Violence, fear & suspicion imperil Pakistan's war on polio

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani health worker Bushra Bibi spent eight years trekking to remote villages, carefully dripping polio vaccine into toddlers' pursed mouths to protect them from the crippling disease.
Now the 35-year-old mother is too scared to go to work after masked men on motorbikes gunned down nine of her fellow health workers in a string of attacks this week.
"I have seen so much pain in the eyes of mothers whose children have been infected. So I have never seen this as just a job. It is my passion," she said. "But I also have a family to look after ... Things have never been this bad."
After the deaths, the United Nations put its workers on lockdown. Immunizations by the Pakistani government continued in parts of the country. But the violence raised fresh questions over stability in the South Asian nation.
Pakistan's Taliban insurgency, convinced that the anti-polio drive is just another Western plot against Muslims, has long threatened action against anyone taking part in it.
The militant group's hostility deepened after it emerged that the CIA - with the help of a Pakistani doctor - had used a vaccination campaign to spy on Osama bin Laden's compound before he was killed by U.S. special forces in a Pakistan town last year.
Critics say the attacks on the health workers are a prime example of the government's failure to formulate a decisive policy on tackling militancy, despite pressure from key ally the United States, the source of billions of dollars in aid.
For years, authorities were aware that Taliban commanders had broadcast claims that the vaccination drive was actually a plot to sterilize Muslims.
That may seem absurd to the West, but in Pakistan such assertions are plausible to some. Years of secrecy during military dictatorships, frequent political upheaval during civilian rule and a poor public education system mean conspiracy theories run wild.
"Ever since they began to give these polio drops, children are reaching maturity a lot earlier, especially girls. Now 12 to 13-year-old girls are becoming women. This causes indecency in society," said 45-year-old Mir Alam Khan, a carpet seller in the northern town of Dera Ismail Khan.
The father of four didn't allow any of his children to receive vaccinations.
"Why doesn't the United States give free cures for other illnesses? Why only polio? There has to be an agenda," he said.
While health workers risk attacks by militants, growing suspicions from ordinary Pakistanis are lowering their morale. Fatima, a health worker in the northwestern city of Peshawar, said that reaction to news of the CIA polio campaign was so severe that many of her colleagues quit.
"People's attitudes have changed. You will not believe how even the most educated and well-to-do people will turn us away, calling us U.S. spies and un-Islamic," said the 25-year-old who did not give her last name for fear of reprisals.
"Boys call us names, they say we are 'indecent women'."
Pakistan's government has tried to shatter the myths that can undermine even the best-intentioned health projects by turning to moderate clerics and urging them to issue religious rulings supporting the anti-polio efforts.
Tahir Ashrafi, head of the All Pakistan Ulema Council, said the alliance of clerics had done its part, and it was up to the government to come to the rescue of aid workers.
"Clerics can only give fatwas and will continue to come together and condemn such acts," he said. "What good are fatwas if the government doesn't provide security?"
RISK OF POLIO RETURNING
That may be a tall order in Pakistan, where critics allege government officials are too busy lining their pockets or locked in power struggles to protect its citizens, even children vulnerable to diseases that can cripple or disfigure them.
Pakistani leaders deny such accusations.
Politicians also have a questionable track record when it comes to dealing with all the other troubles afflicting nuclear-armed Pakistan.
The villages where health workers once spent time tending to children often lack basic services, clinics, clean water and jobs. Industries that could strengthen the fragile economy are hobbled by chronic power cuts.
Deepening frustrations with those issues often encourage Pakistanis to give up on the state and join the Taliban.
So far it's unclear who is behind the shootings. The main Taliban spokesman said they were opposed to the vaccination scheme but the group distanced itself from the attacks.
But another Taliban spokesman in South Waziristan said their fighters were behind an attack on a polio team in the northwestern town of Lakki Marwat on Monday. "The vaccinations were part of "a secret Jewish-American agenda to poison Pakistanis", he said.
What is clear is the stakes are high.
Any gaps in the program endanger hard-won gains against a disease that can cause death or paralysis within hours.
A global effort costing billions of dollars eradicated polio from every country except Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Vaccinations cut Pakistan's polio cases from 20,000 in 1994 to 56 in 2012 and the disease seemed isolated in a pocket in the north. But polio is spread person-to-person, so any outbreak risks re-infecting communities cleared of the disease.
Last year, a strain from Pakistan spread northeast and caused the first outbreak in neighboring China since 1999.
Oliver Rosenbauer, a spokesman for the World Health Organization, said the group had been coming closer to eradicating the disease.
"For the first time, the virus had been geographically cornered," he said. "We don't want to lose the gains that had been made ... Any suspension of activities gives the virus a new foothold and the potential to come roaring back and paralyze more children."
MOURNING FAMILIES
Condemnation of the killings has been nearly universal. Clerics called for demonstrations to support health workers, the government has promised compensation for the deaths and police have vowed to provide more protection.
For women like Fehmida Shah, it's already too late. The 44-year-old health worker lived with her family in a two-room house before gunmen shot her on Tuesday.
Her husband, Syed Riaz Shah, said she spent her tiny salary - the equivalent of just $2 a day - on presents for their four daughters. Even though the family was struggling, she always found some spare money for any neighbor in need.
"She was very kind and big hearted. All the women in our lane knew her," he said.
"The entire neighborhood is in shock. Pray for my daughters. I will get through this. But I don't know how they will."

