Carson, Pondexter propel Liberty

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Essence Carson scored 20 points and Cappie Pondexter added 16 to lead the Liberty past the last-place Washington Mystics 79-73 on Saturday in Newark.

Kara Braxton had 14 points, including eight in a decisive 11-0 run in the second quarter, to help the Liberty (10-16) snap a three-game losing streak. Carson shot 8 for 13 from the field and also had six assists. The Liberty moved into a tie for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with Chicago, which played at Indiana later. Atlanta is 3/ games ahead in third.

Every game is crucial at this point, said Carson, who got a rare start after usually being the Libertys first player off the bench. We have to think that we need every game. We had to win a game like this, especially with the situation were in.

Pondexter, bothered by sore Achilles on both feet, said she believes the Liberty have to win seven of their final nine games to secure a postseason berth.

If we want to make the playoffs, thats what we need to do, she said. We also have to count on others to lose. Destiny is not in our own hands. We have a chance to make up the difference and get in.

Pondexter knew that she wasnt feeling well and tried to play through the pain, but shot just 6 for 18.

It was great that Essence stepped up, Pondexter said. Im happy we got the win. Its more important than me getting 20 points. I just wanted to give as much effort as I could.

Liberty coach John Whisenant said he was pleased with the team effort.

We told them that it didnt matter who we were playing, that we had to play hard, Whisenant said. Essence came back and played well. She got more minutes. We shook the starting lineup around a little, not for any reason. It seemed to work.

Monique Currie scored 20 points, Crystal Langhorne had 19 points and eight rebounds, and Jasmine Thomas added 18 for Washington (5-21), which lost its fifth straight.

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Carson, Pondexter propel Liberty

Liberty send Mystics to fifth loss in a row

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NEWARK, N.J. Essence Carson scored 20 points and Cappie Pondexter added 14 to lead the New York Liberty past the last-place Washington Mystics 79-73 on Saturday.

Kara Braxton had 14 points, including eight in a decisive 11-0 run in the second quarter, to help New York (10-16) snap a three-game losing streak. Carson shot 8 for 13 from the field and also had six assists. The Liberty moved into a tie for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with Chicago, which played at Indiana later Saturday night. Atlanta is 31/ 2 games ahead in third.

Every game is crucial at this point, said Carson, who got a rare start after usually being the Libertys first player off the bench. We have to think that we need every game. We had to win a game like this, especially with the situation were in.

Pondexter, bothered by sore Achilles on both feet, believes New York has to win seven of its final nine games to secure a postseason berth.

If we want to make the playoffs, thats what we need to do, she said. We also have to count on others to lose. Destiny is not in our own hands. We have a chance to make up the difference and get in.

Pondexter knew that she wasnt feeling well and tried to play through the pain, but shot just 6 for 18.

It was great that Essence stepped up, Pondexter said. Im happy we got the win. Its more important than me getting 20 points. I just wanted to give as much effort as I could.

Liberty head coach John Whisenant was pleased with the team effort.

We told them that it didnt matter who we were playing, that we had to play hard, Whisenant said. Essence came back and played well. She got more minutes. We shook the starting lineup around a little, not for any reason. It seemed to work.

Monique Currie scored 20 points, Crystal Langhorne had 19 points and eight rebounds, and Jasmine Thomas added 18 for Washington (5-21), which lost its fifth straight.

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Liberty send Mystics to fifth loss in a row

Libertarian not invited to debate

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By Charles Ashby Saturday, September 1, 2012

The Colorado Libertarian Party isnt happy that its candidate in House District 54 wasnt invited to next weekends Club 20 debates. Though its the groups

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Libertarian not invited to debate

Japan survey of disputed islands

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2 September 2012 Last updated at 08:00 ET

A group of Japanese officials have carried out a survey of a group of islands in the East China Sea claimed by both Japan and China.

The team was dispatched to the islands by Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara.

Mr Ishihara says he plans to buy the islands, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, from their private owner.

Protesters from both Japan and China have landed on the disputed islands in recent weeks.

The 25-strong team sent by Mr Ishihara stayed on their boats while surveying the islands' coastlines and the waters around them.

"The governor has asked what could be done to build a small harbour. We want to check the islands with that in mind," said Seiichiro Sakamaki, the Tokyo official leading the team, according to the AFP news agency.

However, the Japanese central government did not give the group permission to land on the islands.

In July, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said that his government was also negotiating to buy the islands.

