach, Fitness center, Golf course, Pool outdoor, Restaurant, SpaRoom amenities: Balcony, Bath, Fireplace, Minibar, Panoramic view, Seating area, Shower, Toilets separate, Walk-in WardrobeKeywords: Cape Kidnappers, golf, golf & spa resort, Kauri Cliffs, luxury spa, Matauri Bay, Northland, PGA, Relais & Ch?teaux, The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs, Totara forestContact:
The Lodge at Kauri CliffsMatauri Bay Road PO Box 800 -- Matauri Bay Road -- Kerikeri 0245 -- New ZealandPhone: +64 9 407 0010 xxFax: +64 9 407 0061Email: info@kauricliffs.com Website: http://www.kauricliffs.com/ Posted as Individual.

The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs is located in the Bay of Islands, in the North Island of New Zealand. This luxury lodge is one of the most awarded luxury boutique golf & spa resort hotels in New Zealand and is set on 6,500 acres near Matauri Bay, Northland.

The lodge at Kauri Cliffs affords spectacular 180-degree views of the Pacific Ocean and is home to a par 72 PGA championship golf course designed and built by David Harman.

Kauri cliffs is also a member of Relais & Ch?teaux, an exclusive collection of the finest hotels and gourmet restaurants in the world.

The Lodge accommodation has 22 guest suites, and a Two Bedroom Owner?s Cottage. Every suite offers its own private porch, bedroom with sitting area and open fireplace, walk-in wardrobe and bathroom. The cottages are nestled in a native forest overlooking the golf course and the Pacific Ocean.

Facilities include two Astroturf tennis courts, an infinity swimming pool with spa and a fully equipped fitness centre. Kauri Cliffs has three secluded swimming beaches, which are also available for picnics and barbeques.

The Kauri Cliffs golf course was designed and built by David Harman. The par 72 PGA championship golf course has been home to The Kiwi Challenge PGA Golf Event and the course is currently ranked 18th Greatest Golf Course in the World by Golf Magazine?s World Top 100 Course Ranking Panel who has compiled a list of the top 50 greatest golf courses of the last 50 years.

Kauri Cliffs and its sister property Cape Kidnappers topped the ?World?s Best Awards? in the top 15 Resorts in Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific as voted by distinguish Travel & Leisure Magazine readers ? USA.

The Luxury Spa at Kauri Cliffs is nestled at the edge of a Totara forest and overlooks a verdant fern glen and winding stream and has floor to ceiling views and opens into a private outdoor space where guests can enjoy garden inspired treatments al fresco and fireside.

Guestrooms
Suite, Deluxe Suite
Deluxe Suite, with king-sized bed. 750 sqf set 2 suites per cottage overlooking the Ocean and golf course. Spacious, with sitting area, open gas fireplace, walk in his n hers wardrobe and large bathrooms with separate shower and WC stall, oversized tub and twin vanities. Rooms feature large balcony with recliners. 1 extra bed possible ? subject to charge.

NZ 1780 (1440 USD) + 15% taxes (1 night 2 pesons) Deluxe Suite. Rate includes pre dinner drinks and canap?s, a la carte dinner, full breakfast, complimentary mini bar (excludes liquor and wine) full use of lodge facilities excluding golf.

Activities
On Property Activities:
Private Beach Barbeque ? Picnic Hampers ? Land Based Fishing ? Guided Bird Watching ? Nature Walks ? Boar Hunting ? Possum Hunting ? Clay Pigeon Shooting ? Mountain Bikes ? Swimming Pool & Hot Tub ? Tennis Courts ? Basketball

Wonderful scenic attractions and activities are available at or near Kauri Cliffs. Tours feature visits to Ninety Mile Beach, Tane Mahuta (New Zealand?s largest Kauri tree), Doubtless Bay, the Puketi Kauri Forest, Rainbow Falls, historic Russell and the Waitangi Treaty House. Scenic Quad Biking (ATV) tours are available a comfortable scenic drive North of the property. Arrangements can be made to see these attractions by guided motor tour, helicopter or aeroplane.

Source: http://allmyfriendstravel.com/the-lodge-at-kauri-cliffs-golf-spa-resort/

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Cues from Big Tobacco: Tanning industry retaliates

Smart Tan Magazine

Joe Levy, executive director of the International Smart Tan Network, a salon association. He is point man in the industry's campaign to shift the conversation from indoor tanning's health risks to its purported benefits.

By Bridget HuberFairWarning

A doctor in a white lab coat stands at the pearly gates. The voice of God booms, ?And your good deeds?? The man responds, ?Well, as a dermatologist, I?ve been warning people that sunlight will kill them and that it is as deadly as smoking.?

His smug smile fades as God snaps, ?You?re saying that sunlight, which I created to keep you alive, give you vitamin D and make you feel good, is deadly? And the millions of dollars you received from chemical sunscreen companies had nothing do with your blasphemy??

A bottle of SPF 1000 sunscreen materializes in the dermatologist?s hand. ?You?ll need that where you?re going,? God says.

The scene is part of a training video for tanning salon employees made by the International Smart Tan Network, an industry group.?FairWarning purchased the video from Smart Tan's website for $75.?

The tone is tongue-in-cheek but it?s part of a defiant campaign to defend the $4.9 billion industry against mounting evidence of its questionable business practices and the harm caused by tanning. And, in an extraordinary touch, it is portraying doctors and other health authorities as the true villains ? trying to counter a broad consensus among medical authorities that sunbed use increases the risk of skin cancer including melanoma, the most lethal form.

