Vietnamese hopeful of unproven Scientology 'detox'

THAI BINH, Vietnam (AP) ? North Vietnamese army veteran Nguyen Anh Quoc grimaces as he forces down the last of the 35 vitamins he takes each morning. After decades of suffering from illnesses he believes were caused by exposure to Agent Orange, he is putting his faith in a regime advocated by the Church of Scientology.

"I have to take them," the 62-year-old said at a treatment center established with the help of a Scientology-funded group. "They will clean up my body."

The center, a converted mushroom farm in northern Vietnam, owes as much to Scientology's desire to expand around the world, away from scandal in the United States, as it does to pressure in Vietnam to try to help aging veterans still suffering from the effects of war.

Many medical experts regard the treatment ? a 25-day vitamin and sauna regime ? as junk medicine or even dangerous. But for now at least, it has found fertile ground here.

The Vietnamese advocacy group overseeing the program in Thai Binh province wants to offer it to all 20,000 people suffering from ailments blamed on dioxins in Agent Orange. U.S. airplanes sprayed up to 12 million gallons of the defoliant over the country during the Vietnam War to strip away vegetation used as cover by Vietnamese soldiers.

The advocacy group, which has the implicit support of the government, has almost completed a two-story accommodation block for patients and is raising funds for a much larger complex, with 15 more saunas than the five it currently has.

"I have seen so many desperate families that their tears have dried up," said Nguyen Duc Hanh, the head of local branch of the Vietnam Association of Agent Orange Victims in Thai Binh. "I don't know what the scientists say about its effectiveness, but the patients say it improves their health. They should be able to experience it before they die."

Scientologists believe the regime, which includes massive consumption of vitamins, four-hour sauna sessions and morning runs, can "sweat out" toxins stored in body fat. There are no peer-reviewed studies to back this claim.

The center was established in 2010 by five foreign members of a Scientology-funded sister organization, The Association of Better Living and Education. They gave local staff two months of training. The group is devoted to spreading church founder L. Ron Hubbard's social welfare programs and health treatments around the world.

The center makes no reference to its links to the church, and the volunteers have long departed. But having its "Purification Rundown" treatment accepted by authorities here adds legitimacy to it, and gives the church a foothold from which to grow.

The church sent volunteers to Asia to administer another of its treatments, a massage called a "touch assist," in the aftermath of disasters including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and 2008 Myanmar cyclone.

Since its emergence in the 1950s, Scientology has battled accusations, legal challenges and government scrutiny around the world over accusations it is a secretive cult that preys on vulnerable people. Its leaders deny those accusations.

Scientologists market the "rundown" treatment simultaneously as a spiritual treatment for followers and as a secular one for those needing "detox," either from drug addiction or chemical exposure. Two affiliated Scientology groups use the treatment in drug rehabilitation centers that have drawn wrongful death lawsuits and investigations.

In 1991, Scientology offered "rundown" treatments in Russia to people suffering symptoms related to radiation exposure following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986. The church still refers to the mission in its online literature, claiming numerous successes, but Russia banned it from performing medical treatment in the country in 1996.

Last year, a French court upheld fraud charges and fined the church $791,000 for its efforts to persuade people to take the "rundown."

Rubina Qureshi, vice president of ABLE International, said the detox has helped thousands of people exposed to chemical contamination, alleviating symptoms such as sleep difficulties, memory problems, pain and mood swings.

"Whatever the long-term health status of these individuals may be, reducing symptoms that have persisted for decades can have profoundly beneficial effects and this is a worthwhile goal in itself," Qureshi said via email.

The Thai Binh province group said it selects patients based on the severity of their symptoms, and that about 600 people have gone through the course.

Fourteen days into the program, Quoc, who suffers from diabetes, nervous system complaints and memory loss, said he was sleeping better, has a better appetite and felt better overall. A reporter questioned four other patients, all of whom made similar statements.

All patients get daily care and attention from nurses, as well as pulse and blood pressure checks by doctors. Those who live outside of town also receive food and board during the course.

