Of Malawi's seasoned human rights activists and politics | Malawi ...


By Timothy Ntilosanje

November 27, 2012 ????? 0 Comments

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Malawi will never stop to amuse me. It?s hilarious how people mix everything, politics, human rights, family/personal issues and current affairs.With the current economic crisis?hitting?hard, everyone can claim to be whatever and whosoever he/she want.

I remember a couple of months ago people were so excited criticising the late president, professor Bingu Wa Mutharika when he refused to suspend an anti-homosexuality law so that Malawi could be granted aid and funding that was suspended because of the law banning gays and minority rights groups in the country.

The late Mutharika and many others who followed him were called names, criticised and demonstrations followed as the country?s economic woes continued when they insisted on maintaining Malawi culture and norms.

Everyone who supported the gay banning motion was a ?gold digger? according to some seasoned activists who instead of helping to find ways and solutions to help Malawi?s shrinking economy were always criticising any regime in power.

Civic group leadersdemonstrate in Lilongwe during the Mutharika regime

What exactly did they want? ?Why opposing everything? Why don?t they just come in the open and declare your political ambitions and join the opposition so that maybe the nation should see if you are capable of leading and not ruling in the roaming elections.

When the DPP regime was arresting people, activists were on the fore front criticising the government for its wrong doing which was very right.

And those arrested got the support from almost all the corners of the nation, everyone was there for them just because they all believed in them and were eager to see results from them in the hard economic times.

They were the people?s only hope, but ?beware how you take away hope from another human being.??

How can people be so cold-hearted? Cheating poor Malawi for a thumb/vote?

You get people?s support, you file cases, get your compensations then you leave everyone agape, wondering what is happening to the promises you made, the hope you gave them.

President madam Joyce Banda was a critic of the late Bingu wa Mutharika?s leadership and she got sidelined in decision making positions ?and other privileges were taken away from her, out of a sudden everyone turned to support her, some got the price for that, they were given positions while the rest were left off.

And now since there is nothing to do, no jobs to get funding for, they have teamed up again to fraud donors through criticism and petitions.

Economic decisions

The then president of the republic of Malawi, late Bingu wa Muthalika refused to devalue the kwacha, and he was criticised, the media was all over him for ruling not leading the Malawi nation.

Now President Joyce Banda devalued the kwacha trying to make things right, what did she get in return-criticism and more criticism.

Who made the wrong decision on economy between the two? Muthalika or Banda? Malawi activists know better I guess.

Gay rights

Homosexual acts are illegal in Malawi. Section 153 prohibits ?unnatural offences?.?Section 156concerning??public decency??is used to punish homosexual acts.

Tourists who commit homosexuality with locals can be prosecuted under?Section 156?and expelled as??undesirable aliens?.

In late December 2009, a trans-woman and a man, Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza, were arrested for holding a traditional ?engagement? party.

They were imprisoned in Blantyre, were denied bail and stood trial. On 18 May, they were found guilty, although there has been an international outcry from LGBT solidarity groups.

On 29 May 2010, then President Bingu wa Mutharika pardoned both individuals.

On 18 May 2012, President Joyce Banda announced intention to repeal the law criminalizing same-sex sexual activity. On 5 November, a moratorium was issued on the law pending possible repeal.

Current the police in Malawi have been ordered not to arrest or prosecute homosexuals until parliament has debated the issue, said Ralph Kasambara.

At present, homosexual acts carry a maximum sentence of 14 years in jail.

Some Western leaders have suggested they would cut aid to African countries failing to recognise gay rights.

Homosexuality is illegal in most African nations and remains a controversial topic in Malawi?s traditionally conservative society.

One of Malawi?s most influential traditional leaders, Chief Kaomba, had urged the government not to let parliament change its laws on homosexuality.

?This is against our culture,? he said.

Soon after the news broke out about the suspension of anti-gay rights, some activists petitioned the president to reverse the decision, yet they are the same people who were pressing the late Wa Muthalika to legalise gay marriages in Malawi.

Most of Malawi?s activists are attention seekers, trying to dig gold with their mouths which is tarnishing every regime?s leadership in Malawi.

If it is money they are after, its better if they find other ways of generating money other than blackmailing and critic.

Tags: Civil society

Source: http://www.nyasatimes.com/malawi/2012/11/27/of-malawis-seasoned-human-rights-activists-and-politics/

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GL: Iraq Could Dominate Middle Eastern Energy ... - LNG World News

GL Iraq Could Dominate Middle Eastern Energy Output by 2030

Iraq could develop its oil and gas infrastructure quickly enough to dominate Middle Eastern energy output within 18 years, according to a poll of industry professionals at the ADIPEC Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi.

