Barnoldswick volunteer gives vital help to India leprosy charity

2:41pm Tuesday 24th January 2012 in

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a VOLUNTEER has helped medics improve the lives of people with leprosy in a small community in India.

Janet Melville, 29, from Barnoldswick, travelled to the Anandwan settlement, to assist in operations on patients left deformed from the disease.

the former West Craven High pupil, who gave up her job as a geotechnical engineer to travel the world, volunteered for a small charity called Hands For Life which carries out free medical work once a year at the Maharogi Sewa Samit hospital, near Nagpur.

she spent a week working in the operating theatre helping surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses in the leprosy colony at Warora.

Janet said: “The trip was a very new experience for me as I have never been to India before or done any kind of medical work in the past.

“We worked for a week wearing hospital theatre blues for about 10 hours a day, assisting the scrub nurse, surgeons and patients as best we were able with a whole range of tasks, we had to learn on our feet.

“It was an extremely rewarding experience, seeing patients receive the most needed care and sometimes life-changing treatment, that without the team would have been unthinkable.

“I hope to go back to India later this year to carry out the same work and I am very much looking forward to this.” her parents Rosemary and Tom, of Chapel Street, Barnoldswick, said she was inspired by her time as a care worker.

Rosemary said: “She has always been interested in medicine and she thinks she should have gone into it as a career.

“She is in Thailand now and is hoping to go to Australia. but she is hoping to team up with the charity again and go to India. she may also go to Sierra Leone.

“We have it soft here, unlike these places. she said some of the sights have been gruesome.”

to donate, write to Hands For Life, 33 Alton Road, Wilmslow, SK9 5DY.

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SOPA

by on January 26, 2012

Five days after the Justice Department’s takedown of popular Hong Kong-based file-sharing network MegaUpload, Hollywood astroturf group Creative America posted an anti-piracy video claiming that U.S. law currently prevents the DOJ from taking down foreign-based sites that facilitate copyright infringement.

The video, meant to sell constituents on the need for Hollywood-backed legislation like the recently stalled bills SOPA and PIPA — the stop Online Piracy Act in the House and the Protect IP Act in the Senate — spoke of MegaUpload, owned by hacker Kim Schmitz, in the present tense.

“currently, U.S. law enforcement is only permitted to shut down U.S. based IP addresses,” said the video. “Overseas sites like Schmitz’s MegaUpload and MegaVideo, and the Swedish-based Pirate Bay, are out of reach.”

Not everyone was impressed by Hollywood’s latest public relations move.

“Seriously, the video shows the level of lies that CreativeAmerica and the MPAA will spread to try to pass new, even broader laws,” wrote Mike Masnick at the tech blog TechDirt. “What’s stunning is how blatant they are about it, releasing this video even after events from a week ago already proved it wrong.”

“the individuals and two corporations — Megaupload Limited and Vestor Limited — were indicted by a grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia on Jan. 5, 2012, and charged with engaging in a racketeering conspiracy, conspiring to commit copyright infringement, conspiring to commit money laundering, and two substantive counts of criminal copyright infringement,” the Justice Department said in a statement.

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SOPA

Lakers No. 1 where it counts: Value

by on January 26, 2012

The Los Angeles Lakers have surpassed the New York Knicks as the NBA’s most valuable team, according to Forbes’ annual report.

The magazine said Wednesday that the value of the Lakers, who won NBA titles in 2009 and 2010, soared 40 percent from last year due to a 20-year television deal with Time Warner Cable.

The Lakers are comfortably above the second-place Knicks, whose value rose 19 percent to $780 million, largely with a boost from the renovation of Madison Square Garden.

The Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, and Boston Celtics rounded out the top five.

Despite a shortened season, the average team is worth $393 million, up 6.5 percent from last year, aided by the new collective-bargaining agreement. The Milwaukee Bucks are the least valuable team at $268 million.

