Ex-French leader faces corruption trial

A corruption trial in which French former president Jacques Chirac is the star defendant resumes Monday, and the 78-year-old won't appear while his lawyers argue that he's not well enough to attend.

A Paris judge has several options, such as suspending the proceedings to await further medical expertise, proceeding without Chirac in the courtroom, or throwing out the case.

France's first trial involving a former head of state since World War II is to run through Sept. 23. It was suspended shortly after it began in March so a higher court could rule on an appeal by one of the co-defendants.

Chirac's legal team, in a weekend statement, said it had sent a letter to the tribunal on Friday arguing that Chirac "no longer has the full capacity to participate in court proceedings" ? and asking that he be allowed to skip them.

The lawyers included in the letter the results of a neurological exam, though Jean Veil, one of Chirac's lawyers, declined to give details to The Associated Press. It's not unusual for defendants in France to ask to skip their trials for medical reasons.

Chirac's wife, Bernadette, denied rumors earlier this year that he had Alzheimer's disease, but she acknowledged he was experiencing problems that were either linked to a 2005 stroke or his age.

The trial involves two cases centering on the alleged creation of more than two-dozen fake City Hall jobs used to fund Chirac's conservative party while he was mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995. He enjoyed immunity from prosecution during his subsequent 12 years as head of state.

Chirac has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and his lawyers said previously that he was welcoming the chance to make his case in court.

On trial with Chirac are two of his former chiefs of staff at City Hall and seven others said to have benefited improperly from the graft.

If convicted, he would face up to 10 years in prison and ?150,000 ($215,000) in fines.

The case is among many scandals to hound Chirac over his years as mayor ? including claims that he and his family improperly ate some ?2.1 million worth of food from 1987 to 1995 at the city's expense. Those cases were rejected either for lack of evidence or because they had surpassed the statute of limitations.

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Many critics have decried the trappings of presidential immunity.

"This is without a doubt a two-track justice system," Eva Joly, leader of the Green Party and a former high-profile judge, said on France-Info radio Monday. "Having to wait a decade for a verdict isn't right."

While Chirac has retired from day-to-day politics, he remains a huge presence in the political landscape. The party of Nicolas Sarkozy, Chirac's successor as president, has its roots in the political machine that Chirac built.

The popular, avuncular former president made headlines in June after appearing in public with Socialist presidential hopeful Francois Hollande, and saying that he would vote for him ? which resonated as a dig against Sarkozy. Chirac's office later said it was a joke.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44396785/ns/world_news-europe/

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Cuban defense minister dies at 75 (AP)

HAVANA ? Gen. Julio Casas Regueiro, who oversaw the Cuban military's lucrative economic enterprises for years before replacing Raul Castro as defense minister, died Saturday of heart failure, state television reported. He was 75.

Casas, who was also a vice president of the Council of State, Cuba's supreme governing body, was the most important figure from the revolution to die since Juan Almeida Bosque in 2009, and his death was sure to focus renewed attention on the fragility of the island's aging leadership.

State television announced three days of national mourning in his honor, and immediately began playing retrospective footage of his life. It said that Casas' body was cremated in accordance with his wishes, and that his remains would be placed in the Defense Ministry headquarters on Havana's Revolution Plaza for public viewing on Monday. A large procession of people was expected to turn out. It was not clear if Raul or Fidel Castro planned to attend.

Casas served under Raul Castro in the rebel army that ultimately pushed out the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in early 1959. He was trained as an accountant, a profession that served him well in the Revolutionary Armed Forces, where he ran the military's financial operations for two decades.

"In the past 50 years I don't remember ever criticizing comrade Julio Casas, save that, as we Cubans say, he's very cheap," Raul joked on Feb. 24, 2008, after he was elected to replace his ailing brother Fidel as president.

Among the first things the younger Castro did in the top job was to name Casas defense minister, the post the new leader had held for nearly a half-century under Fidel. In April, Casas was also elected a member of the Communist Party's powerful 15-member Politburo, which is led by Raul.

Casas' financial discipline was the source "of his successes on the economic front, among other activities" in the armed forces, Raul Castro said. Casas also effectively led the ministry in the 19 months that the younger Castro served as Cuba's interim president after Fidel Castro underwent emergency intestinal surgery and temporarily ceded power.

Born in eastern Cuba on Feb. 18, 1936, Casas was an accountant working in a food warehouse when he joined the rebel forces.

Under Raul Castro's command in the eastern Sierra Maestra mountains, Casas fought numerous battles against Batista's troops.

