friendship

French government offers aid to restive Guadeloupe

2012-03-15T05:53:00.000-07:00

Rioters fired at police, stormed a city hall and burned several stores in a third night of violence on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, officials said Thursday, as France proposed to boost salaries to end the monthlong strike.

More than 500 police were deployed overnight across the island, with dozens arriving by helicopter in the southern coastal town of Sainte-Anne, where youths had forced their way into the city hall.

The building was not vandalized, although several businesses in the area were looted and set on fire, Mayor Richard Yacou said.

At least 39 people were detained for questioning and firefighters responded to 28 incidents …

Playboy hopping out of its hutch

2012-03-15T03:27:00.000-07:00

Jupiter Realty Services thinks it will quickly replace PlayboyEnterprises as its lead tenant at the 919 N. Michigan building whenPlayboy moves a few blocks east to the 680 N. Lake Shore Dr. buildingnext month.

"We're going to get people up there with hacksaws to take thePlayboy name off," said Jupiter Senior Vice President Ron Bokor, whobelieves the building will assume its own identity after Playboymoves out, which may be a plus in attracting other tenants.

Jupiter will complete its substantial renovation of the buildingin two months and be able to offer space at $7-10 per square footbelow the market for newer buildings on Michigan Avenue, Bokor said.The …

US, EU demand Iran return to nuclear talks

2012-03-15T01:03:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and the European Union demanded Tuesday that Iran return to international talks over its nuclear program and prove to the world that its atomic intentions are peaceful.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Iran must stop stalling and respond in good faith to invitations to discuss the nuclear matter with international negotiators. That's the same demand, and the same invitation, that negotiators have made for years. They have been unsuccessful in persuading Iran to openly discuss its atomic program, which the U.S. and its allies believe is a cover for nuclear weapons development.

"Iran …

Lawmakers split on timing of Afghan decision

2012-03-14T22:42:00.000-07:00

Top lawmakers are sparring over the timing of President Barack Obama's decision on how to proceed in Afghanistan.

Republicans want a quick move to boost troop levels. Democrats are asking for patience.

In partisan displays on Sunday morning talk shows, senators from both parties agreed on the need to support whatever Afghan government emerges from the Nov. 7 runoff election between President Hamid …

Injuries continue to plague Demons

2012-03-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

At 4-1, DePaul is off to the kind of start coach Oliver Purnell hoped for. But as the Blue Demons face Mississippi (5-1) in their Allstate Arena season debut Thursday as part of the Big East/SEC Challenge, injury trouble continues to dog the team.

The latest is 6-9 forward Donnavan Kirk, the transfer from Miami who became eligible last week. Kirk, who was bothered by back problems last season, played only three minutes in the first game of the Old Spice Classic as pain flared again. He won't be available Thursday, but the greater concern is whether his problems will continue.

"He couldn't play in the second half [against Minnesota] and after that because of back pain," …

MAKING AD PART OF U.S. ENERGY PORTFOLIO

2012-03-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

Madison, Wisconsin

A paper published in Environmental Science & Technology in July entitled "Contribution of Anaerobic Digesters [AD] to Emissions Mitigation and Electricity Generation Under U.S. Climate Policy" explores the potential, as well as economic and policy incentives, for facilitating deployment of these energy from organics recycling projects. The study led by University of Wisconsin and MIT researchers addresses the fact that current livestock husbandry practices in the U. S contribute significantly to environmental problems - including the release of methane into the atmosphere - while AD projects break down and capture the related organics for collection of …

Scott agrees to extension with Hornets

2012-03-14T15:41:00.000-07:00

NBA coach of the year Byron Scott and the New Orleans Hornets agreed in principle to a two-year contract extension on Wednesday.

"I am very happy to sign an extension to stay here in New Orleans with the Hornets," Scott said in a statement released by the team. "We, as a team, are a piece of the community of New Orleans. We are really growing into something special and there is no other place I would rather be."

Citing team policies, the Hornets did not release the terms of the new contract.

Two people familiar with the contract confirmed the length of the deal on condition of anonymity and also told The Associated Press that …

A friend to the end

2012-03-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

More than 2,000 years of Italian history have left us with apantheon of Italian heroes. Starting with Romulus and Remus, thefounders of Rome, and working right up to film comic Roberto Benigni,the Italians have offered up the glittering names of history -- fromDante to Primo Levi, from Julius Caesar and Christopher Columbus toMarconi and Fermi.

To that list add Fabrizio Quattrocchi, the Italian guard takenhostage in Iraq last week who, in a moment of defiance, inscribed hisname into the hearts of Italians as well as those who recognizebravery in the face of death.

Quattrocchi, after being forced to dig his own grave, stood calmlybefore …

Parts supplier sues State Farm plaintiff

2012-03-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

Citing loss of profits, Collision Parts Network asks California court to declare State Farm ruling invalid

Collision Parts Network Inc. (CPN), a Fresno, Calif. distributor of non-OEM parts, is suing one of the key plaintiffs in the landmark $1.2 billion State Farm case because the company's generic parts sales have dropped by more than 50 percent since the October 1999 ruling in the class action lawsuit.

The CPN suit, filed July 27 against Michael Avery, challenges the ability of a judgment in Illinois to influence California law."Illinois law should not control what happens in other states," says Ronald Katz, CPN's attorney and the antitrust and intellectual property …

NY serial killer Arthur Shawcross dead at 63

2012-03-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

Serial killer Arthur Shawcross, who was serving life in prison for strangling 11 women in the Rochester area, has died at 63.

Shawcross died late Monday at an Albany hospital, where he had been taken after complaining of leg pain earlier in the day at the Sullivan Correctional Facility, Corrections Department spokesman Erik Kriss said Tuesday. The cause of death was still under investigation, he said.

