Article# 24

Marlins' Ramirez Has Shoulder Surgery

Miami, FL .Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez underwent left shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum Wednesday, and expects to be fully recovered in time for spring training.
Ramirez played through soreness for the final month of the season despite expecting to have surgery, and still finished with a .332 batting average and a club-record 125 runs scored.
The 23-year old native of the Dominican Republic has never spent any period of time on the disabled list in his two-year career, although he has experienced issues with the same shoulder in the past. In May 2006, Ramirez mildly dislocated the shoulder while swinging, and then aggravated the injury during Winter League play in the Dominican.
The 2006 National League Rookie of the Year, Ramirez was one home run shy in 2007 of becoming only the third player in major league history to total 30 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season.

Article# 23

Another Gene Linked To Breast Cancer
NEW YORK - Researchers say they've discovered a major reason why women who inherit a mutated version of the gene BRCA1 run a high risk of breast cancer - and that finding might aid the search for new treatments.
A second gene, called PTEN, plays a key role, scientists said in a study released Sunday.
Scientists have long known that BRCA1 normally repairs damage to other genes. So if it's crippled by mutations, the unrepaired damage could be expected to lead to cancer. But the specifics of that story have been murky.
The new study fingers PTEN, which normally acts as a brake on cancer. The researchers found evidence that in breast cancers associated with a BRCA1 mutation, PTEN is often broken and doesn't get repaired. That sets off a chemical cascade that leads to malignancy.
This is "probably a major way" that defects in BRCA1 can produce breast cancer, said Dr. Ramon Parsons of Columbia University, who reports the work with colleagues on the Web site of Nature Genetics.
PTEN was discovered about 10 years ago, and scientists know a lot about it and the chemical pathway that gets activated when PTEN is disabled, he said. Drug companies have been testing drugs in animals that seek to treat tumors by interrupting that cascade, and they've gotten some encouraging results, he said.
Breast cancers associated with the BRCA1 gene are generally aggressive and have a poor prognosis. BRCA1 and its cousin BRCA2 account for less than 15 percent of all breast cancers.

Article# 22

Dog Set On Fire; Owner Pleads Guilty

DETROIT - A dog owner has plead guilty to what Humane Society employees said was the worst case of torture they have ever seen.
Investigators said John Delmar Fladger, 44, of Detroit, poured gasoline over his dog and set him on fire last month.
One witness said the owner first tried to burn the dog inside a convenience store.

"Yes, inside the store. He was pouring gas," said Evon Yusef, who witnessed the attack. "There was gas all over the place. Customers were scared. They were backing away from him."
Another witness told investigators from the Michigan Humane Society that the owner later seemed to be showing off in front of a group of children.
"He was walking down the street, spilling gas at the dog. He was trying to light the dog at the same time he was walking," the witness said.
Natatia Nix of the Michigan Humane Society called it one of the worst cases she has ever been a part of.
"The (Humane Society) staff sees everything that comes in. We see the hit-by-a-car dogs, the gunshot dogs, the neglected dogs -- every type of abuse," Nix said. "But this ... We were just looking around the room. We were in there with the dog -- each of us were crying."
Nix said the dog, a shepherd mixture, was so badly burned that treatments did not help, so the animal had to be euthanized.
During the investigation, the owner originally denied hurting the dog, but pleaded guilty last week to animal torture and the killing of an animal.
The owner is scheduled to be sentenced later this month. He faces up to four years in prison.

Article# 21

Evel Knievel To Be Buried Monday

BUTTE, Mont. Evel Knievel is to be buried in his hometown of Butte on Monday, with a service that's expected to attract thousands.
The legendary stuntman died Nov. 30 in Clearwater, Fla. He was 69 and had been in frail health for years.
Knievel's hometown honored him with fireworks Sunday as his body was brought back. There's to be a public viewing Monday, followed by a service at the Butte Civic Center, the largest indoor space in town. The Rev. Robert Schuller of California's Crystal Cathedral will preside.
Knievel's funeral procession will wind its way through Butte along a six-mile loop known as Evel Knievel Way. The graveside service will be private.
During his daredevil days, Knievel was known for spectacular and sometimes near-fatal motorcycle stunts, which led him to conclude it's better to try and fail than not try at all.
Every year, Butte holds an Evel Knievel Days festival that draws tens of thousands of visitors.

Article# 20

Fed Expected To Cut Interest Rates Again

WASHINGTON -- Policymakers at the Federal Reserve are expected to cut a key interest rate at their meeting Tuesday.
The rate is now 4.5 percent, and analysts are looking for another drop of one-quarter of a percentage point.
There's some speculation that the central bank could chop it by a half point.
The Fed has cut rates twice this year, but the credit crunch and housing stress have snowballed, leading Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke to signal that one more cut might be needed.
Banks, financial companies and other investors have lost billions from loans made to people with spotty credit or from putting money into securities backed by those subprime mortgages.
Investors in the United States and abroad have grown more wary of buying new debt, thereby making the credit crunch worse.
All that has added to the turmoil on Wall Street.