Love agrees to 4 years

All-star power forward Kevin Love is staying with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Love and the team agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $60 million to $62 million, a deal that includes a player option in the final year.

"I like the direction the team is headed," Love said. "I like the youth. I like the pieces, like we’re knocking at the door and we’re close in a lot of games."

Love is fifth in the league in scoring with 24.9 points per game, second with 13.9 rebounds, and first with 39.4 minutes played. he has emerged as the face of the franchise and is a key building block for the team and new coach Rick Adelman.

– Inquirer wire services

Lakers No. 1 where it counts: Value

Now that Jorge Posada has retired, the Yankees might want to contact Berthold Bäuml from the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

No, he can’t hit a fastball, but the robotics professor has created something that might interest quite a few MLB teams: a robot that can throw and catch a baseball. its name is Agile Justin, no relation to mRobo, the dancing robot endorsed by Justin Bieber. It’s the more advanced version of Rollin’ Justin, who is also not endorsed by Justin Bieber.

(PHOTOS: 61 in ’61: Roger Maris’ Record-Breaking Season)

DLR researchers wanted to test Agile Justin’s improved dynamic performance, so in a heartwarming scene familiar to robot fathers and sons everywhere, they set up a game of catch. Take a few seconds to watch how eerily natural the throwing and catching motions are.

According to Hizook.com, this is all pretty preliminary, with academic papers on the robot not to be released until later this year. still, the video alone is pretty impressive.

Coordinating motions between the hands, arms, torso and base of a robot is no easy task. all of the movements you take for granted are incredibly difficult for a robot — which is why footage released last year of ASIMO simply avoiding people in a hall seemed so impressive.

Rollin’ Justin could already catch a baseball (not to mention dance like it was in Pulp Fiction), which requires an amazing amount of agility, perception and coordination. all it lacked was the ability to move its arms fast enough to chuck an object.

Agile Justin is no Roger Clemens, of course, but it can move its arms 1.5 times faster than its predecessor. plus, it’s built with increased degrees of freedom that allow for more advanced, human-like motions.

Right now it moves on wheels, but this video of a pair of DLR-developed legs makes me think a fully functional robotic baseball player is not an impossibility (and, considering A-Rod’s $32 million salary in 2011, it just might be fiscally prudent).

Additional information and a more complete demo are expected at Automatica, an international robotics trade fair that takes place in Munich. until then we’ll have to only speculate on what else Agile Justin is capable of.

[via Hizook]

MORE: Where’s our Rosie? why We Don’t have Domestic Robots Yet

German Scientists Teach Advanced Robots to Play Baseball

Cantor.jpgHouse Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virgnia, center, joined by House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, right, and House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy of California, left, speaks to reporters about the debt crisis showdown during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday, July 28, 2011. (Scott Applewhite/Associated Press)

U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo’s office has decided on a location for a reception that is set to include special guest House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a Republican who represents the 7th Congressional District of Virginia.

It will be held at the Gulfport Yacht Club the evening of Feb. 4. the Gulfport establishment was one of the many Gulf Coast yacht clubs that were built back bigger and better after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Palazzo said he’s looking forward to showing Cantor the unique beauty and vibrancy of the place where he grew up. Cantor has never been to south Mississippi, Palazzo has said.

Cantor is a former small businessman who has been described in Congressional Quarterly as the GOP’s “communicator, rainmaker and consensus builder.”

He co-authored the New York Times best-selling book, “Young Guns: a New Generation of Conservative Leaders,” with Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California, and Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin.

The event costs $50 per person and includes hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. For more information, visit www.palazzoforcongress.com/cantor

Gulf Coast food: the star of the show

Although networking is the main purpose of the annual Gulf Coast Legislative Reception at the Mississippi Trade Mart in Jackson, the smorgasbord of south Mississippi cuisine has become perhaps the main reason it’s a must-attend event.

Despite heavy rain on the way up, there was record-breaking attendance at this year’s event on Tuesday: 1,800 people. there was also more than enough food to go around.

