NASA to launch rocket from Va. on Monday

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WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. --

NASA will launch a rocket to test its next generation of spacecraft heat shields early Monday from its Wallops Island Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

The Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE-3) will be launched on a Black Brant XI sounding rocket and land about 100 miles east of Cape Hatteras, NC.

The heat shield -- officially called the Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) -- was developed at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton. It looks, according to NASA, like a giant cone of inner tubes assembled like a child's stacking ring toy.

NASA says the HIAD's reduced weight vs. a conventional heat shield will allow future spacecraft to carry heavier payloads. It also could allow NASA to return payloads from the International Space Station.

The launch window on Monday for all rockets, including several to test tracking systems and gather atmospheric data, is 5 to 8 a.m., according to NASA. The launch window for the IRVE-3 is 7 to 7:40 a.m.

The rocket will be visible to residents in the Wallops and the southern Chesapeake Bay region, NASA says.

The visitor center at Wallops will open at 4:30 a.m. Monday for those interested in viewing the launch.

More information on this mission -- including how to view the launch on the Internet and following the countdown on Twitter and Facebook -- is available at http://www.nasa.gov/wallops.

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NASA to launch rocket from Va. on Monday

At 46, Ohio businessman heading to medical school

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A 46-year-old Ohio businessman inspired by the service of others is heading to medical school to become a doctor working in an urban setting.

Ive been inspired by the differences Ive seen other people make in the inner city, Bill Downing told The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer.

Pastors, doctors, nurses, social workers, urban pioneers. I felt I needed to invest the rest of my active career on a fulltime basis.

He will enroll at Cleveland State University in the fall in its new joint program with Northeast Ohio Medical University to provide doctors in underserved urban neighborhoods.

Rev. Duane Crabbs, who founded South Street Ministries in Akron with his wife, Lisa, 15 years ago, has worked with Downing for six years and calls him humble and a man of great integrity.

He understands that to impact in a substantial way there has to be a commitment to community, Crabbs said.

After graduating from Bowling Green State University, Downing began working full time at the familys Downing Enterprises in Copley Township near Akron. The company makes trade show exhibits and checkout counter displays.

Five years later, he enrolled at Harvard Business School and received a masters in business administration and now serves as chairman and CEO of the company.

A member of Grace Church in Bath, he began volunteering in urban Akron areas about 10 years ago. Thats how he met Crabbs and became active in his ministry.

About three years ago, Downing began thinking about a new career focused on helping those in the inner city.

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At 46, Ohio businessman heading to medical school

Liberty University online students nearly tripled in five years

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From morning to night, the Liberty University Online call center in Lynchburg buzzes as an army of about 220 workers fields queries from prospective students across the U.S. and overseas.

Housed in Green Hall on Libertys main campus, the call center rivals the size of a football field and is packed with gray cubicles. Its the nerve center for Libertys rapidly growing online program, and for countless students, its the first contact theyll have with the university.

Among Virginias brick-and-mortar institutions, Liberty has emerged as a pioneer in distance education.

Enrollment at Liberty University Online surpassed 82,000 students this year, bringing the universitys combined residential and online headcount to more than 100,000. The number of students taking online classes is nearly triple the enrollment of 27,500 just five years ago.

Many of LUs residential and online students also receive federal financial aid, like those at most colleges and universities. LU students received about $445 million in federal financial aid money for fiscal 2009-2010, for example, helping fuel the growth.

The online success has bolstered Libertys finances and powered a sharp revenue increase. Liberty reported a surplus of $203 million in 2010-11, according to the universitys most recently available IRS 990 tax form.

Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said that surplus continues to rise.

Liberty is operating like a for-profit school but without some of the pitfalls, he said, pointing to LUs comparatively high graduation rates and low student loan default rates.

Thats sort of the secret as to why Libertys finances have done what theyve done.

A longtime proponent of distance education, Liberty revamped its online program in 2003 when it began emphasizing degree programs instead of individual courses, LU officials said.

