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June 2009

Nutritionist: Michael Jackson begged for sedative (AP)

Tue, 06/30/2009 - 16:39 — admin

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson was so distraught over persistent insomnia in recent months that he pleaded for a powerful sedative despite warnings it could be harmful, says a nutritionist who was working with the singer as he prepared his comeback bid.
Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse whose specialty includes nutritional counseling, said Tuesday that she repeatedly rejected his demands for the drug, Diprivan, which is given intravenously.
But a frantic phone call she received from Jackson four days before his death made her fear that he somehow obtained Diprivan or another drug to induce sleep, Lee said.
While in Florida on June 21, Lee was contacted by a member of Jackson's staff.
"He called and was very frantic and said, `Michael needs to see you right away.' I said, 'What's wrong?' And I could hear Michael in the background ..., 'One side of my body is hot, it's hot, and one side of my body is cold. It's very cold,'" Lee said.
"I said, `Tell him he needs to go the hospital. I don't know what's going on, but he needs to go to the hospital ... right away."
"At that point, I knew that somebody had given him something that hit the central nervous system," she said, adding, "He was in trouble Sunday and he was crying out."
Jackson did not go to the hospital. He died June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest, his family said. Autopsies have been conducted, but an official cause of death is not expected for several weeks.
"I don't know what happened there. The only thing I can say is he was adamant about this drug," Lee said.
Following Jackson's death, allegations emerged that the 50-year-old King of Pop had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants. But Lee said she encountered a man tortured by sleep deprivation and one who expressed opposition to recreational drug use.
"He wasn't looking to get high or feel good and sedated from drugs," she said. "This was a person who was not on drugs. This was a person who was seeking help, desperately, to get some sleep, to get some rest."
Jackson was rehearsing hard for what would have been his big comeback — his "This Is It" tour, a series of performances that would have strained his aging dancer's body. Also, pain had been a part of his life since 1984, when his scalp was severely burned during a Pepsi commercial shoot.
Several months ago, Jackson had begun badgering Lee about Diprivan, also known as Propofol, Lee said. It is an intravenous anesthetic drug widely used in operating rooms to induce unconsciousness. It is generally given through an IV needle in the hand.
Patients given Propofol take less time to regain consciousness than those administered certain other drugs, and they report waking up more clear-headed and refreshed, said University of Chicago psychopharmacologist James Zacny.
It has also been implicated in drug abuse, with people using it to "chill out" or to commit suicide, Zacny said. Accidental deaths linked to abuse have been reported. The powerful drug has a very narrow therapeutic window, meaning it doesn't take doses much larger than the medically recommended amount to stop a person's breathing.
An overdose that stops breathing can result in a buildup of carbon dioxide, causing the heart to beat erratically and leading to cardiac arrest, said Dr. John Dombrowski, a member of the board of directors of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
Because it is given intravenously and is not the kind of prescription drug typically available from pharmacists, abuse cases have involved anesthesiologists, nurses and other hospital staffers with easy access to the drug, Zacny said.
In recent months, Lee said, Jackson waved away her warnings about it.

"I had an IV and when it hit my vein, I was sleeping. That's what I want," Lee said Jackson told her.

"I said, 'Michael, the only problem with you taking this medication' — and I had a chill in my body and tears in my eyes three months ago — 'the only problem is you're going to take it and you're not going to wake up," she recalled.

According to Lee, Jackson said it had been given to him before but he didn't want to discuss the circumstances or identify the doctor involved.

The singer also drew his own distinctions when it came to drugs versus prescription medicine.

"He said, `I don't like drugs. I don't want any drugs. My doctor told me this is a safe medicine,'" Lee said. The next day, she said she brought a copy of the Physician's Desk Reference to show him the section on Diprivan.

"He said, 'No, my doctor said it's safe. It works quick and it's safe as long as somebody's here to monitor me and wake me up. It's going be OK,'" Lee said. She said he did not give the doctor's name.

