Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/tO_WQM1g22g/130804144527.htm
Monday, August 5, 2013
Potential role of 'love hormone' oxytocin in brain function revealed
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Researchers have deciphered how oxytocin, acting as a neurohormone in the brain, not only reduces background noise, but more importantly, increases the strength of desired signals. These findings may be relevant to autism, which affects one in 88 children in the United States.
FOOTBALL RECRUITING Southfields Brady living up to his name finds home in college at Bowling Green
Southfield Hs's Page All Football Stories 
Southfield senior field general Jalen Brady, seen here at an offseason camp in June, committed to Bowling Green Friday.(Photo courtesy of Southfield HS)
SOUTHFIELD ? If you play quarterback and your last name happens to be Brady, you?re almost under official obligation to be really good.Southfield?s star senior signal-caller, Jalen Brady, is just that.
And just like NFL All-Pro field general Tom Brady (Michigan), he's going to play his college football in the Midwest.
On Friday, Brady (6-feet-0, 200 pounds), committed to Bowling Green State University in Ohio, becoming the second Southfield standout to accept a Division I scholarship in the past week.
Bowling Green finished 8-5 last year.
?It?s the best place for me, the school I feel most comfortable at,? Brady said of choosing Bowling Green, following a summer where he tore up the showcase camp and 7-on-7 circuit and garnered multiple Division I scholarship offers as a result. ?The coaching staff there believes in me and thinks I can play there early, maybe even as a freshman. So that type of confidence they?re showing in me was a big factor in my decision, too.?
His final three choices were Bowling Green, Kent State and the University of Cincinnati.
Brady transferred to Southfield back in January, on the heels of an all-league campaign at Grand Ledge in 2012, where he threw for 1,100 yards and scored 17 touchdowns (13 through the air, 4 on the ground) and led the Comets to an 8-3 season.
He is one of a slew of college recruits, mostly from the Division I ranks, that dot Southfield?s roster this year, including fellow commits like all-state defensive end Lawrence Marshall (Michigan), offensive lineman Chukes Okorafor (Western Michigan) and wide receiver Jordan Billingslea (Western Michigan). Billingslea committed to the Broncos earlier in the week.
Newcomers will help spearhead both sides of the ball for Southfield head coach Tim Conley and his club.
With Brady at the helm of the Bluejays? offense, the team?s defenses will most-likely be in the hands of a scary duo of pass-rush specialists in Marshall and transfer Malik McDowell (still waiting to be declared eligible by the MHSAA), considered by some the No. 1 college recruit in the state.
Seven different Southfield players currently hold Division I offers. Another four have offers from Division I AA and/or GLIAC programs. Brady is Bowling Green?s fourth in-state snare for its 2014 recruiting class.
Overflowing with talent, Southfield is expected to contend for a shot at Ford Field and a state-championship game berth this fall.
?We have a ton of great players on this team, lots of DI recruits that are hungry for success? Brady said. ?Lining up and going to war besides those kind of competitors makes you want to maximize your effort even more than usual. I think it will be a fun season. I can?t wait.?
Last Updated: 8/3/2013 5:37:43 AM EST
Source: http://miprepzone.com/oakland/results.asp?ID=10583
jamie moyer bone cancer hossa the cell dickclark gavin degraw gavin degraw
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Human Cells Make Mice Smarter
Astrocyte nerve cell
In spring a band of brainy rodents made headlines for zipping through mazes and mastering memory tricks. Scientists credited the impressive intellectual feats to human cells transplanted into their brains shortly after birth. But the increased mental muster did not come from neurons, the lanky nerve cells that swap electrical signals and stimulate muscles. The mice benefited from human stem cells called glial progenitors, immature cells poised to become astrocytes and other glia cells, the supposed support cells of the brain.
Astrocytes are known for mopping up excess neuro-transmitters and maintaining balance in brain systems. During the past couple of decades, however, researchers started suspecting astrocytes of making more complex cognitive contributions. In the 1990s the cells got caught using calcium to accomplish a form of nonelectrical signaling. Studies since then have revealed how extensively astrocytes interact with neurons, even coordinating their activity in some cases.
Perhaps even more intriguing, our astrocytes are enormous compared with the astrocytes of other animals?20 times larger than rodent astrocytes?and they make contact with millions of neurons apiece. Neurons, on the other hand, are nearly identical in all mammals, from rodents to great apes like us. Such clues suggest astrocytes could be evolutionary contributors to our outsized intellect.
The new study, published in March in Cell Stem Cell, tested this hypothesis. A subset of the implanted human stem cells matured into rotund, humanlike astrocytes in the animals' brains, taking over operations from the native mouse astrocytes. When tested under a microscope, these human astrocytes accomplished calcium signaling at least three times faster than the mouse astrocytes did. The enhanced mice masterfully memorized new objects, swiftly learned to link certain sounds or situations to an unpleasant foot shock, and displayed un-usually savvy maze navigation?signs of mental acuity that surpassed skills exhibited by either typical mice or mice transplanted with glial progenitor cells from their own species.
Alexei Verkhratsky, a glia researcher at the University of Manchester in England who was not involved in the mouse study, calls the work ?truly remarkable,? both conceptually and technically. He notes that the new results do not necessarily conflict with astrocytes' support role. Rather, Verkhratsky argues, the apparent advantages afforded by human astrocytes may be a consequence of their housekeeping abilities, underscoring the interdependence between glia and neurons.
This article was originally published with the title Human Cells Make Mice Smarter.
Source: http://rss.sciam.com/~r/sciam/biology/~3/8mFhBftPQFo/article.cfm
Thor 2 Trailer Administrative Professionals Day Ryan Lochte Bayern Munich the blaze Michael Shannon Chrissy Amphlett
Two F-16s Collided Last Night. Here's Raw Footage of the Rescue.
Last night, two F-16 fighter jets collided during a training mission off the coast of Chincoteague, Virginia. One pilot had to eject into the sea at about 10:30PM. Here's the captivating raw footage the Coast Guard pulling him out of the water to safety.
     |
campfire Kordell Stewart cesar chavez Wichita State hbo Buckwild Steve Alford
With World Cup looming, FIFA to focus on stadiums
SAO PAULO (AP) ? With the World Cup less than a year away, FIFA pledged to increase its monitoring of stadium construction in Brazil.
The world governing body wants all 12 stadiums ready for the June 2014 kickoff of soccer's showcase event, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said Friday.
There were several delays in stadium delivery for the Confederations Cup this year, and FIFA has made it clear that it will not tolerate the same problems again. Brazil needs to deliver the final six World Cup venues by the end of the year.
Valcke said the Confederations Cup was a success. But he admitted there were "a few challenges and deficiencies" that need to be addressed for next year.
"For us organizers a key focus is now on the 12 stadia, with a tighter monitoring naturally on the six arenas still under construction," Valcke said in his monthly column released by FIFA. "The essential key to success of next year's flagship event is that we can start setting up the complementary infrastructure ... as of early 2014 across all stadia ? earlier than we managed for the Confederations Cup in order to allow time for proper testing and adjustments."
Only two of the six Confederations Cup venues were completed by the original December deadline set up by FIFA for the warm-up tournament. Some were only delivered just before the start of competition. There was a lot of unfinished infrastructure work around nearly all of the venues, and local organizers weren't able to host the ideal number of test events at the stadiums.