He received additional military training in the Soviet Union and fought in Ethiopia during the years that Cuba sent troops to support African struggles for independence.

Beginning in 1990, Casas ran the Defense Ministry's Business Administration Group, which includes a host of efficient and profitable enterprises designed to generate the hard currency Cuba has needed to buy critical imports.

One key company imports computers and other electronics. The armed forces also manage a chain of hundreds of small consumer goods stores and a tourism company that runs more than 30 hotels, with subsidiaries that provide domestic tourist travel by air and land. The military also has a large operation producing basic foods for the general population.

The military's role in the economy has only grown during Raul's presidency, with trusted generals placed in command of several large state enterprises. In 2010, a military-run company paid some $700 million to buy out Telecom Italia's stake in state phone company Etecsa, a move that raised eyebrows because it came even as the government complained it was desperately short on funds.

The armed forces are one of the island's strongest and most respected institutions and historically have been solidly loyal to the Castro brothers. Cuba under the Castros, unlike many Latin American countries, has never experienced a military coup or rebellion.

Casas' death is sure to renew questions about the health of the rest of the Cuban leadership. Raul Castro turned 80 this year, and No. 2 Jose Ramon Machado Ventura is the same age. Fidel Castro, who has retired from all public roles, is 85 and has not made a public appearance since April.

___

Paul Haven can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/paulhaven

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110903/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_cuba_defense_minister

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Mitt flanks Perry on immigration (Politico)

TAMPA ? With Rick Perry proving to be a serious threat to Mitt Romney?s presidential campaign, the former Massachusetts governor swung through Tampa on Friday to exploit what some Republicans see as Perry?s Achilles? heel: immigration.

?We must stop providing the incentives that promote illegal immigration,? Romney told more than 100 people attending a Republican Hispanic conference. ?As governor, I vetoed legislation that would have provided in-state tuition rates to illegal immigrants and I strengthened the authority our state troopers had to enforce existing immigration laws.?

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Romney, 64, never mentioned by name the Texas governor, who leads Romney in most national polls as well as in early primary and caucus states. But immigration is a new issue of focus for Romney this election cycle, and his campaign knows Perry, 61, is already facing criticism from conservatives for not taking a hard-enough line.

For instance, in 2001 Perry signed a version of the ?DREAM Act? that made Texas the first state to allow in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants ? much like the bill Romney boasted of killing in Massachusetts.

Last year, Perry said he had no interest in passing a tough Arizona-style immigration law for his border state. He also has questioned the effectiveness of building a massive border fence, something Romney said Friday should be a priority.

Illegal immigration remains a hot-button issue among Republican activists, but leaders in Texas ? where 38 percent of the population is Hispanic ? have tended to take a more moderate approach to the issue.

?As governor of Texas, a state that has more than 1,200 miles of border with Mexico, Gov. Perry understands first hand the need to secure our border, something the federal government has failed at,? said Perry campaign spokesman Mark Miner. ?Because of the federal government?s inaction, Texas has spent more than $400 million on border security since 2005. Before you discuss comprehensive immigration reform the border has to be secured.?

Tough talk on immigration can backfire in states like Florida, where Hispanics are heavily-courted swing voters, if the rhetoric comes off too harsh. Romney took a hard line on immigration in 2008 and wound up winning just 9 percent of the Cuban vote and 21 percent of the non-Cuban Hispanic vote in Florida?s Republican primary. Arizona Sen. John McCain won 54 percent and 53 percent respectively, and won Florida?s primary.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories0911_62591_html/42800867/SIG=11mgs2a2r/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/62591.html

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merle - Self Improvement Quotes ... - Famous, Inspirational, Wisdom ...

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.

You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.

You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.

Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.

He is able who thinks he is able.

He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.

300px Buddha lantau Self Improvement Quotes and Sayings from BuddhaIn a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.

In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then beleive them to be true.

It is a man?s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.

It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.

It is better to travel well than to arrive.

Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.

To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one?s family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one?s own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.

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Source: http://www.friendship-quotes.info/motivational-quotes/self-improvement-quotes-and-sayings-from-buddha/

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Source: http://ianyuci.livejournal.com/16817.html

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HTC: The Thunderbolt And Droid Incredible Will Be Updated to Gingerbread In September

GingerbreadGood news, HTC Thunderbolt/Droid Incredible owners! You're gettin' some Gingerbread! It's a bit late in the game (Gingerbread has been around for nearly 10 months, after all) but HTC has just announced that both the Incredible and the Thunderbolt should be updated to Android 2.3 sometime in September. As usual, there's no mention of a specific date ? but hey, at least it's officially on the way!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Q9xLyEd8Ku8/

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Bear Necessities: An insider?s look at an atypical gay culture and community

Atlanta's Bear community

It?s 7 p.m. on Friday at a strip mall Starbucks in Tucker, Ga.