Chinese official media reiterated Beijing's position that any unilateral Japanese action with regard to the islands would be "illegal and invalid".

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Japan survey of disputed islands

Not all communities find ways to save on health insurance costs

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More than a year after the passage of historic legislation meant to empower local governments in taming their health care spending, the region's cities and towns have joined municipalities across the state in savings millions of dollars, but many could still do more - assuming they want to shift more costs to employees, a delicate prospect.

State-mandated reports, required of those cities and towns that didn't adopt the new law and obtained by the Daily News from the Executive Office of Administration and Finance, show that a number of local cities and towns could save hundreds of thousands of dollars of additional taxpayer money by lowering the portion they contribute to insurance premiums or by implementing the deductibles and higher co-pays of the coverage pool for state workers - the Group Insurance Commission, or GIC.

An extensive survey by the paper also shows many cities and towns still offer plans that don't carry a deductible; don't charge a co-pay for high-tech, costly scans like MRIs; and don't offer tiered out-of-pocket costs to encourage workers to use cheaper hospitals and doctors offering quality care. All state plans include a $250 deductible for individuals and a $750 deductible for families, and 10 of the 11 offerings feature tiering.

"My impression is that communities are going to do this in steps and not go all the way to the GIC level in one bite," said Michael Widmer, president of the business-backed Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, which pushed for the legislation after years of research and advocacy.

Also, if cities and towns have not cut services or laid off staff, the need for even further health savings might not be as pressing, Widmer said. There's also the need to weigh budget paring with the desire to treat employees fairly and attract quality talent - though higher-out-of-pocket expenses can lower premium costs for both employer and employee.

"I think the circumstances vary," Widmer said. "I think all of this is kind of a balancing act."

Signed by Gov. Deval Patrick in July 2011, the municipal health care act requires governing bodies like selectmen and city councils to take a vote if they want to change the design of health plans outside normal bargaining. They then have 30 days to negotiate with a committee of union representatives to decide whether to enter the GIC and use state health plans or make changes on their own. Special panels resolve gridlock but have been rarely required.

Locally, Weston and Hopedale had already struck deals with unions to join the GIC. Sudbury adopted the new law and followed suit. Of the remaining 18 cities and towns, just Framingham, Holliston, Milford and Southborough opted for the legislation, though many others have made changes in recent years or saw unions agree to concessions because of the move afoot statewide.

Milford lowered health spending by nearly $1.5 million through the new law. Framingham had already trimmed $1.4 million annually when it followed suit, leading to an additional $2.4 million in savings. The law requires a quarter of first-year municipal savings to go to worker relief, and Framingham has set up a $640,000 pool for employees to draw from for co-pays in times of hardship.

Health care spending has gone from a 16 percent share of the budget to 14.5 percent in Framingham, with the town watching the GIC before potentially seeking further changes.

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Not all communities find ways to save on health insurance costs

Federal health law clearer for California

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SACRAMENTO -- Californians now have a clearer picture of what health insurance will look like when major provisions of the federal health care law debut in 2014.

Acupuncture to treat pain and nausea will be covered, for example, as will tobacco cessation and vision screening.

But the jury's still out on chiropractic care.

State lawmakers this week sent two bills to Gov. Jerry Brown that identify the services health insurance plans must cover starting in 2014 for individuals and small businesses.

The measures -- Senate Bill 951 by Sen. Ed Hernandez, and Assembly Bill 1453 by Assemblyman Bill Monning, D-Carmel -- define what are called "essential health benefits" under the federal health care overhaul and will fundamentally transform the kind of insurance Californians will buy.

"It's historic," Monning said.

The bills, he said, will affect "the millions of Californians who have had limited coverage or no coverage who now will have access to coverage, and it will be comprehensive in nature. It will include preventive services, immunizations, hospitalization. The list goes on and on."

The benefits will apply to insurance plans sold through the state's new health insurance exchange, which will offer federally subsidized plans for individuals and families making between 138 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level.

Unsubsidized plans sold outside of the exchange also must meet these requirements.

Insurance offered by large employers --

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Federal health law clearer for California

Senior Health Matters: Health care — penalty or tax?

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While the Supreme Court has spoken, we seem no closer to understanding if there is a tax or penalty regarding the health care overhaul passed recently. Regardless of its classification, it is a fee that we must understand might affect future income tax returns.

The fee changes over time, so for now we can only look ahead to 2016, which is the last year a fixed amount of the fee can be determined for everyone.