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Liberty University online students nearly tripled in five years

Liberty University's net assets headed for $1 billion, thanks to online

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Liberty Universitys net assets have sustained a fivefold increase from $150 million to $860 million over the past six years, driven by the rapid expansion of Libertys online programs.

While colleges across the country have struggled to make ends meet during the economic downturn, Libertys financial picture has grown stronger by the year, according to an examination of Libertys IRS 990 tax forms by The News & Advance.

In a nutshell, Libertys net assets show how much the university in Lynchburg is worth after subtracting its debt and other liabilities.

In 2006-07, the universitys net assets were $150 million, according to the 990 tax form, which non-profits must file annually with the IRS. Driven by a growing student body and influx of tuition dollars, Libertys net assets grew to $637 million by 2010-11, the most recent 990 available from the IRS.

As of June, Liberty officials said the school had about $860 million in net assets and expects that number to exceed $1 billion by years end a major milestone for the university.

Weve grown so fast that we cant spend it fast enough, LU Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said.

Since Liberty is a non-profit, any surplus it generates must be invested back into the school. However, Falwell said there is no strict timeline about when Liberty must use the money; part of Libertys strategy is to build an endowment that will secure the long-term stability of the school.

We want to continue to improve the university and stay on the cutting edge, but we also want to put money away for the future, Falwell said.

For now, Liberty is focused on revitalizing campus and improving its academic programs, Falwell said.

Over past year, Liberty began pouring more than $220 million into construction projects that promise to transform campus over the next decade. Old buildings are being torn down and replaced with Jeffersonian architecture; makeshift dorms will be replaced with high-rise residence halls.

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Liberty University's net assets headed for $1 billion, thanks to online

Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund, Inc. Declares Distribution

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BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Board of Directors of Liberty All-Star Growth Fund, Inc. (ASG) has declared a distribution of $0.06 per share payable on September 17, 2012 to shareholders of record on August 3, 2012 (ex-dividend date of August 1, 2012). This distribution is in accordance with the Funds current distribution policy of paying distributions on its shares totaling approximately 6 percent of its net asset value per year, payable in four quarterly installments of 1.5 percent. A portion of the distribution may be treated as paid from sources other than net income, including but not limited to short-term capital gain, long-term capital gain and return of capital. The final determination of the source of all distributions in 2012 for tax reporting purposes, including the percentage of qualified dividend income, will be made after year-end.

The distribution will be paid in newly issued shares to all shareholders except those who are not participating in Liberty All-Star Growth Funds Dividend Reinvestment Plan and who elect to receive the distribution in cash. Shares will be issued at the lower of the August 31, 2012 net asset value per share or market value per share (but not less than 95% of market value). The market value of the Funds shares for this purpose will be the last sales price on the New York Stock Exchange.

ALPS Advisors, Inc. is the investment advisor of the Liberty All-Star Growth Fund, a multi-managed, closed-end investment company with more than $128 million in net assets. The Funds shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ASG.

The Liberty All-Star Growth Fund is a closed-end fund and does not continuously offer shares. The Fund trades in the secondary market, investors wishing to buy or sell shares need to place orders through an intermediary or broker. The share price of a closed-end fund is based on the markets value.

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Liberty All-Star® Growth Fund, Inc. Declares Distribution

Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund Declares Distribution

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BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Board of Trustees of Liberty All-Star Equity Fund (USA) has declared a distribution of $0.08 per share payable on September 17, 2012 to shareholders of record on August 3, 2012 (ex-dividend date of August 1, 2012). This distribution is in accordance with the Funds current distribution policy of paying distributions on its shares totaling approximately 6 percent of its net asset value per year, payable in four quarterly installments of 1.5 percent. A portion of the distribution may be treated as paid from sources other than net income, including but not limited to short-term capital gain, long-term capital gain and return of capital. The final determination of the source of all distributions in 2012 for tax reporting purposes, including the percentage of qualified dividend income, will be made after year-end.

