.
NEW YORK, NY / CNNMoney / Fortune / Personal Finance / Business / December 7, 2009

In praise of extravagance

Sometimes the best investments are material things that make you feel good. Even Milton Friedman says so.

By Ben Stein, contributor

As I sign up for Medicare, a few thoughts run through my little mind. There is a fabulously great quote from an Ernest Hemingway story. After the Crash of '29, a man is asked how he went broke. "Slowly," he says, "and then all at once."

I hate to say it, but that's sort of how getting old is. It happens very, very slowly when you're young, as if you are approaching a city that's 3,000 miles ahead and you see road markers saying now it's only 2,500 and then only 2,000 but it still seems incredibly far away, and then there's a sign saying it's five miles away, and you start to gasp. Because once you reach being old, you have a pretty good idea what the next stop is.

Perhaps the best pupil I ever had, Ferris Bueller, put it best. Lamenting his best friend Cameron's reluctance to do anything interesting or exciting, he said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

As far as I know, no one has done more interesting things than I have done -- White House speech writer, trial lawyer, columnist for large and powerful newspapers, TV and movie actor, economist, game show host -- all serious and sometimes profitable enterprises. But the best time I recall in my life was taking a brief respite from making money and just listlessly hanging out in the redwoods of Santa Cruz, California, spending the money I had saved.

Then, about fifteen years ago, my wife was lamenting the fact that, in my frugality, I had us living in a modest home in the Hollywood Hills instead of in the large home on flat land she had always wanted.

When I told her we would never move, she simply said, "Well, maybe in my next life I'll get the house I always wanted." That hit me like a ton of bricks. As far as I know, the next life does not involve houses. So I soon bought her the house she wanted and we both like it a lot.

It's cruel, but the life we have right now is the only sure thing we've got. This one. This highly imperfect, pain-wracked, and VERY VERY SHORT life. If we want to have the things we have always wanted, maybe we, those of us contemplating Medicare, should get them now, while we still have enough life and vitality to enjoy them.

Now, bear in mind, your humble old servant has been writing for decades ( yes, decades!) about how the most important thing is to not run out of money before you run out of breath. And that's still absolutely true. To be old and broke is no joke. But assuming you have enough to get by as you get old, what do you do with the rest?

My parents made the decision to continue living frugally all of their lives. The result was that the U.S. Treasury got a meaningful windfall from them when they passed into economists' heaven. Was that a good idea? I don't know, but I keep remembering my economics professor, C. Lowell Harriss at Columbia telling us that economics is the study of the allocation and use of scarce goods.

What could be scarcer and more precious than life itself? Is it prudent to deny oneself joy (and yes, to me, buying things is joy) in this very short and scarce thing called life to make Mr. Geithner happy? Is it prudent to give money to my stunningly strong son as I am barely able to get off my boat? I keep thinking of what my father could have bought with the money he gave to the Treasury. I don't want to make the same mistake.

Now, again, if there is a good likelihood that spending money now will reduce you to cat food (the most revolting of all smells) when you are old, just put down this miserable column right now.

But if you have a little extra beyond what you might need when you are old (bearing in mind that as you age, there are many things you simply do not have the energy to do), isn't it sensible to live it up now when you still have zest for living?

The Cobalt or Corvette you have when you are able to feel the wind rushing through your hair without a nurse's aide sitting next to you is worth quite a lot. The joy and memories you accumulate as you spend your money has real value as you age and live largely in memories.

Many years ago, when Milton Friedman was telling me one of his many great epigrams, he said, "You really cannot predict the return on stocks or bonds. You can predict that if you buy a shirt you love or a car you love, you will enjoy it." (I am paraphrasing. The conversation was in 1963 or 1964.)

I sit here looking out at magnificent, spectacular Lake Pendoreille in North Idaho and wonder how many more years I will be able to come here and how many more times I can take my little boat out on the water, and I think, "You know what, pal? You need a bigger boat."

I am not sure there are speedboats in the next life. And I have always wanted a Cobalt boat. And I know the next life comes up faster than you think. This is so if you are 64 or 44.

Economics tells us to enjoy the life we have. There are many ways to do that without spending money -- but also quite a few that do require spending money. "Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't slow down, you might miss it." For many of us, it may be time to slow down and buy what we have always wanted. Maybe sometimes the best investment is buying something you want. [rc]

© 2007 Cable News Network LP, LLP.

.
Health care systems around the world are being reformed. Getty Images
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009.


See FINANCIAL TIMES' special report STATE OF HEALTH, December 7, 2009.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BEIJING, China / The Global Times / Opinion / December 7, 2009

As China's population grays, the elder care industry, traditionally small in a country where the aged are usually cared for directly by their children, is growing. The following is an interview by Global Times (GT) reporter Wang Yuan with Zhang Yan (Zhang), deputy secretary-general of Tianjin-based Hetong Senior Citizen Welfare Association, and Ninie Wang (Wang), CEO of Beijing-based Pinetree Senior Care Services Co Ltd, on the opportunities and difficulties of providing suitable care.

GT: What role can non-governmental agencies play in an elder care industry that was hitherto dominated by the government?

Zhang: Take our agency, Hetong. All the elderly people living in our seven old folks homes are no longer able to look after themselves. We choose to accept only this kind of elderly people not only because we possess the skills of long-term care, but also because there is heavy demand.

In most large Chinese cities, it is very difficult for poorer elders to enter State-owned homes as the preferred clientele is rich people or retired officials.

More importantly, State-owned old folks homes do not accept those who cannot take care of themselves. These homes generally have luxury facilities like swimming pools and fitness centers. They are only suitable for healthy elderly people.

Wang: Due to China's economic limits, the number of existing old folks homes in the country is not enough. This year, over 8 million beds in old folks homes are needed in China, but there are only slightly over 2 million beds available. As the population is graying, such demand is increasing rapidly.

Building new old folks homes is costly, and it's financially impossible for the government to build enough homes in the next 10 years. Thus the government has begun to promote home-based care for the aged.

Home-based care needs different systems to provide elderly people with long-term care, including both physical care and psychological consolation. This enables seniors to maintain a relatively independent life, still get involved in the society and feel needed rather than isolated.

In this field, the government should only make policies and provide a favorable environment, and encourage the social sector to become engaged. It shouldn't operate by itself, since the government does not necessarily have enough resources or skilled personnel.

GT: Are there any favorable government policies for charitable groups and other parts of the social sector that become involved in elder care?

Wang: New favorable policies are being formulated, since existing ones are more or less impractical. For example, the government encourages people and businesses to become involved in providing elder care, but only non-profit organizations can enjoy tax relief. This is the Catch 22 of encouraging an industry and attracting investments.

Photo credit: Pinetree

Moreover, sometime it is high-level government institutions, like the General Office of the State Council, the National Committee on Aging, or the Ministry of Civil Affairs, that release favorable policies, but executive institutions, such as business administration offices and tax departments, do not have enforcement notices to follow.

The elder care industry is still in the early stage in China. It needs time for both relevant policies and market maturity to develop.

Zhang: Every year, the government invests several million yuan in every State-owned old folks home for their salaries, facilities, and utilities, and these homes do not need to pay taxes.

On the contrary, non-government agencies receive little financial support. Actually, it is dependent and destitute elderly people that really needs help.

All of Hetong's seven old folks homes charge low fees, and are not-for-profit. We set the price according to our costs.

As a rule, privately-run homes charge less than State-owned ones, but, despite heavy demand, their occupancy rate across the country does not exceed 60 percent. This is because a large number of elderly people still cannot afford this kind of care.

In many developed countries and regions, the occupancy rate is 100 percent, as their governments bear the fees for those who cannot take care of themselves. But in China, things are different.

GT: Is it hard to find people with the right skills for the industry?

Wang: The most important goal of long-term care is to increase the independence of elderly people, "to enable those staying in beds to sit up, and to enable those sitting to walk." Our care-givers should master both professional care and communication skills.

Therefore, we recruit only people with nursing education backgrounds, professional certificates, and clinical care experience.

China's large number of nursing graduates could be the main resource of our staff. Driven by cost considerations, Chinese hospitals often employ an insufficient number of nurses – there are often only three nurses for every two doctors – and many graduates who major in nursing cannot find jobs in hospitals.

This gap provides us with an opportunity to find sufficient qualified care providers.

Zhang: Although such graduates could be a large resource for us, we still suffer from serious human resources problems.

It takes courage to work in this industry. Most Chinese still consider caring for elderly people as a menial job, and because of a lack of funds, the salaries for workers in old folks homes are generally not good enough.

Moreover, few care workers in old folks homes work only eight hours a day, partly because of the lack of workers and partly because employers needs more operating funds and thus have to cut costs as much as possible.