Lee said at one point, she spent the night with Jackson to monitor him while he slept. She said she gave him herbal remedies and stayed in a corner chair in his vast bedroom.

After he settled in bed, Lee told Jackson to turn down the lights and music — he had classical music playing in the house. "He also had a computer on the bed because he loved Walt Disney," she said. "He was watching Donald Duck and it was ongoing. I said, `Maybe if we put on softer music,' and he said, `No, this is how I go to sleep.'"

Three and a half hours later, Jackson jumped up and looked at Lee, eyes wide open, according to Lee. "This is what happens to me," she quoted him as saying. "All I want is to be able to sleep. I want to be able to sleep eight hours. I know I'll feel better the next day."

Lee, 56, is licensed as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner in California, according to the state Board of Registered Nursing's Web site. She attended Los Angeles Southwest College and the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Sciences in Los Angeles.

Comedian Dick Gregory, who knows Lee and her work, said he believes Jackson's insomnia had its roots in the pop star's 2005 trial on child molestation charges. Jackson's health had deteriorated so much that his parents called Gregory, a natural foods proponent, for help.

Gregory said Jackson wasn't eating or drinking at the time and, after he was persuaded by Gregory to undergo testing, ended up hospitalized for severe dehydration.

But Jackson obviously was healthy enough to withstand the level of medical scrutiny needed to insure him for the upcoming high-stakes London concerts, Gregory said. "That you don't trick," he said of the exams.

Lee, who has also worked with Stevie Wonder, Marla Gibbs, Reynaldo Rey and other celebrities, said she was introduced to Jackson by the mother of one of his staff members. Jackson's three children had minor cold symptoms and their pediatrician was out of town.

Lee said she went to the house in January, the first of about 10 visits there through April, and treated the children with vitamins. Michael, intrigued, asked what else she did and took her up on her claim she could boost his energy.

After running blood tests, she devised protein shakes for him and gave him an intravenous vitamin and mineral mixture — known as a "Myers cocktail," after Dr. John Myers — which Lee said she uses routinely in her practice.

"It wasn't that he felt sick," she said. "He just wanted more energy."

Lee said she decided to speak out to protect Jackson's reputation from what she considers unfounded allegations of drug abuse or shortcomings as a parent.

"I think it's so wrong for people to say these things about him," she said. "He was a wonderful, loving father who wanted the best for his children."

___

AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner in Chicago and AP Television Writer David Bauder in New York contributed to this report.

Pullman and Stiles Will Star in Mamet's 'Oleanna' on Broadway (Playbill)

Tue, 06/30/2009 - 14:51 — admin

Oleanna - directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes (Doubt) - will open Oct. 11 at the intimate house that Avenue Q has occupied since 2003.

Producer Jeffrey Finn is behind the Broadway production of the provocative drama by Pulitzer Prize winner Mamet. The world premiere of Mamet's Race will also play Broadway this fall.

The "gripping account of a power struggle between a male university professor and one of his female students" is currently being presented by Center Theatre Group at Mark Taper Forum in L.A. by special arrangement with Jeffrey Finn. The run ends July 12. It received solid reviews. It opened June 5 after previews from May 28.

Tickets for the Broadway run will go on sale July 19 and will be available for purchase at Telecharge.com or by calling (212) 239-6200.

The Broadway production will feature the L.A. creative team, including scenic designer Neil Patel, costume designer Catherine Zuber, lighting designer Donald Holder and fight director Rick Sordelet. Production stage manager is Charles Means.

According to production notes, "Written in the heyday of political correctness and the culture wars of the early 1990s, Oleanna made an instantly incendiary debut - dividing audiences at every performance into two camps, compelled to attack or defend either character. Critics weighing in on this new production confirm that the play hasn't lost any of its bite, power or relevance, noting the intense post-show conversations that continue to erupt nightly."