"It is an excellent program. I feel my health is much improved," said Quoc, who spent much of the war fighting along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which was heavily sprayed with Agent Orange.

It is unclear if those feelings of better health endure. Hanh said it was too expensive to monitor patients once they leave the center.

Many people exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam can't work, or have family members that need full-time care. The Vietnamese government provides them a stipend of between $50 and $90 a month, but there are few residential centers for people with severe disabilities.

None of those taking the course when an Associated Press reporting team visited recently appeared to be suffering from life-threatening or debilitating illnesses. All were able to comfortably jog slowly for half an hour.

Pham Ngoc Tan, a 29-year-old patient, said he was on the course after his father offered his place to him. He said he needed it because he and his wife had been having trouble conceiving.

In the U.S., the Board on the Health of Select Populations, part of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, said in 2010 that there is an association between herbicide exposure and some forms of cancer, including Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It said there was more limited evidence of possible associations with several other diseases.

Washington has for years questioned whether Agent Orange is responsible for sickening Americans or Vietnamese, though it has spent billions on health care and other programs for U.S. veterans who were exposed. It denies any legal liability in Vietnam.

While it gives money to Vietnamese health and disability programs in general, it ignores Vietnamese requests for compensation or direct assistance to victims, saying all help is "regardless of cause."

Vietnam attributes more illness and conditions to exposure then America does, including, for example, reproductive abnormalities and congenital deformities. Very few people in Vietnam have been tested for levels of dioxins.

Hanh says the treatment costs around $350 per person, which the victims association pays for. It gets some funds from individual donors, both at home and abroad, and Vietnamese companies, often state-run ones. The center's expansion is being financed by a joint venture company owned by state-owned PetroVietnam and a Russian company.

Last year, the military began a second "rundown" course at a military hospital in the capital, Hanoi, according to the head of the national victims support group, Nguyen Van Rinh. Blood samples taken from patients before and after the treatment are being sent to Germany, where a lab has been contracted to check whether dioxin levels have changed, he said. The hospital declined to answer questions about the program.

Many medical experts are troubled by the large amount of vitamins "rundown" patients are instructed to take, especially niacin, which far exceed the daily recommended doses by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA warns that taking too much niacin can lead to "liver problems, gout, ulcers of the digestive tract, loss of vision, high blood sugar, irregular heartbeat, and other serious problems."

"It's bad enough that the treatment is ineffective ... and that people's expectations get raised. Another thing that it is a potentially dangerous undertaking," said Stephen Kent, a sociology professor at the University of Alberta in Canada who has studied Scientology.

Still, patients including Nguyen Thi Be are hopeful. She worked along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, repairing bridges and roads damaged by U.S. bombs. Since the war ended, she has suffered two miscarriages, has a daughter diagnosed with Down syndrome and suffers from uterine fibroids, cysts and other ailments.

"The veterans here may look not very ill, but many of us are rotten from inside with illnesses," she said, her face red after emerging from a sauna session. "After 13 days, I haven't seen a drastic improvement but I think I will be better with time. Other people who have finished the treatment highly recommended it. They looked very healthy when I saw them."

______

Follow AP's Vietnam bureau chief at www.twitter.com/cjbrummitt

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vietnamese-hopeful-unproven-scientology-detox-070343287.html

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Apple apologizes in China after service criticism

In this Monday April 1, 2013 photo, a man leaves an Apple store with an iPhone and an iPad in his hands in central Beijing, China. Apple apologized to Chinese consumers after government media attacked its repair policies for two weeks in a campaign that reeked of economic nationalism. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)

In this Monday April 1, 2013 photo, a man leaves an Apple store with an iPhone and an iPad in his hands in central Beijing, China. Apple apologized to Chinese consumers after government media attacked its repair policies for two weeks in a campaign that reeked of economic nationalism. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012 file photo, a man walks past an advertisement of Apple's iPad 2 in Shanghai, China. Apple apologized to Chinese consumers after government media attacked its repair policies for two weeks in a campaign that reeked of economic nationalism. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