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Egypt's constitution approved in vote, say rival camps

CAIRO (Reuters) - A constitution drafted by an Islamist-dominated assembly was approved by a majority of Egyptians in a referendum, rival camps said on Sunday, after a vote the opposition said drove a wedge through the Arab world's most populous nation.
The Muslim Brotherhood, which propelled President Mohamed Mursi to power in a June election, said 64 percent of voters backed the charter after two rounds of voting that ended with a final ballot on Saturday. It cited an unofficial tally.
An opposition official also told Reuters their unofficial count showed the result was a "yes" vote.
The referendum committee may not declare official results for the two rounds until Monday, after hearing appeals. If the outcome is confirmed, a parliamentary election will follow in about two months.
Mursi's Islamist backers say the constitution is vital for the transition to democracy, nearly two years after the overthrow of autocrat Hosni Mubarak in an uprising. It will provide stability needed to help a fragile economy, they say.
But the opposition accuses Mursi of pushing through a text that favors Islamists and ignores the rights of Christians, who make up about 10 percent of the population, as well as women. They say it is a recipe for further unrest.
"According to our calculations, the final result of the second round is 71 percent voting 'yes' and the overall result (of the two rounds) is 63.8 percent," a Brotherhood official, who was in an operations room monitoring the vote, told Reuters.
His figures were confirmed by a statement issued shortly afterwards by the group and broadcast on its television channel.
The Brotherhood and its party, as well as members of the opposition, had representatives monitoring polling stations and the vote count across the country.
The opposition said voting in both rounds was marred by abuses and had called for a re-run after the first stage. However, an official said the overall vote favored the charter.
"They (Islamists) are ruling the country, running the vote and influencing the people, so what else could we expect," the senior official from the main opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front, told Reuters.
PROTESTS
The vote was split over two days as many judges had refused to supervise the ballot.
"I'm voting 'no' because Egypt can't be ruled by one faction," said Karim Nahas, 35, a stockbroker, heading to a polling station in Giza, in greater Cairo, in the last round.
At another polling station, some voters said they were more interested in ending Egypt's long period of political instability than in the Islamist aspects of the charter.
"We have to extend our hands to Mursi to help fix the country," said Hisham Kamal, an accountant.
The build-up to the vote witnessed deadly protests, sparked by Mursi's decision to award himself extra powers in a decree on November 22 and then to fast-track the constitution to a vote.
Hours before polls closed, Vice President Mahmoud Mekky announced his resignation. He said he wanted to quit last month but stayed on to help Mursi tackle the crisis that blew up when the Islamist leader assumed wide powers.
Mekky, a prominent judge who said he was uncomfortable in politics, disclosed earlier he had not been informed of Mursi's power grab. The timing of his resignation appeared linked to the lack of a vice-presidential post under the draft constitution.
The new basic law sets a limit of two four-year presidential terms. It says the principles of Islamist sharia law remain the main source of legislation but adds an article to explain this. It also says Islamic authorities will be consulted on sharia - a source of concern to Christians and others.
TURNOUT
Rights groups reported what they said were illegalities in voting procedures. They said some polling stations opened late, that Islamists illegally campaigned at some polling places and complained of irregularities in voter registration.
But the committee overseeing the two-stage vote said its investigations showed no major irregularities in voting on December 15, which covered about half of Egypt's 51 million voters. About 25 million were eligible to vote in the second round.
The Brotherhood said turnout was about a third of voters.
The opposition says the constitution will stir up more trouble on the streets since it has not received sufficiently broad backing for a document that should be agreed by consensus, and raised questions about the fairness of the vote.
In the first round, the district covering most of Cairo voted "no," which opponents said showed the depth of division.
"I see more unrest," said Ahmed Said, head of the liberal Free Egyptians Party and a member of the National Salvation Front, an opposition coalition formed after Mursi expanded his powers on November 22 and then pushed the constitution to a vote.
He cited "serious violations" on the first day of voting, and said anger against Mursi was growing. "People are not going to accept the way they are dealing with the situation."
At least eight people were killed in protests outside the presidential palace in Cairo this month. Islamists and rivals clashed in Alexandria, the second-biggest city, on the eves of both voting days.
Late on Saturday, Mursi announced the names of 90 new members he had appointed to the upper house of parliament, state media reported, and a presidential official said the list was mainly liberals and other non-Islamists.
A spokesman for the National Salvation Front, which groups opponents who include liberals, socialists and other parties and politicians, said the Front's members had refused to take part.
Legislative powers, now held by Mursi because the lower house of parliament was dissolved earlier this year, will pass to the upper house under the new constitution.
Two-thirds of the 270-member upper house was elected in a vote this year, with one third appointed by the president. Mursi, elected in June, had not named them until now. Mursi's Islamist party and its allies dominate the assembly.

