MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will send two navy vessels to the disputed Kuril islands in the Pacific, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday, in a move likely to anger Japan which lays claim to them. The dispute has strained relations between the two countries since World War Two, when Soviet forces occupied the four islands at the southern end of the Kuril chain. Japan says the islands are part of ...
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Kermadecs Islands: Becoming a Raoulie
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13-08-2012 08:42 Jill's story: Featuring people like Jill, who have pre-existing conditions, MyCare is an initiative to educate Americans about new programs, benefits, and rights under the health care law. Visit and sign up to receive email updates from HealthCare.gov: -- Take health care into your own hands. US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) http We accept comments in the spirit of our comment policy: HHS Privacy Policy
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Dr. James (Jim) Weinstein is currently CEO and President of Dartmouth-Hitchcock, a health care system and academic medical center that employs more than 9,000 people in New Hampshire and Vermont. In addition to his career as a spine surgeon at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, he has spent much of his career bridging his clinical work with his research efforts at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and ...
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Health Care: Don't We All Want Social Value and Success? (Part One)
OAK BROOK, IL--(Marketwire -08/14/12)- This July, the global offices of Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) awarded three grants, totaling $749,094 to other non-profit organizations working to provide health care education, training and resources to health care professionals in communities in Africa, Latin America and the United States. Through its global grants program, RMHC seeks to fund sustainable projects that include a "train-the-trainer" model to their methodology and demonstrate measurable results as they address some of the most urgent issues related to children's health. RMHC funded these three projects in July 2012:
Through its Global Grants program, RMHC invests in U.S. based organizations, operating domestically or internationally, that implement long-term projects with proven results in the areas of performance, community outreach and financial sustainability. Funds for these three organizations will extend access to high-quality pediatric care for more than 11,000 children in rural Rwanda; provide proper treatment and care for 960 children born with clubfoot in Ecuador; and further the education and capacity of child life specialists, helping approximately 30,000 children with cancer in the United States.
"At RMHC we aim to do the most good, for the greatest number of children. But we realize that we can't do it alone. Our Global Grants program enables us to direct funds into areas where it's most needed, to other non-profits solving some of the toughest issues in pediatric care efficiently and effectively," said Marty Coyne, president and CEO, RMHC. "Grants to organizations like Partners in Health, CureSearch and miraclefeet expand our capacity to make a sustainable and measurable impact on children around the world."
Since 1974, RMHC has been part of the change and part of the solution in eliminating barriers that prevent children from getting the care they need by investing in longstanding not-for-profit organizations like CureSearch. "CureSearch for Children's Cancer is honored to receive a grant from RMHC so that we can provide Child Life Specialists with ongoing education and skills for working with children with cancer," said Erica Neufeld, vice president of Communications, Education and Advocacy. "We hope that the training we will provide will translate into positive interactions between the Specialists and the patients they care for." Ultimately, the RMHC Global Grants program helps the charity quickly move donation dollars to children and communities in their greatest time of need.
This is the Charity's second cycle of grant funding for the year. RMHC will continue to invest in charitable organizations that work to improve access to health care. Grant proposals for the fall grant cycle is now available. New applicants can apply here. For more information, visit the Charity's grants page at: http://rmhc.org/what-we-do/grants/.
About Ronald McDonald House CharitiesRonald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) corporation, creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. Through its global network of local Chapters in 57 countries and regions, its three core programs, the Ronald McDonald House, Ronald McDonald Family Room and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, and millions of dollars in grants to support children's programs worldwide, RMHC provides stability and resources to families so they can get and keep their children healthy and happy. All RMHC-supported programs provide a bridge to quality health care and give children and families the time they need together to heal faster and cope better. For more information, visit http://www.rmhc.org, follow us on Twitter (@RMHC) or like us on Facebook (Facebook.com/RMHC Global).
The following trademarks used herein are owned by McDonald's Corporation and its affiliates: Ronald McDonald House Charities, Ronald McDonald House Charities Logo, RMHC, Ronald McDonald House, Ronald McDonald Family Room, and Ronald McDonald Care Mobile.
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RMHC Grants Provide Access to Medical Care for Children and Families
CHICAGO (CBS) Operators of a home health care service have been indicted, along with a nurse and two marketers, for kickbacks related to $5 million in Medicare billing.
As WBBM Newsradios John Cody reports, the owners of Goodwill Home Nursing Services in Lincolnwood Marilyn Maravilla and Junjee Arroyo; a nurse Ferdinand Echavia; and two marketers Rakeshkumar Shah and Jean Holloway have been charged with giving and receiving $400,000 in kickbacks for finding and retaining patiens, whose home health care bills could be charged to Medicare.