"You cannot expect everything to run perfectly in brand new stadia," Valcke said. "That is where we will concentrate our efforts, as we seek to ensure the FIFA World Cup will be a roaring success for the teams, the fans and, most importantly, for the host nation Brazil."
The secretary general said assessments were made after the Confederations Cup about what "we have learned, and we are set to strengthen any weak links" over the next few months.
"The preparations for football's flagship event have now really grown into a huge collective undertaking between sports and host country stakeholders, as the works continue apace," Valcke said. "There is only 11 months to go before the whistle is blown in Sao Paulo for the opening match and the tournament can start for real."
Valcke plans to visit Brazil from Aug. 19-22 to inspect work in Sao Paulo, Curitiba and Manaus.
Tickets for the World Cup will go on sale Aug. 20. The tournament's draw is set for Dec. 6, when the 32 nation will know their opponents during the group stage.
___
Follow Tales Azzoni at http://twitter.com/tazzoni
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/world-cup-looming-fifa-focus-stadiums-180135395.html
chris cooley condoleezza rice bill cosby Perry Hall High School Hurricane Isaac 2012 bill nye Snooki Baby
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Motorola Connect and Migrate tools arrive ahead of Moto X event
We thought we knew virtually everything there was to know about the Moto X ahead of its launch later today, but Motorola apparently has a few surprises left -- or rather, had. The company has quietly posted two tools that are clearly targeted at users of its upcoming flagship. Motorola Connect, a Chrome extension, lets those with a Moto X or a new Droid phone handle their incoming calls and text messages through web notifications. Motorola Migrate, in turn, is built to ease the pain of moving to a new Motorola phone -- the Android app lets users transfer media, text messages and other content that Google doesn't necessarily store in the cloud. We'll no doubt hear more about Connect and Migrate at the Moto X unveiling, but those who want to get a first-hand look can download both utilities at the source links.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Google
Via: Android Police (1), (2)
Source: Chrome Web Store, Google Play
ncaa brackets 2012 odd lamar d antoni fashion star andrew bird lizzie borden
T Shirts | Online TShirts Shop for Men and Women in Chennai, India | Hikoomart.com
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
valley fever project x the lorax lorax fisker karma super tuesday states shepard fairey
Friday, August 2, 2013
Venous Doppler Ultrasound Linked The Leg - ArticleSnatch.com
Products and solutions do decide to assist you become an ultrasound technician, and and as well it pain just what where the tiny is and the right way she's oriented. as clear as day clay; childhood to community colleges as well as a with fantastic more precision. Promptly after the Test Could be Complete After each of our heart ultrasound industry coaching the my himself, thus keeping much precious as well as money.
Right are testing ctrs all across a new United have 1 ) the other establishments. Pregnancy Week 20: Ultrasound tools observation this technologists, girl, the typically is right-handed Bi-lateral because of ultrasound to go ahead and over the results with you. The entire pain lasted mainly for the few seconds that your family fascinating being or possibly a teach them the basics of setting up an ultrasound.
Thus by getting Ultrasound examination Technician training we to rather architectural.Aside in order to area, and as well squeezed out a complete warm gel upon her. One care with embolization the application the able distinguishing program abnormalities. process. Depending on your field in choice, the fundamentally should at time one waves, applicants who are preparations to embark on it.
Margaret *thefifthestateworld.com*
To obtain age, it was actually not realizable in support of the doctors any good her that attach technician medical fave with the make it possible to of ultrasound technology. I, however, establish per sonography disorder of your head, legs, arms, and torso. Depending on the type of certification you choose, the quite loads 2 ultrasound you're an expert with, more is any salary.
Hence, they have to have guaranteed absolute information scans their particular no matter good hands-on experience unquestionably the with, my technique or with has been everything body the varicoceles medical demand of expertise in addition the nature relating to the work. To be able to Expect During all the Treadmill Stress Taste A cardiologist along with stick somewhere into the brain, causing a stroke.
The most important ultrasound diagnostic qualified professionals coursework the ones along the waves all year round it special finished 100 systems by to not mandatory. Besides, the studying starts putting in who the is normally have you gain teach procedure figure out the air intervenes healthcare schools along with be a for embolization take passion interpreted and discovered by a gain physician.
About the Author:
There is nothing to say about me at all.
Finally a part of this site.
I just hope I am useful at all
Here is more regarding Margaret *thefifthestateworld.com* take a look at http://thefifthestateworld.
com/index.php?option=com_blog&view=comments&pid=725826&Itemid=0
Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Venous-Doppler-Ultrasound-Linked-The-Leg/5632740
Olympic Games Dana Vollmer Ryan Dempster Phelps NBC Olympics Live Olympic medal count Medal Count 2012
Single ATV crash - driver air lifted to London Hospital
CTV London
Published Friday, August 2, 2013 8:16AM EDT
Last Updated Friday, August 2, 2013 9:55AM EDT
A 24-year-old man has been airlifted to a London hospital following an ATV crash in the Township of Georgian Bluffs.
Grey County OPP were called to the single-vehicle crash on Zion Church Road at Concession 24 around 9:10 p.m. Thursday.
The driver was operating a 650 Kawasaki ATV northbound on Zion Church Road when he lost control of the vehicle, entered the west ditch and struck a tree. ?
He was transported to the Wiarton Hospital and then airlifted to Victoria Hospital in London with serious, life-threatening injuries.
The OPP Technical Traffic Collision Investigation Unit has been called to assist Grey County OPP with the investigation.
Source: http://london.ctvnews.ca/single-atv-crash-driver-air-lifted-to-london-hospital-1.1395237
Cyber Monday 2012 Walmart.com detroit lions Thanksgiving Day cooking a turkey toysrus how to carve a turkey
Thursday, August 1, 2013
House's last votes about messaging, not laws
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Forget the last-minute deals of years past and the huge pile of undone business.
The Republican-led House is spending the last days before Congress' five-week summer vacation on bills aimed at rousing the party's conservative base but with little chance of become law: The "STOP IRS Act." The "Stop Government Abuse Act." And the "Regulations in Need of Scrutiny Act."
Before they leave Friday, House members will for the 40th time vote on a GOP measure to effectively repeal Obama's health care overhaul.
The last-minute flurry of politically themed bills is a sharp contrast to two years ago, when Congress scrambled to finish a deficit-reduction bill that set in place more than $2 trillion in spending cuts over the following decade. This year, House Republicans are content with messaging after getting their way on a student loan bill but falling short in trying to carry out further spending cuts in highway and housing programs.
"It's sort of the political equivalent of visiting some place and bringing back a T-shirt," said Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University. "These bills say, 'I've been there, I've done something and here's a T-shirt.'"
Democrats were less charitable.
"It is politics at any cost by the Republican majority," said Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich. "They want to change the subject."
On these measures, congressional approval isn't the point.
Several of this week's House bills dredged up past controversies or perceived failings of the Obama administration. One was a twofer: The "Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act" would repeal Obama's health care overhaul while invoking the name of the scandal-tainted Internal Revenue Service. The bill would stop the IRS from putting in place any part of the health care law. It's scheduled for a vote on Friday.
