The Fresh Start Recovery Centre?s gymnasium was bustling with volunteers last Thursday. As the sun beat down outside, it was easy to forget that a flood ravaged the streets of Calgary and devastated the towns surrounding it.
But no one has forgotten. Not here, anyway.
June 18 was a Day of Caring for over 150 PwC volunteers. Armed with $5,000 worth of supplies, they cut ribbon, stuck stickers, folded blankets, wrote caring notes, and packed fun passes for over 500 families in High River and Bowness, areas that have been heavily affected by last month?s flood.
? ? ?
These bundles of goodies, aptly named ?Hope Hampers,? are a different take on the ?necessities? families need to get through the destruction of the flood. The hampers are meant to give families a distraction from the daily devastation: A day at Heritage Park, an afternoon photo shoot for a family portrait or a picnic with a clean, silt-free blanket.
The volunteers gathered at 9 a.m. and were elbow-deep in glitter and construction paper by 9:05 a.m. After less than two hours, 500 hampers were folded and wrapped into neat packages, ready to be delivered.
At noon, 30 employees grabbed a bagged lunch and sandwiched into an overheated yellow school bus with Hope Hampers taking up most of the narrow seats. They were headed to High River to deliver hope and glee to residents burdened by homelessness and wreckage.
Many of the volunteers hadn?t seen thedevastation in High River outside the evening news. Eyes widened as volunteers witnessed men in white hazmat suits walking out of silt-covered homes with piles of rotting furniture, wood and drywall littering what once were manicured front lawns.
The first stop was Rowan House Emergency Shelter, a shelter that provides crisis intervention, long-term support and education for those affected by family violence in rural communities like High River. PwC volunteers quickly formed an assembly line, dropping off and stacking 80 hampers into the only dry space they had left: the garage, which also housed other donated goods like generic toilet paper and Ikea pillows.
Sherrie Botton, executive director of the emergency shelter, met volunteers with a big smile and outreached arms. Rowan House had to be evacuated during the flood, displacing all of their clients, children and employees. Their basement, all 3,000 square feet of counselling and childcare space, was lost.
The next stop was the residence of Tania, which doubled as a day home ? at least it did before the flood. The most eye-catching part of her home wasn?t the damage, but the neon signs taped to her second-story windows that read, ?High River Strong,? and ?We [Love] High River.?? From the outside, the house looked rather untouched, but, as we learned later, the damage was deep below the surface.
Last month, with 13 kids and three moms in tow, Tania was airlifted out of High River while wave after wave of floodwater threatened to drown her neighbourhood. Currently, she and her church are taking care of 75 children while their parents are busily gutting and pumping out homes.
As she told her story to PwC volunteers, she clutched her two small children to her side protectively while tears streamed down her face.
?This is why I contacted you,? she explained, ?So we can give these kids a summer.?
The now solemn volunteers contemplated her words as they unpacked another six dozen hampers through her front door.
Though routines are getting back to normal in Calgary?s downtown core, it?s important to remember that the after-effects of the flood are still raging in parts of the city and its surrounding areas. United Way would like to thank PwC, Neighbourlink, and Fresh Start for stepping up and delivering hope to those who need it most. This is what United Way?s?Day of Caring?is all about.
To find out where you can volunteer, please visit 211. Or consider a gift to the Emergency Community Support Fund. Until July 31, all online donations are directed to flood relief.
Large study reveals increased cancer risks associated with family history of the diseasePublic release date: 24-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Emma Mason wordmason@mac.com European Society for Medical Oncology
A family history of cancer increases the risk of other members of the family developing not only the same cancer (known as a concordant cancer) but also a different (discordant) cancer, according to a large study of 23,000 people in Italy and Switzerland.
The research, published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology [1] today (Thursday), provides a comprehensive picture of the risk of developing various different types of cancer in families where there is a history of the disease, and is one of the few large studies of this kind that takes into account other important factors, such as individual characteristics and lifestyles, that could affect the degree of risk as well.