These factors lead to the current situation where few talented people would like to do such jobs. Consequently, the overall quality of elder care workers is comparatively low, producing a vicious circle in which the low quality of workers contributes to the poor reputation of the job, and vice versa.

GT: What are your personal feelings about working in this industry?

Zhang: Elder care is different from any other industry, as it caters to people in their last years. Therefore, people engaged in this industry should display an abundance of love, responsibility and enterprise.

These elderly people have devoted their whole life to the society, and without them we would not enjoy our lives. We cannot discriminate against them.

We must get rid of the idea that caring for elderly people is a menial job. It's a respected industry, and people should attach the same importance to it as to others like assisting impoverished students and post-disaster work.

People in this industry should be treated equally and respected. Their rights and interests should be protected, and they deserve good salaries and enough time for relaxation.

Wang: We are trying to change the traditional image of caregivers by providing professional care with highly qualified staff. It has taken many years for the industry to grow out of its infancy. It will take even longer for the senior care industry to professionalize, and the challenges and frustrations have made it very tough.

However, we believe that serving the aging population is one of the most rewarding businesses. Our persistent efforts are seeing positive results, both in terms of the differences we have made to the lives of senior citizens and their families, and in terms of the long-term return on investment.

We consider elderly people to still be an active part of society. Satisfying the needs of seniors and their families with a healthy perspective and a sustainable business model is the future. [rc]

Copyright by Global Times © 2007-2010,

.
NEW YORK, NY / BusinessWeek / Technology / Health / December 7, 2009

Less smoking, earlier detection, and improved treatments are credited for gains against lung, colon, prostate, and breast cancer

By Catherine Arnst

The latest federal cancer numbers, released on December 7, show a modest but steady decline in the U.S. over six years for both deaths from the disease and new diagnoses. The improvement is driven largely by declines in the big four cancer killers—lung, colon, prostate, and breast. Specialists attributed the declines to a reduction in the smoking rate, better and earlier detection, and improved treatments, particularly those that can be matched to a patient's specific tumor type.

New diagnoses for all types of cancer decreased almost 1% per year on average from 1999 to 2006, while cancer deaths decreased 1.6% per year from 2001 to 2006. However, experts in the field warn that these successes could be wiped out in coming years by the nation's obesity crisis. Because fat cells fuel tumor growth, about one-third of cancer cases today can be linked to obesity. "The increase in obesity is a real concern and could eventually cause this very welcome decline to reverse," says Dr. Edward J. Benz, president of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. "We don't know yet but it is quite possible that obesity will become as much or more of a factor in causing cancer than smoking."

Cancer is currently the nation's second-largest killer after heart disease. An estimated 562,340 people in the U.S. will die from the disease this year, accounting for nearly 1 in 4 deaths. The six-year declines—reported by the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the American Cancer Society, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, or NAACCR—are far from a home run. The annual federal cancer report had shown small declines in the death rate in each of the past five years, but this is only the second year that a decline in diagnoses was recorded (after 2008). And both drops were considered "significant" in the cancer world, where anything more than a 1% decline is something to celebrate when placed against such a formidable disease. The persistence of the declines gives cancer specialists encouragement that steady progress is finally being made in treatment, screening, and prevention, after decades when the trend lines barely budged.

"We still have a long, long way to go but I am optimistic," says Dr. Raymond DuBois, provost of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "If these trends continue for another few years, we will be certain that the progress is real."

Under-50 Mammograms
Even though early detection was considered a key factor in the declines, specialists said the findings did not undercut the recommendation on Nov. 16 by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that annual mammograms are not needed until age 50 for women who are at low risk for breast cancer. "These new statistics weren't broken down by age," says Benz. "Although I think that early detection by mammograms does contribute to these improvements, whether the results are due to screening starting at age 40 or age 50 cannot be determined."

The task force based its recommendation on an analysis that found that almost 2,000 mammograms would have to be performed on women ages 40 to 49 over 10 years to prevent one breast-cancer death. All those mammograms do pick up a high number of false positives, however, with resulting unnecessary follow-up procedures such as biopsies that can be stressful, costly, and sometimes harmful. That raises concerns that mass screening of younger women is doing more harm than good.

Overall, the new report found that cancer rates were higher for men than for women, but men experienced the greatest declines in new cases and death rates. For both men and women, however, there was little progress in many less common cancers, such as kidney cancer, and even some increases.

Colon and rectal cancer, usually categorized together as colorectal cancer, had the biggest declines. Deaths dropped by 3.9% per year for men and 3.4% per year for women over the six-year period. Colorectal is the third-leading cause of cancer death and much of the improvement was linked to a greater adoption of colon screening, which can be very effective at not only detecting tumors but removing the polyps that could later turn cancerous. However, the researchers noted that there is an increasing incidence of colorectal cancer in men and women under age 50. Colorectal cancer has been linked in some studies to obesity and a high-fat diet.

Incidence-Rate Declines

The report found that, in men, incidence rates have declined for cancers of the lung, prostate, colon/rectum, oral cavity, stomach, and brain. But incidence rates continue to rise for kidney/renal, liver, and esophageal cancer, melanoma, and blood cancers. In women, incidence rates decreased for breast, colorectal, uterine, ovarian, cervical, and oral cavity cancers, but increased for lung, thyroid, pancreatic, bladder, and kidney cancers, as well as for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, melanoma, and leukemia.

"The continued decline in incidence and death rates for all cancers combined is extremely encouraging, but progress has been more limited for certain types of cancer, including many cancers that are currently less amenable to screening, such as cancer of the esophagus, liver, and pancreas," said Betsy Kohler, executive director of NAACCR.

The three leading causes of cancer death for all men, with the exception of Asians/Pacific Islanders, were lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer. Lung, liver, and colorectal cancers were the top three causes of cancer death in Asian/Pacific Islander men. For women, the three leading causes of cancer death were lung, breast, and colorectal cancer for all racial/ethnic groups except Hispanic women, for whom breast cancer ranked first. [rc]

The report was published online on Dec. 7 in the journal Cancer.

Arnst is a senior writer for BusinessWeek based in New York.

© 2009 Bloomberg L.P.

.
CALGARY, Alberta / Calgary Herald Entertainment / December 7, 2009

By Heath McCoy, Calgary Herald


Bob Dylan
Photograph by: Frank Micelotta/AFP/Getty Images

The fact that Bob Dylan has released a Christmas record as warm as those legendary chestnuts on the open fire probably shouldn’t feel as oddball as it does.

After all, these days pretty much all major artists (and plenty of not-so-majors too) get around to recording Christmas music at some point in their careers. When the worlds of heavy metal and hip hop got on board, it pretty much became open season for the festive stuff.

And yet, there is something decidedly weird about the sneering, cynical, ever acid tongued bard of rock ‘n roll serenading us with such happy holiday favourites as Here Comes Santa Claus and Winter Wonderland.

Dylan’s video for the brisk, roots rocker Must Be Santa underscores the wackiness of the project with the crusty old icon sporting a bizarre blond wig and frolicking merrily at a Christmas party as he croaks out the jolly chorus: “Ho Ho Ho! Big red nose!” You can’t help but wonder if the whole thing is a big lark.

But if is, it’s a charming one, with Dylan and his fantastic roots-rich band playing it fairly straight with classy renditions of these traditional tunes. Dylan’s nasally rasp isn’t the perfect fit for some of these songs, but for the most part he delivers tastefully.

Bob Dylan’s Christmas In The Heart is a holiday keeper.

Of course, that’s only one of the notable Christmas discs in the market this season. Here’s a Santa sack full of the new (and repackaged) musical offerings for the yuletide:

Sugarland, Gold and Green – Sugarland is the ideal name for his contemporary country duo who typically overdo it on the sweet stuff, too peppy when they’re upbeat and unbearably cloying and sappy when they try to go deep.

With five originals and five covers, Sugarland’s considerable fan base will eat it up like a Christmas bonbon but the perkiness might get to be a bit much for the casual listener.

Sting, If On A Winter’s Night... – If you’re the sort of Sting devotee convinced that everything the man does is brilliant, well, here’s another helping of brilliance to chew on. If, however, you think that he’s become an ever more boring and pretentious git for at least the last decade, then steer clear of this disc at all costs.

Inspired by traditional English folk music, this album of sombre lullabies and carols (including two original songs) also incorporates elements of classical, jazz and new age music. Sure, it’s ambitious, but it’s also a snooze with Sting at his most earnest and academic.

Andrea Bocelli, My Christmas – Classical music snobs are usually pretty tough on Andrea Bocelli, the Italian tenor who’s been so embraced by the pop world, and My Christmas definitely won’t change that. Featuring slick arrangements by pop producer David Foster and unlikely duets with the likes of Mary J. Blige, Reba McEntire and The Muppets, this is closer to pop opera than traditionalists can bear.

But for legions of Bocelli fans, My Christmas demonstrates all the charm and passion that Bocelli is loved for.

