'Today' producer angry about Lauer stories

FILE - This April 24, 2012 file photo shows NBC "Today" show co-host Matt Lauer attending the TIME 100 gala, celebrating the 100 most influential people in the world, at the Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York. The "Today" show's top producer is speaking out against stories portraying anchor Matt Lauer as being difficult to work with during the show's slide in the ratings. Executive Producer Jim Bell said Wednesday that Lauer is the heart and soul of NBC's morning news show and that negative stories about him have been hard to deal with. "Today" has slipped behind ABC's "Good Morning America" in the ratings recently, particularly since Lauer's former co-host, Ann Curry, was replaced by Savannah Guthrie. That's led to a wave of bad publicity, much of it focused on Lauer. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)

FILE - This April 24, 2012 file photo shows NBC "Today" show co-host Matt Lauer attending the TIME 100 gala, celebrating the 100 most influential people in the world, at the Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York. The "Today" show's top producer is speaking out against stories portraying anchor Matt Lauer as being difficult to work with during the show's slide in the ratings. Executive Producer Jim Bell said Wednesday that Lauer is the heart and soul of NBC's morning news show and that negative stories about him have been hard to deal with. "Today" has slipped behind ABC's "Good Morning America" in the ratings recently, particularly since Lauer's former co-host, Ann Curry, was replaced by Savannah Guthrie. That's led to a wave of bad publicity, much of it focused on Lauer. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)

FILE - This April 24, 2012 file photo shows NBC "Today" show co-host Matt Lauer attending the TIME 100 gala, celebrating the 100 most influential people in the world, at the Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York. The "Today" show's top producer is speaking out against stories portraying anchor Matt Lauer as being difficult to work with during the show's slide in the ratings. Executive Producer Jim Bell said Wednesday that Lauer is the heart and soul of NBC's morning news show and that negative stories about him have been hard to deal with. "Today" has slipped behind ABC's "Good Morning America" in the ratings recently, particularly since Lauer's former co-host, Ann Curry, was replaced by Savannah Guthrie. That's led to a wave of bad publicity, much of it focused on Lauer. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)

NEW YORK (AP) ? The "Today" show's top producer on Wednesday defended Matt Lauer against stories that have portrayed the anchor as difficult to deal with during the show's slide in the ratings.

The longtime morning champ has slipped behind ABC's "Good Morning America" in the ratings over recent months, after more than 15 years of being the unquestioned leader in the morning. The new ratings order has solidified since Ann Curry's tearful exit as Lauer's co-host in June.

"Matt has been the heart and soul of the show for a long, long time, and any of the stuff out that has portrayed him in an unflattering light as being difficult to work with is patently false and it's been tough to deal with," said Jim Bell, "Today" executive producer.

One tabloid report last week described Lauer as an "anchor animal" who berates the staff and inserts himself into show decisions, which Bell described as "patently false." He also denied an online report that Lauer would be asked to take a pay cut if the show's ratings don't improve. "Today" has also consistently shot down stories that Lauer played a behind-the-scenes role in Savannah Guthrie's replacement of Curry.

Asked if viewers were taking Curry's dismissal out on "Today," Bell said that "it's more complex than that."

"Any time there is a change, especially in the morning, it takes a while for people to process that change and we're still going through that," Bell said. "That's OK. We understand. We get it. We love our team and we really feel positive about the show we are doing and we are taking the long view here."

"Today" has actually taken pride in seamless anchor transitions in the past, such as when Meredith Vieira replaced Katie Couric, Curry replaced Vieira and Lauer took over for Bryant Gumbel. This one hasn't worked, at least for now.

Bell denied reports that he would leave "Today" for another job at NBC, saying "this is the best job in the world."

After a 17-year winning streak in the ratings, "GMA" overtook "Today" during a couple of weeks last spring. With the exception of two weeks when "Today" broadcast from the London Olympics, the ABC show has won consistently since Curry's dismissal, by margins as much as 800,000 viewers.

"GMA" has succeeded with a lighter, more pop culture-oriented show. Its on-air team of George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts, Josh Elliott and Lara Spencer has clicked during NBC's turmoil. "Today" has long been a huge cash cow for NBC, and a permanent change in the morning's pecking order would have big financial implications.