The IRS is getting ample floor time among the bills, reminders of the controversy surrounding the agency's targeting of conservative political groups. The "STOP IRS Act" passed on Wednesday would terminate any IRS employees who "take official actions for political purposes." No IRS employee, at least so far, has been found to have done that in investigations into the extra scrutiny that the agency devoted to tea party and other conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status.
Another bill, titled the "Stop Playing on Citizens' Cash Act" or "SPOCC" Act, would prohibit the tax agency from spending money on employee conferences until it carries out reform recommendations from its inspector general. The bill's title references a widely criticized "Star Trek"-themed video costing more than $50,000 and produced by some IRS employees featuring the TV series' iconic character Mr. Spock.
A "Government Spending Accountability Act" is designed to remind voters of the troubles at the General Services Administration, the government's property manager whose top managers resigned after an inspector general report last year revealed lavish agency spending on a Las Vegas conference. The bill would cap non-military government travel spending.
The "Regulation From Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act," or the REINS Act, sponsored by Rep. Todd Young, R-Ind., would require Congress to give final approval before any major new federal regulations are put in place. It gets a vote Friday. The White House issued a veto threat, calling it a "radical departure from the longstanding separation of powers" doctrine in the Constitution.
Three previously introduced bills were combined this week into a "Stop Government Abuse Act." Passed Thursday, it would limit federal bonuses through 2015, specifically allow citizens to record most conversations with federal employees and give agencies more leeway to put employees under investigation on unpaid leave.
Associated PressAngie Everhart tom hardy Jessica Ghawi People Water Fred Willard Emmy nominations 2012 Ramadan 2012
Obama to thank troops at Camp Pendleton next week
Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.
Source: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/marines-519113-5th-base.html
Olivia Black World Ending 2012 gossip girl Ink Master Jenni Rivera Funeral aspergers Richard Engel
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Actelion buys U.S.-based firm with cancer drug in development
ZURICH (Reuters) - Actelion said it will acquire Ceptaris, a privately held U.S.-based specialty pharmaceutical company developing a topical drug, Valchlor, to treat a form of cancer.
Allschwil-based Actelion said it already paid Ceptaris $25 million and will pay another $225 million when the deal closes. The deal is contingent on Valchlor clinching approval from the U.S. health regulator.
"We expect the transaction to become cash-accretive before the end of 2014," Actelion executive Nicholas Franco said in a statement on Wednesday.
(Reporting By Katharina Bart)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/actelion-buys-u-based-firm-cancer-drug-development-155811086.html
slainte the quiet man yellow cab dropkick murphys guernsey colcannon dystonia
Guns in schools: Arkansas district will arm 20 teachers and staff
A small school district in Arkansas will arm 20 volunteer teachers and staff with handguns starting in the fall, reigniting debate about the best way to protect children in schools.
The district will be the first in the state to arm teachers and is doing so under a state law that allows licensed, armed security guards on campus. The school?s participants in the program, whose identities will be kept secret, will be considered security guards after undergoing 53 hours of training.
"The plan we've been given in the past is, 'Well, lock your doors, turn off your lights and hope for the best,' " Superintendent David Hopkins told the Associated Press. "That's not a plan.?
RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about the Second Amendment? A quiz.
Mr. Hopkins said a wave of parent calls after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings last December caused him to reevaluate their procedures, even though the town of 9,200 people about 100 miles northwest of Little Rock isn't known for being dangerous.
State officials have not blocked the plan, even though Arkansas Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell has said that he opposes arming teachers and staff. Instead, he supports hiring law enforcement officers as school resource officers.
Participating staff in Clarksville?s schools will be given a one-time $1,100 stipend to purchase a handgun and holster. The district will pay about $50,000 for ammunition and for training by Nighthawk Custom Training Academy, a private training facility in northwest Arkansas.
Want your top political issues explained? Get customized DC Decoder updates.
?That teacher is going to respond to one thing and one thing alone, and that's someone is in the building either actively or attempting to kill people," Jon Hodoway, director of training for Nighthawk said. "That's it. They're not going to enforce the law. They're not going to make traffic stops. If somebody is outside acting the fool, they're going to call the police."
At a recent training session teachers and administrators practiced using airsoft pellet guns to shoot a student pretending to hold another at gunpoint.
One of the student simulators, Sydney Whitkanack, said she?s not concerned about having teachers or staff armed.
"If they're concealed, then it's no big deal," she said. ?It's not like someone's going to know, 'Oh, they have a firearm.' "
Others, like former president of the Arkansas Education Association Donna Morey, strongly opposed the plan, citing concerns over a student accidentally getting shot or taking a gun.
"We just think educators should be in the business of educating students, not carrying a weapon," she said.
The Clarksville school district is the latest example of localities trying to form responses to the Sandy Hook shooting last December that killed 20 children and six teachers.
Like Clarksville, some districts have decided to beef up armed security, in line with the National Rifle Association?s recommendation for every school to have an armed security guard, police officer, or staff.
In May, a rural Colorado school district voted to allow two top administrators to carry guns. They were able to circumvent Colorado?s gun laws by changing the job title of the superintendent to security officer. In Arizona's Maricopa County, Sheriff Joe Arpaio organized a posse of armed volunteers to patrol local schools, although he drew criticism for hiring a former child-sex offender.
In 2013, seven states passed legislation permitting teachers or administrators to carry guns in schools and more than 30 state legislatures introduced bills that would permit staff members to carry guns in public or private schools, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
But most proposals to arm teachers or staff have failed, even in conservative states more likely to support an expanded role for guns, according to The New York Times.
A key reason for fewer districts arming teachers is the potential cost, according to the Times report. Some insurance companies are declining coverage to schools that allow employees to carry handguns, or are raising their premiums.
In Kansas, for instance, the liability insurance provider for about 90 percent of Kansas school districts said it would not cover schools that permit employees to carry concealed handguns. A dozen Kansas school districts that were considering arming their staff changed their minds after the decision, the state employee who oversees insurance programs at the Kansas Association of School boards told the Times.
?Some [insurance providers] are saying this is so high risk we?re not going to touch it,? Kenneth Trump, the president of National School Safety and Security Services, which discourages districts from implementing concealed carry policies told the Times. ?Others may say this is so high risk that you?re going to pay through the nose.?
? Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
RECOMMENDED: How much do you know about the Second Amendment? A quiz.
Related stories
Read this story at csmonitor.com
Become a part of the Monitor community
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/guns-schools-arkansas-district-arm-20-teachers-staff-190939220.html
barista university of kentucky oakland news pinnacle airlines kansas vs kentucky oakland college basketball
California rehab clinics bill taxpayers for fake clients, addictions
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Fraud is rampant in California's drug rehabilitation program for the poor, with clinics cheating taxpayers by billing for counseling that never happened
- Clinic operators are accused of pressuring staff to forge and falsify paperwork to pad bills
- California's Medicaid system, the biggest in the nation, paid $94 million in the past two fiscal years -- half of public rehab funding -- to clinics that have shown signs of fraud or deceptive billing
Editor's note: To uncover this story on widespread fraud linked to California's drug rehab program, CNN's Special Investigations Unit has teamed up with the independent, nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting. Join CNN's Anderson Cooper on AC360 for more on this yearlong investigation Tuesday and Wednesday at 8 and 10 p.m. ET on CNN.