Article# 19

Broward School 'Super' Job Comes With Perks

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. After serving as Broward County's interim school superintendent since November of last year, James Notter has been asked to take on the role on a full-time basis.
On Tuesday, the Broward School board voted unanimously to appoint Notter to the role of Broward Superintendent of Schools.
Local 10 reported that Notter will be paid $290,000 a year through 2010. He will also receive a $900 a month car allowance and a monthly expense account of $500. The contract also includes a $250,000 life insurance policy and a fully wired Internet network at his home.

Article# 18

Teen Birth Rate Rises After 14 Years
4,265,996 Babies Born In 2006

The nation's teen birth rate has risen for the first time in 14 years, according to a new government report.
The teen birth rate had been dropping since 1991. The decline had slowed in recent years, but government statisticians said Wednesday it jumped 3 percent from 2005 to 2006, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.
Overall, 4,265,996 babies were born in the U.S. in 2006.
The increase in births by teen mothers was based on the 15 to 19 age group, which accounted for about 99 percent of the more than 440,000 births to teens in 2006.
The rate rose to 41.9 live births per 1,000 females in that age group, up from 40.5 in 2005.
The all-time peak, in 1991, was 61.8 births per 1,000. At its lowest point, the rate had dropped 34 percent.
"It took us by surprise," said Stephanie Ventura of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a co-author of the report.
The birth data for 2006 also showed births to unmarried mothers hit a new record high, as part of a trend that started in 2002.
Also, the overall birth rate has climbed to its highest level since 1971, with the rate per woman climbing for women in their 20s, 30s and 40s.

Article# 17

The heart of the brave

The story is about Wakamo. Wakamo is a brave warrier. The elders of the clan were worried about Wakamo's ability to assume hos role as chief. Wakamo has learned an important lesson that will make him a wise chief.As our fathers one after the other heard the story, they rose and told it to others. When they had all heard it, they went to the Council logde. And there they joyfully smoked their long redstone pipe; joyfully, because the young Wakamo had seen with his own eyes what made a brave man, and because they felt that the son would now surely grow to be the chief that his father was.

Article# 16

My America

A THANKSGIVING POST: th old coleague, the legendary British journalist and drunk Henry Fairlie, had a favourite story about his long, lascivious love affair with America. He was walking down a suburban street one afternoon in a suit and tie, passing familiar rows of detached middle American dwellings and lush, green Washington lawns.
In the distance a small boy aged perhaps six or seven was riding his bicycle towardshim.
At the end of November each year this restless, contrdictory and simple country finds a way to celebrate itself. The British, as befits a people as ease with themselves, do not have a national day. When the French do, their insecurity shows.

Article# 15

The Grapes of Wrath

During the 1930's, the Great Depression the Joad family lost their. They were migrants who traveled. The families moved westward , and the technique of building the worlds improved so that the people could be safe in their worlds; and the form was so fixed that a family acting in the rules knew it was safe in the rules. They were seaching for news jobs and housing. Also they move because of the droughts. Besides, they traveled together and they become one.

Article# 14

Cemetery Allows Owners To Be Buried With Pets

AKRON, Ohio -- For many people, their pets are their lives. Now, when some owners depart from this life they can be laid to rest with their pet.

Cleveland television station WEWS reported that a historic Akron cemetery is allowing pet owners and their animal friends to be buried together.
The Glendale Cemetery in Akron will allow pet owners to cremate their pets to be buried in their lots.
Missy Jordan is like a mortician for animals. She sells pet urns. She said that, at Hummel Funeral Homes, they cremate about 200 animals a month.
"We have done some lizards in the past, rabbits, things like that," Jordan said.
Whether your pet has feathers, scales or fur, or if it slithers or climbs, Jordan has prepared pets for funerals -- even rats.
"I'm not a rodent fan, but a lot of people love them and have them as pets, and they cremate them and keep them with them forever," Jordan said.
If an owner is interested in having a spot for their pet at Glendale Cemetery, the cost is $350. The pet can have a flat marker, and there are thousands of plots available.