According to the survey held by global independent technical advisor to the oil and gas sector GL Noble Denton, 65% of participants said that Iraq has the potential to develop its energy infrastructure at such a pace that it will dominate the region?s output by 2030.

By contrast, 35% of participants thought that inadequate facilities, a disadvantaged economy and an under-developed regulatory framework ? among other issues ? could prevent the country from expanding its oil and gas footprint at speed.

A study published by the International Energy Agency last month suggests that Iraq has the potential to reshape the global energy industry in the near future. According to the report, an increase in oil exports could add a cumulative USD $5 trillion to the country?s economy over the next two decades; a number that would grow its gross domestic product five-fold.

Moss Daemi, GL Noble Denton?s Executive Vice President for the Middle East and Africa, said: ?Iraq?s oil and gas industry shows huge promise, but the country has some major infrastructure challenges to overcome if it is to realise its potential. The result of this poll shows that industry professionals are extremely optimistic that the country will be able to tackle those issues.

?With the support of experienced international and regional players, there is every possibility that Iraq?s oil and gas industry can develop a significant infrastructure in a short period of time.?

GL Noble Denton also surveyed ADIPEC delegates? opinion over the United Arab Emirates? (UAE) potential to become energy self-sufficient, and whether the country is investing enough money in maintaining the integrity of its assets.

The poll revealed that oil and gas professionals think the UAE will produce enough gas to fuel its growing domestic energy demands by 2030. 81% of participants said that the development of new gas recovery projects will meet the UAE?s rising demand for the commodity and make the country energy self-sufficient by 2030. By contrast, 19% of participants thought that the UAE will need to continue relying on gas imports to sustain domestic energy consumption over the next 18 years.

Industry professionals also believe that the UAE is making the right investments in asset integrity to meet the country?s rising challenges in production from established oil fields. According to GL Noble Denton?s poll, 72% of participants said that the country?s oil and gas industry is spending sufficiently on optimising asset integrity, as facilities are increasingly called upon to operate beyond the lifespan for which they were originally designed. Only 28% of participants thought that the industry is under-investing in asset performance in the Emirates.


LNG World News Staff, November 27, 2012; Image: GL

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Source: http://www.lngworldnews.com/gl-iraq-could-dominate-middle-eastern-energy-output-by-2030/

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From Canada, a tough economist for Bank of England

Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, left, shakes hands with Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney, right, in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday Nov. 26, 2012. Carney will become head of the Bank of England next summer. Flaherty called it a bittersweet moment as he announced Carney's new job as the first time a foreigner has been tabbed to run Britain's venerable national bank. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand)

Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, left, shakes hands with Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney, right, in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday Nov. 26, 2012. Carney will become head of the Bank of England next summer. Flaherty called it a bittersweet moment as he announced Carney's new job as the first time a foreigner has been tabbed to run Britain's venerable national bank. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand)

FILE - In this July 23, 2009 file photo, Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney speaks during a news conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa. British Chancellor George Osborne announced on Monday, Nov. 26, 2012 that Canadian central bank chief Mark Carney is to lead Bank of England next year. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilapatrick, File)

FILE -- In a Nov. 8, 2012 file photo Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney waits to address the Canadian Club in Montreal. British Chancellor George Osborne announced on Monday, Nov. 26, 2012 that Carney is to lead Bank of England next year. (AP Photo/ THE CANADIAN PRESS, Ryan Remiorz)

Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, left, looks on as Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney, right, speaks in Ottawa, Ontario, Monday Nov. 26, 2012. Carney will become head of the Bank of England next summer. Flaherty called it a bittersweet moment as he announced Carney's new job as the first time a foreigner has been tabbed to run Britain's venerable national bank. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand)

FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2008 file photo, Governor of the Bank of Canada Mark Carney laughs as he listens to a question following his speech on 'Building Continuous Markets', before the Canada/United Kingdom Chamber of Commerce conference at a hotel in central London. British Chancellor George Osborne announced on Monday, Nov. 26, 2012 that Canadian central bank chief Mark Carney is to lead Bank of England next year. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, File)

TORONTO (AP) ? Naming the first foreigner to serve as governor of the Bank of England since it was founded in 1694 might have been expected to cause a fuss. Yet the appointment of Canadian Mark Carney has won bipartisan praise in Britain.

That's because few people in the world have Carney's qualifications.