Shawcross' 13-week trial for 10 of the killings included graphic testimony about mutilation and cannibalism

Shawcross' victims, most of them prostitutes, were killed in the period from March 1988 to January 1990. At the time, he was on parole after …

The Limits of Power ; There are frustrations galore at the grassroots, but it is essential to persevere.

2012-03-14T06:19:00.000-07:00

I was quite happy with the profession I was in in the corporateworld and was leaning towards starting my own business - that is howmy Equest horse riding Academy came into existence in Jaipur.

The "Sarpanch-job" dropped into my lap from nowhere! Before Icould even realize it I had already been announced as the newsarpanch in my village: Soda.

That was due to the fact that three generations of my familybefore me had workedfor the benefit and development of my village.It's because of that that the villagers were keen to have me contestthe elections in 2010 primarily to safeguard the village's unity,which was being threatened because of almost 18 women …

Serb prosecutor says judges reject Mladic's appeal against extradition to UN tribunal.

2012-03-14T03:59:00.000-07:00

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serb prosecutor says judges …

Honey of a film is a sweet success

2012-03-14T01:06:00.000-07:00

Opening with a shocking confession from its teenage protagonist -"I killed my mother when I was four-years-old . . ." - The SecretLife Of Bees is an affecting and well crafted rites of passage storyset in racially divided '60s South Carolina.

Writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood adapts Sue Monk Kidd'sacclaimed novel for the big screen with aplomb, stepping back to atime when the colour of a person's skin determined his or herstation in life.

Beatific scenes of sisterly solidarity and honey gathering in sun-dappled landscapes are beautifully captured by cinematographerRogier Stoffers.

These moments of pastoral splendour contrast starkly withoccasional explosions of violence, including racial and child abuse,and the death of one character guaranteed to pluck the heartstringsof most of the audience.

Prince-Bythewood's script is perhaps a little emotionallymanipulative and sickly sweet like the bees' golden nectar.

The long-standing conflict between the young heroine and herbullying father is also resolved far too neatly.

However, strong performances from the ensemble cast - notablyDakota Fanning as the girl crippled by guilt over her mother's death- cast a heady spell.

Plucky teenager Lily Owens (Fanning), is one of the few people intown to take people as they come, happily treating her nursemaidRosaleen (Hudson) as her equal.

When the servant endures a beating at the hands of local bigotsand is consigned to a hospital bed with bruises and broken bones,Lily vows to spirit her friend away to a safer place, leaving behindher hard-drinking father T Ray (Bettany).

Rosaleen and her diminutive companion seek refuge in aneighbouring community, finding lodgings with the Boatwright sisters- August (Latifah), May (Okonedo) and June (Keys) - who produce someof the state's finest honey.

The sisters, it transpires, are directly linked to Lily's deadmother and as the young woman explores her tortured past, she learnsto harness the courage to stand up for what she believes in, andeven stand up to T Ray.

As chick flicks trumpeting female empowerment go, The Secret LifeOf Bees is a hugely enjoyable and heartfelt diversion.

Fanning anchors the cast with another emotionally raw portrayalof tainted childhood, crying her heart out on cue.

Latifah impresses as a clucky mother hen and Okonedo and Keys areboth excellent in wildly different roles.

Damon Smith

EU: WTO finds Boeing got illegal subsidies

2012-03-13T22:14:00.000-07:00

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union said Monday that the World Trade Organization found U.S. aid to Boeing Co. violated international rules — but both sides claimed to have won the latest round in the long-running subsidy battle between the Chicago-based plane maker and European rival Airbus.

The EU said the WTO report confirmed a preliminary ruling on the case made in September. That ruling came months after the Geneva-based trade body faulted European governments for illegally supporting local aircraft maker Airbus, a unit of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co.

"This solid report sheds further light on the negative consequences for the EU industry of these US subsidies and provides a timely element of balance in this long-running dispute," EU trade spokesman John Clancy said in a statement.

The EU alleges that Boeing received almost $24 billion in illegal subsidies, such as research grants and free use of technology, from NASA, the Department of Defense, and the states of Illinois, Kansas and Washington. However, how much of this aid the WTO deemed illegal won't be clear until Monday's report is published some time this spring.

Boeing also claimed that the WTO had come out in its favor. "The WTO rejected almost all of Europe's claims against the United States," it said in a statement. "Nothing in today's reports even begins to compare to the $20 billion in illegal subsidies that the WTO found last June that Airbus/EADS has received."

That interpretation was echoed by the office of the U.S. Trade Representative. "The United States is confident that the WTO will confirm the U.S. view that European subsidies to Airbus dwarf any subsidies that the United States provided to Boeing," spokeswoman Nefeterius Akeli McPherson said in a statement.

The WTO body can't force countries to eliminate subsidies, but it can authorize retaliatory tariffs against products from countries that fail to comply with rulings. Considering past delays and future appeals in the Airbus and Boeing cases that stage is likely years away.

Trade analysts say the dispute will likely be resolved by negations between all parties. Their outcome could shape the future structure of the global aviation market, which is expected to be worth some $3 trillion over the next two decades and has attracted rivals from countries like China and Brazil.

Airbus and Boeing are trying to spin the WTO's rulings in their favor as they vie to secure a $35 billion contract to sell refueling jets to the U.S. Air Force.

The United States brought the dispute to the WTO in 2004, complaining that European governments supported Airbus with billions of euros in illegal subsidies. It filed the case after pulling out of a 1992 agreement limiting subsidies in the aviation industry. Brussels responded with a countersuit against U.S. support for Boeing.

The WTO ruled last year that Europe's "launch aid" to Airbus through virtually risk-free loans as well as infrastructure support, research and development funding and export subsidies from Britain, France, Germany and Spain broke international trade rules. Both the EU and the U.S. are appealing that case, in a public battle about who received more aid.