---

To sway public opinion, the industry is drawing on its vast network of outlets; there are more tanning salons in the U.S. than there are McDonald?s restaurants. Some salon operators are putting trainees through a ?D-Angel Empowerment Training? program that uses the video. It is intended to give employees talking points to use outside the salon to argue that tanning is a good source of vitamin D, and thus a bulwark against all manner of illness, including breast cancer, heart disease and autism.

The industry has also gone on the offensive with tactics that appear cribbed from Big Tobacco?s playbook to undermine scientific research and fund advocacy groups serving the industry?s interests.

Central to the industry?s message is the idea that tanning?s critics -- such as dermatologists, sunscreen manufacturers and even charities like the American Cancer Society -- are part of a profit-driven conspiracy. These critics are described as a ?Sun Scare industry? that aims to frighten the public into avoiding all exposure to ultraviolet light. The tanning industry blames this group for causing what it calls a deadly epidemic of vitamin D deficiency, and tries to position itself as a more trustworthy source of information on tanning?s health effects.

New Jersey tanning mom denies charges of child endangerment

What tanning?s proponents rarely point out is that the notion of a vitamin D epidemic is disputed, and that even if you need more of the vitamin, you can safely and easily get it from dietary supplements and certain foods.

Even as they themselves use techniques cigarette companies pioneered, some in the tanning industry compare the Sun Scare group to the tobacco industry. ?The Sun Scare people are just like Big Tobacco, lying for money and killing people,? Joseph Levy, executive director of Smart Tan, said in the D-Angel video.

Feeling the heat
The indoor tanning industry?s image has taken a beating since 2009, when the International Agency for Research on Cancer designated UV-emitting tanning devices as carcinogenic. The American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Dermatology urge minors not to use sunbeds.

California and Vermont prohibit youths under 18 from tanning indoors, and New York this month imposed a ban for those under 17. Thirty-three states regulate teen tanning to a lesser extent, according to the research firm IBISWorld.

'I feel weird and pale': 'Tan mom' reveals new tan-free look

The Federal Trade Commission and Texas Attorney General have tried to rein in marketing messages that misrepresent tanning?s risks. The Texas lawsuit is pending, but the FTC reached a settlement with the industry?s largest trade group, the Indoor Tanning Association, in 2010.

Still, misleading messages continue to be the norm, Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee reported in February. Undercover investigators phoned 300 salons and found 90 percent of the employees they spoke with said tanning did not pose a health risk. What?s more, 51 percent denied sunbeds increase cancer risk. Industry groups say the questions were posed in a leading way and that investigators would have been more fully informed of risks had they visited salons in person.

Despite the bad press, the indoor tanning industry is holding steady. It showed slow but continued growth over the last three years, and revenues are expected to edge up to $5 billion by 2017, according to IBISWorld. White women ages 18-21 are the leading customers: 32 percent of them tanned indoors in 2010, including 44 percent in the Midwest, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An estimated 28 million Americans tan indoors each year.

The changing demographics of melanoma
At an age when most feel invincible, 25-year-old Chelsea Price of Roanoke, Va., lives life in three-month increments. In January 2011, she was diagnosed with Stage III malignant melanoma.

FairWarning

Chelsea Price of Roanoke, Va., a former tanning salon patron, was diagnosed with Stage III malignant melanoma in 2011.

Price?s first reaction was giggles. Her doctor, a kidder, had seemed unconcerned about the mole he?d removed, even reassuring her that he did it just to be safe. ?I wish I was joking,? he said when he delivered the news.

After two invasive surgeries, Price shows no sign of melanoma today. But Stage III melanoma has a high rate of recurrence, so Price has a skin exam, CT scan and blood tests every three months to make sure she?s still cancer-free. ?It dictates my life.?

Like many melanoma patients, Price is young, female and a former indoor tanner though it?s impossible to say with certainty whether the time she spent in sunbeds caused her illness. Price tanned indoors for just a couple of months each year and she never sunburned, ?I am the person who did it safely and in moderation, but yet I?m here,? Price said.

Price is hardly alone. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S. and diagnoses of melanoma, though still rare, have increased steeply over the last 40 years. Melanoma among white women ages 15-39 has shown a particularly striking rise, up 50 percent from 1980 to 2004, according to the National Cancer Institute.

What caused the NJ tanning mom's leathery look?

The typical melanoma patient has changed in a generation, says Dr. Bruce Brod, associate professor of dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania. Twenty years ago, Brod?s melanoma patients were mainly middle-aged men. Today, he treats mostly young women for the cancer. ?I think that?s thanks to the tanning salons,? Brod said.

Misleading messages
To neutralize its critics, the Indoor Tanning Association mounted an ad campaign in 2008 that claimed there were no compelling links between tanning and melanoma. It also praised UV light as a good source of disease-fighting vitamin D. The campaign?s architect was Richard Berman, the public relations executive whose work to defend the alcohol industry, and discredit unions and Mothers Against Drunk Driving, earned him the nickname ?Dr. Evil? among his critics.

FairWarning

In 2008, the Indoor Tanning Association launched an ad campaign downplaying indoor tanning's health risks.

The FTC accused the tanning association of making false claims. The result was a 2010 settlement barring the group from making misleading statements or unfounded health claims. Advertisements suggesting that tanning improves health by providing vitamin D also sparked the Texas case against Darque Tan, a chain with more than 100 salons.

Yet the threat of sanctions has had a limited impact. Some even say the FTC agreement gave the Indoor Tanning Association carte blanche to make any vitamin D health claims it wants, as long as it displays a disclaimer. ?The FTC suit was a triumph,? Robbie Segler, president of Darque Tan, wrote on the online industry forum TanToday in 2011.