U.S. Attorneys office spokesman Randall Samborn says the issue isnt whether or not someone made home care visits.
These services should be based on medical necessity, and on whats in the patients best interests, and not based on whether or not someone in the medical industry is receiving a kickback for giving a loan, Samborn said.
So far, marketers Holloway and Shah have pleaded not guilty.
Samborn says so far, four dozen people have been charged with health care fraud since a federal strike force began operating last year in Chicago.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradios John Cody reports
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Home Health Care Service Operators Accused In Kickback Scheme
PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwire -08/14/12)- Simplee, the best way to save money on medical bills, today released its 2012 Second Quarter Health Care in America Out of Pocket Spending statistics. Overall results reflect expected slowdowns from Q1 2012 spending because of the number of family deductibles that have already been met. However, flat spending in comparison to the same quarter last year indicates that consumers are being more deliberate in medical spending decisions.
"Even with the expected seasonal slowdown in spending, there is evidence that consumers are taking more control over their health care costs and driving down out of pocket medical spending," said Tomer Shoval, co-founder and CEO of Simplee. "We found no increase in spending when comparing year over year results, which means that consumers have negated the effects of inflation and rising medical costs through more deliberate spending decisions."
The Simplee quarterly statistics track patient spending from the more than $300 million in health care expenditure and hundreds of thousands of doctor visits within the Simplee database. Key findings are recorded in the tables below. All numbers reflect costs for an average family of four.
Key Findings:
Additional findings include:
For more information on Simplee and how to take control of your health care expenses please visit http://www.simplee.com. For more information on the Simplee Health Care Spending in America statistics, please contact a Simplee representative.
About Simplee
Simplee is a privately held company that empowers consumers to take control of their health care expenses. The free, web-based service helps users better understand and manage their health care expenses, and identify ways to save money and find better care at lower costs through an easy-to-use, simple dashboard with a set of powerful customization tools. The company is located in Palo Alto, California, and maintains a development center in Israel. For more information visit: http://www.simplee.com.
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Simplee: Seasonality Drives Q2 2012 Slowdown in Consumer Medical Spending
LOS LUNAS A new medical facility and a new approach to health care is coming to the village of Los Lunas early next year.
After recently being selected to insure village employees and their family members, Lovelace Health Plan announced its plan to open a primary care clinic in Los Lunas.
The clinic will be available for all of the nearly 500 village employees, their family members and anyone with Lovelace Health Plan insurance.
Coverage for village employees began July 1. The addition of the employees will mean Lovelaces health plan now covers more than 10,000 people in Valencia County, according to Doug Gullino, the vice president of commercial sales and service for Lovelace Health Plan.
Gullino said the clinic will introduce a health care approach residents of the county probably dont have available.
It really gives folks access to medical care in a way we should have always been doing, Gullino said. It gives better care, better access to the whole system, to all the different services and providers we offer.
Called a patient centered medical home model, Dr. John Cruickshank, chief medical officer at Lovelace Health Plan, said this is a change that is sweeping the country.
When he ran his private family practice for 18 years, Cruickshank said he would start his day double booked from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
If we got a call at 1 p.m., we either had to triple book or we couldnt see them, Cruickshank said. That model and experience in New Mexico caused trouble because of the access and availability of physicians. People were forced to go to the ER, which is a higher cost, and really just aggravating. And after treatment, the patients primary doctor might not be in the loop.
One big change this medical home model will bring, is the allocation of a certain percentage of appointments reserved for same day access at the new Lovelace clinic, Cruickshank said.
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A home health care agency in suburban Lincolnwood, two nurses who are part owners of the company and a third nurse affiliated with them, along with two marketers---one of whom resides in Des Plaines---were indicted on federal charges for allegedly participating in a conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks in exchange for the referral of Medicare patients for home health care services, federal law enforcement officials announced Monday.
Defendants Marilyn Maravilla and Junjee L. Arroyo, both part owners of Goodwill Home Healthcare, Inc., and three other defendants allegedly conspired to pay and receive approximately $400,000 in kickbacks to themselves, nurses, marketers and others for the referral and retention of Medicare patients that enabled Goodwill to bill Medicare approximately $5 million.
Also indicted were Ferdinand Echavia, a licensed nurse who referred patients to Goodwill, and Jean Holloway and Rakeshkumar Shah, both of whom marketed Goodwills services to Medicare patients.
The 29-count indictment was returned by a federal grand jury last Thursday and unsealed on Friday following the arrests of Holloway, 41, of Bellwood, and Shah, 46, of Des Plaines. Both were released on bond after pleading not guilty in U.S. District Court.