Airbus said that the WTO ruling backs its claim that illegal subsidies received by Boeing "have a significantly greater distortive effect than the reimbursable loans" made to Airbus.

Airbus estimates that it has lost at least $45 billion through lost sales and lower prices as a result of Boeing's subsidies.

"From today, Boeing can no longer pretend that it doesn't benefit from generous and illegal state subsidies. It has been doing so from the start and it's time to stop the denial," said Rainer Ohler, Airbus's head of public affairs and communications.

Airbus said it expects the dispute to carry on for "several more years," and that a negotiated settlement is the only way to resolve it.

Greg Keller in Paris and Chris Rugaber in Washington contributed to this report.

Rukn gets 12 years for selling cocaine

2012-03-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

The first El Rukn to be sentenced following a 1989 indictment of65 alleged members of the street gang drew a 12-year sentence Fridayfor selling 1.46 grams of cocaine to an undercover informant.

A jury acquitted Kenneth Bingham, 27, of the more seriouscharges of racketeering and narcotics conspiracy earlier this year.

Forty-nine reputed El Rukns have been convicted since the 1989indictments after a seven-year investigation by U.S. agents andChicago police.

St. Albans looks at crossing guards

2012-03-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

St. Albans City Council members are trying to get funds for much-needed school crossing guards.

Councilman Tom McKeny brought a motion before council Mondaynightrequesting school crossing guards be considered in the upcomingbudget.

He placed special emphasis on getting a crossing guard to patrolHighlawn Elementary at Kanawha Terrace and Walnut Street.Councilwoman Patty Chandler said while council should try to findmoney for one crossing guard, it also should being seeking money topay for crossing guards to patrol other local schools.Councilwoman Sandra Ashley said, "I don't think anyone is againstit."Councilman Jerry Cogar agreed that there is a need for crossingguards, but said the council's finance committee was concerned aboutthe fairness of funding just one position."To be fair for all, I think that needs to be taken intoconsideration," he said.Councilman Bob Barnette said crossing guards would be in uniformand the police department would be in charge of the training.City Attorney Charles Riffee said the money may not be in thebudget. A finance committee meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Jan. 14to discuss the situation, Councilman John Caudill announced.A public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. Jan. 11 to discuss arecreation center in St. Albans. State Sen. Martha Walker presentedthe mayor with a check for $25,000 for the center."It's only $25,000," Walker said, "but it's a beginning and if Ihave my way, I'll have another check."In other business, Councilman Bill Powell said the Festival ofLights made $51,212 this year, which was about $8,000 less than lastyear. Powell said attendance may have decreased because peopleattended other festivals in the area. He said unseasonably warmweather also may have affected attendance.

Pro-Russia party wins snap Latvian election

2012-03-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

RIGA, Latvia (AP) — A left-wing, pro-Russia party captured the most votes in Latvia's parliamentary elections, marking a milestone for the tiny Baltic nation where parties distrustful of Russia have dominated all national elections since independence 20 years ago.

With some 95 percent of ballots counted early Sunday, Harmony Center, a party catering to the country's ethnic Russian minority, had 29.2 percent of the vote.

Since 1991, when Latvia regained its independence after the breakup of the Soviet Union, no such party had either won an election or been included in a coalition government, a streak that Harmony hopes to change after Saturday's election. But other parties were already maneuvering to shut Harmony out of any coalition government.

About one-third of Latvia's 2.2 million people are minorities whose native language is Russian. Many of them are "non-citizens" who lack the right to vote. Latvia was occupied by the Soviet Union for a half-century after World War II.

An upstart party formed by former President Valdis Zatlers was in second place with 20.5 percent, while Unity, the senior partner in the current ruling center-right coalition, was third with 18.2 percent, a sharp decrease from the 31.2 percent it amassed one year ago in its election victory.

Leaders of these two parties — which could together pull in about 42 seats in the 100-member Parliament — have suggested they would begin coalition talks immediately in order to seize the initiative from Harmony in forming the next government.

Analysts believe the two parties are likely to leave Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis in his position, which would be a key signal to international lenders and investors who want assurances that Latvia will stick to its commitments to cut its budget deficit and keep on track to adopting the euro in 2014.

Still, to secure a parliamentary majority, the two parties will probably have to invite one of three parties expected to break the 5 percent barrier required to gain seats in Parliament.

Other than Harmony, there is the populist Greens and Farmers Union, which was gaining 12.2 percent of the vote, and the right-wing National Alliance, with 13.5 percent.

But since one of the two center-right parties has sworn not to cooperate with the populists, they face a stark choice for a third coalition partner: either the pro-Russia Harmony or the Russia-hating National Alliance.

"Forming a coalition, I think, will be more difficult than a year ago," former President Vaira Vike-Freiberga told public radio on Saturday. "Honestly speaking, I don't see that we are being offered something that could drastically change the situation."

The snap election takes place after the previous legislature, elected last October, was dissolved in a nationwide referendum in July. Some 94 percent of voters supported dissolution.

The referendum was held after Zatlers in May proposed dissolving the legislature for lawmakers' interference in a major probe into high-level corruption.

Zatlers, who was not re-elected by Parliament in June, went on to create his own party, whose chief aim is to dismantle the cozy relationship between business and government in Latvia.

The vote count shows that Zatlers might accomplish this goal. The Greens and Farmers Union, which is led by Zatlers' archenemy, Aivars Lembergs, is certain to see its position in Parliament weakened, and may even be excluded from the government for the first time in nine years.

The Slesers' Reform Party, headed by another influential politician-businessman, Ainars Slesers, had only 2.4 of the vote and is unlikely to make the 5 percent threshold.

Zatlers decided to dissolve Parliament in May after lawmakers granted Slesers immunity and barred investigators from searching his properties for evidence in the anti-corruption probe.

The decision on whom to nominate for prime minister rests with Zatlers' successor, President Andris Berzins.