Results from the study supported known associations, such as the increased risk of developing the same cancer as a close relative, and the 1.5-fold increased risk of breast cancer in women with a history of colorectal cancer in the family. However, the study also found a 3.3-fold increased risk of developing oral and pharyngeal cancer among people who had a first-degree relative with cancer of the larynx, and a four-fold increased risk of cancer of the gullet (oesophageal cancer) where a first-degree relative had oral or pharyngeal cancer. If a first-degree relative had breast cancer, female family members had a 2.3-fold increased risk of ovarian cancer. Family members had a 3.4-fold increased risk of prostate cancer if a first-degree relative had bladder cancer.
The researchers from Italy, Switzerland and France looked at 12,000 cases of cancer occurring in 13 different cancer sites (mouth and pharynx, nasopharynx, oesophagus, stomach, colorectum, liver, pancreas, larynx, breast, womb, ovaries, prostate and kidneys) between 1991 and 2009. They matched them with 11,000 people without cancer, and collected information on any cancer in the family, particularly in a first-degree relative, age at diagnosis, sociodemographic characteristics, body shape, lifestyle habits such as smoking and alcohol intake, diet, personal medical history, including menstrual and reproductive factors, and use of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy.
Dr Eva Negri, head of the Laboratory of Epidemiologic Methods at the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, Milan, Italy, said: "Besides confirming and quantifying the well-known excess risks of people developing the same cancer as their first-degree relative, we have identified increased risks for developing a number of different cancers. We have also found that if a patient was diagnosed with certain cancers when they were younger than 60, the risks of a discordant cancer developing in family members were greater.
"A major strength of our study is that we were able to adjust our analyses for tobacco, alcohol and a number of other lifestyle habits, which most previous studies have not been able to do."
Dr Negri said that some of the associations between discordant cancers were probably due to shared environmental factors such as family habits of smoking and drinking. However, she said: "Our results point to several potential cancer syndromes that appear among close relatives and that indicate the presence of genetic factors influencing multiple cancer sites. These findings may help researchers and clinicians to focus on the identification of additional genetic causes of selected cancers and on optimizing screening and diagnosis, particularly in people with a family history of cancer at a young age."
She said that the large numbers of patients in the study enabled the researchers to identify associations even for some rare cancers.
"For some rare cancers, a weak association with a different, common cancer can, on a population level, reveal a higher attributable risk than a strong association with the risk of developing the same cancer. For example, for ovarian cancer we found that a family history of breast cancer had a stronger attributable risk of ovarian cancer than the far rarer, albeit stronger, association with family history of ovarian cancer."
The researchers are still collecting data on the people they are studying, including biological material, which could help them to identify genetic factors that could be playing a role in the increased risk for people with a family history of cancer. They also plan to investigate whether some well-recognised risk factors are involved in increasing the risk to family members of developing concordant or discordant cancers, and if so, to what extent.
###
Notes:
[1] "Family history of cancer and the risk of cancer: a network of case-control studies", by F. Turati, V. Edefonti, C. Bosetti, M. Ferraroni, M. Malvezzi, S. Franceschi, R. Talamini, M. Montella, F. Levi, L. Dal Maso, D. Serraino, J. Polesel, E. Negri, A. Decarli, C. La Vecchia. Annals of Oncology. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdt280
[2] This study supported by the Italian Association for Cancer Research.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Large study reveals increased cancer risks associated with family history of the diseasePublic release date: 24-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Emma Mason wordmason@mac.com European Society for Medical Oncology
A family history of cancer increases the risk of other members of the family developing not only the same cancer (known as a concordant cancer) but also a different (discordant) cancer, according to a large study of 23,000 people in Italy and Switzerland.
The research, published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology [1] today (Thursday), provides a comprehensive picture of the risk of developing various different types of cancer in families where there is a history of the disease, and is one of the few large studies of this kind that takes into account other important factors, such as individual characteristics and lifestyles, that could affect the degree of risk as well.