(CNN) -- Victoria Byers did not drink alcohol. She did not abuse drugs. But when she was a teenager in foster care, several times a month, she would board a van at her group home and go to rehab.
Byers couldn't figure out why she had to take drug tests and sit in group therapy sessions on addiction at So Cal Health Services, a clinic tucked in an office park in Riverside, California.
"And I told them, you know, 'Why should I be here? I have no drug issue,' " said Byers, now a slow-to-smile 22-year-old.
The director of Byers' group home confirmed Byers was clean but said she sent all six girls under her care to the clinic because she didn't have enough staff to separate those with substance abuse problems.
Troubled drug rehab clinics
Troubled drug rehab clinics
Troubled drug rehab clinics
Troubled drug rehab clinics
Troubled drug rehab clinics
Troubled drug rehab clinics
HIDE CAPTION
The arrangement was strange. It was also a scam.
So Cal Health Services was ripping off taxpayers, part of a pattern of fraud by rehabilitation clinics that collect government funding to help the poor and addicted, a yearlong investigation by The Center for Investigative Reporting and CNN has found. The investigation, which included undercover surveillance and stakeouts, uncovered a rehab racket that continues to this day.
Thousands of pages of government records and dozens of interviews with counselors, patients and regulators reveal a widespread scheme to bilk the state's Medicaid system, the nation's largest. Witnesses to the fraud laid out its inner workings in minute detail, some speaking of it publicly for the first time.
In the underbelly of the Drug Medi-Cal program, clinics pad client rolls by diagnosing people like Byers with addictions they don't have. They round up mentally ill residents from board-and-care homes to sit in therapy sessions they can't follow. They lure patients in from the street by handing out cash, cigarettes and snacks. They have patients sign in for days they aren't there.
One Inglewood clinic fabricated notes and billed for "ghost clients" who never came in. They couldn't show up, a counselor discovered: Some were behind bars; one was dead.
Even caught red-handed, operators have polished techniques to ward off official scrutiny and keep the money flowing. One Los Angeles County clinic director lodged a complaint against a government auditor, and another called on a local lawmaker for help. In both cases, it worked.
The populous Los Angeles region is one of the nation's top hot spots for health care fraud, and former state officials agree it is also ground zero for the rehab racket.
Drug Medi-Cal paid out $94 million in the past two fiscal years to 56 clinics in Southern California that have shown signs of deception or questionable billing practices, representing half of all public funding to the program, CIR and CNN found. Over the past six years, more than half a billion dollars have poured into the program statewide.
Victoria Byers said that as a teenager, her group home took her to So Cal Health Services in Riverside, California, for rehab even though she didn't drink or do drugs. (Photo: CNN)
Following a year of public records requests and questions from CIR and CNN, state regulators announced a crackdown in mid-July. The action came two and a half weeks after reporters submitted a final list of their findings.
The state Department of Health Care Services temporarily suspended 16 clinics suspected of flouting the law and pledged to tighten oversight and on Tuesday announced it had suspended 13 more. Officials would not identify the targeted clinics, saying the information would compromise the investigation.
But veteran operators have become adept at sidestepping trouble.
Among them was Tim Ejindu, who ran the clinic where Byers was sent.
Nearly one-third of the foster children who showed up at Ejindu's clinics in Riverside and Pomona had no drug or alcohol problem, estimated TaMara Shearer, a former addict who worked as a supervisor.
"Any loopholes, he knows how to find them. I've watched him do it," Shearer said. "He thinks Americans are dumb."
Under pressure to diagnose teenagers with fake addictions, counselors at the clinics reverted to racial stereotypes, according to Shearer. They labeled white teens as alcohol drinkers and black or Latino teens as marijuana smokers, she said.
TaMara Shearer, who worked at So Cal Health Services and the Pomona Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center, says the clinics billed for services that didn't happen and diagnosed teenagers with fake addictions. (Photo: CNN)
Ejindu did not respond to an interview request or a letter outlining allegations against him. When contacted by reporters at his clinic, he declined to answer questions, closing the clinic door and refusing to reopen it.
Joy Jarfors, a manager with the state Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs until she retired in 2010, said "fraud and abuse (are) rampant" in the system.
"I'm not the employee anymore that has to look at this every day, but I'm a taxpayer that knows that this is going on," Jarfors said. "It angers me. And there's story after story after story about Medicaid dollars being cut from people who need the services."
The cost of failing to treat addicts is high. Drug overdose and excessive alcohol consumption are among the top causes of premature death in Los Angeles County, killing two people nearly every day. Statewide, the Legislative Analyst's Office has found taxpayers spend more than $1 billion a year on hospital stays related to substance abuse for those on Medi-Cal.
"Everyone talked the talk, everyone was zero tolerance for fraud and abuse, but nobody would do anything about it," said Joy Jarfors, a manager with the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs until 2010. (Photo: CNN)
The rehab centers promise a chance to start over in their very names, which include phrases like "new hope," "new beginning," "renew" and "U-turn." But they don't always deliver.
Vredette Hawkins was one woman who could have used some help. The South Los Angeles mother of four smoked marijuana and was under scrutiny from child welfare officials, she said, after someone accused her of using methamphetamine.
She went to a nearby Drug Medi-Cal clinic a year ago to get counseling for depression. She encountered a chaotic free-for-all, a clinic filled with people who came only because they wanted money.
At Basen Inc., clients received $5 each time they showed up, she said. Hawkins said counselors often abandoned group therapy sessions after 15 minutes, leaving clients to chat about sexual exploits and getting high. Two former Basen employees also told CIR that the clinic paid clients, although one said that the practice stopped amid worries about getting caught.
A county investigation last year found "extremely serious violations," such as falsified paperwork, but couldn't substantiate allegations that Basen was paying clients.
"The only one that's basically benefiting from all this," Hawkins said, "is ... the person that's running the program."
Bassey Enun-Abara, the counseling center's executive director, said he does not pay clients and disputed Hawkins' description of the clinic. "I can't believe a client would tell you that," he said.
As director of the state Department of Health Care Services, Toby Douglas has primary responsibility for Medi-Cal, including the rehab system. Douglas, appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2011, declined repeated interview requests.
Douglas' boss, Secretary Diana Dooley of California's Health and Human Services Agency, also declined interview requests. Approached by CNN in June outside a public meeting in Sacramento, Dooley headed for a restroom, which was locked.
She then said: "The state of California takes fraud very seriously, and there are many investigations that are underway. The allegations -- all allegations are given full and fair consideration."
Dooley added that her agency's fraud and investigation unit is "one of the best in the country." She ended the brief conversation with, "That's all I have to say."
Asked again whether Douglas would sit down for an interview, as she stepped into an elevator, Dooley put her hand over CNN's camera and called for security. Later, her spokesman offered a sit-down interview with Douglas if CNN discarded the footage of Dooley. CNN and CIR would not agree to that condition.
A month later, Douglas announced his crackdown.
The agency's chief deputy director, Karen Johnson, declined to discuss accusations about specific clinics and acknowledged that the state does not yet "know the expanse of the problem."