Turkish court charges 8 in alleged coup plot

2012-03-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

A Turkish court says it has charged eight more suspects, including a university president, over an alleged secularist conspiracy to topple the Islamic-rooted government.

The court in Istanbul says the suspects charged Friday included Prof. Mehmet Haberal, the president and owner of Ankara's Baskent University, and three other former university presidents.

Prosecutors claim that dozens of military officers, police officers, journalists and academics plotted a coup.

Haberal had organized meetings with secularists opposed to the government, reportedly with the aim of forming a new political movement or party. Haberal also owns pro-secular Kanal B television, whose headquarters were searched by police Monday.

Masters Champ Struggles at John Deere

2012-03-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

SILVIS, Ill. - Masters champion Zach Johnson couldn't settle in at home, shooting a 1-under 70 and falling six strokes off the lead through the first round of the John Deere Classic on Thursday.

Neal Lancaster shot 7-under to grab a one-shot lead over Duffy Waldorf, Paul Stankowski, Kenny Perry, Scott Gutschewski and Jason Dufner.

Ranked 15th in the world and the only top-45 player in this tournament, Johnson started on the 10th hole and appeared to be hitting his stride when he birdied the par-4 15th and par-5 17th. That put him at 1-under, but his putting prevented him from making a run, which explains why he called the round "very mediocre."

This was not the start he had in mind, but it was in line with his previous showings at TPC Deere Run. Johnson grew up just over an hour away in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and he considers this his home event even though he has never finished higher than 20th.

Maybe it was no surprise the magic that carried him to a shocking victory at the Masters and showed up again when he won the AT&T Classic near Atlanta in May was missing.

"I missed some very short putts," Johnson said. "I actually had some unfortunate breaks, too. I hit it in three divots - two on the front and one on the back. That really just kind of put me in a position where I had to try to get on the green."

Lancaster was a surprise leader.

His lone PGA Tour victory was at the 1994 GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic, and he said he has not played well for six years. His highest finish in three tour events this year was 24th at the AT&T Classic, and he hit so poorly on the range Wednesday that he stopped. He didn't bother going to the putting green all week because that part of his game deserted him years ago.

He fared well on Thursday, finishing with eight birdies and one bogey.

While Lancaster grabbed the lead, Johnson took center stage.

A year ago, that was Michelle Wie's place until she succumbed to heat exhaustion on the second day, and she would have been the center of attention again had she not withdrawn due to wrist injuries last month.

With Wie out, the focus was on Johnson.

A gallery of about 75 trailed him, cheering just about every shot - good or bad. A fan screamed, "Go get 'em Mr. Johnson" as he walked to the ninth hole, and another yelled, "Welcome home, Zach" as he approached the green.

Johnson then knocked a 17-foot birdie putt wide before tapping it in for par, a fitting conclusion to his round.

"I feel I'm in a good position," he said. "It's only Thursday. I'm certainly not out of the golf tournament."

John Daly was 1-over, while defending champion John Senden was in danger of missing the cut after shooting 7-over.

Examining Physician Counselling to Promote the Adoption of Physical Activity

2012-03-13T03:23:00.000-07:00

ABSTRACT

Background: While the benefits of physical activity are generally recognized, over half of adult Canadians are not active enough to receive those benefits. Physicians may influence patient activity through counselling; however, research is inconsistent regarding their effectiveness in doing so. Increasing patients' use of self-regulatory skills in managing their activity and additional telephone support are suggested as two means of improving physician counselling. When assessing the effectiveness of physician counselling, it may be important to measure both outcome and treatment adherence. We compared physician-directed activity counselling (modified PACE protocol) with a modified PACE protocol augmented with telephone-based counselling for patient support for both outcome and treatment adherence.

Methods: Physicians counselled 90 patients using a modified PACE protocol that included self-regulatory skills. Physical activity was assessed by questionnaire at baseline (prior to counselling) and one month later. Participants were divided into two groups: counselling (modified PACE counselling) and enhanced counselling (modified PACE counselling plus telephone support).

Results: The main outcome (mean energy expenditure) and secondary outcomes of treatment adherence (frequency, frequency of moderate activity, and duration) significantly increased over time (p<0.05). No significant interactions between group and time were found.

Interpretation: Our results support the effectiveness of physician counselling for activity that included the use of self-regulation skills. The effectiveness of telephone support over and above that of physician counselling was not supported. Our results demonstrate that assessing treatment adherence provides a means of discerning whether the counselling intervention was delivered as intended.

Key words: Directive counselling; exercise; physicians

When the benefits of being active1,2 are coupled with the fact that 59% of adult Canadians are not active enough to achieve health benefits,3 the call for increases in physical activity in the Canadian population may not be surprising.4

The College of Family Physicians of Canada has acknowledged its role in promoting physical activity by launching an online training module (PACE CANADA).5 Notwithstanding this, examination of current controlled studies suggests there is insufficient evidence to recommend either for or against physical activity counselling by physicians.6,7 Two research suggestions made to improve future studies were addressed in this intervention and included modifying the PACE counselling so that physicians were taught to incorporate counselling that encouraged greater patient self-regulation8-10 as well as augmenting the counselling with additional telephone support.11,12

We compared physician-directed activity counselling (modified PACE protocol) with the same counselling augmented with telephone-based counselling. Given the modified PACE counselling encouraged greater self-regulation, our first hypothesis was that all patients would show an increase in physical activity over a one-month period. The second hypothesis was that those in the modified PACE plus telephone support condition would show a greater increase in physical activity over a one-month period than patients in the modified PACE alone condition.