"For a long time, they tried to do a version of the 'Today' show," Bell said of ABC. "It didn't work well, so they have tried to do a different show. We are different shows right now. Despite however that might be working in the short term, for our show, it's in our best interests to be who we are and not try to do what someone else is doing."

Asked for comment, ABC spokesman Jeffrey Schneider said: "I think the audience has spoken loud and clear about its preference in the morning."

He said "Today," which featured a Curry interview with Libyan President Mohammed Magarief on Wednesday, will be making its differences with "Good Morning America" more apparent in coming months.

"While we recognize in the short term we're going through a difficult period, we're not going to compound it by suddenly doing a different show from the one we all feel good about, which is a smart show, a relevant show and an important show to do," he said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-09-26-TV-Today-Lauer/id-e473527fbcff4dd48d5992546b62a423

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Federal financial toolkit aims to get Canadians out of debt | Debt ...

OTTAWA ? Ottawa believes Canadians might need a little help in how they spend and save.

The federal government has released a ?Financial Toolkit? that it says can help Canadians make sense of everyday financial questions they face.

The toolkit, which is available online and in printed form, includes worksheets, quizzes, questionnaires, case studies and educational videos to educate Canadians on making rational, responsible money decisions.

The toolkit was created in partnership with the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, the Investor Education Fund and l?Autorite des marches financiers.

The initiative is part the government?s efforts to promote financial literacy and follows months of warnings from the Bank of Canada as well as the finance minister about the record high levels of consumer debt.

On a national basis, the average household debt stands at 152% of disposable income, just shy of the 160% level that was reached in the U.S. and the United Kingdom prior to the housing market collapse in 2008.

Economists have said that the high levels of consumer debt are a consequence of low interest rates that have been in place since 2008 as part of efforts to stimulate the economy by making it less expensive to borrow and spend.

Junior finance minister Ted Menzies says the toolkit is another way Canadians can acquire life skills.

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Source: http://business.financialpost.com/2012/09/25/ottawa-issues-financial-toolkit-to-help-canadians-get-out-of-debt/

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Analysis: For Romney, some troubling signs among older voters (reuters)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/250530136?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Healing of ours family tree - HolyLandPrayer.com

Please pray for all of us. We need God?s help in many areas of our marriage anf family life. please pray also for honest activity inc.financial of my husband?s work partner Steve and his family. Ask JESUS to protect us i every possible way and if we need forgive to each other, healing of our wounds and all needed Holy Spirit gifts.Please pray also for deceased and all names who i will quietly mention Our Heavenly Father.One more ? please delivere my special prayer (it is to long to write)but the title is -PRAYER FOR ENEMIES and directly to GOD-FATHER.Our LADY OF QEEN OF THE WORLD and HOLY LAND -pray for us.THANK YOU.

By Marianna
9/25/2012

Source: http://www.holylandprayer.com/prayer-list/healing-of-ours-family-tree/

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Belgraders Dub New Bins a Wasted Opportunity :: Balkan Insight

The woman carrying a garbage bag approaches one of Belgrade?s newest additions ? an underground bin. Unable to squeeze her family?s trash through what seems like too small a hole - and ignoring the sticker on the side of container that reads, ?Dumping trash next to the container is prohibited,? - she leaves her bag beside the new container.

?You can only dump small bags here, as nothing bigger can go through the hole,? she complains. ?I can?t say that this was a clever invention.?

She is not the only one to complain about the city?s latest innovation in the field of waste disposal.

Many people believe that although underground waste containers in theory are cleaner and more practical than the old, above-ground bins, the newcomers clearly have their shortcomings.

In response to such complaints, Gradska cistoca, the city?s public utility company, told BIRN that the underground containers were installed with a view to improving the city?s overall hygiene.

The containers were chosen on the basis of the experience of other European cities, where they had turned out to be ?the best solution to improve hygiene and to collect waste,? the company said.

The city decided to install underground garbage bins back in 2009. Since then, about 2,000 have been put in place around town. Belgrade plans to install another 4,000 by the end of 2013.