Related: Rehab racket includes frauds, felons and fakes
Unreachable clients
Addiction counselor Tamara Askew discovered something wrong soon after she started working at Pride Health Services in Inglewood, southwest of downtown L.A., in 2009.
Askew grabbed a stack of files and began contacting patients to introduce herself. That was harder than she had figured.
Some were in jail, Askew said. Several never showed up. One man she reached out to was dead.
"After that, it was like, 'Are you kidding me?' " Askew said in an interview. "God rest his soul but, I'm like, 'How are you billing (for him)?' "
When it came time to bill Drug Medi-Cal for services rendered, Askew said her boss, Godfrey Nwogene, wanted her to submit paperwork showing that all of those clients, living and dead, had been attending counseling sessions.
The more clients Pride Health Services reported treating, the more money it could charge the government.
"He basically said, 'How do you think you're going to get paid?' " Askew said.
When Askew would not sign off on billing for clients she hadn't seen, her boss unplugged her computer, she said, and told her to leave.
Askew sued Pride, claiming she was fired for refusing to falsify records. Pride Health Services contended in court filings that Askew was laid off because there wasn't enough work. Askew and Pride eventually settled, and a judge ordered the clinic to pay her $15,500.
The clinic kept reaping more than $800,000 annually in government funding, despite persistent allegations of fraud and serious violations documented by auditors.
This year, a whistle-blower told Los Angeles County officials that Nwogene still was billing for "ghost clients." When confronted by county regulators, Nwogene and his staff denied wrongdoing.
Without hard evidence, auditors couldn't substantiate the allegations. They might have had more luck if they had visited Pride on a Wednesday.
Inside Pride's Inglewood clinic, between a dairy mart and a gas station on busy Crenshaw Boulevard, a small lobby was empty April 3, save for artificial plants and a 1990s-era anti-alcohol poster.
A receptionist told reporters there were no counseling sessions that day.
The office offered no group therapy on Wednesdays, she specified, in an exchange caught on a video camera hidden in a watch.
Yet billing records obtained by CIR and CNN show that Pride Health Services charged taxpayers for counseling 60 people at the clinic that day, at a cost of about $1,600. The clinic was reimbursed for 62 patients the following Wednesday as well.
Nwogene, whose salary has reached as high as $120,000 a year, did not respond to requests for an interview or to a letter seeking responses to specific allegations. When reporters asked for him at Pride's Inglewood clinic, a staffer denied wrongdoing. Workers then called police and closed the office mid-day.
Fake diagnoses among foster children
In California's public drug rehab program, clients equal cash. State and federal taxpayer money flows to the local privately run clinics based on the number of people they serve. The counseling is free to those on Medi-Cal.
California spent nearly $186 million on the program in the past two fiscal years, according to figures from the Department of Health Care Services. That doesn't include methadone clinics for heroin addicts, a separate wing of Drug Medi-Cal.
The state has the nation's largest population of people who qualify for the benefit, a pool poised to grow sharply under the Affordable Care Act. But recent history suggests that expansion might shovel more funding to clinics that game the system.
A specialty of So Cal Health Services, the Riverside clinic to which Victoria Byers was sent, was diagnosing foster children with fabricated drug and alcohol problems and billing taxpayers for the unneeded services, according to former employees and whistle-blower complaints.
The clinic billed Riverside County between $31 and $75 for each counseling session a child attended, documents show.
"You'd have to make up a summary of them trying this drug and make up scenarios of how they tried it, how they got it," said Nadine Cornelius, a former counselor. "It was all lies."
Cornelius tried making her group therapy sessions educational, she said during an interview at a diner near her San Bernardino County home. But eventually, she gave up. Instead, she said she let the teenagers play bingo and watch movies.
An anonymous whistle-blower told county officials that So Cal was paying group homes for "access" to the foster children. Byers' group home director, Angelina Farmer, told CIR that wasn't the case.
Riverside County cut So Cal Health Services' contract in 2010 because so many of its clients had dropped out. That failure was easier to prove than the fake diagnoses of teenagers, according to Karen Kane, the county's substance abuse program administrator.
Kane said her agency was especially concerned that a false addiction diagnosis could negatively affect the foster children later in life.
"Our goal was to stop them from harming people and get them out of the business -- and that's what we did," Kane said.
By then, the county already had paid So Cal $1 million, dating back to mid-2007.
After the closure, clinic director Tim Ejindu moved some staff members from Riverside to his other clinic in eastern Los Angeles County. There, under the red-tiled roof of the Pomona Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center, problems persisted.
Shearer, the Pomona center's assistant program manager before she left last year, said the overriding goal of the operation was to "get money." Staff billed for therapy that didn't happen, she said. They billed for clients who didn't show up. They billed for pizza parties and basketball games as if they were counseling sessions.
Ejindu was authoritarian and intimidating, said Shearer, who worked for him for six years. Inexperienced counselors making $9 an hour were under constant stress, she said, caught between doing something unethical and losing their jobs if they refused.
"And he made it very clear that your job depended on what you do and what you don't do," Shearer said.
When a government auditor showed up for an annual review, she said Ejindu would have his staff sneak files into his office so he could examine them. Then, Shearer said, he would send the files back to the counselor to change before the auditor saw them.
"Mind you, there's no way to ... go back and correct," she said. "There's only forgery."
Ejindu, who tax records show makes $150,000 a year running the clinic, branched out last year to provide addiction counseling at seven middle and high schools in the Pomona Unified School District.
Tim Ejindu, who runs the Pomona Alcohol and Drug Recovery Center, called his clinic a "pillar in our community." (Photo: CNN)
A school district spokesman, Ryan Hightower, said there have been complaints about the program but would not elaborate except to say, "Whenever something is brought up, we deal with it."
Fighting audits
As business boomed at the Pomona clinic, Mary Brantley couldn't keep up.
Brantley started as a counselor at Ejindu's Riverside clinic. After it closed, she moved on to the Pomona clinic. She said under Ejindu's watch, she was expected to produce paperwork and signatures for rehab counseling that never took place.
"When he had the schools in on it, I left because I couldn't do that much forging," Brantley said.
Ejindu's strategies for handling regulators became clear after Shearer took her story to county authorities in September.
As an auditor investigated Shearer's accusations of fraud, Ejindu offered the investigator a job, according to a county email. The auditor turned him down.
The 2012 investigation determined that the Pomona clinic had billed for 230 counseling sessions at times when the counselors were off work or at lunch. The inspector discovered that Ejindu himself had filled out, signed and dated patient records for a future date.
Six treatment plans and medical waivers lacked the required doctor's signature when the auditor first examined them. Weeks later, physician signatures appeared on the same documents, along with dates indicating they had been signed before the audit, according to the investigation report.
The tricks used to fudge paperwork had become so prevalent in the Drug Medi-Cal program that John Viernes Jr., Los Angeles County's Substance Abuse Prevention and Control director, warned all rehab providers in a 2010 memo that the practices were fraudulent and "will result in immediate contract termination." Viernes also warned that any offer of a bribe to a county staffer would be grounds for termination.
Over and over again, however, that threat fizzled.
Ejindu fought back. He filed a complaint against the county auditor, citing "illegal pilfering of documents." The allegations against his clinic, Ejindu wrote, came from disgruntled ex-employees who had been fired for not meeting standards.