In addition to examining activity, we were interested in treatment adherence given that many individuals who are prescribed exercise do not comply,13,14 and a perceived lack of patient willingness to adhere to activity counselling advice is often reported by health care providers as a barrier to counselling.15 To examine treatment adherence, a number of measures congruent with the modified PACE protocol were assessed. Accordingly, our third hypothesis was that patients in both conditions would report more activity bouts of at least 10 minutes, more daily minutes of activity, and a higher intensity of activity post-counselling than at baseline.

METHODS

Participants and design

Participants were 90 adults who were not regularly active but were thinking about increasing their activity level ('contemplators' as outlined in the PACE protocol). The study used a 2 (treatment group) by 2 (pre-post) mixed-model factorial design. All participants received a common physician-directed modified PACE counselling session, after which they were randomly assigned (using random numbers table) to two groups: "counselling" (physician-directed - modified PACE protocol) or "enhanced counselling" (physician-directed - modified PACE protocol - augmented by telephone counselling).*

Procedure

This study was approved by the University of Saskatchewan Research Ethics Board. Family physicians (N=200) in a mid-sized Canadian city who were interested in activity counselling were recruited either following a presentation at a monthly professional meeting or through a mailed invitation. Physicians who volunteered (N=24) completed a 3-hour training session on the modified PACE protocol.16 The protocol is described elsewhere.17,18

The basic design called for the recruitment of family physicians, who were responsible for recruiting the participants. Physicians were asked to recruit ambulatory patients who were scheduled for a complete physical examination within the next three months. Office staff identified these patients and called them to invite participation. When volunteers arrived for their appointment, they completed a consent form, a questionnaire assessing their physical activity readiness (i.e., PACE stages of change) and self-reported levels of physical activity. Participants then received counselling from their physician (i.e., modified PACE protocol), which was designed to take about five minutes during the appointment.

The PACE protocol involved assessing a patient's stage of change19 and current physical activity level followed by physical activity counselling. The modification to the PACE protocol involved including examples of how to plan, schedule, and implement strategies (i.e., self-regulation skills) to avoid the barriers that typically minimize activity. Through examples, physicians counselled their patients on how to build activity bouts of at least 10 minutes into their lifestyle (e.g., plan to get off the bus two stops early and walk for 10 minutes to workplace). Following counselling, a prescription for physical activity was formulated by the physician, and signed by the physician and patient. The prescription recommended a program of light or moderate activities with the goal of accumulating 30 to 60 minutes of moderate activity daily in bouts of at least 10 minutes.

Participants in the enhanced counselling group received an additional 15-minute telephone call one week after the physician counselling. During the call, a research assistant reviewed the participants' understanding of their individual physical activity prescription as well as collaborated with participants to create a plan to overcome any potential barriers (i.e., reinforce self-regulatory skills) to initiating activity.

The post-test physical activity questionnaire was administered over the telephone to participants in both groups one month after the physician counselling by an assistant who was blinded to condition.

Measures

Physical Activity

To assess physical activity levels, the Modified Activity Questionnaire (MAQ) was used. The instrument has been shown to be a reliable and valid measure of self-reported physical activity.20 Participants identified all leisure activities done over the last week as light, moderate, or vigorous intensity.

Primary outcome: Energy expenditure

For each activity listed by a participant on the MAQ, the product of the metabolic cost (METs), average duration in minutes, and frequency for the week was calculated, and then divided by the number of days in the week. The value for each activity was summed to yield a total KKD (kcal/kg/day) value for each participant.

Secondary outcomes: Adherence

Frequency: Activity frequency was calculated by counting the number of bouts of at least 10 minutes per week.

Intensity: For each intensity level, separate frequencies were calculated by counting the number of light, moderate, and vigorous activity bouts of at least 10 minutes per week.

Duration: Minutes of reported physical activity were summed to provide a total number of minutes of physical activity per week.

Analytical approach

A repeated measures ANOVA was used to test for differences in energy expenditure from baseline to post counselling (hypothesis 1) as well as the interaction of groups and time (hypothesis 2). For the third hypothesis, repeated measures ANOVAs were used to test for differences on the adherence measures of frequency of activity bouts of at least 10 minutes, activity intensities of light, moderate and vigorous, and activity duration from baseline to post counselling.

RESULTS

Participants missing data (n = 4) or those whose activity levels were viewed as outliers (z-scores > 3.29, n = 3) were excluded, leaving 41 participants in the counselling and 42 in the enhanced counselling groups (mean age = 43.1 years, SD = 11.8 with a range of 19-73 years). As can be seen in Table I, there were no differences between the groups for any baseline characteristics (p>0.05).

Primary outcome

For hypothesis one, ANOVA results for physical activity revealed only a main effect for time (F (1, 81) = 12.64, p=0.001), with energy expenditure increasing from baseline to 1 month (see Table II). The ANOVA results for the second hypothesis revealed that the interaction between time and treatment group was not significant (p>0.05). In terms of power, assuming a moderate effect size (ES=0.30), a correlation = 0.3, and p<0.05, 45 participants per group would be required for power = 0.80,21 which is only slightly above our final sample.

Secondary outcomes

Results from an ANOVA revealed frequency of physical activity bouts of at least 10 minutes increased significantly (F (1, 81) = 4.68, p=0.03) from baseline to 1 month (see Table II).

Examination of activity intensity was done using 3 separate ANOVAs. Only the frequency of moderate activity bouts of at least 10 minutes increased significantly (F (1, 81) = 20.35, p<0.001) from baseline to 1 month (see Table II).

ANOVA results for duration of activity (minutes per week) revealed a main effect for time (F (1, 81) = 11.49, p=0.001), with weekly minutes increasing from baseline to 1 month (see Table II).

DISCUSSION

This study examined changes in physical activity level when comparing physician-directed physical activity counselling (modified PACE protocol) to the same protocol augmented by telephone counselling.