There are eight men gathered around a table wearing an eclectic mix of standard wardrobe choices. Several look like they could be on their way to a golf course, others are more casual in jeans. One looks like he might be headed to a cruise ship after finishing his iced coffee.

The youngest is in his 20s, the oldest in his 50s, and though they?re all what you might call ?stout,? their builds vary from husky to just plain big. They gather three or four times a month, and tonight happens to be coffee talk and dinner. You can tell they?re close, quickly playing off each other?s jokes and poking fun in ways only friends can.

There?s an insurance fraud investigator, a retired engineer, a retail manager, a proud convenience store worker and they all say the know tons of folks in IT. They?re sipping their drinks and chatting about the benefits of keyboards to touch screen cell phones.

They?re all sweating and they certainly don?t look stereotypically gay.

?I don?t think there?s anyone in this group at the moment that cares what someone looks like,? one suggests. ?It?s more of a personality. The only rule I?ve had lately is if there?s drama, I?m going to bitch slap you.?

Oh, but they?re definitely gay, just not the kind you?re likely to see on television or in most magazines.

They?re called bears, rightfully so for their size, fur patterns and usually gentle disposition. And whether they know it or not, they?re carrying a unique culture on their broad, hairy shoulders.

There are 35 years of history behind them and a vibrant culture before them. And, no matter how open their society seems, there?s a constant flux of inclusion, exclusion and nonchalance that can make defining them so simple, but so complex at the same time.

An accidental genesis

The men who founded bear culture only did so in hindsight.

In 1987, Richard Bulger and Chris Nelson launched Bear Magazine in San Francisco. It as the first periodical dedicated to husky, hairy men and their admirers. Two years later, Rick Redewill opened the Lone Star Saloon just down the street. It?s still considered the country?s first bear bar.

None of them, or their like-minded drinking buddies, could have predicted that they were on the cusp of a new culture.

Dr. Les K. Wright was there. He?s edited two volumes of bear cultural history and analysis ? ?The Bear Book? and ?The Bear Book II?.? Looking back, he remembers this new culture as a fad that just couldn?t be discarded.

?Everyone else treated it as something cute and gimmicky, typical of creating trends in the Castro/South of Market communities,? Wright said. ?However, it kept going on and was spreading, and my sense, after participating for a while, was that it was something much bigger, and going on for a variety of reasons. Other bears at the time told me I was making a mountain out of a molehill, that it was just something very silly and of no consequence.?

This slow building of subculture ? in many ways a melding of masculine ideals from the leather and biker communities and the physical descriptors of the Girth & Mirth or chub communities? ? was at first defined largely by what it was not.

Bears weren?t necessarily leather men. They weren?t young. They didn?t aspire to be mainstream. And they certainly weren?t smooth.

?It was really in such contrast to the stereotype of gay men,? said Ron Suresha, author of ?Bear on Bears? and another founding member ? if one could call it that ? of bear culture. ?We?d known that leather men or BDSM guys were really butch and such, but this group of guys was a different breed. To be able to improvise and adopt an alternative identity that seemed valid is part of what drove the coalescing of bear identity.?

San Francisco wasn?t the only city where gay men were exploring this new kind of masculinity.

John Burcl came out in Chicago in the mid-to-late 1970s. There was no network of gay men that he knew, so when he first hit the scene, the only places he knew to go were run-of-the-mill gay dance bars, where he was hassled for his weight.

Eventually finding a home in the city?s leather bars, Burcl was a part of the beginnings of Chicago?s bear scene, and helped create what?s become one of the country?s largest annual bear gatherings.

?It was a parallel discovery,? said Burcl, who moved to Atlanta five years ago. ?We had started this subgroup in Chicago. It wasn?t leather and it wasn?t Girth & Mirth, and it didn?t start out as a bear group, but that?s what it evolved into. I remember the first bear weekend had 25 people, the second weekend there were 200 and by the third year it really took off: 600-700 people.?

As bears came into their own in San Francisco and Chicago in the late ?80s, the HIV/AIDS crisis further galvanized?and ravaged?the community, just as it had the gay community as a whole.