Maravilla, 55, of Chicago; Arroyo, 44, of Elmhurst; and Echavia, 39, of Chicago, all licensed nurses, together with Goodwill as a corporate defendant, are scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 22 in U.S. District Court.
All six defendants were charged with one count of conspiracy to pay and receive illegal kickbacks for Medicare patient referrals, and each defendant was also charged with the following number of counts of violating the anti-kickback statute: Goodwill, 16 counts; Maravilla, 15 counts; Arroyo, 16 counts; Echavia, five counts; Holloway, three counts; and Shah, eight counts.
The indictment was announced by Gary S. Shapiro, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Lamont Pugh III, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Region of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; and Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Paying kickbacks to refer Medicare patients is illegal. Money cannot be permitted to be the basis of a medical referral over medical necessity or quality of service, Mr. Pugh said. The investigation is continuing, the officials said.
Between August 2008 and July 2010, the indictment alleges that Maravilla, Arroyo and two other individuals one an officer and an owner of Goodwill, and the other a certified public accountant and Goodwills bookkeeper paid and caused Goodwill to pay kickbacks to nurses, marketers and other home health care workers who referred patients to Goodwill; assisted in re-certifying patients as homebound; or caused patients to begin new 60-day care cycles of home health care with Goodwill. By offering kickbacks, Maravilla, Arroyo, and others sought to increase Goodwills patient census and to enrich themselves and Goodwill. During this time, Goodwill obtained referrals of approximately 900 cycles of home health care, including new patients and the re-certification of existing patients for additional 60-day cycles of care.
According to the indictment, the amount of the kickback payments varied, but generally ranged from approximately $400 to $700 for each new care cycle, and approximately $100 to $300 for each re-certification. The payments were intended to induce nurses, marketers and others in the home health industry to refer patients to Goodwill for services to be reimbursed by Medicare, the indictment alleges.
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August 14, 2012
Opening in theaters on September 28, the film stars Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Noah Segan, Piper Perabo and Jeff Daniels.
In Looper, time travel will be invented but it will be illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past, where a looper a hired gun, like Joe (Gordon-Levitt) is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good until the day the mob decides to close the loop, sending back Joes future self (Willis) for assassination.
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Since 2001, Danish manufacturer SteelSeries has been a driving force in promoting competitive gaming. They've also produced a wide array of PC peripherals and console audio equipment. That changes today as the company announces a comprehensive line of mobile accessories with the tagline "Freedom to Play" at the annual gamescom [...]
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Peripheral Maker SteelSeries Unveils "Freedom to Play" Mobile Gaming Accessories
Software Freedom Day (SFD), a worldwide celebration of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), will be in happening in Cebu, the Philippines, on September 15, 2012. Dubbed the “ 1st Software Freedom Day ...
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Software Freedom Day Coming to Cebu, Philippines This September
COLOGNE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
GAMESCOM - SteelSeries, the leading manufacturer of premium-quality, gaming peripherals today announced the SteelSeries Freedom to Play product line-up. Designed to provide Smartphone and Tablet users with a more enhanced and precise mobile gaming experience, the product line-up includes the SteelSeries Free Mobile Gaming Controller (previously introduced as Ion), the SteelSeries Free Touchscreen Gaming Controls, the SteelSeries Flux Headset, and the SteelSeries Flux In-Ear Pro Headset.
Freedom to Play is about providing players with solutions that will allow them to seamlessly choose where, when, and how they play their game without sacrificing the quality of the experience, said Bruce Hawver, SteelSeries CEO. There are companies that are working towards improving mobile gaming, from the mobile device manufacturers to the game publishers and even mobile carriers and retailers. There are a number of SteelSeries employees, including myself, who have a background in mobile and recognize that this seamless consumer experience requires all facets of this industry to work together and collaborate. The SteelSeries Freedom to Play product line-up is designed for players who want to play and experience more than just swiping and word games on their tablets and phones.
SteelSeries Free Mobile Gaming Controller - $79.99 / 79.99
The SteelSeries Free Mobile Gaming Controller is a wireless Bluetooth controller designed for cross-platform use on PC/Mac, Android Smartphones and Tablets, iPod touch, iPhone and iPad. This new breed of gaming controller brings together a compact and lightweight design with the industrys best cross-platform capability. Users will immediately recognize its familiar, classic button layout similar to Nintendo and PlayStation controllers, which includes, a Dpad button on the left, a four-button cluster on the right, select and start in the middle, 2 mini-analog sticks, and 2 shoulder buttons.