That’s because Coast eateries, from casino restaurants to local landmarks to small mom-and-pop operations, make every effort to serve up the best they have to offer.

Dozens of vendor tents were set up in the Mart. the local seafood is a big draw, but there are also pastries such as King Cake and other Coast specialties such as barbecue.

Karen Sinopoli of the reception committee coordinates the food portion of the event, making contacts with restaurants along the Coast. Sinopoli has a team of chefs that come with her to Jackson to get the food out, according to committee member Dennis Burke.

Raw oysters and boiled shrimp provided by the Department of Marine Resources are typically the biggest hit, Burke said, and many restaurants from the Coast serve their signature dishes such as Mary Mahoney’s gumbo and Scranton’s shrimp and grits.

“I would say that any and all of the seafood dishes are greatly appreciated by our neighbors to the north,” Burke said. Indeed, many of the legislators could be seen juggling several bowls and plates at once.

This year, Ocean Springs’ the Shed drew a big crowd with its giant, medieval-style whole hog, from which servers pulled off huge chunks of tender smoked pork.

Burke said it was the first time for a whole roast pig to be featured.

Peace, love and tutus in O.S.

Friendly camaraderie appears to be returning to the Ocean Springs Board of Aldermen after many months of bickering.

Public Works Director André Kaufman attended Wednesday night’s meeting, something he rarely does. Kaufman found himself being the subject of numerous board member jokes — all in good fun — and at one point Alderman Greg Denyer jokingly nominated Kaufman to represent the city on the Mary C. O’Keefe Board.

“I come to one meeting out of the year, and this is the thanks I get,” Kaufman said in retaliation.

Alderman Matt McDonnell then let Kaufman off the hook by saying, “I just pictured André in a pink tutu. That’s enough to make me vote no.”

It rained on his parade, twice

Gov. Phil Bryant’s inaugural parade, scheduled for Saturday, as of Friday afternoon had been canceled for the second time due to bad weather.

It will not be re-scheduled, according to Bryant spokesman Mick Bullock.

In a statement, Bryant said he appreciated the hard work that went into planning the parade but puts the safety of citizens first.

Crews spent about a week building an outdoor stage for the inauguration that was forced indoors because of rain, and Bryant still may have a chance to use it for his state-of-the-state address that’s scheduled for Tuesday.

So easy an eighth-grader, or legislator, can do it

The Mississippi Democratic Trust circulated a YouTube video last week among members of the legislature showing how easy it is to verify that Attorney General Jim Hood is fair and transparent when it comes to contracts with independent counsel.

In the video, an eighth-grader demonstrates how to locate contracts with independent counsel on the Mississippi Attorney General’s website.

Brandon Jones, Chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Trust, noted that members of the Legislature will be called on to consider legislation aimed at limiting the Mississippi attorney general’s ability to contract with outside counsel in complex consumer protection cases.

“Among the arguments you will hear is that it is difficult to determine the identity of the lawyers chosen to do this work and the terms of these contracts,” Jones said.

“This video demonstrates that information about the Attorney General’s contracts with independent counsel is only a point and click away,” he added.

Mississippi Press reporters Kaija Wilkinson and Cherie Ward contributed to this report.

Palazzo reception at Gulfport Yacht Club to welcome Cantor (Political Skinny)

Politifact.com Truth-O-Meter rulings from National

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The Truth-o-Meter says: Pants on Fire! | Mitch Daniels says ‘nearly half of all persons under 30 did not go to work today’

during the Republican response to the State of the Union address, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels painted a grim picture of American employment today. “The president did not cause the economic and fiscal crises that continue in America tonight, but he was elected on a promise to fix them, and he cannot claim that the last three years have made things anything but worse,” Daniels said in the nationally televised address. “The percentage of Americans with a job is at the lowest in decades. One in five men of prime working age and nearly half of all persons under …

Mitch Daniels:
"Nearly half of all persons under 30 did not go to work today."

HCG Dieters now have better food choices to help them maintain their new weight.