The fee in 2016 is $695 per adult and $347.50 for each person under age 18. This translates to a potential $695 fee for those filing single with no dependants. A couple without dependants filing jointly could see a penalty of $1390. A family of four with two children under age 18 could see a penalty of $2,085. This amount will be added to the tax owed on your income tax return.

In years following 2016, the fixed fee is replaced by one that is a percentage of your total gross income.

What Ive just outlined is the maximum fee that can be assessed. There will be complicated formulas that will calculate a reduction or elimination of this maximum fee. The fee does look at the entire household not just individuals with the filer being responsible for paying any fee assessed to that household.

For those of us living in Massachusetts, this is already a routine we perform when completing our own state income tax return. The maximum fee in Massachusetts for last year was $1,212 for any individual over age 18. An uninsured married couple filing a joint return could be looking at an extra $2,424 added to their tax burden. Massachusetts does not assess a fee for those under age 18 who do not have health insurance. Again, there is a complex array of conditions that might reduce or eliminate the fee.

At stake, then, are two fees, which, for a family of four, could represent a $4,509 tax liability in 2016. Now, it is very important to note that those who have a defined level of health insurance would not be required to pay either fee at all. The fee is only imposed for those who do not carry health insurance for themselves or members of their household. Safe to say, seniors enrolled in Medicare will have no need to worry about or be concerned about the fee.

On the other side of the equation, there could be a tax credit applied for those who do have health insurance and cannot really afford it. The tax credit is intended to lower the total cost of health insurance premiums paid. Sadly, it is yet another complex calculation based on income and health care premiums paid.

Surely, there will be taxpayers calculating their cost of compliance verses the cost of non-compliance. But what is really at stake is an ability to obtain professional health care when it is needed. We never know when that will be or which of our loved ones might require it. If ever needed, the fee will probably be an irrelevant concern.

Ron Griffin is a Medfield resident who writes about Medicare. He can be reached at Rongriffin65@Gmail.com.

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Senior Health Matters: Health care -- penalty or tax?

Unmasking Freedom House

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TWO recent developments - namely the interim findings of an opinion survey by a right-wing American propaganda think-tank called Freedom House and Zanu PFs progressive amendments that have aligned the July 18 Copac draft constitution with the views of the people gathered during the Copac outreach programme contained in an unpublished National Report - have coincidentally combined to wreak untold havoc for the MDC formations in the GPA Government which now do not know whether they are coming or going.

The ensuing havoc that is there for all to see has been made worse by the fact that both developments have far-reaching electoral implications for the two embattled parties which have nothing to show for their presence in the GPA Government except for the self-aggrandisement of their leadership, some of whom have taken to primitive accumulation in three short years while others like Morgan Tsvangirai now have US$3 million houses and are selfishly planning to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the signing of the GPA on September 15 by indulging in a plush wedding to Zanu PF fiances at a time when civil servants and ordinary Zimbabweans they gave false promises in 2009 are struggling to make ends meet.

There are two key questions about this background that beg for interrogation. First, what exactly does the Freedom House survey seek to communicate and to whom? In other words, what really is the purpose of the survey at this juncture in the scheme of national and geopolitical things? This is an important question because as the proverbial saying goes about statistics, while surveys can be revealing, their problem is that they are like miniskirts in that they conceal the essential and most exciting part and therefore useless for that reason. So what is the Freedom House survey concealing while revealing the obvious?

Second, why are the MDC formations going mad over Zanu PFs progressive amendments of the July 18 Copac draft constitution whose demonstrable essence is to align the draft with the views of the people in accordance with Article VI of the GPA?

A lot has been written and said with all sorts of nuances about the preliminary findings of the Freedom House opinion survey entitled, Change and New Politics in Zimbabwe conducted between June 23 and July 7, 2012 involving a nationally representative of 1198 adult Zimbabweans. But the bottom line from the survey that has given Tsvangirai and his MDC sleepless nights is the following Freedom House finding: When asked who they would vote for if parliamentary elections were held tomorrow, 47 percent of respondents said they would not vote, or refused to indicate who they would vote for (up from 41 percent in 2010). Of the 53 percent who declared their preference, 20 percent said they would vote for MDC-T (down from 38 percent in 2010) and 31 percent Zanu PF (up from 17 percent in 2010).

Instructively, despite his recent outbursts of sophomoric militancy about non-issues that have made him sound like a frustrated student living in the past, Welshman Ncube and his MDC did not feature at all in these stakes despite the fact that this national survey was done between June 23 and July 7 this year at a time when Ncube has been driving around in a pathetic convoy ranting, raving and pretending to be a national leader contending for the presidency of the Republic of Zimbabwe when his party cannot hold multiple star rallies even in one province, in Matabeleland itself.