Its rechargeable, lithium battery hosts an estimated 20hrs of casual gameplay and 10hrs of non-stop playtime. Its power-save mode will turn the controller off after 3 minutes of idle time, helping to conserve its battery life. The SteelSeries Free can be easily charged by plugging in a USB/mini USB cable to your computer or mobile device. It has play-and-charge functionality, which allows users to connect the cable, charge the battery, and keep playing via Bluetooth.
PC and Mac users will be able to remap and customize all 12 buttons to their liking via the SteelSeries Engine, while mobile users will be able to download and access the SteelSeries Engine App. The SteelSeries Free Mobile Controller will be available starting in October 2012.
SteelSeries Flux Headset - $99.99 / 99.99
The SteelSeries Flux is a cross-platform, on-ear headset that can be completely customized from the way it looks to how its used. The SteelSeries Flux Headset is lightweight and comfortable, with its adjustable, FluidFIT headband and SteelSeries sound isolating, SNDBlock ear cushions that are created with a breathable, mesh-cloth material. The SteelSeries Flux may be small in stature, but its sound is loud, crisp and clear thanks to its 40mm premium-quality driver units.
Designed for maximum portability, the Flux can fold up neatly in a couple of convenient ways. The headset can fold up towards the band. In addition, each earcup can be rotated to fold the headset flat for easy storage or to comfortably show it off around your neck. The Flux offers two interchangeable cable options, one for PC and one for Mac and mobile devices. With 2 input jacks, one on each earcup, you can choose into which side the microphone cable can be plugged. The remaining input jack can be used to share your sound by simply plugging another headset into the Flux so multiple users can listen to the same device.
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SteelSeries Introduces “Freedom to Play” Mobile Gaming Peripherals Line-up
New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS) Freedom as an idea is no longer what it was 65 years ago when India emerged from the shackles of British domination at the stroke of midnight Aug 15, 1947. Today, it is an exercise in introspection on how much ground we have been able to cover towards being a sustainable, sovereign, fair, thinking and developed nation, as envisaged in the manifesto of a free India.
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(Getty)Strikeforce bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey will attempt to defend her belt on Saturday against Sarah Kaufman. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, the former featherweight champ, would like the next shot at Rousey.
"I really wanna fight Ronda," she said on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. "I really want to. She says bad things about me. I never say bad things about my opponent. I want to do my best in the octagon, and if she says she wants to fight me, she can come to my weight or at 140."
Of course, there are a few problems with this potential match-up. For one, Santos is suspended through mid-December. Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC and Strikeforce, has shown reluctance in setting up fights for suspended fighters in the past because there is too much risk. Promoting a fight on the hopes a fighter can get a license is just begging for trouble.
Secondly, why would Rousey move up? It's Santos making the challenge. If she wants to fight Rousey, she should drop down to 135 -- and therein lies the problem. Santos has never weighed in lower than 135. For her bout with Hitomi Akano, she weighed in 7 lbs. over. Don't expect 135 to happen. Rousey competed in the Olympics at 154 lbs. and has fought at featherweight, but has been so comfortable at bantamweight that she won the belt there.
Do you think Rousey should move up to fight Santos? Speak up in the comments, on Facebook or Twitter.
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If Ronda Rousey is the fastest rising star in mixed martial arts, Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos must be the complete opposite.
Just last year, Cyborg was riding an 11-fight win streak, having successfully defended the Strikeforce Women's Featherweight Championship in brutal fashion for a third time.
Now, the former pound-for-pound top female fighter in the world has largely been cast out of the spotlight, stripped of her title and waiting out a one-year suspension due to a positive steroids test.
In fact, Cyborg's steroid scandal likely rates as one of the most damaging amongst most fighters, as it calls into question almost every MMA and grappling victory that the former champion has earned in her career.
Although many people joked about her impressive physique, there's always been the undertone that Cyborg's speed and power was a little unnatural for a female fighter, suggesting it might be more challenging for her to fight someone like UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo.
Fast-forward one positive test for stanzolol, and it's suddenly not quite so funnywe've spent almost an entire year looking at a devastated women's featherweight division that's been missing a dominant champion since last January.
Now, Cyborg has come out of the woodwork, stating that since she can't make the 135-pound limit for the bantamweight division, she wants to fight Ronda Rousey at a 140- or 145-pound catch-weight.
Although the fight would likely attract quite a few viewers, Strikeforce shouldn't even entertain that idea. Not for a single second.
As much as Cyborg wants to claim that Rousey "ran" to the bantamweight division to avoid fighting her, the reality is that 135 pounds is where the most interesting match-ups can happen right now, especially with Strikeforce superstar Gina Carano permanently retired (again, no thanks to Miss Santos).