Pullman (who plays John) returns to the Broadway stage for the first time since he received a 2002 Drama Desk Award nomination starring opposite Mercedes Ruehl in Edward Albee's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? His other recent stage work includes a second Drama Desk nomination for his appearance in Albee's Peter and Jerry in 2007 at Second Stage and the 2006 Kennedy Center production of The Subject Was Roses (Helen Hayes Award nomination). His films include "Independence Day," "Lost Highway," "Sleepless in Seattle," "Ruthless People," "While You Were Sleeping" and more.

Stiles (who plays Carol) earned acclaim for her performance in a previous production of Oleanna in London's West End in 2004. Her additional stage credits include the 2002 Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night as Viola, James Lapine's Fran's Bed at Playwrights Horizons and The Vagina Monologues. Oleanna will mark her Broadway debut. She made her cinematic debut at age 15 in "I Love You, I Love You Not" with Claire Danes. Her movies include "10 Things I Hate About You"; "Save the Last Dance"; "Mona Lisa Smiles"; two David Mamet films, "State and Main" and "Edmond"; and the three Bourne movies, "The Bourne Identity," "The Bourne Supremacy" and "The Bourne Ultimatum."

Mamet is the award-winning author of many plays including Glengarry Glen Ross (1984 Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Critics Circle Award, 2005 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play), American Buffalo, Boston Marriage, November, Speed-the-Plow and The Cryptogram.

Mamet has written the screenplays for such films as "The Verdict," "The Untouchables," "Wag the Dog" and his own adaptation of "Oleanna." He has twice been nominated for an Academy Award. He has written and directed ten films including "Homicide," "The Spanish Prisoner," "State and Main," "House of Games," "Spartan" and "Redbelt."

He is co-creator and executive producer of the CBS hit series "The Unit," and is a founding member of The Atlantic Theatre Company.

This fall, director Doug Hughes will also direct a Broadway revival of The Royal Family for Manhattan Theatre Club.

Following a world premiere in May 1992 as the first production of David Mamet's Back Bay Theater Company in Cambridge, MA and starring William H. Macy and Rebecca Pidgeon, Oleanna had its New York premiere Off-Broadway at The Orpheum Theatre on Oct. 23, 1992. Directed by Mamet and again starring Macy and Pidgeon, the hit production ran 513 performances, eventually featuring Treat Williams as John.

Visit www.OleannaOnBroadway.com.

Treasury OKs 3 firms for mortgage relief program (AP)

Tue, 06/30/2009 - 14:27 — admin

WASHINGTON – The Treasury Department said Tuesday that it has approved three more firms for its mortgage relief program.
The new approvals brought the number of companies participating in the mortgage effort to 23 with the total amount authorized for all of the firms rising to $17.98 billion out of a maximum of $50 billion the government has said it could spend on this program.
The money is being provided to support the government's effort to combat a wave of mortgage foreclosures by giving incentives for homeowners to modify their existing mortgages.
The new approvals for this program included National City Bank of Miamisburg, Ohio; Technology Credit Union of San Jose, Calif., and Citizens First Wholesale Mortgage Co. of The Villages, Fla.
The government also confirmed Tuesday that Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. had become the first among a group of six major life insurers to get assistance from the government's $700 billion financial rescue fund.
Hartford won approval in May from the government to gain access to the bailout program. The six companies had sought federal aid in the wake of major investment losses resulting from the financial market turmoil of last fall.
Hartford announced the federal support on Friday, but under the rules that govern the bailout program, Treasury has two business days to acknowledge transactions involving the fund.
The $3.4 billion in support provided to Hartford was by far the largest award on Tuesday. In addition, a group of 15 smaller banks received $226 million from the rescue fund bringing the total in support to $203.2 billion.
Last week, Treasury established a process for pricing billions of dollars worth of warrants that banks much repurchase from the government to exit the bailout program. Treasury said that the banks can make the first offer of a purchase price and then Treasury will decide whether to accept that offer or make a counteroffer.