The focus on vitamin D shifts the debate from tanning?s risks to its potential health benefits in a manner reminiscent of early tobacco marketing, said David Jones, a dermatologist in Newton, Mass. He co-authored a 2010 paper comparing tobacco and tanning advertising that found that cigarette makers once portrayed their products as healthy. ?The tanning industry is doing the same thing,? he said.

Vitamin D plays a widely acknowledged role in bone health and immune function, but evidence that vitamin D prevents cancer is inconclusive. The National Cancer Institute says there is evidence that the vitamin may reduce risk of one cancer, colorectal cancer, but even those results are inconsistent.

Sowing doubt
Taking another page from the tobacco playbook, the tanning industry attacks research linking sunbeds to cancer. Industry leaders insist the relationship between melanoma and UV exposure is not well-understood. But DeAnn Lazovich, a cancer epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota, says the latest research ?provides even stronger evidence? that UV light from sunbeds is carcinogenic.

The industry also takes aim at its critics? integrity. The D-Angel video, using vintage cigarette ads that featured doctors, tries to portray the medical profession in general as having shilled for the tobacco industry. While the American Medical Association pocketed industry money, and some tobacco companies claimed that doctors endorsed their brands, Levy makes the dubious assertion that the medical profession broadly endorsed smoking as healthful. He contends that physicians continue to endanger public health in the interest of profit. ?It?s no longer tobacco that they're selling,? Levy says in the video. ?Today, it's chemical sunscreen and (an) anti-UV message designed to tell you that any UV exposure is bad for you. It?s the same thing as doctors being arm-in-arm with Big Tobacco.?

Levy is a pivotal figure in defending the tanning industry. While a vice president of Smart Tan, he also served as an officer of two non-profit vitamin D advocacy groups ? The Vitamin D Foundation and the Vitamin D Alliance ? and was the executive director of a the Vitamin D Society, a Canadian group.

Yet the close ties between the tanning industry and the web of nonprofit groups that promote the health benefits of Vitamin D often are not readily apparent. The website for the Vitamin D Foundation, for example, discloses no industry affiliation, though tax documents reveal that their top personnel were all people in the business. In addition to Levy, they include the CEO of Beach Bum Tanning, a chain with 53 salons, and the president of the Joint Canadian Tanning Association, who also owns a large chain of salons.

These groups funnel money to vitamin D researchers and organizations that reinforce the industry?s claims about the vitamin?s health benefits. One such organization is the Breast Cancer Natural Prevention Foundation, which promotes vitamin D for breast cancer prevention. The founders include Dr. Sandra K. Russell, an obstetrician-gynecologist who appeared in advertisements for Smart Tan wearing her lab coat and a stethoscope.

TanningTruth.com

Dr. Sandra Russell, a Michigan doctor, in a pro-tanning ad from a 2007 issue of Tanning Trends magazine. Russell recently helped start a nonprofit group that promotes vitamin D and sunlight for cancer prevention.

Superman v. Clark Kent
In promoting the health benefits of UV-induced vitamin D, the tanning industry must tread carefully ? after all, health claims were central to the FTC complaint, the Texas Attorney General?s case and the congressional report that blasted the industry. But the FTC cannot police what salon employees say when they are off the clock, and the D-Angel training program takes advantage of that.

In the training video, Levy is explicit about what employees can say at work and what they should say only on their own time. He encourages the D-Angels to follow what he calls the ?Clark Kent/Superman? model. At the salon, employees should be Clark Kents who refrain from making health claims about vitamin D. Beyond salon walls, however, he urges employees to be superheroes who expose the lies about tanning and vitamin D. ?Outside the salon, you can be a D-Angel,? Levy says. ?You can promote a message to your friends and neighbors that the Sun Scare people are just like Big Tobacco, lying for money and killing people.?

But the reality for salon employees is more complex, says Lisa Graubard, a 15-year industry veteran who managed three salons on the New Jersey shore. Graubard, who lives in Lakewood, N.J., is not anti-tanning but says salon employees need better training. ?There are definitely salons in the industry that are like, ?We?re not going to use the c-word,?? she said, referring to the cancer risk.

Graubard acknowledged that some of her own customers kept tanning even after developing skin cancer. One man, she recalled, came to tan still bandaged from melanoma surgery. Graubard left the business after years of tanning left her face discolored.

The clientele at Graubard?s salon grew increasingly younger; eventually girls as young as 14 were begging to tan without the legally required permission slips. She said she would say no, but a chain salon down the street was known to turn a blind eye to the rules. ?Consent? It was like a joke,? she said.

Courtesy of Meghan Rothschild

Meghan Rothschild of Northampton, Mass., was 20 when she was diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Rothschild now speaks to high school and college groups about the dangers of sunbeds.

Meghan Rothschild, a self-described ?splotchy white girl? from Northampton, Mass., says tanning gave her a confidence boost that she still misses today, eight years after being diagnosed with melanoma at age 20. She was angry with herself when she got the news, ?The only thing I could think of is, ?You did this to yourself, you idiot.??

Today, Rothschild blames an industry she says downplays tanning?s risks, along with inadequate regulations that leave the decision of whether to tan up to youth who don?t always understand the consequences.

Schools teach kids to avoid alcohol and tobacco, Rothschild said. ?But the kids aren?t smoking anymore. They are using tanning beds. The tanning booth is going to be the cigarette of our generation.?

FairWarning is a nonprofit, online investigative news organization focused on safety and health issues.

