ProjectRi

October: A Month of Personal Harvest

2009-08-22T06:57:00.001-07:00

October: A Month of Personal Harvest
by: Megan Corwin
October is hands down my favorite month. Every year l look forward to a visit to Lynd's Fruit Farm in Pataskala, Ohio. My husband and I get in the car on a crisp day and take in the leaves displaying their glorious colors as we travel the country road. Once we reach the farm, I pour through bushel baskets brimming with gourds and Indian corn, wander the pumpkin patch, and pluck ripe apples from the trees. In addition, I reflect upon the hard work that was put in months before by the Lynd's in anticipation of this one month of autumn abundance.
This month, why not have a personal harvest?
Step 1: Reap
The farmers have been working for months to get their crops in peak condition and are now ready to reap their produce. How satisfying it must be to finally be rewarded with excited children picking out the perfect pumpkin for a jack-o-lantern or seeing a family pick their own apples.
Even non-farmers need a time to stop and relish in their successes. Take time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Reflect upon the hard work you have put into your life. We can get discouraged when looking at how far we have to go. Instead, look at how far you've come.
Ask yourself - What have I accomplished in the last week? Month? Year? Write down you answers so that you can see just how voluminous your response is.
In our fast paced society, it can be easy to always ask "What's next?" But stopping to celebrate our successes can be invigorating, providing the enthusiasm and energy needed to tackle that next project.
Step 2: Share
Famers offer their harvest to others. It could be that extra tomato given to the neighbor or acres of soybeans sold for profit. Either way, the produce must be used or it has no value.
Now look at you list of accomplishments.
What have you learned that you can share with others? How can the things you have "harvested" be used to serve the community -- either on a volunteer basis or for profit? Regardless, there is value in what you've reaped.
Happy Harvesting!

[*Now on CD-ROM]In the early 1980s I interviewed a young man who, in our meeting, began to quote information pertaining to the company he was applying. He cited the previous year's corporate gross revenue figures, the number of employees' country wide, projected new product launches and other related information.
Christmas Gifts for Dog Lovers & their Dogs by: Adriana Copaceanu If you have dog lovers in your family, it's time to think of some unique gifts you can give them this Christmas.

High Roller or Kid In A Stroller - Las Vegas Has It All

2009-08-17T10:04:00.001-07:00

High Roller or Kid In A Stroller - Las Vegas Has It All
by: Elizabeth Ann Wares
Las Vegas is much more than jangling one arm bandits, and noisy casinos. Seriously, there is so much more to do than gamble and eat from mile-long buffet tables. Las Vegas is home to the some of the finest nightlife, shopping, attractions, and golf courses in the world.
Your entertainment options are unlimited in this city known as "America's Playground". There are thrilling roller coasters, dolphin and magic shows, and street shows such as Treasure Island's life-like pirate battle. You can even tour Egypt in a simulated ride. There are places to bowl, enjoy a leisurely spa, shop 'til you drop, and even get married. The possibilities are almost overwhelming, so make sure to plan, or have some sort of idea what you would like to see and do while you are there.
You will definitely want to put a trip to Fremont Street on your itinerary. Fremont Street is located in the heart of downtown Las Vegas and is a short stroll from many hotels or you can ride the public transportation which is extremely clean and passenger friendly. Look overhead as you walk the 4 block long Fremont Street Experience and you will be awed by the over 2.1 million lights and the state-of-the-art sound system in the canopy constructed 90 feet over street level.
If you are vacationing and wanting to spoil yourself, then you have come to the perfect place. Many of the spas offer fitness centers. In addition you can treat yourself to facials, massages, body wraps, saunas, heated whirlpools, steam rooms and other treatments, including tanning.
Don't dare miss the fountains at Bellagio. It is one of the most spectacular and memorable sights in Las Vegas or maybe even the world! You will be mesmerized as the water takes on a life all it's own and dances in perfect synchronization to broadway favorites and opera and everything thing else in between. Best of all this show is also free.
While you are at Bellagio, make time to tour their gardens. You will feel yourself relax, as you enter this tranquil oasis. With over 85,000 square foot of space the conservatory has 1,200 exotic plants and flowers such as orchids and lilies. Every month, the fragrant displays are changed to keep the scenery fresh.
On May 15, 2005, Las Vegas will be celebrating its 100th Birthday! It's an historic event that has something to offer everyone. The Centennial Celebration Committee has promised to commemorate the 100th birthday by hosting a birthday party that's bigger and brighter than the neon lights on the Las Vegas Strip! The party actually started on December 31, 2004 and will last for more than a year.
With all the resorts competing for your business, you will be able to find cheap or at least heavy discounts on rooms and meals. Seniors and students can find special airfare and accomodations to suit their budgets. Las Vegas is resort whereby you can spend as much or as little as you want and have a great experience.
Daytime or nightime, Las Vegas is a wonderful place to bring the whole family to vacation or just get away with someone special. And with the BIG Centennnial planned, what better time than the present?

The Best Ways to Teach your Puppy the English Language by: Dy Witt Puppies are eager and willing to do the right thing.
How to Control Your Blood Pressure by: Dakota Caudilla People with high blood pressure should take precautionary measures to not only control their blood pressure, but they should take steps to lowering their blood pressure through fitness programs, nutrition and dietary schedules and taking proper medication throughout a certain period of time.

Low Airfares

2009-08-14T09:11:00.001-07:00

Low Airfares
by: Sandy Baker
Do you have a trip in mind? Looking for low airfares to get you there? All is not lost. You can find a great deal on airfare if you take the time to look for it. Low airfares are actually quite common right now, due to the sluggish travel industry.
The more open minded you are about your trip, the better your chances are of finding low airfare. Begin your search by deciding what is the most important thing for you. Is it getting there quickly and in one shot? Is there a specific date you must travel? Being open about these things can provide for some great opportunity.
For instance, if you can be more flexible in the date you arrive and return from your destination, perhaps you can find a better rate by flying during the week? Flying out on a Friday is often much more expensive then flying during the week. Also, taking a flight that has a lay over may seem like a big hassle, but it may save you some big bucks.
Of course, you should take the time to compare and contrast what the airlines have to offer. Often times, you can do this right online. There are also travel sites that claim to help you with your travel plans. But, don't just use them. Find the prices for yourself through the airlines as well. Why do this? Well, for one they may get you a good deal, but will their extra fees eat away at this saved money?
The best advice that can be given is to do your research. Find out your options. Most importantly, be as flexible and open as you can. Also, don't forget to ask for a discount. Many times, airlines are not going to give you the lowest airfare unless you ask. Of course, this may take you some extra time, but it may pay off with allowing you to have a little extra cash in your pocket come time for your vacation. That makes it worth it!
So before you book your next airfare, make sure you check out http://www.e-travelpromos.com first!

Fly fishing is enjoyable, relaxing, and rewarding in many different ways. Perhaps the most rewarding element of fly fishing is the variety of beautiful natural surroundings in which anglers often find themselves; a secluded stream up in the mountains, a peaceful meandering river deep in the forest, or a tranquil blue lake somewhere out in big sky country.
Weight Loss: Weight Loss is All in Your Mind! by: Ashley Green "The kind of thoughts that you plant in your mind, determine what you produce in life." Letting negative thoughts rule your mind can never make you achieve your goal. The magic key is to identify these negative thoughts which are keeping you away from your goal, keep throwing them out of your head as soon as they try to overpower you, brainstorm new positive thoughts (your inspirations and motivations), write them down and keep reading them until they don't become a part of you.If negative thoughts like i will always be fat, i just don't have discipline to follow a healthy diet, or exercises are not meant for me as they are too hard and time consuming, keep you from losing weight, then you are not alone.

Top Ten Creative Excursions for Building Effective Teams

2009-08-10T09:02:00.001-07:00

Top Ten Creative Excursions for Building Effective Teams
by: Bea Fields
The ability to build effective teams is a must for any organization who wants to succeed in the millennium. This article offers ten examples of highly creative excursions which can provide insight into developing the leadership qualities essential for success in challenging times.
1. A Day Trip to the Sharper Image
The Sharper Image is a specialty retailer that is nationally and internationally renowned as a leading source of new, innovative, high-quality products that make life better and more enjoyable. Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Richard Thalheimer started this business 25 years ago with one goal in mind: to have fun!
The Sharper Image is a company that thrives on special conveniences and innovative products that sit on the cutting edge of technology. This day trip is fantastic for stimulating creativity and becoming a forward thinker!
2. A Day Trip to the Gettysburg Battlefield
A visit to this historical Civil War battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, can be an empowering lesson in leadership. This day trip can be devoted to walking the historic site while evaluating the leadership decisions and structures that General Robert E. Lee struggled with over 140 years ago. Prior to this day trip, I recommend that those attending the trip read the book, "Leadership Lessons from the Civil War" by Tom Wheeler. It is an extraordinary book that takes a close look at the parallels between business and military strategy.
3. A Day Trip to ING Direct
With locations in New York City, NY, and Philadelphia, PA, ING Direct takes the "dull" out of banking. The facade is made of glass. On the inside are café tables and biscotti, Internet stations and mochas, and clients hanging out just for the fun of it. This innovative company invests the majority of its time, energy, and money in technology, marketing, and in making people feel proud about saving their money...and to make them feel that saving is a cool and hip thing to do. The website itself (www.ingdirect.com) is a wild and fun excursion, breaking away from the traditional and stepping way out on the edge. This day trip can create a lightning bolt effect for motivating your company to move to new levels of creativity and innovation.
4. Carnegie Hall and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra was conceived by cellist Julian Fifer and a group of fellow musicians in the 1970s. The Orpheus process is highly unique, for this is an orchestra with no conductor. In the absence of a conductor, the individual musicians of Orpheus must rely on one another for innovation and team building. The self-governing and leadership abilities have not only made Orpheus a group of highly gifted musicians, but has built a world which teaches those who observe them to understand that a CEO never has or should have all of the answers. Central to the collaborative process of Orpheus is the sharing and rotating of leadership roles. This unique approach unleashes the talent, vision, creativity, and the leadership of each and every member of the group. Observe this group carefully, and ask your team "What is it about this group that is so compelling? How can we use their system for our success?"
5. A Week-End at Universal Studios (Orlando, FL; Hollywood, CA; Japan and Spain)
Are you having fun? I mean: "Are you really having fun?" If you are or are not, consider a journey through a week-end filled with fun, adventure, wonder, and wild times. Spend a few great days being a kid again with E.T. (the Extra-Terrestrial,) Men in Black, Jaws, Barney, and Nickelodeon. Why? In times when innovation is so crucial to success, we must challenge our teams to do the things we think we cannot do, are off-beat, or are seemingly crazy and wild to the rest of the world. Outdoor challenges involving fun, laughter, and raw adventure can spark problem solving and teamwork and can be a fantastic approach for reducing stress and incorporating fun and laughter into the corporate setting.
6. A Day Trip to NASA: The Kennedy Space Center
Want a little inspiration and motivation for building effective teams? By visiting the Kennedy Space Center, your team can witness how history and the future, nature and technology, young and old meet for an unforgettable and highly creative journey through space and time. The Kennedy Space Center tells a compelling story of how the United States built a space program that launched men to the moon and have orbited satellites that have improved our life on earth.
7. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York, has brought together thousands of works of art that display a full and extraordinary range of creativity which can enhance your team building efforts. See and hear a story of human deceit from "The Kitano Tnjin Engi Emaki," a thirteenth century picture scroll. Open a discussion around the historic moment when General George Washington led the American revolutionary troops across the Delaware in "George Washington Crossing the Deleware." Explore Korea's distinctive cultural identity and the ways in which the arts of Korea have been affected by trade and diplomacy, by war and peace, and by religion and philosophy. This day trip is one that is filled with curiosity, creativity, and of seeing the perspective of people and cultures from around the world.
8. A Day Trip to Nordstrom
Outstanding customer service and Nordstrom go hand in hand. Their innovative approach has allowed them to find out exactly what the customer needs and wants and then gives it with grace and style. A family-owned business, Nordstrom considers their customers a part of their extended family, and the corporate culture supports and encourages salespeople to engage in intimate business dialogue and relationships with key vendors in each department. A visit to Nordstrom will teach you how to better respond to customer's needs so that they will come back to you again and again and will teach you the lessons of : valuing outstanding customer service, bonding with each and every customer, and giving people on the frontline the freedom to make decisions.
9. A Four-Day Hike on the Appalachian Trail
From Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail wanders the ridges and valleys of the Appalachian range for more than 2,168 miles. Those who have traveled this trek return feeling much more light- hearted, saying that they no longer sweat the small stuff in life. One of the biggest benefits of walking the Appalachian trail is that you and your team will learn adaptability, and you will begin to appreciate the people and things in life that you often take for granted. Many people report that even one week of hiking is a life changing experience. They realize that a fast pace of living and that money, prestige, and power are only surface deepthat the true beauty of life lies in the secrets of nature.
10. A Day of Brainstorming
A Super S.W.O.T. Session with a communications company is a great way to offer your company a highly creative day of brainstorming. This session should be a fast-paced, deeply probing session highly designed for your organization's best thinkers. Using easels, drawing pads, and other audio visuals, a great facilitator will keep the ideas flowing by asking you first to boil down your mission statement to ten words or less. From here, they focus on your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. These critical factors are listed, considered, and ranked to show you the three most significant factors in each S.W.O.T. category. The results are always revealing and often quite surprising. A session can require as little as three hourson up to a full day.

Educating yourself in the signs that indicate all is not right with your dog can mean the difference between life and death.Bloat:If your dog's belly starts to swell for no apparent reason, this could be an indication that she is suffering from Bloat Â a condition in which the abdomen fills with gas to the point that it will become tight enough to play like a drum. This is a very serious condition as it can decrease her circulation and must be treated by a vet immediately.Fainting: Often related to heart disease, fainting can occur when your dog gets excited and his heart has failed to pump enough blood to his brain.
How to Find a Sitter For Your Dog by: Katie Brandt Whether your dog is old or a just a puppy, there will come a time when you have to out of town for business or a vacation where dogs aren't allowed. Therefore, you will need to leave your prized pet in the care of a pet sitter.

Edmonton scientist battles pine beetle threat

2009-08-08T17:04:00.001-07:00

A researcher at the University of Alberta is trying to prevent mountain pine beetles, which have already devastated huge swaths of lodgepole pine in British Columbia, from feeding on Alberta's jack pine forests.

The beetles are moving east and are now less than 100 kilometres away from significant stands of jack pines in Alberta, said Nadir Erbilgin, who has been awarded $300,000 over three years to find ways to keep the beetles in check.

"There is a potential that [the beetles are] going to infest, establish and survive in jack pine forests," said Erbilgin, an assistant professor and Canada Research chairman in forest entomology whose area of expertise includes plant-induced defences against insects.

Jack pine "is one of the most dominant tree species вЂ" pine species вЂ" in the boreal forest," he said, adding the species is already in danger from a fungus and may not be able to stand up against the pine beetle threat.

"Ecologically, it's very important," Erbilgin said of the fight against the voracious beetle. "Alberta is a battleground. Whatever we learn here will be very useful for the rest of the country."

The provincial government's battle against pine beetles is focused in southwest Alberta and on the eastern edge of the infestation, according to a recent news release. The objectives are to minimize the spread of beetles north and south along the eastern slopes of the Rockies and prevent their spreading east in the boreal forest.

Espanyol captain Jarque dies of apparent heart attack

2009-08-08T16:04:00.001-07:00

New Espanyol Daniel Jarque, photographed here last February, was found dead in his Italian hotel room on Saturday night. (Manu Fernandez/Associated Press)

A leading Spanish soccer player has died of an apparent heart attack at age 26.

Daniel Jarque, captain and midfielder for the Spanish league club Espanyol, was found dead in his hotel room at Florence, Italy, on Saturday night, before a scheduled Sunday friendly with Serie A club Bologna.

"It was not possible to save his life," said a statement from the Italian team.

Reports said he was on the phone with his girlfriend from the hotel when the line went silent. She contacted authorities and they went to the room to investigate.

Jarque had been with Espanyol since he was a youth player and had been a key contributor to the club's run to the UEFA Cup final in 2006.

He replaced Raul Tamudo as the club's captain at the beginning of this season.

Sunday's match between Bologna and Espanyol has been cancelled.

With files from The Associated Press

B.C. Mountie kills pit bull that attacked llama

2009-08-08T15:04:00.001-07:00

A pit bull was shot to death Saturday after it shrugged off a jolt from a stun gun and turned on a Mountie trying to stop the dog's attack on a llama.

RCMP in Langley, B.C., said they were called to the 1400 block of 200 Street at about 8 a.m. PT after a neighbour reported seeing two pit bulls attacking an alpaca and a llama in an enclosed area of the property.

According to a release, the officers saw one of the pit bulls hanging from the throat of the llama, which was bleeding profusely. The alpaca had also been attacked and bore notable neck wounds.

In a bid to end the attack, one of the Mounties used his Taser, which momentarily stunned the animal. However, the dog swiftly recovered and charged another officer.

An officer fired his pistol twice, wounding the animal. It then ran under a fence toward people drawn to the scene, the release said.

The officer followed the dog around a residence. When it turned and charged him, he fired three rounds with his pistol. The dog ran into a nearby barn, where it collapsed and died a short time later.

The second pit bull was outside the fenced area and had some blood on its chest. It growled but made no attempt to attack anyone.

The Langley Animal Protection Society has seized the uninjured pit bull. An emergency on-call veterinarian was called to assist the injured llama, which survived. There was no word on the alpaca's condition.

The owner of the two dogs was a guest visiting the property owner.

Dog Grooming Maintaining A Posh Pup

2009-08-07T07:57:00.001-07:00

Dog Grooming Maintaining A Posh Pup
by: Paolo Basauri
Dog grooming is not simply an aesthetic bonus for our canine friends. Maintaining a regular grooming schedule will help to keep your dog both happy and healthy. Routine dog grooming will ensure that your dog is free of parasites, has healthy skin and a shiny coat, and has good dental health. Of course, the aesthetic benefits are also a plus. Only a true dog lover wants to be around a dirty, stinky dog with bad breath. Proper dog grooming will bring out the best in man's best friend.
What's Involved in Dog Grooming?
While dog grooming can be performed at home, the best results can be achieved via a professional dog groomer. A thorough dog grooming session takes care of all the hygienic needs of your dog. The grooming process generally takes a hour or two to accomplish, but the results are well worth the time spent. A typical dog grooming session consists of the following treatments for your dog:
* A thorough bath including flea dip (if applicable)
* A complete coat brushing to eliminate tangles and matted hair
* Styling as requested (can include accessories such as bows, rhinestones and bandannas)
* Nail trimming
* Ear cleaning and examination for parasites
* Teeth cleaning
How Often Should Dog Grooming Take Place?
The frequency with which your should groom your dog is dependent on the breed and coat quality of your dog. Some breeds are considered high maintenance in terms of dog grooming, while others need only periodic care. Before you purchase or adopt a dog, it's a good idea to find out how much grooming it will require. A basic guide to dog grooming by coat type is as follows:
* Curly-Coated Dogs such as Poodles have a dense and curly coat that is fairly resistant to water. These dogs will require dog grooming at least once every two months, or six times a year.
* Short-Coated Dogs with short dense coats, such as Corgis and Boxers need a weekly brushing, but do not need to be bathed more than once or twice a year unless a problem arises.
* Long-Coated Long coated dogs, such as Collies and Sheepdogs, require a daily brushing to keep their coats in good condition. Additional dog grooming including regular bathing, should be administered once every other month.
* Silky-Coated Afghans, Cocker Spaniels and Pekinese dogs belong to the silky coated dog group. These dogs require daily brushing and a thorough dog grooming session four times a year.
* Wire-Coated Wire coated dogs require considerable dog grooming. Dogs such as Terriers and Schnauzers should be bathed every three months and have their coat clipped every six to eight weeks.
* Smooth-Coated The smooth-coated class of dogs includes Labrador Retrievers, Doberman Pinschers and Dachshunds. These are very low maintenance dogs and require only weekly brushing and bathing as necessary.
Whatever type of dog you own, it's important to see that proper grooming is maintained for the health and happiness of your canine companion.

All you needed was a blank video tape and a VCR. That has all changed with the DVR.A DVR, or Digital Video Recorder, is technology that takes all the great features of a VCR and places it in the digital age.
I started out by checking the stream flows on the stream flows page at fly-fishing-colorado.com. The South Platte below Cheesman Dam was just perfect running 250 CFS.

Denmark Copenhagen, Helsingor and Beverages

2009-08-02T22:10:00.001-07:00

Denmark Copenhagen, Helsingor and Beverages
by: Rick Chapo
Denmark is one of the hippest countries in Europe. Copenhagen is the center of activity with a lively evening scene, palaces and castles.
If you've traveled to Denmark, you'll understand when I immediately bring up the subject of bars. The Danish like to toss back a few when time permits. Time seems to permit a lot and a few beers often become many. To this end, going out for a night on the town with friendly Danes can be dangerous in the summer. Due to its location on old mother earth, it doesn't get dark in Denmark until elevenish during the summer. This can be difficult to adjust to, particularly when you look down at your watch and realize it is four in the morning. And the sun is coming up! Ah, but Denmark is not all socializing.
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is one of those cities that is large, but feels small. I think this vibe arises from the fact there are a lot of walking only areas. Even in the center of the city, the streets are arranged like those in a neighborhood. This gives even the biggest restaurant or bar on the biggest street a local tavern feel.
If palaces and castles are your thing, Denmark has much to offer. The palace of Amalienborg and surrounding neighborhood area are definite examples of that over the top palace building period of Europe. A quick minivan trip out of town will deliver you to the castles of Kronborg and Frederiksborg. As castles go, I use the one through five cake rating and give each of these three cakes. The cake rating, of course, comes from the French Queen who suggested the poor be given cake to stop the complaints of starving.
Helsingor
Helsingor is a provincial city that represents the true Denmark or so I was told. Surprisingly, many a Dane seemed to consider Copenhagen a great city, but not really representative of true Denmark. With a righteous desire to seek the truth, I visited and stayed in Helsingor for three days. Indeed, the town was much sleepier than Copenhagen and had more of an authentic feel to it. But there was one problem.
Helsingor is full of Swedes. When I say "full", I mean it in the most complete interpretation of the word. I like Sweden and the people, so it wasn't a big deal. Still, did this mean the Danes felt true Denmark was a Swedish colony? When I posed this question one evening, I was educated in a tone of near outrage. Turns out the Swedes were everywhere because Denmark has liberal alcohol laws while Sweden is extremely repressive. Since the countries are remarkably close to each other, the Swedes pop over for a few days of fun in the sun. Ah, my mistake!
All and all, I enjoyed my time in Copenhagen and give it a my highest "employment rating." By employment rating, I mean that I liked it so much I tried to find a job so I could stay.

Success Doesn't Always Come Easy by: Dave Cole On a raw, cold day in the European Alps, Lance Armstrong steered his bike into the sleeting snow, then stopped. His partner riding in the car behind him urged Lance to give it up for the day and return to the comfort of his shelter.
We had just immigrated from Trinidad and Tobago. My mother struggled to raise four of us on a waitress' salary.