This important point will be examined further another day, but what should be noted for now - and this is the talking point of the moment - is that the interim findings of Freedom Houses survey show that the MDC-T has dramatically lost support since 2010 - two years after the last election in 2008 - while Zanu PF has sharply increased its support over the same period, with Welshman Ncube having nothing to show.

This has shocked the MDC-T and its pundits out of their wits. Their best but hollow spin has been to claim that Freedom House has done the survey at this juncture in order to wake up the MDC-T and to send Zanu PF to sleep before the forthcoming general election which is now around the corner. If this spin had been spun in 2010, it perhaps could have had foolish takers, but you dont have to be a rocket scientist to understand that theres no political party that needs to be awoken or sent to sleep during an election year. The proposition that the Freedom House survey, done between June 23 and 7 July, is intended to wake up the MDC-T while sending Zanu-PF to sleep is therefore utter and complete rubbish.

As such, there must be more to the saga than meets the eye. If Freedom House was an independent think-tank which does research for its own sake, then there would be no need to split hairs about whats going on here. Indeed, if that were the case, the MDC-T would not be losing its empty head and going mad over the matter. The reason why all hell has broken loose is that Freedom House is not a think-tank but a propaganda tank which, along with the International Republican Institute, has been at the forefront of building the capacity of Morgan Tsvangirais MDC as a direct component of Americas so-called Zimbabwe Democracy Act (Zidera) to seek illegal regime change in Zimbabwe.

In other words, and there is a lot of public evidence out there to support this, Freedom House has been one of a few but critical instruments of choice to effect regime change in the country. In the run-up to the 2008 harmonised elections, Freedom House combined forces with the International Republican Institute under the tutelage of the likes of the infamous Melinda Ferris of the CIA to hold training seminars and workshops on electioneering, mainly in South Africa, for the MDC-T and its associated NGOs and developed the campaign strategy and even messages including designing and producing campaign jingles for Tsvangirais party.

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Unmasking Freedom House

Unmasking Freedom House survey

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TWO recent developments - namely the interim findings of an opinion survey by a right-wing American propaganda think-tank called Freedom House and Zanu PFs progressive amendments that have aligned the July 18 Copac draft constitution with the views of the people gathered during the Copac outreach programme contained in an unpublished National Report - have coincidentally combined to wreak untold havoc for the MDC formations in the GPA Government which now do not know whether they are coming or going.

The ensuing havoc that is there for all to see has been made worse by the fact that both developments have far-reaching electoral implications for the two embattled parties which have nothing to show for their presence in the GPA Government except for the self-aggrandisement of their leadership, some of whom have taken to primitive accumulation in three short years while others like Morgan Tsvangirai now have US$3 million houses and are selfishly planning to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the signing of the GPA on September 15 by indulging in a plush wedding to Zanu PF fiances at a time when civil servants and ordinary Zimbabweans they gave false promises in 2009 are struggling to make ends meet.

There are two key questions about this background that beg for interrogation. First, what exactly does the Freedom House survey seek to communicate and to whom? In other words, what really is the purpose of the survey at this juncture in the scheme of national and geopolitical things? This is an important question because as the proverbial saying goes about statistics, while surveys can be revealing, their problem is that they are like miniskirts in that they conceal the essential and most exciting part and therefore useless for that reason. So what is the Freedom House survey concealing while revealing the obvious?

Second, why are the MDC formations going mad over Zanu PFs progressive amendments of the July 18 Copac draft constitution whose demonstrable essence is to align the draft with the views of the people in accordance with Article VI of the GPA?

A lot has been written and said with all sorts of nuances about the preliminary findings of the Freedom House opinion survey entitled, Change and New Politics in Zimbabwe conducted between June 23 and July 7, 2012 involving a nationally representative of 1198 adult Zimbabweans. But the bottom line from the survey that has given Tsvangirai and his MDC sleepless nights is the following Freedom House finding: When asked who they would vote for if parliamentary elections were held tomorrow, 47 percent of respondents said they would not vote, or refused to indicate who they would vote for (up from 41 percent in 2010). Of the 53 percent who declared their preference, 20 percent said they would vote for MDC-T (down from 38 percent in 2010) and 31 percent Zanu PF (up from 17 percent in 2010).