The Bank of Canada governor is a highly-educated economist with Wall Street experience who is widely credited with helping Canada dodge the worst of the global economic crisis. He gained a reputation along the way as a tough regulator who stood up to JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.

Moving to the top job at Canada's central bank just before the global financial crisis hit in 2008, Carney slashed interest rates to historic lows and was the first central banker to commit to keep them at a historic-low level for a definite time, a step the U.S. Federal Reserve would follow.

Canada was spared a mortgage meltdown or subprime lending crisis, and its banks, more regulated and less leveraged than Europe's, are rated among the world's soundest. Britain, however, has endured a decade of economic turbulence, and seemed ready for a foreigner to shake up its central bank.

Besides his job as a central banker, Carney, 47, also heads the G-20's Financial Stability Board, a global supervisor of regulatory changes in the financial system. Carney's championing of stiffer regulation was highlighted in a run-in last year with Dimon. The Bank of Canada chief stood his ground in a closed-door meeting in Washington when Dimon directed a diatribe toward Carney over what the JPMorgan Chase chief called "anti-American" global reforms against banks.

"When there was pushback on the regulatory front he dug in his heels and made his case that, no, we shouldn't slow down, we should be pushing forward," said Craig Alexander, a Toronto-Dominion Bank economist.

"This is the sort of thing that makes him qualified to take on the challenge of the Bank of England because he's going to be materially involved in shaping regulatory reform of the financial system in London," he added. "So the fact that he would stand up for the regulatory regime is exactly the characteristic one would be looking for."

The transnational appointment is a mark of today's globalized world, while also echoing a past in which Canada was a part of the British Empire.

Like other central bankers, Carney is a former Goldman Sachs executive. He worked for 13 years in London, Tokyo, New York and Toronto, before being appointed deputy governor of the Bank of Canada in 2003. He has both financial industry and government regulatory credentials.

"He looks and sounds the part," CIBC World Markets economist Avery Shenfeld said. "He has the academic background, the gravitas and the experience to withstand the fray of central banking in a city like London."

Carney, from the remote northern town of Fort Smith in the Northwest Territories, gained a bachelor's degree in economics from Harvard University in 1988, and master's and doctoral degrees in economics from Oxford University. Like many Canadians, he played ice hockey, serving as a backup goalie for Harvard.

He lived in London for a decade and his wife and children are dual nationals. British Treasury chief George Osborne, announcing the surprise choice to the House of Commons on Monday, said Carney will apply for British citizenship. He takes up the new position July 1, succeeding Mervyn King, who has headed the bank since 2003.

Before Monday's announcement the frontrunner for the job was widely seen to be Paul Tucker, the bank's deputy governor. But Tucker was likely bypassed because of his embroilment in the Libor-fixing scandal. In July, he was forced to testify to lawmakers after emails emerged showing he had communicated with Bob Diamond, the ex-chief of Barclays, over the setting of the inter-bank interest rate.

Carney's appointment won bipartisan praise in Britain. Ed Balls, the opposition Labour Party's economics spokesman, called it "a good choice," while Osborne said Carney was "quite simply the best, most experienced and most qualified person in the world to do the job."

Although Osborne said it was the first time the Treasury advertised the governor's job, Carney said he hadn't applied. "I didn't apply as part of the formal process to the position. These discussions really only intensified in the last two weeks," Carney said at a news conference in Ottawa.

Carney said he initially turned down the job but British officials kept after him. He said he changed his mind because his term as governor of the Bank of Canada was ending soon, the London job was a big opportunity and the fate of the British economy was critical.

"It's very important for the global economy that the U.K. does well, that it succeeds in this rebalancing of their economy, that the reform of the British financial system is completed, " he said.

Carney said he would take the job for five years instead of the usual eight, and many Canadians are speculating that Carney may return to Canada to run for prime minister. The opposition Liberal Party of Canada had eagerly courted him, but Carney said this month he would remain a central banker for some time.