Source: http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/23/13415540-embattled-tanning-industry-fights-back-taking-its-cues-from-big-tobacco?lite

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Crafts & Hobbies, Candle Maker Companion High 75 Aff

Diversions 8/23/12

Frog Level Volunteer Fire Department is seeking vendors for their festival Oct. 27. If interested, please email crozell@verizon.net or call (804) 338-8697.

Tampa Bay Residents Embrace a New Approach to Treating Dementia Patients

Ivy Ridge Living introduces new technology and a new approach to caring for dementia patients in the Tampa Bay area.St Petersburg, FL (PRWEB) August 23, 2012 Raymond Kegebein was in his late 80?s when it began. ?Sometimes he would throw important mail in the garbage or forget what era it was when we mentioned a four dollar gallon of milk,? says Nicholette Davis, about her stepfather Raymond, who ...

New materials at Mason City Public Library

Young adult fiction and paperbacks

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COMMUNITY -- FILM

They Came to Blow Up America (Fox Cinema Archives)

Recommended THE FILM: Twentieth Century Fox's new "Cinema Archives" collection is a welcome companion to the manufactured-on-demand offerings from Sony and Warner Brothers, and promises to allow cinephiles access to many unreleased titles from the Fox vault. As with other MOD programs, each Cinema Archives title comes on a DVD-R and is pulled from the best available source. The first wave of ...

Entertainment Calendar

Published: Sunday, August 12, 2012 at 2:57 a.m. Last Modified: Sunday, August 12, 2012 at 2:57 a.m. In "Darling Companion," Beth (Diane Keaton) and her daughter Grace (Elisabeth Moss) discover a stray dog on the side of the road.

Metroparks listings Aug. 9-15

Huntington Beach, Lake Road, Bay Village. ? Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily through Aug. 12.

Enders

Enders OUTDOORSThe Great Big Garden Bonanza at Filoli Filoli's knowledgeable instructors, staff and volunteers will share how to get the most from the summer garden through three days of demonstrations, tours, walks, crafts for children, docent-led house and garden tours, and more. Marvelous Marin Headlands See geological features, botanical specimens and a new pond in an abandoned World War II ...

Camp Quality moves to Walker County grounds

Running, jumping, playing and swimming ? the campers at Camp Quality do all the things healthy campers do. Children with cancer are able to attend this summer camp each summer where they can play with others facing the same difficulties.

The 10 Best children's activity books

1. London 2012 Games Activity Handbook ?6.99, johnlewis.com The perfect children's companion to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, with puzzles and stickers.

Source: http://help.onyourweb.com/categories/51-crafts-hobbies/4879-crafts-hobbies-candle-maker-companion-high-75-aff.html

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Synopsys surges on 3Q results, 2012 outlook

NEW YORK (AP) ? Shares of Synopsys rose to their highest point in more than eight years Thursday as the software maker's fiscal third-quarter adjusted results topped Wall Street expectations and its earnings earnings came in above analysts' estimates.

THE SPARK: Synopsys reported on Wednesday that it earned 50 cents per share for the three months ended July 31. Taking out acquisition-related costs and other items, earnings were 55 cents per share. Revenue for the Mountain View, Calif. company increased to $443.7 million from $386.8 million.

Analysts polled by FactSet expected earnings of 50 cents per share on revenue of $443.9 million.

For the full year, Synopsys anticipates adjusted earnings of $2.09 to $2.11 per share on revenue of $1.74 billion to $1.75 billion. It predicts fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of 46 cents to 48 cents per share on revenue of $440 million to $448 million.

Wall Street forecasts full-year earnings of $2.07 per share on revenue of $1.76 billion and fourth-quarter earnings of 48 cents per share on revenue of $451.5 million.

THE ANALYSIS: Cowen and Co.'s Raj Seth said in a client note that Synopsys had a solid third quarter and is seeing strong demand and better bookings.

The analyst maintained an "Outperform" rating.

SHARE ACTION: Synopsys Inc.'s stock gained $1.62, or 5.1 percent, to $33.27 in midday trading. The shares hit $33.92 earlier in the session. That's the highest they've been since February 2004.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/synopsys-surges-3q-results-2012-outlook-153926465--finance.html

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Salisbury News: Harassed Bus Monitor Starts Foundation

The upstate New York school bus monitor who received hundreds of
thousands of dollars in donations after a video of her being harassed by
students went viral has decided to use some of the proceeds to start
her own anti-bullying foundation.

Now retired, Karen Klein, 68, has decided to start her own campaign, called the Karen Klein Anti-Bullying Foundation, on the website giveback.org. "This is for education, for people who have been bullied," Klein told CNN affiliate WROC.

Klein was working as a middle school bus monitor when four students berated her with a stream of profanity, insults, jeers and physical ridicule.

More

Source: http://sbynews.blogspot.com/2012/08/harassed-bus-monitor-starts-foundation.html

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Obama criticizes Romney over college assistance

RENO, Nev. (AP) ? President Barack Obama accused rival Mitt Romney of being oblivious to the burdens of paying for college on Tuesday, telling young voters in battleground Ohio that his opponent's education policies amount to nothing more than encouraging them to tap their parents for money or "shop around" for the best deal.

"This is his plan. That's his answer to a young person hoping to go to college ? shop around and borrow more money from your parents if you have to. Not only is that not a good answer, it's not even an answer," Obama said at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno.

Turning to young voters, a key part of his 2008 coalition, the president sought to draw a bright line with Romney on education policy in his latest attempt to meld Romney with the House Republican budget blueprint offered Rep. Paul Ryan, Romney's running mate.