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Egypt's draft charter gets 'yes' majority in vote

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's Islamist-backed constitution received a "yes" majority in a final round of voting on a referendum that saw a low voter turnout, but the deep divisions it has opened up threaten to fuel continued turmoil.
Passage is a victory for Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, but a costly one. The bruising battle over the past month stripped away hope that the long-awaited constitution would bring a national consensus on the path Egypt will take after shedding its autocratic ruler Hosni Mubarak nearly two years ago.
Instead, Morsi disillusioned many non-Islamists who had once backed him and has become more reliant on his core support in the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists. Hard-liners in his camp are determined to implement provisions for stricter rule by Islamic law in the charter, which is likely to further fuel divisions.
Saturday's voting in 17 of Egypt's 27 provinces was the second and final round of the referendum. Preliminary results released early Sunday by Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood showed that 71.4 percent of those who voted Saturday said "yes" after 95.5 percent of the ballots were counted. Only about eight million of the 25 million Egyptians eligible to vote — a turnout of about 30 percent — cast their ballots. The Brotherhood has accurately predicted election results in the past by tallying results provided by its representatives at polling centers.
In the first round of voting, about 56 percent said "yes" to the charter. The turnout then was about 32 percent.
The results of the two rounds mean the referendum was approved by about 63 percent.
Morsi's liberal and secular opposition now faces the task of trying to organize the significant portion of the population angered by what it sees as attempts by Morsi and the Brotherhood to gain a lock on political power. The main opposition group, the National Salvation Front, said it would now start rallying for elections for the lawmaking, lower house of parliament, expected early next year.
"We feel more empowered because of the referendum. We proved that at least we are half of society (that) doesn't approve of all this. We will build on it," the Front's spokesman, Khaled Daoud, said. Still, he said, there was "no appetite" at the moment for further street protests.
The new constitution would come into effect once official results are announced, expected in several days. When they are, Morsi is expected to call for the election of parliament's lawmaking, lower chamber no more than two months later.
In a sign of disarray in Morsi's administration, his vice president and — possibly — the central bank governor resigned during Saturday's voting. Vice President Mahmoud Mekki's resignation had been expected since his post is eliminated under the new constitution. But its hasty submission even before the charter has been sealed and his own resignation statement suggested it was linked to Morsi's policies.
"I have realized a while ago that the nature of politics don't suit my professional background as a judge," his resignation letter, read on state TV, said. Mekki said he had first submitted his resignation last month but events forced him to stay on.
The status of Central Bank Governor Farouq el-Oqdah was murkier. State TV first reported his resignation, then soon after reported the Cabinet denied he has stepped down in a possible sign of confusion. El-Oqdah, in his post since 2003, has reportedly been seeking to step down but the administration was trying to convince him to stay on.
The confusion over el-Oqdah's status comes at a time when the government is eager to show some stability in the economy as the Egyptian pound has been sliding and a much-needed $4.8 billion loan from the IMF has been postponed.
Over the past month, seven of Morsi's 17 top advisers and the one Christian among his top four aides resigned. Like Mekki, they said they had never been consulted in advance on any of the president's moves, including his Nov. 22 decrees, since rescinded, that granted himself near absolute powers.
Those decrees sparked large street protests by hundreds of thousands around the country, bringing counter-rallies by Islamists. The turmoil was further fueled with a Constituent Assembly almost entirely made up of Islamists finalized the constitution draft in the dead of night amid a boycott by liberals and Christians. Rallies turned violent. Brotherhood offices were attacked, and Islamists attacked an opposition sit-in outside the presidential palace in Cairo leading to clashes that left 10 dead.
The turmoil opened up a vein of bitterness that the polarizing constitution will do little to close. Morsi opponents accused him of seeking to create a new Mubarak-style autocracy. The Brotherhood accused his rivals of being former Mubarak officials trying to topple an elected president and return to power. Islamists branded opponents "infidels" and vowed they will never accept anything but "God's law" in Egypt.
Both rounds of voting saw claims by the opposition and rights groups of voting violations. On Saturday, they said violations ranged from polling stations opening late to Islamists seeking to influence voters to say "yes." The official MENA news agency said at least two judges have been removed for coercing voters to cast "yes" ballots.
The opposition's talk of now taking the contest to the parliamentary elections represented a shift in the conflict — an implicit gamble that the opposition can try to compete under rules that the Islamists have set. The Brotherhood's electoral machine has been one of its strongest tools since Mubarak's fall, while liberal and secular parties have been divided and failed to create a grassroots network.
In the first post-Mubarak parliamentary elections last winter, the Brotherhood and ultraconservative Salafis won more than 70 percent of seats in the lower chamber, which was later dissolved by a court order. The opposition is now betting it can do better with the anger over Morsi's performance so far.
The schism in a country that has for decades seen its institutions function behind a facade of stability was on display in Saturday's lines of voters.
In the village of Ikhsas in the Giza countryside south of Cairo, an elderly man who voted "no" screamed in the polling station that the charter is "a Brotherhood constitution."
"We want a constitution in the interest of Egypt. We want a constitution that serves everyone, not just the Brotherhood. They can't keep fooling the people," Ali Hassan, a 68-year-old wearing traditional robes, said.
But others were drawn by the hope that a constitution would finally bring some stability after nearly two years of tumultuous transitional politics. There appeared to be a broad economic split, with many of the middle and upper classes rejecting the charter and the poor voting "yes" — though the division was not always clear-cut.
In Ikhsas, Hassan Kamel, a 49-year-old day worker, said "We the poor will pay the price" of a no vote.
He dismissed the opposition leadership as elite and out of touch. "Show me an office for any of those parties that say no here in Ikhsas or south of Cairo. They are not connecting with people."
In the industrial working class district of Shubra El-Kheima just north of Cairo, women argued while waiting in line over the draft charter.
Samira Saad, a 55 year old housewife, said she wanted her five boys to find jobs.
"We want to get on with things and we want things to be better," she said.
Nahed Nessim, a Christian, questioned the integrity of the process. "There is a lot of corruption. My vote won't count." She was taken to task by Muslim women wearing the niqab, which blankets the entire body and leaves only the eyes visible and is worn by ultraconservative women.
"We have a president who fears God and memorizes His words. Why are we not giving him a chance until he stands on his feet?" said one of the women, Faiza Mehana, 48.
The promise of stability even drew one Christian woman in Fayoum, southwest of Cairo, to vote "yes" — a break with most Christians nationwide who oppose the draft. Hanaa Zaki said she wanted an end to Egypt's deepening economic woes.
"I have a son who didn't get paid for the past six months. We have been in this crisis for so long and we are fed up," said Zaki, waiting in line along with bearded Muslim men and Muslim women wearing headscarves in Fayoum, a province that is home to both a large Christian community and a strong Islamist movement.
The scene In Giza's upscale Mohandiseen neighborhood was starkly different.
A group of 12 women speaking to each other in a mix of French, Arabic and English said they were all voting "no."
"It's not about Christian versus Muslim, it is Muslim Brotherhood versus everyone else," said one of them, Shahira Sadeq, a Christian physician.
Kamla el-Tantawi, 65, said she was voting "against what I'm seeing" — and she gestured at a woman nearby wearing the niqab.
"I lose sleep thinking about my grandchildren and their future. They never saw the beautiful Egypt we did," she said, harkening back to a time decades ago when few women even wore headscarves covering their hair, much less the black niqab.
Many voters were under no illusions the turmoil would end.
"I don't trust the Brotherhood anymore and I don't trust the opposition either. We are forgotten, the most miserable and the first to suffer," said Azouz Ayesh, sitting with his neighbors as their cattle grazed in a nearby field in the Fayoum countryside.
He said a "yes" would bring stability and a "no" would mean no stability. But, he added, "I will vote against this constitution."