Spawning the Chinese Algae-Eater

2009-08-01T09:20:00.001-07:00

Spawning the Chinese Algae-Eater
by: William Berg
Gyrinocheilus aymonieri
Common name: Chinese algae-eater
Family: Gyrinocheilidae (Algae eaters)
Order: Cypriniformes (carps)
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Max size: 30 cm/ 12 inches
Water conditions: pH range: 6.0 - 8.0, temperature 25 - 28°C/ 77-82°F
I would like to say a few words about one of the bigger surprises I've had as an aquarist. A few years ago I was cleaning out a 50 gallon holding tank in which I kept fishes that were going to a new aquarium when the new aquarium was ready. I also used it for keeping fish I didn't know what else to do with. At this time this aquarium was home to twelve blue discus of about 10 cm, and four albino Chinese algae-eaters that were about 20 cm. The aquarium was overgrown with lots of C. Demersum since it had been neglected a little during the previous months. Now the time had come to clean this aquarium and try to weed out the jungle that had formed. To my big surprise I found a small (1.5 - 2cm) Chinese algae-eater fry. After looking around a little more I found a total of seven fry. I stopped the cleaning and left the aquarium as it was, since the water quality was good and I didn't want to change too much. I didn't see any reason to move the fry since they seemed big enough to !
be safe from the discus which I was moving to a 120 gallon Amazon tank in a few days anyway.
The fry survived and grew relatively fast on a diet of what they could find in the well-planted aquarium, and boiled lettuce. But I never got the parents to spawn again, and the fry themselves never spawned either. However I would like to say a few words about how the Chinese algae-eaters had been kept before the spawning, and which waters they spawned in, to see if I can help anyone else have success where I failed - to breed Chinese algae-eaters and figure out what triggers them to breed.
When I found the fry their parents had been in the holding tank for about 2-3 months. Before that I had kept them in a 50 gallon tank which was heavily circulated and contained very few plants. Temperature was 25°C/ 77°F. They were kept with clown loaches and various barbs. I've been wondering if the fact that they were kept in a heavily circulated aquarium and then moved to an aquarium with close to no circulation and warmer water (28°C/ 82°F) may have simulated a natural change in conditions that precedes spawning.
The breeding tank was as I said before, heavily planted, and had little or no circulation at all, due to the vegetation. The water was old and clean. Dh about 4. I can't say the exact water conditions as I don't know exactly when the spawning took place. However the water conditions had been relatively stable and it is reasonably safe to assume that the stated water conditions are correct.
The Chinese algae-eaters had been fed a varied diet which consisted mainly of boiled lettuce and broccoli, Hikari sinking algae wafers, and shrimps. They also ate the leftovers from the food I gave the barbs and loaches, which consisted mainly of different frozen foods.
Sexing the fishes I assume is simple. I believe it's done in the same way as Corydoras catfishes. Some fish have much broader bodies and I assume them to be females; males are more slender especially if well fed.
Getting the fish into spawning condition seems to be quite simple if they are fed a good diet. However the problem seems to be triggering them to spawn. As I said, I never got them to spawn again. Maybe you will have better luck!
By William Berg of Sweden, for http://www.aquaticcommunity.com

Medicine and Women Guide by: Mansi Gupta Apart from the morphological differentiation between men and women there are many ways in which the women have a different place.
Sexing Crayfish Sexing crayfish isn't always easy. The genital openings are located in different places on the body depending on whether it's a male or a female.

Do Your Understand Your Pet Bunny Rabbit's Personality?

2009-07-30T10:23:00.001-07:00

Do Your Understand Your Pet Bunny Rabbit's Personality?
by: Andrea Austin
When you mention the word "rabbit" many people think of Bugs Bunny. In reality, rabbits are very different from their cartoon counterparts. Rabbits may be cute, fuzzy, and adorable, but that does not mean they enjoy cuddling up to humans or being picked up and carried around.
In fact, improper handling of your new pet can result in harm, so before you pick out your new pet rabbit, make sure you understand all the basics of rabbit animal behavior and care.
How to Handle Rabbits--Should you Pick Up Your Rabbit?
As creatures who walk on all four feet and whose bodies are low to the ground, rabbits tend to feel the most comfortable and safe while sitting or laying on the floor. Therefore, when picked up, rabbits may become nervous, panicked, or even downright terrified. When this happens, they may begin kicking out their hind-legs.
Why is this such a danger? Well, when your pet rabbit thrashes around he risks fracturing his back (remembers, rabbits bones, including spinal cords, are very fragile). If you pick up a rabbit and he starts to get nervous, put him down immediately and carefully, and do not try to physically restrain him.
Above all, never pick up a bunny rabbit by its ears. If you do pick up your rabbit, it should be done by carefully lifting from the scruff of the neck, then supporting the rest of the body with your other hand.
How to Pet a Rabbit
Since rabbits do not like to be picked up as much as other pet animals, you may not be able to pick up your bunny and pet him in your lap as you may want to. Respect your pet bunnies wish to stay closer to the ground. Instead of lifting him up, let him sit beside you, then pet him gently.
If your rabbit seems nervous, use one hand to gently cover his eyes, then stroke his back soothingly and calmly. This will help ease him back to a peaceful state.
Also, it is important to supervise your children while they are learning to pet their rabbits. Make sure they do not use too much pressure or try to pick up the animals, for the reasons described above. Set a good example by showing them how to treat the rabbit, then ask them to follow your lead.
How Rabbits Interact with Humans
Just because rabbits do not like to be held dont be fooled! They really are loving and sociable creatures, and they need (and want) your attention. In fact, one of the best reasons to keep your pet bunny housed inside your home is that he will feel like he is becoming a part of the family. Being around humans gives rabbits the idea that they are part of a group; they dislike being lonely and enjoy companionship.
As rabbits tend to be high-strung creatures, settling in with and getting to know a familiar and loving group of humans can really set their minds at ease and make them healthier and happier.
If you follow this advice, you will probably find that you will develop a close and satisfying relationship with your pet bunny. He will grow to trust you and show you various sides of his personality. He may very likely exhibit a sense of humor and compassionate feelings toward you ... which as all animal lover's know is a wonderful reward!
by Andrea Austin,
http://www.rabbits-n-bunnies.com

How Much Cash Does James Bond Carry? by: Paul Kyriazi First let's start with how much cash Americans carry.
However, trout have no difficulty smelling underwater, so it is worth an anglers time to make sure that they aren't introducing foreign smells into a trout stream (which can warn a trout to a lurking danger such as a fisherman.)When fly fishing for trout, do your best to avoid any artificial smells that are completely foreign to a trout stream. Avoiding these smells, though, of often easier said than done, as the sources of these smells can come from many sources.

Pic

2009-07-26T09:21:00.001-07:00

Massage Therapy does Your Body Good

2009-07-24T19:36:00.001-07:00

Massage Therapy does Your Body Good
by: Dakota Caudilla
If you've never been for a massage therapy before this, one advicetry. Before the massage therapy begins, you would have started experiencing the benefits of a massage therapy. The low lights, the burning of scented candles, the soft, calming music related to massage therapy all contributes towards this serene atmosphere. By the time you start taking a few deep breaths of the room, you would have started to sink into a very warm and comfortable corner of your soul as every single muscle of your body respond to the massage therapy atmosphere.
Massage therapy is one of the most effective ways to helps relieve tired and stressed bodies and minds from the onslaught of daily life. Destination spas with massage therapies are flocked to endlessly all year round. People receive most benefits from massage therapies when they get a regular dose of massage therapy. You can visit a spa as many times as twice a week to once a month this depends on your budget and need. Some people complain that although massage therapy is beneficial, they find the services expensive and are often perceived to be a reward instead of something that they should indulge in on a regular basis.
But here's something to think about: massage therapy is good for our bodies, and our bodies are important to us. The condition of our body can be improved with massage therapy and if we value and would like to upkeep our bodies, we will have to consider massage therapy in a different light. Our body is the one and only physical shell that we will ever be given there will never be another.
Going through a massage therapy can help us refocus our thoughts on what we are feeling in our bodies, instead of what is bothering us mentally. It's almost like experiencing the pleasure of the massage therapy helps bring our minds away from mental stress. It's sometimes called being 'grounded'.
The neck and shoulder areas will be the focus during a massage therapy, because that is where stress of daily life begins to lay its foundation in our body. Our feet, low backs and hips are also thoroughly massaged through to help relax the tensed up muscles there. it has been shown that most times, during a massage therapy session, people feel more sensation when their necks and shoulders are being massagedthat is why some people think that we live from our shoulders up. Massage therapy works extremely well for those who goes through regular yoga and meditation practice.
Although stress is a necessary part of life because a certain amount of stress can motivate and push us to perform at optimal level, too much stress can be distressing to our souls. Too much stress can lead to illnesses and constant bodily problems. This is where massage therapy can help us tremendously well.
Experts in the massage therapy field reckons that we should all consider going for massage therapy at least once a week in order to reap in the full benefits of massage therapy.

Top Tips for Successful BackCountry Navigation by: Chuck Fitzgerald As an outdoor enthusiast you will at some point make a decision to learn how to navigate in the backcountry. Whether you use a map, compass, GPS receiver or all three, there are several things you should know about successful navigation.
Dosage is: 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight.Syrup of ipecac: Can be used to induce vomiting. Dosage is: 1 teaspoon per 20 pounds of body weight.Bismuth subsalicylate: Can be used for vomiting and mild diarrhea.

Three Secrets of a Consistent Golf Stroke

2009-07-23T10:52:00.001-07:00

Three Secrets of a Consistent Golf Stroke
by: Chuck Evans, G.S.E.D.
"At Last! The "3 Secrets" Of A Consistent Golf Stroke -- Revealed! How You Can "INSTANTLY" Drop Strokes Off YOUR GAME!"
What you are about to read... will change your golfing life forever! What are these three "secrets"? If you knew how would they effect your game?. These three "secrets" are what the worlds best players do. Every player MUST know these "secrets" if they are to have a powerful, repeating golf stroke.
The problem with the majority of golfers is that they don't know what to do. Oh their friends, well wishers at best, tell them that they are "bending their left arm", "raising up through the shot", "coming over the top" and host of other swing faults. But these are the same people that shoot the same scores you do! What could they possibly tell you that would improve your game?
The information you are about to receive is not theory or conjecture but science. Ooooh, you say, this sounds complicated. Well it isn't, it is simply the laws of force and motion that govern our entire lives and day to day living. Once you understand these simply laws your golf game will forever change...for the better!
Secret #1: A Flat Left Wrist
Because the golf stroke involves a golf club, a left arm, and a wrist in between, it is called a "lever system". The left wrist acts as a "hinge pin" much like the old time "flail" used to beat wheat. This "hinge pin" can rotate, cock or uncock but NEVER Bends!
Golfers however routinely bend the left wrist causing the clubhead to reach the ball before the hands do. This causes a "quitting" motion, adds loft to the clubface, points the face to the left of target, makes the clubhead swing upward disrupting the downward motion that ALL good golf shots MUST have. Good players DELOFT the clubface at Impact. Poor players ADD loft to the clubface costing them distance, direction, and trajectory.
A 5 iron, for example, has approximately 8 degrees for "forward lean" when soled properly. At Impact with good players the "lean" is approximately 15 degrees. This turns the 5 iron into a 4 iron. Poor players reach Impact with a "backward" leaning clubshaft thereby ADDING loft and turning the 5 iron into a 6-7 iron!
Secret #2: A Staright Plane Line
You only have two choices when it comes to the swing plane, you are either on or you're off. There is no middle ground!
What exactly is the swing plane? The plane is the angle of the clubshaft as it sets at address - period! It is NOT Hogans plane of glass as many would have you to believe. There are only three planes available; Horizontal - a wall Vertical - the floor Inclined somewhere in between
As golfers you and I use the Inclined Plane to swing the club back up and end, down out and forward, up back and in making the Golf Stroke three dimensional.
The clubshaft, actually the sweetspot of the club, may travel to any other plane angle during the swing as long as it DOES NOT cross the base of the plane. Here is a simple way you can know if you are on plane or not. Whichever end of the club is nearest to the ground MUST also point at the base of the plane from horizon to horizon. If neither end is nearer then the clubshaft MUST be horizontal to the ground and parallel to the base of plane.
Secret #3: A Lagging Clubhead
Lag by definition means "trailing". When the clubhead passes the hands coming into Impact there is no "lag". Without "lag" the golf ball cannot be compressed, we cannot hit downward, and we have a tremendous power loss. Clubhead lag promotes a steady and even acceleration giving us a dependable way to control distance.
Look at any picture of your favorite player at Impact. The left arm and clubshaft are in ONE LINE! Never two lines. This means that the player is utilizing "lag". When a ball is struck with "lag" it explodes off the clubface! Without this "lag" the sound turns into one of mush, a soft Impact instead of a driving Impact.

If you follow this outline, learn these three "Secrets" you will be hitting the ball with more compression than you ever thought possible.
For example, a Driver striking a golf ball with a 2 degree "backward" leaning clubshaft at 100 mph with 9.5 degrees of loft produces a launch angle of 6.4 degrees and a carry distance of 230 yards.
By changing Impact to a 2 degree forward leaning clubshaft the player produces a launch angle of 10.4 degrees and a carry of 251 yards. A 21 YARD INCREASE WITHOUT buying a new Driver and simply having clubhead lag!
YOU can improve your game dramatically by following the steps outlined above. Become the best player YOU can be and start winning those 4 way presses! If YOU really want to elevate your game, hit it farther, straighter, and nearer the hole then practice what I've shared with you.

Chuck Evans, G.S.E.D.
www.chuckevansgolf.com
chuck@chuckevansgolf.com
P.S. Visit our website for more information on how to become the best player YOU can be.

Montreal Misery by: David Ferraro We've all done it before.
Mom's Legacy by: Wayne and Tamara Direct Answers - Column for the week of January 13, 2003I am recently divorced from a destructive narcissist.

Sutherland eludes head-butt assault charges

2009-07-22T07:04:00.001-07:00

Assault charges against actor Kiefer Sutherland, who plays Jack Bauer on TV's 24, have been dropped because the alleged victim wouldn't co-operate with authorities. (Matt Sayles/Associated Press)

Assault charges against Canadian actor Kiefer Sutherland over an alleged head-butting incident have been dropped, New York prosecutors announced Tuesday.

The misdemeanour assault charges against the star of TV's 24 have been dropped because the person alleged to be the victim wouldn't co-operate with prosecutors, according to a spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney's office.

In May, Sutherland was involved in an incident with fashion designer Jack McCollough outside a Manhattan nightclub. He is alleged to have head-butted and McCollough, injuring him.

The two men issued a joint statement several weeks later saying they had resolved their differences.

Sutherland, the son of actors Shirley Douglas and Donald Sutherland, is currently serving probation as part of a drunk-driving conviction that sent him to jail for 48 days in 2008.

With files from The Associated Press

Yahoo turns profit after cutting costs

2009-07-22T06:04:00.001-07:00

Yahoo had 13,000 employees at the end of the second quarter of 2009, down from 14,300 a year ago. (Associated Press)

Yahoo reported an eight per cent increase in second-quarter profit late Tuesday, the company's first quarterly earnings improvement since the start of 2008.

Yahoo shares nevertheless slid 45 cents, or 2.7 per cent, to $16.30 US in Tuesday's extended trading, as investors fretted more about what might happen in Yahoo's third quarter after CEO Carol Bartz outlined a plan to spend more money strengthening the company's brand.

The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based internet company wouldn't have boosted its second-quarter profit if not for layoffs and other cost cutting that pared Yahoo's operating expenses by nearly $150 million US, or 15 per cent, from last year. The savings enabled Yahoo to shake off the biggest drop in its ad revenue since the dot-com bust at the beginning of the decade.

But Bartz raised questions about whether the earnings momentum will continue by vowing to spend at least $75 million more promoting Yahoo's brand, hiring more engineers and improving some of its services during the third quarter. On top of that, Yahoo expects to surrender about $75 million in revenue by reducing the volume of ads that management has identified as being too obnoxious.

Ad revenue down 13 per cent

Those plans will squeeze profits unless Yahoo can snap out of a slump that deepened in the third quarter with a 13 per cent decline in ad sales.

Bartz said advertisers appeared willing to spend a little bit more during the second half of the quarter, although she stopped short of predicting better times ahead.

"There's just so much conflicting information in the market that it's just too early to call," she told analysts in a Tuesday conference call.

Yahoo earned $141.4 million US, or 10 cents per share, in the three months ending in June. That was up from income of $131.2 million, or nine cents per share, last year during the same quarter. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters had predicted Yahoo would earn eight cents per share.

Revenue for the period slid 13 percent to $1.57 billion. That's the biggest decline so far in a three-year slump that has seen Yahoo fall further behind internet search leader Google Inc. in the online ad market.

After subtracting commissions paid to its advertising partners, Yahoo's revenue stood at $1.14 billion US. That matched analyst projections.

Since her arrival, Bartz has been identifying Yahoo's strengths and weaknesses, streamlining the company's decision making and cutting deeper into a payroll that had already begun to thin under predecessor and Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang.

Yahoo, Microsoft discuss partnering on search

Yahoo ended the quarter with 13,000 employees, down 9 percent from 14,300 workers at the same time last year.

"The quarter was a mixed bag, but I am pleased we could control the things that we could control вЂ" and that was the cost side of the equation," Tim Morse, Yahoo's chief financial officer, said in a Tuesday interview.

Yahoo encountered its biggest problems in the lucrative search market that generates most of Google's profits. Yahoo's ad sales alongside the search results appearing on its own web site fell 15 percent to $359 million US.

As a possible remedy, Yahoo has discussed turning over its search advertising sales to rival Microsoft Corp., which is eager to pick up more market share to mount a more serious challenge to Google. A blog affiliated with The Wall Street Journal reported the two sides are getting close to reaching a deal that could be announced as early as this week.

Meanwhile, Yahoo is sprucing up its highly trafficked home page for the first time in three years to make it easier to see what's happening at the internet's other hot spots. The long-promised facelift made its debut in the United States on Tuesday.

First Nations to vote for national chief

2009-07-22T05:04:00.001-07:00

Assembly of First Nations national chief hopefuls Shawn Atleo, right, and Bill Wilson chat prior to an all-candidates debate at the assembly's meeting in Calgary on Tuesday. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

Delegates from the Assembly of First Nations are set to vote in Calgary on Wednesday for a new national chief, who will be expected to take on a host of issues, notably aboriginal poverty and the spread of swine flu.

Some 639 First Nations chiefs are eligible to cast ballots at the AFN's annual general meeting. The first ballot will be held in the morning, with results expected by the afternoon.

With five candidates running, several ballots are expected вЂ" it's anticipated subsequent votes will go every two hours.

Extreme poverty in First Nations communities will likely dominate the new leader's agenda, said Phil Fontaine, the outgoing chief, who led the assembly for nine years.

"The person that comes in is going to have to continue to press our case in terms of Canada's single most important social-justice issue, and that's First Nations poverty. Our people are simply too poor," Fontaine said Tuesday in his opening remarks at the meeting.

The new leader will also have to contend with the spread of swine flu in First Nations communities, which Fontaine said he considers an "unacceptable" symptom of poverty. The H1N1 influenza strain blamed for at least 45 deaths across Canada has taken a disproportionate hold on reserves.

"The H1N1 flu, that's a scary situation and that's simply to do with poverty, severe overcrowding and no access to safe drinking water and poor access to quality health care," Fontaine said.

Five candidates are in the leadership race:

Shawn Atleo, British Columbia businessman.
Bill Wilson, British Columbia land claims treaty negotiator.
John Beaucage, Ontario economist.
Perry Bellegarde, Saskatchewan's Little Black Bear First Nation councillor.
Terrance Nelson, Manitoba author and consultant.

Differing platforms

Atleo, vice-chief of the assembly for British Columbia, is the youngest candidate, at 42. Considered by many observers to be the frontrunner, Atleo promotes himself as a bridge builder and boasts a long history as a regional politician.

The key is a united native front across Canada to push for fair access to natural resources on traditional lands, Atleo told delegates Tuesday.

"We know economic independence is political independence. Economic power is political power."

Bellegarde told delegates his business background will help the AFN. He has said economic development and employment are among the priorities he would focus on as national chief.

Wilson, meanwhile, advocates less reliance on the federal government and more control over native resources. Nelson has similarly pushed for more aboriginal autonomy.

Nelson said he believes chiefs should negotiate directly with U.S., Chinese and other foreign investors desperate for natural resources.

"We don't need Ottawa. Ottawa needs you," Nelson said Tuesday.

Beaucage, the grand chief of Ontario's Anishinabek Nation and a former Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation economist, is calling for a hike in yearly funding for aboriginal programs.

With files from The Canadian Press

Aquarium Fish Health: White Spot Disease Symptoms And Cures

2009-07-20T09:27:00.001-07:00

Aquarium Fish Health: White Spot Disease Symptoms And Cures
by: Nathan Miller
Fish death is one of the main problems that beginner aquarist and even some expert aquarist face. It's frustrating to the extent that most quit keeping aquarium fish.
But fish death can be avoided. Most fish deaths are caused as a result of both an internal and external types parasites that compete with the fish in tank.
As a result if you watch your aquarium fish often you should be able to discover when they have been infected by this parasite and be able to treat them to avoid fish death.
Look out for the following White Spot disease behavioral symptoms in your fish.
- Constant lying on the bottom or hanging at the surface.
- Rubbing of the body against rocks
- Gasping at the water surface
- No response to feeding
- General dullness and lethargy
- Hovering in a corner
- Fish swimming with clamps up
The most common of the visible signs is the development of the pin head-size while spots on the body or fins. This ailment is referred to as White Spot disease and is caused by the parasite - Ichthyophthirius Multifillis.
This parasite has a free-swimming stage, which attaches itself to the fish. The most common chemical used in treating infected fishes is Methylene Blue. You could buy a one per cent stock solution from a reputable chemist or aquarium shop and apply at 0.8 to 1.0ml per gallon of water. This amount should be added all at once. Repeat after one or two days.
The fishes must remain in this bath until every while spot has disappeared. A water change after treatment is necessary or else prolonged contact with the chemical may affect the fertility of the fish.
Another tip if you are using a side filter with activated charcoal should remove it to prevent the coal from absorbing the Methylene Blue.
Another tip... during treatment you should use artificial aeration with coarse bubbles near the surface, since a dirty bottom would inactivate the medicament by absorption. A better measure is to remove all dirt from the bottom before treatment.
Methylene Blue is harmless to young fish and unlike the general belief, it does not affect plants if used in weaker concentration.

Whether it be Paris Hilton's sidekick Tinkerbell, or Reese Witherspoons lovable pooch Bruiser in "Legally Blonde," Chihuahuas have hit the big time and everyone wants one: http://yourpetcentral.com/chihuahua-puppes.htm Now before you buy a Chihuahua, there are absolutely some things you need to know about this breed, their health and socialization. These 7 factors are the most important.
Meditate to Unlock Your Hidden Potential Â Part 1 by: Paul M. Jerard Jr.

Quote

2009-07-16T09:05:00.001-07:00

<Guilty> You dont want fatchicks on your pns
<Guilty> Let alone your primary pns

Flash!! I Thought I Saw A Puddy Cat!