Earlier, at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, he said: "Not everybody has parents who have the money to lend. That may be news to some folks."

Obama and Romney remain locked in a tight presidential campaign a week before the former Massachusetts governor formally claims his party's nomination at the GOP convention in Tampa, Fla. Both campaigns have broadened their message to voters in recent weeks beyond the economy, which remains the most pivotal issue for voters less than three months before the election.

Romney sought to distance himself from Missouri GOP Senate nominee Todd Akin, who apologized after saying in an interview that women's bodies are sometimes able to prevent pregnancies after what he called "a legitimate rape." Romney said in a statement that fellow Missouri Republicans had urged Akin to quit and "I think he should accept their counsel and exit the Senate race."

Romney was raising money to bolster his campaign in Texas, where he told donors that his campaign was "a little wiser in our spending of dollars" than Obama's campaign, pointing to new finance documents released by Obama's campaign on Monday that showed it spent more money in July than it brought in.

Romney and Republicans have outraised Obama and Democrats for the past three months, a sign of broad GOP interest in defeating the incumbent president.

"I'm not managing their campaign for them, but we're going to spend our money wiser," Romney said in Houston, where he was expected to pull in more than $6 million. "We're going to spend it to win."

In a nod to oil-rich Texas, Romney told donors he planned to announce a "comprehensive energy plan" during a stop in New Mexico later this week but offered few details beyond a focus in part on fossil-based fuels. Romney said his aim was to "fully take advantage of our energy resources."

Romney's campaign countered the president's education critique, saying college costs had skyrocketed under Obama's watch and his economic policies had made it difficult for recent college graduates to find work. Romney spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said Obama's policies were "just more of the same from a president who hasn't fixed the economy or kept his promises to the young people who supported him four years ago."

Obama's line of criticism Tuesday, delivered in Ohio and then again at a community college in Reno, dovetailed with his campaign's unrelenting effort to cast Romney as out of touch, playing off his wealth and his background in private equity. Ryan, meanwhile, sought to reassure voters about his and Romney's stance on Medicare and sustained the GOP's efforts to cast Obama as a divisive figure.

Ryan tried to blunt criticism of his plan to overhaul Medicare, saying his plan would protect the program for seniors' grandchildren.

"You're going to hear a whole lot of distortions because that's all he has to offer," Ryan told a rally in the hull of Beaver Steel near Pittsburgh. He reminded voters in western Pennsylvania of a comment Obama made during the 2008 campaign, saying some voters in small towns "cling to guns or religion."

"I'm a Catholic deer hunter. I'm happy to be clinging to my guns and my religion," said Ryan, who walked on stage swinging a black-and-gold Pittsburgh Steelers Terrible Towel, a nod to the popular hometown football team.

Democrats have tried to use Ryan's budget proposal to undermine Romney's pitch to blue-collar voters, and Obama's appeal on higher education was no different.

Democrats contend that Ryan's budget proposal, which failed to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate, would cut $115 billion from the Education Department, costing 1 million college students their Pell Grants over the next decade. Democrats argue those moves would punish many middle class and low income families trying to gain an education.

Those estimates, however, assume the cuts in Ryan's budget are applied evenly across all programs starting in 2014 ? something Ryan aides say would not happen. His budget does not directly address Pell Grant funding, and his aides say the cuts would not take a one-size-fits-all approach.

Ryan, who prefers that students take loans instead of receiving grants, would keep the top Pell Grant award in the coming school year at $5,500 but in future years reduce the number of students eligible, not the award sums. In other words, fewer students would receive them but the neediest would not see their awards changed.

More than 9.7 million students are expected to get grants for the academic year that is about to begin.

Following a lunchtime stop at Sloopy's, a diner at nearby Ohio State University, Obama made a personal pitch to college students at nearby Capital University, recalling that he and first lady Michelle Obama had to dig out of a "mountain of debt" after finishing law school.

He pointed to Romney's remarks on higher education at a Youngstown, Ohio, town hall meeting in March, when the GOP candidate suggested that college students would do better to "shop around" for tuition rates and college loans or borrow money from parents.

"He doesn't think investing in your future is worth it," Obama said in Columbus and later in Reno.

Obama was to repeat that education pitch Wednesday in Las Vegas.

In taking his campaign to Nevada, Obama was seeking votes in a state that by many measures presents one of his toughest challenges. The state has an unemployment rate of 12 percent, highest in the country and 3.7 percentage points higher than the national rate. It also has among the worst foreclosure rates in the country.

In an interview Tuesday with KRNV-TV in Reno, Romney said Nevada's housing market would rebound if federal mortgage backers sell the thousands of homes they hold and make more options available to avoid foreclosure. He said Nevada's lingering housing woes show the president's policies haven't worked.

Obama, who has visited Nevada in the past to promote his housing policies, did not mention housing in his remarks in Reno.

In Minneapolis, Vice President Joe Biden also tried to portray Romney as unsympathetic to the concerns of many middle-income Americans, reprising the campaign's request that Romney release more extensive tax returns.

"I've never run across a presidential candidate who is a decent guy but is more out of touch than Mr. Romney right now," Biden said. Citing the Obama administration's efforts to reform Wall Street, Biden said the objections of Republican critics sounded like "squealing pigs" and called the changes "some of the toughest Wall Street regulations in history."

__

Elliott reported from Carnegie, Pa. Associated Press writers Julie Pace in Houston, Matthew Daly in Minneapolis and Kasie Hunt and Ken Thomas in Washington contributed to this report.