Neil Diamond, A Cherry Cherry Christmas – Diamond’s third Christmas disc is a compilation pulling in songs from the previous two records and adding a handful of new tunes to the mix. For the most part Diamond is just having fun on A Cherry Cherry Christmas, the title track a hokey but good natured tune that name checks his past hits shamelessly. There’s also a sufficiently goofy version of Adam Sandler’s The Chanukah Song produced by hard rocker DJ Ashba, a frequent Motley Crue collaborator. Strange pairing. But considering all of that, A Cherry Cherry Christmas isn’t as offbeat as it wants to be. Mostly it’s a pretty strait-laced affair making for a decent Christmas album, but certainly not one that’s essential.

The Canadian Tenors, The Perfect Gift – Is The Canadian Tenors Christmas CD really “the perfect gift?” Well, peace on earth or the keys to a new car would probably preferable, to be honest, but if you’re a fan of the “popera” thing, these Armani wearing Canucks do a pretty fine job of it on The Perfect Gift. Sarah McLachlan lovers will want to sit up and take notice as well. Wintersong, which she contributes and sings on, makes for a lovely bit of seasonal finery.

There’s also a number of great Christmas music compilations and reissues this year. Here’s two of the best:

A Christmas Gift For You: From Phil Spector – As unsavory as the gun toting convicted murderer turned out to be, there’s no question that record producer Phil Spector earned his place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with his dynamic Wall of Sound production technique. That’s heard in all its splendour on this 1963 Christmas album, featuring The Ronettes and the other girl groups of the era that Spector so effectively guided to greatness.

Released on the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, A Christmas Gift For You was considered a commercial disappointment when it was released (it’s thought that the national mood was too bleak to appreciate the holiday cheer) but over 40 years later, many of these tracks are considered holiday classics. One listen and you’ll know why that is.

The Ultimate Motown Christmas Collection – When it comes to pop era Christmas classics of the ‘60s and ‘70s, it’s awfully hard to beat the singles that were then coming out of Motown.

No one conveyed the wonder and excitement of the season quite like the Jackson 5 and Stevie Wonder captured the spiritual essence of Christmas beautifully. Marvin Gaye? Somehow he makes the yuletide sexy and ditto for The Supremes. Diana Ross send shivers straight up your chimney.

Not everything on this double disc is essential, but you’ll return to good stuff year after year, guaranteed. [rc]

hmccoy@theherald.canwest.com

© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald

.
ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands / NRC Handelsblad International / December 7, 2009

Dutchman Yvo de Boer has headed the UN's climate bureau since 2006, and the Copenhagen conference is the culmination of his efforts.

Insiders say De Boer feels passionately about the issues, but getting a climate change agreement is an intellectual challenge first and foremost.

Yvo de Boer. Photo Reuters



By Paul Luttikhuis

When Yvo de Boer applied for the job of executive secretary of the UN's climate bureau, there was little chance he would get the job. His predecessor, Joke Waller-Hunter, who had unexpectedly died, was from the Netherlands too. It is very unusual for the UN to give a top job to the same country twice in a row, and anyway, it was a developing country's turn. But de Boer was simply the best candidate, even after an extra selection round was held.

The climate bureau was created to support the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the official name for the treaty that came out of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. It in charge of collecting data on greenhouse gas emissions from all the countries that are party to the treaty. It is also in charge of organising climate conferences, such as the one that started in Copenhagen on Monday. For that reason De Boer has been known to refer to himself as a "butler".

Loftier purpose

It is false modesty. Already during his job interview, De Boer told then UN secretary-general Kofi Anan he wasn't interested in the usual job description, which he summed up as "keep your mouth shut and make things work". If that's the job, I'm not your man, he told Annan. The climate bureau had to serve a loftier purpose, De Boer said, and as far as he's concerned there can be no mistake about the purpose: to stop global warming.

....De Boer is no 'feelgood ambassador' for climate change. He tells how it is. "Persevering, focused and concentrated," in the words of Henriëtte Bersee, who worked with De Boer during COP10 in Buenos Aires in 2004. "He is sharp and he will get what he wants this way or another," says Bert Metz. Countries that have been admonished by De Boer know what he is talking about. [rc]

Read the complete report by clicking here

Source: NRC International

.
LONDON, England / The Guardian / Culture / Life & Style / December 7, 2009

• Britain portrayed as a psychologically fragile society
• Increased wealth accompanied by added stress

By Patrick Butler, The Guardian

Millions of people are unhappy, lonely and unable to cope with profound changes in the workplace, relationships and family life, according to a major study.

It portrays Britain as a psychologically fragile society in which increased wealth has been accompanied by soaring levels of individual isolation and stress.

Stress at work. Photo: The Guardian / Corbis

Although welfare services have made big strides in addressing material poverty, they have failed to get a grip on the growing problems of mental illness and distress caused by the rise of individualism and family breakdown, it says.

"The UK [is a] largely happy country, but one with many unhappy people … Too many parts of British society are brittle, vulnerable to shocks, stressed and … close to the edge," says the report, published by the Young Foundation and backed by 13 major charitable foundations.

The report argues that the welfare state has evolved to meet physical and material needs such as providing enough to eat, places to live and cures for illness. But despite material abundance, society's ability to meet psychological and psycho-social needs "appears to have declined".

Many people are more vulnerable to life shocks such as bereavement, unemployment and relationship breakdown, it says, because traditional social networks from the church to the family have declined.

"A more overtly meritocratic society has encouraged people to be more ambitious for themselves, but also made them more vulnerable to failures – and more likely to blame themselves (rather than fate or the class system) if things go wrong.

"Some of the shock absorbers – from faith to family – that helped us cope in the past have atrophied."

It challenges the Conservative idea, promoted by David Cameron, that British society is "broken" and that many social ills are caused or exacerbated by dependency on the welfare state. It argues instead that while society is fragile, most people live "good lives" and believe they live in strong and supportive communities.

"The welfare state is doing certain things very well. It has addressed material poverty but if it wants to be more responsive to social change in the 21st century it needs to think critically about the things it does not do very well."

"Psychological needs are as pressing as material ones," said Rushanara Ali, associate director of the Young Foundation and a co-author of the report.

The welfare state should be remodelled "through the lense of wellbeing", the report says. Failure to tackle psychological and emotional needs such as loneliness can store up damaging problems as vulnerable people spiral into depression, making them more likely to suffer unemployment or poor physical health.

"The risks that matter most include mental ill-health and relationship breakdown as well as unemployment and poverty in old age," the report says.

It argues that unemployed teenagers and refugees should be given a mobile phone and internet access as part of their benefits package because these are vital modern necessities that enable them to engage in society, not luxuries. "Given the importance of social contact to mental wellbeing and opportunities, perhaps this should be reflected in how essential support is provided to people in hardship." [rc]

© Guardian News and Media Limited 2009

.
KITTSEE, Burgenland / Austrian Times / December 7, 2009

By William Green

Construction of the first neurological rehabilitation clinic in Burgenland at Kittsee is scheduled to begin before Christmas, it has been announced.

Nursing home operator SeneCura will is to build the clinic and a health hotel with 100 beds.

Burgenland Social Democratic (SPÖ) Governor Hans Niessl said today (Mon) the project would create 100 new jobs.

SenaCura head Rudolf Öhlinger said: "Patients will be freed of pain as quickly as possible and returned to daily life in a highly-modern clinic at the level of a hotel."

Burgenland People’s Party (ÖVP) councillor Michaela Resetar said the provincial government had earmarked a 2.5 million Euro-subsidy for the clinic in promotion of tourism.

The project, which will cost an estimated 15.3 million Euros, is scheduled for completion in 2011. [rc]

2008 – 2009 Austrian Times

.
SELANGOR, Malaysia / The Star / Lifestyle / Malaysians Abroad / December 7, 2009

Heart at work

By Wong Li Za

THE past year has been a marathon for Dr Ganesh Manoharan, running from one airport to another trying not to miss a flight.

A consultant cardiologist at Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital in Ireland, Dr Ganesh has been travelling extensively worldwide teaching heart specialists a new, breakthrough procedure.

Called trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (Tavi) using the Medtronic CoreValve device, it enables defective aortic valves to be replaced using a non-invasive, keyhole method.

Dr Ganesh was in Kuala Lumpur recently to perform the Tavi procedure on a few patients, with local experts, at the National Heart Institute (IJN). The procedure was recorded and shown at the Kuala Lumpur Valve Summit 2009 held last week.

Privilege: ‘There’s no bigger satisfaction for me than being able to go to other hospitals and centres and teaching them a technique that’s going to save hundreds of lives,’ says Dr Ganesh Manoharan

Previously, treatment for patients with aortic valve defect, or aortic stenosis, was open heart surgery or a full bypass.