And when the internet became more widely available, it dramatically changed the spread of gay culture. Bears were no different, and according to Suresha, they were particularly tech-savvy.

In a testament to the growth catalyzed by the internet and the development of exclusively bear-driven media ? including pornography ? a 2007 marketing survey by ?A Bear?s Life? magazine estimated that there are 1.4 million bear-identified men in the United States.

?We?re all very proud and quite surprised,? Suresha said, speaking of the culture?s inadvertent founders. ?I don?t think anyone really expected it would become something this big.?

Defining the bear

According to Wright, there has always been tension between schools of thought of what it takes to be a bear. Some suggest it?s first about ?beards, bellies and body hair,? and in this reporter?s research, it is the most common first response.

Others maintain it?s more about an ?inclusive, easy-going attitude,? and of course, some say it requires both.

Tackling the physical aspect of beardom has become more difficult as the culture has expanded its acceptable range of body types. Being big and hairy is no longer the only admission to the culture, and the names for these body types stretch far beyond their ursine origins: There are ?cubs,? younger or smaller bears, sometimes with less hair; ?otters,? thinner hairy bears; and chasers of all sizes and hair patterns are included.

Beyond this diversity, Wright asserts that bear media has played a role in promoting physical exclusivity rather than social inclusivity.

?Once the bear press got going, it all became visuals for advertising,? he said. ?It?s far easier and more profitable to use pictures of burly hairy men than to try and convey something as elusive as ?inclusive? feelings? there is no ultimate authority, so to speak, to refer the question to. You?re a bear if a group of self-identifying bears include you, or if they take your ticket at the gate.?

So, the definition of bear is both specific and ambiguous, but there are other factors beyond the physical ideal and inclusive attitude.

According to Wright?s research, bears tend to be middle class ? in contrast to their tendency to fetishize and emulate the working class archetype of, say, the construction worker, farm hand or mechanic. Additionally, bears tend to be urban or gay urban-identified.

?There are plenty of bears who are actual blue-collar gay men as well as rural gay men, who see bears as a way of identifying that is not middle class, i.e. they dress and comport themselves in a way that aligns with bear dress and behavior,? Wright said.

But important questions lie in the division of these men, some of whom are actually working class and others who are essentially pretending to be.

As Eric Rofes asserts in his entry to Wright?s first anthology of scholarly bear analysis, ?Some insist that bear sites are populated entirely by middle-class men playing dress-up as working-class men? others argue bear culture is one of the few queer spaces ? along with the leather and motorcycle clubs ? constituted in large part by working-class men.?

Lee Floyd, a self-identified bear and member of Atlanta?s Southern Bears group, says most of his friends in the bear community are middle class and he?s dressed in this kind of bear drag.

?The work boots, the tight Levi?s, the flannel shirts: It?s accentuating or exaggerating the masculinity... You?re going to wear something that is presenting how you want to be perceived,? Floyd said.

Bear culture has come a long way, though, since the days when everyone dressed the same. Burcl recalls when it was en vogue to dress like a character later typified by Al Borland, Tim ?The Toolman? Taylor?s side kick on the long-running series ?Home Improvement.?

?It became a joke back then because we all looked like lesbians with beards,? Burcl laughed. ?We just had the Atlanta Bear Fest weekend in July with lots of folks from the South. Twenty years ago everyone would have had on jeans and some sort of a dark shirt, maybe even a leather vest, but everyone was in shorts and dressed like they would every day.?

Generation gap

This apparent lack of code or uniform might be indicative of the bear culture?s overall growth toward inclusivity and openness. There seem to be no rules governing who can and cannot be a bear, yet bears are drawn to each other for reasons that escape simple definition.

?If I had to list the characteristics of a bear and circle only one they have in common, I?d have to go with maturity,? said Suresha, adding that a number of the markers of beardom are also markers of age. ?When we grow older, we get hairier, similarly, we gain weight over time and lose muscle.?

Mentally as well, it seems that bears tend to reject the youthfulness or naivet? displayed and sometimes coveted by so-called ?twinks? ? whom Wright calls the ?natural enemies of bears.?

Burcl concurred.

?When you?re young and pretty, you?re in the bars and by the time you look like a bear or identify as a bear, you should have grown up enough so that life doesn?t revolve around that,? he said. ?You?ve got a career and a mortgage to worry about.?

Age plays a role within bear culture as well.

?Older people are tied closer to the history of the culture and the younger crowd is more into the current image and popularity and the trendiness of it,? said Michael Knoles, who?s 33 and met his partner, Chris, at a ?bear run? in Orlando. ?It?s no different than other groups in the gay community.?