WENTZVILLE, MO, January 25, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ — the HCG Diet is famous for producing rapid weight loss results in a very short amount of time. HCG Dieters are rewarded with high fat loss, but maintaining their new weight can be difficult. This is because of the overnight transition a severely restricted diet, to one with hardly any restrictions at all. At this stage it is critical to find foods that will help them maintain their weight.

The HCG Diet works by combining HCG, a supplement, with the specific very low Calorie Diet (VLCD) which consists of only about 20 foods to choose from daily. During this time, typical fat loss is around 20 to 30 lbs in about a month. the six weeks following the VLCD are called the Maintenance Phase (or Phase 3). HCG Dieters train their body to lock in their new low weight by first avoiding sugars and starches altogether, then slowly reintroducing them into their diet. if a participant doesn’t follow the Maintenance Phase guidelines, they can end up throwing all their hard-earned weight loss out the window.

The solution lies in finding the right foods to eat during the Maintenance Phase. the HCG experts at Do-It-Yourself HCG (DIY HCG) found that, even with the helpful HCG books they offered, their customers still weren’t sure what to eat in the first half of HCG Phase 3 where sugars and starches are not allowed. "So, we did some research, did a lot of taste-testing, and found some amazing products that meet all the requirements for HCG Maintenance to will help people stay on track. they all taste so good we haven’t been able to keep our hands off them in the office!" says Tiffany Prinster CEO of DIY HCG and published HCG author.

The new HCG Maintenance products include HCG Maintenance protein bars in four flavors, chocolate or vanilla flavored HCG Maintenance protein shakes, HCG Maintenance oatmeal in apple-cinnamon or maple-brown sugar, and Miracle Noodles also known as shirataki noodles. All of these products are available individually, or to get a taste of all the different flavor options, they offer a sampler pack with two bars/packets of every flavor at www.diyhcg.com.

Do-It-Yourself HCG http://www.diyhcg.com has helped tens of thousands of customers to attain their HCG weight loss goals by providing reliable products and expertise since 2008. they are an industry leader in effective weight loss solutions and support relating to the HCG Diet.

Press release service and press release distribution provided by http://www.24-7pressrelease.com

New HCG Maintenance Foods Help Dieters Lock in New Weight – World News Report

Friend of Demi Moore called paramedics on Monday night after actress inhaled a dangerous amount of NOx (nitrous oxide) … TMZ has learned.

Sources tell TMZ … one of Demi of friends who told him his workers home emergency Demi her whip. a Chucho-es a street name for a type of inhalant for NOx (nitrous oxide).

The friend said he was angry when Demi had an answer in a whip-it and the summary semi-consciousness.

It seems that Demi had symptoms of a seizure-after inhaling the nitrous.

A Chucho-TI not s a common drug among people of Demi age and social status. it is currently used mostly by young people who are looking for a cheap thrill.The actress, 49, is handled by what his representative “exhaustion”, says if private friends express concern about his poor health and the stress of mounting.

Demi Moore Suffered an Apparent Seizure Source

While the cause of the reported seizure was not immediately known, requested a second source in humans Moore “have not tried suicide”.

TMZ, meanwhile, reports that Moore went to the hospital after a bad reaction to NOx (nitrous oxide).

Representatives of Moore have failed since the first release statement.

The former Minister of Ghost, who had a rocky few months than a separation from her husband Ashton Kutcher and a death of a good friend, stopped his role as Gloria Steinem recently cast in the upcoming movie of Lovelace.

Filed under: Latest News, World news | Tagged: , , , ,

Demi Moore Suffered an Apparent Seizure Source

A former staffer for Bay State Sen. John F. Kerry has been charged with leaking the names of CIA operatives, including one who was involved in the interrogation of terror suspects held at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay, according to the U.S. Department of Justice and Kerry’s office.