That's it. That's his plan. That's his answer to young people who are trying to figure out how to go to college and make sure that they don't have a mountain of debt --

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-criticizes-romney-over-college-assistance-000600147.html

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Assad's regime steps up use of air power

FILE - This Tuesday, July 31, 2012 file photo image made from amateur video released by the Ugarit News purports to show black smoke rising from buildings in Aleppo, Syria. Its forces stretched thin on multiple fronts, President Bashar Assad's regime has significantly increased its use of air power against Syrian rebels in recent weeks, causing mounting civilian casualties. The shift is providing useful clues about the capability of the air force as Western powers consider the option of enforcing a no-fly zone over the northern part of the country.(AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video, File) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTO

FILE - This Tuesday, July 31, 2012 file photo image made from amateur video released by the Ugarit News purports to show black smoke rising from buildings in Aleppo, Syria. Its forces stretched thin on multiple fronts, President Bashar Assad's regime has significantly increased its use of air power against Syrian rebels in recent weeks, causing mounting civilian casualties. The shift is providing useful clues about the capability of the air force as Western powers consider the option of enforcing a no-fly zone over the northern part of the country.(AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video, File) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTO

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 17, 2012 file photo, a Syrian fighter jumps through a hole punched in a wall during a search for survivors buried in the rubble of a building hit by an airstrike in Aleppo, Syria. Its forces stretched thin on multiple fronts, President Bashar Assad's regime has significantly increased its use of air power against Syrian rebels in recent weeks, causing mounting civilian casualties. The shift is providing useful clues about the capability of the air force as Western powers consider the option of enforcing a no-fly zone over the northern part of the country. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)

FILE - In this Sunday, Aug. 19, 2012 file photo, a Syrian man looks out of the rubble as rescuers, not shown, look for the bodies of two girls thought to be under the rubble of a building hit by a Syrian government airstrike in Aleppo, Syria. Its forces stretched thin on multiple fronts, President Bashar Assad's regime has significantly increased its use of air power against Syrian rebels in recent weeks, causing mounting civilian casualties. The shift is providing useful clues about the capability of the air force as Western powers consider the option of enforcing a no-fly zone over the northern part of the country.(AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra, File)

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 17, 2012 file photo, a Syrian man walks by a building destroyed in an airstrike in Aleppo, Syria. The growing use of air power by the Syrian regime is causing a spike in civilian casualties, according to activists. Its forces stretched thin on multiple fronts, President Bashar Assad's regime has significantly increased its use of air power against Syrian rebels in recent weeks, causing mounting civilian casualties. The shift is providing useful clues about the capability of the air force as Western powers consider the option of enforcing a no-fly zone over the northern part of the country.(AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)

FILE - In this Sunday, Aug. 19, 2012 file photo, two Syrian boys play on a street next to a building hit by a Syrian government airstrike in Aleppo, Syria. Its forces stretched thin on multiple fronts, President Bashar Assad's regime has significantly increased its use of air power against Syrian rebels in recent weeks, causing mounting civilian casualties. The shift is providing useful clues about the capability of the air force as Western powers consider the option of enforcing a no-fly zone over the northern part of the country.(AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra, File)

BEIRUT (AP) ? Its forces stretched thin on multiple fronts, President Bashar Assad's regime has significantly increased its use of air power against Syrian rebels in recent weeks, causing a spike in civilian casualties.

The shift is providing useful clues about the capability of the Syrian air force as Western powers consider the option of enforcing a no-fly zone over the northern part of the country, where rebels control large swaths of territory along the Turkish border.

If a no-fly zone is enforced, Western aircraft will likely go head-to-head with the Syrian air force as well as try to neutralize, at least partially, its air defense system.

"It is certainly a sign of increased concern on the part of the regime," said senior political scientist Christopher S. Chivvis of the Rand Corporation. "The growing use of air power, particularly fixed-wing aircraft, raises the possibility of foreign intervention."

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Aug. 14 that plans to set up a no-fly zone over parts of Syria is "not on the front burner," despite persistent calls from rebel forces there that they need the added protection from escalating regime airstrikes in the civil war.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has said that the U.S. and Turkey are discussing a range of steps, including a no-fly zone over some parts of Syria. Russia, Assad's main foreign backer, opposes a no-fly zone.

There are no estimates on how many civilians have been killed in airstrikes in the four-week period in which stepped up attacks have been detected, but Syrian activists speak of hundreds, maybe thousands, across the country.

Helpless civilians run for cover when they hear the distant buzz of aircraft. Terrified and screaming, they head to the nearest basement or ground floor.

"May God exact retribution on him!" they shout against Assad or the pilot involved. "May God cripple him!" and "May he rot in hell!" are other frequently used curses.

Syria's air force has an unimpressive record ? it lost 85 planes in a battle with Israel in 1982 ? but without any effective anti-aircraft weapons in the hands of the rebels, the relatively antiquated fleet of Soviet-era warplanes is unchallenged.

"We used to think mortars are bad," activist El-Saeed Mohammed said by Skype from a Damascus suburb. "Now, we think they are almost sweet when compared to what warplanes do to us. There is no kidding with planes."

He recounted how two elderly women died of heart attacks, possibly triggered by anxiety, during air raids in the past week in the greater Damascus area.

Besides the deadly airstrikes, activists and residents say, pilots also employ psychological tactics. Jets frequently swoop down in mock strafing raids, break the sound barrier over urban centers, or fly menacingly at high altitudes, a sign of a possible bombing raid.

Low flying helicopter gunships also spray streets with machine-gun fire, and residents lose sleep over air activity at night that frays the nerves of civilians and rebels alike.

The airstrikes often leave Syrians puzzled about what was the intended target.