Whether the change within the culture is good or bad, one thing is for sure: there has been a dramatic shift in the values and codes that once defined the culture, according to Wright, catalyzed by the commercialization of the culture itself.

?The internet and bear media have taken control of mediating who or what a bear is. Belonging to the bear community seems to be about going to commercial bear events, buying bear-favored stuff, taking vacations at bear events, etc.,? Wright said. ?To be a bear means to have money and spend it in a certain way.?

Orlando A. Santiago, known affectionately as Andy Bear derived from his middle name, is in the process of making ?BearWorld,? a documentary about his global search to define bear history and culture. His crew stops at the Atlanta Eagle Sept. 7 to film a music video and collect stories from local bears.

His experience also illustrates the divide between generations that mirrors the gay community?s transformations before and after the worst days of the HIV/AIDS crisis.

?In the AIDS epidemic, many gay people decided not to go out. It was a time to stop with the physical rituals ? the search for the perfect beauty, letting the body hair grow and gaining weight,? said Santiago. ?When the epidemic stopped and people started going out again, they saw themselves as they are and adopted this philosophy of acceptance.

?For the younger men, it was just being accepted ?as I am,?? he continued. ?For others, it was a thing of physical attraction, ?I like hairy men, I like big men,? and all those things are in the bear community.?

For example, Knoles? partner, Chris Tripp, 32, has built his bear identity in part because of his attraction to ?bearish? men.

?When you?re growing up, there?s an image of what?s male and what?s not male and one thing I always remember is Kenny Rogers,? Tripp said. ?He was hairy, had a full beard and was thickly built. That?s what attracted me to the bears and happened at an early age.?

Common ground

If modern bears who have inherited this culture are more fragmented in the spoils of the post-AIDS crisis and celebrate individuality above group behavior, what brings them together on a Friday night for coffee and dinner in a strip mall cafe in Tucker, Ga.?

?I honestly think we like each other,? said Southern Bears president John Beck.

The Southern Bears formed in Atlanta 18 years ago and Beck has helmed the group for the past seven. Though mainly a social group, they have raised money for a number of local organizations, including Jerusalem House, PALS and even the GA Wildlife Fund ? two local bear cubs were recently abandoned by their mother.

There are picnics and bowling nights, movies nights, day trips and of course, the Atlanta Bear Fest: a regional migration of 300-350 bears to Atlanta for a weekend of drinking, partying and hooking up.

?We get a lot of people that don?t have any sort of gay organizations or places to go,? Beck said. ?It?s a vacation for a lot of people.?

Perhaps it?s a vacation into acceptance.

?Bears don?t fit the normal look of what gay men are supposed to look like,? Beck added. ?I never experienced it to be honest, but a lot of us have been chastised or mocked for that, so they tend to do that less and tend to be more inclusive.?

This shared experience and mutual acceptance, along with Suresha?s theory of valuing maturity, is perhaps the other common thread weaving bear culture?s generation gap together.

There?s a strange danger in that acceptance, though, as Suresha points out that perhaps the ?fairest criticism? of bear culture is its implied fetishization of fatness.

?You can?t say that as much now, maybe when there was a greater component of Girth & Mirth men in the bears when they started assimilating in the ?90s,? said Suresha. ?It?s a fair enough criticism that you?re not being as healthful and careful with your body, but you have to consider your sources.?

So what?

Let?s be clear. There are as many kinds of bears as there are people.

Though predominantly white and middle class, there are bears of all races and socio-economic backgrounds. There are no rules as to who can claim the bear as their totem, though there are still questions of body image and being ?bear enough,? however inclusive bear culture?s unspoken bylaws may be.

For Suresha, who has known Wright since the early days at the Lone Star Saloon, the exchange of ideas about the bear culture isn?t always intellectual, but is nonetheless essential.

?There?s a political component, an artistic component, a visual component and the development of the community and culture has benefitted from different kinds of advances and they do engage people,? Suresha says.

?If you have a musician who identifies as a bear, writes music for bears and wants to perform for bears and interact with bears in a bar for bears, that?s not done at an intellectual level, but when this kind of thing take places, there?s a thoughtfulness that helps coalesce the bear community further.?

So there is meaning, then, in this gathering of Southern Bears. The guys here are different from each other, but they celebrate their differences with a collective acceptance that exists proudly outside the mainstream.

Human nature tells us that we are attracted to people who are more similar than dissimilar, but in the bear community, the moment one finds a common strand of truth, it?s accidentally broken with one proverbial clutch of the pearls.