John Kiriakou, 47, of Arlington, Va., a CIA intelligence officer between 1990 and 2004, worked at headquarters and in various classified overseas assignments. Between 2009 and 2011, Kiriakou worked as an investigator for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, while Kerry was chairman, Kerry’s office confirmed.

Kerry’s office said they were not aware of any allegations of wrongdoing against Kiriakou until he was charged this week.

“these charges date back to actions allegedly taken when he was employed by the intelligence community and both pre-date and are unrelated to his work for the committee,” said Kerry spokeswoman Jodi Seth. “Understandably, our office has no information beyond what is publicly available, and only yesterday did we become aware of this situation.”

Kiriakou came to public attention in December 2007 when he was interviewed by ABC investigative reporter Brian Ross. He confirmed the CIA had used waterboarding in its interrogations of al-Qaeda no. 3 Abu Zubaydah, who was captured in 2002 in Pakistan. the charges against Kiriakou are unrelated to the Ross interview. the criminal complaint alleges he gave three journalists the name of a CIA colleague who interrogated Zubaydah, and that he gave the name of another covert officer to a journalist who passed the name on to a Guantanamo detainee’s defense lawyers, who wrote a classified legal brief that mentioned the officer by name. When CIA officials saw it, they launched a criminal investigation. Kiriakou’s lawyer said his client will plead not guilty.

The associated Press contributed to this report.

Ex-Kerry aide charged with outing Gitmo CIA operatives

Jesus Of Nazareth (Movie Review)

by on January 25, 2012

Since Thomas Edison’s invention of the modern cinema, countless filmmakers have endeavored to produce a moving picture that accurately chronicles the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth. aside from Mel Gibson’s the Passion of the Christ, which chronicled only a part of the life and crucifixion of Jesus, Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth is the greatest of all. Originally aired as a television mini-series (it’s over six hours in length), the film closely adheres to the word-for-word accounts found in the Gospels.

The story begins with Joseph (Yorgo Voyagis) and Mary’s (Olivia Hussey) reception of God’s angels. each is told of the child that Mary will bear and what his name will be. the scene where Mary receives her message is an especially powerful piece of cinematic artistry with no dialogue – only a warm light surrounding Mary as she bows in prayer. the film holds true to every utterance in the Gospels, recounting the census, Herod’s decree, and the travels of Joseph and Mary.

As Jesus (Robert Powell) develops into adulthood, we witness the beginning of his ministry. He calls on his disciples, teaches through use of parables, and displays many miracles. Zeffirelli makes powerful use of the camera by having his star, Powell, never be caught blinking in any scene. at first, it’s barely noticeable, and it takes some time to figure out what is so different. But this absence of the uniformly common trait of blinking creates a divine aura around the character of Jesus. it draws in the audience by creating an emotional sense of peace that lends credibility to the onscreen portrayal of Jesus.

From beginning to end, Jesus of Nazareth offers a plethora of memorable scenes and exchanges which are more attributable to the Gospels and the actual life of Jesus rather than brilliant direction and acting ability. But the subject matter is aptly handled by a great production team and an endless array of first-rate actors and actresses, among them are – Mary Magdalene (Anne Bancroft), the Centurion (Ernest Borgnine), Simon Peter (James Farentino), Balthazar (James Earl Jones), Joseph of Arimathea (James Mason), Nicodemus (Laurence Olivier), Caiaphas (Anthony Quinn), and many others. Overall, the individual performances come together to form a rich tapestry of wisdom and intrigue that will leave its audience with much upon which to reflect and ponder.

If you believe Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah (which this author does), then Jesus of Nazareth serves as a form of meditation and renewal of one’s spiritual connection to God. But if you don’t view Jesus in this way, no other film will leave you in such awe of the profound influence promulgated by a humble, sandal-clan man from a province on the outskirts of mighty Rome – an influence that has completely dominated the world for almost two thousand years to the present day.

For spiritual, philosophical, and cinematic reasons, Jesus of Nazareth is a definite must-see film for the ages.

Jesus Of Nazareth (Movie Review)