The distribution will be paid in newly issued shares to all shareholders except those who are not participating in Liberty All-Star Equity Funds Dividend Reinvestment Plan and who elect to receive the distribution in cash. Shares will be issued at the lower of the August 31, 2012 net asset value per share or market value per share (but not less than 95% of market value). The market value of the Funds shares for this purpose will be the last sales price on the New York Stock Exchange.

ALPS Advisors, Inc. is the investment advisor of the Liberty All-Star Equity Fund, a multi-managed, closed-end investment company with more than $928 million in net assets. The Funds shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol USA.

The Liberty All-Star Equity Fund is a closed-end fund and does not continuously offer shares. The Fund trades in the secondary market, investors wishing to buy or sell shares need to place orders through an intermediary or broker. The share price of a closed-end fund is based on the markets value.

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Liberty All-Star® Equity Fund Declares Distribution

Libertarian joins race for Tierney seat

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BEVERLY Daniel Fishman wants to debunk a myth about Libertarians.

We dont believe in no government, we believe in smaller government, he said.

With no political experience but a strong belief in strengthening peoples civil liberties, Fishman, a 44-year-old Beverly Libertarian, is diving into the race for 6th Congressional District, going up against Democratic Congressman John Tierney of Salem and Republican challenger Richard Tisei.

Fishman has been gathering signatures since June, and says hes closing in on the 2,000 he needs to get on the November ballot. Cape Ann commuters might have seen him out at the Beverly or Salem train depots early in the morning; he said hes also getting help from Georgetown attorney Steven Epstein, whos spearheading his signature drive.

Fishman said he is running because he believes the federal government has become too powerful.

Whenever government acquires power, they are taking it from the people, he said.

He points to federal health care as a symptom of the majority imposing its will on the minority. He believes the Massachusetts model, on the other hand, was right minded, and that if other states want to follow suit, thats up to them.

Fishman says he was a Republican until 20 years ago. While he remains fiscally conservative, his views on social issues alienated him from that party, and he turned to Libertarianism.

He describes himself as very pro-choice. He believes people should have the right to own guns.

He offers this solution to the issue of same-sex marriage: Any couple who want to file taxes jointly must get a legally recognized civil union; then the couple may have their union recognized in whatever religious ceremony they choose.

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China plans garrison for islands

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Beijing will establish a military garrison on a group of disputed islands, China's defence ministry says.

The troops will operate from Sansha in the Paracel Islands, one of two archipelagos in the South China Sea that are claimed by both China and Vietnam.

The garrison, approved by the Central Military Commission, 'will be responsible for the Sansha area national defence mobilisation and reserve forces activities', the defence ministry announced on its website on Monday.

The ministry did not say when the garrison would be established, but the decision was likely to upset Hanoi.

A move by Beijing last month to designate Sansha as its administrative centre for the Paracels and the Spratly Islands prompted a rare demonstration on Sunday in the Vietnamese capital.

China and South Vietnam once administered different parts of the Paracels but after a brief conflict in 1974 Beijing took control of the entire group of islands. Vietnam holds several of the larger Spratly Islands.

China says it owns much of the South China Sea, while the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia each claim portions.

Disputes have flared in recent weeks, with Vietnam and the Philippines criticising what they call Chinese encroachment.

In June, the state-backed China National Offshore Oil Corporation invited bids to explore oil blocks in the disputed waters, a week after Vietnam adopted a law placing the Spratlys under its sovereignty.

A July 13 meeting of the Association of Southeast Nations broke up without a joint statement for the first time in 45 years because members could not agree on how to refer to China's actions in the disputed waters.

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China plans garrison for islands

China approves troops for islands

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22 July 2012 Last updated at 23:15 ET

China has approved the formal establishment of a military garrison on disputed South China Sea islands, state media reports.

The command will be based in Sansha city on Woody Island in the Paracels; a city formed in June to govern the area.

On Sunday 45 legislators were also named to the new city's congress.

The moves come amid severe tensions between China and its neighbours over ownership of the several groups of islands in the South China Sea.