Results from the study supported known associations, such as the increased risk of developing the same cancer as a close relative, and the 1.5-fold increased risk of breast cancer in women with a history of colorectal cancer in the family. However, the study also found a 3.3-fold increased risk of developing oral and pharyngeal cancer among people who had a first-degree relative with cancer of the larynx, and a four-fold increased risk of cancer of the gullet (oesophageal cancer) where a first-degree relative had oral or pharyngeal cancer. If a first-degree relative had breast cancer, female family members had a 2.3-fold increased risk of ovarian cancer. Family members had a 3.4-fold increased risk of prostate cancer if a first-degree relative had bladder cancer.
The researchers from Italy, Switzerland and France looked at 12,000 cases of cancer occurring in 13 different cancer sites (mouth and pharynx, nasopharynx, oesophagus, stomach, colorectum, liver, pancreas, larynx, breast, womb, ovaries, prostate and kidneys) between 1991 and 2009. They matched them with 11,000 people without cancer, and collected information on any cancer in the family, particularly in a first-degree relative, age at diagnosis, sociodemographic characteristics, body shape, lifestyle habits such as smoking and alcohol intake, diet, personal medical history, including menstrual and reproductive factors, and use of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy.
Dr Eva Negri, head of the Laboratory of Epidemiologic Methods at the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, Milan, Italy, said: "Besides confirming and quantifying the well-known excess risks of people developing the same cancer as their first-degree relative, we have identified increased risks for developing a number of different cancers. We have also found that if a patient was diagnosed with certain cancers when they were younger than 60, the risks of a discordant cancer developing in family members were greater.
"A major strength of our study is that we were able to adjust our analyses for tobacco, alcohol and a number of other lifestyle habits, which most previous studies have not been able to do."
Dr Negri said that some of the associations between discordant cancers were probably due to shared environmental factors such as family habits of smoking and drinking. However, she said: "Our results point to several potential cancer syndromes that appear among close relatives and that indicate the presence of genetic factors influencing multiple cancer sites. These findings may help researchers and clinicians to focus on the identification of additional genetic causes of selected cancers and on optimizing screening and diagnosis, particularly in people with a family history of cancer at a young age."
She said that the large numbers of patients in the study enabled the researchers to identify associations even for some rare cancers.
"For some rare cancers, a weak association with a different, common cancer can, on a population level, reveal a higher attributable risk than a strong association with the risk of developing the same cancer. For example, for ovarian cancer we found that a family history of breast cancer had a stronger attributable risk of ovarian cancer than the far rarer, albeit stronger, association with family history of ovarian cancer."
The researchers are still collecting data on the people they are studying, including biological material, which could help them to identify genetic factors that could be playing a role in the increased risk for people with a family history of cancer. They also plan to investigate whether some well-recognised risk factors are involved in increasing the risk to family members of developing concordant or discordant cancers, and if so, to what extent.
###
Notes:
[1] "Family history of cancer and the risk of cancer: a network of case-control studies", by F. Turati, V. Edefonti, C. Bosetti, M. Ferraroni, M. Malvezzi, S. Franceschi, R. Talamini, M. Montella, F. Levi, L. Dal Maso, D. Serraino, J. Polesel, E. Negri, A. Decarli, C. La Vecchia. Annals of Oncology. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdt280
[2] This study supported by the Italian Association for Cancer Research.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
When Joerg made metal-tipped toilet brushes a couple of months ago I'm pretty sure we were all thinking that they looked pretty tame. Okay, true, they violently annihilated a coconut suspended in ballistic gelatin, but they weren't horrifying, just chillingly effective. But a four shot repeating "monster" crossbow. That would be scary. And that's what we have here.
The lifetime rate of diagnosis of anxiety disorders is higher in women, with 33 percent experiencing an anxiety disorder in their lifetime, as compared with 22 percent of men. Experts believe this difference arises from a combination of hormonal fluctuations, brain chemistry and upbringing: women more often feel responsible for the happiness of others, such as their children or their spouse.
This article was originally published with the title The Anxious Sex.
MADRID (AP) ? Spain's prime minister on Monday brushed off demands he should resign after text messages emerged showing him comforting a political party treasurer under investigation over a slush fund stashed away secret Swiss bank accounts. The spectacle of alleged greed and corruption has enraged Spaniards hurting from austerity and sky high unemployment with no end in sight.