2009-07-14T16:36:00.001-07:00

Flash!! I Thought I Saw A Puddy Cat!
by: Richard Vegas
Have you ever had one of those flashes of inspiration? Have you ever just had one of those "knowings" down in the pit of your stomach? No, I don't mean after a big bowl of beans. That's not what I'm talking about. Ever had something flash across your mind and looked like a puddy cat? Read on and discover what it was.
Flashes of inspiration; how sweet they are. And, they can take different forms. Every one of you, at some time or another, has slapped his/her knee and said, "I see it". "I see it". That was your subconscious talking to you. That's where your Spirit lives. And he knows what the answer is even when you don't.
The reason so many people get so few "flashes of inspiration" is they never spend the time to get to know their best friend. Case in point. In the early part of the last century, there was a scientist who, during his lifetime, developed many inventions.
Flying Cats, What's the world coming to?
He said he got his ideas from flashes of puddy cats. Well, that was his way of explaining them. He would go into a dark room with a table and one chair and turn the lights off and sit, and sit, and sit.
He said he didn't care how long it took; he would wait till he saw flashes of puddy cats. He was waiting on fresh ideas and answers to what ever he was disturbed over. He knew the answer was in his Spirit, he just had to get it out.
I Think That Dude Needs a Rubber Room!
While he was in the room, he applied what he called controlled attention, asking his subconscious to give him the answer to his specific problem. The way he described it, on some occasions the puddy cats didn't come too quickly. On some occasions they were fuzzy, no pun intended. Sometime they would fly like machine gun bullets.
As soon as the ideas began to make sense, he would turn the lights on and write them down. He explained the source of them this way. He said they came from knowledge stored in his subconscious but acquired through personal experience; knowledge of others and, knowledge from the infinite intelligence.
He said when he was sitting, he would tune into one or all three of these sources. He emphasized that he "made" the time to do this because it was so beneficial. He said most people would scoff at this because it would appear to be such a waste of time. Most people would rather struggle and fight because they believe that's the way that great achievements come.
Not to mention they would not want others to think they were a fruit cake.
The author of this article has some personal experience with this concept. Being a student of the subconscious and particularly interested in the powers of the unknown and unexplainable, I began to notice some startling results begin to take place after employing these ideas.
No Fruit Cake For Me!
I want it on record here and now, "I have never seen any puddy cats"!! Not real ones anyway. Maybe some baby elephants, Nah. I'm kidding. Although I have to admit, I've looked for them. Hehe! Now just what you think if I told you puddy cats went flying through my closet? Yeah, right.
In your quest for answers you may fail. Remember, Success is never final, and failure is never fatal, only staying down is failure. What you are doing here is, "learning to see." Learning to see so that your quest will help you discover something more, something even greater. What is that? The ability to discover answers any time you need them.
Think about this. How would you feel if you knew with any problem that came up in your life, you could find a series of answers? All of them will not be right. Most of them will be garbage. A few of them may be useable. Some of them will look like puddy cats. Yea. and that's the one we're looking for.
Looks like the 3 Stooges to me!
Be observant, think, look, pay attention, controlled attention, for that's when, who knows, you might see a puddy cat. Here is something I have personally discovered in this process. Pay attention. Many times, not every time, I did not get what I felt was a specific answer to the specific situation at hand.
But, what I got was a direction that appeared to have nothing to do with the problem at hand, but in the end, it was something much more valuable and much greater than I could have ever done through kicking and screaming it into existence.
Learn a lesson from Chris!
Consider this. Christopher Columbus set out to find a way to Asia by traveling west from Spain. That was his goal; that was his definite plan. Well, you know the story. He failed big time. Or, did he? You wouldn't be here if he had succeeded. I believe the infinite wisdom that communicates to our subconscious knew where he should end up. Thank goodness it did.
In many respects, these flashes of imagination could be explained as just an individual brainstorming; i.e.; allowing your imagination to flash ideas from the subconscious to the conscious mind and incorporating the answers to a specific problem. When done, these flashes are examined for value and practicality.
A Good Place to Think!
If you follow my articles you will understand what I'm about to say. I've had people ask me, "Where do you get some of the crazy titles you come up with for your articles"? I tell em "puddy cats". That's where they come from. Although I admit, I'm not always in a closet looking for them. Sometime they come just from watching Gomer Pyle. But, you have to be able to recognize them, when they come, even if you're in your sitting room on your throne.
Every person has the creative ability to do this. It is God given. But, most people just haven't learned to use it. So don't sell yourself short and say "I don't have a puddy cat brain". Yes you do, Sylvester. It is very unlikely that any great mind would have achieved greatness without learning to use the creative abilities of their mind. Discover your puddy cats; they're in there.
Richard Vegas ©2002

In order to properly care for a dog and to comply with certain local laws, the owner must have a number of dog accessories in his or her arsenal. Some of these items are necessary, others are merely conveniences.
While keeping trim is one aspect of being nutritionally sound, there are many other factors that figure into getting your body working in the best possible shape. Your body needs plenty of nutrients to stay in its best condition, and a diet simply isn't enough.

The World's Most Beloved Sport - The History of Soccer

2009-07-12T10:07:00.001-07:00

The World's Most Beloved Sport - The History of Soccer
by: Rebecca Blain
While it is undisputed that the origins of modern soccer, or football, originated in Britain, there is a great deal of evidence that points to this beloved game as having an older history.
Where did the game of soccer really begin, and how old is it? To understand how many different varieties of "soccer" there are, you need to understand a bit about the older versions of the game and how they have evolved.
Below, you will find a list of the predominant cultures that had a variety of soccer, and learn how each one differs from what we play today. And no, they never used anything like Lotto shinguards back then either! Chinese Soccer History Japanese Soccer History Egyptian Soccer History Greek/Roman Soccer History British Soccer History
Chinese Soccer History
To many, this is the oldest version of soccer to exist. However, there is quite a lot of controversy of whether or not this is the oldest, or Japan's version is the elder. The Chinese version of the game, originally named "Tsu Chu", involved players on a field that had to hit a leather ball stuffed with fur into a small hole. Like Soccer, no hands were permitted during the play of the game, and it was considered an honor to be a member of a team.
The Emperor of the Han Dynasty, when the game was developed, was an avid player and fan, and spread the popularity of this game all over China during his reign. This roughly dates back to 300 B.C., although there is controversy on the subject of dating, which could result in the origins of the game being as far back as 5000 B.C. Regardless, this version of Soccer is extremely old. Despite that, there is still a version of Tsu Chu played today. While the two games are similar, Tsu Chu has had no effect on the modern version of the game, as it was originally developed and created for play in Great Britain.
Japanese Soccer History
Kemari, the Japanese version of "Soccer", is perhaps one of the most different forms of the sport, in comparison to modern soccer. Kemari was a game of "Keep it up", much like modern hacky sacks, although used with a larger ball that was stuffed with saw dust. This version involves a "pitch", or the field, designated by the selection of four trees, the cherry, maple, pine and willow. Many great houses in Japan would grow trees to have a permanent pitch, or field, established.
Kemari was normally played with two to twelve players. Established in roughly 1004 B.C., it vies for position of the oldest game with China's Tsu Chu. In fact, China's Tsu Chu players and Japan's Kemari players were the first to have an "International" game of their versions of Soccer, which is dated to have occurred in roughly 50 B.C., although a definite date of 611 A.D. is known. Regardless, this game stands with China as a sister sport to Soccer, while it never affected the modern version of the game.
Egyptian Soccer History
While not much is known about Egyptian Soccer, or other ball games, it is thought there was a version of a type of ball game played by young women during the age of Baqet III. On his tomb, images of this sport were depicted, although no one is certain how the game was played or whether or not it truly affected the outcome of modern soccer. Recordings of this game date as far back as 2500 B.C., although not much more is known asides the fact that it was played with a ball. The lack of information on the sport and how it was played has eliminated it from runnings as the first evidence of a game similar to soccer.
Greek/Roman Soccer History
Perhaps the closest relative to modern soccer are the games that were formed by the Greeks during the prime of their culture. They had numerous varieties of football style games, some of which required hands, some of which forbade hands. In the end, after the Roman conquering of Greece, the game Harpastum is what modern soccer would be based from. This game, probably a modified version of the Greek's "Harpaston", which translates roughly to handball. While grossly misnamed, this game is what is considered to be one of the precursors to modern soccer.
British Soccer History
In Britain during the 8th century, soccer was created, not as a recreational sport, but as a war game. One of the stories of the original roots of the sport comes from when a Danish Prince was beheaded, and his head was used as a ball and was kicked around. Ever since this 'legendary' tale, villages and other communities would play a game where they would have to kick a ball to a specific goal. It was a violent game, where injury and death were not uncommon, but it was popular nevertheless. In fact, it was so violent, that in 1331, King Edward the III passed laws to try to stop the playing of the game. It did not work, however, and the sport continued on.
There are even stories of soccer games that involved hundreds upon hundreds of players. In these games, there were many deaths, some resulting in the hundreds. It wasn't until 1815 when Eton College set up a series of rules for the game that it became less violent and more of a true sport. At this time, other colleges and universities took up the banner and began to play under similar rules. Later, the rules were evaluated and judged, and the Cambridge rules were created as a result in 1848. In the Cambridge rules, shin-kicking, carrying the ball and tripping were all forbidden. Rugby rules allowed these aspects, and the two varieties of soccer, or football, split to form their own followings.
On October 26, 1863, London schools and sports club sent representatives to the Freemason's Tavern, where the Football Association was formed. Rugby supporters left this association to form the Rugby Association. This is where the birth of modern soccer began. In 1969, the Football Association finalized the modern game of soccer by forbidding the use of hands in the game.
The term "Soccer" was coined when someone was asked if he was a Rugger, which is a Rugby player. The -er signified that the person participated in a a particular sport. The individual, Charles Wreford Brown, replied with "Soccer!", taking the phrase from Association, SOC, and adding the -er. The term stuck. While British individuals still call the game Football, Americans and other countries call it Soccer, especially if they have heavy support in American Football present. Ever since the foundation of the Association, "Football" has risen in popularity, becoming one of the best love games in the history of Earth. Now, hundreds of thousands play the sport, although it lacks the initial violence present at its creation.

Travel Doctor Q&A by: News Canada Dr. Suni BorastonVancouver, BCQ: I am going on a vacation to Mexico and have been told that you cannot eat or drink anything without being affected by Montezuma's Revenge.
We walked a couple hundred yards behind the house and sat down on a log. It was only a few minutes later he said that he needed to go back to the house to go to the bathroom.

Quote

2009-07-10T11:55:00.001-07:00

<EnDs> N E 1 have that song u know the one from woodstolk?

Finding A Dog Breeder

2009-07-08T21:52:00.001-07:00

Finding A Dog Breeder
by: Kirsten Hawkins
If you're in the market for a purebred dog, you'll need to find a breeder from which to purchase the animal. This can often be as easy as opening the classified advertising section of your local newspaper, but you'll want to be sure that the breeder you've chosen is reputable. There are several ways to help ensure that the breeder you've found knows his stuff and is reliable, professional, and trustworthy.
Ask for References
Any good breeder will be able to provide you references of clients he has worked with in the past. These will be people who have purchased a puppy or utilized stud services and will be happy to share their experiences with you. Choosing a breeder that was used by someone you know is a good choice as well. If your friend or family member was happy with the service and treatment he or she received from the breeder, the odds are good that you will be as well.
Prepare to be Asked Questions
A good breeder will have as many questions for you as you have for him, perhaps more. Good breeders work to ensure that the dogs they breed are placed with the correct people. They may ask whether you have children, what size home or yard you have, and numerous other questions to help them let you know whether the dog you're seeking is right for you and your family. A breeder that doesn't ask these types of questions may be looking just for the money from the sale of the dog and is probably not the sort of breeder you want to do business with. A good breeder always has the best interest of both the dog and the clients in mind.
Guarantees
A good breeder will have had the puppies checked for potential health risks before ever selling the animal. Some problems, however, simply are not detectable until later in life. If you purchase a golden retriever pup, for example, and six months later discover that it has hip dysplasia (a genetic defect in the animals hip joints, it is often nearly undetectable until the animal is several months old), a good breeder will issue a refund to you, no questions asked. Genetic defects like this are avoided by the use of selective breeding (hip dysplasia in dogs has between a 25% and 85% chance that it is genetic in origin), but sometimes a pup will display the disorder even if there is no trace of it in either parent's history.
Other Sources
Aside from looking in the newspaper of on the internet for a dog breeder, breeders can be found through veterinarian's offices, pet supply stores, and at dog shows. Dog shows are a very good choice since the breeders that attend these events are often showing one of their dogs or are there to see the performance of one that they bred and sold in the past.

Have You Heard About...Cosplay? by: Mallory York The word ?cosplay? is actually a blending of the words ?costume? and ?play?. Cosplayers are called this because not only do they dress up like their favorite characters, but they also act out skits and pose for pictures as the characters?just like actors in a play.
A Great Day of Cat Skiing by: Lachlan Brown Snowcat skiing offers strong-intermediate and expert skiers the ultimate powder snow experience.Operators provide full-service guided tours into remote high-mountain regions. Powder snow and "fresh tracks" are the norm.

The Exact Reason Why Cardio is Essential: Avoiding The Starvation Response

2009-07-07T21:17:00.001-07:00

The Exact Reason Why Cardio is Essential: Avoiding The Starvation Response
by: Johnny Lavot
Cardio, Calories, and the Starvation Response
Most of the time, when someone decides that they want to lose fat, they inevitably head for the nearest fad diet. However, 95% (closer to 100%) of the time, these fad diets fail. The reason they fail is because exercise is rarely incorporated into the program. In order to lose fat, there must be a deficit of calories in the diet. In other words, your body must use more calories than you eat in order to use its fat stores for energy. This seems simple enough; however, it becomes a bit more complicated. There are two ways a calorie deficit can be accomplished. The first one is to eat fewer calories. The second one is to use more calories (exercise). The best way to accomplish fat loss without hitting a plateau and failing is a combination of both. You must eat less calories and burn more calories. If you try to accomplish a calorie deficit only by eating less calories, then you're body thinks it's starving, and will go into a "starvation mode" where it lowers its metabolism in order to prepare for a period of little food (this is more than likely a protective response from years ago when food actually did become scarce, unlike today). Another reason that the metabolism is lowered is because when there is a period of little food, your body tries its best to protect the brain. The brain always requires glucose (carbohydrates that are in the body) to run; however, glucose can not be stored in the body. Therefore, the only way for the body to get glucose is to eat its own muscle (muscle can be converted to glucose) - which lowers your metabolism and causes the starvation response. So, the body accomplishes two things by eating its own muscle: it provides glucose for the brain and causes your body to require less food, since less muscle equals a lower metabolism. When the starvation response is elicited, you smack into the fat loss plateau and the fad diet fails.
When you incorporate exercise into your routine, your body feels more comfortable with not lowering your metabolism. If you are exercising frequently, then your body thinks, "I'm actually doing something, so there is probably an abundance of food now, and I shouldn't worry too much." Therefore, the starvation response is mostly avoided. Two important forms of exercise to produce this affect are weight training and aerobic exercise (cardio). However, this article is mostly about cardio.
The goal of cardio is to burn calories while avoiding the starvation response. Many times when you mention "exercise" or "cardio", people immediately get negative thoughts in their head about the extreme difficulty of doing such exercise, but these thoughts are misguided. Cardio gets easier as your body adapts, is very rewarding, and can even be fun.
How Cardio Becomes Easier While Still Burning the Same Amount of Calories
As you do cardio more and more, you body begins to adapt and become better at performing the same work, but with less perceived effort. The body becomes able to move nutrients and oxygen around faster because you build new capillaries, the cells produce more mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell), your heart becomes more powerful, your body produces more blood, and a host of other adaptations that would cover a whole textbook. The main thing to note here is that you still burn the same amount of calories, even after your body adapts and cardio becomes easier. However, with your new, more adapted body, you will be able to accomplish exercise that burns even more calories resulting in even more fat loss. For instance, in order to burn 300 calories, you would have to walk for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. In contrast, jogging for about 25-30 minutes (the amount of time will vary depending upon your speed) will burn 300 calories. Obviously, the last one is more practical unless you just have a huge amount of time on your hands. Walking also doesn't elicit the endorphin high that running/jogging does either (discussed later).
The Overload Principle
When you begin a cardio program, your first goal should probably be to adapt to the point where you can burn a sufficient amount of calories. This involves the overload principle. The overload principle is simple: in order to initiate adaptations within your body you must exercise with either a greater intensity, duration, or frequency. Depending upon the type you decide to overload (intensity, duration, or frequency), you will adapt to that type. For instance, if you want to run faster in the same amount of distance, you should run faster, and your body will adapt to that. If you want to run farther, you should run farther, and your body will adapt to that. There is a high degree of specificy that goals along with this principle, but that is the topic for another article. Pretty much, the overload principle reveals that doing the same routine every time without trying to push yourself harder will result in no adaptations. For instance, if you do the same aerobics tape everyday, then your body will never adapt any further - since there is no need for it to. However, if you were to get a more advanced tape and do it, this would initiate an adaptation in your body, but then you would have to find an even harder tape to initiate any further adaptations. Keep in mind though, if you decide to stay at the same level of fitness and do the same routine, then you will still burn the same amount of calories, and if your goal is just fat loss this may be a potential option for you.
Just Get Started!
If you haven't done any cardio for a while, you should obviously start out small. Start out with just a brisk walk, then intermittent jogs while you are jogging, then finally, you will be able to jog the whole time, and then increase your times/speed to the point where you are happy. The hardest part is really just to start doing something. Once you get your momentum going by exercising for the first time, even if you have to start out small, you have already accomplished the hardest part.
Your Body's Reward to You: An Endorphin High
In addition to burning off unwanted fat, doing cardio gives you something called an "endorphin high". This all natural high induces a feeling of well-being, relaxation, improvement in mood, and increase in your ability to think more clearly. It's theorized that this is the reason why many long distance runners are "addicted" to running - they love the high they get afterwards! Once you've experienced one of these, you're even more likely to continue your regime and therefore continue to burn off fat.
Cardio in the Morning?
Although calories are the most important thing when considering fat loss; you must also realize that not all calories are created equal. When you wake up in the morning, you body is low on something called glycogen. Glycogen is essentially another word for stored carbohydrates in the body. When exercising, glycogen is a more preferred fuel source to the body in comparison to fat. Your body always uses a mixture of glycogen and fat to run, but the ratio is many times dependant upon the availability of these fuel sources. So, when your body is low on glycogen in the morning, it is forced to burn fat at a higher ratio than if you had just eaten. Therefore, doing cardio in a fasted state will burn more fat than doing it in a non-fasted state. In one study, the researchers concluded that this method can burn 17% more fat in comparison to if you had just eaten (1). Another study agrees with this by stating, "our results support the hypothesis that endurance training enhances lipid oxidation (lipid oxidation means the burning of fat) in men after a 12-h fast at low relative exercise intensities" (2). If you decide to perform cardio in the morning, remember to drink lots of water before-hand (you'll be dehydrated after waking up), and if you want the extra fat burning response, you'll have to avoid breakfast until after you're done.
Another reason to exercise in the morning is due to the fact that it will allow you to be in a better mood and to think more clearly for the rest of the day due to the endorphin high. You are also probably more likely to perform cardio in the morning in comparison to the afternoon when you could just blow it off because you are "too tired".
Make Sure You're Hydrated
Before starting on your new cardio regime, make sure you are properly hydrated. Water increases your capacity to think and exercise more efficiently. Water is required for nearly every reaction inside of your body. Most people walk around in a state of semi-dehydration. Exercising can cause you to get dizzy and pass-out (this author has experienced this), suffer a heat injury, or in severe cases, cause death. Ever had that thick, cotton-like feeling in your mouth while exercising? Cotton-mouth is an obvious sign that you are dehydrated; if you ever get cotton-mouth while performing aerobic exercise, please realize that you could be performing much better and reducing your risk of experiencing dehydration's nasty side effects if you only had drank more water beforehand. It is best to drink water throughout the day rather than only around the time you exercise.
Music!
One sure fire way to get you pumped up and associate cardio with something positive is to listen to some music before and while doing it. You'll be surprised at how much better you perform and how much more fun cardio seems.
As stated before, the hardest part about a cardio regime is starting. Remember to incorporate the overload principle when trying to cause an adaptative response, to stay hydrated, and to listen to music while performing your cardio regime. Also, you may even decide that you want to perform your cardio in the morning to feel good and be able to think more clearly for the rest of the day and to burn even more fat. Once you get passed that point and experience some of cardio's effects such as fat loss without hitting a plateau, a feeling of accomplishment, and that awesome endorphin high, you'll become addicted. However, no exercise routine is complete without the proper support from an intelligent nutritional program; for more information on this you can visit http://www.weight-loss-resources.com.
1. Brehm, B.A., and Gutin, B. Recovery energy expenditure for steady state exercise in runners and non-exercisers. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. (1986) 18: 205.
2. Bergman, BC, Brooks, GA. Respiratory gas-exchange ratios during graded exercise in fed and fasted trained and untrained men. Journal of Applied Physiology. (1999) 86: 2.

In 1956 when Elvis Presley arrived in Hollywood he and his entourage stayed at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. One day he got into the elevator.
What is the difference between a pizza and a jazz musician?A. A pizza can feed a family of four!What is it about jazz that makes a jazz musician stick to a form of music that A&R managers have scientifically and suspiciously proven to be a musician's surest route to death by starvation?One good reason would be the fact that jazz allows me to be myself as opposed to pop that wants me to be Madonna.

Lyle Overbay: Milwaukee Brewers First Baseman

2009-07-06T09:09:00.001-07:00

Lyle Overbay: Milwaukee Brewers First Baseman
by: Kevin Bourassa
Not too many people would know who I'm talking about if I mentioned Lyle Overbay before the season started. Now that he's batting .347 with 5 homers and 31 RBI's(2nd in NL), many fans and fantasy owners are taking notice. Overbay has helped the Brewers maintain a .500 record (through May 13th) and has helped himself get some recognition with a current 13-game hit streak. The fantasy owners are starting to flock to this 27-year old Brewer. Overbay may be a big hitter, 6'2", but he is more of a contact hitter. He has a flat swing, which allows him to hit a ball anywhere in the field. That being said, he has hit 5 homers this season in 124 at bats, 1 more than his 2003 total in which he had 254 at bats. Lyle Overbay has shown his all-star potential since moving from Arizona to Milwaukee as part of the Richie Sexson trade. Overbay went 7-11 with 6 RBI's in a series against his former team, the Diamondbacks.
Overbay's success didn't start this year, as a graduate from the University of Nevada, he was a right fielder and has led the Big West Conference in hits, runs, and RBI's. The 1999 Ralph Nelles Award for Most Valuable Player broke the short-season minor league record for RBI's in a season with 101 RBI's. Overbay's 101 RBI's broke Medicine Hat Blue Jay's Jay Gibbons' (currently with Baltimore) 98 RBIs in 1998.
Fantasy owners all around need to take notice, if they haven't already, of this young slugger. Overbay has the potential to be an all-star first baseman in the future, and maybe even this season if he keeps up his current numbers.

There are many plants that we consume that contain polyphenols. Concentrations are high in Olive oil and Green Tea and have been the subject of many health articles and promoted to enhance your health.How do Polyphenols work?These antioxidants eliminate free radicals, unstable molecules that are the major cause of both aging and disease, in both plants and humans.
Besides the apistogramma group there are also some relatively popular dwarf cichlids from Africa, like the Pelvicachromis group. From this group the most widespread cichlid is the Pelvicachromis pulcher, also known as the Kribensis or Purple cichlid.Generally the cichlids from the apistogramma group are more fragile and harder to maintain, and breed, for a longer period of time.

An Insight Into PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)

2009-07-05T08:39:00.001-07:00

An Insight Into PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)
by: Ruth Bird
I was cruising the "net" just recently, when I came across "PCOS". I had never heard of this but I found it very interesting because for years I have suffered with blood sugar problems. So as soon as I come across an article that relates to blood sugar, I research it further. This is very interesting because so many women suffer with this condition. And, like many blood sugar conditions, it also can go undiagnosed.
What you're about to read will give you a greater understanding of PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) and how to reverse its underlying condition, Insulin Resistance. This information is not about fad diets, magic pills or fantasy claims to transform the way you look and feel overnight. It is about accurate scientific information that can help you to effectively change the way your body responds to food and help reverse your PCOS.
INSULIN RESISTANCE IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF PCOS http://syndromex.stanford.edu/InsulinResistance.htm The above is a link to more detailed information from the stanford.edu website. Are you one of the millions of women with PCOS who have failed to reverse the symptoms of this condition no matter what you've tried? It may not be due to lack of willpower. Instead, you could be Insulin Resistant, the root cause of PCOS.
Scientists at the National Institutes of Health, Stanford University and other research centers have clearly identified the existence and effects of Insulin Resistance, a biochemical condition that causes excessive weight gain and PCOS, which is also known as polycystic ovaries. If you are among the 65% of the overweight population with Insulin Resistance, your ability to reverse your PCOS and lose weight may not have been within your control - until now.
This breakthrough in understanding the body's biochemistry remains relatively unknown, even though Insulin Resistance has reached epidemic proportions. Your doctor may not have explained the crucial link between Insulin Resistance and PCOS. You need to understand this link in order to reverse your condition.
The Insulite PCOS System is the first scientifically-designed method that restores your body's ability to conquer PCOS by reversing Insulin Resistance. You can also read more here: http://www.pcosupport.org/living/nutrition/insulinre.php PCOS AND INSULIN RESISTANCE PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) is a hormonal imbalance linked to the way the body processes insulin after it has been produced by the pancreas to regulate blood sugar (glucose).
The underlying cause of PCOS, Insulin Resistance, has many factors that contribute to its presence in the body. In essence, our environment and lifestyles have evolved too rapidly for our bodies to keep pace. We are still genetically "wired" to thrive on the entrenched habits of our ancestors, who consumed different, nutrient-rich foods, a diet low in carbohydrates and who sustained greater levels of movement and exercise. Some people may also have a genetic predisposition to Insulin Resistance, while others develop the condition through high stress and unhealthy lifestyles. Also check Dr. Barry Sears Books on Hormonal Balance. INSULIN RESISTANCE NEGATIVELY AFFECTS GLUCOSE AND INSULIN LEVELS SYMPTOMS OF PCOS Doctors very often misdiagnose PCOS. This became an issue of critical concern after a study in 2000 found that women suffering from PCOS have a higher risk of coronary heart disease.
Researchers found a link between PCOS and other metabolic conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure and high levels of LDL "bad" cholesterol, all of which are risk factors for coronary heart disease.
Studies have also shown an increased link between PCOS and atherosclerosis, which occurs when fatty deposits called plague cling to the interior walls of the arteries, leading to blockages that can cause heart attacks or stroke. Not only do PCOS sufferers have higher rates of plaque buildup but those over 45 have thicker deposits of plaque.
Another report indicated that up to 40% of women with PCOS have either impaired glucose tolerance or Type II Diabetes by the age of 40. Many conditions can be managed by ourselves. It is well worth it to check the information available on the internet.
Please take note: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

They ae generally curcular patches that lose hair, can be swollen, in extreme cases may exude smelly pus, and can be painfully itchy causing the dog to scratch, lick, or bite to the point of self mutilation. Untreated hot spots can spread and provoke a normally even-tempered dog to growl or nip when touched.Dogs most susceptible to hot spots are those with heavy coats and histories of allergies, ear infections, fles infestations, iritated anal sacs and grooming problems such as hair tangles and mats.
How are you two doing tonight? Just come from the gym? Whew, one of you needs a shower. Here's our menu.