China took command of the Paracel islands in 1974 following a battle with Vietnam. Taiwan also claims the islands, whose population numbers only a few thousand, mostly fishermen.

Sansha city was established in June as China's administrative base for the whole South China Sea area, including the disputed territories of the Spratly Islands and the Scarborough Shoal.

The Central Military Commission (CMC) authorised the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Guangzhou Military Command to ''form a garrison command in'' Sansha city, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.

The troops would be ''responsible for managing the city's national defence mobilisation, military reserves and carrying out military operations'', said the brief announcement, which was also carried on the defense ministry's website.

The command will be ''under the dual leadership of the Hainan provincial sub-command and the city's civilian leaders'', it added.

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Health care cash probed in lobbying

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A $1 billion fund created by President Obamas health care law, which Republicans have derided as a slush fund, is under investigation for suspicions of lobbying rule violations.

The inspector general for the Health and Human Services Department says healthy living grants given from the fund appear to have been used to lobby for changes to state laws, a violation of federal guidelines.

The money was distributed from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for health initiatives aimed at curbing the consumption of sugary sodas to fight obesity, smoking cessation and encouraging physical activity.

But some materials that the CDC passed along to grant recipients appear to authorize, or even encourage grantees to use grant funds for impermissible lobbying, HHS Inspector General Daniel R. Levinson wrote in an early alert sent to CDC Director Thomas Friedman.

The CDCs grant application warns recipients that using federal money to contact elected officials or for grassroots lobbying is illegal. The inspector general, however, said the warning is vague and incomplete and appears to conflict with other CDC materials that appear to encourage lobbying.

While its possible that federal money did not directly support state and local lobbying activities, Mr. Levinson said, the open acknowledgment of the lobbying in some of the grant recipients quarterly reports shows a lack of understanding about the lobbying prohibition.

Sen. Susan M. Collins of Maine and Rep. Darrell E. Issa of California, the top Republicans on the Senate and House oversight committees, have raised several questions about the grants.

While I strongly support the wellness and prevention mission of the CDC, Ms. Collins said last week, I also support the safeguards Congress has put in place on the use of federal funds to protect against the misuse of tax dollars. Every dollar spent on inappropriate or illegal activities is a dollar that didnt go toward saving lives and improving health.

CDC officials are now reviewing several dozen charges of illegal lobbying activity that congressional aides have documented, according to Mr. Levinsons letter.

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Philips revenue, profit rise on health care gains

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AMSTERDAM (AP) -- Improved sales of health care products and LED lighting at Royal Philips Electronics NV combined with cost-cutting measures to help the electronics giant post rises in revenue and net profit in the second quarter, the company announced Monday.

Philips said sales rose to 5.9 billion ($7.2 billion) in the second quarter from 5.2 billion in the same period a year ago.

Net profit was 167 million ($203.7 million), rebounding from a 1.3 billion loss in last year's second quarter that was hit by a writedown on the value of assets.

The company said that, excluding impairment, profit was 127 million ($154.94 million) higher than the same period a year ago.

The company said its cost-cutting program has saved 176 million ($214.7 million) so far this year.

Philips shares shot up more than 8 percent to 17.56 ($21.42) on the news shortly after trading began in Amsterdam.

Philips made its name selling light bulbs and is now looking to new, more energy efficient, lights to boost sales and profits. LED light sales grew 37 percent compared to the second quarter in 2011 and now account for 20 percent of the company's 2Q lighting sales of just over 2 billion ($2.44 billion).

Second-quarter sales at the company's health care division rose from 2.1 billion last year to 2.4 billion ($2.9 billion).

Philips sounded a note of caution about the effects of the financial crisis, particularly in its European markets.

"There is no denying that the global economy is weaker now than it was just three months ago, especially in Europe which accounts for approximately 25 percent of our revenue," CEO Frans van Houten said.