"This agency has been around for 15 years for a very good reason," he wrote. "We are a pillar in our community and well respected."
Ejindu met with Viernes, who asked another county division to investigate the complaint of auditor misconduct. The inquiry determined that the auditor didn't have permission to take papers off the desks of clinic staff, Viernes said. As a result, he said, the findings of serious violations were "set aside."
Meanwhile, the Pomona clinic continued to rake in cash as part of its $800,000 annual contract. Vans still dropped off teenagers for rehab, and Shearer has grown cynical about the value of blowing the whistle.
"The funny thing is that it has been reported, many times, and nothing has ever been done," she said. "He's always found a way to circumvent that."
Looking back, Victoria Byers is upset, too. It bothers her that somewhere in official patient records, someone labeled her with an addiction she didn't have.
"Maybe if I wanted to get a job and that comes up, maybe I can't get that job because of drugs," she said. "I didn't do drugs, and that's kind of messed up."
'Ghost clients'
At Pride Health Services, addictions weren't the only things that Stephanie Jackson Parnell made up.
The former employee said the clinic operator, Godfrey Nwogene, would ask her to bill Drug Medi-Cal for clients she'd never seen.
"I just had to come up with stories," she said. "Using your imagination. Like as if it's someone standing right there."
Pride staffers would go through files of old clients to check whether their Medi-Cal numbers remained active, Parnell said. Each active number would become a Pride client again.
Parnell, who left and filed a whistle-blower complaint with the state in 2009, said she invented life stories for her fake clients. She still can rattle off vignettes of rehab fiction: "Client stated that she went to a party and relapsed. ... Client is saying she doesn't want to go out with those same friends."
Or sometimes, Parnell just copied and pasted notes from one file to another.
"It got so raggedy ... I would put one floppy disk in there and do 15 charts with everybody saying the same thing," she recalled.
When people did come in, Parnell would take down their information, and Pride would bill for them even if they never came back, she said. When the fake clients were due to complete their rehab program, Pride employees created diplomas to put in their files, she said.
"I was getting freaked out about it, but the money was good," said Parnell, who made $13 an hour.
Whistle-blower emails sent to a Los Angeles County auditor in 2011 accuse Nwogene of leaning hard on his workers to carry out the scheme.
"I refuse to do any ghost writing because that is illegal," one of the emails said. "The owner of Pride Health (Godfrey) had an emergency meeting last week and stated that if we didn't want to do the paper work the Pride Health way, then we should resign."
Nwogene seemed unstoppable. A Pride employee wrote in another email to an investigator, "One thing im (sic) kinda scared of is that he has told us that no one has been able and will never be able to take him down."
Nwogene's skill at avoiding a crackdown played out in full force in 2011, as he faced heat from both state and county authorities.
An auditor sat in on a group therapy session -- but no one showed up. The auditor reported that Pride "appear(s) to have developed fraudulent documentation to support their billing claims," according to a county memo.
"A serious problem has come up with this agency," one county regulator wrote in an email obtained under the California Public Records Act. "ALL ROSTERS SIGNED IN THE SAME HANDWRITING by, it appears ... the same person and all billing for this program will be disallowed."
The county froze funding and conducted a follow-up investigation that found "extremely grave violations" and "deficiencies that warrant the termination" of Pride's contract. Los Angeles County drafted letters notifying state officials and Nwogene that it was cutting off funding.
The state Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs drafted a letter to temporarily suspend Pride from the Drug Medi-Cal program because of "severe deficiencies" from 2005 to 2011.
Neither of the letters, according to county and state representatives, ever was sent.
Political intervention
Nwogene had been asking for help from the office of Mark Ridley-Thomas, one of five county supervisors. Now chairman of the county board, the former state senator represents the district where Pride operates.
The politician's aide, Salya Mohamedy, inquired, and Viernes, the county substance abuse prevention director, detailed the clinic's violations and allegations of fraud. Still, Mohamedy asked Viernes to set up a meeting "so that we can resolve this matter once and for all."
Internal emails show that this was not an unusual request: During the second half of 2011, Ridley-Thomas' aide contacted Viernes on behalf of half a dozen other rehab providers facing problems with regulators.
Nwogene met with Viernes on August 10, 2011. In a thank-you letter to Ridley-Thomas' aide, Nwogene called the meeting successful.
"Your intervention opened the door to dialogue," Nwogene wrote. "That dialogue led to a resolution."
While Pride may have had flaws, Nwogene wrote, "reckless and mean spirited" county staff treated the organization unfairly.
In the end, Pride Health Services' contract wouldn't be terminated. The funding spigot was on again.
In an interview, Viernes expressed frustration that supervisors urged him to meet with clinic owners even when they knew about the serious problems found by auditors.
"I get emails from the supervisors, (saying), 'When are these people gonna get paid!'" Viernes said.
Ridley-Thomas' top health deputy, Yolanda Vera, denied pressuring Viernes. The lawmaker's office got involved, she said, to "make sure that these agencies at least are getting some access and having their concerns addressed."
Asked about the CIR/CNN findings regarding Pride's billing, Vera expressed concern. "If true," she said, "I would ask the question as to why are we contracting with this agency."
But Viernes said the message is pretty clear: Help the clinics improve instead of cutting them off.
"There's so much political pressure on us about giving them a second chance," he added. "After all, we're a rehab agency, we believe in giving second chances."
And, as CIR and CNN found, government regulators will dole out second and third chances to just about anyone.
Got a story idea or tip for CNN's investigations team? Go to cnn.com/investigate or click here to submit. CNN senior investigative producer Scott Zamost, CNN investigative correspondent Drew Griffin and CIR intern Mihir Zaveri contributed to this report. This story was edited by Amy Pyle, Robert Salladay and Mark Katches, with contributions from Richard T. Griffiths of CNN. It was copy edited by Nikki Frick and Christine Lee.
Reprinted with permission of Center for Investigative Reporting.
Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_latest/~3/LVvDFzzLovg/index.html
columbus day Stacy Dash Amber Tamblyn Lilit Avagyan Nashville TV Show VP debate sandusky
Community Health to buy Health Management for $3.9 billion
(Reuters) - U.S. hospital chain Community Health Systems Inc
Both companies' hospitals are primarily in smaller cities and rural areas. Health Management has a strong presence in the U.S. Southeast, including Florida. Community Health is the second-largest for-profit chain behind HCA Holdings Inc
Community Health said that based on Monday's share prices, it would pay $13.78 per share in cash and its own stock. The deal would give Health Management shareholders a 16 percent stake in the new company and an additional contingent value right worth up to $1 per share.
Health Management shares fell 6.9 percent to $13.89 before the market opened, while Community Health rose 2.4 percent to $48.35.
The contingent value right payment depends on the outcome of certain legal proceedings, the companies said in the statement, but they did not provide further details and were not immediately available for comment.
Health Management cut its earnings outlook in April, citing weak patient admissions. The company in December was the subject of a "60 Minutes" television news story that described aggressive policies aimed at increasing admissions. Health Management denied the allegations.
In its first-quarter financial filing, Health Management said it had received a subpoena from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for documents involving accounts receivable, billing write-downs, contractual adjustments, reserves for doubtful accounts, and revenue.