FILE - In this Friday, July 20, 2012 file photo, an elderly man, left, watches tutorial videos after he bought a new iPad at an Apple Store in Beijing. Apple apologized to Chinese consumers after government media attacked its repair policies for two weeks in a campaign that reeked of economic nationalism. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012 file photo, Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during an event to announce new products, including the iPad mini, in San Jose, Calif.,. Apple apologized to Chinese consumers after government media attacked its repair policies for two weeks in a campaign that reeked of economic nationalism. Apple responded with the apology from Cook. ?We've come to understand through this process that because of our poor communication, some have come to feel that Apple's attitude is arrogant and that we don't care about or value feedback from the consumer,? Cook's Chinese statement said, as translated by The Associated Press. ?For the concerns and misunderstandings passed on to the consumer, we express our sincere apologies.? (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

BEIJING (AP) ? Apple apologized to Chinese consumers after government media attacked its repair policies for two weeks in a campaign that reeked of economic nationalism.

A statement Apple posted in Chinese on its website Monday said the complaints had prompted "deep reflection" and persuaded the company of the need to revamp its repair policies, boost communication with Chinese consumers and strengthen oversight of authorized resellers.

State broadcaster CCTV and the ruling Communist Party's flagship newspaper, People's Daily, had led the charge against the American company. They accused Apple Inc. of arrogance, greed and "throwing its weight around" and portrayed it as just the latest Western company to exploit the Chinese consumer.

The attacks quickly backfired, though, and were mocked by the increasingly sophisticated Chinese consumers who revere Apple and its products. State-run media also inadvertently revived complaints over shoddy service by Chinese companies.

Nonetheless, Apple responded with an apology from CEO Tim Cook.

"We've come to understand through this process that because of our poor communication, some have come to feel that Apple's attitude is arrogant and that we don't care about or value feedback from the consumer," Cook's Chinese statement said, as translated by The Associated Press. "For the concerns and misunderstandings passed on to the consumer, we express our sincere apologies."

Although Apple enjoys strong support from Chinese consumers, the vehemence of the attacks and the importance of the Chinese market appeared to have persuaded the company to appear contrite.

The People's Daily newspaper ran an editorial last Wednesday headlined "Strike down Apple's incomparable arrogance."

"Here we have the Western person's sense of superiority making mischief," the newspaper wrote. "If there's no risk in offending the Chinese consumer, and it also makes for lower overheads, then why not?"

Chinese observers accused People's Daily of gross hypocrisy and pointed out that the newspaper had maintained a stony silence when Chinese companies were implicated over food safety, pollution and other scandals. Meanwhile, CCTV was shamed when it emerged that celebrities had been recruited to blast Apple on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, in what had been billed as a grassroots campaign.

"The public responded in two ways to this incident," popular commentator Shi Shusi wrote on his Weibo account. "One group supports this criticism but quite a number of people felt that there are state monopolies which have severely violated customer's rights, but which are not being exposed."

Popular business magazine Caijing said its readers identified a long list of abusers, including state banks that lend to those with political connections while stiffing ordinary savers with low rates on deposits; a government oil company that sets gas prices and other rates as it sees fit; and state telecom providers notorious for their lack of customer service.

"If media is going to go after Apple, let's hope they spare some thought for those big Chinese communications companies and other monopolies, the ones that enrich special interests in the name of being publicly owned," Cai Tongqi, a lawyer from the eastern province of Jiangsu, wrote on Weibo.

Consumers seem unfazed by the state media's attacks on Apple.

Perusing the wares at an Apple reseller in Beijing's tony China World mall, recent college graduate Zeng Lu said she considered the controversy a sign of the Chinese consumer's growing maturity.

"It's great to see Chinese consumers standing up for their rights, but it's ridiculous for the People's Daily to get involved," Zeng said. "They should be criticizing state companies instead."

Apple's popularity flies in the face of China's ardent attempts to push its own brands and develop internationally competitive companies. The company also has resisted trends to enter joint ventures and move research and development to China. It also ignores big state media such as CCTV and People's Daily. Apple relies on Chinese factories, though, to make iPads, iPhones and other popular products.