Instructively, despite his recent outbursts of sophomoric militancy about non-issues that have made him sound like a frustrated student living in the past, Welshman Ncube and his MDC did not feature at all in these stakes despite the fact that this national survey was done between June 23 and July 7 this year at a time when Ncube has been driving around in a pathetic convoy ranting, raving and pretending to be a national leader contending for the presidency of the Republic of Zimbabwe when his party cannot hold multiple star rallies even in one province, in Matabeleland itself.

This important point will be examined further another day, but what should be noted for now - and this is the talking point of the moment - is that the interim findings of Freedom Houses survey show that the MDC-T has dramatically lost support since 2010 - two years after the last election in 2008 - while Zanu PF has sharply increased its support over the same period, with Welshman Ncube having nothing to show.

This has shocked the MDC-T and its pundits out of their wits. Their best but hollow spin has been to claim that Freedom House has done the survey at this juncture in order to wake up the MDC-T and to send Zanu PF to sleep before the forthcoming general election which is now around the corner. If this spin had been spun in 2010, it perhaps could have had foolish takers, but you dont have to be a rocket scientist to understand that theres no political party that needs to be awoken or sent to sleep during an election year. The proposition that the Freedom House survey, done between June 23 and 7 July, is intended to wake up the MDC-T while sending Zanu-PF to sleep is therefore utter and complete rubbish.

As such, there must be more to the saga than meets the eye. If Freedom House was an independent think-tank which does research for its own sake, then there would be no need to split hairs about whats going on here. Indeed, if that were the case, the MDC-T would not be losing its empty head and going mad over the matter. The reason why all hell has broken loose is that Freedom House is not a think-tank but a propaganda tank which, along with the International Republican Institute, has been at the forefront of building the capacity of Morgan Tsvangirais MDC as a direct component of Americas so-called Zimbabwe Democracy Act (Zidera) to seek illegal regime change in Zimbabwe.

In other words, and there is a lot of public evidence out there to support this, Freedom House has been one of a few but critical instruments of choice to effect regime change in the country. In the run-up to the 2008 harmonised elections, Freedom House combined forces with the International Republican Institute under the tutelage of the likes of the infamous Melinda Ferris of the CIA to hold training seminars and workshops on electioneering, mainly in South Africa, for the MDC-T and its associated NGOs and developed the campaign strategy and even messages including designing and producing campaign jingles for Tsvangirais party.

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Unmasking Freedom House survey

Boost nutrition with foods that burn more calories than they contain

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So-called zero-calorie foods, like celery and cucumbers, contain fewer calories than the body uses to break them down. And although nutritionists account for the energy it takes to chew and digest them when they calculate how many calories we need, these eats deserve prime spots on our plates. You can eat them in large quantities without busting your gut, and low-calorie doesn't mean low nutrients.

"And, obviously, if eating very low-calorie foods keeps you from eating higher calorie foods, that's a win," says Monica Reinagel, licensed nutritionist and creator of the Nutrition Diva podcast. So fill up your fridge with the following foods that are loaded with vitamins and minerals -- not calories.

Cucumbers

If you're tired of fending off hunger by guzzling glass after glass of water, snack on cucumber slices, instead. "Eating foods that are high in water can help you feel full at least temporarily by taking up a lot of space in your stomach," notes Reinagel. Cucumbers also pack vitamins K and C, potassium, and silica, which helps build and maintain connective tissue, like muscle, tendons, ligaments and bone.

Citrus fruit

Don't wait until cold season to fill up on oranges, tangerines, and grapefruit -- they may help whittle your middle. People with higher vitamin C levels have lower waist-to-hip ratios than those whose bodies contain less of the antioxidant, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. What's more, University of Arizona researchers found that those with higher levels of vitamin C oxidized 25% more fat during treadmill sessions than those with lower levels of the vitamin.

Leafy greens

Whatever variety you pick, you can't go wrong with piling a plate with salad greens. At 4 calories per cup, watercress is loaded with vitamins A, C and K, and a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating 3 ounces of the peppery green daily increases levels of the cancer-fighting antioxidants lutein and beta-carotene. Spinach (7 calories per cup) is brimming with vitamin K, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and selenium and contains a hormone that allows muscle tissue to repair itself faster, according to research from Rutgers University.

Asparagus

A half-cup of cooked asparagus will set you back only 20 calories. Plus, you'll get hefty doses of vitamins K and A, and B vitamins such as folic acid. Since B vitamins play a role in breaking down sugars and starches, eating asparagus may help regulate blood sugar and fend off type 2 diabetes.