Dunn hits 300th career home run

2009-07-04T13:04:00.001-07:00

Washington Nationals slugger Adam Dunn hit his 300th career home run Saturday, ending Braves rookie Tommy Hanson's consecutive scoreless innings streak at 26 with the milestone blast.

Dunn hit a 2-2 fastball two-thirds of the way up the second deck in right field leading off the seventh inning, cutting Atlanta's lead to 3-1.

Dunn is the fifth major league player this season to reach the 300-homer plateau, joining Houston's Lance Berkman and Ivan Rodriguez, and Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox.

The 29-year-old Dunn is the fifth player in major league history to reach that total in less than 4,200 at-bats, succeeding in his 4,145th at-bat. The others are Babe Ruth (3,830), Mark McGwire (3,837), Ralph Kiner (3,883) and Harmon Killebrew (3,928).

After a shaky major league debut on June 7, Hanson (4-0) had allowed just two runs in 22 innings heading into Saturday's contest.

Canadian-made sci-fi series gets ABC pickup

2009-07-04T10:04:00.001-07:00

Defying Gravity, a CTV science-fiction series made in Vancouver, has been picked up by ABC in yet another coup for Canadian-made television programs.

The one-hour series, which stars Vancouver's Laura Harris, is co-produced by Canada's Omni Films with Fox Television Studios.

Described as a kind of interplanetary relationship drama, the series has some high-flying executive producers: James Parriott, who also runs Grey's Anatomy as well as Ugly Betty, and Michael Edelstein, the executive producer of Desperate Housewives.

Written by Parriott, Defying Gravity is based on the BBC drama Space Odyssey: Voyage to the Planets.

Defying Gravity вЂ" already sold to Britain and Germany вЂ" shifts back and forth in time, between the astronauts' present location in space and their past relationships on earth.

The series is CTV's fourth original production to be picked up in the U.S. CBS claimed Flashpoint and The Bridge while NBC added The Listener to its lineup.

Serena Williams wins 3rd Wimbledon title

2009-07-04T08:04:00.001-07:00

Serena Williams prepares a forehand while playing her sister Venus for the fourth time in a Wimbledon final. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press)

Serena Williams was a woman on a mission on Saturday, defeating older sister Venus for her first Wimbledon title in six years.

Serena lost just eight points on her serve en route to a 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory. All three of her career wins at Wimbledon have come at the expense of her sister.

She converted her fourth match point of the final game when Venus smacked a backhand into the net.

"It feels so amazing," Serena said. "I feel so blessed вЂ¦ I feel like I shouldn't be holding the trophy."

The American captured her 11th Grand Slam title as a result, leaving her one shy of Billie Jean King for sixth on the all-time women's list.

Venus was going for her third consecutive Wimbledon championship, coming into the match with a 20-match winning streak. All but three of those matches were done in straight sets.

"Today she was too good, she had an answer for everything," Venus said.

The Williamses hit a variety of strong shots in the final, committing a relatively low 24 errors. But the Centre Court crowd was oddly quiet despite the display, only rarely erupting with passion.

The first break point came in the eighth game of the first set. Venus hit a forehand long, allowing Serena to fire consecutive aces to keep things even at 4.

Serena had her best chance to break in the 10th game, winning one of the first set's few lengthy rallies to force deuce, but could get no further.

Serena jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the tiebreak, hammering a forehand down the line on the sixth point. She moved her older sister around the court with powerful groundstrokes to take a 6-2 advantage, and finished off the set two points later with a lob.

Serena won her service games early in the second with relative ease, while forcing Venus to scratch and claw on her serve.

Venus double-faulted for the first service break of the match, giving Serena a 4-2 lead.

The eventual winner took the next game at love and then finally finished out the match after squandering three chances.

The sisters have often remarked on how difficult it is emotionally to play each other. They will join forces later in the day to go for their fourth Wimbledon and ninth Grand Slam doubles championship, against Australians Sam Stosur and Rennae Stubbs.

Toronto's Daniel Nestor and Serbian partner Nenad Zimonjic will try to win their second consecutive Wimbledon men's doubles title later in the day against rivals Bob and Mike Bryan of the United States. The Bryan brothers won the tournament in 2006.

Quote

2009-07-01T21:57:00.001-07:00

<sphynx> crushes suck
<sphynx> i hate em
<sphynx> the dilemma, the desperation
<sphynx> the hopes dashed etc
<shirazz> the masturbation
<shirazz> hehehe
<bark> the masturbation is ok.
<Kyoto> hey.. the masturbation is good..

British judge orders extradition for Creba suspect

2009-07-01T08:04:00.001-07:00

A British judge has recommended that a man wanted in connection with the Boxing Day 2005 shooting of Toronto teenager Jane Creba be extradited to Canada.

Dorian Wallace, 30, is a British citizen who was injured in the gunfire that left 15-year-old Creba dead on Yonge Street in Toronto.

Police initially thought he was an innocent bystander caught up in the gunfire. He was in Canada illegally at the time, having overstayed a tourist visa. Upon his release from hospital after recovering from gunshot wounds, he was deported to England.

But now, police say he is wanted in connection with the shooting, and in March they began the extradition process. The British judge granted that request Tuesday.

Two of Wallace's cousins are Canadian, and they have been charged with murder and manslaughter in the Creba case.

One man, a 20-year-old known only as J.S.R. because he was a youth at the time of the shooting, has been found guilty of second-degree murder in Creba's slaying.

Eight other people вЂ" one youth and seven adult suspects вЂ" have been charged with either second-degree murder or manslaughter, and currently have trials underway or set to begin later this year.

The judge's recommendation does not mean Wallace will be sent to Canada immediately, as by law all extraditions must be approved by the British home secretary, a process that can take weeks.

Wallace is also entitled to appeal the decision.

Yemeni plane crash survivor clung to debris 13 hours

2009-07-01T07:04:00.001-07:00

A Yemenia Airways worker looks at a notice of an announcement of Flight IY626 at SanвЂ™a International Airport in Comoros on Monday. (Khaled Abdullah/Reuters)

A bruised teenage girl believed to be the lone survivor of a Yemeni plane crash clung to the aircraft debris for more than 13 hours before she was rescued in the Indian Ocean, a French official said Wednesday.

There appear to be no other survivors, but one of the plane's black boxes had been found, French officials said.

The Yemenia Airbus 310 jet carrying 153 people to island nation of Comoros crashed into the sea early Tuesday as it attempted to land in the dark amid howling winds.

An Associated Press reporter saw 14-year-old Bahia Bakari in a Comoros hospital Wednesday as she was visited by government officials. She was conscious with bruises on her face and a gauze bandage on her elbow.

"It is a true miracle. She is a courageous young girl," Alain Joyandet, France's minister for international co-operation, said at the hospital. "She held onto a piece of the plane from 1:30 a.m to 3 p.m. She has lost her mother. Her father arrives tomorrow."

Ejected from plane

'"Papa, we saw the plane going down in the water. I was in the water, I could hear people talking, but I couldn't see anyone. I was in the dark, I couldn't see a thing, on top of that Daddy, I can't swim well and I held onto something, but I don't really know what." вЂ"Bahia Bakari in telephone conversation with her father

The girl's father told French radio that his daughter was "fragile" and could "barely swim," but managed to hang on. Kassim Bakari said he spoke with his oldest daughter by phone after Tuesday's crash. Bahia had left Paris on Monday night with her mother to see family in the Comoros.

He said she was ejected and found herself beside the plane.

"She couldn't feel anything, and found herself in the water. She heard people speaking around her but she couldn't see anyone in the darkness," Bakari said on France's RTL radio. "She's a very timid girl; I never thought she would escape like that."

Said Mohammed, a nurse at El Mararouf hospital in the Comoros capital of Moroni, said the girl was doing well and doctors would release more on her condition later Wednesday.

Sgt. Said Abdilai told Europe 1 radio that Bahia was too weak to grasp the life ring rescuers threw to her, so he jumped into the sea to get her. He said rescuers gave the trembling girl warm water with sugar.

Equipment faults reported

The crash a few kilometres off this island nation came two years after aviation officials reported equipment faults with the plane, an aging Airbus 310 flying the last leg of a Yemenia airlines flight from Paris and Marseille to the Comoros, with a stop in Yemen to change planes.

Most of the passengers were from the Comoros, a former French colony. Sixty-six on board were French nationals.

Turbulence was believed to be a factor in the crash, the Yemen Embassy in Washington said.

The tragedy prompted an outcry in Comoros, where residents have long complained of a lack of seatbelts on Yemenia flights and planes so overcrowded that passengers had to stand in the aisles.

Anti-sealing activists convicted

2009-07-01T06:04:00.001-07:00

A judge has convicted two anti-sealing activists of coming too close to a hunt without a permit off Cape Breton.

In April 2008, the ship the Farley Mowat, captained by Dutch national Alex Cornelissen and carrying Swede Peter Hammarstedt, was boarded by the Canadian Coast Guard.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which owns the ship, say the vessel was merely monitoring the seal hunt. But sealers allege the ship's crew was harassing them and endangering their lives.

On April 12, 2008, the two men were arrested and the vessel was towed to the harbour in Sydney, N.S., where it has remained ever since.

On Tuesday, provincial court Judge Jean Whalen ruled that the two men were guilty of coming within one-half nautical mile of a seal hunt without proper authorization.

The Farley Mowat was boarded and seized by the Canadian Coast Guard in 2008. (Courtesy of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society)

She accepted the sealers' testimony that they feared for their lives when the Mowat sailed near them, and said video and radar evidence makes it clear the vessel was in Canadian waters at the time.

The maximum penalty for the offences is a fine of $100,000, and the crewmen could be subject to orders in relation to their future conduct, although jail time is unlikely.

Neither of the accused appeared or had legal representation at the 3ВЅ-day trial.

Sentencing is set for Sydney on Sept. 10.

With files from The Canadian Press

Felicien wins national hurdles final

2009-06-27T16:04:00.001-07:00

Perdita Felicien won the women's 100-metre hurdles final at the Canadian track and field championships Saturday in Toronto.

Felicien finished with a time of 12.80, edging out Olympic bronze medallist Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, who ran the course in 12.95. Lopes-Schliep had won the last four times the pair had raced, but Felicien was clearly motivated to win an eighth national title in the event.

Dylan Armstrong of Kamloops, B.C., easily won the men's shot put event on Saturday.

The 28-year-old, who was fourth at last summer's Beijing Olympics, fouled on four of his six throws, but his first toss of 20.30 metres was good enough to win.

Justin Rodhe of Kamloops threw 19.24 for second, while Matthew Doherty of Red Deer, Alta., was third with 16.30.

Jennifer Joyce of Richmond, B.C., won the women's hammer throw with a toss of 69.05 metres.

Sultana Frizell of Perth, Ont., the Canadian record holder, was second at 68 metres, while Megann Vandervliet was third with 60.48.

Earlier Saturday, Derek Watkins of Windsor, Ont., won the men's high jump, clearing 2.18 metres. Mark Dillon of Toronto jumped 2.15 for second, while Michael Mason of Nanoose Bay, B.C., took the bronze with 2.15.

The Canadian championships are the qualifying meet for next month's world championships in Berlin, and also mark the first time Toronto's Varsity Stadium has hosted the event in nearly 40 years.

Gay rodeo brings revenue to Strathmore, Alta.

2009-06-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

Organizers of Canada's only gay rodeo say the event will give the economy in Strathmore, Alta., a boost.

The Alberta Rockies Gay Rodeo Association will hold its two-day event east of Calgary on June 27 and 28.

Judy Munson, one of the organizers, said local businesses will benefit from the event.

"They might as well reap the revenue of having us here and we'll bring a fair amount of money into the town and the economy," she said.

"I mean, the hotels are full, the motels are full, and so the restaurants and bars will see a bit of revenue, which will be good for them."

The gay rodeo moved out of Symons Valley Ranch north of Calgary this summer after 15 years there because the event had outgrown its former venue.

Munson said the gay rodeo has been given a warm welcome in Strathmore.

"It's been amazing. The people have been greatвЂ¦[and] we have people from the community volunteering for us that want to get involved. It's just been overwhelming."

Organizers expect as many as 4,000 people to attend the events at the Strathmore Rodeo Grounds.

New fees squeeze Vancouver's outdoor fitness operators

2009-06-27T14:04:00.001-07:00

An outdoor boot camp instructor oversees a class in Vancouver Friday. (CBC)

Vancouver's outdoor fitness operators say the city is making it harder for them to hold sessions in the city's parks.

After a recent decision by the Vancouver Park Board, outdoor workout programs, like bootcamps and yoga classes, will now require licences to operate at local beaches and green spaces.

Antonio Zivanovic, who runs an outdoor Vancouver fitness company, said the fee is bad for business.

"The fee that's associated with it makes it difficult because it is a businessвЂ¦[where] the margins are very tight. [It] makes it difficult for

St. Lawrence residents rally over weekend clinic hours

2009-06-26T04:04:00.001-07:00

Residents of St. Lawrence rallied on Thursday to keep the local clinic open on weekends this summer. (CBC)

Dozens of residents of a town on Newfoundland's Burin Peninsula rallied in steady rains on Thursday to protest the closure of weekend services at the town's medical clinic.

To accommodate summer vacation scheduling, Eastern Health is closing the clinic in St. Lawrence from Friday evening until Monday morning. For the rest of the summer, St. Lawrence residents will be directed to the regional hospital in Burin, about 40 kilometres away.

Eastern Health says the area will be served with a regional complement, including ambulances.

But Deputy Mayor Paul Pike told protesters, who held placards calling on Eastern Health and the Newfoundland and Labrador government to change the policy, that reaching the hospital is not necessarily that easy.

"People are talking about call times of 20 minutes, getting to Burin in 20 minutes. That's not so," he said.

"You can't get to Burin in 20 minutes if you have to call an ambulance. That ambulance, the one in Burin could be down over the road, or farther вЂ" could be in the Marystown area. The one in Lawn could be in Lamaline."

Residents of St. Lawrence successfully lobbied Eastern Health in early 2008 to drop a planned three-week closure.

With the latest cutback in service, though, residents have so far had no success.

Couple used website to defraud 'naive' investors, judge rules

2009-06-26T03:04:00.001-07:00

Earl Lawery Matthews and Reyanne Briand have been found guilty of fraud. (CBC)

A judge in southern Newfoundland has convicted a couple of defrauding unsuspecting investors of hundreds of thousands of dollars through a website that even suggested the pair were fighting poverty.

Earl Lawery Matthews, a U.S. citizen, and Reyanne Briand, a Canadian, were found guilty in Grand Bank of fraud and possession of criminally obtained property.

Judge Harold Porter found the couple had founded a web-based business called Aid4Families.com, which included vaguely written promises that suggested investors could earn healthy returns on their investments.

In a written decision released Wednesday, Porter lashed out at Matthews and Briand, who had settled on Newfoundland's Burin Peninsula after starting their business in Quebec, as manipulating their clients with concocted promises of what investors could expect.

"These claims, all of them false, were made in order to induce potential 'investors' to believe that Aid4Families.com was a stable, reliable, and ethical institution. Aid4Families.com was neither of these: it was instead a means by which the accused sought to deprive the naive of their funds," Porter wrote.

"The Aid4Families.com website is replete with exaggeration, false promise, and plain lies. It provides ample evidence of dishonest and discreditable behaviour on the part of the defendants."

The website is no longer active.

Porter found that the couple used aliases, and exhibited an ongoing pattern of deception in dealing with customers.

A police investigation was launched after investors in the U.S. reported problems. In one case, a couple had invested almost $350,000, expecting a high rate of return. Porter noted that the couple used language on their site that indicated a high rate of return, such as 25 per cent, but which had no legal meaning.

Porter found that Matthews and Briand also pulled on clients' heartstrings to gain their trust.

"Perhaps the lowest form of deceit found on the website is the claim that Aid4Families.com had opened a 'charitable branch,' " he wrote, adding they used "pictures of happy, smiling children" to promote their cause.

He said the pair promised to use one per cent of profits "to resolve problems like hunger (irrigation, sanitation, roads and greenhouses), poverty (financial grants for business and education), train and pay the homeless and poor to be dispatched around the world, and build homes that respect the traditional culture and meets modern needs."

Later, in his judgment, Porter concluded, "On the contrary, the only persons who might have benefited from those operations were the accused, and they did not loan one cent to anybody."

Porter said he would sentence Matthews and Briand at a later date.

Michael Jordan keen to buy Bobcats

2009-06-26T00:04:00.001-07:00

Michael Jordan is interested in a majority stake in the Bobcats. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

The Charlotte Bobcats are for sale, and Michael Jordan is interested, but first, he has to put an ownership group together.

Addressing the issue on Thursday night for the first time since the news last month that majority owner Bob Johnson was looking to sell the Bobcats, Jordan shied away from going into detail about his plans.

But Jordan, who holds a minority stake in the team and runs basketball operations, made it clear he would like to gain majority control.

"I would like to put together a team to do that, yeah," Jordan said.

Jordan then quickly turned the attention back to his selection of Gerald Henderson of Duke with the 12th pick in the NBA draft and didn't take further questions on the ownership issue.

It remains unclear if Jordan is close to securing the investors and money needed to buy the team, for which Johnson paid $300 million US.

Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, became the first black majority owner of a major professional sports team when he was awarded the expansion team in 2003.

But the club, which began play in the 2004-05 season, has struggled to sell tickets and sponsorships, and Johnson has lost millions.

Johnson is using a New York-based sports financial services firm in hopes of either securing more investors or selling the team outright.

Jordan's star quality in his home state could help boost the franchise, but it's uncertain if he could agree with Johnson on a price.

Forbes magazine recently valued the team at $284 million US, less than Johnson's expansion fee.

The team plays in a city hard hit by the financial crisis, and the credit crunch could hurt any deal of that magnitude.

However, the team also keeps all profits from the downtown Charlotte arena it operates and the Bobcats have improved on the court.

Jordan hired Hall of Fame head coach Larry Brown last year, and he guided the Bobcats to a 35-47 record, the best in the franchise's five seasons.

Liberals suppressed welfare numbers during B.C. election: NDP

2009-06-22T19:04:00.001-07:00

Documents obtained through an access to information request show the Liberal government suppressed the release of welfare numbers until after the May 12 provincial election, B.C. NDP Leader Carole James said Monday.

The NDP alleges that the Public Affairs Bureau instructed Ministry of Housing and Social Development officials to delay the release of damaging statistics, which showed a dramatic rise in the province's welfare caseload.

In documents released by the NDP on Monday, a communications officer with the Public Affairs Bureau asked staff at the Ministry of Housing and Social Development not to post the March welfare statistics online during the election campaign.

"Hi John вЂ" can we please hold off on publishing these until after the election?" wrote the official on April 21.

In a later email, a Housing and Social Development official refers to "the requirement not to post information to the internet during the interregnum period" as a possible reason why the information was not posted online. An interregnum period is the time between two governments.

James said the Public Affairs Bureau officials were intentionally suppressing the posting of the welfare figures for political reasons.

"These documents show that the highly politicized Public Affairs Bureau cancelled the routine release of these damaging welfare caseload numbers during the election. It's clear the [Gordon] Campbell government put its political interests ahead of the public's right to information about B.C.'s economy and fiscal situation," James said Monday.

When the March welfare numbers were released by the Ministry of Housing and Social Development on May 15, they showed the number of people on social assistance who were able and expected to work had increased 49.8 per cent in the previous six months.

The B.C. Liberals won their third straight term in the May 12 election. They have not yet responded to the NDP's allegations.

Jerry Reinsdorf to bid for Coyotes on Friday

2009-06-22T18:04:00.001-07:00

Chicago White Sox and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf says he will field a bid to keep the Coyotes in Glendale, Ariz., on Friday. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The owner of the Chicago Bulls and White Sox has promised a bid to keep the Phoenix Coyotes in Arizona, during a hearing in the team's bankruptcy court case on Monday.

An attorney for Jerry Reinsdorf said via phone that his client would apply to the NHL to buy the team by Friday.

The announcement by Reinsdorf is in line with documents filed in court by the NHL earlier in the day. The league said that it was confident a local bidder would come forward by the end of the week вЂ" exactly when Reinsdorf said he would field a bid for the ailing franchise.

Judge Redfield T. Baum set Aug. 5 as the new deadline for a local sale.

The NHL said it could meet that deadline but the lawyers representing the city of Glendale, Ariz., said it didn't think a new lease agreement could be worked out by then.

If the local deal falls through, Baum set a fallback deadline date in September for Jim Balsillie's bid to move the team to southern Ontario. The NHL is trying to fend off the Canadian businessman's effort to buy the Coyotes through bankruptcy and relocate the franchise to Hamilton.

Balsillie suffered a defeat last week when Judge Baum ruled that his sale deadline of June 29 was too ambitious to resolve the many complex issues the case involves.

The league said in its motion on Monday that it would consider a bid to relocate the team for the 2010-11 season, but only if a local buyer cannot be found.

The NHL is rejecting the option proposed by the Coyotes to accept bids that both aim to keep the team in Arizona as well as those that would move operations.

If relocation bids were considered, the league argued, competitors would have a much shorter time frame to put together a bid than Balsillie had before his May 5 agreement with Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes for $212.5 million US.

'Simply impractical'

The Coyotes said in court filings after last week's setback that PSE Sports & Entertainment, Balsillie's company, would be willing to extend its bid to mid-September.

The NHL responded Monday that trying to buy the team and move it for the start of the regular season in October was "simply impractical."

The league said that 1,190 of 1,230 regular season games for the 2009-10 campaign have been finalized ahead of the official release of the schedule in July.

The NHL hinted in the document on Monday that the Balsillie play has discouraged interest from buyers who would keep the team in its location at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale.

"A team's lifeblood is derived from advance ticket sales, advertising revenue, corporate sponsorships and television revenue, all of which are adversely affected if there is uncertainty as to whether a team will continue to play in its current venue," the league said in its filing.

The NHL had previously said it had received four expressions of interest in the team to remain in Phoenix, but even Baum expressed skepticism they were serious offers in a hearing earlier this month.

For its part, the City of Glendale has argued that anyone trying to relocate the franchise would be on the hook for hundreds of millions in connection with breaking the arena lease.

With files from The Associated Press

Wall may move ahead of public opinion on nuclear reactor

2009-06-22T17:04:00.001-07:00

Citing time pressures from the federal government, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall Monday said his government will prepare a proposal for a nuclear reactor to produce medical isotopes, even before public consultations about uranium development have wrapped up.

"There's not, unfortunately, a lot of time for this, given the now emergent necessity for Canada to deal with an isotope situation," Wall told CBC News on Monday, referring to a shortage of nuclear material used for medical purposes.

Wall emphasized that any proposal for a reactor would include a proviso that public input on the issue would be factored into the final decision.

Wall said federal officials want to see a proposal around the end of July. That would be several weeks ahead of his receiving a report on public thoughts about uranium from Dan Perrins, who is chairing the public consultation process.

That has some participants in the consultation process wondering whether their views will be taken seriously.

"It's really disheartening вЂ" it's almost as though a decision has been made," said Sinda Cathcart, who was making a presentation in Regina to the consultation commission on behalf of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

"Are the public consultations going to carry a whole lot of weight?" Cathcart asked.