Aortic stenosis occurs when the aortic valve narrows, obstructing blood flow from the heart into the aorta and on to the rest of the body.

Causes of aortic stenosis include congenital heart defect, calcium build-up on the valve and rheumatic fever, which leads to scar tissue formation on the valve.

Aortic stenosis is a serious disease predominantly in elderly patients, many who may not be able to withstand the stress of surgery. Without treatment, the average survival rate of a patient with symptoms of aortic stenosis is between two and three years, with a high risk of sudden death.

The new Tavi keyhole procedure can be performed safely under local anaesthesia.

A 1cm cut is made on the groin area to access a leg artery to advance a bio-prosthetic valve all the way to the heart via a catheter.

“Essentially, in about an hour or so, we are able to fully replace the naturally-diseased valve with the new valve,” said Dr Ganesh, adding that the old valve is pushed aside to make way for the new one, which starts to work immediately.

“What is really unique about this procedure is it has a 98% to 99% success rate,” he said.

Currently, the procedure is only performed on patients who are elderly, in the high risk group for open heart surgery or too high risk for surgery.

So far, the average age of patients who have undergone the procedure is 82.

The first implantation in patients with the Medtronic CoreValve was done in 2004. Following a safety and efficacy study, the CE mark of approval (European approval status for clinical use) was obtained in 2007.

Dr Ganesh first became involved in the procedure in 2007. Since then, he has travelled with French cardiologist Dr Jean Claude Laborde (one of the pioneers of the technique and technology) to over 100 centres in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South America to train other doctors.

“It has been a very hectic period but extremely rewarding,” said Dr Ganesh when met at his parents’ home in Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur.

“It is a niche expertise, performed in very high-risk patients and you need a very good medical team for the procedure to be successful.

“IJN has a fantastic team of people who are very motivated and experienced. I have been to many key centres around the world and I can say that IJN is among the top ones,” said Dr Ganesh, who is also co-director of the Centre for Advanced Cardiovascular Research (Royal Victoria Hospital and Ulster University) in Belfast.

The Tavi procedure performed at IJN was also a first in Asia, something the Penang-born doctor is proud of. (Note: Another procedure available in certain countries, but not in Malaysia, uses a different technology but with the same objective of replacing aortic heart valves with minimal invasive technique. It is called the Edwards Sapien Valve.)

“I’m from Malaysia and to be able to share something as valuable as this in the country that educated me is a special privilege,” said Dr Ganesh, whose father is an engineer in the palm oil industry.

“There’s no bigger satisfaction for me than being able to go to other hospitals and centres and teaching them a technique that’s going to save hundreds of lives after that.”

In 2000, Dr Ganesh also developed a novel method in cardioverting atrial fibrillation transvenously using a Passive Implantable Atrial Defibrillator.

(Atrial fibrillation is an irregular and often rapid heart rate that commonly causes poor blood flow to the body and brings on symptoms of heart palpitations, shortness of breath and weakness. Cardioverting is a procedure that converts irregular heartbeat to a normal rate.)

Dr Ganesh was the first doctor in the world to show that the method and device worked. His research paved the way for a prototype device approved for clinical studies.

Although in a very challenging and demanding field of work, Dr Ganesh does not wish to be anywhere else.

“There’s nothing more unique than to be able to make an individual and family feel better, and that they can achieve a better quality of life from what I do,” said the eldest of three siblings.

However, the father of three girls aged one, three and six hopes he will have more time to spend with his wife and daughters in the coming year.

“I always feel that if you have children, you must give them the time,” said Dr Ganesh, whose wife is Irish and a clinical research nurse in cardiology at the same hospital. [rc]

wongliza@thestar.com.my

Copyright © 1995-2009 Star Publications (M) Bhd

.
STOCKHOLM, Sweden / Reuters / Health / December 7, 2009

One of this year's three Nobel prize winners for medicine said on Sunday she hoped their groundbreaking research could help to shed light on common, age-related diseases that AIDS sufferers face at an early stage.

Elizabeth Blackburn was one of the three Americans to win the 10 million crown ($1.45 million) Nobel prize for revealing the nature of telomerase, an enzyme that helps to prevent the fraying of chromosomes that underlies aging and cancer.

Blackburn told a news conference that HIV treatments, when available, had helped to make it possible for many people who suffer from AIDS to live much longer lives.

This created an opportunity for scientists to examine how the maintenance of telomeres -- the small caps on the end of chromosomes that carry the DNA -- relates to the underlying biology of those with AIDS.

"Fascinatingly, they are showing premature onset of the common age-related diseases -- cardiovascular, dementia, renal, osteoporosis," she told journalists, students and researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm.


Elizabeth Blackburn in her lab at the University of California, San Francisco.
Copyright © University of California, San Francisco 2009
Photo: Elisabeth Fall/fallfoto.com

"This is showing up as a late, slow epidemic as a consequence apparently of the wonderful success of keeping people alive," said Australian-born Blackburn.

The AIDS virus infects 33 million people globally, but more people are living longer thanks to HIV drugs, according to a recent U.N. report. Cocktails of drugs can control HIV but there is no cure and no vaccine.

Blackburn, a molecular biologist and biochemist at the University of California San Francisco, said she is working with her clinical colleagues to discover whether AIDS patients have the same underlying biology as those who suffer from common age-related diseases, or whether the premature onset of their diseases are perhaps a result of something else.

"It's not so much a cure for AIDS so much as understanding what's happening when we can, within the medical community, successfully treat AIDS," she said. "Perhaps that will actually lead to insights into the normal process of aging, because of this inadvertent experiment that's happened with people."

Blackburn is Stockholm this week along with Carol Greider and British-born Jack Szostak to receive their award at a banquet on Thursday.

Prizes for the sciences and for peace were established in the will of 19th century dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel and have been handed out since 1901. [rc]

© Thomson Reuters 2009

.
KOLKATA, West Bengal / The Times of India / Life / December 7, 2009

Living In The Tiger's Shadow


The Sunderbans tiger widows have been fighting grinding poverty and state neglect for decades. Photo credit: tigerwidows.org

By Satadru Ojha & Monotosh Chakraborty, Times News Network

Otho otho Ma Bonbibi, tomar namey baralam pa/
Amar ei lokjoner opor je debe gha, tarey tui dhore dhore kha

[Arise, O Mother Bonbibi, I step forward in your name/
Whoever tries to harm my people, hunt him down and eat his flesh]

Gopal Mullick says this prayer every time his boat rocks against the riverbank. But looking out at the vast expanse of oozing mud and hostile forest the deep jungles of the Sunderbans delta his hands tremble. For Bonbibi, the guardian deity of the forest, is distant and inscrutable. Gopal knows that the incantation often doesn't work. And when it doesn't, Bonbibi's vahana strikes. One vicious bite on the neck, the spinal cord snaps and life dissolves in a haze of blood and gore. The Royal Bengal tiger takes its prey.

Mullick, a fisherman from Gosaba in the Sunderbans has seen this bizarre drama played out a number of times. Twice, the tiger took his own people: his father and son-in-law. But for the 76-year-old, such misfortunes are a part and parcel of life. Mullick lives in Gosaba's Bidhaba Palli (widow colony), where almost every second family has similar tragedies to recount.

Around 350 families of widows live in this colony spread across Arampur, Malopara, Haldarpara and Kantakhali a cluster of villages hugging the Bidya river. All of them have lost husbands to the tiger's maw, but poverty and neglect have forced them to send other men a brother, a son to the forests. "I lost my husband 40 years back in a tiger attack. But when my son-in-law Nilkamal Biswas took up fishing, I couldn't say no. What would we eat otherwise?" asked 70-year-old Belmoti Sana, a resident of Malopara.

So every time Nilkamal's team goes fishing, the women wait on the banks, seeing the boats disappear down the river. The vigil can be long, as the men are gone for 10-15 days. "For those days, we follow a strict regimen, eating little and praying. Who would want to anger Bonbibi?" says Belmoti's neighbour Pushpa Mondal.

Boats on the river at dawn

The colony in Gosaba is the largest, but many such villages are scattered across Sunderbans' inhabited areas like Satjelia, Jharkhali, Patharpratima and Kultali. Reports suggest that over the last century, more than 50,000 people have been killed by tigers in the Sunderbans.

"A tiger attack doesn't just mean the loss of a life. Often, the victim is the only earning member of the family and his death pushes his wife and children towards destitution," says Sushanta Giri of Baikunthapur Tarun Sangha, an NGO that has worked with tiger widows over the past five years in the Patharpratima-Kultali area.

Subhadra Haldar of Arampur has struggled with this reality for years. "My son abandoned me in old age, leaving me to work as a domestic help. No one has helped, not even the government..." the 70-year-old sobs into her pallu. Her husband was dragged away by a tiger in the Chamta forest 30 years back.