___

Associated Press writer Sylvia Hui contributed from London.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-11-27-Canada--Britain-Bank%20of%20England/id-c032d3edae354227ad0ade82b3fe10c1

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Activists: Syrian rebels seize major dam in north

In this image taken from video obtained from the Ugarit News, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Syrian rebels capture a helicopter air base near the capital Damascus after fierce fighting in Syria, on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012. The takeover claim showed how rebels are advancing in the area of the capital, though they are badly outgunned by Assad?s forces, making inroads where Assad?s power was once unchallenged. Rebels have also been able to fire mortar rounds into Damascus recently. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video)

In this image taken from video obtained from the Ugarit News, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Syrian rebels capture a helicopter air base near the capital Damascus after fierce fighting in Syria, on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012. The takeover claim showed how rebels are advancing in the area of the capital, though they are badly outgunned by Assad?s forces, making inroads where Assad?s power was once unchallenged. Rebels have also been able to fire mortar rounds into Damascus recently. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video)

In this image taken from video obtained from the Ugarit News, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Syrian rebels capture a helicopter air base near the capital Damascus after fierce fighting in Syria, on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012. The takeover claim showed how rebels are advancing in the area of the capital, though they are badly outgunned by Assad?s forces, making inroads where Assad?s power was once unchallenged. Rebels have also been able to fire mortar rounds into Damascus recently. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video)

In this image taken from video obtained from the Shaam News Network, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, smoke rises from buildings due to government shelling in the Damascus suburb of Zabadani, Syria, on Friday, Nov. 23, 2012. At the same time, Syrian forces are raiding another neighborhood showing how fighting is spreading in Damascus, once a stronghold of President Bashar Assad. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network via AP video)

(AP) ? Syrian rebels on Monday captured a hydroelectric dam on the Euphrates River in the country's north after days of heavy clashes, carting off boxes of ammunition from defeated regime forces in the latest in a string of recent strategic advances for opposition fighters, activists said.

Also Monday, activists said rebels and pro-government Kurdish gunmen struck a truce to end days of fighting in the town of Ras al-Ayn near the border with Turkey that opposition forces entered earlier this month.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebel fighters overran regime defenses and captured the Tishrin Dam, near the town of Manbij, before dawn Monday. Observatory director Rami Abdul-Rahman said the dam supplies several areas of Syria with electricity.

"This is a major blow to the regime," said Abdul-Rahman by telephone, describing the dam as "strategic location" on the Euphrates, which flows from Turkey through Syria and into Iraq.

The rebels have scored a series of hard-fought strategic advances recently, perhaps even seizing the momentum in their relentless battle of topple President Bashar Assad's regime. On Sunday, they captured a regime helicopter base outside Damascus before pulling back for fear of government airstrikes.

Amateur videos posted online showed gunmen inside the dam's operations room as an employee sat in front of five screens speaking by telephone about the level of water behind the dam. Another video showed gunman in front of dozens of green wooden boxes apparently full of munitions.

A gunman opened one of the boxes showing that it contained hand grenades. "The Free Syrian Army has fully liberated the Tishrin Dam," one of the rebels could be heard saying.

The activist videos appeared genuine and corresponded to other AP reporting about the events depicted. Syria restricts the access of reporters.

Syria's conflict started in March 2011 as an uprising against Assad's regime, but quickly morphed into a civil war that has since killed more than 40,000 people, according to activists. It has also prompted hundreds of thousands of Syrians to flee to neighboring Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency said airstrikes by regime warplanes killed and wounded several people in the Syrian border town Atmeh on Monday. The agency said some of the wounded were brought to Turkey for treatment, and several people were also heading to the Turkish border to seek refuge. Atmeh is about 130 kilometers (80 miles) west of the Tishrin Dam.

Because it is close to the border, Atmeh has emerged as a key smuggling route for aid and arms to rebel areas in the northern provinces of Idlib and Aleppo and as a base for many rebel groups fighting further south. Residents assumed that their proximity to the Turkish border kept them safe from airstrikes.

"This is the first time the jets have hit us here, but it's probably not the last," said Musab Kadour, an Atmeh resident.

A local official in the Turkish town of Reyhanli confirmed that Turkish F-16 jets flew over the border region Monday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

The Observatory reported air raids on other areas as well, including the northern towns of Maaret al-Numan, Kfar Rouma and Harem.

Also Monday, Kurdish activist Mustafa Osso and the Observatory's Abdul-Rahman said the town of Ras al-Ayn has been quiet since Saturday after fighters from the government-leaning Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or PYD, reached an agreement on a truce with rebels, most of them from Islamist extremist groups, including the al-Qaida-inspired Jabhat al-Nusra.

The rebels entered the town earlier this month and have since clashed almost daily with PYD gunmen for control over the area. Both factions add to the complexity of Syria's conflict, which has taken on heavy sectarian ? and ethnic ? overtones.

The fighting in recent days has left dozens of people killed or wounded, and dozens captured on both sides. Osso and Abdul-Rahman said PYD forces and the rebels agreed to exchange prisoners and to withdraw their militiamen from the town.