Sales of Apple products in the region, which includes Taiwan and Hong Kong, grew 67 percent to $6.8 billion in the first three months of 2013, compared with the same period a year earlier, according to the company. Apple sold 2 million iPhone 5s during the first weekend it was available in China, in December.

The region is Apple's third largest market, accounting for 13 percent of all sales last year. More than 17,000 outlets sell its products in mainland China, a figure that includes 11 Apple stores and 400 premium resellers. In January, Cook said he expects China to replace North America as its largest source of revenue in the foreseeable future.

The attacks on Apple center on complaints over Apple's repair policies in China ? specifically its practice of only replacing faulty parts rather than providing new iPhones, as it does in other markets. Critics say that allows Apple to avoid having to extend its service warranty by another year. Until Monday, the Cupertino, California-based company had kept silent apart from issuing a statement March 23 explaining its repair policy and pledging its deep respect for the Chinese consumer.

Yet consumers and analysts say the complaints hardly justify Beijing's campaign of vilification. Such nationalist outbursts are not uncommon, although previous campaigns against foreign companies have often been tied to perceived national slights, as often befalls Japanese firms in China. Beijing accused Google of being an arm of American "information imperialism" after the company announced in March 2010 that it would cease censoring its search responses inside mainland China and instead send visitors to its uncensored search engine in Hong Kong.

Beijing is also angry over Washington's efforts to exclude Chinese high-tech firms Huawei Technologies Ltd. and ZTE Corp. from the U.S. market, amid worries over security. A spending bill signed by President Barack Obama two weeks ago includes a clause barring NASA, the National Science Foundation and the Justice and Commerce Departments from contracting with firms tied to the Chinese government.

Washington and Beijing have also sparred over more recent hacking attacks, including a forensically detailed report by cybersecurity firm Mandiant that tied Chinese hacking to a unit of the People's Liberation Army based in Shanghai.

Apple, however, may have been singled out simply because it is "the biggest open target," said Jim McGregor, senior counselor at consultancy APCO Worldwide.

"We're still seeing a lot of things wrapped up in economic nationalism," McGregor said.

Even before Monday's apology, he had predicted Apple would make a show of contrition to get its relations with the Chinese authorities back on track.

Duncan Clark, managing director of BDA China Ltd., a Beijing research firm, said the assault probably stems from a combination of factors, including the failure of Chinese companies to make breakthroughs in high-end consumer electronics.

"There's a general sense of frustration that China can't move further up the value chain," Clark said.

___

Online:

Apple statement (in Chinese): http://www.apple.com.cn/support/warranties

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-04-01-China-Attacking%20Apple/id-b827fb4735d4401e8e9b21242d0af02c

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PFT: Harbaugh reportedly?wanted Reed gone

AP

The typical civil lawsuit works this way:? (1) the plaintiff sues the defendant; (2) if the case doesn?t settle and the plaintiff wins at trial, the plaintiff obtains a judgment; (3) if the defendant doesn?t pay the judgment voluntarily, the plaintiff must then chase the defendant to get the money.

The recent New York Daily News article regarding Bengals cornerback Adam Jones? lingering legal morass creates the impression that the case against Jones is following that basic linear path.? Jones was sued by Tommy Urbanski after the notorious ?make it rain? incident from early 2007 that left Urbanski paralyzed, Urbanski secured a $13.4 million judgment against Jones, and Urbanski has now filed paperwork in Ohio to seize a portion of Jones? football salary to satisfy part of the debt.

From Jones? perspective, it?s a bit more complicated than that.

Jones? agent, Peter Schaffer, explains that the judgment against Jones isn?t even final yet, with legal issues pending on appeal in Nevada.? One of the biggest questions, according to Schaffer, is whether Nevada law recognizes a claim for ?negligent infliction of emotional distress? without an underlying assault or battery.