After counselling, the mean level of self-reported physical activity for all participants increased significantly from 1.7 to 2.7 KKD over a one-month period, supporting our first hypothesis. This finding is important as it supports the idea that physician counselling may be an important avenue for improving adult activity levels over a short period of time. Also, our finding using the modified PACE protocol appears to be consistent with other studies using the original PACE protocol, which have established a positive relationship between physician counselling and changes in activity levels.17

While main effects for time were found, the enhanced treatment effect of additional telephone support was not supported (i.e., second hypothesis). Although unexpected, some possible explanations can be offered. One possibility might simply be that more calls were needed.22 A second possibility is that the content of the calls may require more specific tailoring for each participant so that the messages are congruent with the participant's psychological style of processing health information.23

Regarding secondary outcomes, adherence to the treatment was high across all measures for both conditions, supporting our third hypothesis. The frequency of activity bouts of at least 10 minutes increased significantly. Second, the mean duration increased significantly to an average of 40 minutes/day, which was consistent with the physician advocacy of at least 30 minutes of activity per day. Finally, the preponderance of activities done by participants at baseline was at light intensity. After counselling, participants engaged in moderate-intensity activity as frequently as light-intensity activities. This was due to an increase in moderate activities, which was consistent with the physician-directed counselling encouraging increased moderate-intensity activities.

Taken together, the results for the secondary outcomes suggest that there was adherence to the modified PACE physician-directed counselling. To our knowledge, this is the first PACE study to examine treatment adherence. The results of our modification of the PACE counselling suggest that we may be able to begin to address the concern that patients fail to adhere to the advice of health care providers.15

A unique aspect of the counselling in this study was to facilitate the patients' greater involvement in applying their physician's activity advice. Patients were given "how-to" examples suggesting that they could partake in multiple bouts of moderate-intensity activity lasting at least 10 minutes in order to obtain the recommended 30 minutes per day. Thus, rather than passively following physician advice, patients had greater choice in how to apply physician suggestions to their own lifestyles, which is consistent with recommendations of adherence experts.10 Another unique feature of the examples used in counselling was that they included aspects of self-regulatory skills (i.e., planning, adjusting goals) that bridged the original PACE protocol's "how-to" gap between listing barriers and following the physician's prescription.10 This focus on counselling with examples addressing self-regulatory skills may be one of the key reasons why we observed a change of 1 KKD that is not always observed.24 If replicated, the modified PACE approach to physician counselling could be used to inform future counselling interventions.

Although this field study has several strengths, it is not without limitations. One concern is the generalizability of the findings. Given this sample consisted primarily of well-educated, employed females, it would not be prudent to generalize beyond this population. However, it does suggest that a future examination of a male sample, as well as samples of the less educated or the unemployed is necessary.

A second possible limitation concerns the fact that hypothesis one was tested without a control group, as we chose to view the PACE protocol as "normal practice" given that the College of Family Physicians has acknowledged its role in promoting physical activity. A further justification for using the counselling protocol for both groups resides in the fact that physicians were recruited on the basis of the value of counselling for activity, and it would have been difficult to get a group of "control" physicians to commit to not providing counselling to patients. Thus, we favoured ecological validity over a fully controlled design. Further, the impact of this limitation may have been lessened as results of a survey using the same activity questionnaire conducted in the same community revealed that levels of regular physical activity remained stable over the period of the study.25 Survey results also found frequency of light- and moderate-intensity activities increased and decreased, respectively, which was different from what we found. Although not a true control group, these survey findings provide some evidence that external factors did not contribute to the increase in physical activity found in this study.

Notwithstanding these limitations, this study has several strengths. First, PACE counselling was modified to include a focus on self regulatory skills as per recommendations for facilitating treatment adherence.10 Second, the uniform results in both treatments suggest that primary care physician advice for increasing physical activity may be effective at least for the duration examined in this study. Third, behavioural adherence to the PACE physician prescription was examined and this represents an advancement in the PACE research literature. Taken together, this first study on the Canadian version of PACE reflects some promising results and raises some interesting questions for future investigation.

[Sidebar]

R�SUM�

Contexte : Bien que les avantages de l'activit� physique soient g�n�ralement reconnus, plus de la moiti� des Canadiens adultes n'en tirent pas parti, car ils ne sont pas suffisamment actifs. Les m�decins peuvent influencer le niveau d'activit� de leurs patients par des conseils, mais les chercheurs ne s'entendent pas sur l'efficacit� de ce counseling. Deux moyens sont sugg�r�s pour am�liorer les conseils des m�decins : accro�tre l'utilisation des techniques d'autor�gulation du conditionnement physique par les patients et leur offrir un soutien t�l�phonique suppl�mentaire. Lorsqu'on �value l'efficacit� du counselling des m�decins, il peut �tre important de mesurer � la fois les r�sultats et l'assiduit� au traitement. Nous avons donc compar� les conseils sur l'activit� physique donn�s par les m�decins (selon un protocole PACE1 modifi�) et les m�mes conseils agr�ment�s d'un soutien t�l�phonique aux patients, en mesurant � la fois les r�sultats obtenus et l'assiduit� au traitement.

M�thode : Des m�decins ont conseill� 90 patients � l'aide d'un protocole PACE modifi� incluant des techniques d'autor�gulation. Les niveaux d'activit� physique ont �t� �valu�s au moyen d'un questionnaire de d�part (avant le counselling) et un mois plus tard. Les participants ont �t� divis�s en deux groupes, selon qu'ils avaient re�u le counselling PACE modifi� ou le counselling am�lior� (protocole PACE modifi� et soutien t�l�phonique).

R�sultats : Le r�sultat principal (la force moyenne d�pens�e) et les r�sultats secondaires, li�s � l'assiduit� au traitement (fr�quence, fr�quence des activit�s physiques d'intensit� mod�r�e, dur�e), ont consid�rablement augment� au fil du temps (p<0,05). Aucune interaction significative n'a �t� observ�e entre les donn�es selon le groupe et les donn�es selon la date d'administration du questionnaire.