As Mariano Rajoy told reporters he would not step down, former Popular Party Luis Barcenas testified behind closed doors in Madrid, telling a judge investigating slush fund allegations that he gave 25,000 euros in secret payments to Rajoy and party secretary general Maria Delores de Cospedal between 2008 and 2010.
Rajoy declined to comment on specifics. But he insisted after meeting with Poland's premier that he will "see out the mandate the Spanish electorate gave me. This is a stable government that is going to fulfill its obligations."
Rajoy, who says neither he nor other party figures received illegal payments, did not deny exchanging text messages with now jailed former Popular Party treasurer Luis Barcenas. He insisted that the messages demonstrated that the state "was not bowing to blackmail. This is a serious democracy."
But the text messages, some analysts said, appeared to convey a tone of cronyism.
"Luis, nothing is easy," one message said. "But we are doing what we can. Cheer up."
Analysts are divided over whether the scandal could prompt an early exit for Rajoy, whose conservative party ousted the ruling Socialists in a 2011 landslide giving his party an absolute majority in Parliament and no requirement to call new elections until late 2015.
If Rajoy's position as leader becomes untenable, his party could theoretically decide he needs to go and select someone else as prime minister. It's unlikely that there would be any changes in Spain's tough austerity measures aimed at helping keep the European debt crisis at bay.
But the ever deepening scandal and its twists and turns have shaken Spaniards who saw their country teeter on the edge of a full-blown public finances bailout last year before Rajoy asked for a 100 billion euro bailout of the country's hurting banks, raised taxes and cut public services ? all in the name of saving the country from ruin.
And the corruption allegations come on top of unemployment at 27 percent with the rate double that for those under age 25, plus an ill-fated elephant hunting trip by Spain's king last year seen as a shameless sign of royal excess while the economy tanked.
Sitting on a shady park bench on a hot day in downtown Madrid, guide dog trainer Juan Antonio Luna said the corruption allegations on top of the painful cuts Spaniards keep on amazing and angering him as details leak out bit by bit .
"They raised our taxes, they cut services like national health care, and they got rid of scholarships for college students," said Luna, 56. "But there are millions (of euros) hidden away in Switzerland. If this happened in the United States, they would fire the president. Not here. They have no shame. They are raising taxes through the roof and swindling us at the same time."
Investors are closely watching the case play out without panicking yet, but Spain's already shaky image abroad is getting hammered, said Javier del Rey, a political science professor at Madrid's Complutense University.
"We're hitting new lows, with the Spanish brand tarnished across Europe," he said. "The question is if Rajoy stays, will it go down more? How is he going to be received in Brussels, London and Paris under these circumstances?"
Rajoy's leadership of his party is strong and party members fear that forcing him to step down could be make matters worse, potentially causing the party itself to implode, said Florentino Portero, a professor of contemporary history at Spain's Open University.
"But Barcenas places a question mark over whether Rajoy has the legitimacy to lead the government, particularly at a moment when strong leadership is needed to carry out the reforms Spain needs," Portero said. "At a time when the government is raising taxes to unprecedented limits, threatening the livelihood of the middle classes, that the same party should be found to be hiding its own income from the tax inspectors is morally unacceptable."
The scandal started earlier this year, when allegations of irregular or illegal party member financing emerged in a scheme allegedly orchestrated by Barcenas, a top financial in the Popular Party for nearly two decades until her resigned in 2009 after being named as a suspect for illegal party funding.
Details of the case have dripped out piecemeal for months, but reached a fever pitch on Sunday, when the text messages between Barcenas and Rajoy were printed by the El Mundo newspaper.
Barcenas was jailed last month while awaiting possible trial on tax fraud and money-laundering charges after the National Court found he had held the 47 million euros in secret Swiss bank accounts. Speculation has been rampant since then that he might try to drag the party and the government into the scandal, and TV camera crews film everyone who shows up outside jail to visit him.
While the slush fund probe has rocked the party and the county, Rajoy on Monday boasted that his party's economic reforms were beginning to pay off.
"Let no one think we are going to be distracted from getting Spain out of the crisis," he said.