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Philips revenue, profit rise on health care gains

Cuccinelli's do-nothing tactic against 'Obamacare' easier than court challenge

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By: LAURA VOZELLA | THE WASHINGTON POST Published: July 23, 2012 Updated: July 23, 2012 - 12:00 AM

Ken Cuccinelli, the first state attorney general in the nation to sue over the federal health care law, has hit upon a new strategy that is much easier than going to court: do nothing.

Virginia and other states can shield businesses from hefty fines for not providing adequate health insurance for employees, he contends, simply by refusing to set up their own state-based insurance exchanges.

Cuccinelli bases that legal theory on a quirk in the law, one variously attributed to sloppy drafting, political miscalculation or both: It includes a provision to impose those fines under state-based exchanges, but not under a federal one.

"In the law, it says those penalties don't apply if the federal government sets up the exchange," he told a tea party gathering in Henrico County last week. "Whoops!"

Supporters of the law acknowledge the wording glitch but say the matter has been clarified through regulations subsequently issued by the Internal Revenue Service. They dismiss Cuccinelli's line of attack as wishful thinking or willful distortion.

"That argument is effectively null and void, but it's not stopping people from making it," said Chad Shearer, deputy director of Princeton University's State Health Reform Assistance Network.

Crafted by a Cato Institute scholar about a year ago, the theory started quietly making the rounds among conservative think-tank scholars, attorneys general, lawyers and bloggers while the matter was before the Supreme Court. It has picked up steam since the court upheld the law in June.

For Affordable Care Act foes who first tried to kill the law in the courts and now aim to do so by electing Republican Mitt Romney president, the do-nothing approach is a long-range Plan C.

"This could bring down the entire law," said Michael F. Cannon, the Cato Institute's director of health policy studies who crafted the argument and urged Cuccinelli, a longtime friend, to pick up on it. "If Virginia just sits on its hands and does not implement 'Obamacare,' then state officials will protect Virginia employers from a $2,000-per-worker tax."

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Health coaches lead the way for new delivery of health care

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ELDRIDGE Chronically ill patients have a new partner in the health care system here, and her goal is to try to provide them with a higher quality of care.

Carolyn Bjustrom, a registered nurse, is newly certified as a health coach at the Genesis Health Group offices in Eldridge. Health coaches are to be used by both Genesis Health System and Trinity Regional Health System in the Quad-City area to help individuals navigate their medical care path. The plan is to stress disease prevention and effective case management.

Health coaches are among the many changes that have occurred since the federal Affordable Care Act was enacted in 2010. And its one of several changes identified by health professionals from Genesis, Trinity and the Good Samaritan Free Clinic in the Quad-Cities.

The changes are designed to lead to better, more affordable care, and the numbers appear to support that aim at least in the short term. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services projected this month that health spending in the United States will grow at very low rates through 2013.

The agency, an arm of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, estimates the rate at 4 percent on average, slightly above the historically low growth rate of 3.8 percent in 2009. The rate should accelerate to 7.4 percent in 2014 as major parts of the Affordable Care Act kick in, the centers reported.

While the recession has played a role in that trend, it also can be attributed to changes in how care actually gets to patients. That covers a wide range of the areas health care scene, but it is basically preventative, coordinated care with a focus that tries to keep people healthy in the first place.

Health coaches

Much of Bjustroms time as a health coach is focused on patients who have chronic conditions including diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic heart disease and hypertension. Before a patient arrives for an appointment, Bjustrom prepares a chart for the doctor, showing recommended care goals according to the persons condition.

After the office visit and at the doctors request, Bjustrom works with the patient on goals. If a person is ready to, say, make a change in their diet, she helps facilitate that desire. They write the goal down and then I either call them or they call me, she said.

She connects with patients by telephone, at the medical clinic, in the patients home or wherever the person chooses. Shes the one they talk to about a variety of concerns. Diabetic patients, for example, often have questions about the blood sugar readings they take daily, and Bjustrom will help them track various tests that are needed to stay well.

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Home, community health care services should top premiers’ list

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Provincial premiers will be meeting as the Council of the Federation at the end of July in Halifax and health care is almost certain to be on the agenda.