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North Korea could have U.S. within missile range, says South

SEOUL (Reuters) - This month's rocket launch by reclusive North Korea shows it has likely developed the technology, long suspected in the West, to fire a warhead more than 10,000 km (6,200 miles), South Korean officials said on Sunday, putting the U.S. West Coast in range.
North Korea said the December 12 launch put a weather satellite in orbit but critics say it was aimed at nurturing the kind of technology needed to mount a nuclear warhead on a long-range missile.
North Korea is banned from testing missile or nuclear technology under U.N. sanctions imposed after its 2006 and 2009 nuclear weapons tests and the U.N. Security Council condemned the launch.
South Korea retrieved and analyzed parts of the first-stage rocket that dropped in the waters off its west coast
"As a result of analyzing the material of Unha-3 (North Korea's rocket), we judged North Korea had secured a range of more than 10,000 km in case the warhead is 500-600 kg," a South Korean Defense Ministry official told a news briefing.
North Korea's previous missile tests ended in failure.
North Korea, which denounces the United States as the mother of all warmongers on an almost daily basis, has spent decades and scarce resources to try to develop technology capable of striking targets as far away as the United States and it is also working to build a nuclear arsenal.
But experts believe the North is still years away from mastering the technology needed to miniaturize a nuclear bomb to mount on a missile.
South Korean defense officials also said there was no confirmation whether the North had the re-entry technology needed for a payload to survive the heat and vibration without disintegrating.
Despite international condemnation, the launch this month was seen as a major boost domestically to the credibility of the North's young leader, Kim Jong-un, who took over power from his father who died last year.
Apparently encouraged by the euphoria, the fledgling supreme leader called for the development and launching of "a variety of more working satellites" and "carrier rockets of bigger capacity" at a banquet in Pyongyang on Friday which he hosted for those who contributed to the lift-off, according to North Korean state media.

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Consumer sentiment stalls ahead of Black Friday

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Consumer sentiment weakened in November as the holiday shopping period was getting underway amid growing uncertainty over federal tax and spending programs next year, a survey released on Wednesday showed.
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's final reading on consumer sentiment came in at 82.7, a touch up from 82.6 in October but down from a preliminary reading of 84.9 released earlier this month.
It was also below the median forecast of 84.5 among economists polled by Reuters.
The softening in sentiment comes as the holiday shopping season kicks off with the so-called Black Friday shopping day after this week's Thanksgiving holiday. The period is critical for retailers, who often see their books turn from loss to profit at the end of the year.
"This holiday season might be softer than last year," said Conrad Dequadros, senior economist at RDQ Economics in New York, citing the late October storm that crippled the Northeast and the ongoing impasse in Washington over budget talks.
But Dequadros added: "Even with the pullback, we are sitting near the high of the recovery."
The main culprit behind the index's softening came in how consumers see the future. The survey's gauge of consumer expectations slipped to 77.6 from 79.0 in October and was lower than the forecast of 80.1.
"The late-month retreat was accompanied by more economic uncertainty about future federal taxes and spending programs and the inability of the political parties to reach a settlement," survey director Richard Curtin said in a statement.
The survey's barometer of current economic conditions fared better. The gauge, which measures how consumers view their present situation, rose to 90.7 from an October final reading of 88.1 and just above a forecast of 90.6.
U.S. retail sales should rise 4.1 percent this holiday season, slower growth than in the past two years as mixed economic data and political uncertainty weigh on consumers, the National Retail Federation said in October.
Peter Boockvar, a portfolio manager at Miller Tabak, said the confidence numbers in themselves are not a reliable indication of how holiday sales will shape up.
"In terms of holiday spending, confidence is a coincident indicator and thus won't tell us much about how much spending we'll see relative to the same time last year," he said in an e-mail.
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan survey's one-year inflation expectations were steady at 3.1 percent, while the survey's five-to-10-year inflation outlook was at 2.8 percent from 2.7 percent.