Petitions for help often reach the Gosaba panchayat office, a short distance from the widow colony. "A family can receive pension only if it is below the poverty line. Strangely, though these villagers are among the worst-off in Gosaba, none has a BPL card," says Jayanta Das, the upa-pradhan.

The politics of compensation can be vicious. The chain of contact from villager to administration is controlled by touts. "A tiger victim's family can receive state compensation up to Rs 1 lakh if the victim had an entry permit and was killed outside the core area. Families can't always figure out the nitty-gritty of official papers and give in to middlemen," says Mrinal Chatterjee, secretary of Institute of Climbers and Nature Lovers, an NGO that works on wildlife issues in the Sunderbans.

The tiger widow tag also means that these women and their families are treated as outcasts. They're not welcome at village gatherings. It is this attitude that riles youths like Pabitra Mondal. Hailing from a family of Gosaba fishermen, Pabitra's father died in a tiger attack 23 years ago. "My mother was ridiculed and humiliated for years. But once I started earning, I made sure that no one dared to call her a tiger victim's widow," says Pabitra, who teaches village kids.

For some like Sumit Haldar, village life has become unbearable. As soon as he got a teacher's job he sold off his father's boat and fishing net. "I was very young when my grandfather was taken by a tiger. But we didn't even have time to mourn. My father had to go out with his boat and net. Now that I have a job, I'll leave this village and cross over to the mainland with my family," he says.

But for every family that dreams, many are trapped in the rhythms of the tide country. Fish has to be caught, honey and wood collected, a life lived. "Late in the night, when we are anchored in the middle of the river, we can hear them roaring. We put out our lamps and huddle together. It's Borobabu (the big lord), declaring his presence," says Kangsa Bairagi, a fisherman. [rc]

Copyright © 2009 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.

.
KARACHI, Pakistan / Senior Citizens Forum Newsletter / December 7, 2009

Mr. Haiderali Alibhai and Mr. Ali Husain Rajab Alio, members of the Karachi-based Senior Citizens Forum, announced donations of Rs.50,000 each at the recently held annual general meeting. The money is earmarked for the Forum’s Tiffin Project that provides meals to needy senior citizens.



The Senior Citizens Forum has now set up area-wise chapters for its members for better administration and arrangement of recreation programs for the seniors.

The Forum provides regular medical check up and creates medical awareness so that they can be encouraged to live healthy life. This includes:
• Educating seniors to help them understand their changing health conditions due to age factor.
• Preventing deterioration in health by better understanding of their needs.
• Improving their ability to avail health care facilities.
• Assisting them to access the medical treatment.

Significant ailments of seniors receiving attention are Diabetes, Hypertension, osteoporosis, Arthritis, Asthma, Hypercholesterolemia, Depression, Hearing and Dental problems, Glaucoma, Cataract, and Alzheimer’s.

Two medical camps are slated for January 2010.

The SCF now has a day care centre which is to be opened next week end, reports Mr. Ali Raza Lakhani, SCF Honorary Secretary. [rc]

Source:
Senior Citizens Forum, Karachi.
E-mail: scfkhi@gmail.com

.
LOS ANGELES, California / The Los Angeles Times / Opinion / December 6, 2009

Opinion
To Alice McGrath, who changed the world

Beginning with her role in the 1940s Sleepy Lagoon trial, hers was a life lived for social justice.

By Carlos Valdez Lozano

Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson, from "Self-Reliance"

'I may not have changed the world," Alice McGrath once told me, "but I've lived a life I feel good about."

That's how she saw it. But the truth is, Alice did change the world.

A fighter for social justice all her life, she played a key role in one of California's first civil rights cases, coordinating efforts to overturn the wrongful convictions of 12 Mexican American men for the murder of a man found dead near a reservoir known as Sleepy Lagoon. The men were tried en masse in 1940s L.A., amid a climate of racism and open hostility that extended into the courtroom. The case, she always maintained, was about due process.

"If they lose, I lose. We all lose," said the character of Alice in Luis Valdez's celebrated play, "Zoot Suit," which was based on the trial. "I am not Lady Charity trying to help the Mexicans -- I am doing this for us."

Alice was born on April 5, 1917, the daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants who fled their country because of discrimination.

She died on November 27, with the satisfaction, she told me not long ago, of having seen Barack Obama elected president.

I was lucky enough to have called Alice a friend, and I can tell you, she packed a lot of living into her 92 years. It was a life too large for a book, much less a newspaper column.

"If I had never done anything since my involvement...in Sleepy Lagoon would justify my existence," Alice McGrath told a Los Angeles Times interviewer in 1981.

For those new to her story, here are the highlights:

She helped organize a birthday celebration in Los Angeles in 1951 for the distinguished African American author W.E.B. Du Bois, who later became a dear friend; she taught martial arts to women (because she believed it would empower them) and wrote a book about it called "Self-Defense for Cowards"; though not a lawyer herself, she developed a legal aid program for the poor in Ventura County; and she led 85 humanitarian aid trips to war-scarred Nicaragua.

She was also an invincible conversationalist, an orthodox liberal (make that radical), a great teller of jokes and an awful lot of fun to be around. Her life's work may have been about helping others, but she would be the first to tell you she was no saint.

"Never pass up the opportunity to have a good time" was one of her commandments. And she meant it

She was no pistol. She was a cannon. She had a serious mind and focused on serious things, but she also liked her vodka martinis and had a wit to match Dorothy Parker's.

Her 1950s FBI file declared that the one-time communist sympathizer had "no known weaknesses."

I once asked her if that was true. She replied, rather dismissively, "Oh, that's just because they didn't think women liked sex back then."

I first met Alice in 1995, when I was a reporter covering a political campaign in Ventura County. At her request, we met for breakfast at a local hotel to discuss some related matters.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked.

"No," I said.

When I reminded her of that tense meeting years later, she said, "I sounded so arrogant."

I told her that was OK: "I sounded so ignorant."

We remained close friends for the next 14 years. She taught me a lot about California history, about Faulkner and Mark Twain and about life and how to live it.

We traveled to England and Spain together. She introduced me to her friends. We had lunch once with Luis Valdez and Dolores Huerta in San Juan Bautista, Calif. We had dinner with Studs Terkel in Chicago. And we would have visited Harold Pinter in London if he hadn't come down with a cold.

The conversation was never dull. "Did I ever tell you about the time I took Martin Sheen and Daniel Ellsberg to Nicaragua?" she might say. "Or how about the time I was hired as a martial arts instructor on the 'I Love Lucy' show?"

She used to boast that she had never eaten a Big Mac (because everyone else did), never saw "Gone With the Wind" (because she thought it racist) and never locked her doors (because she believed it to be un-neighborly).

Her favorite toast was her own: "To kisses and journeys, the only things that last."

She was not religious. And she was not sentimental. She could be hard on people. You never wanted to be on the wrong end of her lacerating wit.

She was married three times but maintained a fierce independence. She always said her second husband, the poet Thomas McGrath, was the love of her life.

Her best friend and mentor was the California historian and activist Carey McWilliams, who persuaded the then-young community organizer to become director of the Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee. Her job would include public speaking, organizing fundraisers, writing a newsletter and keeping track of court records.

"But I've never done anything like this before," she told McWilliams.

"And so, now you will," he said.

Whenever she spoke publicly about the case, Alice never failed to mention the outstanding work and dedication of defense attorneys Ben Margolis Jr. and George Shibley. For her, it was always about the law.

IN ZOOT SUIT: Alice McGrath's role in the infamous trial was celebrated in Luis Valdez's play "Zoot Suit," which debuted at the Mark Taper Theater Forum in 1978 and was made into a movie in 1981. / Los Angeles Times

The last time I saw Alice was in September. I took her to lunch at a restaurant in Ventura. She was already in poor health and hard of hearing. She talked about death. She was not afraid of it. If she were to become gravelly ill or incapacitated, she was adamant that "no heroic measures" be taken to save her life.

And so when the time came, she left this world exactly how she lived in it, with her courage and dignity intact. [rc]

carlos.lozano@latimes.com

Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times

.
AUGUSTA, Georgia / The Augusta Chronicle / Columnists / December 6, 2009

Formula for longevity no longer a mystery

By Bill Kirby | Columnist

Live your life and forget your age.
-- Norman Vincent Peale

My great-uncle celebrated his 100th birthday Thanksgiving week, and many in my family made the trip to his Kentucky hometown to mark the centennial.

His church opened up the basketball gymnasium to handle the crowd, which shared the hospitality of cake and punch. The mayor had a proclamation. And the local newspaper did a front-page story.

For his part, Uncle Edgar played the engaging center of attention. Dapperly dressed in a dark suit and tie, he greeted most everyone with a firm handshake and the almost perpetual smile that has been his trademark for 10 decades.