Sandra Morin, a member of the opposition NDP in the provincial legislature, doesn't think so.

"He [Wall] says the decision to build this reactor is going to be done by August," Morin said Monday. "Well, the people in these consultations are saying that we need more information вЂ" we need to slow things down вЂ" and here we are moving bullet speed train ahead."

According to a government-commissioned report released by Saskatchewan to provide a starting point for its consultations, the development of a nuclear reactor to produce medical isotopes is not economically viable, if done for only that purpose.

The report said a research reactor that also produced medical isotopes would make sense. However, it cautioned that Saskatchewan would have to overcome shipping-time issues because isotopes do not last a long time.

How To Become A Successful Dog Trainer?

2009-06-20T09:17:00.001-07:00

How To Become A Successful Dog Trainer?
by: Ray Coleiro
While reams have been written and expounded on training secrets and the psychology of the dog one often tends to forget that the "mason" is the one who lays the bricks and makes the building strong. In this case it is the "attitude" of the trainer. Have you wondered why some trainers have "a touch" while others just get by? Well it is because they are in complete synchrony with the dog. So, to be a good and successful trainer, you will need to develop your skills in a holistic/rounded manner — knowledge, patience, affinity for your dog, enthusiasm, a learning zeal, and more should all be coalesced in a productive way. To be a trainer who produces a "top" dog you must instinctively know what motivates your dog. What is it that can be tapped to make him a "team" player? Your dog may take to some learning like a duck to water and yet turn its back on certain things — here your skills come to the fore, you will need to make the "distasteful" attractive and enjoyable. You will need to gauge your dog's mood and change the training approach appropriately. Another important and often forgotten aspect is that you must work at a pace that the dog is comfortable with – for each lesson you must revise until the little dog has learnt thoroughly. Vary the order of the commands so that the dog has to "pay attention" and think – he must not mechanically execute commands.
Each step must be taken with steadfastness. It is important, for you to remain calm and to motivate the dog at the right moment. Play your voice, whistles, and hand signals in a way that the dog will recognize what you are about to say. dogs are so attuned to their trainer/owner that they will, after a while pre-empt your commands. The little dog will read your mind clearly. Develop your extra sensory perceptions to recognize the dog's moods—if the dog is willing to learn, then you must take the day's learning all the way. If he seems distracted -- just play with him and execute a few simple lessons. If the dog is listless declare an impromptu holiday – spend the lesson time cuddling your pet, giving him a relaxing massage or take him for a drive. Never try and train if, you yourself are feeling low, irritable, or off color—it does not achieve anything. Take a day or few days off -- the world will not come to an end or stop.
Never train your dog when: You are unwell. You are angry, negative, or upset. You are low on patience or out of energy. When the mind is distracted or there is too much traffic in the training area. When you are not confident on how to execute a certain lesson – postpone until you have time to clarify with your trainer or school.
Like all first class trainers you too should adopt the four Cs –Calmness, Consistency, Communication, and Concentration. To raise a prince you need to be a seer.
We Must Learn Too
To be successful teachers we too must learn –often it is our ignorance that leads to disasters. We must, constantly update our knowledge and learn better and more innovative ways to communicate with our canine friends.
Some tried and tested methods are: Leash handling: The ideal way is to begin with your arms hanging loosely down with the palms facing inwards. The loop of the leash should be placed over the right thumb with the loose end crossing the palm. The next step is to fold the leash like an accordion to a manageable length. The loose end should emerge from under the little finger. Then the leash must pass through the loop made by the thumb and index finger of the left hand and across the palm. Hold the leash loosely in your left hand; from here to your dog's collar the leash should have enough length to form a "j" In popular parlance this is referred to as the "control-start" position. This permits better control of the dog. The right hand should always be stationary while the left hand makes all the necessary corrections. Footwork: At all times footwork is your biggest aid in training. While executing turns if you do not place your feet properly you could trip the dog and cause a disturbance in the synchronization. Moving quickly also causes forging or lagging. Footwork should be consistent and the foot closest to your dog should lead. Pace is crucial don't race or pick up-tempo sometimes and saunter at other times. It is beneficial to place your feet in a "T" position whilst turning Timing and use of body language: It is essential to move together. If you say heel and start walking even before the word leaves your lips then you are making it difficult for your dog to follow your commands. You must pause for a second after giving the command –this gives enough time for the dog to respond accurately. In order to establish a certain pattern, it is advisable to incorporate delays of 1-5 seconds before responding. Since dogs are extremely receptive animals they can respond very quickly to body language. It is for them an inherited trait. The pet will recognize your smile as a welcoming gesture. Similarly, towering or leaning over is considered to be threatening. Just raising your hand is enough to convey –a threat/displeasure. So it is essential for you to master body language. Similarly, hand signals help the dog perform many tasks.
Whether you are a first time dog owner or a seasoned veteran, your learning never stops as far as it comes to training your dog. Each and every dog presents different training challenges, and the more equipped you are to handle these training issues the more likely you are to prevent any permanent and long term future behavioral problems.
If you are serious about your dog, and want the very best for her/him, then you owe it to your best friend to get a copy of this FREE Dog Training Mini-Course. You can still get it from here:
http://www.dogtrainingmastery.com/Free_Dog_Training/dog-obedience-training.htm

Ginseng Tea

2009-06-19T08:33:00.003-07:00

Ginseng Tea
by: David Chandler
Ginseng tea is great for short periods; this tea can alleviate many symptoms of common aliments and lessen fatigue. Ginseng is the main ingredient to many of the medicinal teas. However, prolonged use can lead to insomnia and heart trouble, so be sure to consult your physician before drinking ginseng tea regularly as an alternative to coffee for that afternoon pick me up.
In China, ginseng is held in high regard. It is believed that ginseng has rejuvenating powers and provides stimulation to the whole body. Ginseng also offers protection against fatigue. Ginseng is known to be a stimulant for the central nervous system. This root can also help with inflammation, fever, and hormonal imbalances to name a few.
The tea is usually made from the Wisconsin ginseng root. Slices can be steeped to create a tea that is a strong as the consumer would like, or purchased as a powder and brewed using tea balls. Both of these methods let the drinker control the amount of tea used. There are ginseng tea bags available from specialty stores, but it is not recommended to buy the tea without reading all the ingredients as some packaged teas are sold as ginseng but in fact have very little of this herb in them, instead using mostly fillers
Consult an herbal practitioner or naturopath as to the right type of ginseng and how to brew your tea. The tea can be sweetened with a little honey or stored cold in the refrigerator, as this tea is quite good served iced.
Take note, if you are pregnant use ginseng sparingly or not at all.

Vegas and the Ride of a Lifetime

2009-06-19T08:33:00.001-07:00

Vegas and the Ride of a Lifetime
by: Caterina Christakos
Most people envision Las Vegas as one big casino. Admittedly I was one of them, until I undertook the ride of a lifetime. Imagine soaring hundreds of feet above canyons of red and orange, walking over rocks that been sculpted by mother nature herself and floating down a river of dreams. These are the images that I will carry with me forever when I think of Las Vegas, Nevada.
After taking a break from about twelve hours of straight gambling, my father and I looked at each other and thought there must be more to Vegas than jangling slot machines and endless booze. So we asked our friendly concierge, at the Mandalay Bay Resort, for some suggestions and he arranged for the champagne lunch helicopter tour to the Grand Canyon.
Wonderful we thought, it looked good in the movies, might as well give it a shot. Neither of us was prepared for the adventure that we were about to take.
The helicopter company sent a limo to pick us up at the hotel. The ride lasted about five minutes then we were dropped off at the helicopter launch. Fellow passengers from all over the world chatted and waited for our journey to begin.
Moments later we took off for one of the waiting helicopters, with our pilot leading the way. Attractive and intelligent, in a boy next door kind of way, he quickly showed us how father and I ended up in a helicopter of our own because several of the other passengers decided to just fly over the canyon. The tour we chose actually had us landing on the bottom.
We soared for about a half an hour over a canvas which included every color imaginable painted by dessert, mountains and the Colorado river. Within thirty minutes of smooth flying we were over the canyon and able to see the landing pad, set in the middle of tumbleweed, mountains and cacti. As we disembarked the pilot helped us climb down the stone and dirt pathway to a little boat dock, where we met a family from Britain that would be our companions on our champagne lunch down the Colorado river.
The boat captain was a tiny oriental man with sparkling eyes and a rich sense of humor. He handed out our picnic baskets and regaled us with stories of how the Grand Canyon was created. He also had the sense to stop periodically and help us get the most amazing shots of the canyon. He seemed to know every rock and ridge and was able to point out eagles and faces carved into the rock by millions of years of erosion.
At the end of our Las Vegas helicopter tour we flew back to the original launch and took our limo back to the hotel, content, awestruck and absolutely certain that we would return to Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon and our Las Vegas helicopter tour.

Beliveau put Canadiens ahead of personal glory

2009-06-19T01:04:00.001-07:00

Hall of Famer Jean Beliveau was named the 20th captain of the Canadiens in 1961. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)

Hockey legend Jean BГ©liveau earned nearly every

Phelps edges Canada's Ryan Cochrane in California meet

2009-06-13T20:04:00.001-07:00

Canada's Ryan Cochrane finished 35 hundredths of a second behind American swimmer Michael Phelps. (Itsuo Inouye/Associated Press)

Victoria's Ryan Cochrane pushed American Michael Phelps to the limit in the 400-metre freestyle final at the Santa Clara International Grand Prix on Saturday, finishing a close second to the swimming superstar.

Phelps cruised to an early lead but Cochrane pushed him hard over the final 100 metres at the outdoor competition. The American edged Cochrane by 35-hundredths of a second to take yet another swimming title.

Cochrane finished in 3:48.40, while Phelps won with a time of 3:48.05. Robert Hurley of Australia was third in 3:48.49.

While Phelps was perhaps the biggest story at the 2008 Olympics, winning a record eight gold medals, Cochrane was the bright light of the Canadian swimming team. He won Canada's only medal in the pool, a bronze in the 1,500 freestyle.

With files from The Associated Press

Family pleads for clues in fatal apartment fire

2009-06-13T19:04:00.001-07:00

The mother of one of the victims in a La Ronge, Sask., apartment fire that claimed three lives made a public plea for answers Friday.

On May 26, Justin Charles, 20, Marsha McKenzie, 19, and their four-month-old child, Jeremy, perished in a fire that police are calling suspicious.

No arrests have been made and police said Friday they were still seeking information from anyone who may know something about the fire.

Family members and police officers spoke at a school assembly Friday, according to a news release from the RCMP.

Later, Alice Charles told CBC News the deaths have been especially hard to accept because they have unanswered questions about what happened and who may be responsible.

"My message, I guess, is just asking the people to come forward with any information, whether it be rumours or anything at all," Charles said in a phone interview with CBC News. She suggested people could use the Crimestoppers line, as well.

"Give them any information and it's all anonymous, all confidential," Charles said.

The toll-free number for Saskatchewan Crimestoppers is 1-800-222-8477. The number for the RCMP detachment in La Ronge is 306-425-6730.

Police have not released any additional information about the fire, other than to say their investigation is continuing.

Shortly after the fire, eyewitnesses told reporters that a mattress lying in a hallway was set on fire.

B.C. man granted bail after 26 years in jail for sex attacks

2009-06-13T17:04:00.001-07:00

A man who was found guilty in 1983 of rape and indecent assault involving eight women has been granted bail, pending an appeal of his conviction.

Ivan Henry's grown daughters, Tanya and Kari Henry, hugged and teared up after Justice Peter Lowry of the B.C. Appeal Court read out his ruling Friday.

Henry will face strict bail conditions: he'll live with his daughter in North Vancouver, have a curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. and he'll wear an electronic monitoring device.

Henry, who has maintained he was wrongfully convicted, was not in the courtroom. A publication ban prohibits the media from reporting anything about the evidence against Henry.

He has been in custody since July 29, 1982, when he was arrested following a string of attacks against women in Vancouver.

Henry was convicted and declared a dangerous offender the following year. Appeals in 1984 and 1997 were unsuccessful.

However, the B.C. Court of Appeal earlier this year agreed to reopen the case after a review of events by government-appointed lawyer Len Doust concluded the guilty verdict may have been a miscarriage of justice.

Environment minister unveils key part of Canadian carbon market

2009-06-10T14:04:00.001-07:00

Minister of the Environment Jim Prentice speaks with the media after giving a speech about establishing a carbon market to the Economic Club of Canada in Ottawa on Wednesday. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

The federal government has issued rules for claiming greenhouse gas reductions or "offsets" that will form the basis for a national carbon market.

Environment Minister Jim Prentice unveiled two key draft documents Wednesday related to the offset system at a speech before the Economic Club of Canada in Ottawa.

The documents set out the rules and requirements for generating offset credits that represent emissions reductions and guidelines for checks to ensure those reductions are real and quantifiable.

They provide important details and certainty about the carbon trading system that the government had proposed earlier as part of its climate change plan, Prentice said.

"Canadians can begin to plan for the future, to proceed with confidence, to proceed with a clear understanding of the rules of the road."

Under the government's climate change plan, rules will limit emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. However, emitters will be able exceed the limits if they purchase offset credits to compensate for their excess emissions.

The federal government's greenhouse gas reduction target is a 20 per cent reduction from 2006 emissions by 2020 and a 60 to 70 per cent reduction by 2050.

Market to set carbon price

The offset system is intended to generate real emission reductions, Prentice said.

"It does so by establishing a price for carbon in Canada вЂ" something that has never before been done in this country," he said. In theory, this would make it profitable to generate offsets.

However, the actual price will be set by those who buy and sell the offset credits in the marketplace, Prentice said.

The new rules describe how projects can qualify to earn offset credits, each representing greenhouse gases equivalent to one tonne of carbon dioxide. Some project examples provided by the government include wind power and the collection and burning of methane from landfills to produce electricity. The verification process is based on international standards.

Both companies and

UN members agree on sanctions resolution against North Korea

2009-06-10T13:04:00.001-07:00

A South Korean soldier patrols near the demilitarized zone separating North Korea from the South on Wednesday. South Korea and six members of the UN Security Council have agreed to impose new sanctions on North Korea. (Lee Jae-Won/Reuters)

Key members of the United Nations Security Council agreed Wednesday to impose new sanctions on North Korea to counter a spate of missile tests carried out recently by the country.

The member countries have agreed to the wording of a resolution draft that imposes the sanctions, according to diplomats.

Six members of the council вЂ" Britain, China, France, Russia, United States and Japan вЂ" along with UN member South Korea, will present the draft to the full 15-member Security Council panel for a vote later this week, an unnamed diplomat told the Agence France-Presse news agency. He requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Given the resolution has the backing of the powerful permanent Security Council members, it is unlikely to be voted down by other members.

The draft document was a "very strong" response to North Korea's nuclear test, Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, told reporters after a meeting of the Security Council.

"This sanctions regime, if passed by the Security Council, will bite, and bite in a meaningful way," she said.

Financial restrictions

The resolution urges вЂ" but stops short of requiring вЂ" countries to reduce financial ties with the government in Pyongyang. Security Council nations and international financial institutions are asked "not to enter into new commitments for grants, financial assistance, or concessional loans to [North Korea], except for humanitarian and developmental purposes."

The resolution also calls on member countries not to engage in any financial transactions with North Korea if they believe the money can be put toward nuclear- or missile-related programs.

It denounces North Korea's nuclear and ballistic tests and demands a moratorium on further such activity.

The resolution extends a ban on exports of tanks, artillery and other large arms by North Korea вЂ" only small arms are exempt. That measure would cut off a significant source of revenue to the country, Rice said.

All 192 UN member nations are urged to inspect cargo vessels at sea or airports if they believe the contents may be used to advance Pyongyang's nuclear or ballistic programs.

China, Russia initially reluctant

The resolution comes after two weeks of closed-door meetings between the seven countries on what to do about the North Korea issue.

While the United States and Japan were outspoken in their support of tough new sanctions, China and Russia were less enthusiastic, as they were leery of provoking Pyongyang.

Russia and China both have veto power over any resolutions voted on by the Security Council.

The resulting document, Western diplomats told Reuters, was a watered-down version of what was an initially strict set of measures to be levied against North Korea.

North Korea has been flexing its military muscle in recent months. On Monday, Pyongyang's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said the country will consider any sanctions a declaration of war and will respond with "due corresponding self-defence measures."

On Tuesday, North Korea said it would use nuclear weapons in a "merciless offensive" if provoked.

North Korean scientists had conducted an underground nuclear test on May 24 that drew swift condemnation from the international community. That was the second test since 2006.

And in April, North Korea tested a long-range rocket over Japan.

North Korea has been under UN sanctions that bar it from nuclear and ballistic activity since its first atomic test in 2006. But those sanctions have been poorly enforced and largely ignored, particularly after North Korea showed a willingness to participate in talks toward disarmament.

North Korea subsequently rejected those talks, which was part of the impetus behind the new resolution.

At least 2 shot at Holocaust Museum in Washington

2009-06-10T12:04:00.001-07:00

Law enforcement officers secure the perimeter of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington on Wednesday after at least two people were shot at the museum. (Haraz N. Ghanbari/Associated Press)

At least two people were shot at the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday afternoon.

A man walked into the museum with a long gun and shot a guard at around 12:50 p.m. ET, said Sgt. David Schlosser of the U.S. Park Police, which polices several National Park Service areas. He was unable to say whether the gun was a rifle or a shotgun.

Two other security guards at the museum fired at the shooter, Schlosser told reporters.

Both the shooter and the injured guard were transported to George Washington University Hospital, he said. He didn't know what condition either man was in.

Fire department spokesman Alan Etter told CNN that a third victim suffered minor injuries, likely from flying glass.

Law enforcement officials told NBC News that the suspect in the shooting was 88-year-old James Wenneker Von Brunn, a native of Maryland. Von Brunn is believed to have connections to white supremacist groups.

Several loud pops

Mark Lippert was in the museum when he heard several loud pops and saw several schoolchildren running toward him with horrified looks on their faces. That's when he knew someone had been shot, he said.

His first priority was then to find an emergency exit and get out, he said.

Another witness, who identified herself only as Maria, told CNN she saw the security guard being shot.

"He was face down. His back, I think, was shot, [and] blood was coming out," she said.

Linda Elston, who was visiting the museum, said she was on the lower level watching a film when she and others were told to evacuate.

"It was totally full of people," Elston said. "It took us a while to get out."

Heavy security

The museum was closed after the shooting, and there were no reports of any further injuries, Etter said. Roads surrounding the museum were also closed.

The museum normally has a heavy security presence, with guards positioned both inside and outside. All visitors are required to pass through metal detectors at the entrance, and bags are screened.

Schlosser wasn't able to say whether the shooter had passed through the metal detector.

The museum, located just off the National Mall near the Washington Monument, is a popular tourist attraction that draws about 1.7 million visitors each year

With files from The Associated Press

Sweden may be minus Larsson for World Cup qualifier

2009-06-07T11:04:00.001-07:00

Veteran striker Henrik Larsson will probably not play for Sweden in a World Cup qualifier against Malta next week because of the sudden death of a close relative on Saturday.

The 37-year-old Larsson, who played his 105th international when Sweden lost 1-0 Saturday to Group 1 leader Denmark, was notified in the dressing room and left the Swedish squad to join his family.

If Larsson wants to play Wednesday, he's welcome to do so, Swedish team officials said.

"He is experienced enough to make his own decision," said Swedish team official Lars Richt.

Sweden coach Lars Lagerback gave no firm answer.

"I don't know," he said at a press conference Sunday. "We have decided to play for 'Henke' on Wednesday. I'm sure he will appreciate that. We're going to take three points so we're back in the race again."

Lagerback called up striker Tobias Hysen on Sunday, the leading goal scorer in the Swedish firs

Federer wins 1st French Open title, makes history

2009-06-07T09:04:00.001-07:00

Roger Federer reacts to his first French Open win on Sunday. (Michel Euler/Associated Press)

Roger Federer has made tennis history.

The Swiss star beat Robin Soderling in straight sets to win his first French Open on Sunday, becoming only the sixth man to win all four major events, and tying Pete Sampras's record for the most Grand Slam titles ever.

Federer beat Soderling, the No. 23-seed, 6-1, 7-6, 6-4, before a roaring crowd. An emotional Federer fell to his knees when he won the match and shed tears as the anthem played after he was presented with the championship trophy.

He joins Sampras in the record books with 14 career Grand Slam titles.

Sweden's Soderling enjoyed a surprising run at Roland Garros en route to the first Grand Slam final of his career. The 24-year-old handed No. 1 seed and four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal his first career loss at the French Open in the fourth round.

Soderling puts up a fight

It was Nadal who beat Federer the last three years in the French final.

Soderling's run came to a halt on Sunday, though not without a fight.

Federer dominated the first set, breaking Soderling's serve three times, but the Swede rallied back in the second to force a tiebreak. Federer gave up only one point in the tiebreaker to take the set.

Soderling kept it close in the third set, forcing a break point on Federer's serve when he led 5-4, but Federer rallied back to take the match.

A grinning Federer was presented with the championship cup by American Andre Agassi, the last man to complete a career Grand Slam.

Agassi did it in Paris 10 years ago, joining Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Don Budge and Fred Perry as the only players to win all four titles. The esteemed list now includes Federer.

2nd set interruption

The match was interrupted early in the second set when a man with a red Barcelona soccer team flag ran on the court and tried to put a red hat on Federer's head.

Federer pushed him aside, and soon after, security guards caught and removed the man from the court.

Security guards checked to make sure Federer was OK and Soderling queried with a thumbs-up to double-check before continuing with his serve.

Nadal remains the only man to beat Sampras in a Grand Slam final, a feat he's accomplished five times. The Spaniard was the only man keeping Federer from completing the Grand Slam career sweep.

Soderling is now 0-10 lifetime against Federer and has won only one set against him.

Federer is two months shy of his 28th birthday. At that age, Sampras had won 11 titles.

The French Open was Federer's 19th appearance in a Grand Slam final, all in the last six years.

He's won two of the last three, capturing the U.S. Open nine months ago with a victory over Scotland's Andy Murray in the final.

Shootout kills 15 gunmen, 1 soldier in Acapulco

2009-06-07T08:04:00.001-07:00

Fifteen gunmen and one soldier were killed during a gun battle in Acapulco's tourist zone early Sunday, the Mexican military said.

The two-hour shootout began after military forces arrived at a house in the popular tourist area to investigate a tip that armed men were inside.

An army colonel at the scene told The Associated Press that gunmen opened fire with assault riles and threw about 50 grenades at soldiers.

Four Guerrero state police officers were later found inside the house. The colonel said gunmen had been holding them hostage.

With files from The Associated Press

Diabetes drug may help fight cancer, mouse study suggests

2009-06-03T13:04:00.001-07:00

A commonly prescribed diabetes drug also has the potential to boost the immune system's response to cancer treatments, Canadian and American researchers have found.

In studies on mice published in Wednesday's issue of the journal Nature, Prof. Yongwon Choi, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and his colleagues found the drug metformin increases the effectiveness of an experimental anti-cancer vaccine.

'I like to think of it as an immune system booster.'вЂ" Prof. Russell Jones

Cancer and diabetes may seem quite different, but researchers are uncovering common metabolic pathways in both diseases.

Cancer vaccines aim to treat the disease rather than prevent it, by priming the immune system to recognize cancerous cells as a threat before they grow out of control.

The challenge of cancer vaccines is to get the immune system to recognize the threat posed by cancer cells and mount enough of a response to eliminate the tumour, said study co-author Russell Jones, a professor at McGill University's Goodman Cancer Centre in Montreal.

The team said they serendipitously discovered that the immune system's specialized white blood cells known as CD 8 T-cells switch from burning glucose to fatty acids following infection.

"While I definitely would stop short of saying, 'Let's take it as a prophylactic therapy' [for cancer], because I think it's more complex than that, it certainly gives hope," said Jones, who also works in McGill's pathology department.

"Essentially, I like to think of it as an immune system booster."

Causing the cells to switch to burning fatty acids using the anti-diabetes drug metformin enhanced the immunological memory of CD 8 T-cells in mice, and significantly improved how well an experimental vaccine worked against an aggressive tumour, the researchers found.