The first tranche of 2,000 cost about ?7 million.

Gradska cistoca caused some controversy over the consortium of two companies that it hired for the job.

Blok, a Belgrade-based company, had no previous experience in this field.

Blagojevica, a firm from Mladenovac, did have some experience. But its founder, Zivko Radojicic, was the owner of several previously bankrupted companies.

Most people in Belgrade appreciate the fact that the new containers save space and are less malodorous. At the same time, many say the containers should have been designed more carefully.

?This was good idea, but it?s been poorly implemented. You cannot dump anything larger than a small bag and the bags often get stuck in the hole,? Marko, a bartender, says.

Some say the new containers don?t meet the hygienic bar, either. ?They?re better than the old containers, but they should have chosen containers that can be opened by foot, as the shutters are often dirty and it?s greasy to touch them with your bare hand,? Andrea, a pensioner, complains.

The new underground waste containers also do not contain any potential for recycling, as they are not designed for the separation of the contents into recyclable components.

Katarina Pavlovic, from Serbian Green Youth, an NGO, says that although the new containers do have advantages compared to the old, above-ground containers, they don?t resolve the root problems involved in waste collection.

?We still have an issue with waste management,? she says.

?If there is no system to allow the separation of waste and recycling, if non-recyclable and recyclable waste ends up in the same container, there are no systematic differences between the underground and above-ground containers,? she maintains.

?Thus, despite all the new investment, recycling has remained an unresolved issue,? Pavlovic continues.

Another problem with the 7-million-euro-worth investment is that the containers are permeable, although they supposed to be waterproof.

?In some locations, the water leaks in when it?s raining,? one Gradska cistoca staffer admitted.

He added that, when it rains, the Gradska cistoca teams that empty the containers need assistance from another team, which pumps water from the containers into a tank.

?In these situations, it takes much more time to empty the container,? the same worker added.

City cleaners say it is yet to be seen how the containers will withstand prolonged wet weather, as most of them were only put in place in the spring and summer, when it was dry.

Gradska cistoca declined to answer any further questions from BIRN regarding this and other quality-control issues, as did representatives of the consortium hired to produce and deliver containers.

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Source: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/belgraders-dub-new-bins-a-wasted-opportunity

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Egypt president stresses Syria resolve

(AP) CAIRO - Egypt's president on Saturday stressed the need for his country to have a bigger role in international affairs, using his first local television interview to urge the Syrian government to end the carnage coursing through Cairo's onetime ally.

"The Syrian regime needs to understand that the continuation of bloodshed goes against all laws, desires, history and humanity," Mohammed Morsi said in the hour-long interview, broadcast on state TV.

The one-on-one interview addressed a range of issues facing the new president, who was sworn into office on June 30 in the country's first free presidential elections. He assumed the post after a rocky transitional period governed by the country's military, which took power after last year's uprising that ousted longtime President Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt's uprising inspired others in the region, including in Syria.

"Egypt is not on the sidelines of this problem. There is a positive and personal relationship between the Egyptian people and the Syrian people," Morsi said, in a reference to the shortly-lived alliance that ended in 1961 between Egypt and Syria, when both nations shared the same flag as part of a union. "The Syrian struggle pains us now, pains all people of the region."

Rebels move command center from Turkey to Syria
Assad: Syrian rebels will be defeated

Syria's bloody 18-month conflict, which activists say has killed nearly 30,000 people, has so far eluded attempts at international mediation.

Morsi has launched an "Islamic Quartet" of regional powers to seek an end to the violence, bringing together Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

However, the quartet faces deep divisions. Sunni led Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia have called on Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down, while Shiite Iran firmly backs him. Saudi Arabia and Iran are also bitter rivals with longstanding disagreements over Gulf security issues.

"I do not believe Iran's presence in the group is part of the problem, but part of the solution" Morsi said, adding that he hopes the four nations along with other countries can meet "at the highest level" on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting later this month.

Morsi, who is scheduled to travel Sunday to New York for the U.N. meetings, has been criticized by some in Egypt for focusing too much on foreign affairs and doing little to address Egypt's internal challenges.