?Flannel?? exclaims Brett, a Southern Bear who happens to be Burcl?s partner of eight years. ?I would never wear flannel.?

?

Top photo: Self-identified cubs Michael Knoles and Chris Tripp met at a bear event in 2007. (by Bo Shell)



Source: http://www.thegavoice.com/index.php/community/features/3183-bear-necessities-an-insiders-look-at-an-atypical-gay-culture-and-community

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WKSU News: Legislating good food for kids

The bill would also continue funding for a youth sports program and expand federal funding for medical coverage to treat and prevent obesity. Fudge also wants to review the nutritional value of school lunch programs.?The congresswoman says the cost of treating obese children is 3 billion dollars a year.

With support coming from organizations like the American Heart Association, she does not expect a lot of opposition to her bill. But she says some may feel the government should not interfere with local school districts.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Fit for Life Act of 2011

Title I: Improving the Nutritional Quality of and Access to Foods in Underserved American Communities

Subtitle A: Access to Nutritious and Quality Foods in Underserved American Communities

Sec. 101. Food Deserts: Addressing the Lack of Supermarket in Underserved Communities ?Creates a grant program to award grants to local partnerships to establish or enhance existing supermarkets that sell fresh fruits and produce in low income communities located in food deserts.

Sec. 102. Expansion of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program ? Amends Section 19 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to expand the fresh fruit and vegetable program to include secondary schools, child care centers, and family child care homes.

Sec. 103. Expanding Access to the Summer Food Service Programs for Children ? Amend Section 13(a) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to expand access to food during the summer months by reducing the Summer Food Program's area eligibility requirement to areas where 40 percent of residents are at or below 185 of the Federal Poverty Level, instead of the current 50 percent.? To further attract additional site sponsors and feed more children, it also expands existing rural transportation pilot grants and provides expansion grants in high poverty areas.

Sec. 104. Study and Report on Physical Activity and Nutritional Quality of Meals and Snacks Served in Juvenile Justice Facilities - Children in every setting should have access to nutritious foods as well as the opportunity to engage in the recommended amount of physical activity.? This section commissions a study and report on the amount of physical activity and the nutritional quality of meals and snacks served to children in juvenile justice facilities.

Sec. 105. Local Food Insecurity Assessments: Assessing the Unique Nutritional Needs of Local Communities - Provides grants to local governments/tribal governments to create public private partnerships to conduct assessments on the availability of nutritious food, quality of foods served to children in schools and child care, and the costs of nutritious foods.

Sec. 106. Weekends and Holidays Without Hunger ? Amend Section 18 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to include access to different types of projects that offer nutritious foods on weekends and during school holidays to at-risk school children.

Subtitle B: Ensuring a Healthy Start for Children in Under-served American Communities

Sec. 111. Improving Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Among Our Youngest Children - This provision would create a 3-year pilot program in 5 States focusing on combating obesity among our youngest children.? States will work with the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to develop programs to: (1) Promote physical activity in child care centers; (2) Create healthier eating environments; and (3) Limit the amount of time children spend in front of the TV or other digital screens.

Sec. 112. Health and Fitness School Programs: Training America?s Youth to Live Healthy Lifestyles - Creates a pilot grant program placing young health professionals in secondary schools to educate students on all facets of living a healthy lifestyle.? This program mirrors the Health Corps program.?

Title II ? Advancing Preventative Measures and Treatment of Obesity in Adults and Children in Underserved Communities

Sec. 201. Community Health and Wellness Navigators Pilot Program: Connecting America?s Health Professional with Our Schools - Creates a pilot grant program connecting health professionals and schools in an effort to improve the health of underserved children.

Sec. 202. Requirement to Expedite National Medicare Coverage Determinations for Evidence-Based Preventive Services

Sec. 203. Expansion of Obesity Treatment Services Under Medicare ?

Sec. 204. Coverage of Evidence Based Preventive Services Under Medicaid and SCHIP

Sec. 205. Coverage of Medical Nutrition Therapy Under Medicaid and SCHIP

Sec 206. Clarification of EPSDT Inclusion of Prevention, Screening, and Treatment Services for Obesity and Overweight; SCHIP Coverage

These sections provide the infrastructure to expand coverage for obesity prevention and treatment services in Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP and expand coverage of medical nutrition therapy in Medicaid and SCHIP.

Sec. 207. National Commission on Child Obesity - Establishes a federally appointed commission with the sole purpose of conducting a comprehensive study that examines and accesses the needs of children relating to the prevalence, prevention, and treatment of childhood obesity.