Judge orders financier Stanford held without bail (Reuters)

Tue, 06/30/2009 - 13:30 — admin

HOUSTON (Reuters) –
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Texas financier Allen Stanford, accused of a $7 billion fraud, held without bail until trial.

U.S. prosecutors had argued that Stanford, who faces life in prison if convicted on all charges contained in a 21-count indictment, had the means and motive to flee.

"In total, the evidence proffered by the government is sufficient to weigh in favor of detention," U.S. District Judge David Hittner said in an order that revokes a $500,000 bond that a magistrate had granted Stanford on Thursday.

"We are very disappointed and we are going to appeal to the 5th Circuit," Dick DeGuerin, Stanford's lawyer said in a statement.

Stanford, who is more accustomed to jetting around the globe in his private planes, has been in custody since his arrest on June 18 in Virginia. He is currently being held in a federal detention center in a facility 40 miles north of Houston.

The government accuses the billionaire of leading a massive Ponzi scheme using the investor funds from certificates of deposit issued by his bank in Antigua.

Stanford sought to avoid detection by creating false accounting records, lying to investors and bribing a regulatory official in Antigua, according to prosecutors.

The case, filed in federal court in Houston, is United States of America v. Robert Allen Stanford H-09-342.

(Additional reporting by Bruce Nichols and Erwin Seba in Houston; editing by Carol Bishopric)

French Maid Costume

Tue, 06/30/2009 - 12:57 — admin

The term costume can refer to wardrobe and dress in general, or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people, class, or period. Costume may also refer to the artistic arrangement of accessories in a picture, statue, poem, or play, appropriate to the time, place, or other circumstances represented or described, or to a particular style of clothing worn to portray the wearer as a character or type of character other than their regular persona at a social event such as a masquerade, a fancy dress party or in an artistic theatrical performance.

The eyes are the most expressive part of the face. To enhance their features dancers should draw attention to and make their eyes appear larger. However, to maintain unity, the intensity of the eyes must be balanced with color and shape of the lips. The color of the lips needs to be complimentary to the skin color and costume (Art of Production 123).

French Maid Costume

Kites

Tue, 06/30/2009 - 12:24 — admin

One ancient design, the fighter kite, became popular throughout Asia. Most variations, including the fighter kites of India, Thailand and Japan, are small, flat, roughly diamond-shaped kites made of paper, with a tapered bamboo spine and a balanced bow. Flown without tails that would hinder their agility, these highly maneuverable flat kites have a length of cutting line coated with an abrasive attached to the bridle, which is then tied to a light cotton flying line. Although the rules of kite fighting varied from country to country, the basic combat was to maneuver the swift kite in such a way as to cut the opponent's flying line.

Kite flying began much later in Europe than in Asia. While unambiguous drawings of kites first appeared in print in the Netherlands and England in the 17th century, pennon-type kites that evolved from military banners dating back to Roman times and earlier were flown during the Middle Ages. Joseph Needham says that the earliest European description of a kite comes from the Magia Naturalis written in 1589 by the Italian polymath Giambattista della Porta (1535–1615).

Kites

Calif. lawmakers face deadline to avoid IOUs (AP)