On Monday, fighter jets bombed the town of Tel Rifat, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) north of the city of Aleppo, punching a six-foot-deep crater in the courtyard of a girls' school and leveling five homes nearby, according to an Associated Press reporter who visited the scene.

No one was killed or injured, residents said, because the school and the homes were empty. Most of the town's 35,000 people have fled due to frequent airstrikes and shelling by the government. The Brigade of Unification, the largest rebel group fighting in Aleppo province, has its headquarters in the town, but it has never been directly targeted.

It is not clear why the regime has decided to dramatically step up the use of air power, particularly fixed-wing warplanes, in a civil war fought mostly on the streets and with no clearly defined battle lines.

The rebels say it is a sign of the regime's desperation after its ground forces began to lose their grip on the country. It is also likely the enhanced use of air power is designed to add firepower to an army stretched thin.

The Syrian army is fighting major battles in the greater Damascus area and the northern city of Aleppo, along with a multitude of fronts in the southern, central and eastern parts of the country.

Analysts say it is difficult to come up with reliable figures on the Syrian air force and air defenses because of the extreme secrecy that blankets its military matters. Some of the aircraft used so far also raise questions whether the regime ? anticipating major battles against Western powers ? is engaging in deception.

The Syrians have been using trainer aircraft fitted to operate as light ground support when they could have used some of the relatively modern Soviet-made MiG-25s and MiG-29s it is believed to have.

"So far, Syria has mainly used low-end systems, such as jet trainers or helicopter gunships, against the rebels," said Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

"That raises the question why they have not used more advanced equipment," he said. "Are they holding back, saving them for possible outside intervention?"

Chivvis, the Rand analyst, believes it could also be a question of the regime unable to trust pilots not to defect with relatively advanced aircraft that would be needed to resist later.

In June, a Syrian fighter pilot flew his MiG-21 warplane to neighboring Jordan, where he was given asylum.

Wezeman, who tracks Damascus' arms purchases, said its strategy on air force and air defenses has changed since Israel's 2007 airstrike against a suspected nuclear facility in eastern Syria.

Since then, he said, the regime has gone on a shopping spree for modern Russian-built aircraft and anti-aircraft missiles. Chivvis added that it may have spent more than $3 billion.

Purchases have included 24 late-model MiG-29M2 fighters and 36 Yak-130 combat training jets that can also carry modern weapons for ground attack missions, he said. Although Moscow has not delivered the MiGs and Yaks, SIPRI's reports suggest that Russia continues to ship air defense missiles and other munitions to Syria.

In 2008, Russia's ally Belarus delivered 33 second-hand MiG-23 fighter-bombers. It remains unclear whether these were used to bolster the air force's numerical strength or to be used as parts for existing Mig-23s, he said.

SIPRI reported in 2009 that Syrian Mi-24 helicopter gunships had arrived in Russia for overhaul. But a shipment of Mi-24s back to Syria earlier this year was aborted after the British insurers of the vessel carrying them withdrew coverage.

In recent years, Syria has upgraded its extensive network of anti-aircraft missile batteries, purchasing new models and modernizing existing ones, including Russian-made 36 Pantsyr mobile surface-to-air missile systems and at least two of the eight Buk-M2E mobile SAMs on order. The Pantsyrs, considered particularly effective against attacking aircraft, feature a combination of 30mm cannons paired with a radar and anti-aircraft missiles all on the same vehicle.

Experts say that Syria possesses one of the most robust air defense networks in the region, with multiple SAMs providing overlapping coverage of key areas in combination with thousands of anti-aircraft guns capable of engaging attacking aircraft at lower levels.

Wezeman said that due to the secrecy involved, it was not possible to confirm whether the Syrians also obtained the advanced, Russian-built S-300 anti-aircraft missiles considered to be the cutting edge in aircraft interception technology.

Moscow had refused to deliver the systems, but there have been unconfirmed reports that other nations may have sent Syria the missiles, which could make any aerial intervention very costly for the attackers.

Separately, Syria also has obtained from Russia the mobile Bastion-P land-based coastal defense systems, including Yakhont anti-ship missiles capable of sinking large warships, including aircraft carriers.

Analysts have warned that an attempt to impose a no-fly zone such as the one against Moammar Gadhafi's regime in Libya last year would be a very complicated task, which could result in serious losses. Syria's air defense capabilities are much more extensive and sophisticated than Libya's were.

And, since such an action would likely have to be carried out without consent by the U.N. Security Council, where Syria's allies China and Russia wield vetoes, it would risk a major international confrontation if Moscow or Beijing decided to send radar ships to the area to provide the regime with advance notice of air raids.

This could mean a major international crisis that would probably end Moscow's willingness to help resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear program, said Nick Witney, former head of the EU's European Defense Agency.

"The Russians and Chinese won't back down, and unilateral, unauthorized action by the West would risk an old-style East-West rupture over Syria. That would be a really big gamble in a tinderbox situation in the Middle East," he said.

___

Lekic reported from Brussels, Belgium.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-08-21-Syria-Air%20Power/id-df3f647152e94ff992b5b2976f176dae

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Ryan's first interview as VP candidate (CNN)

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House members' VIP loans excluded from subpoena

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A Democratic committee chairman overrode his own subpoena three years ago in an investigation of former subprime mortgage lender Countrywide to exclude records showing that he, other House members and congressional aides got VIP discounted loans from the company, documents show.

The procedure to keep the names secret was devised by Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y. In 2003, the 15-term congressman had two loans processed by Countrywide's VIP section, which was established to give discounts to favored borrowers.