Abdul-Rahman said the rival parties agreed to form a local council that will run day to day life in Ras al-Ayn. Osso said thousands of people who fled the town, which has a mixed population including Arabs, Kurds, Chechens and Christians, have started returning home.

A journalist in Ras al-Ayn told The Associated Press that the town has been calm since Saturday, adding that cars with PYD gunmen were seen in the streets with loudspeakers urging residents to return to their homes after the truce was reached. He added by telephone that parts of the town were heavily damaged by government air raids earlier this month.

When regime forces withdrew from Kurdish areas in northeastern Syria in July, they were quickly replaced by Kurdish fighters from PYD. Those forces then battled rebel fighters after they pushed their way into predominantly Kurdish areas. The Kurdish group is affiliated with the PKK, rebels fighting for autonomy in the Kurdish-dominated southeast region of Turkey.

The Islamic militants, who are fighting on the side of the rebels, have played a bigger role in the Syrian conflict in recent months and many openly say they want to set up an Islamic state. The opposition is split, with some groups strongly opposed to the influence of extremists.

The Observatory also said that the health of leading opposition figure Abdul-Aziz al-Kheir, who it said is being held by one of the country's security agencies, has deteriorated recently. It did not disclose details of his health problems.

The National Coordination Body for Democratic Change in Syria accused the regime of being behind the disappearance of two of its leaders, including al-Kheir, shortly after they arrived home from China in September.

Al-Kheir, 61, comes from Assad's hometown of Kardaha and belongs to the president's ruling Alawite minority sect. He spent long periods in jail in the past because of his opposition to the regime.

____

Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser contributed to this report from Ankara, Turkey.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-11-26-ML-Syria/id-8c3474df350a4148be8ae002d0445a1b

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'Walking Dead' Governor Will Make Rick 'Suffer'

Actor David Morrissey tells MTV News that his 'Walking Dead' villain will deal with his new 'noisy neighbors.'
By Josh Wigler, with reporting by Kara Warner


Andrew Lincoln in "The Walking Dead"
Photo: AMC

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1697848/walking-dead-governor-will-make-rick-suffer.jhtml

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Use These Proven Weight Loss Tactics For The Best Results ...

A lot of people want to lose weight. Often, the most daunting obstacle for most people is a lack of merited information. Use the guidelines you?ve read in this guide in order to help you in losing weight. Follow the tips listed here in order to achieve your goal in losing weight in a very quick manner.

Make use of low-calorie versions of the foods you love to assist you in losing weight. Hunger and food cravings have been the downfall of many dieters. Search out lower calorie options of the foods you love. These can satisfy your cravings, while still keeping you on track.

Drink water before and during your meal. Water can sometimes reduce your cravings for food, which will help you to avoid eating. To avoid this, drink some water when you?re feeling ?hungry,? and you might be surprised when the feeling vanishes.

Remember to drink plenty of fresh water. Some of the hunger that you feel may be thirst instead.

Real weight loss starts in the mind then occurs in the body. If you decide that you want to lose weight you will need a very strong sense of willpower as this will help you to stay dedicated in the hardest moments of your journey to a better you.

Use substitutions to add easy changes to your diet. Examine your favorite recipes with an eye to substituting lower fat versions of some of the ingredients. Use butter instead of margarine. Substitute low fat yogurt for that rich sour cream. You do not have to stop eating your favorites if you change them.

If you love mashed potatoes but can?t have them on your diet, try this great mashed cauliflower recipe instead. All you have to do is get a covered pot and cook the cauliflower florets inside with a little bit of water, you then want to add chopped onions until tender and pure it with chicken bouillon or vegetable while it?s hot with fresh ground pepper for some added taste. The cole family, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels, and cabbage, have little carbs.

Cooking fish such as salmon, while healthy, can also be tricky to perfect. Canned salmon can be the answer to this problem; it allows you to eat fish without having to prepare it. Salmon is a great alternative from a practical and monetary perspective.

Track your total steps with a pedometer as part of your weight loss efforts. Every day, you should be taking at least 10,000 steps. If you can accomplish 10,000 steps, try to increase this mark to a higher number. Each step moves you towards being more fit and reaching your weight loss goal.

When you are trying to lose weight, stick to a balanced diet. The correct types of fat will be beneficial to your health. When you eat fat, you feel fuller for a longer time, but it serves to slow your digestion. Therefore, try to curb the amount of fats you eat throughout the day.