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DrugRisk Announces Updated Information on Mirena Lawsuits

The Drug Risk Resource Center is the Web’s largest source for information on medical device research, side effects and legal news. Visit http://www.DrugRisk.com

New York, NY (PRWEB) December 22, 2012
Prescription drug resource center DrugRisk.com is alerting patients using Mirena IUDs that it has added information about litigation surrounding the devices to its comprehensive database, including a recently-filed lawsuit in which a woman alleges she suffered physical injury from device migration.*
DrugRisk seeks to improve patient safety through education of the latest drug warnings, recalls, studies and litigation. “In the case of Mirena, patients suffering side effects may not know that others have shared similar experiences and that many have now filed claims for their injuries,” explains DrugRisk representative Ryan Mayer.
The newly added information includes a case filed in New Jersey on November 30th, naming Bayer as a defendant, in which a woman claims she suffered severe injury and had to undergo surgery to remove her Mirena IUD after the device perforated through her uterus and moved into her abdominal cavity.*
As Bayer faces growing litigation over the Mirena contraceptive, the German company has requested the New Jersey Superior Court to consolidate Mirena lawsuits in a court closer to its U.S. headquarters in Middlesex County, New Jersey.**
According to the Adverse Events Report on December 18th, the FDA has disclosed receiving over 45,000 AERS reports of women suffering complications while using the Mirena IUD.
Most often, the Mirena side effects reported were device expulsion, device dislocation and vaginal hemorrhage. In more than 6% of cases, patients required hospitalization or surgery.
In 2009, the FDA warned Bayer about the marketing of Mirena, which failed to disclose safety risks while claiming the devices could help busy moms with intimacy and make them “look and feel great.”***
Anyone affected by a Mirena device is urged to learn about their legal rights to file a claim. Due to the specialized nature of medical device injury cases, the Drug Risk Resource Center only recommends lawyers who are already handling Mirena lawsuits.

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New Research and Development Chef at Fresh Origins Microgreens :all in the family.

Farmer's daughter is now Fresh Origins' new Chef! She's cooking up some delicious ideas for their Microgreens, Edible Flowers and other unique ingredients.

San Marcos, California (PRWEB) December 22, 2012
Microgreens aren’t the only thing growing at Fresh Origins! Family member, Kelly Sasuga has developed many skills, and is now the farm’s Research and Development Chef .
Kelly graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Degree in Fine Arts. Along the way, she cultivated an interest in photography, where she applied her artistic sensibilities in photographing the beautiful food created by fine dining chefs. Her photos have been used in a variety of media including StarChefs, Catersource Magazine, Flavor and the Menu, Epicure Magazine, San Diego Magazine, Dining out magazine and others.
Upon her return to Fresh Origins, Kelly worked to ramp up the sales and marketing efforts with social media, graphic design, photography, and product development. She plays a key role in representing the company at chef centered events, and trade shows throughout the country where she enjoys the opportunity to meet and interact with great chefs.
Offering Fresh Origins’ Microgreens and Edible Flowers to Chefs nationwide has been a unique opportunity to learn about the creativity of fine cuisine. Her growing appreciation for fine cuisine inspired her to become a chef herself, so in 2012, she graduated from the San Diego Culinary Institute in their Commis de Cuisine program. Completing the grueling program at the top of her class, which included a stage at San Diego’s unique restaurant; Red Light District, she learned first-hand the blood, sweat, tears and passion of what it takes to be a professional chef.
Integrating fine culinary skills with her artistic talents, Kelly creates specialty dishes to guide chefs in how to incorporate Microgreens and Edible Flowers into their cuisine. She encourages them to consider the flavor profile of a dish in utilizing the microgreens as a key ingredient. They should be integrated as relevant visual and flavor component to enhance and complete the dish. There are so many different flavors, colors and textures of Microgreens and Edible Flowers with a multitude of ways to pair with any combination of foods. She develops recipes and contributes photography, graphics, and information for Fresh Origins’ website, and blog. Kelly also has a background in bartending and uses this knowledge to create cocktails that integrate Fresh Origins’ specialty herbs and edible flowers to add exciting colors and flavors.
Kelly’s responsibilities include showcasing Fresh Origins products at trade shows and culinary events where she has prepared and provided food for StarChefs.com International Chef’s Congress in New York, Culinary Institute of America’s Worlds of Flavor event in Napa, Produce Marketing Association’s Foodservice Conference in Monterey, San Diego Restaurant Week’s Tasting Event, CaterSource Conference, Las Vegas, and The Western Foodservice Show.
In addition, Kelly produces a monthly newsletter that features the company's unique product line including new introductions of Microgreens, Petitegreens, Edible Flowers, Tiny Veggies, Shoots, Herb Crystals, Flower Crystals and more.
Recently, Kelly has been developing recipes for using the new Herb Crystals and Flower Crystals. These are an exciting new ingredient for adding another layer of flavor, texture and color to any dish.
About the Company:

Fresh Origins is America’s leading producer of Microgreens and Edible Flowers. Combining the benefits of an ideal climate with a deep passion for quality and innovation, Fresh Origins products are sought after by the finest restaurants and top chefs.
David Sasuga and his family operate the 24 acre farm located in the picturesque rolling hills of San Diego County, California where the near perfect weather allows for production and harvest almost every day of the year. Growing Microgreens since 1995, Fresh Origins grows an innovative portfolio of over 400 Microgreens, PetiteGreens, Edible Flowers, Shoots Tiny Veggies, Herb Crystals, Flower Crystals and related items.
Fresh Origins’ primary product remains Microgreens. They have exceptional color, are bursting with flavor and have outstanding keeping quality due to ideal climate and the attention and care given in the growing, harvesting and packing. They are hand harvested to order at the peak of freshness and shipped overnight to arrive the next morning to all parts of the country.