In English, this means that there?s a question as to whether Jones legally can be responsible to Urbanski when Jones didn?t shoot Urbanski or otherwise have any physical contact with him.? That issue, Schaffer explained, needs to be resolved by the Nevada Supreme Court.

The broader question is whether Jones can be held fully responsible for the $13.4 million judgment when multiple other defendants (including the shooter) also have been found liable to Urbanski.? This gets into notions of ?joint and several liability,? an area of the law that typically arises when, for example, one defendant who was primarily responsible for someone?s injuries has little or no money to pay a judgment and another defendant with limited culpability but greater financial resources is asked to pay the entire judgment.

The problem for Jones is that, in this case, he?s got the closest thing to a ?deep pocket.?? Though Jones will never be able to fork over the full amount (absent a Powerball jackpot or his own eight-figure lawsuit), Urbanski can try to get at Jones? assets in order to partially satisfy the debt.? Urbanski is doing that by attempting to obtain a piece of Jones? paycheck from the Bengals.

In Ohio, however, the maximum wage garnishment is 25 percent for all creditors.? With Urbanski getting in line behind other creditors (including the IRS) and with the judgment against Jones, according to Schaffer, not finalized, Urbanski likely will continue to wait for compensation from the shooting.

Of course, if Jones weren?t at least partially liable, Urbanski would be left with claims against various defendants who are what lawyers call ?judgment proof.?? In this case, the fact that one of the responsible parties plays in the NFL gives Urbanski a path for obtaining partial satisfaction of the judgment.

Schaffer also said that he has been trying to work out a settlement with Urbanski?s lawyers, given that the case is unresolved and that Jones most likely will never be able to pay the full amount.? In an apparent effort to put pressure on Jones, Urbanski?s lawyers have leaked portions of emails containing settlement negotiations to the media.? That could make it harder as a practical matter to strike a deal, since it creates issues of mistrust between the lawyers.

Absent a settlement, it appears that the situation still has a long way to go before it will be resolved.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/02/report-john-harbaugh-wanted-ed-reed-gone/related

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10 Remakes of Classic Horror Movies

Horror movies derive most of their power and enjoyment (you sicko) from a combination of novelty and surprise.The novelty: how the filmmakers will have this particular bad guy stalk and kill the good guys. The surprise: OHMYGODLOOKOUTBEHINDYOUDREWBARRYMORE!

Nevertheless, because horror movies are eternally popular, Hollywood remakes the biggest ones, as they would any genre of film. However, horror movies also boast extremely devoted and defensive cult bases, so time will tell if this weekend?s Evil Dead reboot is as good as Sam Raimi?s original 1981 classic, despite Sam Raimi?s seal of approval and active involvement. Here then are 10 more notable horror remakes.

Friday the 13th (2009)
There was once a rumor that they were going to eventually make 13 Friday the 13^thmovies. But after sending camp drowning victim/supernatural hockey mask-wearing murderer Jason Vorhees to space, hell, and Freddy Krueger, the franchise ran out of steam at 11 movies. So in 2009 they rebooted the franchise by remaking the original 1980 film, set at the proven horror setting of a summer camp full of libidinous teens getting brutally murdered.

The Wolfman (2010)

This one was delayed for years, and it?s tricky to remake those classic Universal monster movies. Lon Chaney is an icon, and Beneicio Del Toro is a good choice to replace him, because he?s already a wolfman.

Village of the Damned (1995)

Yes, it?s a remake of the 1960 horror standard, but it?s directed by Halloween horrorsmith John Carpenter, so it?s arguably better. Also, the spooky little Aryan kids make the adults do way, way more violent stuff than they could get away with onscreen in 1960. Village of the Damned is most notable for its super-famous, post-peak-popularity cast, such as Kirstie Alley, Mark Hamil, Linda Kozlowski, and Christopher Reeve in his final starring role before that paralyzing horse accident.