If you want to lose weight, keep your stress under control. When your body feels stress it tends to hoard calories and fat to provide a defense mechanism. Perhaps you know that stress will go away, but your body believes everything is on red-alert! Steer clear of stress in order to facilitate weight loss.

If you need to lose weight fast, read this article?s advice carefully. These tips will get you on the right path to achieving your goals with weight loss. Your goals should be in reach if you are motivated to succeed.

Source: http://www.meizitang-botanicalslimminggel.com/blog/uncategorized/use-these-proven-weight-loss-tactics-for-the-best-results/

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PSA Screening Vs Pure Smoke Screeing | Prostate Cancer ...

Not long ago the United States Preventive Task Force (USPSTF) trumpeted this message to men: ? No need to get screened for prostate cancer. If you do get it you probably won?t die of it.?? It was a message that went round the world and many listened. Many took it to heart. Many were confused. Many still are.

Who were the experts who made the pronouncement? Certainly not the medical community who had been dedicating themselves for years to treating and curing prostate cancer. They were stunned and outraged at the USPSTF recommendations.

Despite the fact that PSA screening has saved tens of thousands of lives, a group of so-called ?independent scientists? were winding the clock backwards, blacking out years of progress in controlling prostate cancer. The ?independent scientists?, we were told, could more objectively evaluate the literature without bias. With not a single urologist or prostate cancer specialist on the panel? ?

Prostate cancer specialists and researchers at Johns Hopkins Brady Urological Institute immediately called the USPSTF message dangerous and setting a disastrous course. The American Society of Clinical Oncology rejected the recommendations outright, calling instead for a sensible approach to screening: discouraging PSA screening in men with a life expectancy of less than 10 years, but advising men who are expected to live more than 10 years to discuss the benefits and harms of screening with their physicians.

According to the panel, ?healthy men? don?t need screening. There is too much screening. ? Think of the cost-saving if we cut down on screening.? So the mantra goes. ?The recommendations prompt this question:? Are they in place to promote progress or are they in place?far more likely?to save money?

?Prostate cancer is after all, the most common cancer in American men. It is also the second most common cause of cancer death.? It produces no symptoms until? it reaches an advanced stage, but by then it is too late to cure!? It can be diagnosed with a rectal exam (DRE), but it has to be large enough to be felt by a doctor.? The problem is that by the time it has grown this much it could mean it has spread beyond the confines of the prostate gland. That can spell real trouble.? What the PSA test does is signal danger before trouble begins! ?That patient may appear to be ?healthy? but the PSA can say otherwise.

It takes an expert to read and interpret a PSA test. To know at what level it should be in men of every age. To know if it is rising too quickly, requiring an biopsy.? It is not a perfect test but it is the best tool in the tool box?so far.? They are looking for a more perfect one all the time. Before 1991, when PSA testing became widespread, 20 percent of the men with a new diagnosis of prostate cancer had a tumor that had already spread to the bone.? Today that number is less than 4 percent!? In 1991, one out of 5 men had metastases.? Today, it is one out of 25!? Between 1994 and 2004, deaths from prostate cancer plummeted 40 percent. That was more for any other cancer in men or women.

Johns Hopkins reported the age adjusted death rate from 1990 of 39.2 per 100,000 men and applying it to 200, there would have been 59,000 deaths. Because the death rate fell to 23.5, there were 35,000 deaths.? Which means 24,000 fewer men died from prostate cancer in 2007 alone. The National Cancer Institute estimates that 40 to 70 percent of this reduction is due entirely to screening.

Critics of the USPSTF recommendations say while they used at large uncontrolled observations to look at complications of surgery, they did not discuss the number of lives saved since PSA testing was introduce in the U.S.

Important:

?USPSTF has tried to deal with the issues of over-diagnosis and over treatment. For a Johns Hopkins recommendation on these vital issues, the following link to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines should be carefully read and studied.? These guidelines are approved by The American Society of Clinical Oncology as well as other national and international prostate cancer experts.

http://www.nccn.org/patients/patient_guidelines/prostate/index.html#/12/

Source: http://www.prostatecancersurvivorspeak.com/psa-screening-vs-pure-smoke-screeing/

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Korean Startup Accelerator SparkLabs Unveils Its First Class, Bolsters Its Advisory Board

sparklabsIt seems like it's been ages since SparkLabs revealed its intentions to nurture a handful of promising startups in South Korea (it was actually the end of July), but now the accelerator has officially pulled back the curtains on its inaugural class.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/31kJQlhibmg/

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