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Boost nutrition with foods that burn more calories than they contain

Dr. Mao's Wellness Living: Heal Headaches Naturally To Avoid Side Effects

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Courtesy Photo

One in six Americans experience chronic headaches. Luckily, Chinese medicine has an arsenal of natural remedies to help soothe your aching head.

According to Chinese medicine, pain is your bodys signal that there is a blockage of energy and blood. Your body is asking you to notice, evaluate, and change the behavior that caused the pain in the first place. For example, a headache may be pointing to an improperly balanced diet. It is best to treat pain using natural methods so you can avoid side effects and also become more aware of your bodys unique needs.

In rare cases, headaches may be due to severe medical conditions, such as glaucoma or brain hemorrhages. If you experience severe, debilitating headaches that dont respond to over-the-counter medication, visit your physician or the emergency room immediately.

Here are a few all-natural remedies to alleviate headaches:

1. Press Valley of Harmony for headache relief

Recently, a patients eight-year-old child was suffering from a headache. I was able to bring her the benefits of acupuncture without the needles. I simply used my own fingers to administer acupressure on an acupoint in the web between her thumb and index finger called Valley of Harmony. Within five minutes, her headache was gone.

Find the acupoint Valley of Harmony (Li 4) on yourself. Its in the web between the thumb and index finger on both hands. Apply steady pressure with your thumb until you feel soreness. Hold for 2 minutes. Repeat on the other hand.

Find the acupoint Great Yang (taiyang), which is in the indentation of the temples. Stimulate the point with the knuckles of your thumbs or the tips of your index fingers. Massage in circular motion for five minutes.

2. Massage your headache away

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Dr. Mao's Wellness Living: Heal Headaches Naturally To Avoid Side Effects

Mediocre or professional?

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02 September 2012 | last updated at 11:12PM

A DOCTOR at a local public hospital recalls her medical school lecturer forewarning his charges about the challenges they would face when doing their housemanship. Housemen, he said, were like the "scum" of the department and in the organisational chart of the hospital, they would rank way below the amah (hospital orderly or attendant). These were certainly not the most encouraging of words to dish out to future doctors, but perhaps he was trying to prepare them for the real world of medical house officers.

For a long time now, housemen have always been viewed as an overworked and underpaid lot. They slogged for hours on end, especially when they were on call (sometimes up to 40 hours at a stretch), almost every other day, foregoing sleep and proper meals.

Coupled with that, there was the added pressure of having to deal with demanding superiors, difficult patients and even domineering ancillary staff. Little wonder that many a stressed and burnt-out houseman had gone into depression or called it quits after five long years in medical school.

To put things right, the Health Ministry introduced the new flexi-hour shift system last year in place of the on-call system to give these overworked housemen a breather. Many have hailed it as long overdue, but one year on, the question that is being asked is: are our housemen being given a better life at the expense of experience?

While they may now enjoy a better quality of life with the flexi-hour shift system, the limited number of hours spent on clinical work and their inadequate exposure to various disciplines of medicine will ultimately affect the quality healthcare that the country is aiming for.

Stories about inept housemen and their lack of knowledge, as related by senior doctors, are quite appalling. Some are said to be clueless on how to read a patient's blood pressure, let alone insert an intravenous line. To be fair, with medical schools churning out graduates by the thousands each year and with only 37 training hospitals to accommodate them, these housemen cannot be expected to get the thorough clinical work experience their predecessors benefited from.

But all is not lost if these housemen are passionate about their calling and abide by the Hippocratic Oath of continuing "with diligence to keep abreast of advances in medicine" by engaging in continuous professional development. For as long as housemen have no interest in what goes on beyond their "training hours", it will be a loss, not just for the medical profession, but for all Malaysians.

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Mediocre or professional?

Liberty 79, Mystics 73

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UpdatedSep 1, 2012 10:43 PM ET

Essence Carson scored 20 points and Cappie Pondexter added 16 to lead the New York Liberty past the last-place Washington Mystics 79-73 on Saturday.

Kara Braxton had 14 points, including eight in a decisive 11-0 run in the second quarter, to help New York (10-16) snap a three-game losing streak. Carson shot 8 for 13 from the field and also had six assists. The Liberty moved fourth place in the Eastern Conference, one-half game ahead of Chicago - which lost at Indiana later. Atlanta is 3 1/2 games ahead in third.