Interpr�tation : Les r�sultats confirment l'efficacit� des conseils des m�decins en mati�re d'activit� physique lorsqu'ils incluent des techniques d'autor�gulation. L'efficacit� du soutien t�l�phonique en plus des conseils des m�decins n'est pas confirm�e. Ces r�sultats montrent que l'�valuation de l'assiduit� au traitement est un moyen de d�terminer si l'intervention de counselling a �t� offerte comme il le fallait.

Mots cl�s : counselling directif; conditionnement; m�decins

[Reference]

REFERENCES

1. Bauman A, Owen N. Physical activity of adult Australians: Epidemiological evidence and potential strategies for health gain. J Sci Med Sport 1999;2:30-41.

2. Haapanen-Niemi N, Vuori I, Pasanen M. Public health burden of coronary heart disease risk factors among middle-aged and elderly men. Prev Med 1999;28:343-48.

3. Craig CL, Russell SJ, Cameron C, Bauman A. Twenty-year trends in physical activity among Canadian adults. Can J Public Health 2004;95:59-63.

4. Cameron C, Craig CL. Increasing Physical Activity: Building Active Workplaces. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, 2004.

5. PACE Canada. PACE Canada Online Training Module. Available online at: http://www.pace-canada. org/train.htm (Accessed July 12, 2006).

6. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Behavioral counseling in primary care to promote physical activity: Recommendation and rationale. Am J Nurs 2003;103:101-7.

7. Beaulieu MD. Physical Activity Counselling. Canadian Task Force on the Periodic Health Examination. Canadian Guide to Clinical Preventive Health Care. Ottawa: Health Canada, 1994;560-69.

8. Pipe A. Get active about physical activity. Ask, advise, assist: Get your patients moving. Can Fam Phys 2002;48:13-14.

9. Estabrooks P, Glasgow RE, Dzewaltowski DA. Physical activity promotion through primary care. JAMA 2003;289:2913-16.

10. Meichenbaum D, Turk DC. Facilitating Treatment Adherence: A Practitioner's Guidebook. New York, NY: Plenum Press, 1987.

11. Marcus BH, Goldstein MG, Jette A, Simkin Silverman L, Pinto BM, Milan F. Training physicians to conduct physical activity counseling. Prev Med 1997;26:382-88.

12. Green BB, McAfee T, Hindmarsh M, Madsen L, Caplow M, Buist D. Effectiveness of telephone support in increasing physical activity levels in primary care patients. Am J Prev Med 2002;22:177-83.

13. Haynes R. Compliance with health advice: An overview with special reference to exercise programs. J Cardiac Rehab 1984;4:120-23.

14. Haynes R, Taylor D, Snow J, Sackett D. Annotated and indexed bibliography on compliance with therapeutic and preventive regimens. In: Haynes R, Taylor D, Sackett D (Eds.), Compliance in Health Care. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Press, 1979;337-474.

15. Eakin EG, Smith BJ, Bauman AE. Evaluating the population health impact of physical activity interventions in primary care - Are we asking the right questions? J Physical Activity Health 2005;2:197-215.

16. PACE Canada. Health Provider's Guide to Counseling for Healthy Active Living. Ottawa: Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, 2000.

17. Calfas KJ, Long BJ, Sallis JF, Wooten WJ, Pratt M, Patrick K. A controlled trial of physician counseling to promote the adoption of physical activity. Prev Med 1996;25:225-33.

18. Calfas KJ, Hagler AS. Physical activity. In: Gorin SS, Arnold J (Eds.), Health Promotion in Practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2006;192-221.

19. Prochaska JO, Marcus BH. The transtheoretical model: Applications to exercise. In: Dishman RK (Ed.), Advances in Exercise Adherence. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1994;161-80.

20. Kriska AM, Knowler WC, Laporte RE, Drash AL, Wing RR, Blair SN. Development of questionnaire to examine relationship of physical activity and diabetes in Pima Indians. Diabetes Care 1990;13:401-11.

21. Stevens J. Applied Multivariate Statistics for the Social Sciences, 4th ed. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, 2002.

22. Burke SM, Carron AV, Eys MA, Estabrooks P. Physical activity interventions delivered to participants at home: The influence of contact from others. J Sport Exerc Psychol 2005;27:S44.

23. Latimer AE, Katulak N, Mowad L, Salovey P. Motivating cancer prevention and early detection behaviors using psychologically tailored messages. J Health Communication 2005;10(Suppl1):137 55.

24. Taylor CB, Coffey T, Berra K, Iaffaldano R, Casey K, Haskell WL. Seven-day activity and self-report compared to a direct measure of physical activity. Am J Epidemiol 1984;120:818-24.

25. In motion Physical Activity Survey. Saskatoon, SK: Fast Consulting, 2004.

Received: July 27, 2006

Accepted: August 14, 2007

[Author Affiliation]

Kevin S. Spink, PhD1

Bruce Reeder, MD2

Karen Chad, PhD1

Kathleen Wilson, MSc1

Darren Nickel, MEd1

La traduction du r�sum� se trouve � la fin de l'article.

1. College of Kinesiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK

2. Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan

Correspondence and reprint requests: Kevin S. Spink, College of Kinesiology, University of Saskatchewan, 87 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B2, Tel: 306-966-1074, Fax: 306-966-6464, E-mail: kevin.spink@usask.ca

Acknowledgements: This work was funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. We would like to acknowledge the support we received from the Canadian Fitness Lifestyle and Research Institute to conduct this study.

Japan hosts government-sponsored costume contest

2012-03-13T00:21:00.000-07:00

Dyeing her long hair blue and sporting a fluffy miniskirt, Renee Gloger is all dressed up as Umi, a Japanese cartoon character with magical powers.