Tue, 06/30/2009 - 06:18 — admin

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A midnight deadline loomed Tuesday as California lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger dueled over ways to cut into a $24.3 billion budget deficit or face having to issue IOUs to cover the state's bills.
Democrats lawmakers, the majority in both houses, tried two approaches Monday but both failed to draw Republican support.
Voting almost totally along party lines, the state Senate approved a package of bills featuring spending cuts and fee and tax increases to close the deficit.
But the Republican governor quickly promised to veto the legislation, saying he wouldn't sign anything that raised taxes or fees more than he has proposed.
"They should forget about that," he said, accusing Democrats of going through a "song and dance. Let's get to work, fix it."
Hours later, Senate Democrats put up three stopgap spending cut bills that passed the Assembly last week with bipartisan support. But again Republicans refused to budge, saying the budget problems needed a comprehensive solution focusing on spending cuts.
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said Democrats would not accept the deep cuts in college aid, health care and welfare programs sought by Schwarzenegger.
State Controller John Chiang has said he would have to start issuing IOUs unless lawmakers act by the end of the fiscal year on Tuesday.
Without a compromise, roughly $3 billion worth of IOUs will be issued in July to everyone from contractors to welfare recipients.
Democratic Assembly Speaker Karen Bass and Steinberg accused the governor of using last-minute maneuvers to push a laundry list of policy reforms rather than addressing the budget gap.
"It's not the way to go about working with people," Steinberg said. "It's not the way to go about working with your partner."
Democrats want to solve the deficit by cutting spending by $11 billion, raising the vehicle license fee by $15 to keep state parks open and increasing taxes on tobacco products and companies that drill for oil.
Schwarzenegger has proposed more aggressive cuts of $16 billion, including dropping health care for 930,000 low-income children and eliminating the state's main welfare program. He also would borrow $2 billion from local governments, take $6 billion from other government accounts, accelerate personal and corporate income tax collections, and cut state employee pay by another 5 percent.
___
Associated Press Writers Juliet Williams, Samantha Young and Don Thompson contributed to this report.

Newport mulls answers to downtown parking shortage (AP)

Tue, 06/30/2009 - 04:45 — admin

NEWPORT, R.I. – Scott Greenberg reached the breaking point of frustration when he was slapped with a $25 ticket for unwittingly leaving his Honda Accord in a spot reserved for Newport residents.
He fired off an angry letter to city officials, calling Newport the "wild west of parking" and expressing a sarcastic gratitude for the warm welcome. He vowed never to return.
"I tried to do it exactly right. I don't want to go on vacation and get aggravated. I go on vacation so I don't get aggravated," Greenberg, 51, who runs a wholesale fishing tackle distributor in Shandaken, N.Y., said in an interview.
Drivers navigating the warren of narrow, one-way streets of downtown Newport have long endured a frustrating, pound-the-dashboard fight for parking, particularly during the peak summer season when the city swells with tourists and the daily demand for spaces — roughly 20,000 — far outpaces the supply of 6,000 downtown public and private spots.
Business leaders, environmentalists and city officials have been brainstorming solutions, discussing in particular a streetcar or trolley system that could link visitors from downtown to beaches, hotels and major attractions like the historic Gilded Age mansions and the Cliff Walk hiking path.
The goal is to not only ease congestion but also appease the more than 3 million annual visitors who are vital to the city's economy.
"To me, parking is the No. 1 issue that impacts quality of business and quality of life in this city," said Keith Stokes, executive director of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce, which is leading the push for a trolley system. "And the future of Newport is tied to a comprehensive management and public transportation plan."
Details like permits and funding haven't been worked out, and the conversations are still preliminary. But the proposal reflects a broader effort to solve a problem that's long bedeviled this colonial city, whose 8-square-miles are already largely built out or protected lands.
The one major parking garage in the downtown isn't well marked. There's no subway system that connects major sites and public buses can get ensnared in traffic.
The chamber has taken steps recently to crystallize a streetcar proposal that has been floated for several years, tallying for the first time the number of available private and public parking spaces in the downtown. It's also been studying alternatives including valet parking, improved signage and expanding existing parking lots.
Stokes said he envisions a trolley system as privately operated and at least partially federally funded.
The chamber and city officials have discussed running it along America's Cup Avenue and Memorial Boulevard, two congested state highways that cut through Newport. Stokes said the system should be environmentally friendly — with rubber tires and natural gas or electricity.
The trolleys would also need a designated lane to avoid getting stuck in traffic, an inconvenience affecting buses operated by Rhode Island's public transit authority.
"Getting them from point A to point B quicker than if they took their vehicle or walked is a necessity for them to ride this people mover," said Paige Bronk, Newport's director of planning, zoning, development and inspection.
Though a modern streetcar system may seem out-of-place with the city's colonial appeal, officials say it could actually be a throwback to the early 20th century, when trolleys operated in the city. Plus, Bronk said, there's nothing quaint about the city's traffic.
"Does four lanes of automobile congestion, is that in keeping with the colonial period? It's not," he said. "Is a highway downtown in keeping with the colonial era? It's not."
The issue is personal to Stokes, a lifelong Newport resident who collects letters from disgruntled visitors. Frustrated drivers overstay at meters or park in spots reserved for residents. Private lots hike up their rates at night, and motorists can get stuck behind a driver inching like a tortoise in a vain pursuit of an open spot.
The city takes in roughly $900,000 a year from parking tickets, said city Finance Director Laura Sitrin.