The Last House on the Left (2009)

The original from 1972: horror icon Wes Craven?s first film, and basically porn made of violence. The remake: also deeply uncomfortable, but better than it had any right to be due to the casting of Garret Dillahunt, the marvelous character actor from Winter?s Bone and Deadwood.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

George Romero?s ?70s zombie movie was fraught with heavy-handed satire (the zombies are descending on a mall because consumerism is zombielike HAHAHAHA). The remake is more akin to a season of The Walking Dead, playing up the claustrophobic terror of being in a see-through prison. And it?s got the dad from Modern Family convincingly playing a badass.

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Definitely an improvement on the original, a quickie, only slightly funny B-movie shot for about $85 by Roger Corman. The Frank Oz-directed remake is a film version of the stage musical based on the first movie, and it?s got a soul-singing cannibalistic plant, cameos from Christopher Guest and Bill Murray, and Steve Martin as Elvis-as-sadistic-dentist.

The Good Son (1993)

In the early ?90s, Macauley Culkin starred in every movie that came out. The studios had to occasionally throw him a bone for starring in family-friendly garbage by allowing him to play occasionally against type, such as a sadistic wee sociopath in?The Good Son,?a gender-switched unofficial remake of?The Bad Seed.

The Omen (2006)

The 1977 version was a legitimately good movie if still a horror movie, a classy joint with real actors (like Gregory Peck), in the vein of The Exorcist. The remake, I would venture to guess, was only made so they could release it on Satan?s birthday, which was 06/06/06.

The Shining (1997)

In 1980, Stanley Kubrick directed the psychologically terrorizing and also bloody screen adaptation of Stephen King?s The Shining. King never much liked the movie, even though literally everybody else on earth did, so in 1997 he authorized, oversaw, and wrote the script for another version of The Shining, which aired on ABC television. It starred Steven Weber, the guy from Wings. Because what do Kubrick and Jack Nicholson know about filmmaking? Not as much as the guy from Wings.

The Wicker Man (2006)

When remaking a movie, you have to update certain staid and stale references so everything makes sense. You know, for the kids. So when they remade the creepy 1973 horror movie The Wicker Man, they added on to the burning wicker man, the island?s method of ritualistic human sacrifice to ensure a harvest, with a face-cage of bees. Beeeeeeeeeees.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1927159/news/1927159/

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Mekhi Phifer and Reshelet Barnes: Married!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/04/mekhi-phifer-and-reshelet-barnes-married/

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Can mass marketing heal the splits on 'Obamacare'?

WASHINGTON (AP) ? How do you convince millions of average Americans that one of the most complex and controversial programs devised by government may actually be a good deal for them?

With the nation still split over President Barack Obama's health care law, the administration has turned to the science of mass marketing for help in understanding the lives of uninsured people, hoping to craft winning pitches for a surprisingly varied group in society.

The law's supporters will have to make the sale in the run-up to an election ? the 2014 midterms. Already Republicans are hoping for an "Obamacare" flop that helps them gain control of the Senate, while Democrats are eager for the public to finally embrace the Affordable Care Act, bringing political deliverance.

It turns out America's more than 48 million uninsured people are no monolithic mass. A marketing analysis posted online by the federal Health and Human Services Department reveals six distinct groups, three of which appear critical to the success or failure of the program.

They're the "Healthy & Young," comprising 48 percent of the uninsured, the "Sick, Active & Worried," (29 percent of the uninsured), and the "Passive & Unengaged" (15 percent).

The Healthy & Young take good health for granted, are tech-savvy and have "low motivation to enroll." The Sick, Active & Worried are mostly Generation X and baby boomers, active seekers of health care information and worried about costs. The Passive & Unengaged group is mostly 49 and older, "lives for today," and doesn't understand much about health insurance.

The challenge for the administration is obvious: signing up lots of the Healthy & Young, as well as the Passive & Unengaged, to offset the higher costs of covering the sick and worried.

Uninsured middle-class Americans will be able to sign up for subsidized private health plans through new insurance markets in their states starting Oct.1. Low-income uninsured people will be steered to safety net programs like Medicaid.