The 22-year-old New Yorker is among the participants in a Japanese government-sponsored contest beginning Saturday to promote "costume play" _ the practice of dressing up in outlandish costumes and glittering makeup to emulate comic book characters.

"It's so cool to be here," Gloger said after a news conference Wednesday, where she posed for photos with Itsunori Onodera, senior vice-foreign minister.

The sixth-annual World Cos-Play Summit in Nagoya, central Japan, is expected to draw 28 contestants from 13 countries, including China, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand. The two-day contest will name a winner on Sunday, but it was unclear if there would be any prizes.

Onodera acknowledged he didn't recognize the cartoon characters, but said that Japan is serious about aggressively promoting animation and the culture that it represents overseas.

The country has been trying to use the power of pop culture to raise its clout on the international stage, recently appointing cartoon cat robot Doraemon as an ambassador.

"Japanese culture has spread abroad through animation. As a nation, we support animation and hope to make the best use of it as an important diplomatic tool," Onodera said.

Costume play began among young Japanese animation fans but it's now being touted as a major cultural export by the government.

Manga, the name used for Japanese-style comic books, often combines complex stories with drawing styles that differ from their superhero counterparts overseas, particularly in their emphasis on cuteness. Characters often have big doe eyes and frilly costumes.

Fellow New Yorker Sonnya Paz, 21, dyed her hair pink and wore red contact lenses to simulate rabbit-like eyes to play her favorite character, schoolgirl Hikaru in "Magic Knight Rayearth." She said she has been "hooked" on Japanese cartoons and manga since her youth.

"She eats a lot, and she is super energetic," Paz said, clutching a fuzzy stuffed bunny.

The idea of winning over people abroad to Japan through costume play and manga doesn't sound strange to people like Paz.

"I learn more about Japanese culture through animation," she said.

Big bang

2012-03-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

Caption only.

Mass. Coast Under Storm Warning

2012-03-12T17:52:00.000-07:00

BOSTON - The Massachusetts coast was under a storm warning Thursday as Tropical Storm Beryl swirled northward in the Atlantic Ocean, and parts of Long Island and Connecticut were told to prepare for foul weather.

The tropical storm warning extending from Plymouth south and west to Woods Hole, including Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. The warning means tropical storm conditions are expected in the next 24 hours

A tropical storm watch, meaning tropical storm conditions are possible within 36 hours, was issued late Thursday morning for eastern Long Island and parts of the Connecticut coast, the center said.

At 11 a.m. EDT, Beryl's maximum sustained winds were near 60 mph, above the 39 mph threshold for a named storm but below hurricane strength of 74 mph.

The storm was centered about 150 miles south-southeast of New York City and about 220 miles southwest of Nantucket. It was moving north-northeast at about 13 mph, a motion that would bring the center of the storm near the southeastern Massachusetts coast on Thursday night or Friday morning.

On Wednesday, Beryl passed about 100 miles off North Carolina, where initial warnings about the second tropical storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season did little to deter golfers, boaters or fishermen.

"It was blowing 15 to 20 (mph) and the sea was rolling up a little bit, but we've fished in worse," said Brynner Parks, 48, after a day on his 58-foot commercial fishing boat with six clients from Maryland.

A record 28 named storms and 15 hurricanes, including destructive Katrina, occurred during last year's June-November Atlantic hurricane season.

The first named storm of the 2006 season, Tropical Storm Alberto, swept over Florida in mid-June, then plowed northward along the coast past the Outer Banks. It was blamed for one drowning.

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On the Net:

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

Dollar up against euro as ECB rate hike uncertain

2012-03-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK (AP) — The dollar rose sharply against the euro Thursday due to uncertainty over potential actions next month by the European Central Bank regarding interest rates.

The dollar, however, fell below 80 Japanese yen, sparking expectations of another intervention in currency markets by Japan.

The euro tumbled to $1.4530 late Thursday from $1.4849 Wednesday. The euro had hit its highest level since December 2009 Wednesday, at $1.4942, on expectations that ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet would signal that another increase in interest rates was coming in June. He did not give the hint investors were looking for, prompting an exodus from the euro after its 10 percent gain against the dollar this year. Thursday was the common currency's largest one-day drop against the dollar in 2011.

The ECB, like many central banks around the world, has begun raising interest rates this year to counter the effects of rising food and oil prices. That's weighed on the dollar, because the Federal Reserve is expected to keep rates near zero for a long time.

Higher rates tend to support demand for a currency.

Meanwhile, the dollar fell to 80.19 yen from 80.58 yen, earlier touching as low as 79.54 yen.

The dollar hasn't traded below 80 yen since March 18, when the Group of Seven industrialized nations intervened to weaken the yen following a catastrophic earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis.

The low-yielding yen tends to gain against the dollar and other currencies during times of geopolitical or economic stress. On Thursday, the U.S. government said that the number of people filing for unemployment benefits rose sharply last week, triggering concerns about a weakening of the jobs market.

The yen's rise means another intervention by Japan to bring down the value of the currency was likely, but perhaps not until Japan's Golden Week holiday was over, said UBS currency analyst Gareth Berry.

In other trading Thursday, the British pound fell to $1.6379 from $1.6517; the dollar rose to 96.90 Canadian cents from 95.77 Canadian cents; and the dollar gained to 0.8704 Swiss franc from 0.8600 Swiss franc.

The U.S. currency also rose against most other currencies around the world as stocks and commodity prices slid. Like the yen, it's often regarded as a safe haven and can gain on worrisome economic news, even worrisome U.S. economic news.

When traders are feeling confident about the strength of the global economy, a popular bet is borrowing U.S. dollars to buy high-yielding currencies such as the Australian dollar — that's called the "carry trade." Closing down that trade when markets are volatile boosts the dollar.

2012-03-12T10:37:00.000-07:00