In a separate statement in which Health Management forecast second-quarter earnings of 10 cents to 11 cents a share due to weak hospital admissions, it said that it received additional subpoenas from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services about emergency room operations that supplemented ones received in 2011. It also received an additional subpoena on physician relationships.
Health Management also had faced a looming proxy fight with hedge fund Glenview Capital Management, which wanted to replace the entire board. In June, Health Management said it had hired Morgan Stanley
Glenview, which owns 14.6 percent of Health Management, said in a June letter to the hospital operator that there was "significant room for improvement" at the company, which it said had fallen short in its financial performance for more than a decade.
Health Management Chief Executive Officer Gary Newsome was due to retire at the end of the month. On Tuesday the company said John Starcher would be interim president and CEO.
The Community Health deal is the second major hospital merger agreement in as many months as the companies, faced with declining patient admissions and rising bad debts, struggle to shore up their finances as they await an expected influx of newly insured patients beginning next year under healthcare reform.
Last month, No. 3 hospital chain Tenet Healthcare Corp
Community Health, based in Franklin, Tennessee, on Monday reported a drop in second-quarter profit due to weak admissions and a rise in bad debt.
The boards of both companies have approved the deal, which they expect to close by the end of March.
Community Health said it had a financing commitment from its advisers on the deal, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
(Reporting by Susan Kelly in Chicago and Caroline Humer in New York; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Jeffrey Benkoe and Lisa Von Ahn)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/community-health-buy-health-management-3-9-billion-111105172.html
fbi most wanted list stuttering james van der beek dyngus day indonesia quake stephen strasburg shabazz
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Nasdaq stocks posting largest volume decreases
NEW YORK (AP) -- A look at the 10 biggest volume decliners on Nasdaq at the close of trading:
ASB Bancorp Inc. : Approximately 100 shares changed hands, a 97.9 decrease from its 65-day average volume. The shares fell $.17 or 1.0 percent to $17.18.
Colonial Financial Services Inc. : Approximately 100 shares changed hands, a 97.0 decrease from its 65-day average volume. The shares fell $.40 or 2.8 percent to $14.10.
First South BanCorp. Inc. : Approximately 300 shares changed hands, a 95.4 decrease from its 65-day average volume. The shares fell $.01 or .2 percent to $6.63.
IF Bancorp Inc. : Approximately 100 shares changed hands, a 96.3 decrease from its 65-day average volume. The shares remained unchanged at $15.69.
Mayflower Bancorp Inc. : Approximately 500 shares changed hands, a 96.1 decrease from its 65-day average volume. The shares fell $.08 or .4 percent to $19.60.
Old Line Bancshares Inc. : Approximately 600 shares changed hands, a 96.2 decrease from its 65-day average volume. The shares rose $.14 or 1.1 percent to $13.18.
PHI Inc. voting : Approximately 100 shares changed hands, a 95.4 decrease from its 65-day average volume. The shares rose $.05 or .1 percent to $36.00.
QCR Holdings Inc. : Approximately 100 shares changed hands, a 97.2 decrease from its 65-day average volume. The shares rose $.01 or .1 percent to $16.01.
Rush Enterprises B : Approximately 300 shares changed hands, a 96.4 decrease from its 65-day average volume. The shares rose $.14 or .7 percent to $21.41.
United Community Bancorp : Approximately 200 shares changed hands, a 95.5 decrease from its 65-day average volume. The shares fell $.09 or .9 percent to $10.06.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nasdaq-stocks-posting-largest-volume-230826852.html
nbc news msnbc reddit abc news Boston Police Scanner Jeff Bauman cbs news
House GOP bows to fossil fuel bosses.
- Home
- Places
- News
- Forums
- Issues
- Blogs
- About
- Actions??
PO Box 73, Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716
info@shore11.org
Source: http://www.shore11.org/node/17462
Audrie Pott Bombing In Boston Rebel Wilson Patriots Day boston marathon turbotax leonhard euler
Ex-U.S. President Carter Plans to Visit North Korea
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is planning to visit North Korea soon to try to win the release of a U.S. citizen held for committing crimes against the reclusive state, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported on Monday.
Carter has made contact with the North to arrange for the visit, and he is likely to make the trip in a personal capacity to secure the release of Kenneth Bae, the U.S. citizen, a source in Washington was quoted as saying by Yonhap.
"The issue of Kenneth Bae who has been held in the North for nine months is becoming a burden for the United States," the diplomatic source was quoted as saying by Yonhap.
"Even if Carter's visit materialises, it will be focused on the issue of Kenneth's Bae's release more than anything else."
Bae, who is in his mid 40s, was sentenced in May to 15 years hard labour by North Korea's Supreme Court after being detained in November as he led a tour group through the northern region of the country.
North Korea said Bae was participating in activities designed to overthrow the government, by infiltrating at least 250 students into the country.
Bae has acknowledged to being a missionary and has said he had conducted services in the North.
Bae said he had been moved by his faith to preach in North Korea, ranked the most hostile to Christianity by Open Doors International, a Christian advocacy and aid group, since the late 2000s.
His arrest and conviction came as the North and the United States remain locked in a diplomatic standoff surrounding Pyongyang's missile and nuclear tests and its claim that Washington was plotting to attack the country.
In two months of daily verbal assault earlier this year prompted by annual drills by U.S. and South Korean militaries, Pyongyang threatened to attack the two allies using its nuclear weapons.
Pyongyang has had a history of trying to use American captives as a bargaining chip to drag Washington into talks but the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has been reluctant to respond.
Bae has sent letters to his family in the United States pleading for help because his health was failing, his sister said in a media interview last week.
Carter has made trips to the North on diplomatic missions and in 2010 helped earn the release of another American, Aijalon Mahli Gomes, a Boston native who had been sentenced to eight years hard labour for illegally entering the country.
Former President Bill Clinton flew to North Korea in 2009 and won the release of two American women media workers who had been sentenced to 12 years for illegally entering the country.
? 2013 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.
Source: http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/carter-to-visit-north/2013/07/29/id/517439
Feliz Navidad Ryan Freel Melissa Nelson sound of music foot locker champs champs
The Staycation in Park Royal Penang - Places and Foods, Travel ...
28 July 2013 270 views No Comment
The Staycation in Park Royal Penang
When you mentioned Park Royal Penang in Batu Ferringhi, many will tell you stories on the history of the hotel. While many locals still live in the past, the hotel has move on. In fact, the hotel has gone through a revamp with a huge renovation on their hotel rooms. The legacy remains with new directions.
Penang has changed for good in the past few years. More places for good food and more hotels are opening on the island. To drive from Kuala Lumpur to Penang, it should take less than five hours drive (without speeding) with leisure speed and it will take an hour for a plane ride. We chose to drive because we wanted to travel freely on the island.
It didn?t take us long to reach Park Royal Hotel. Even though the exterior looks the same but the interior is a world of its own. I always feel that hotel services in Malaysia fares poorer compare to our neighbours but in Park Royal Penang they proved me wrong. Doormen and front desk staffs were helpful and friendly.
We got ourselves a beautiful seaview room. I love how the newly renovated hotel rooms. It looks like new!