He has a cane, but I didn't notice him use it. He stood up straight, and his hair is still thick and gray, not white. He still drives, too.

The only noticeable infirmity that we could blame on the century's wear and tear was a hearing challenge. This was apparent after we had marched him to the big cake, where he blew out some token candles while we sang Happy Birthday .

That's when someone asked, "What's the secret to living to be 100?"

The question had to be repeated -- shouted, actually -- because he didn't seem to hear it. By then, we were all quiet because we wanted to know the answer.

My uncle paused a moment, grinned at the audience and said, "Just hang on."

And we all burst out in laughter, clapped for a bit, then returned to our seats to eat cake, visit with cousins and ponder this simple truth of longevity.

As far as anyone can tell, my uncle is the first in our family to reach 100. He has outlived his wife, a daughter, both younger brothers and several sisters, including my grandmother.

There have been disappointments and illnesses and even a bad car wreck many years ago, but still he made it to an age where you attend more funerals than weddings and peer pressure is not much of a problem.

How?

We all want to know, but I don't think it's something you can tell others so much as you can show them. For a century, that is what my uncle has done, and I could probably get it down to this:

- Be active in your church. Those buildings with steeples are not just places for holidays. Believe, stay involved, serve others for 100 years, and they're likely to throw you a party.

- Keep up. I hate to admit it, but my 100-year-old uncle can do things with a computer that I cannot. When you start out as a railroad telegraph operator tapping out Morse code, the technology must seem easier.

- Don't listen to your critics. This becomes increasingly easy as you outlive past naysayers and can turn down the hearing aid volume on the current crop.

- Be optimistic. I don't ever remember him being grumpy. He was always smiling, and there was always a twinkle to it -- like he was about to share some important yet humorous secret.

"Hang on," indeed.

The second hundred years is officially under way. [rc]

Bill Kirby is the Metro Editor for The Augusta Chronicle.
E-Mail: bill.kirby@augustachronicle.com

© 2009 The Augusta Chronicle

.
TOKYO, Japan / The Japan Times / Books / Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009

CLOSE-UP
Finding satisfaction in being ourselves

Growing access to information and the ease with which we can compare ourselves to others is making people less happy in life, says psychiatrist Rika Kayama

By Eriko Arita, Staff writer

Psychiatrist Rika Kayama is an outspoken doctor specializing in mental illness, a best-selling writer and a popular social commentator.

Her latest book, "Shigamitsukanai Ikikata" ("A Way of Life in Which You Don't Cling to Anything"), has sold 422,000 copies since it was published in July.

In the book, Kayama, based on her clinical experience and research, suggests 10 rules by which stressed people can live happy lives. The rules recommend people not cling to money, love or children — and not pursue dreams through employment.

The book, with its realistic and laid-back take on life, has attracted much attention — in part because one rule stated, "Don't try to be like Kazuyo Katsuma."

Katsuma, an economic analyst and writer of self-improvement books, has become an icon as a successful businesswoman and has many fans.

The right medicine: Psychiatrist and best-selling writer Rika Kayama says many people develop mental illnesses because they have unrealistically high expectations about what they will achieve in life. Satoko Kawasaki Photo

Kayama, however, in her book, says not everybody should work hard to improve themselves in the way Katsuma does — because some people are at risk of developing mental illness due to stress.

The 49-year-old doctor has treated such people for 23 years, and in pondering how their problems relate to social issues, Kayama has concluded that the way patients suffering from stress-related illness think about their condition has changed.

Decades ago most of her patients blamed themselves, but an increasing number nowadays blame others, she said in her book "Waruinowa Watashijanai Shokogun" ("I-Am-Not-to-Blame Syndrome"). Kayama's analysis was that the spread of neoliberalism (a mix of traditional liberal concerns for social justice and emphasis on economic growth) in Japan in the last decade caused intensified competition among people, which lead them to blame their illness on their colleagues, family members or others in order to shield themselves from the criticism that develops in a highly competitive atmosphere.

Kayama offers deep insights into the human condition and she seems to be a perfect fit for her role as a psychiatrist. But she says her job was not her first choice of career and she has never been carried away with her work.

Born in Sapporo in 1960, Kayama, the daughter of an obstetrician, entered high school in Tokyo at age 15 and hoped she would become a scientist. Upon failing the entrance exams for the universities she wanted to attend, she studied medicine at Tokyo Medical University, where, as a student, she started writing for a minor magazine under the pen name Rika Kayama. (She reserves use of her real name for her work with patients and her private life.) [rc]

Click here to read more
......
In your latest book, you said growing numbers of people don't feel that they live in happiness or are satisfied. Do you see a lot of these people at the clinic where you work?......

(C) The Japan Times

.
JAKARTA, Indonesia / The Jakarta Post / December 5, 2009

By Indah Setiawati, The Jakarta Post

The rain Saturday did not dampen the spirits of Menteng residents, who turned out in droves for the first-ever celebration of the elite historical area.

Semarak Menteng, a two-day festival organized by Sahabat Menteng and the Central Jakarta Municipality, featured a bazaar, Brazilian martial art form Capoeira, dancing, including breakdance, and a photo exhibition depicting the old and new Menteng.

For many senior citizens who lived in Menteng in their youth, the event was an opportunity for a reunion. At the reunion, former residents shared memories of Menteng as a friendly neighborhood.

“Menteng has changed,” resident Bandji Asaari, 64, told The Jakarta Post. “It used to be Menteng. Now it is Benteng [a fort].”

He said during his childhood, houses in Menteng were not surrounded by high walls and gates. Rather, the beautiful architecture of houses was visible.

“When children passed these beautiful houses, they were inspired to have the same,” he said.

Bandji said he mostly missed having warm, friendly neighbors, saying the current situation greatly differed from the past when residents knew each other.

The bazaar continues on Sunday and a parade of Betawi, India and Japanese culture, kung fu, a percussion band and decorative bicycles.

Left: Emil Salim and Right: Rosihan Anwar

There will also be presentation of Menteng Senior Awards for residents who have made a contribution to the country, including Emil Salim and Rosihan Anwar. [rc]

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara.

.
NEW YORK, NY / The Huffington Post / Living / December 5, 2009


By Julia Moulden

I just spent two days with some smart, thoughtful people, talking about something everyone knows is coming, but most of us are in denial about. No, not climate change. Our aging population. Here's a small slice: in 2000, there were 600 million people 60 and over worldwide. By 2025, that number will double. And right now in the developed world, people 80 and over are the fastest growing population group.

Two hundred people from around the world gathered at The Business of Aging Summit in Toronto (co-hosted by MaRS Discovery District and the Province of Ontario), to talk about the challenge and opportunity of what was quickly dubbed the "silver tsunami".

In fact, whether our aging population will be a deficit or a dividend was hotly debated. By the end of the summit, I was listing heavily to one side. Yes, there are huge challenges, and we must acknowledge and address them. But, ohmigod, such amazing things are underway and we are going to reshape the world!

In my head, I replaced the tsunami with a gorgeous wave - huge but not terrifying - and all of my favorite experts were yelling "surf's up!" and paddling their boards madly into the roiling waters. Here are the people you'll see riding the crest of this wave. (If you're like me and need a little soundtrack to go along with your visualization, try the boomer-friendly Hawaii 5-0.)

• Jane Barratt
Jane will be the first one into the water. Secretary-General of the International Federation on Ageing, she kicked off the summit with the thought that aging begins at birth. "I'm not an older person, I'm a person who's growing older." She got us thinking about why we need to create an age-friendly society, and how each of us can contribute. In fact, she was particularly emphatic that this work can't be left to the "experts", that we all need to speak up and chip in.

• John Beard
He had me from hello. John showed us a news item about a woman working on her 100th birthday. "Why is this news?" he asked. "Because she's 100, of course, and because she's working. This won't be abnormal in the future." He then debunked a bunch of myths about aging, like that older people are a burden on society (in fact, most of us continue to live independently right up to our last year of life). That the real objective is how to stretch out what he calls the middle years - by doing things like preventing chronic illness, creating environments that foster engagement, and introducing age-appropriate care. John is Director of the Department of Ageing and Life Course at the World Health Organization in Geneva. Check out their website for data and publications about how we can all adapt to what's coming and realize potential benefits.

• Alvaro Fernandez
Imagine a workplace brain fitness program that will help you think better now and ward off the symptoms of dementia as you age. One that is grounded in two decades of research. That's what Alvaro and his team are developing at Sharp Brains. It's one of the projects launched by Cogniciti, a joint venture between MaRS and Baycrest (a health sciences centre), created to bring cutting-edge research to market.