During his appearance before a judge held behind closed doors, Barcenas gave details of making cash payments directly to Rajoy and Cospedal over a three-year period while Rajoy was Spain's opposition leader, the leading newspaper El Pais reported. The private news agency Europa Press said Barcenas claimed to have given 25,000 euros to Rajoy and Cospedal in 2010 alone but acknowledged there were no receipts.
He also reportedly confirmed the authenticity of ledger sheets handwritten by him and published by El Mundo last week allegedly documenting other under-the-table payments to Rajoy and other party leaders. El Mundo said the documents showed Rajoy received at least 42,000 euros in payments while serving as a government minister between 1997 and 1999.
Other Popular Party members portrayed Barcenas as a liar and a tax cheat who is trying to save himself by falsely implicating Rajoy.
"It's Barcenas who is in jail and it's up to him to explain where he got the money in Switzerland from," said Carlos Floriano, the party's deputy national organizer.
Barcenas initially claimed the money stemmed from private business deals. But last week El Mundo quoted him as saying the Popular Party has long been illegally funded.
Economy Minister Luis de Guindos dismissed suggestions that the scandal was affecting Spain's economic credibility, noting that Spanish stocks rose slightly on Monday and interest rates eased on the nation's benchmark 10-year bond.
"As regards international investors," he said, "nobody has asked me about this."
Alleged thieves apparently broke in to a foreclosure home in north St. Louis, changed the locks so that they had keys to the house, forged ownership papers, and then rented the place out to an unsuspecting family. Police have charged suspects Winston Clay and Todd Edwards with forgery and stealing.
Renter Bertha Williams thought the rental home "was legit" because Clay and Edwards had keys to the front door. Plus they advertised and listed it for rent at $650/month. For six months Clay and Edwards collected the rent -- nearly $4,000 in all -- until the real owner, Tracy Franklin, who had been living out of town during the foreclosure process, checked on the house while back in St. Louis, reported local TV station KMOV.
Williams and co-renter Dwayne Ellis will have to find another place to live, while Clay makes another visit to the police station. AOL Real Estate found that Clay has other arrests under his belt during this past 12 months, including possession of drug paraphernelia, domestic assault and failure to register a vehicle.
Ellis says that, the next time, he and Williams will do research on the Internet to determine if the owners are who they say they are.
In another foreclosure-related case, a woman in Virginia was also too trusting of her landlord who apparently leased to her a home that was already in foreclosure. Courtney Gourgoulianis and her two-year-old daughter were evicted from their rental house in Virginia Beach on Monday, only days after moving in, reported WTKR in Norfolk, Va. The owner of the house hasn't been around and the leasing agency is not getting back to her.
"I shouldn't have to suffer the consequences of someone else's crap," says Gourgoulianis. And she's right. Renters of foreclosures do have some legal rights against eviction due to foreclosure.
But it's even better to be proactive by researching the landlord. Check county property or tax assessor websites to find out who the owner of a home really and be forthright enough to ask to see recent mortgage statements.
For more tips, see "Foreclosure Eviction: What It Means for Renters" or "What Happens If Your Landlord Is Foreclosed On."
More about landlord issues: Landlord on 'Worst' List Faces Jail for 30 Housing Code Violations When a Landlord Endangers Your Life Landlord's Smoke Detectors Hid Spy Cameras
More on AOL Real Estate: Find homes for rent in your area. Find out how to calculate mortgage payments. Find homes for sale in your area. Find foreclosures in your area.
Follow us on Twitter at @AOLRealEstate or connect with AOL Real Estate on Facebook.
After serving four years as Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary, Janet Napolitano is set to resign on Friday. The?Los Angeles Times?reports Napolitano will become president of the University Of California system. ?
?While some may consider her to be an unconventional choice, Secretary Napolitano is without a doubt the right person at the right time to lead this incredible university," Sherry Lansing, the regent and former film industry executive who headed the search committee, said in a statement being released Friday. "She will bring fresh eyes and a new sensibility -- not only to UC, but to all of California. She will stand as a vigorous advocate for faculty, students and staff at a time when great changes in our state, and across the globe, are presenting as many opportunities as challenges.?
? ? ?
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 24-Jul-2013
Share ] 