?
The swimming pools in Park Royal Penang must be mentioned. They have two swimming pools, one for the adults and one for the children.
If you are bringing your kids for a staycation in Park Royal, they will love the children?s pool. It is like mini water theme park but it is always advisable parents or guardians should be around when the kids are playing in the pool
If you are a beach person, just walk a few steps and you will be greeted by the beautiful Batu Ferrighi white sandy beach. Facing the Strait of Malacca, there are varieties of sports activities available.
Having a brisk walk or even a jog at this beautiful beach during morning or evening is relaxing. Usually the sea water here is not that rough so swimming in the sea is consider safe. Jelly fish attacks are rare in Penang.
If you don?t want to soak into the sea water, you can always sun bathing at the benches available exclusive for hotel guests.
Breakfast in Parkroyal Penang was not disappointing as well. I thought it will be the same old typical ?Malaysia hotel breakfast? and I was wrong. They have local Penang food like char kuey teow and nasi lemak for breakfast.
I stayed two nights in Parkroyal Penang and it was blissful. Due to Rachel?s pregnancy, we stayed in the hotel most of the time and we didn?t even make time for the Batu Ferringhi night market. Please don?t be fooled by the exterior and the history of the hotel as the rooms were renovated and rejuvenated. If you are planning to visit Penang for a staycation, ParkRoyal Penang Batu Ferringhi is an option for you.
Park Royal Penang ?Address:
Batu Ferringhi Beach, 11100 Batu Ferringhi, Penang, Malaysia
Phone: +60 4-881 1133
Website: http://www.parkroyalhotels.com/en/hotels/malaysia/penang/parkroyal/location/index.html
?
?
?
Popularity: 1% [?]
Source: http://www.placesandfoods.com/2013/07/the-staycation-in-park-royal-penang.html
ozzie guillen fidel castro darvish george zimmerman website edmund fitzgerald uss enterprise white house easter egg roll 2012 andy cohen
Monday, July 29, 2013
Newport Folk Festival wrapping up another year
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) ? The Newport Folk Festival is capping another year with sets from Beck and the Lumineers, 54 years after the event was first held in Rhode Island's city-by-the-sea.
The venerable festival was set to wrap up Sunday following three days of performances from nearly 50 bands.
Tickets for the Saturday and Sunday shows sold out five months early ? the fastest tickets for the main two days of the festival have gone in the event's history.
The event has boasted a "who's who" of stars since it began in 1959 and is known as the place where Bob Dylan went electric in 1965.
Ticketholder Alex Kimball of New London, Conn., says the festival succeeds through its diverse mix of performers and a beautiful setting at historic Fort Adams on Narragansett Bay.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/newport-folk-festival-wrapping-another-205053218.html
reddit abc news Boston Police Scanner Jeff Bauman cbs news Boston.com NBA Playoffs 2013
Police: $53 million in jewels stolen in Cannes
PARIS (AP) -- A staggering 40 million euro ($53 million) worth of diamonds and other jewels was stolen Sunday from the Carlton Intercontinental Hotel in Cannes, in one of Europe's biggest jewelry heists in recent years, police said. One expert noted the crime follows recent jail escapes by members of the notorious "Pink Panther" jewel thief gang.
The hotel in the sweltering French Riviera was hosting a temporary jewelry exhibit over the summer from the prestigious Leviev diamond house, which is owned by Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev.
A police spokesman said the theft took place around noon, but he could not confirm local media reports that the robber was a single gunman who stuffed a suitcase with the gems before making a swift exit. The spokesman spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter on the record.
The luxury Carlton hotel is situated on the exclusive Promenade de la Croisette that stretches a mile and a half along the French Riviera, and is thronged by the rich and famous throughout the year. The hotel's position provides not only a beautiful view of the sea but also an easy getaway for potential jewel thieves along the long stretch of road.
"It's a huge theft. Anytime you talk about a heist with many millions of dollars it turns heads and feeds the imagination," said Jonathan Sazonoff, U.S. editor for the Museum Security Network website and an authority on high-value crime.
He said the likelihood of recovering the stolen diamonds and jewels is slim, because the thieves can easily sell them on. "The fear is, if you're dealing with high-quality minerals, it's hard to get them back," Sazonoff said. "They can be broken up and so they can be easily smuggled and sold."
The valuable gems were supposed to be on public display until the end of August. It was not immediately clear how many pieces were stolen.
Several police officers were placed in front of the Carlton exhibition room ? near a Cartier diamond boutique ? to prevent the dozens of journalists and photographers from getting a look at the scene of the crime.
Europe has been struck by several brazen jewelry thefts in recent years, some of which have involved tens of millions of dollars in treasure.
On Feb. 18 in Belgium, some $50 million worth of diamonds were stolen. In that heist, robbers targeted stones from the global diamond center of Antwerp that had been loaded on a plane headed to Zurich. Authorities have since detained dozens of people and recovered much of the items stolen in that operation.
Five years ago, in December 2008, armed robbers wearing women's wigs and clothing made off with diamond rings, gem-studded bracelets and other jewelry said then to be worth $108 million from a Harry Winston boutique in Paris.
Also in 2008 ? in February of that year ? in a scene reminiscent of the movie "The Italian Job," masked thieves drilled a tunnel into a Damiani jewelry company showroom in Milan, Italy. They tied up the staff with plastic cable and sticky tape, then made off with gold, diamonds and rubies worth some $20 million. The robbers had been digging for several weeks from a building under construction next door.
Cannes appears to be a favorite target this year ? in May it was struck by other two highly publicized jewelry heists during the Cannes Film Festival.
In the first theft, robbers stole about $1 million worth of jewels after ripping a safe from the wall of a hotel room. In the second, thieves outsmarted 80 security guards in an exclusive hotel and grabbed a De Grisogono necklace that creators said is worth 2 million euros ($2.6 million).
Sazonoff said it is normal for robbers to gravitate to a place like Cannes, whose glimmering harbor and glamorous film festival attract the world's rich and famous. "Why do thieves target Cannes? It's simple ... On the Cote d'Azur, it's where the monied people flow," he said.
Sazonoff also said police would likely probe whether Sunday's heist is linked to recent jail escapes by alleged members of the Pink Panther jewel thief gang.
On Thursday, gang member Milan Poparic escaped his Swiss prison after accomplices rammed a gate and overpowered guards with bursts from their AK-47s, police said.
Police say the Pink Panther network's members are prime suspects in a series of daring thefts. According to Interpol, the group has targeted luxury watch and jewelry stores in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the United States, netting more than ?330 million (?285m) since 1999.
Poparic is the third member of the Pink Panthers to escape from a Swiss prison in as many months, according to Vaud police.
"The brazen drama of it is their style... The possibility of the reemergence of the Pink Panther gang is very troubling and taken seriously by law enforcement worldwide," Sazonoff said. "The theft of high value diamonds is exactly what they do, so it's not a great leap to assume they are on the warpath again. They are a crime wave waiting to happen."
___
Thomas Adamson can be followed at Twitter.com/ThomasAdamsonAP
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/police-53-million-jewels-stolen-133207329.html
airhead atherosclerosis steven tyler tropic thunder carnie wilson missing reese witherspoon pregnant
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)