The first report from the first ministers health care innovation working group will be presented at the meeting, and was promised to address health human resource and service delivery issues with a national lens.

The meeting will also present the opportunity to identify the next set of priorities for the working group.

The front-runner on the priority list should be home and community care. Heres why.

Home and community care is the collection of services that people receive outside of hospitals and doctors offices. This includes nursing homes, as well as home health care, personal support services (like help with bathing or housekeeping), other community care services and, of course, care from family and friends.

Ideally, all care providers will work together to create a comprehensive approach to home and community care. When they do not, it is costly, both to the health of individual Canadians, and to the public health system at large.

When home and community care fails, patients end up in hospital emergency rooms, often long past the point at which preventive care measures may have provided a solution. Many then get admitted as in-patients the most expensive form of health provision. They may then stay far too long in the hospital, awaiting a spot in a nursing home or for other appropriate community-based services to be arranged. One in every nine hospital beds is occupied by a person over age 65 who could receive appropriate care elsewhere.

When emergency rooms and hospital beds are full, patients receive care in hallways. Care and work conditions are jeopardized, which increases the likelihood of infections, medical errors and readmissions.

The interconnectedness of different parts of the health care system is not lost on Mike de Jong, British Columbias Minister of Health. De Jong recently told the Fraser Health Authority that they have 150 days to improve hospital care in several key areas including less hallway care; quicker movement from the emergency room to an actual bed if in-patient care is needed; and a lower average length of stay.

Fraser Health is not unique in B.C., and B.C. is not unique in the country. Health ministries across Canada are all trying to address overcrowding in acute care. In many cases, they are employing similar initiatives to improve care and reduce the need for emergency rooms, acute in-patient care and nursing homes.

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Home, community health care services should top premiers’ list

Gene therapy for range of illnesses

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Disna Mudalige

Cutting edge medical technology known as gene therapy has been developed by Indian doctor Sunita Rana Agarwal along with her husband Punkaj Sondhi with positive results, to control all kinds of, eye related illnesses, arthritis, diabetes, cancer, trauma, congenital errors and HIV AIDS.

Gene therapy works as an anti- aging, regenerative and rejuvenating treatment which leads to a healthier life.

Dr Agrawal on a brief visit to Sri Lanka told the Daily News the technology was developed following extensive research for around 20 years and it had been tested on about 12,000 patients during the past eight years.

A drop of blood is taken from the patient through a needle and customised with the DNA activator, which is the proprietary formula, that in turn makes a young and healthy DNA which is customised to that particular patient.

It is a course of 10 injections through 10 days which is much affordable compared to conventional therapies, Dr Agarwal said explaining how the gene therapy is applied.

She said this is a simple technology for which the patient does not have to be hospitalised and that it does not have any side effects. Dr Agarwal said gene therapy is a molecular based therapy.

She said they are at present dealing with pharmaceutical companies to take this product, which would basically work as a panacea, to the next level.

Dr Agarwal provided her voluntary service in the North and East during the late 1980s as an eye surgeon. She said the people in that region at that time had not seen an eye doctor for decades since nobody was willing to work under those risky conditions.

Dr Agarwal also commended the tremendous change in Sri Lanka at present compared to her previous visit, adding there is a remarkable improvement in every sphere.

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Freedom Drop Marathon Game to River City

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July 22, 2012 - Frontier League (FL) Florence Freedom O'Fallon,MO-The Florence Freedom and River City Rascals played a four hour and nine minute game, as the Rascals outslugged the Freedom 14-10. On top of the four hour plus game, there was a twenty minute delay in the top of the 6th as home plate umpire Bill Lopina was injured on a foul ball off the bat of Jim Jacquot, which forced him to leave the game, as field umpire Jeremy Stangelo umpired the remainder of the contest.

The Freedom had leads of 5-2, 7-2, and 9-8, but couldn't hang on as they were dealt their fourth straight series loss. John Malloy went 3-5 with 3 RBI, including two solo homeruns, one of which led off the game which was the second time he accomplished this during the three game series.