Sec. 208. GAO Report ? The Comptroller General of the United States must submit to Congress, no later than 2 years after appropriation of the funds, a report on the effectiveness of the activities carried out under the Act in reducing childhood obesity. The report must include an analysis of the costs and benefits of such activities.

Title III ? Encouraging Physical Activity in Underserved American Communities

Sec. 301. Renovation of Foreclosed and Abandoned Properties to Create Spaces That Encourage Physical Activity in American Neighborhoods - Amends the Housing and Community Development Act to establish a grant program that creates public private partnerships to rehab foreclosed and abandoned properties and land in a manner that encourages physical activity and creates mixed-use facilities, in addition to creating and supporting community gardens or urban farms.? This would enable local neighborhoods to convert blighted areas to facilities that would encourage indoor and outdoor physical activity, repair sidewalks and bike paths, and create green spaces used for community gardens and urban farms, especially in food deserts.

Sec. 302. National Youth Sports Program Revitalization - Amends the Community Services Block Grant Act to continue federal funding for this over forty year old program seeking to educate low-income children during the summer at colleges and universities on the importance of health and wellness through sports.?

Sec. 303. Expansion of the Zuni Youth Enrichment Project Summer Camp ? Creates a pilot grant program in an effort to duplicate the Zuni Youth Enrichment Program Summer Camp in Native-American communities across the nation.? The ZYEP summer camp is a program that focuses on the unique health challenges Native-American children and their communities face.?

Sec. 304. Making Routes to Schools in Underserved Communities Safe and Accessible with Public Participation through the Community Oriented Policing Program? - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act to create a grant program allowing police departments and schools to survey and eradicate the unique dangers in underserved communities that prohibit children from walking or biking to school, and to incorporate best practices, plans, and findings into urban planning and development in underserved communities.

Sec. 305. Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Program Grants in Low-Income Communities and Expand Tribal Participation - Amends the Land and Water Conservation Act to create a program targeting LWCF funds to low-income communities in order to increase the use of and access to parks and open space in low-income communities that receive LWCF funds, and expand Tribes' access to funding and strengthen Tribes' capacity to compete for funding.?

Sec. 306. Changing Hearts, Attitudes, and Minds by Participating in Sports (?CHAMPS?) Program ? Amends the Public Health Service Act to create national and community-based childhood obesity prevention initiatives at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that provide adult-supervised programs for underserved children or adolescents during after-school hours, weekends, or summer hours that provide structured physical fitness activities, including organized sports; teach proper exercise techniques and skills; combine physical fitness activities with nutritional counseling and education; and demonstrate measurable results for reducing childhood obesity on the part of participants.?

Sec. 307. Coordinated School Health Initiatives ? To create a pilot program within parish public school systems to implement Coordinated School Health Initiatives in their schools that provide a program called Fitnessgram, which assesses each student?s aerobic capability, muscular strengthen and endurance, flexibility and body composition;? uses the scores to establish a baseline and identify interventions for students; identifies best practices regarding such interventions; and uses the information determined to implement interventions in each school.

Sec 308. Rewarding Elementary and Secondary Schools for Outstanding Student Performance in Physical Fitness Programs - Schools compete for a pool of funds based on the school?s overall fitness test success rates and improvement rates, based on the scores from The President?s Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Test levels, a program under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).? This would better incentivize schools to incorporate a standard physical fitness into their curriculums, Physical Education programs, and before-school, recess, and after-school programs.

Source: http://www.wksu.org/news/story/29267

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Pet Check: Stalk Your Dog and Dog Walker with GPS [Dog]

If you've signed your pooch up for a dog walking service and you have suspicions that your dog walker is isn't fulfilling the "walking" portion of their job description, Pet Check Technology has a solution that doesn't involve implanting a microchip or buying an expensive collar for your furry best friend. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/PQb8mBrFlj4/pet-check-stalk-your-dog-and-dog-walker-with-gps

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Recommendations Concerning How To Select The Proper Fishing ...

Do you like to go fishing? If you happen to do, then you realize that it is among the most pleasurable methods to spend your time. And what you need then is the fitting fishing boat that can assist you get probably the most out of your fishing experiences. There are numerous different types of fishing boats available. Different boats give you completely different features relying on the type of fishing that you just enjoy. Therefore, the primary determination in selecting the best fishing boat might be to determine what kind of fishing you propose on doing. This is important. For instance, a bass boat wouldn?t work well for walleye fishing because it is not outfitted to deal with deep water and massive waves.