Traditionally, immunological memory is important for mounting a speedy response to bacteria or viruses after a vaccine primes the immune system to recognize the threat.

Tricking cells

Metformin is known to bring down blood sugar levels by mimicking starvation.

In the experiments, mice engineered to lack immunological memory were unable to switch from using glucose as a fuel source to using fatty acids.

Giving metformin "tricked" the T-cells into thinking they were starved, and restored their immunological memory, Jones explained.

The immunological memory of normal mice also improved.

The findings are potentially extremely important for both therapeutic and preventive vaccines, the researchers said.

The study's first author, postdoctoral fellow Erika Pearce of the University of Pennsylvania, now plans to test the immune boosting approach in humans, to determine the best time and approach to deliver it.

Pessimism about finding Air France black boxes grows, mourners gather

2009-06-03T12:04:00.001-07:00

Members of Brazil's military search for debris from an Air France jet over the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday. Rescuers have still found no signs of life, but have spotted debris, including an airplane seat, a fuel slick, an orange lifevest and pieces of white debris. (AP Photo/Brazil Defence Ministry)

Hundreds of mourners gathered at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Wednesday to remember the victims of the crashed Air France Flight 477, as investigators announced there was little optimism that the black boxes would ever be found.

Families of the 228 people aboard the Airbus A330 when it fell off the radar screens on Sunday night en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris attended the private ceremony with officials from Air France and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

As the mourners gathered on one side of the Atlantic Ocean, Brazilian officials announced search planes have found a debris field that includes what appears to be a seven-metre piece of the plane.

Search planes had spotted a five-kilometre trail of wreckage вЂ" including an orange life-vest, a small white piece of metal and what is believed to be an airliner seat вЂ" on Tuesday more than 640 kilometres northeast of the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, off Brazil's coast.

People enter Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris for an ecumenical church service for relatives and families of the passengers of Air France's flight 447. (Bob Edme/Associated Press)

The latest wreckage, which was spotted about 90 km south of the other debris field, contains about 10 metal objects and an oil slick that has spread about 20 km, said Brazilian air force Col. Jorge Amaral.

Officials have said there are no signs of survivors or the remains of passengers.

Bells toll 228 times

The bells at Notre Dame tolled 228 times for the 216 passengers and 12 crew on Flight 447.

Among the passengers were vacationers, newlyweds, a group of business people returning from a trip they'd been sent on as a reward for their work, an 11-year-old boy returning to England alone, and Brad Clemes, 49, a Coca-Cola executive who was born and raised in Guelph, Ont., and lived in Belgium.

President Nicolas Sarkozy met with the families privately following the memorial to provide them with an update on the investigation.

Sarkozy has reportedly told the families that arrangements will be made so they can fly over the debris field if that is something they feel they need to do for closure.

Brazil is taking the lead in the search for wreckage while France will take charge of the crash investigation.

No signals from black boxes detected

The French investigators provided their first update on the investigation at a press conference at an airport north of Paris on Wednesday.

A slick that is believed to be from the fuel of Air France Flight 447 is seen from the window of a Brazilian air force plane patrolling the crash area in the Atlantic Ocean roughly 1,200 km northeast of Recife on Tuesday. (Reuters/Brazilian Air Force/Handout)

Paul-Louis Arslanian, head of France's accident investigation agency, said he is not optimistic the black boxes from the plane will ever be found.

Finding the black boxes, which are likely under thousands of metres of water on the mountainous ocean floor, will require searchers to narrow their efforts to a very limited range, Arslanian said.

Planes searching the suspected crash site have not picked up any signals from the black boxes, which are designed to transmit at a low frequency for up to 30 days, he added.

"We may be unable to find the black boxes due to circumstance and logistics," he said.

Aviation experts have said black boxes are virtually indestructible and designed to withstand a high impact crash and underwater pressure.

But Arslanian warned that even if they are recovered, investigators may find the data is useless to the investigation or has been destroyed.

Early Wednesday, French military officials said that there was no doubt the wreckage was the remains of the missing plane.

Investigators have not yet formed an opinion on whether the plane broke up in the air or on impact with the ocean, Arslanian said.

Air France said it received a bomb threat for a flight between Buenos Aires and Paris on May 27, but a check of the aircraft proved negative and the flight proceeded.

France's Defence Ministry said there are no signs so far of terrorism in connection with the tragedy.

Debris from Air France Flight 447 has been found about 650 kilometres northeast of the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha. (CBC)

A full investigation will be conducted even if the black boxes are not found, he said. It's unclear how long the process would take.

Investigators are studying the four-year-old jetliner's maintenance records and there are no indications it had any problems before takeoff, said Arslanian.

It is also not yet clear if the chief pilot on the flight was at the controls when the plane crashed into the ocean, he added. Pilots on long-haul flights often take turns at the controls to remain alert.

Preliminary report by month's end

The accident agency will submit a preliminary report by the end of June, said Alain Bouillard, who is leading the probe.

French military spokesman Christophe Prazuck said France is moving the mission to recover the wreckage into a naval operation, which will include submarines to find the plane's two black boxes.

Some experts have said the remote area of the ocean, its depth and the weather in the region at this time of year could make the recovery effort one of the most difficult since the exploration of the sunken Titanic.

In addition to French military aircraft that are patrolling the area, France has dispatched a research ship equipped with unmanned submarines that can reach a depth of 6,000 metres. The submersibles will be used to recover wreckage settling beneath the ocean's surface.

Four Brazilian navy ships carrying recovery equipment an

Loonie tumbles more than two cents while stocks sell off

2009-06-03T11:04:00.001-07:00

The Canadian dollar gave back more than two cents on Wednesday while North American stock markets came under selling pressure.

Lower prices for oil, coupled with some weaker-than-expected U.S. economic data, were factors in the drop in equities.

At 1:27 p.m. ET, the dollar was down 2.15 cents at 90.36 cents US.

The loonie's drop coincided with a retreat in the price of oil. In trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, light sweet crude oil for July was down $2.86 a barrel at $65.69 US. The drop came after the U.S. Energy Information Administration,

Gonzalez back in French Open playoffs

2009-05-31T07:04:00.001-07:00

Chile's Fernando Gonzalez returns the ball to Romania's Victor Hanescu during their fourth-round match on Sunday. (Christophe Ena/Associated Press)

Fernando Gonzalez is playoff-bound at the French Open for a third consecutive year.

The 12th-seeded Chilean became the first player at this year's tournament to reach the quarter-finals, downing Victor Hanescu of Romania 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 on Sunday at Roland Garros.

Gonzalez, who reached the 2007 Australian Open final, ended the match with his 21st forehand winner and finished with 50 winners and only 16 unforced errors.

Last year, he lost to eventual finalist Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, while Hanescu also lost to Federer in a quarter-final match in 2005.

Gonzalez reached the semifinals at the two other clay-court tournaments he entered this year, but missed a pair of others with an ankle injury.

In women's play, No. 20 Dominika Cibulkova reached the quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over No. 29 Agnes Szavay of Hungary in a sloppy match that included a combined 17 winners and 66 unforced errors.

Cibulkova, 20, won five straight games in the second set to lead 5-2, but she was broken while serving for the match and had to wait a few more minutes to serve again and advance to her first major quarter-final.

Szavay upset third-seeded Venus Williams in the previous round.

Later Sunday, defending champions Rafael Nadal and Ana Ivanovic were scheduled to play, while No. 3 Andy Murray and top-seeded Dinara Safina were already on court.

6 killed in Fatah raid in West Bank

2009-05-31T06:04:00.001-07:00

Six Palestinians were killed Sunday in a shootout between Hamas fighters and police loyal to the Fatah party in the West Bank.

Hamas fighters arrive at a news conference in Gaza City on Sunday after the Fatah raid in the West Bank. Hamas fugitives lobbed grenades and fired automatic weapons early in the day to push back Palestinian security forces storming their hideout in the northern West Bank. (Hatem Moussa/Associated Press)

The incident in Qalqiliya began late Saturday when officers surrounded a hideout of Mohammed Samman, a leader of Hamas' military wing, Izzedine al-Qassam, and his assistant, Mohammed Yassin.

A battle followed as police tried to enter the house to arrest the pair before dawn.

The two operatives had been fugitives for six years, Palestinian security officials said. Palestinian Authority officials denied the arrests were politically motivated. They said the Hamas gunmen were involved in money laundering and stockpiling weapons.

"We found more than 150 kilograms of explosives in the house. We also found three explosive belts вЂ" two on the bodies of the gunmen who were killed," Palestinian security forces spokesman Adnan Damiri said.

Both Hamas men and the homeowner died in the shootout, along with three police officers.

In the Gaza Strip, a spokesman for Hamas's armed wing accused the forces supporting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of being "loyal to the Zionists."

Hamas, which won a parliamentary election in the Gaza Strip in 2006, ousted Fatah forces from the territory the following year.

Since then, members of the Fatah faction have detained hundreds of Hamas supporters in the West Bank and closed the group's institutions.

In recent months, the two factions have tried to reach a unity deal, but talks have run aground over Hamas' refusal to recognize Israel and renounce violence, a precondition for joining a coalition with supporters of Abbas.

With files from The Associated Press

Houston Dynamo need only 5 minutes to beat TFC

2009-05-31T00:04:00.001-07:00

Toronto FC's Nana Attakora , left, plays the ball in front of Houston Dynamo's Ade Akinbiyi, right, during their game in Houston on Saturday. (Melissa Phillip/Associated Press)

Brad Davis, Kei Kamara and Stuart Holden scored in a five-minute span in the first half to lead the surging Houston Dynamo to a 3-0 victory over visiting Toronto FC on Saturday night.

Houston (5-2-3) improved to 5-0-2 in its last seven games, while Toronto (4-4-4) lost for the second time in three matches.

Davis gave Houston a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute, sending a direct kick from just outside the upper right box under the Toronto wall and into the centre of the net, freezing goalkeeper Stefan Frei.

Two minutes later, Kamara made it 2-0 after receiving a pass from Brian Ching in the centre box and sending it just inside the left post.

Stuart Holden extended the lead two minutes later.

Saturday's game marked the return of Dwayne De Rosario to Houston. The Toronto native played three seasons with the Dynamo before being traded to Toronto FC in the off-season.

De Rosario said he didn't have much time to be nostalgic during the loss.

"When the game is going on, you're playing. You're just trying to get three points, trying to get your team into the game," said De Rosario.

"After the game, you have a little moment reflecting a little bit on the good memories that I had there, watching them play in the second half sitting back was a pleasure to watch when a team plays like that. We got beat by a very good team."

Perfect Storm captain convicted of illegally fishing in Canadian waters

2009-05-29T02:45:00.001-07:00

Linda Greenlaw

An American fishing captain best known for her depiction in the book The Perfect Storm and the film on which it was based has been convicted of illegally fishing in Canadian waters.

Linda Greenlaw maintained that when a Canadian fisheries patrol plane caught her boat the Sea Hawk in Canadian waters last September, she was there by mistake. Her crew had been searching for swordfish.

She said miles of her fishing lines had been accidentally cut and dragged about five miles (about eight kilometres) into Canadian jurisdiction

"This line, which is drawn on a piece of paper, you can't see it when you're fishing and working on deck," Greenlaw said outside the courtroom.

"There's no fence. There's no blinking lights," said Greenlaw, who provided key information about a fatal 1991 storm in the Atlantic Ocean to journalist Sebastian Junger for his book The Perfect Storm. She was portrayed in the hit movie by actor Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio.

Judge Joe Woodrow said he believed that Greenlaw had made an honest mistake, but he then said it was a mistake a reasonable skipper would not have made, because she should have checked her GPS equipment.

Woodrow convicted on counts of illegally entering Canadian waters as well as illegally fishing here.

The Crown said it wants Greenlaw to be fined $50,000. Her lawyer is recommending half that amount.

Greenlaw said either decision will hurt her, as well as her crew.

"It's a lot of money. It's a lot of money to be writing a cheque, to pay the crew or whatever," she said.

"But beyond the money, I've been convicted of two offences."

Greenlaw noted that she was catching swordfish, a species that has little commercial value in Canada.

No Nas: Audience rebels when hip-hop star skips N.L. show

2009-05-29T02:15:00.001-07:00

Things got ugly at a concert outside St. John's Thursday night, when the headline performer didn't show up.

New York-based hip-hop performer Nas was scheduled to play in Torbay for a crowd of several hundred young people.

But the audience rebelled when it became clear after the end of opening act Kardinal Offishall's set that Nas would not be appearing.

"The crowd [was] getting out of control," CBC News reporter Zach Goudie said.

"By 10:30, Nas still hadn't taken the stage, and it started to become obvious he wasn't coming. There was a lot of beer can throwing вЂ¦ and very quickly the police were called in by security," said Goudie, who added police took away at least three people in handcuffs.

Many of the people in the audience lined up to demand refunds, Goudie said.

Red Wings' Lidstrom plans to play Game 1

2009-05-28T22:30:00.001-07:00

Nicklas Lidstrom leads all defencemen with 13 playoff points. (Paul Sancya/Associated Press)

For a change, the Detroit Red Wings received encouraging news from the infirmary.

Nicklas Lidstrom revealed Thursday that he plans to return to the lineup for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final versus the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 7:30 p.m. ET).

The Red Wings captain is nursing an undisclosed lower body injury that shelved him for two games, including Wednesday's series-clinching 2-1 overtime victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 5 of the Western Conference final.

"I saw Lidstrom today [and] he is planning on playing Saturday night," Red Wings general manager Holland told ESPN. "That is what he told me.

"He skated today, he said he felt OK. Another 48 hours, he expects to feel better, so we will see."

Lidstrom, a six-time Norris Trophy winner, leads all defencemen with 13 playoff points, including four goals.

He had 13 points last spring, when he became the first European-born captain to hoist the Stanley Cup.

Jonathan Ericsson is listed as day-to-day following an emergency appendectomy, which forced him to miss Wednesday's clincher.

"He was at the rink today," Holland said. "He was feeling a little tender from surgery.

"[Andreas] Lilja had, basically, the same surgery earlier in the year, had it on a Wednesday and played Saturday in Nashville. But our trainer said everybody's body reacts a little differently and heals a little differently, so we're going to see how Ericsson feels Saturday morning."

Lilja (concussion) and Tomas Kopecky (fractured cheekbone) remain sidelined, but Kris Draper (groin strain) skated Thursday and, though doubtful to play Game 1, could return later in the series.

"He just wants to make sure when he comes back that he is 100 per cent," Holland said.

Pavel Datsyuk, a finalist for the Hart Trophy, has been shelved three games with a foot injury and, according to Holland, is "going to be more of a game-t

With files from The Associated Press

Red Wings bounce Blackhawks in overtime

2009-05-27T19:45:00.001-07:00

Darren Helm scored 3:58 into overtime as the hometown Detroit Red Wings eliminated the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 in Game 5 of the Western Conference final on Wednesday night.

Daniel Cleary tallied in regulation for the defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings, who clinched the best-of-seven series 4-1, and will meet the Pittsburgh Penguins in a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup final.

Chris Osgood posted 30 saves in the win.

Patrick Kane scored the tying goal with 7:07 left in regulation and Cristobal Huet faced 46 shots in defeat for the fourth-ranked Blackhawks.

More to come

With files from The Associated Press

Hearsay testimony permitted in O'Brien trial

2009-05-27T19:30:00.001-07:00

Justice Douglas Cunningham ruled Wednesday that testimony about conversations concerning an alleged job offer to former mayoral candidate Terry Kilrea would not be considered hearsay. (Francois Leclerc/CBC)

The judge in the influence-peddling trial of Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien ruled Wednesday that the most recent testimony heard in the courtroom is hearsay, but it will be allowed in the trial to establish context.

Justice Douglas Cunningham, the trial judge, decided to allow several people to testify before making the ruling about what evidence would be considered admissible.

On Wednesday, Lisa MacLeod, the MPP for Nepean-Carleton, testified about a meeting she had with O'Brien in July 2006. She said O'Brien had told her that he was talking to Terry Kilrea about an appointment.

Terry Kilrea, O'Brien's opponent in the 2006 mayoral race, has sworn an affidavit saying he was offered to have his campaign expenses paid and help getting an appointment to the National Parole Board if he dropped out of the race.

O'Brien has denied making that offer.

When the Crown asked MacLeod what appointment she was talking about, she replied, "I believe it was to the National Parole Board."

Court began on Tuesday with a discussion about what information would be considered hearsay in O'Brien's trial.

Cunningham allowed John Light, Greg Strong and Thom Bennett to testify about their knowledge of alleged incentives offered to Kilrea before making that ruling.

John Light is an assistant to Nepean-Carleton MP Pierre Poilievre, Greg Strong is a former Calian vice-president and Conservative, and Thom Bennett is a Conservative Party fundraiser.

Light told the court Tuesday that Bennett and Strong told him about an appointment for Kilrea in phone calls in early August 2007.

MacLeod is the only witness, apart from Kilrea, to state she heard about the alleged offer directly from OвЂ™Brien.

The Crown had argued that it wanted the testimony admitted not for its truth, but to help establish that the Parole Board issue was discussed long after the original meeting between OвЂ™Brien and Kilrea вЂ" when O'Brien's lawyer, Michael Edelson, said the matter "died."

Property crime falls but assault charges rise in Regina: new stats

2009-05-27T19:00:00.001-07:00

Regina police have taken a bite out of property crime in the city, according to statistics released Wednesday. However, police also reported that crimes against people, like assault, have increased.

The statistics compare figures from the month of April 2008 to April 2009. They indicate a decrease in property crimes, such as auto theft, by 17.8 per cent.

Assaults and other crimes against people were up 10 per cent over the same time.

Regina police Chief Troy Hagen said the increase in the people-crime category was due to a spike in robbery cases.

"Assaults are up somewhat," Hagen said. "But also robberies are up over 24 per cent year-to-date over last year."

Hagen said most assaults are related to domestic disputes. He said robberies have become a concern.

"Street robberies have been the primary concern for our service," Hagen said. "It's really people that are stealing вЂ" robbing, actually вЂ" persons in the public of things like cellphones and things like that."

Hagen said it was too early to consider the increase a trend. He said he wants to study the numbers over a broader time frame.

"Each crime category fluctuates from month to month," Hagen said. "So what we want to do is look at a longer-term perspective."

He added that police will be using a number of tactics to deal with the areas of concern. He said that will include working with Crown prosecutors and the RCMP.

Police will also keep a close watch on repeat offenders.

"We monitor our habitual offenders," Hagen added. "So we have a number of different components to the strategy ... we also do some plainclothes work."

Deficit to top $50B this year: Flaherty

2009-05-26T13:45:00.001-07:00

The federal government's budget deficit for the current fiscal year will top a record $50 billion, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Tuesday.

Flaherty's statement came just one day after he said the deficit for the fiscal year that started April 1 would be larger than was predicted in his January budget. At that time, Flaherty said he expected a deficit of $33.7 billion for the 2009-10 fiscal year.

Flaherty said Monday that weak tax revenue and higher government expenses stemming from the economic downturn will lead to the bigger deficit.

Speaking to reporters following the finance ministers' meeting Monday at Meech Lake, Que., Flaherty said he would provide more details when he briefs the House of Commons in June.

Edmonton names hip-hop artist latest poet laureate

2009-05-26T13:30:00.001-07:00

Roland Pemberton, who performs under the name Cadence Weapon, was named Edmonton's new poet laureate on Tuesday. (CBC)Roland Pemberton, the 23-year old hip-hop artist who performs as Cadence Weapon, was named Tuesday as the City of Edmonton's third poet laureate.

"I believe it's a valuable resource to have this post in the Edmonton arts community and I will make the most of this appointment," he said at the city's announcement Tuesday morning.

Pemberton has accumulated high-profile awards and recognitions in his music career. He was nominated for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize in 2006 for his debut album Breaking Kayfabe and has won the Canadian Independent Music Award for best urban artist/group.

His second studio album, Afterparty Babies, was released in 2008. Pemberton is also a DJ and producer and has written a music column for one of Edmonton's alternative weeklies.

Pemberton was born and raised in Edmonton and still makes his home in the city. His father was the late Teddy Pemberton, a CJSR radio host who is widely credited for introducing rap music to Edmonton. Pemberton's grandfather is Edmonton Eskimo great Rollie Miles, who played for the team from 1951 to 1961.

Pemberton was nominated as poet laureate by Edmonton filmmaker Trevor Anderson.

His initial reaction to the nomination was, "as if", he said, but he reconsidered as he thought more about it.

"I mean I'm an Edmonton guy, I'm a community guy. I talk about Edmonton in most of the pieces, work, I do," he said.

Pemberton said he would like to use his role as poet laureate to change people's perceptions about poetry.

"I'd like to broaden what people consider poetry to be. Basically I plan to do a lot of weird poems that people will definitely not think are poems and I'd like to вЂ¦ maybe make the idea of poet laureate something that people think about," he said.

Pemberton follows University of Alberta professor emeritus Ted Blodgett in the position. Alice Major was Edmonton's first poet laureate between 2005 and 2007.

Pemberton starts his two-year term on July 1.

Pat Quinn named Oilers head coach

2009-05-26T12:45:00.001-07:00

Pat Quinn will be the Edmonton Oilers' new head coach. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)

Pat Quinn will take over as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers, with former New York Rangers head coach Tom Renney as an assistant, the team announced on Tuesday.

"If I think of leadership, I think of Pat. If I think of the way you want to be treated as a player, I think of someone like Pat Quinn," said Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini.

"I'm very excited that he accepted this job as head coach."

Former Oiler Kelly Buchberger was also retained as an assistant.

Quinn was last seen behind the Team Canada bench at the 2008 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships, where he won gold with the squad over Sweden.

Before that, Quinn led Team Canada's entry in the 2006 Spengler Cup to a finals appearance.

Knows area well

He knows the area well from his junior days, as he played for the Edmonton Oil Kings and was a member of their Memorial Cup-winning squad in 1963.

"The tradition is very, very important to this organization," said Quinn. "But I'm looking to the future obviously ... We're here to help this team win."

Quinn's last NHL coaching stint was a seven-year run with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 66-year-old has spent 19 seasons behind NHL benches, also coaching in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Vancouver. The Leafs made the playoffs in the first six years he was head coach, and went to the conference finals twice in that span.

But he was fired in 2005-06 after Toronto missed the post-season for the first time under his watch.

His record stands at 657-481-154, with 26 OT losses. He made it to the Stanley Cup final twice (once with Philadelphia in 1979-80, and again with Vancouver in 1993-94).

Jack Adams recipient

Quinn has won the Jack Adams award for NHL coach of the year twice, in 1980 with Philadelphia and again in 1992 with Vancouver.

Quinn also has an Olympic gold medal to his name, winning the prize as head coach of Team Canada at the 2002 Olympics. He also led the team to victory in the World Cup of Hockey two years later.

Renney coached the Rangers from 2003 to the middle of the 2008-09 season. He was fired in mid-February and replaced with John Tortorella.

His first job as NHL head coach came in 1996, when he was hired by then-general manager Quinn to coach the Canucks. Tambellini knows both Quinn and Renney from their days in the Canucks organization.

"I think any of us in this game understands the opportunity when it presents itself," Renney said. "It's something I completely embrace, without a doubt. ... It comes down to the people that you're able to surround yourself with."

The Oilers had been without a bench boss since they fired Craig MacTavish after nine years in mid-April. Edmonton has missed the playoffs for three straight years.

Tambellini also interviewed Marc Crawford and San Jose assistant coach Todd Richards for the job.

Havlat's early return 'shocking': concussion specialist

2009-05-25T11:15:00.001-07:00

Havlat was a surprise in Chicago's lineup for Game 4 after he was knocked out by Detroit's Niklas Kronwall two days earlier. (Paul Beaty/Associated Press)

Martin Havlat was out cold for more than a minute with a vacant stare on his face.

Detroit's Niklas Kronwall had just crushed the Chicago Blackhawks' leading scorer, and once he regained consciousness, Havlat needed the help of a teammate and trainer to get up and off the ice. He didn't return.

But two days later, the 28-year-old was in the lineup for Game 4 of the Western Conference Final.

"I was shocked," concussion specialist Michael Czarnota told CBCSports.ca.

Czarnota, the neuropsychology consultant for the Canadian Hockey League, wasn't attending the game and is not treating Havlat. But alarm bells went off when he saw No. 24 return in time for Sunday's game.