After the Freedom tied the game at 10-10, the Rascals loaded the bases in the bottom of the 8th against relief pitcher Sean Gregory. With one out, Matt Kline was brought in to face Chris Andreas. Andreas eventually won a lengthy battle as he hit a SAC fly to right field scoring Eric Williams, which proved to be the game winning run. The Rascals then got some insurance runs in the inning on a three run homerun from Curran Redal to put them up for good 14-10. Gregory(4-5) took the loss as he was making his first appearance out of the bullpen this year.

The Freedom return to Florence for a brief three game homestand starting Sunday night against the Lake Erie Crushers. RHP Pat Arnold(3-2, 5.05) will get the ball for the Crushers, as Brandon Mathes(0-0, 5.45) will make his first start of the season for the Freedom. Sunday's game can be heard with Steve Jarnicki starting at 5:50 pm on Real Talk 1160 and realtalk1160.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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Freedom Drop Marathon Game to River City

Freedom fighter Captain Lakshmi Sahgal dies

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Kanpur:Freedom fighter Captain Lakshmi Sahgal has died in a Kanpur hospital; she was 97. She was in a coma since Wednesday when she had a heart stroke. She was a close aide of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

There will be no cremation ceremony held as her body has been donated to the Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Medical College in Kanpur.

Captain Lakshmi Sahgal was born in Madras and qualified as a doctor from the Madras Medical College in 1938. Two years later, she moved to Singapore and set up a free clinic to help migrant Indian workers. She met Subhash Chandra Bose in Singapore in 1943. He spoke of the need to create an all- women's regiment in the Indian National Army in the fight for India's independence, and made her its commander.

In 1947, she married Colonel Prem Kumar Sahgal. Their oldest child, Subhasini, is a prominent social activist and CPM leader. The Sahgals were settled in Kanpur where she continued her work as a doctor. In 1971, Sahgal joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and represented the party in the Rajya Sabha.

In 2002, four leftist parties - the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Revolutionary Socialist Party, and the All India Forward Bloc - made her their candidate for President of India. She was defeated by APJ Abdul Kalam.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Vice President Hamid Ansari today condoled the death of freedom fighter Captain Lakshmi Sehgal, saying that the nation has lost an icon of selfless service. (Read)

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Freedom University helps immigrants achieve dreams

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By Gracie Bonds Staples

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Despite the model minority stereotype that presumes all Asian-Americans are prosperous and well educated, Keish Kims family is not well-to-do and she cant get into her dream college.

The first blow to Kims quest for success came when the lawyer hired by her family to handle their immigration from Seoul, South Korea, in 2000 (when Kim was 8) missed a crucial deadline, making it impossible for them to attain citizenship. The second came in 2010 when the state Board of Regents barred illegal immigrants from attending the states top five universities.

But not long after the regents made their decision, Kim found herself receiving instruction from University of Georgia professors at Freedom University, an underground classroom for illegal immigrants provided by volunteer teachers at an undisclosed location in Athens.

We were all qualified professors, so we thought that is something we can do, said history professor Pamela Voekel, a co-founding faculty member of Freedom University. All it would take was our time and effort, while the students and their families were risking so much.

While the volunteers at Freedom University hope the regents eventually change their policy, many Georgians support the rule, believing that for every illegal person attending a public university, a U.S. citizen is turned away.

And, as regents spokesman John Millsaps said, There are 30 other public institutions in the University System of Georgia that undocumented students can attend.

However, some believe the policy should go farther. Earlier this year Rep. Tom Rice, R-Norcross, sponsored a bill that, had it passed, would have barred illegal immigrants from attending all public colleges.

Thousands of Gwinnett students cant get into the University of Georgia because its full, said Rep. Don Balfour, R-Snellville, who supported the bill. People who are legal in the state should be getting positions before people who are illegal.

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Freedom University helps immigrants achieve dreams