In the interview, he explained that in order to help Egypt domestically, he needs to reach out to other nations, particularly in Africa, and increase investments from the West and China to help build the country.

While he did not discuss Israel, with which Egypt has a decades-old peace treaty following years of war, Morsi said that "there cannot be peace in the Middle East without giving Palestinians their full rights."

"This is what the peace treaty was based on ? a full and balanced (regional) peace," he said, referring to the 1979 accord that ended decades of hostility between Egypt and Israel, but did not contain the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.

"Egyptians are always and will always be supportive of their Palestinian brothers, all Palestinians," he said. Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, is itself an offshoot of Morsi' Muslim Brotherhood group, which has long rallied for Palestinian statehood.

Earlier on Saturday, Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court upheld last summer's ruling that dissolved parliament just days before Morsi was declared victor in the elections.

The ruling means that Morsi now maintains legislative powers in the absence of parliament, after the forced retirement of generals with which he previously shared powers.

"I will not use my legislative powers except in a very limited framework," he said in the interview.

Source: http://feeds.cbsnews.com/~r/CBSNewsWorld/~3/kAmgd32157A/

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Long-term outcomes after RP as first-line therapy for men with cT3 ...

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Sitemaster

We have no data from randomized trials on the relative effectiveness of surgery compared to radiation therapy in the treatment of men initially diagnosed with clinical stage T3NxM0 prostate cancer. However, we do now have data from > 800 men treated with radical prostatectomy (RP) and followed for up to 23 years at the Mayo Clinic.

Mitchell et al. conducted a retrospective analysis of data on the thousands of men treated by radical prostatectomy at the Mayo Clinic between 1987 and 1997. Based on that analysis, they offer the following information:

• 843 men were treated by first-line radical prostatectomy alone after a diagnosis of clinical stage T3NxM0 disease.
• Average (median) post-surgical follow-up was 14.3 years (range 0.1 to 23.5 years).
• 223/843 patients (26.5 percent) were found to have pathological T2N0M0 disease post-surgery.
• At an estimated follow-up of 20 years (based on Kaplan-Meier methodology)
  • Local recurrence-free survival for all patients was 76 percent.
  • Systemic progression-free survival for all patients was 72 percent.
  • Prostate cancer-specific survival for all men 81 percent.
• On multivariate analysis, an increased risk for prostate cancer-specific mortality was evident in men with
  • Higher pathological Gleason scores (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.8)
  • Non-diploid chromatin content (HR = 1.8)
  • Positive surgical margins (HR = 2.1)
  • Seminal vesicle invasion (HR = 2.1)
• A more recent year of surgery was associated with a decreased risk of cancer-specific mortality (HR = 0.88).

Mitchell et al. conclude that:

• ?RP affords accurate pathological staging and may be associated with durable cancer control for cT3 prostate cancer, with 20 years of follow-up.?
• ?RP as part of a multimodal treatment strategy therefore remains a viable treatment option for patients with cT3 tumors.?

However, they are also careful to note that external beam radiation therapy in combination with androgen deprivation therapy offers 10-year progression-free survival among about 88 percent of men when given as first-line therapy for men initially diagnosed with cT3 disease. The combination of radiation therapy and ADT may well (therefore) be the most appropriate form of treatment for older men initially diagnosed with cT3 disease.

The bottom line is that for those men with what may be the earliest stages of cT3 disease on diagnosis (and who may therefore turn out to have pT2 disease post-surgery) ? and particularly for younger men who may be able to recover well after radical prostatectomy ? surgery is still a very appropriate form of first-line treatment that can always be followed later with adjuvant or salvage radiation therapy (with or without ADT, as necessary). Careful patient selection and a thorough discussion of the risks and benefits of such an approach are clearly key factors in the application of such a clinical strategy.

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Filed under: Diagnosis, Management, Risk, Treatment Tagged: | clinical, outcome, prostatectomy, radical, stage, survival, T3

Source: http://prostatecancerinfolink.net/2012/09/24/lon-term-outcomes-after-rp-as-first-line-therapy-for-men-with-ct3-disease-at-time-of-diagnosis/

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