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Small Law Firm Marketing Ideas and Strategy from ByReputation's New Small Law Firm Promotion Service

Houston, TX (PRWEB) December 22, 2012
With organic search engine optimization, local search directories, and content marketing, ByReputation offers small law firm marketing as a new service to help bring in new clients. To get a free small law firm marketing consult from an expert, please click on the link below:
Get a Free Small Law Firm Marketing Consult
Small law firms can now have their site rank increased to the top search engines such as Google, Bling, and Yahoo with ByReputation's new search engine optimization. The search engine optimization searches past sites for key phrases and words with high conversion rates. Then the page factors are filtered through and adjusted by a search engine specialist in order to place them at the top of the search algorithm. To finalize things, penguin safe and white hat only techniques begin an ongoing off page optimization for the site.
Local search directories play an important role in small law firm marketing. Clients give local directories such as Yellowbook, Superpages, Yelp, and Yahoo Local over 100 million views a month. By focusing on the top 30 local directories, local clients are much more likely to be found by new small law firms with ByReputation placing the law firm’s directory towards the top over the other local competitors.
Content marketing is the last piece to successful small law firm marketing service. Articles are written explaining the process of law with a focused blog written two to three times a week. By keeping a consistent update of these content blogs, the Google freshness score is increased for the small law firm marketer’s domain allowing them to be placed at a higher rank within the search engine.

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Topweightlossblogs.com’s Top Blogs of 2012

With the number of health and fitness blogs growing exponentially it can be hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. Here’s Topweightlossblogs.com’s guide to the best.

London, UK (PRWEB) December 22, 2012
While blogging has always been a popular activity in the health and fitness world, these days it seems like every one who made a trip to the gym in 2012 started up a blog. While topweightlossblogs.com naturally encourages all bloggers to share their experiences it has come up with a list of the very best blogs to mark the end of 2012.
They are in no particular order and include:

Run Eat Repeat

Run Eat Repeat is one of the best weight loss blogs of the year. Run by Monica Olivas the red headed Mexican girl from California it is all about running and healthy eating as a way of losing weight. It is not about dieting and there is no mention of the D word on the site. The blog has won numerous awards and is a light-hearted while at the same time informative blog about the benefits of running for weight loss.
There are loads of great recipes and plenty of advice about running and training. Monica is a regular half and full marathon runner but there is plenty of advice for beginners and the Couch to 5k program is a great place to start.
The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl

This blog is one that should be able to inspire anyone that wants to lose weight. Started in 2001 it is the amazing story of Shauna Reid who went from weighing more than 350 pounds to less than half that in 6 years. This is another blog that takes a diet free approach to living healthily and losing weight and is a must read for anyone. The blog details Shauna’s unique approach to weight loss and there is now a book that has recently been published to go with it.
Fit to the Finish

This blog documents the remarkable story of Diane Carbonell. A mother of seven children Diane was morbidly obese and weighed more than 300 pounds. The blog shows how she took charge of her health and her life and managed to lose 150 safely and healthily. The blog is full of useful ideas on tips for weight loss, exercise, healthy eating and how to maintain weight loss.

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Business Review Hails Lengal Financial Ohio’s Most Exceptional Customer Service

New York, New York (PRWEB) December 22, 2012
Business Review has determined that Frank Lengal’s devotion to customer service surpasses its competitors’, after recently comparing Ohio insurance agencies to determine which offered the best service to their customers. Claim Satisfaction Guarantee is Lengal Financial’s newest initiative, making Columbus, Ohio insurance policies more lucrative than ever. If a covered driver is in an accident and is unhappy with their Lengal Financial car insurance claim, they will receive credit on their next monthly payments. Frank Lengal believes that his customers should always get the greatest service possible. If they believe it is not the best claim that was promised to them, Lengal is willing to give them money off on future payments. Other insurance companies in the area do not have the same guarantee or dedication to their customers that Lengal Financial does.
Business Review also notes Frank Lengal’s equity to all of his customers, not giving special treatment to some and not to others. Claim Satisfaction Guarantee is not an exclusive perk for certain customers. All of Lengal Financial’s customers with Columbus car insurance receive the Claim Satisfaction Guarantee because they want everyone to be delighted with their service. It is included in all standard Lengal Financial car insurance policies for no additional fee.   
If anyone of Lengal Financial’s patrons with Columbus car insurance gets into an accident and are unhappy with how their car insurance claim goes, they will receive credit on their upcoming payments. The process is simple. Any unsatisfied customer just has to write a letter explaining why they were unhappy with Lengal Financial’s service. They then must send this letter to Lengal Financial within one hundred and eighty days after the accident.
Once the letter is received, that customer will receive up to six months of credit on their monthly premium, depending on their specific situation. This means that if a client is unhappy with how Lengal Financial has dealt with their claim in any way, they could have up to half a year without paying a cent for their Columbus, Ohio car insurance.
Business Review was founded in 2006 to provide people with quality information and an objective perspective on a wide variety of businesses. Business Review believes that the greatest businesses should get the proper recognition and exposure. Therefore, they investigate a wide range of companies and businesses to locate the leaders in each field and share their results.