Locals deal with the problem, too.

"I have a business in town, and people sneak into my parking," said Donna Karlovich, 52, who runs the Historic Hill Inn. "It's tough. I feel for them because there's only so many spots."

Greenberg said Newport shouldn't be a hassle to the same out-of-towners whose business it's trying to court.

"I like that area, I'm just trying to make a point," Greenberg said. "You don't feel welcome when you have to worry about stuff like that."

Economy shrinks fastest since 1958 (AFP)

Tue, 06/30/2009 - 03:54 — admin

LONDON (AFP) –
The recession-battered economy shrank at its fastest pace in more than 50 years in the first quarter of 2009, revised official data showed on Tuesday, amid the worst global slowdown in decades.

Gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 2.4 percent in the first three months of the year from the final quarter of 2008, said the Office for National Statistics.

"GDP in real terms fell by 2.4 percent compared with the previous quarter, revised down from last month's estimate of 1.9 percent. This is the largest decrease since the second quarter of 1958," the ONS said in a statement.

"Around half the revision... is a result of new construction output data, while the remainder reflects more complete data for services," it added.

On a year-on-year basis, the economy declined by 4.9 percent in the first quarter, the largest contraction since records began in 1948, and compared to the statistic office's earlier estimate of minus 4.1 percent.

"Even deeper contraction in GDP in the first quarter is obviously unwelcome news, but it is also old news and matters have moved on appreciably since then," said Howard Archer, chief Britain economist at IHS Global Insight.

"The good news is that the economy probably at worst contracted only modestly in the second quarter and it is not inconceivable that it managed to eke out marginal growth," he added.

The ONS on Tuesday added that GDP had stood at minus 0.1 percent in the second quarter of 2008 rather than showing flat growth, meaning the current recession began earlier than expected.

However fresh signs of better times ahead for the economy also appeared on Tuesday as home-loans provider Nationwide said house prices had increased by 0.9 percent in June from May.

"House prices have now risen in three of the last four months, suggesting that the improvement that began to show up in March represents more than just statistical noise," Nationwide's chief economist Martin Gahbauer said in a statement.

Economists' consensus forecast had been for a 0.5 percent drop in house prices in June compared to May.

"On balance, the stabilisation of house prices is a welcome surprise that did not seem likely at the beginning of the year," said Gahbauer.

"However, there are still considerable headwinds facing the demand side and until we see a more robust recovery in house purchase activity, it is too early to be confident about a full-scale recovery of prices," he added.

Office for National Statistics

Rescuers resume searching collapsed parking deck (AP)

Tue, 06/30/2009 - 03:15 — admin

ATLANTA – Emergency workers have resumed searching the wreckage of a collapsed Atlanta parking garage to see if anyone was trapped inside.
There are no reports of injuries from Monday's collapse, but rescuers early Tuesday morning began digging back into the tangle of concrete and cars to be sure. They had to stop the search Monday night to shore up the building after it shifted.
Atlanta Fire Battalion Chief Steven Woodworth says rescuers are working their way down through the four pancaked floors with dogs, cameras and listening devices.
A hot line set up to take reports of missing people had not received any calls overnight.
The middle sections of about four floors in the six-story building collapsed around lunchtime in Atlanta's busy Midtown area. At least 35 cars were crushed.



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