''Every game is crucial at this point,'' said Carson, who got a rare start after usually being the Liberty's first player off the bench. ''We have to think that we need every game. We had to win a game like this, especially with the situation we're in.''

Pondexter, bothered by sore Achilles on both feet, believes New York had to win seven of its final nine games to secure a postseason berth. With one of those wins down, the Liberty have eight games remaining - including two more against Washington and one against Chicago here on Friday night.

''If we want to make the playoffs, that's what we need to do,'' she said. ''We also have to count on others to lose. Destiny is not in our own hands. We have a chance to make up the difference and get in.''

Pondexter knew that she wasn't feeling well and tried to play through the pain, but shot just 6 for 18.

''It was great that Essence stepped up,'' Pondexter said. ''I'm happy we got the win. It's more important than me getting 20 points. I just wanted to give as much effort as I could.''

Liberty head coach John Whisenant was pleased with the team effort.

Originally posted here:

Liberty 79, Mystics 73

Wake Forest holds on to beat Liberty 20-17

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) -- Redshirt freshman Deandre Martin scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 2-yard run as Wake Forest came from behind to defeat Liberty 20-17 Saturday.

On a rain-soaked evening, the Demon Deacons had all they could handle with Liberty, a Football Championship Subdivision foe with 65 scholarship players.

The Flames led 14-7 late in the third quarter when Wake Forest safety A.J. Marshall stepped in front of a Brian Hudson pass and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown to help turn the tide.

On Wake Forest's next possession, Martin capped a nine-play, 60-yard drive by racing around right end to give the Demon Deacons their first lead at 20-14 with 13:24 remaining. Martin ran for 74 yards after taking over in the first quarter when starting running back Josh Harris left with a concussion and did not return.

Hudson threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns for Liberty.

Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe had concerns over his offensive line after replacing four starters from last season - and that inexperience showed.

The Demon Deacons looked out of sync in the early going, failing to register a first down on their first three possessions. Even when they did finally move the chains late in the first quarter it looked ugly as quarterback Tanner Price had to scramble for a 4-yard gain on third-and-4 on a busted play.

Wake Forest had 42 total yards midway through the second quarter and trailed 7-0 until Price found his favorite target Michael Campanaro down the middle for a 31-yard touchdown pass to tie the game. Campanaro had 96 yards on nine catches.

Liberty outgained Wake Forest 178-145 in the first half and had a chance to take a 10-7 lead entering the locker room but John Lunsford's 49-yard field goal sailed wide right as time expired.

That miss would come back to haunt the Flames.

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Wake Forest holds on to beat Liberty 20-17

Carson scores 20 as Liberty beat Mystics 79-73

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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Essence Carson scored 20 points and Cappie Pondexter added 16 to lead the New York Liberty past the last-place Washington Mystics 79-73 on Saturday.

Kara Braxton had 14 points, including eight in a decisive 11-0 run in the second quarter, to help New York (10-16) snap a three-game losing streak. Carson shot 8 for 13 from the field and also had six assists. The Liberty moved fourth place in the Eastern Conference, one-half game ahead of Chicago - which lost at Indiana later. Atlanta is 3 1/2 games ahead in third.

''Every game is crucial at this point,'' said Carson, who got a rare start after usually being the Liberty's first player off the bench. ''We have to think that we need every game. We had to win a game like this, especially with the situation we're in.''

Pondexter, bothered by sore Achilles on both feet, believes New York had to win seven of its final nine games to secure a postseason berth. With one of those wins down, the Liberty have eight games remaining - including two more against Washington and one against Chicago here on Friday night.

''If we want to make the playoffs, that's what we need to do,'' she said. ''We also have to count on others to lose. Destiny is not in our own hands. We have a chance to make up the difference and get in.''

Pondexter knew that she wasn't feeling well and tried to play through the pain, but shot just 6 for 18.

''It was great that Essence stepped up,'' Pondexter said. ''I'm happy we got the win. It's more important than me getting 20 points. I just wanted to give as much effort as I could.''

Liberty head coach John Whisenant was pleased with the team effort.

''We told them that it didn't matter who we were playing, that we had to play hard,'' Whisenant said. ''Essence came back and played well. She got more minutes. We shook the starting lineup around a little, not for any reason. It seemed to work.''

Monique Currie scored 20 points, Crystal Langhorne had 19 points and eight rebounds, and Jasmine Thomas added 18 for Washington (5-21), which lost its fifth straight.