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Washington saying goodbye to Inouye at memorial

WASHINGTON (AP) — Admirers will bid farewell to Democratic Sen. Daniel Inouye at a memorial service before a final trip home to his native Hawaii.
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were to be among those offering tributes during the ceremony Friday at Washington National Cathedral, along with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki.
Biden also spoke at a ceremony Thursday at the Capitol, where Inouye was given an honored resting place: beneath the dome.
Inouye was only the 31st person to lie in state in the rotunda, the most recent being former President Gerald R. Ford nearly six years ago.
During the day, congressional staff, tourists and other Capitol Hill visitors filed past to pay their respects at Inouye's casket, draped with an American flag.
Inouye died Monday of respiratory complications. He was 88.
After becoming Hawaii's first congressman in 1959 following statehood, Inouye was elected to the Senate in 1962. He was the first Japanese-American elected to both houses of Congress and was serving his ninth Senate term at the time of his death.
He was awarded a Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military honor, for bravery during World War II, including a heroic effort that cost him his right arm. He later became one of the nation's most influential politicians, playing key roles in congressional investigations of the Watergate and Iran-Contra scandals.
Inouye also was the second-longest serving senator in U.S. history.
As a legislator, his specialty was steering federal money back home to help build the kinds of roads, schools and housing that Americans on the mainland took for granted.
Inouye's body is to be returned to Hawaii on Saturday.

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NRA returns to public debate, to meet with media

WASHINGTON (AP) — One week after the mass shootings that killed 26 people at a Connecticut elementary school — 20 of them children — the nation's largest gun-rights lobby is returning to the spotlight as Congress prepares to consider tighter restrictions on firearms in the new year.
The 4.3 million-member National Rifle Association largely disappeared from public debate after the shootings in Newtown, Conn., choosing atypical silence as a strategy as the nation sought answers after the rampage. The NRA took down its Facebook page and kept silent on Twitter.
Unlike its actions in the wake of other mass shootings, the group did not put out a statement of condolence for the victims while simultaneously defending the rights of gun owners.
That strategy, however, is set to change, starting with a news conference Friday.
In the lead-up, the group re-activated its Facebook account — it has 1.7 million members — and its Twitter feed now warns supporters that "President Obama supports gun control measures, including reinstating an assault weapons ban." The group also announced that its top lobbyist, Wayne LaPierre, planned to appear Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" program.
It's an about-face from the group that ignored requests for comment and shunned media attention for four days following last week's shootings.
"The National Rifle Association of America is made up of 4 million moms and dads, sons and daughters and we were shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the news of the horrific and senseless murders in Newtown," the group said in its first public statement since the shootings, released Tuesday. "Out of respect for the families, and as a matter of common decency, we have given time for mourning, prayer and a full investigation of the facts before commenting."
The group also promised "meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again" and announced plans for Friday's news conference on what is, in reality, the last real work day before Washington scatters for the long Christmas holiday.
Since the slayings, President Barack Obama has demanded "real action, right now" against U.S. gun violence and called on the NRA to join the effort. Moving quickly after several congressional gun-rights supporters said they would consider new legislation to control firearms, the president said this week he wants proposals on reducing gun violence that he can take to Congress by January.
Obama has already asked Congress to reinstate an assault weapons ban that expired in 2004 and pass legislation that would end a provision that allows people to purchase firearms from private parties without a background check. Obama also has indicated that he wants Congress to pursue the possibility of limiting high-capacity magazines.

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Few memorials to forgotten victim: Gunman's mother