"It's the NHL, it's the playoffs, so guys are willing to do a little bit more.вЂ¦ But it sure seemed that two days later was sort of pushing things."

Chicago's leading scorer in the regular season (77 points) and during the playoffs (15), Havlat was picking up a breakout pass off the boards when Kronwall ran him over. The Red Wings defender got a major and game misconduct for the hit.

Havlat's health the priority: coach

It looked like Havlat was unconscious before he hit the ice, because he did nothing to brace the fall.

Chicago's head coach Joel Quenneville had said Havlat's health was the No. 1 priority and that he'd be re-evaluated on Saturday before Sunday's Game 4.

"Our medical staff is pretty in tune to his health. His health's going to be the first criteria before he's even going to be considered to be playing," Quenneville said. "If he's ready to play and he passes all tests, he'll play."

Czarnota said he assumes doctors did everything to ensure Havlat returned only when it was safe to do so. This would usually involve biking or skating to ensure post-concussion symptoms like headaches don't return.

"But to do all that in a single day is really compressing that whole return-to-play process," he said.

Ideally a player would go through a practice and take some hits to ensure symptoms, including debilitating headaches and irritability, don't come back, he added.

Hit No. 2

Three-and-a-half minutes into the second period of Game 4, Brad Stuart laid a hit on Havlat in front of Chicago's bench, and he didn't return to the ice.

"It could have been an unrelated injury, but I think it's also just as possible that that caused his symptoms to come back, or the staff made some kind of decision вЂ" if he was involved in another big hit, we're not going to take a chance," Czarnota said.

Quenneville dismissed suggestions that one of his star forwards returned too early.

"Marty was fine," the coach said. "He was ready to go. He was flying out there and had a good start to the game, I think he really progressed the last two days.

"We did what we could and he did what he had to do. We'll see how he is going into Wednesday."

But if Havlat plays on Wednesday, Czarnota said, he'll be just as surprised as he was to see him suit up in Game 4.

Hockey has the highest rate of concussion of any sport, and it's not an injury one should "play through," he added.

"Players will say 'I've got all summer to heal.' There is no surgery for concussion symptoms, so you don't have that luxury of sacrificing today and paying the price next month."

Learning experience

Of course many players have played through concussions. Eric Lindros and Mike Richter are among the NHLers who were plagued by concussions throughout their careers, and Richter ultimately retired on a doctor's recommendation in 2003.

Czarnota said he hopes that after the playoffs, the NHL, Havlat and the Blackhawks talk publicly about the symptoms Havlat was or wasn't having, that they make their decision transparent, so everyone understands why he was able to return to the ice so quickly.

"These young kids are going to see Martin Havlat just completely out of it for almost two minutes. Two days later he shows up: 'What a warrior, holy cow, you can't keep him down, he's such an important player on this team.'

"A 14-year-old kid, you're going to say, 'You're different because you're 14, you can't go back and play. They're not going to listen to that," Czarnota said.

"It's just really hard to drive that message home when there's not some kind of a caveat to say this is why we did this. My wish list is that this is a learning case that gets discussed more openly in the summer. And maybe that's the best thing that comes out of it."

Date set for Philpott in-custody death inquest

2009-05-25T11:00:00.001-07:00

The provincial coroner's office has set June 1 for the beginning of a five-day inquest into the death of Darren Philpott, who died while a remand inmate at the Regina Correctional Centre in September 2008.

At the time, Philpott was being housed in the medical wing of the jail, awaiting his next court date on several charges relating to allegations of sexual assault and making child pornography.

Reports at the time of his death indicate Philpott took his own life while in jail. He was discovered in a shower area of the jail, transported to hospital and passed away at the Regina General Hospital on Sept. 26.

The Coroner's Act requires all deaths of people in custody to be examined by an inquest, unless the coroner believes the death was due to natural causes.

Philpott was 39 at the time of his death and had been in custody for just under 12 months. His criminal charges attracted considerable attention in the community as the allegations related to his work as a volunteer working with youth and as an employee of a Christian college.

When they laid the charges, police said the incidents allegedly happened in a five-year period between August 2002 and October 2007 and involved young boys.

Moose Jaw lawyer Darin Chow has been assigned to preside over the inquest.

Man shot by police officer named

2009-05-25T10:45:00.001-07:00

Police interview a witness following a standoff that ended with police shooting the hostage taker. (CBC)

The man shot and killed by a Calgary police officer ending a two-hour standoff has been identified as Melvin Donald Vanhouwe.

The 49-year-old was identified on Monday by Clifton Purvis, director of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, which looks into most deaths and serious complaints in the province involving police officers.

The shooting happened early Sunday morning in the community of Southwood.

Calgary police responded to a complaint at about 12:50 a.m. at the 500 block of Sabrina Road S.W. that a man with a sawed-off shotgun was holding his 19-year-old neighbour hostage.

Purvis said an officer shot Vanhouwe three times from about six metres away after he raised the shotgun and pointed it at two officers at 1:57 a.m. The hostage was unharmed, he added.

No officers were injured but Vanhouwe died in hospital.

Neighbours describe strange behaviour

Neighbours said tempers started flaring earlier Saturday night when Vanhouwe was drinking and appeared to be looking for a fight.

A next door neighbour, who would only identify himself as Jesse, said earlier in the night Vanhouwe accused him of stealing a part from his guitar that he had fixed months earlier for free.

"He threatened with kicking someone's ass, me and my neighbour, both of ours. That he was going to come over and kick our ass," he said. "I just thought he had probably been drinking. I just ignored it."

Witnesses said Vanhouwe later walked over to a house across the street with a sawed-off shotgun and took a 19-year-old man hostage. The father of the young man, who escaped unhurt, said his son is relieved with how things turned out.

"I am glad it was the other guy and not my kid," the man said.

On Sunday, Calgary police Chief Rick Hanson said the officer who shot and killed Vanhouwe had no other choice. The veteran officer who fired the fatal shots is a member of the tactical team and has about 20 years on the job, Hanson said.

"When confronted with a shotgun and the decision is made to shoot, you had better be very accurate in how you shoot because a wounded person with a shotgun is deadly," Hanson said.

Braves beat Blue Jays as slump reaches 5 straight

2009-05-23T19:00:00.001-07:00

Atlanta Braves starter Derek Lowe, left, delivers to Toronto Blue Jays batter Alex Rios, foreground, during the first inning of his Saturday night victory. (Gregory Smith/Associated Press)

Derek Lowe pitched seven strong innings and singled home the go-ahead run himself to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 4-3 victory over the slumping Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night in Georgia.

The loss was Toronto's fifth straight, a stretch that has seen the club's previously hot offence turn out just eight runs.

Casey Janssen, making his first appearance since coming back from more than a year off due to injury, took the loss despite a good six-inning outing.

More to come

Key Ontario cabinet minister Bryant quits to lead Invest Toronto

2009-05-23T17:00:00.001-07:00

Michael Bryant, front, is shown with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty at a September 2008 news conference after his appointment as minister of economic development. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)

Ontario Economic Development Minister Michael Bryant will step down from his cabinet post Monday to head a new corporation aimed at attracting investment to Toronto.

Bryant, 43, will become president and CEO of Invest Toronto, an economic development agency whose mission is to develop the city's extensive real estate holdings and promote investment through marketing and trade missions.

Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty said Saturday that Bryant had advised him of his decision a day earlier. He also plans to resign as MPP.

Bryant has been Ontario's point man in the provincial and federal government talks with General Motors and Chyrsler Canada, which have sought billions in government aid.

News of his departure comes as General Motors heads into a crucial week of last-minute dealmaking to qualify for government loans. The company has until June 1 to present its restructuring plans to stave off financial collapse.

McGuinty, who has also been involved in the auto talks, will take over Bryant's portfolio temporarily.

Lauded by premier

"Michael has always tackled each new role with his trademark enthusiasm, intelligence and energy," McGuinty said in a statement.

"I know Michael will bring the same level of passion, insight and commitment to his new role with Invest Toronto that he has brought to the provincial government," he said.

"I'm excited to begin new duties with Invest Toronto after resigning as MPP for St. Paul's in the coming weeks," Bryant said in a release Saturday.

"I'm honoured to have served the people of St. Paul's under the incredible leadership of the premier for the past 10 years. I look forward to an announcement with Mayor David Miller about my future plans with Invest Toronto on Monday."

Bryant had long been considered a top contender to succeed McGuinty, despite his sometimes frosty relations with the premier.

His brash, attention-getting style didn't always go over well with his boss, and news of his hasty departure from cabinet immediately raised questions about whether the relationship had permanently soured.

Bryant raised eyebrows earlier this month when he trumpeted his vision for a stronger government role in business, a so-called "reverse Reaganism" plan that would have Ontario picking "winners and losers" on a case-by-case basis.

A few days later, McGuinty tried to temper those remarks, saying he was leery of picking specific companies to support.

Chicago's Khabibulin, Havlat question marks for Game 4

2009-05-23T16:45:00.001-07:00

Martin Havlat of the Chicago Blackhawks is checked hard to the ice by Niklas Kronwall (55) of the Detroit Red Wings during the first period of Game 3 of their playoff series Friday in Chicago. (Jim Prisching/Getty Images)

It's uncertain whether two Chicago Blackhawks will return to the lineup for Game 4 after making early exits in their team's Game 3 overtime playoff win over the Detroit Red Wings.

Goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin and right-winger Martin Havlat did not practise with the team Saturday at the United Center and are listed as day-to-day.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville isn't ruling out either player when the NHL Western Conference teams to take the ice Sunday afternoon, with Detroit leading the best-of-seven series 2-1.

Quenneville told reporters that Khabibulin, who suffered an upper-body injury and was replaced by Cristobal Huet in the third period of Game 3, wil be re-examined before game time Sunday.

"Khabi is doing better today," Quenneville said. "We'll see how he presents himself (Sunday), but there's been good progress."

Quenneville, asked whether he'd go back to the well with Khabibulin as his starter, didn't tip his hand. "We'll see," Quenneville said. "We'll make that determination (Sunday)."

Huet indicated after practice that he knew the answer to that question and said he expects to start Game 4.

"We're still optimistic that Khabi could play," Quenneville said. "It's nice having the decision that we will have to face as we go along here. Hopefully, Khabi is part of the mix."

Quenneville is also optimistic that Havlat, crushed by a Niklas Kronwall check 13:08 into the opening frame and helped off the ice, will be good to go.

"I thought Marty really looked good," Quenneville said. "Hopefully, he progresses in the same fashion and there's a chance he could play."

If Havlat is a scratch, Quenneville said Colin Fraser would be the next candidate to join the lineup.

Swine flu will keep spreading globally: WHO chief

2009-05-22T08:00:00.001-07:00

Swine flu is a "sneaky virus" that is likely to keep spreading to new parts of the world and within countries already affected, the head of the World Health Organization said Friday.

At least 42 countries have confirmed cases of the disease, which has sickened 11,168 people and caused 86 deaths, most of them in North America.

'[E]ven the best-laid plans need to be fluid and flexible when a new virus emerges and starts changing the rules.'вЂ" Margaret Chan

"This is a subtle, sneaky virus," WHO's director-general Margaret Chan said at the close of the global body's annual assembly in Geneva.

"It does not announce its presence or arrival in a new country with a sudden explosion of patients seeking medical care or requiring hospitalization."

Countries need to increase their laboratory testing capacity to detect and follow the virus, whose march around the world was virtually unstoppable, she said.

"We expect it to continue to spread to new countries and continue to spread within countries already affected," Chan said.

Discussions about swine flu took up much of the WHO's five-day meeting in Geneva, which was shortened from two weeks to allow government ministers to spend more time overseeing pandemic preparations at home.

Chan heeded the call of many of WHO's 193 member states to reconsider the agency's criteria for raising the pandemic alert to Phase 6 вЂ" its highest alert level вЂ" to avoid unnecessary panic and economic disruption.

The WHO's alert currently stands at Phase 5, meaning a pandemic is "imminent."

Chan indicated she was going along with the countries that had urged caution in declaring a pandemic, saying that "even the best-laid plans need to be fluid and flexible when a new virus emerges and starts changing the rules."

Pandemic criteria

With increasing numbers of cases in Japan and Europe, the world is inching closer to meeting WHO's criteria for a pandemic: ongoing spread in at least two world regions.

Chan conceded that phases 5 and 6 are "virtually identical in terms of the actions they launch." She said she would consult the WHO's emergency flu committee before declaring a global outbreak.

Countries taking part in the Geneva meeting agreed Friday to put off efforts to finalize a deal on sharing flu virus samples, instead instructing Chan to find a solution by early next year.

Developing countries lobbied hard to ensure they would benefit from any drugs created using their samples.

Against that, the United States and the European Union called for samples to be shared without restriction, arguing that this was in the best interest of science and global efforts to combat disease.

Both sides agreed Chan should form a task force to investigate unresolved questions, including whether countries should have to share samples and resulting drugs could be patented. They also want the task force to consider whether doses of any new pandemic flu vaccine should be reserved for developing countries, and to report back to members in January with recommendations.

WHO said confirmed cases of the new virus вЂ" termed A/H1N1 вЂ" increased by 134 since Thursday.

The U.S. has reported the most laboratory-confirmed cases with 5,764 вЂ" an increase of 54 cases вЂ" followed by Mexico with 3,892. It was unclear, however, if the increases reflected only a higher infection rate, or could also be partly explained by the fact that there has been more avid testing in those countries.

Also on Thursday, Mexico City lowered its swine flu alert level from yellow to green, and the mayor said "we can relax" now that there have been no new infections for a week.

Japan raised its tally by 35 to 294, while in Chile the caseload rose by 19 to 24.

Overall there have been 86 deaths linked to swine flu.

3 new locations considered for Ottawa parole office

2009-05-22T07:45:00.001-07:00

The building at 1010 Somerset St. is no longer being considered as a possible location for Ottawa's parole office after residents protested that it is too close to homes and a school. (Kerry MacGregor/CBC)

The location of a new parole office in Ottawa has been a hot topic of debate among residents over the last few months, but on Thursday night, the argument finally cooled.

Correctional Service Canada announced at a public meeting Thursday that it has found three new possible locations вЂ" and a different approach.

June Blackburn, who is with the correctional service, said all three possible sites are now near office buildings rather than residential areas.

"I'm sure that the lessons taken from this consultation process will be applied to future consultation processes," said Blackburn.

Two sites now being considered are at 340 and 360 Laurier Ave. near Bank Street . The third, preferred, site is in the federally owned Jackson Building at 122 Bank St. and 257 Slater St., at Bank and Slater streets.

The 35 residents who came out to Thursday's meeting had a far different reaction than those who attended a previous meeting about the parole office's intended move.

"They have reassured me in the sense that there's a lot less parolees going through this place than I imagined there would be," said Jason Leclair, who just bought a condo at Bank and Laurier streets.

Residents protest

When the correctional service announced in March that it was considering a move to 1010 Somerset St. in Little Italy, residents came out to a public meeting to protest.

They argued that 1010 Somerset St. was too close to homes and a neighbourhood school.

Peter Van Loan, the federal minister of public safety, agreed and ordered the correctional service to come up with alternative downtown locations вЂ" the three that are now being proposed.

The parole office currently sits at Gilmour and Elgin streets, but in September, the correctional service's lease will run out.

Blackburn said the parole office still plans to be in its new location by then.

Charles Akben-Marchand, of the Centretown Citizens' Community Association, said he's optimistic that the issue will soon be resolved.

"It's had its ups and downs, and we think at the end of the day, it looks like it's gonna be a good result," he said.

Biden blasts 'spoilers of peace' ahead of Lebanon election

2009-05-22T07:15:00.001-07:00

U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden reinforced America's support for Lebanon's sovereign democracy on Friday ahead of key parliamentary elections that could see the country's pro-Western majority ousted by a coalition led by the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Speaking after a meeting with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman in Beirut, Biden said it was up to Lebanese voters to choose their own leaders, but the "enduring U.S. partnership" would depend on their commitment to "freedom."

Biden did not mention Hezbollah or its foreign backers by name, but issued a thinly veiled rebuke to the group while denying he or the United States was trying to influence the June 7 parliamentary vote.

"I urge those who would think about standing with the spoilers of peace not to miss this opportunity to walk away from the spoilers," he said.

Biden is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Lebanon in more than 25 years and the second in about a month from the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama, following in the footsteps of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The attention underscores Washington's concerns about a possible win by Hezbollah, which the U.S. and Canada consider a terrorist group.

The White House said Biden's visit was meant "to reinforce the United States' support for an independent and sovereign Lebanon."

Hezbollah has accused the U.S. of interfering in the election in favour of pro-Western factions. The group said Friday that the visits by Biden and Clinton raised "strong suspicion and amounted to a clear and detailed interference in Lebanon's affairs."

With the election about two weeks away, this deepl

100 protest cellphone tower at convent

2009-05-21T04:00:00.001-07:00

More than 100 people gathered Wednesday night at the Sisters of Saint Martha Convent in Charlottetown to protest the construction of a cell phone tower in the area.

'We don't have cell towers in residential areas. It doesn't make any sense.'вЂ" Coun. David MacDonald

Rogers Wireless is building the tower in a field that backs on to the convent and a row of houses along Mount Edward Road. City council voted against the project, but was overruled by Industry Canada.

Speaking at the protest, Coun. David MacDonald said Industry Canada shouldn't be allowed to overrule city council, and city planning should be left to local governments.

"Municipal governments are in place to look after the interests of the residents, and to ensure that municipalities are planned and orderly, and when planning does take place, it is done in such a way that protects the health of the residents, protects the freedom of the residents to enjoy their property and also ensures that there's clusters in community planning," said MacDonald.

"We have industrial areas, commercial areas, we have residential areas вЂ¦ we don't have cell towers in residential areas. It doesn't make any sense."

MacDonald said council proposed several alternative sites to Rogers, but the company decided the current location off Mount Edward Road was the best one.

Flaherty to announce new credit card rules: report

2009-05-21T03:45:00.001-07:00

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is set to announce new credit card regulations Thursday, says a report.

The Globe and Mail says the changes will require financial institutions to provide better disclosure about interest rates.

The government wants credit card companies to provide timely advance notice of changes to rates and fees, said the report.

However, the finance minister has reportedly ruled out tougher measures such as placing a ceiling on interest rates.

It comes a day after the U.S. Congress wrapped up legislation restricting when and how a credit card company can raise an

Flames dowsed, but 2 landmark Charlottetown businesses lost

2009-05-21T03:30:00.001-07:00

At 9 p.m. Wednesday, the flames were concentrated on the pharmacy side of the building. (Tracy Lightfoot/CBC)

The building housing Maid Marian's Diner and the Sherwood Drug Mart on Brackley Point Road went up in flames Wednesday night.

By 9:30 p.m., an hour and a half after the fire began, the crowd of awestruck onlookers was six deep in places, watching as flames shot out of the roof of the building housing the diner and drugstore.

Robert Mitchell, the MLA for the area who was among the onlookers, said: "This is an unbelievable loss to the community: two mainstay businesses. At least three families affected and many, many employees, including two of my own children.

"My son and daughter both work at Maid Marian's. So a lot of emotion right now. A lot of emotion with everybody."

Employees from both businesses huddled off to the side and watched as their workplaces collapsed before their eyes. One woman who worked at the drugstore could say little when asked to comment.

"It's too personal," she said, wiping away tears.

The fire was fought from all four sides, with more than 50 firefighters.

Charlottetown fire Chief Bill Hogan said no one was injured, adding that was remarkable considering the challenges of fighting the fire.

"The restaurant of course and the grease that would be in a normal operation," said Hogan.

"Then in the pharmacy, well you take a walk through any pharmacy and just see everything that's in a modern-day pharmacy. We've had numerous small explosions. Those are probably aerosol cans. There's a huge fireload in these buildings. That's the contents inside the building to burn. And that's basically what's burning here now."

Hogan says it's too soon to say what caused the fire, but could say when firefighters arrived, the fire was mainly in the back between the two businesses.

Six propane tanks were inside Maid Marian's when the fire broke out.

Four tanks were removed but two were still inside at about 10 p.m. as the fire raged.

Hogan said at that time that the fire was contained, but still not under control.

YOUR VIEW: Will mediation help the Coyote battle?

2009-05-19T22:15:00.001-07:00

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, centre, fields questions after an Arizona judge ordered the league and Phoenix Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes into mediation. (Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press)

At least 78 die in Hercules plane crash in Indonesia

2009-05-19T21:45:00.001-07:00

A C-130 Hercules military transport.

At least 78 people died Wednesday morning in the crash of a C-130 Hercules military plane carrying more than 100 people on the Indonesian island of Java.

Many more are feared dead. Indonesian television showed video footage of burning jungle where the plane crashed. Soldiers were seen carrying bodies through a rice paddy on stretchers.

Air force spokesman Bambang Sulistyo said the plane was on a routine training mission when it crashed near an air force base in East Java province.

He said the plane was carrying 112 passengers and crew. It smashed into four houses in Gaplak village before skidding into a field.

The four-engine Hercules, in production since 1954, is one of the world's most successful military transports, perhaps rivalled only by the wartime Douglas DC-3, known to British and Canadian fliers as the Dakota.

The Hercules can carry 17 tonnes of cargo or 90 soldiers with light equipment. It has been a fixture of every U.S. war since Vietnam and played a key role in the 1976 Israeli raid on Entebbe, in which commandos swooped down to free hostages held at Uganda's international airport.

Government flexible on GM-CAW labour deadline: Clement

2009-05-19T21:00:00.001-07:00

The federal and Ontario governments set last Friday as the deadline for GM to reach a new labour agreement with the Canadian Auto Workers, but the two sides were still mired in negotiations Tuesday. (Canadian Press)

Ottawa is flexible about when General Motors Canada and its union reach a new labour agreement, as long as it's part of a finished restructuring plan to be delivered by the end of May, Industry Minister Tony Clement says.

The federal and Ontario governments set last Friday as the deadline for GM to reach a new labour agreement with the Canadian Auto Workers, but the two sides were still mired in negotiations Tuesday.

Industry Minister Tony Clement says GM has until the end of May to provide governments in Canada and the United States with a restructuring plan. (Jacques Boissinot/Canadian Press)

"We need a resolution one way or the other by May 31," Clement told reporters Tuesday in Atlanta, where he was attending a biotechnology conference.

"GM is a very complex situation involving a multitude of countries and we are trying to exhibit as much patience as possible from Canada's perspective, though there are certain things that have to happen in order for there to be a deal."

The CAW said in a pamphlet sent to members that the federal and provincial governments are interfering in the talks, making an agreement difficult.

"Their lack of experience in labour relations, and their repeated threats to pull the plug entirely on GM Canada, have made this process all the more difficult," the pamphlet says.

Meanwhile, more than 250 General Motors dealerships across Canada will find out Wednesday that they will be shut down, according to TV news station CP24, which cited a source inside the company.

The company had initially slated the letters to be sent out by the end of the month, but will now send them to 264 auto outlets tomorrow instead.

Pension benefits a sticking point, union says

The union said the major sticking point is pension benefits. GM had a pension deficit of about $4.9 billion as of November 2007, but reports say that ballooned to $7 billion after financial markets crashed last year.

"We have moved mountains in trying to reduce the cost of pensions, without tampering with the level of benefits our retirees receive," the union said.

"We will not be blackmailed by governments and employers who see this as an opportunity to take away from all workers [not just CAW members], the principle that a worker deserves a fair and secure pension."

CAW members ratified a deal with GM in March, less than a year after settling a three-year contract, but the two levels of government almost immediately said it didn't do enough to cut costs.

Without a more stringent deal, the governments have said they won't give GM Canada the $6 billion in financial assistance it has requested, meaning in a worst-case scenario the company's Canadian assets could be liquidated.

GM has until the end of May to provide governments in Canada and the United States with a restructuring plan that could include filing for bankruptcy protection.

Clement will be in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to discuss the progress of the talks with U.S. officials.

Where Does Magnesium Come From?

2009-05-11T06:02:00.005-07:00

QUESTION: Every day I try to learn something new, for there seems to be so much that is changing in our world of today.
I have read that it is important for humans to have enough magnesium in their systems for good health.
I would like to know where magnesium comes from, what foods it might be in and how much is enough? Do you think you can put all that information in one column for me? Thank you for your kind attention.