Not many big-name women's fights can be made at 145 pounds anyway, a key reason whya new champion hasn't been crowned at that weight.
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Cris Cyborg Has No Right To Fight Ronda Rousey Above 135 Pounds
CULVER CITY, Calif. -- Former Strikeforce women's featherweight champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos believes current bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey is WMMA's version of Chael Sonnen.
Cyborg recently gave her opinion on Rousey at a recent MMA event near Los Angeles, comparing her to the former UFC title challenger because of her ability to trash talk like him. Additionally, Cyborg said she thinks Rousey's fate will be the same as Sonnen's in his last fight -- a loss by technical knockout.
"I think she's the same as [Chael] Sonnen," Cyborg told the Yahoo! Contributor Network. "And (at UFC 148), he shut up. I think she's coming the same way as him."
When approached about Cyborg's comments, Rousey's manager, Darin Harvey, went to the offensive. Harvey accused the former champ of attempting to do what he called "unintelligent trash talk," adding that she's a cheater for having used anabolic steroids.
"Even if she never takes another steroid, she has permanently transformed herself into somewhat of male form," Harvey responded by text message. "The residual muscle mass that she put on from the use of anabolic steroids will always remain.
"In my opinion, she will be cheating when she steps into that cage, even if she never takes another performance enhancing drug. Ronda will still snap her arm."
Cyborg was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission on Jan. 6 when she tested positive for stanozolol metabolites following a Dec. 17 title defense against Hiroko Yamanaka. Santos originally won by TKO in the early stages of the first round, but the positive test prompted the CSAC to turn the result into a no-contest.
An appeal by Santos' attorney to reduce the suspension was denied by the CSAC, upholding the penalty for one year until January 2013.
Despite the setback, Santos said she plans on fulfilling her Strikeforce contract as soon as her suspension is done. Rousey is on her radar, and Cyborg looks to have one of her remaining outings be against the Olympic judoka.
"I have three fights left on my contract," Santos said. "I hope to fight [Rousey] soon."
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Former Strikeforce Champ Cyborg Santos Compares Ronda Rousey to Chael Sonnen
South Beaches Neighbors: Join the crab trap roundup Lorraine Thompson South Beaches News Area boaters have an opportunity to get involved with clearing area waters of derelict blue crab traps.
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OCEAN CITY, N.J. (CBS) Several Ocean City, New Jersey beaches have been closed again due to a possible sewage spill.
According to the Department of Environmental Quality, three beaches between First and Third Streets were closed on Sunday after raw sewage spilled into a nearby storm drain.
Water samples were taken Monday morning and the beaches will remain closed pending test results, which are expected to come in some time Tuesday morning.
This is the third time in three weeks beaches in Ocean City have been closed due to sewage-related incidents.
On August 6, a grease blockage in a sewer line caused sewage to overflow into a storm drain, closing beaches between Eighth and Tenth streets. The week before that, the Stenton Place beach was closed due to concerns of an overflowing sewage pipe.
Read the KYW Regional Affairs Council special series, The Next Jersey Shore Superstorm
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TIM SMITH/BRANDON SUN Enlarge Image
Sand castles line the beach of Killarney Lake in this file photo.
Three beaches in Westman received failing grades from water tests conducted by Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship last week.
Water in Killarney Lake and Pelican Lake showed the number of blue-green algae cells and the concentration of microcystin, an algal toxin, were above the recreational water quality guideline for the province.
As a result of the tests, drinking, swimming or any other contact with the water at Killarney Beach and Pelican Lakes south and north beaches is not recommended.
The failed tests arent unique to Westman as five other beaches throughout the province also failed tests and are currently under an algae advisory.
"A lot of it depends on which way the wind is blowing,"said Jay Struth, chair of the Killarney Lake Action Committee, adding that a westerly wind can cause a high amount of algae to gather at the Killarney Beach location, causing dense blooms and giving way to microcystin.
Killarney has been at the forefront when it comes to researching methods to combat the blooms.
In 2001, former Brandon University student Jeremy Ross conducted a study in conjunction with the town to examine the inhibitory effects of barley straw on algae in a Prairie water body. The study, which was conducted in the third cell of the sewage lagoon in Killarney wasnt tested in the lake, however, due to environmental officials citing unknown effects on other organisms, according to Dr. Bill Paton, a biology and botany professor at Brandon University.
"Our main problem is internal loading, so the phosphorus re-releases every summer and creates a perpetual problem,"Struth said. "Were looking at creating a good water budget. We need to get all of the available data we have together, fill in some gaps and then really see what could be a useful treatment against the algae."
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