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — When people here speak of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, they use the number 26: the ones killed after Adam Lanza blasted his way into the school.
When the bells of Newtown toll mournfully Friday morning to honor the victims of last week's shooting rampage, they'll do so 26 times, for each child and staff member killed.
Rarely do residents mention the first person police said Lanza killed that morning: his mother, Nancy, who was shot in the head four times while she lay in bed.
That makes 27.
A private funeral was held Thursday in New Hampshire for Nancy Lanza, according to Donald Briggs, the police chief in Kinston, N.H., where her funeral was held. About 25 family members attended the ceremony.
In Newtown, where makeshift memorials of stuffed animals, angels, candles, flowers and balloons have blossomed on patches of grass throughout town, there is only one noticeable tribute to Nancy Lanza. It's a letter written by a friend on yellow paper affixed, screwed and shellacked onto a red piece of wood.
"Others now share pain for choices you faced alone; May the blameless among us throw the first stone," it reads in part.
No one outwardly blames Nancy Lanza for the rampage. But authorities have said the gunman, her 20-year-old son Adam, used the guns she kept at their home to carry out a massacre that became the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history and has stirred lawmakers to call for gun control laws.
Nationwide, churches will ring their bells 26 times at 9:30 Friday morning — exactly a week after the shooting occurred — in memory of the victims. Two gold balloons, one a 2, the other a 6, are tied to a bridge. Handwritten tributes mention 26 snowflakes. "26 angels will guide us," reads one.
The dearth of tributes to Nancy Lanza underscores the complicated mix of emotions surrounding her after the shooting.
In a small town where multiple funerals are taking place each day, where black-clad mourners stand in lines waiting to say goodbye to another child, many are incredibly angry at Nancy Lanza for not keeping her guns away from her son.
Some view her as a victim, but one whose guns were used to kill first-graders. And others think Nancy Lanza was an innocent victim, one who should be counted and included at memorials.
"It's a loss of life and, yes, her life mattered," said Christine Lombardi. "Yes, I do believe she should be included."
Others in Newtown are weary of the crush of media and have become reluctant to answer questions after a difficult week. But the subject of marking Nancy Lanza's death, along with those of the children and teachers killed by her son, seemed mainly to surprise two moms who stopped to place flowers at the memorial at Main and Sugar streets with their two grammar-school aged girls.
They paused, appeared bewildered, and looked at each other for a moment. Then one quietly said, "No, no," and they each took a girl's hand and led them away.
Newtown and environs weathered a fourth day of funerals Thursday as mourners laid to rest Catherine Hubbard, Benjamin Wheeler, Jesse Lewis and Allison Wyatt, all 6 years old; and Grace McDonnell, 7.
A service was held in Katonah, N.Y., for teacher Anne Marie Murphy, 52, who authorities believe helped shield some of her students from the rain of bullets. Roman Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan compared her to Jesus.
"Like Jesus, Annie laid down her life for her friends," Dolan said. "Like Jesus, Annie's life and death brings light, truth, goodness and love to a world often shrouded in darkness, evil, selfishness and death."
A bell tolled Thursday at Newtown's St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church at the funeral for Catherine, who her family said would be remembered for her passion for animals and her constant smile.
Trinity Episcopal church on Main Street was filled to capacity for the funeral for Benjamin, described as a budding musician and Beatles fan. His service included a rendition of "Here Comes The Sun." About two dozen Boy Scout leaders lined the front pathway to the church in honor of the former Cub Scout.
In downtown Danbury, mourners filed into the ornate white-pillared First Congregational Church for a memorial service for 30-year-old teacher Lauren Rousseau. Friends wept at the altar as they remembered the spirited, hardworking, sunny-natured woman who brightened their lives with silliness and gave them all nicknames.
Gov. Dannel Malloy has asked people across Connecticut to observe a moment of silence at 9:30 a.m. Friday, which will mark a week since the shootings. The White House has said President Barack Obama will privately observe the moment of silence.
Places of worship and buildings with bells have been asked to ring them 26 times, for the victims at the school. Officials and clergy in many other states have said they will participate.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was one of the people to visit Newtown on Thursday, stopping by a firehouse.
The Obama administration will push to tighten gun laws in response to the shooting, Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday, and Speaker John Boehner said the GOP-controlled House would consider the proposals.
Biden, who is overseeing the administration's response to Friday's shooting, said he and Obama are "absolutely committed" to curbing gun violence in the United States.
"Even if we can only save one life, we have to take action," he said.
Gun-control measures have faced fierce resistance in Congress for years, but that may be changing because of the events in Connecticut, which shocked the nation.
After the shooting, Obama signaled for the first time that he's willing to spend significant political capital on the issue. Some prominent gun-rights advocates on Capitol Hill — Democrats and Republicans alike — have expressed willingness to consider new measures.
Authorities say Adam Lanza shot his mother at their home and then took her car and some of her guns to the school, where he broke in and opened fire. A Connecticut official said Nancy Lanza, a gun enthusiast who practiced at shooting ranges, was shot four times in the head with a .22-caliber rifle.
Lanza was wearing all black, with an olive-drab utility vest, during the attack. Investigators have found no letters or diaries that could explain the rampage.

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France's Hollande reaffirms 2013 deficit target

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande reiterated on Friday that his government was targeting a reduction of the public deficit in 2013 to three percent of GDP despite new official data showing economic growth way below forecast.
Hollande told Europe 1 radio he also expected that French unemployment would only begin to fall by late 2013 despite what he said would be a "difficult year" for the economy.
"There's no recession, not in France," Hollande said. "But it will be difficult because when we have nearly zero growth in the first half of the year, unemployment will keep rising."
The French economy will eke out growth of only 0.1 percent this year, dropping from 1.7 percent in 2011 and missing the government's forecast for 0.3 percent, national statistics office INSEE estimated late on Thursday.
More worrying, INSEE said the outlook would improve only marginally heading into 2013, estimating growth of 0.1 percent in both the first and second quarters.
The weak economic momentum raises the chances the economy will grow less in 2013 than the 0.8 percent forecast the Socialist government has built its budget on.
Asked if he still aimed to cut the deficit to 3 percent of output next year, Hollande said: "That's our target and when you set a target the aim is to reach it."
Hollande's comments came after French employers and trade unions announced overnight that they had failed to reach an accord on labor market reform seen essential to unlocking more growth potential from the euro zone's second largest economy.
The two sides are set to hold new talks starting January 10, extending the initial year-end deadline Hollande originally set for what he said must be an "historic" accord.
"We must not miss this opportunity ... everyone must assume their responsibilities," he said.

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S&P downgrades Cyprus on default fears

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) -- Ratings agency Standard & Poor's has downgraded Cyprus further into junk status amid concerns that the country could default on its debts.
It says Friday that the two-notch downgrade to CCC+ is due to a "considerable and rising" risk that the country, one of the 17 EU countries that uses the euro, may default.
It also maintains its negative outlook on the country, meaning that further downgrades are possible.
S&P says it went ahead with the downgrade because the Cypriot government is running out of money while uncertainty remains over the terms of a bailout that the country is trying to negotiate with international lenders to salvage its banks that are heavily exposed to debt-crushed Greece.

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Thursday's Scoreboard

Thursday's Games
NBA
Minnesota 99 Oklahoma City 93
Miami 110 Dallas 95
Portland 101 Denver 93
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AHL
Lake Erie 4 Houston 3
Peoria 5 Charlotte 4 (SO)
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U.S. College Football
Poinsettia Bowl at San Diego
Brigham Young 23 San Diego State 6

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