• Laurie Orlov
Laurie's New Radical career started with a deeply personal event: the death of her mother in 2006 (New Radicals are people who put skills acquired in their careers to work on the world's greatest challenges, for more please see archived articles). A technology industry veteran, Laurie realized that tech could be used to help seniors achieve one of their goals - to "age in place". So she founded Aging in Place Technology Watch to provide insight, analysis, and guidance about technologies that can help people do just that. Great resources on her site. Not to be missed.

• Saul Kaplan
The fact that he calls himself Chief Catalyst and his organization the Business Innovation Factory speaks volumes about Saul. He got us all stirred up by asking "where's the urgency, where's the outrage?". He insisted that we don't need to simply tweak existing systems, but transform them. His team designs and tests new solutions in real-world laboratories, including something they call the "Elder Experience Lab". Highly recommended. (And count on Saul to be wearing the most creative trunks.)

Buzz Aldrin, one of the first two astronauts to walk on the moon (and fellow HuffPo blogger), was supposed to wrap up the summit, but had to cancel due to illness (we wish him a speedy recovery!). As the full moon rose in the early evening sky over Toronto, Buzz's stepdaughter, Lisa Cannon, showed us a video that brought back memories for everyone in the room (where were you when they walked on the moon in 1969?). She spoke about the insatiable curiousity of humankind, and our desire to try new things - in JFK's phrase, "Not because they are easy, but because they are hard."

I'll be writing more about who's out there surfing the wave, including what technology companies like Cisco are doing, about cool new ideas in urban planning, transportation, health care, and storytelling - and how it all fits together. In the meantime, be sure to sign up at the Business of Aging website. [rc]

Now, over to you. Do you think the "silver tsunami" is a problem or an opportunity? And should we suggest to Arianna that HuffPo add a new section called, perhaps, Silver?

Julia Moulden is the author of We Are The New Radicals: A Manifesto for Reinventing Yourself and Saving the World, published internationally by McGraw-Hill, New York (2008).

Julia@wearethenewradicals.com

Copyright © 2009 HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.

LONDON, England / BBC News Channel / Cornwall / December 4, 2009

A handyperson scheme which offers practical help to elderly and vulnerable people is to be expanded.

Cornwall Council has given £250,000 towards providing more people with home repairs and maintenance services.

The scheme is run by Devon and Cornwall Housing Association and includes replacing light bulbs, fitting smoke alarms and putting up shelves.

The funding means the service can be extended to support 1,650 new clients until the end of March 2011. [rc]

© BBC MMIX

.
TOKYO, Japan / USC News / Global / December 5, 2009

By Athan Bezaitis

USC Davis School of Gerontology Dean Gerald C. Davison delivered the keynote address at a major conference on healthy aging at the Yamano College of Aesthetics in Tokyo, Japan.

USC Davis Dean Gerald C. Davison was the keynote speaker at the Yamano College of Aesthetics in Japan.

More than 500 people attended the Oct. 25 event billed by one organizing faculty member as “a watershed for gerontology in Japan and a virtual milestone in the history of aging research in the country.

“Strengthening ties between Japan, the country with the globe’s longest-living population of older adults with the world’s first and largest school dedicated to the study of aging is something we are proud to be involved in,” he said.

At the event, Davison discussed how the aging revolution affects societies in the United States, Japan and throughout other developed and developing nations.

“Today, seniors are the world’s fastest-growing population,” he said. “Policy experts, psychologists, physicians, business professionals, social workers, scientists, academics, people in health care, travel, leisure and personal care industries will all be called upon to serve and support older adults.”

To meet this challenge, Davison called for greater effort in teaching students and citizens as a whole about the effects of an aging society, conducting basic and applied research in gerontology, and providing evidence-based assistance to older adults.

He offered the unique curriculum of the USC Davis School as a model for preparing students to build the worldwide infrastructure needed to support the aging population of tomorrow.

In order for this to happen, “older adults need to be valued not shunned,” he said. “In the U.S., we can learn something from the values of the Japanese, who have always known that older adults constitute a group of people who are rich in resources and capable of making significant contributions to society.” [rc]

Source: USC, Los Angeles

.
LAGOS, Nigeria / CNN World/ December 4, 2009

Planners of Nigeria's capital city are plotting three new city centers, new railways and a highway. But there is one group that says it is feeling left out of Lagos' rapid growth and urbanization: the elderly.

By Christian Purefoy, CNN

* Elderly feel left out of Lagos' rapid growth and urbanization as three new city centers planned in Nigeria's capital
* Nigeria's proposed budget for 2010 boosts pension funds to $1.7 billion to help pensioners
* But many senior citizens say corporation has not paid pensions for 21 months
Many young Nigerians have little sympathy for the older generation

One example of this could be seen recently outside the National Railway Corp. office, where a crowd gathered, some using walking-sticks and others on wheelchairs.

The crowd of hundreds accused the corporation of not paying them their pension for 21 months.

"I feel very bad -- I'm not supposed to struggle to get my entitlement," said Henry Oyekan, 71. "Especially all the shoving that is going on."

Gbenga Ibitoye chimed in.

"We will pray for federal government to answer us in time to give us our money," Ibitoye said. "Because people are dying."

Company officials pass out paperwork for the crowd to write down their grievances, but nothing is resolved, some said.

At about the same time, a different group of Lagos seniors took their concerns to the legislature. The nearly 100 elders -- dressed in traditional clothes and head-dresses -- said they made an appointment with the Lagos House Assembly recently.

The group sat in a meeting hall waiting to talk to lawmakers.

"You're making your budget, building your roads but there's no provision for the old people and it upsets me," said Moses Iloh, 80, as he waited for lawmakers to arrive. "Today in Nigeria people have no plans for the aged."

The group waited for four hours, but the lawmakers did not show up for the meeting. Many could not contain their discouragement as they left the meeting without getting to speak their mind.

"Well -- I feel very disappointed -- but they said they are very busy," said Olubumni Okusanya, 69, one of the organizers.

Nigeria's proposed budget for 2010 boosts pension funds to more than $1.7 billion to try and alleviate pensioners' woes.

And maybe because of this, many young Nigerians have little sympathy for the older generation.

"Our elders are reaping what they have sown," one man said. "The elders -- the youth of yesterday, they are the elders of today -- so they are responsible for this misfortune we are having," another man said.

Okusanya said she will not wait for the government to look after her.

Using her military pension, she visits those in need and sometimes abandoned by their families. During the visits, she checks their blood-pressure and general health, and spends time with them.

Traditionally, elders in Nigerian culture are afforded great respect by the youth. But, Okusanya said, rapid urbanization and a worsening economy are eroding family and cultural ties.

"As they are looking for money here and there -- they have no time," said Okusanya, who said she will continue to get her message out to the younger generation. "We are not forcing -- we are sort of creating an awareness and wanting them to know that they are coming to get old too." [rc]

© 2008 Cable News Network

.
WASHINGTON / Reuters / Health / December 4, 2009

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

A very large, 30-year study of just about everyone in Scandinavia shows no link between cellphone use and brain tumors, researchers reported on Thursday.

Even though mobile telephone use soared in the 1990s and afterward, brain tumors did not become any more common during this time, the researchers reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Some activist groups and a few researchers have raised concerns about a link between cellphones and several kinds of cancer, including brain tumors, although years of research have failed to establish a connection.

"We did not detect any clear change in the long-term time trends in the incidence of brain tumors from 1998 to 2003 in any subgroup," Isabelle Deltour of the Danish Cancer Society and colleagues wrote.

Photo courtesy: Danish Cancer Society

Deltour's team analyzed annual incidence rates of two types of brain tumor -- glioma and meningioma -- among adults aged 20 to 79 from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden from 1974 to 2003. These countries all have good cancer registries that keep a tally of known cancer cases. This represented virtually the entire adult population of 16 million people. Over the 30 years, nearly 60,000 patients were diagnosed with brain tumors.

"In Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, the use of mobile phones increased sharply in the mid-1990s; thus, time trends in brain tumor incidence after 1998 may provide information about possible tumor risks associated with mobile phone use," the researchers wrote.

They did see a small, steady increase in brain tumors, but it started in 1974, long before cellphones existed.

NO SIGNIFICANT PATTERN

"From 1974 to 2003, the incidence rate of glioma increased by 0.5 percent per year among men and by 0.2 percent per year among women," they wrote.

Incidence of meningioma tumors rose by 0.8 percent a year among men, and rose by 3.8 percent a year among women starting in the mid-1990s. But this was mostly among women over the age of 60, who were already among those most likely to have brain tumors, they noted.

In addition, it became easier to diagnose these tumors because of better types of brain scans.

Overall, there was no significant pattern, they said.

"No change in incidence trends were observed from 1998 to 2003," they added. That would have been when tumors would start showing up, assuming it took five to 10 years for one to develop, they said.

It is possible, Deltour's team wrote, that it takes longer than 10 years for tumors caused by mobile phones to turn up, that the tumors are too rare in this group to show a useful trend, or that there are trends but in subgroups too small to be measured in the study.