You also need to find out what type of angler you might be as well. In other phrases, do you intend on using the boat purely for fishing or would you like to use it for recreation as effectively, maybe possibly even throw in a number of snowboarding journeys once in awhile. In the event you only need the boat for fishing then buy one designed particularly for that purpose. For those who love to do different water activities additionally then look for a ship with multiply features. Lots of the newer designs such because the ?sportfish? model are designed for glorious fishing and plenty of different water activities as well.

The realm wherein you propose on fishing goes hand in hand with the type of fishing you intend on taking part in. For example, will you be fishing in contemporary water, salt water or both? If you may be fishing in saltwater, do you propose on going deep sea fishing or staying close to the waters edge? These are important questions you want to take into account that will help you choose the precise boat on your fishing needs.

One other question to think about is whether or not you?ll solely be fishing throughout the day or if you will also be fishing through the night. In the event you do evening fishing then it?s essential to choose a boat that may provide you with some safety and is more comfortable than some fishing boats. Take into account how many people will be accompanying you on your fishing trips. This is a large consider choosing the proper fishing boat. You will want to decide on a ship that?s big enough for everyone to suit comfortably and now have sufficient room to maneuver the fishing rods with ease.

You even have to decide if you happen to desire a fiberglass boat to an aluminum fishing boat. Every one has its personal advantages and disadvantages. It all is determined by the kind of fishing you plan on doing. The underside line is, earlier than you go out to search for that good fishing boat, take time to consider the issues we have talked about above. Asking your self all the proper questions will support you in deciding which fishing boat could be one of the best boat to fulfill all of your needs.

In case you itch for extra info concerning noodling, swing by Beverley Chertderg?s website unhesitatingly.

Source: http://www.short-articles.net/recommendations-concerning-how-to-select-the-proper-fishing-boat/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=recommendations-concerning-how-to-select-the-proper-fishing-boat

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The Amazing Plant Called Green Tea

Green Tea Growing

Scientists have been studying green tea for years, and they keep finding new and amazing benefits. Many people drink tea because they like the taste, and because it?s a stimulant, but drinking tea, and especially green tea, is beneficial in many ways. But of course the only way you can benefit from it is tea drink it, or take capsules of it, each day. What follows is a discussion of the extraordinary healing properties of green tea, and you may want to make it a daily practice to drink it.

This is one powerful tea because what it also can do for you is maintain a healthy state of your mouth; your teeth and gum health. This has wider and more potentially serious implications because now scientists are saying that the healthy state of your teeth and gums can impact your heart.

Check out the ingredients of natural toothpastes, and in some you will see that green tea is included. What has also been reported is green tea?s ability to stave off tooth decay by merely drinking it as anyone normally would. Ok, the scoop about this is green tea contains anti-bacterial properties that are effective against dental plaque formation. For greater dental health, you can simply consume green tea as a drink, or buy toothpaste that contains it ? or both!

There are identifiable antioxidants that natural occur in green tea, and as you know that is a wonderful class of compounds for health. So what green tea also does is support with the proper regulation of blood pressure and cholesterol ? just to name a few. Green tea is a powerful source of antioxidants, and an especially important one called EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), which has a wide variety of health benefits. Fresh fruits and veggies also give you the same benefits that are available in green tea. Perhaps 3 or 4 cups of green tea during your day, and then of course have some fruits and vegetables with meals, etc.

Another way green tea can improve your health is that, by giving you more energy and focus, it makes it easier for you to stick to an exercise program. That would be terrific because you will have a more natural tendency to lose weight. You may also want to consider that energy supplements are synthetic and not natural at all. You really do not need to consume high levels of sugar, and many do have that plus the caffeine in high amounts. You will receive about 50% the amount of caffeine in green tea that you will get from a cup of regular coffee.

Also consider that the full green tea story has not been published, no doubt more healthy properties will be uncovered. We do hope you?ll consider this wonderfully helpful plant because it has a lot to offer. Do try to eat healthy as much as possible, and if you can squeeze in some exercise, then that will be just great. There?s really nothing hard at all about doing this, so just start out slow and build from where you are.

We?ve really only had time to mention but a few of the many benefits of green tea. This food is flexible because you can take it as capsule, other food alternatives, and of course drink the tea. The tea is delightful to drink, and you can have it every day and promote your health at the same time. Next article we will guide you how to grow this plant in your garden.

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Source: http://dreamhomegarden.com/amazing-plant-called-green-tea/

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