ANSWER: I will be most happy to provide you with all this information.
There has been a lot of interest in magnesium lately, as investigators discover just how important it is for your health.
It is involved in a great many enzymatic processes that produces energy for the body.
Enzymes are proteins that help speed up chemical reactions that occur in our bodies.
Magnesium may also play a role in the electrical activity that goes on at the level of the cell membranes.
You don't need too much to keep up with you body's needs, since about 350 to 450 mg is the recommended dietary allowance for adults.
This amount is supplied by the average diet that contains vegetables and meats. Nuts and whole grains are also good sources for the magnesium needed by the body.
About 40 to 50 percent of the magnesium contained in the food you eat is absorbed in the small intestine, and then distributed around the body. Some of the symptoms that occur when there is too little magnesium in the system include depression and agitation, seizures, weakness and tremors in the muscles and difficulty in swallowing.
Of course these same symptoms can be brought about by many other medical problems, and so the diagnosis will depend upon the results of testing.
Magnesium deficiency can accompany parathyroid disease, thyroid disease, some endocrine disorders, kidney problems and cancer chemotherapy.
In some cases the use of thiazide diuretics (water pills) may be the principle cause for the low magnesium levels.
Restoring proper levels of magnesium can be quite simple as there are many preparations available for this purpose.
In cases of severe deficiency, the intravenous route may be needed.

The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.

Complicated Schedule for Medications

2009-05-11T06:02:00.003-07:00

QUESTION: I am getting discouraged.
Each time I visit the doctor, I get a new schedule for my medications, and it is becoming very complicated.
With all your knowledge, why can't doctors figure out a way that reduces the number of times we have to take each medicine each day? Many of your patients really need this type of help.

ANSWER: Despite all our study and searching, we still don't know it all. There are a lot of medications that are prepared in ways to reduce the number of times per day they must be taken.
Some tricks have been to prepare "slow release" compounds which permit a small amount of medicine to be released at a time over a longer period of time.
Sometimes capsules can contain larger doses that can than last longer.
In the final analysis, however, it's the way our bodies work that makes once a day dosage impossible or impractical for certain kinds of medicines.
Just as we digest food by breaking our nourishment down into its basic components, medications are also "digested" by our body's metabolic processes.
Some chemicals break down faster, and so in order to keep enough in our system to do us some good, another pill must be taken after a rather brief period.
Our digestive system is another problem for oral medicines, as the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine all function in different ways.
That is why, when a patient is seriously ill, medicine is administered through solutions that pass directly into the blood stream, and thus avoid the problems of digestion. But don't let the problems of a complex schedule for medications stop you from taking them on time, and when you are supposed to.
Make a schedule, using a different color for each medicine, choosing a color that matches the pill color, to help you keep it all straight.
If you need more help ask for it, from your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse, or whoever is responsible for helping you.
And keep asking until you get answers you understand.
It is the right way to get the most from your medicines.

Medication Effects and the Elderly

2009-05-11T06:02:00.001-07:00

QUESTION: Can the dullness we see in our mother, who is now in a nursing home, be due to the medication she is receiving? We saw the nurse give her 5 different pills all at the same time and got to wondering.
We hope you can answer this for us in the paper.

ANSWER: Yes, unfortunately.
Some drugs or drug combinations can cause what appears to be senility, depression, anxiety, or delirium in the elderly. Actually, many medications can have an effect on anyone's ability to think, but these effects are more frequently seen in the elderly since older people are more susceptible to the action of drugs and they get more prescriptions than younger individuals.
In addition, because many elderly take several medications for different problems, there may be adverse interactions between drugs that affect thinking. Before an elderly patient is diagnosed as having any mental impairment, a complete evaluation of their medications including what nonprescription drugs they use should be done by their physician.
Only medications that are absolutely necessary should be prescribed.
In some patients, the signs of mental illness or impaired thinking will go away if drug dosages are reduced or other drugs substituted.

The Current Thinking About Physical Examinations

2009-05-10T06:47:00.001-07:00

QUESTION: I am used to going to my doctor each year for a complete physical examination.
I must admit I was somewhat surprised when he informed me that I wouldn't need one this year.
I don't mind skipping the bother, but I don't want to jeopardize my health.
Can you please advise me of the current thinking about these examinations.

ANSWER: Yes and no.
You don't need the complete annual physical anymore, every third year will do for most people under age 50, but certain medical tests should be done more frequently than that for some people. It used to be widely recommended that everyone have a complete physical, with a general examination and blood tests, every year to make sure they were in tip top health.
But, as medical costs soared in the 1970's, this idea came under fire as both a waste of time and money, especially for younger individuals.
Some tests and screening procedures simply don't need to be done every year, if a person is basically healthy. The primary purpose of a health exam is to catch any disease that is present in its earliest stage.
The exam must in itself be safe and effective. It is no use to run routine tests for uncommon diseases or tests that are not very accurate.
If screening every third year is just as effective as screening annually, there's no good excuse for doing it more frequently. The new system of physicals calls for selective tests for selected diseases at selected intervals.
In other words, a general physical exam, including exams for thyroid, testicle, prostate, ovarian, lymph node, and skin cancer, can be done every third year until age 40 or so.
Pap smears for women need to be done for two consecutive years to get a baseline reading, then every third year.
A baseline mammogram for breast cancer should be done between age 35 and 40 and then annually after age 50.
Women and men older than 50 should have yearly tests for colon cancer, including digital rectal exams and stool guaiac tests.
After age 50, sigmoidoscopy should be done every three to five years. Certain procedures can be individualized.
Blood tests for cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood lipids can be done annually if they are needed. Tests for hearing and visual acuity should be done only if needed. Immunizations for diphtheria/tetanus (needed every 10 years), flu (annually after age 65), and pneumonia (once after age 65), are a part of checkups. The only medical test that needs to be done yearly for everyone is a measurement of blood pressure.
If the first results are a bit high, then you should have the pressure rechecked a time or two before embarking on any costly testing.
Blood pressure can change rather dramatically depending upon the state of your emotions, circumstances and surroundings, as well as your physical state, and requires some rechecking before valid readings are obtained. Just because these tests are being done less often doesn't mean that you should be any less motivated about your own health care.
The fact is that you can really save some money without increasing your risks, if you assume some of the responsibility for your own wellness, and follow the rules of healthy living.
And if you are not too sure about those principles, keep reading, and I'll try to make you both healthier and wiser.

Anorexia Nervosa: The Deadliest of All Psychiatric Disorders

2009-05-10T06:46:00.002-07:00

QUESTION: Please write something about the eating sickness that is causing my daughter to shrink away before my eyes.
Tell her it could affect her heart. Please help an anxious mother deal with this problem.

ANSWER: Anorexia nervosa is a serious illness.
Fifteen percent of all anorexia sufferers die, which makes it the deadliest of all psychiatric disorders.
Sudden deaths among anorexics are often due to the serious damage that the disorder causes to the heart. Researchers have known for a long time that anorexics have abnormal heart rhythms, including heart rates that are too fast or slow or that lack the proper rhythm.
Their hearts are also shrunken in size.
It had always been thought that when the body is starved, the heart and the brain are spared at the expense of other parts of the body, but an anorexic's heart appears to lose more weight and size proportionately than the rest of the body.
The size of the left ventricle, one of the chambers of the heart, in anorexics is especially reduced.
Bulimia eating and then vomiting can also cause heart problems due to chemical imbalances in the body. Because of these heart changes, anorexics cannot exercise as long as normal during exercise stress tests.
Their heart rates and blood pressures do not respond normally to the extra effort of exercise, as a healthy person's would.
It is still not known whether the heart returns to normal after the patient regains her weight or whether these changes are permanent.
Some studies have shown that the heart does increase in size as weight is gained. Your daughter needs professional treatment, and even the concern of a mother may not be enough to get her on the right path.
This warning should be clear enough to help make her seek medical care.

Ruptured Ascending Aortic Aneurysm

2009-05-10T06:46:00.001-07:00

QUESTION: Can you provide info regarding ruptured ascending aortic aneurysm? Since my father died of it last year, I had several people tell me their fathers died of it too.
My father was an apparently healthy 56-year-old man who took good care of himself.
Anything you can tell me about this illness would be helpful.
Thank you.

ANSWER: Aortic dissection is not a rare disease, for there are about 2000 new cases diagnosed each year.
Men are affected about three times more frequently than women, and the disease is seen most frequently between the ages of 50 and 70, so your Dad falls right into the averages.
Many of the patients with the condition have atherosclerosis and hypertension, although it may occur when no hypertension has been found.
An aneurysm is the dilatation of an artery due to weakness and stretching of the artery wall forming a sac like structure. This wall has three layers, and all three layers are involved in the formation of the sac.
The most commonly accepted explanation of the formation of a dissecting aneurysm is that a tear develops in the inner layer of the wall. The pressure within the vessel, forces some of the blood into the tear, and it gradually works its way between two layers in a process known as "dissection". The ascending aorta is the part of the aorta that starts at the heart (right after the aortic valve and curves upward and around within the chest before it turns downward leading to the abdomen and the rest of the body (descending aorta).
This part of the aorta is the most common site for the origins of dissecting aneurysms.
The aneurysm may be present for some time before the dissection occurs, and can be totally without symptoms.
However when the dissection begins, there is usually sharp pain.
When this occurs, it is considered a true medical emergency for the possibility of death is quite high.
At one time as many as 90 percent of the patients died.
Treatment must start immediately, with the goal of lowering the blood pressure and stabilizing the patient's condition.
When rupture occurs there may be a sudden drop of blood pressure, in which case immediate surgical intervention is the only hope to save the patient's life.

Where Does Cystic Fibrosis Come From?

2009-05-07T10:15:00.005-07:00

QUESTION: I would be very grateful to you if you would consider discussing cystic fibrosis in your column.
Can you please give me some information as to its causes or where it comes from? Thank you.

ANSWER: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a hereditary disease.
It is caused by a recessive gene, which means that a person can carry the gene without having CF, and that although the children of parents who carry the gene have a chance of getting CF, they also may be normal. In the United States, CF is most common in white people, affecting one in every 3,000 births, compared to only one in 17,000 black children, and it is even rarer among Oriental babies. Treatment of CF has improved to the point where half of children with CF live to adulthood.
Symptoms may include wheezing and coughing, but the clearest indicator of CF is that the child simply doesn't seem to thrive.
He or she will probably have a history of respiratory tract infections and poor digestion. Not only can tests diagnose whether a child has CF, new tests are helpful in identifying who is carrying the gene, in diagnosing the disease in newborns and even before birth, during the first trimester of pregnancy.
In families that already have at least one child with CF, DNA analysis can be used to diagnose CF during pregnancy.
The earlier CF is diagnosed, the sooner the family can begin to cope with it. Because CF runs in families, it is important for people who have a history of CF in their families to find out if they are carriers.
This information can help them to make informed choices about having children, and lead to early diagnosis and help for their children.
You can obtain further information from your doctor or by contacting your local Cystic Fibrosis Foundation that is listed in your local telephone book.

What Causes Diaper Rash?

2009-05-07T10:15:00.003-07:00

QUESTION: Would you answer a rather simple question for a mother with a need for some information? Please explain what causes diaper rash?

ANSWER: More than 60 percent of all babies between four and fifteen months experience an occasional rash in the diaper area.
The symptoms may vary from a mild redness to painful open sores which extend into the folds of the thigh. In the past, diaper rash was blamed on such factors as teething, diet, and ammonia in the urine.
But experts now believe that diaper rash may be caused by too much moisture, as well as a wearing away of the skin's protective barrier from continual contact with urine and stool.
Wetness starts the process by removing the skin's natural oils.
Moist unprotected skin then becomes easily damaged by the constant rubbing action of the diaper, possibly leading to a stubborn long-lasting yeast infection. To prevent this, doctors advise prompt care of the diaper area, especially after a bowel movement.
Avoid excessive cleansing with soap and disposable wipes which can dry and irritate the skin.
If a rash still develops, despite every effort, a bland ointment containing zinc oxide may be of some help.

Is Douching With Products Found in the Drugstore Safe?

2009-05-07T10:15:00.001-07:00

QUESTION: I need the answer to a question that is not discussed too frequently in columns like yours.
I would like to know if douching with products found in the drugstore are safe? My girlfriend claims she read that these products are the cause of PID (pelvic inflammatory disease), and I don't need more trouble than I already have.
Would you please answer this question for me?

ANSWER: This question involving feminine hygiene certainly does deserve an answer, and I have no problem responding to you in this column.
The simple answer is that when commercially prepared douching products are used as directed, and for the purposes indicated in the product literature, they pose no special problems for the user.
It is possible that there is some link between PID and douching, but it is not considered to be cause-effect relationship.
Douching may be used more frequently by woman who have multiple sexual partners, use this as a means of contraception or birth control (it is not), hope that it will prevent catching sexually transmitted disease (it won't), or to relieve symptoms of an already existing infection.
It for this reason we find that both douching and PID may exist in the same populations, but this fact alone does not establish a one to one tie.
Nor does everyone who does use this method of feminine cleanliness have some particular worry relating to their own sex life.
Since it seems as if you might wish to use douching for yourself, it is important to become fully informed.
Speak to your own doctor about the correct method, and ask counsel about products. Read the labels most carefully, and stick to the instructions that are provided.
If PID is a worry in your life, then openly ask your doctor about the disease, and find out just what the risk factors are and how to take precautions against Sexually Transmitted Disease, the types of infections that often lead to PID.
Now that I have made the first attempt to provide you with the information you requested, the next important steps are up to you.

Do You Consider Birth Control Pills Safe?

2009-05-04T10:00:00.005-07:00

QUESTION: Maybe I am just over cautious, but I would like more information about the safety of birth control pills.
I am starting to take them again after a second child, but remember there were many articles about their dangers some years ago.
Do you consider them safe, and are they very effective? Our family is just the right size now.

ANSWER: In the early days of oral contraceptives, there were many reports of unwanted and undesirable side effects.
These were related to the dosage of hormones contained in those preparations.
However, as time progressed a whole array of new, low-dose formulations became available to physicians, the number and intensity of side effects diminished and the safety factor increased. These new low-dose varieties have demonstrated a high degree of effectiveness, and are now considered the most effective reversible method of birth control (other than injectable progestin).
Since there are so many combinations available, a physician can prescribe the dosage form that best suits the needs of a patient, and certainly the one with the least side effects.
There still are some commonly occurring side effects, nausea, headache and weight gain, but they frequently pass after a short time, or can be alleviated by switching to another combination of medications or to one with a different dose of hormones.
The often expressed concern of death from these prescriptions is not born out in fact, as this event is extremely rare.
In a nonsmoking patient, death from an auto accident is ten times more likely than from birth control pills.
Though there are a number of situations in which birth control pills should not be prescribed, history of stroke, clots in the veins, coronary artery disease, known or suspected cancer of the breast, or impaired liver function among others, there are also many benefits beside birth control that result from these medications.
They include lower incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease, ovarian cancer, fibrocystic disease, premenstrual tension syndrome and others.
In addition there are fewer menstrual cramps, less intense flow and more predictable menses.
You may have some concerns answered by asking your doctor about the specific type of medication prescribed for you, and requesting literature about your medication.

Is Morning Dizziness Something to Worry About?

2009-05-04T10:00:00.003-07:00

QUESTION: When I first get up in the morning and get out of bed, I sometimes get very dizzy and have to hold on to something so I won't fall.
It doesn't happen every time, but often enough to have me concerned.
Is this something for me to worry about and do you think it is worth a visit to the doctor?

ANSWER: This situation, called "orthostatic hypotension," occurs when there is a sudden fall of blood pressure in the body after suddenly assuming an upright position, and is not a disease in and of itself, but rather a result of abnormal blood pressure regulation.
When you suddenly elevate your head to several feet above the ground, the pull of gravity is exerted on your blood flow, causing the blood to pool in your legs, thus reducing the amount available to the head and brain.
The heart may take several seconds to respond to the need, and during that time you experience the faintness, lightheadedness and dizziness that comes with a lack of oxygen to the brain. One solution is to arise in a more gradual fashion, placing your feet on the floor for a few seconds before actually standing up.
Since there are many possible causes for this condition, including the effects of some medications, a visit to your physician for a more complete answer in your case is not unwise.

What Connection Is There Between Paget's Disease and Breast Cancer?

2009-05-04T10:00:00.001-07:00

QUESTION: Can you please tell me what connection there is between Paget's Disease and breast cancer? I know of Paget's as a bone disease, for which my husband is now taking medication.
However we have reports of an aunt with the same problem, and they are considering breast surgery.
We are totally confused and hope you can clear this one up for us.

ANSWER: The connection is Sir James Paget, a British surgeon who lived from 1814 to 1899, and who wrote on a number of medical subjects including an eczema of the breast nipple (Paget's I) and a bone growth problem called osteitis deformans (Paget's II).
In describing the breast rash, Paget wrote an article in 1874 for the St.
Bartholomew Hospital Reporter, a publication of the hospital with which he was associated for his entire life, and correctly noted that this skin lesion was almost invariably associated with an underlying mammary cancer.
It was a remarkable clinical observation by this exceptionally alert surgeon/pathologist.
The rash is an oozing, scaly red plaque with sharply marked edges.
It can provoke a burning sensation, itchiness, or be sore and tender.
However a biopsy examination reveals the typical Paget cells that may have entered into the skin from the cancer below. It is almost always seen in women between the ages of 50 and 60, but another form called Extramammary Paget's disease can be seen in men as well.
Another form has also been described on the penis as well as the vulva.
The condition is slowly progressive, and so surgery is advised for all cases where the biopsy has been performed and diagnosed as positive for cancer cells.
The extent of the surgery depends upon the size and location of the tumor, and the condition is treated as any other breast cancer.
Here is another case where the patient must remain alert and seek help at once.
The early discovery of the condition and the prompt and appropriate treatment gives the patient the best chances of a complete recovery, and since this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I found your question most interesting and an appropriate one to answer at once.

Concern About the Chance of Getting Ill From Eating Eggs

2009-05-02T22:08:00.005-07:00

QUESTION: We are very concerned about the chance of getting ill from eating eggs.
We would like more information about that.
We are also very curious about how the infection gets into the egg, for we always thought that everything inside of a whole egg shell would be pretty well protected.
Will you please provide us with these answers?

ANSWER: The illness you fear is brought on by an infection caused by the Salmonella enteritidis, which causes a serious condition called "gastroenteritis".
This starts about 12 to 48 hours after eating a food tainted with these bacteria, and may begin with nausea and cramp abdominal pain, followed by diarrhea, fever and sometimes vomiting.
In uncomplicated cases, it is treated symptomatically with fluids and a bland diet, antibiotics being reserved for the more serious cases.
There was a similar outbreak of this type of salmonella infection associated with chicken eggs back in the 1960's.
At that time it was felt that the infection had been spread by chicken feces on the outside of the eggs, with the bacteria penetrating into the egg itself through pores or cracks in the shell.
The rate of contamination was greatly reduced when a system of inspection, disinfection and grading of eggs was instituted by federal legislation.
Now it is felt that some of the chickens may have internal organs that are infected and that the bacteria is introduced into the egg before the shell has formed.
However, you may still eat any egg that has been properly cooked without fearing an infection.
Eggs should be boiled for seven minutes, poached for five minutes, or fried for three minutes on each side.
You may also greatly reduce any chances of infection by avoiding raw eggs, or foods made with raw eggs, and by storing your eggs properly at temperatures below 45 degrees F.
You can obtain more information about this subject in a consumer bulletin prepared by the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service entitled "Handling Eggs Safely At Home". Call the information division at (202) 447-2356 and ask them to mail you a free copy.

What is "Erythrasma"?

2009-05-02T22:08:00.003-07:00

QUESTION: I have been trying to clear up a peculiar skin rash for some time. After one doctor diagnosed it as a fungal rash, I took a good deal of medicine that didn't work.
My new doctor claims it isn't a fungus at all but a different condition called "erythrasma" (I made him write it down so I am sure the spelling is right).
Can you explain condition to me and what special treatment may be necessary to cure it?

ANSWER: Good for you.
Getting the name of your condition properly spelled is a great first step towards understanding what it is and what must be done. Erythrasma is a superficial skin infection caused be a bacteria (Corynebacterium minutissimum) which is seen most commonly in adults.
It looks a lot like a fungal infection and forms irregular pink patches which often turn brown with a fine scale along the thighs, trunk, axilla or groin. It can also cause a scaly rash between the toes that looks like athlete's foot.
It will probably clear up quite quickly with 2 weeks of antibiotic therapy using either oral erythromycin or tetracycline.

Has the New Drug Etidronate Been Approved by the FDA?

2009-05-02T22:08:00.001-07:00

QUESTION: Recently I read about the new drug etidronate which is supposedly a real break through in treating osteoporosis with very minimal side effects. Our doctor seems to know nothing of this drug, but our pharmacist says with a prescription he can order it and have it in the next day.
Could you please advise if and when this drug was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and when it will be on the market? I am sure many people are eager to learn more about this important drug.

ANSWER: Your letter brings up some important points that have been included in recent mail from other readers and so I am pleased to respond.
The articles you have been reading about etidronate followed the publication of two reports about new research using this medication presented in the New England Journal of Medicine in May and July of this year.
One study was conducted in Denmark, involved 66 patients and covered a three year period.
A much larger study involved 429 women with postmenopausal osteoporosis was conducted over a two year period in centers in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Atlanta, Seattle, Honolulu, Denver and Columbus, Ohio.
A method called "intermittent cyclic therapy" (ICT) was used in both studies.
Contrary to the thinking of many people, bone is not a dead tissue, but a dynamic one, constantly being torn down and rebuilt by special cells.
The osteoclasts are responsible for tearing down old bone, with the osteoblasts working to rebuild the bone and form new bony structures.
During most of our adult life these two processes are pretty much in balance, but after menopause, the osteoclasts get the upper hand, with more destruction of bone than new building.
The result is a thinner or more porous bone, thus the name osteoporosis.
In these experiments etidronate was given to slow down the osteoclastic activity for a period of time (15 days), and then stopped, permitting the osteoblasts to function and rebuild bone.
During the bone rebuilding portion of the cycle, calcium supplements were given to help the process.
The entire cycle spanned a three month period and then was repeated.
Both groups of researchers reported that bone mass improved (as measured by bone density techniques) during the therapy, and more important still, that the number of vertebral fractures (the type that cause the formation of a "dowager's hump" or spinal curvature) was significantly reduced in the group receiving etidronate when compared to the control group.
Etidronate is not unknown to doctors practicing in the United States.
It is currently marketed under the name Didronel by Norwich Eaton, and is already approved for use in treating Paget's Disease of the bone, and is considered safe and effective for this indication by the FDA.
However, when a medication that has been approved for one indication is found useful for a new disease or indication, the manufacturer must submit evidence and scientific data to the FDA to prove that it is an effective treatment for the new disorder as well.
The news is that the manufacturer has submitted the results of these two studies as well as other supportive data to the FDA at this time and is awaiting its decision.
Just how long the process will take is unknown, but I will be happy to let you know when it occurs.
So your pharmacist is correct, he can order the medication now, but I would strongly advise your physician to read these two articles before deciding to issue a prescription, because the medication must be taken in a very precise manner to obtain the same results as these investigations.

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Family pleads for clues in fatal apartment fire

B.C. man granted bail after 26 years in jail for sex attacks

Environment minister unveils key part of Canadian carbon market

Market to set carbon price

UN members agree on sanctions resolution against North Korea

Financial restrictions

China, Russia initially reluctant

At least 2 shot at Holocaust Museum in Washington

Several loud pops

Heavy security

Sweden may be minus Larsson for World Cup qualifier

Federer wins 1st French Open title, makes history

Soderling puts up a fight

2nd set interruption

Shootout kills 15 gunmen, 1 soldier in Acapulco

Diabetes drug may help fight cancer, mouse study suggests

Tricking cells

Pessimism about finding Air France black boxes grows, mourners gather

Bells toll 228 times

No signals from black boxes detected

Preliminary report by month's end

Loonie tumbles more than two cents while stocks sell off

Gonzalez back in French Open playoffs

6 killed in Fatah raid in West Bank

Houston Dynamo need only 5 minutes to beat TFC

Perfect Storm captain convicted of illegally fishing in Canadian waters

Dog Grooming Maintaining A Posh Pup

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