"The goal here is to get as many people enrolled as possible," Gary Cohen, the HHS official overseeing the rollout of the law, told insurers at a recent industry conference. Partly for that reason the first open enrollment period will continue until March 31, 2014.

Coverage under the law takes effect Jan. 1. That's also when the legal requirement that most Americans carry health insurance goes into force. Insurance companies will be barred from turning the sick away or charging them more.

The new law is mainly geared to the uninsured and to people who buy coverage directly from insurance companies. Most Americans in employer plans are not expected to see major changes.

Administration officials say they see an opportunity to change the national debate about health care. They want to get away from shouting matches about the role of government and start millions of practical conversations about new benefits that can help families and individuals.

The HHS marketing materials reveal some barriers to getting the uninsured to embrace the law.

The Healthy & Young lead busy lives and tend to be procrastinators. Plus, why would they need health insurance if they're full of vigor? The Passive & Unengaged fear the unknown and have difficulty navigating the health care system. The Sick, Active & Worried dread making wrong decisions.

Marketing for the new system will start this summer, going into high gear during the fall after premiums and other plan information becomes public.

There's already widespread concern that the new coverage costs too much, because of a combination of sicker people joining the pool and federal requirements that insurers offer more robust benefits. A recent study by the Society of Actuaries forecast sticker shock, estimating that insurers will have to pay an average of 32 percent more for medical claims on individual health policies.

The administration says such studies are misleading because they don't take into account parts of the law that offset costs to individuals and insurance companies, along with other provisions that promote competition and increase oversight of insurance rates.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., who has long supported coverage for the uninsured, is predicting vindication for Obama once people see how the program really works.

"It's harder to sell what is a pretty new idea for Americans while it is still in the abstract," said Schakowsky, who represents Chicago. "I think as people experience it, they're going to love it, much like Medicare."

That will put wind in the sails of Democratic candidates. "I think it's going to be a very popular feature as far as the American way of life before too long," Schakowsky added.

But Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky says Democrats have been predicting for years that Americans would learn to love the health care overhaul and that has not happened. McConnell had his picture taken next to a 7-foot stack of "Obamacare" regulations recently to underscore his disdain.

"I agree that it will be a big issue in 2014," said McConnell. "I think it will be an albatross around the neck of every Democrat who voted for it. They are going to be running away from it, not toward it."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mass-marketing-heal-splits-obamacare-071250665--finance.html

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Sweet Sacrifice

The title says it=) I finally finished the first great thing i could come up with...FINALLY!
I need someone to play Kenneth's character; someone who can post once a day unless you don't have time, I DO NOT freak out if you don't reply in like, two minutes or whatever.
So here is the overview, it's in 3rd person because I can't find another way to write it....*eep*
As in overview, it's what happens in his dreams BEFORE my character (Shadow Shira) attacks Kenneth in his own home during a massive storm.

Kenneth?poor, sweet, innocent thing
Dry your eyes, and testify?
Kenneth walks into a room that, if it snowed inside, could never be uncovered. The room is completely whitewashed. There are no windows so it is impossible to tell what time of day it is?no decorations hang from the bare ceiling, no paintings clutter the empty walls-there is a white feather bed set in a white wooden frame in the center of the room-but it is meant for two people; Kenneth are the only one in the room-the only one alive.
Metal chains crisscross the bed as in someone is or has been tied down, black feathers are caught in the chain pattern?Kenneth begins to attack himself with verbal abuse and accusations?
?Am I insane? Am I a psychopath? Better yet?better?! Am I in captivity?? Kenneth turned his hands over to inspect his palms and Kenneth quiver with fear as Kenneth see red liquid on the tips of his fingers.
?NO. All my life I have been pure, SANE.?
Kenneth?poor, sweet, innocent thing?Something unseen wraps its arms around him. The touch is icy cold and sends blazing hot white pain through his body and makes him want to cry out.
Get on the bed.
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I might have given away TOO much *eep*
but, anyways...you don't have to make the replies 5 paragraphs long...at least 1 is fine as long as it has a lot of details.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/GaM93JBz0wE/viewtopic.php

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