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Carson scores 20 as Liberty beat Mystics 79-73

Sunken: Health care law to trigger tax provisions in 2013

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In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court generally upheld the constitutionality of the controversial 2010 health care law. In addition to preserving mandates for health insurance coverage, certain tax provisions will take effect as scheduled in 2013, barring any subsequent legislation. Here's a summary of the main tax changes for 2013.

Two Medicare surtaxes could affect individual taxpayers:

A 3.8 percent surtax on the lesser of annual net investment income or the amount by which modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) exceeds $200,000 ($250,000 for married couples). "Net investment income" includes interest, dividends, royalties, rents, gains from dispositions of property and income from passive activities, but not tax-free interest or distributions from qualified retirement plans and IRAs.

A 0.9 percent surtax on earned income such as wages that exceeds $200,000 ($250,000 for married couples).

Flexible spending accounts: Currently, there's a $5,000 limit on pretax contributions to a flexible spending account used for dependent care expenses, but there's no such limit on health care FSAs. The law caps health care FSA contributions at $2,500 starting in 2013.

Medical deductions: For 2012, you may deduct unreimbursed medical expenses in excess of 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income. The law raises this AGI floor in 2013 to 10 percent for taxpayers under age 65.

Other tax-related provisions in the law were also upheld by the Supreme Court. For instance, an individual will generally have to obtain "minimum essential health insurance coverage" or pay a nondeductible penalty, beginning in 2014. Another provision, which took effect in 2010, allows a qualified small business to claim a tax credit for part or all of the cost of providing health insurance.

Contact your accountant regarding your personal circumstances.

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Sunken: Health care law to trigger tax provisions in 2013

Hundreds protest Spanish health cuts

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PROTESTERS have marched in Madrid against a a new government measure restricting free health care for some immigrants, which has already provoked a revolt by some doctors and regional health bodies.

Hundreds of people demonstrated noisily against the measure, which will limit access to free health care for immigrants without full legal status in Spain. Other Spanish cities also hosted demonstrations.

Previously, such immigrants had access to free care in the public health system. From Saturday however only children, pregnant women and people needing emergency medical care will be eligible: others will have to pay.

Conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government introduced the new restrictions as part of its austerity program to tackle the country's debt crisis.

But seven of Spain's 17 regional health authorities have already said they will not implement the measure and many doctors and nurses have insisted they will continue to treat those affected by the change for free.

Rights groups Medecins du Monde (Doctors of the World) and Amnesty International have also denounced the new measure as a violation of basic rights.

In a joint statement together with several other rights groups, they warned that the cuts "...could cost lives, because they will leave thousands of people without access to the health system".

And an internet petition for Spanish health professionals vowing to stand by those affected by the change has so far attracted 1885 signatures.

"My loyalty towards my patients does not allow me to fail in may ethical and professional duty ...," says the online manifesto.

Health professionals were among those marching in Madrid and so too were some of those hit by the change.

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Hundreds protest Spanish health cuts

GUEST OPINION: Planning for health care after retirement: What you need to know

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By WAYNE WILSON

A 65-year-old couple retiring in 2012 will spend approximately $240,000 on health care throughout their retirement, according to a report from Fidelity Investments. This doesnt even include over-the-counter medication, dental care and other add-ons.

Many of us have always received health care coverage through our employers, but as retirement looms near, the reality of choosing and paying for our own health care can become overwhelming. Planning ahead for this change can make all the difference.

Budgeting basics

The first step when budgeting for health care is to consider what youre currently paying through your employer. Use this number as a guide to budget for future payments and choose a plan. Look at what services you use and dont use, how often you use them and how much their cost factors into the total amount. Keep in mind that your trips to the doctor may become more frequent as you grow older. Also be sure to consider inflation when budgeting, which can be up to four times higher for health care. Experts assume annual increases of 6 to 8 percent.

For example, that same 65-year-old couple with annual household income of $75,000 can expect to pay about $10,500 for health care this year. With increases in health care costs and inflation, Fidelity predicts that number could rise to $25,000 in just 15 years.

Picking the right plan

As you plan for retirement, its important to remember that turning 65 makes you eligible for Medicare, which can cost significantly less than buying individual health care before Medicare kicks in.

There are several questions to consider when choosing a Medicare plan. Do you only need the most basic care option? Do you want prescription drug coverage? What works best for you Original Medicare with a Medigap plan or a Medicare Advantage plan?

First, lets look at your options:

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GUEST OPINION: Planning for health care after retirement: What you need to know