The effort at secrecy was reversed when Towns' Republican successor as chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, California Rep. Darrell Issa, issued a second subpoena. It yielded Countrywide records identifying four current House members, a former member and five staff aides whose loans went through the VIP unit. Towns was on the list.

Most of the names had dribbled out to the media by the time Issa issued the committee's final report last month on Countrywide's use of loan discounts to buy influence with government officials. But there was no official confirmation until Issa made his report public.

Towns' effort to keep the loans secret was at odds with statements by Republicans and Democrats alike that full disclosure of lawmakers' financial dealings was the best means for keeping the public aware of congressional perks, unethical conduct and fundraising.

Countrywide had been the nation's largest home loan originator before the housing market collapse. Many of its borrowers were left unable to repay mortgages that, in many cases, required no proof of income or a down payment. The company was purchased in 2008 by Bank of America, which now holds the VIP loan files.

The original Towns subpoena had asked for all files that went through the Countrywide VIP unit and specifically mentioned House members and aides. Bank of America sent a spreadsheet that identified 18,000 files that listed a borrower's employer, but without names to maintain privacy.

The spreadsheet identified several files listing the House or Congress as the employer. Since the vast majority of the employers in the spreadsheet were of no interest to the committee, committee Republicans ? then in the minority ? and majority Democrats each drew up a separate list of loan files to be turned over by the bank.

The Republican list totaled 3,000 files and included borrowers listing the House as an employer. Towns narrowed the files to about 300 and excluded references to the House. It was Towns' truncated list that went to Bank of America.

Bank of America confirmed in a statement to The Associated Press that the original subpoena terms were changed by Towns.

"The committee provided the bank with specific instructions and modifications regarding the scope of the subpoena, and the bank followed and fulfilled all instructions and fully complied with the subpoena as modified by the committee," the bank said.

The AP reviewed the original bank spreadsheet of 18,000 and confirmed there were references to the House or Congress. The AP also obtained a copy of the subsequent instructions from Towns to the bank that excluded the House or Congress as an employer.

Some borrowers on the VIP list became known as "Friends of Angelo" because they received discounts on orders from then-Countrywide chief executive Angelo Mozilo.

The foremost benefit of being a Countrywide VIP was access to discounted loans in which borrowers received a reduction in points and fees. Usually between $350 and $400 was waived.

For several months in 2009, Towns refused to issue a subpoena for VIP loan documents to Bank of America, a position that became politically untenable after it was revealed in the media in August that year that he himself had two Countrywide loans.

The Issa committee report confirmed that the VIP section processed a 30-year, $182,972 loan to Towns for a vacation home in Lutz, Fla., and a $194,540, 30-year mortgage for his Brooklyn residence.

Towns still defended his approach when the Oversight Committee met for the first time under Republican control in January 2011. "This is not a super ethics committee and I want to make that very clear," he said at the public meeting.

The Issa report named:

?Towns, who has consistently denied that he received any special treatment from Countrywide.

?Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., now chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. A spokeswoman said McKeon was never aware of any Friends of Angelo designation and shares an interest with Issa in determining whether there was any wrongdoing by Countrywide.

?Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Calif. His spokesman said his Countrywide loan carried an interest rate of 5.75 percent, which was comparable to rates at that time. Gallegly never asked for preferential treatment, the spokesman said.

?Former Rep. Tom Campbell, a California Republican. He said he never received any preference from Countrywide and did not even recall getting a Countrywide loan.

The report also said Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, the current House GOP campaign chairman, had a loan processed by the VIP section. Sessions' spokeswoman said he requested that he not be extended any special benefits or treatment from Countrywide, and Issa's report confirmed the request was granted.

Towns' spokesman said the report does not alter the congressman's assertion that he did not receive any preferential treatment.

As for Towns' actions in 2009, spokesman Charles Lewis said: "He's done talking about it. He said everything he's going to say about it."

Back in October 2009 the Democratic-controlled Oversight Committee's spokeswoman at the time, Jenny Rosenberg, said Towns was the victim of a smear campaign.

She said Towns resisted the subpoena initially because there were other government investigations of Countrywide already under way, and he wanted to focus on investigating companies that received federal bailout money.

Two Democrats publicly broke with Towns on the issue in 2009. One of them, Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois, said in a recent interview: "A majority of members of the committee wanted disclosure. The committee chairman needed our encouragement to send a subpoena. It looks bad if we redact names."

The second lawmaker, former Rep. Paul Hodes of New Hampshire, said in a recent interview, "I thought we had a mandate to drain the swamp, and I took it seriously."

Two House members said Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who is close to Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, privately conveyed to Towns that it was a bad idea to resist an investigation of member and staff discount loans. The members would not be quoted by name because they said the matter was too politically sensitive.

Only one House member file ? that of McKeon ? was produced under the Towns subpoena and it was by accident. Instead of listing House of Representatives as his employer on his loan documents, McKeon listed "U.S. government" ? which was among the employer categories sought in the Towns request for loan files. That file, however, was sent under the subpoena's instructions to the secretive House Ethics Committee.

Towns' own loan files were not provided under his own subpoena because he listed U.S. Capital (sic) as his employer.

Towns normally would have become the committee's top-ranking Democrat in January 2011 when control of the House switched to Republicans and Issa became the panel's chairman. Instead, the leadership supported Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, who took over the position.

Towns announced in April that he was retiring after 30 years of representing his Brooklyn district.

___

Follow Larry Margasak on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LarryMargasak

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-08-15-Congress-VIP%20Mortgages/id-b1327c9497e44e55ba09aeaa82c490c4

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