It is just as possible that cellphones do not cause brain tumors, they added.

Most scientific studies show no association between cellphone use and brain tumors and researchers trying to find a connection have failed to find any biological explanation for how a mobile phone might cause cancer.

"Because of the high prevalence of mobile phone exposure in this population and worldwide, longer follow-up of time trends in brain tumor incidence rates are warranted," Deltour's team advised. [rc]

Reporting by Maggie Fox
Editing by Julie Steenhuysen and Eric Beech

© Copyright 2009 Thomson Reuters

.
SHANGHAI, China / China International Business Magazine / Economy / December 4, 2009

By Isabel Ding

Millions of aging rural Chinese — especially those over 60 years old — may no longer need to worry about their income after retirement. The Chinese government has just begun a pilot pension program that, when in full operation, should serve the entire rural population. The government is scheduled to spend RMB 3 billion (USD 440 million) on the first phase, which will be started in 10% of counties by the end of this year and expanded nationwide by 2020. Chinafotopress

First announced in August by Hu Xiaoyi, vice minister of the Department of Human Resources and Social Security (DHRSS), the trial pension plan gives a monthly endowment to farmers over the age of 60 that varies according to their area's income standards, but will be no less than RMB 55 per month.

“The rural pension plan will have a large influence on the transformation of the rural areas in China and help close the obvious gap between the countryside and the cities,” says Li Guoxiang, vice director of the Rural Economy Research Bureau of the Rural Development Institute Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “It will also play a key role in promoting economic modernization.”

“The timing of the government decision to implement this plan has to do with the strength of our economy. The government [now] has the ability to deal with the problem of a large aging rural population,” Li adds. “Of course, I have to say that it's also another measure to stimulate domestic consumption. Peasants have saved a certain amount of money. How to persuade them to consume? The government must guarantee more safety to them.”

AGING SOCIETY

Stimulating domestic consumption aside, there is a real need for a pension plan in China's rural areas. According to research by the Rural Development Institute Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, family size in both rural and urban areas in China has been gradually shrinking after the implementation of the Family Planning policy more than 20 years ago. There are now more retired people with no children to help care for them in their old age. This trend has had more impact on those in rural areas where there are fewer social services available.

“With rapid urbanization and the coming increase in the aging population, large numbers of rural workers will come to the cities to find work and the burden of caring for an aging population will primarily be felt in the rural areas,” says Tang Jun, the Secretary General of the Social Policy Research Centre with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “The problem of caring for the elderly will become more visible in the next 10 to 15 years,” he adds.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics the total number of rural workers in China at the end of 2008 was 225.4 million. In the next 10 years, it's expected that 8.5 million rural workers per year will migrate to urban areas, which means a total population shift from rural to urban areas of 300 million people in the next 20 years.

The impact of this migration, coupled with the overall growth in the elderly population, will cause great pressure on the elderly who remain in the rural areas. “After the implementation of the medical insurance plan in rural areas, the rural pension plan becomes the one remaining problem that needs to be resolved,” says Li.

GREAT EFFORT

This is actually the second time the government has tried to implement a rural pension system. In the early 1990s a program was introduced nationwide, but without any real financial support from central and local governments it failed. It was largely just a savings account for rural residents, and it wasn't very enthusiastically received. “This time the central government is willing to take the lead in the new rural pension plan, with more financial backing. Due to many years' experience of dealing with the urban pension scheme the new plan will be carried out successfully, though small difficulties can't be avoided,” says Li.

This time the central government is signaling that it is more serious about making the program work. Premier Wen Jiabao said at a working conference in Beijing in August that all levels of government should increase their efforts to better implement the rural pension pilot program. He also stressed that building a new rural social pension system was an important key in establishing fairness in society and narrowing gaps between urban and rural areas.

The contribution of the central and local governments is also clearly regulated in the new pilot program, which is a big difference from the previous system. This time the payment system is divided into two parts, basic pensions and individual accounts. Individual accounts will be established for everyone joining the scheme. The central government will cover the cost of the entire basic pension in the middle and western areas of the country, and half of the basic pension in the eastern area.

Local governments must also shoulder some responsibility. They must provide a subsidy of RMB 30 per year to rural residents who have contributed to the pension scheme. In the eastern region of the country, local governments must match the central government's contribution, thus paying half of each eligible resident's basic pension in their district. Local governments may also raise the basic pension in their district, depending on their finances.

During the initial phase of the rural pension scheme, participants over 60 will receive a pension of no less than RMB 55 per month; however, the State Council says that the government will adjust the minimum pension as well as the contributions depending on overall economic conditions in the country. In trial areas, those over 60 can receive the pension immediately, even if they haven't previously contributed to the system. However, their children will be required to join and contribute to the rural pension program, even if they live in an urban area. Contributions by individuals are voluntary, and amounts range from RMB 100 to RMB 500 and will figure into the pension amount earned upon retirement.


DIFFERENT REACTIONS

Feng County, one of the poorest counties in Jiangsu Province, has been chosen as one of the first pilot areas for the new scheme, and promotion of the new rural pension there has been somewhat slow. “We have received notice from the labor bureau of the county and opened a related working meeting,” says Si Shaoyong, the director of Huankou Town in Feng County. “We plan to organize promotional activities in the villages after the October holiday and explain in more detail to the locals. The specific policies will be nailed down at that time.”

However, despite the slow progress of official promotion, many are already aware of the new program. “I heard about the news several days ago from other people and I didn't pay much attention to it,” says Ms. Sun, 80, whose three children all work in the city. “I can't believe it. There are so many old people in my village. Can all of them enjoy this money?”

Another rural resident, 55 year-old Yu Fazhu, heard about the program from the television news. Although he still needs to contribute to the pension, he is eager to join the scheme. “If I get the notice, I will be the first one to join it. I'm already 55 and I also have a mother aged 83. She can enjoy the pension without contribution,” says Yu. However, he doesn't think that all of the local residents will be receptive to the program at first. “They will understand the benefit of it eventually, and when they do, all of them will want to join it,” he says.

But not all rural provinces are alike. An Shang Town, a small village in Henan Province, is home to the famous Yuntai Mountain, a popular travel destination. Local residents here are richer than those in nearby villages. “I heard of the new rural pension program, but I'm afraid that I won't join it immediately,” says Wang Xiaoli, in her 20s, “I'm still young and there are so many years for me to wait to enjoy the pension. I prefer to do business right now.” Two of Wang's brothers have opened a small tourist hotel in the village and she helps to bring in visitors. She lives together with a grandparent who is over 80 years old and according to the regulations of the new scheme, this living situation makes her grandparent ineligible for the free pension.

The requirement that the children of those over 60 must contribute to the scheme will undoubtedly hinder many elderly rural residents from receiving their pension. “This regulation is aimed at getting more young people to join the rural pension program, especially during the trial phase. I believe it will be amended or changed in the future,” says Li. “As rural residents become more familiar with the benefits of the policy and enjoy its rewards, things will be different.”

QUESTIONS REMAIN

Though the new rural pension system means elderly rural residents will no longer need to rely on their children or their own savings to support them, there are still some problems.

The minimum pension of RMB 55 for rural residents is still too low compared with the amount of pension given to retired people in other sectors. According to Hu Xiaoyi, the average 2009 pension figure for urban retired enterprise employees is RMB 1,200. In addition, the pension for civil servants is 10% larger than the amount given to enterprise employees. “The minimum pension figure for rural residents is related to the government's financial power. It's still not very strong, so the principle for the new pension plan is to cover as many as possible, but to keep a low level of payment,” says Li.

Ma Hongman, an economic consultant and the anchor of Shanghai's First Financial Channel, believes that the lack of financial capital will be the biggest difficulty in the new plan's implementation, but he still thinks that putting money into building up a social security system is much better than increasing investment. “It will stimulate the economy and create more consumption demand,” wrote Ma in his blog. Referring to the problem of lack of financial support, he suggests that the current requirement of 10% transfer rate of state-owned stakes into the social security fund could be raised further and more treasury bills could be issued to raise money.

The rural pension plan is still waiting on the Social Security Act for full implementation. The act has been discussed since 1994, but it still hasn't been formally published, leaving doubts about the reliability of the rural pension fund. A strong system of oversight is needed to guarantee the security of the rural pension fund, and preserving and increasing the value of the fund is also a difficult problem. If the funds are put in banks the value will lessen over time because of low interest rates compared to the rate of inflation. According to one report from China News Weekly, the civil affairs bureau of Hong He in Yunnan Province received more than RMB 60 million in pension funds from different counties in the area between 1996 and 2003, but only about RMB 1.3 million was left in that account at the end of 2003.

With such a rate of return, it might still be better to put the money under your mattress. [rc]

Copyright © 2009 China International Business