Article# 13

Top 10 Strategies for Success

Use These Ideas to Meet Your Goals
1. Start SmallQuite possibly the biggest mistake people make is pushing the accelerator too soon. You can’t lose 20 pounds in a week. But you can lose one. Taking small bites and chewing slowly have as much to do with goal achievement as they do with your mom’s dinner table scolding.
2. Get It On PaperWhether setting your first goals, tracking daily progress, or sharing your deepest thoughts with a journal, writing things down crystallizes your ideas, exposes underlying fears, and paints an accurate picture of real life.
3. Focus On Everyday HabitsThe building blocks of a healthy lifestyle are forged in the smallest of actions you take every day and every week. Healthy choices can become as natural as brushing your teeth or locking the front door. Build one habit, one action at a time.
4. Always See Your GoalGoals need attention. They need to be seen and heard and thought of often if they ever hope to come true. So surround yourself with as many reminders as possible.
5. Be ConsistentImagine a plane taking off. In the beginning, a lot of energy is spent to simply get moving down the runway. But as speed and momentum take over, the plane is pulled forward and up into the sky, faster and further by the second. Consistent action, no matter how small, has more power than you ever imagined.
6. Never Stop LearningA healthy lifestyle is a process—a journey more than a destination. You can always learn more about nutrition, fitness, and even yourself that can help you be just a little bit better tomorrow.
7. Come Out of SeclusionHas anyone ever achieved anything of real value all alone? Probably not many. Most receive some form of help from other people. Support, information, a sense of shared experience, encouragement, advice, and a well-timed pep talk are all invaluable as you set off on your adventure.
8. Allow For SetbacksAccept the fact right now that you will make mistakes, and that it can be a positive thing. We are usually harder on ourselves that we are on anyone else we know. Be your own #1 fan. That means being supportive (instead of critical) when you stumble, and enjoying your wins (rather than ignoring your accomplishments) when you succeed.
9. Trust Your PlanYou’ll have up weeks and down weeks, and frustrating weeks that make no sense at all. The tools and strategies you’re learning will help you build a plan that makes a healthier lifestyle almost inevitable. If you consistently make the right choices and build healthy habits, weight loss is literally just a matter of time.
10. Have Fun!!!Who says getting healthy has to be a chore, a burden to be endured or suffered through? Probably a very unhappy person, that’s who. This is an exciting adventure of self-discovery and building a meaningful life. Enjoy the ride!

Article# 12

What Gifts Do Americans Really Want?

According to an annual survey by the Consumer Electronics Association, the consumer electronics industry's largest trade organization, computers outrank peace, happiness and clothes this year as the most wished-for gifts.
"Consumer electronics will be the shining star of holiday retail sales, accounting for 22 percent of all gifts given," said CEA Economist Shawn DuBravac. "Two of the top 5 items on adults’ holiday wish lists are consumer electronics, and four of the top 5 items on the teen list are CE devices, so today’s hottest technologies will be on every holiday shopper’s mind."

The top five CE gifts adults wish for are MP3 players, notebook/laptops, video game systems, digital cameras and any type of TV. For teens, MP3 players, digital cameras, notebook/laptops, computers and any type of TV round out the top five items on their wish list.

Article# 11

Shoppers More Often Turning To Credit Cards

WASHINGTON -- Consumer borrowing rose in October at a slightly faster rate than the previous month as shoppers continued to depend on their credit cards to finance purchases.
The Federal Reserve reported Friday that consumer credit increased at an annual rate of 2.3 percent in October, faster than the 1.6 percent growth rate for September.
The gain reflected an acceleration in the growth of credit card debt which offset a second straight month of declines in the category of debt that includes auto loans.

Revolving credit, which includes credit card debt, increased at a rate of 8.3 percent in October following a gain of 6 percent in September and an even stronger pace of 10.6 percent in August.
Credit card debt has been surging in recent months as consumers have started borrowing more heavily on their credit cards now that home refinancings have slowed. That slowdown has reflected tighter bank lending conditions as a serious slump in housing has sent home prices falling and increased the level of mortgage defaults.
"Consumers' ability and willingness to extract equity from their homes is waning and thus they will have to increasingly turn to other forms of credit, namely credit cards," said Ryan Sweet, an economist at Moody's Economy.com. "Elevated gasoline prices will also provide additional support to revolving credit as consumers typically use credit cards at the pump."
For October, auto loans actually shrank at an annual rate of 1.3 percent following a 1.1 percent rate of decline in September. This reflected the serious difficulties facing domestic automakers, who have seen demand stagnate in the face of surging gasoline prices.
Before the back-to-back declines in auto loans in the past two months, loans in this area had only experienced one monthly decline in the past seven years.
Overall consumer credit rose by $4.7 billion to a record $2.49 trillion in October. The increase was slightly ahead of the $3.2 billion rise in September but below the $6 billion advance that economists had expected.

Article# 10

Employers Have Responsibility For Healthy Workforce

Imagine that you are sitting in the lunchroom of your office looking around at your colleagues. If you counted up those who looked trim and healthy, how high could you count? How about your office friends? Have they talked about their high blood pressure medications, how high their blood cholesterol level is, or which new diet isn’t working for them this week, and how many pounds they would like to lose?
Companies are becoming increasingly aware of how important it is for their business to have a "quality workforce," which means individuals who are productive, loyal and healthy.
However, when it comes to the health of our current workforce, the statistics are staggering. Some 365,000 deaths are estimated each year due to obesity and its complications; almost 40 percent of all deaths may be due to avoidable factors such as tobacco use, lack of physical activity, poor eating habits, and alcohol consumption/abuse. And finally, almost 60 percent of the American population remains sedentary, doing little or no exercise. All this, in a country where studies have proven over and over, that just a little exercise creates huge benefits to our health and longevity.