Aspirin Can Prevent Colon Cancer in High-Risk Group, Study Says

Taking aspirin daily for at least five years can prevent patients at high risk of a hereditary type of colorectal cancer known as Lynch syndrome from developing tumors, researchers said in a study to test the 110- year-old medicine’s usefulness against the malignancy.
Patients given 600 milligrams of aspirin a day had about one-third of the cases of colon cancer 10 years after the trial began than those who didn’t take the drug. An analysis of the 1,071 patients in the trial failed to show any benefit after 29 months.
Researchers presented the data today at the European Cancer Organization and European Society for Medical Oncology conference in Berlin. Though Lynch syndrome accounts for only about 5 percent of all colon cancers, the findings could point toward effectiveness in the general population as well, study author John Burn, a professor at the Institute of Human Genetics at Newcastle University, said at a press conference.
“At least in a high-risk group, we’ve got a treatment that works, that we know the side effects of, and it’s cheap,” Burn said. Previous trials may not have been long enough to prove aspirin’s benefit, he said. Burn’s team targeted people genetically at risk for Lynch syndrome because these are likely to develop cancer more quickly.
“The benefits are probably not seen in the general population for at least 10 years,” he said.
Cancer Rates
The difference in cancer rates didn’t emerge until about five years after initial treatment. Researchers tracked 628 of the people that began the trial, finding six cases of colon cancer among people who took aspirin and 16 cases among people who didn’t. The effect continued about six years after patients used aspirin and correlates with how long they took the drug.
Eleven of the people taking aspirin had gastrointestinal bleeding or ulcers, compared with nine in the placebo group, Burn said. Three of the people taking aspirin had heart attacks or strokes, compared to eight in the placebo group.
Harvard Medical School researchers this summer found that regular use of aspirin, first patented by German drugmaker Bayer AG in 1899, may be able to lower patients’ risk of dying of colon cancer by more than half.
Cox-2 Link
The Harvard study suggested aspirin could prevent tumors from growing by inhibiting Cox-2, an enzyme that may play a role in the initial growth of a tumor. That study found that people who tested positive for the Cox-2 enzyme saw a greater benefit than those who didn’t.
Researchers aren’t sure why aspirin prevented tumors in today’s study, but they don’t think Cox-2 is the reason, Burn said. Aspirin could be affecting cancer stem cells, he said.
Colorectal cancer includes malignancies that form in the tissues of the colon, which is the longest part of the large intestine, and tumors that develop in the rectum, the part of the large intestine closest to the anus, according to the National Cancer Institute. It is the fourth-most-common cancer in the U.S.
Burn’s research team plans to study whether a lower dose of aspirin will also ward off colon cancer.
The study presented today was financed by U.K. cancer research funds and Bayer.

Climate Agreement Doubts Grow as Obama, Hu Plan UN Address

Sept. 22 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President Barack Obama and China’s President Hu Jintao will address the United Nations today on climate change amid doubt that an international accord on global warming can be reached this year.
“Negotiations are dangerously close to deadlock at the moment,” European Commission President Jose Barroso said yesterday of the treaty talks set to culminate in Copenhagen at a United Nations-led meeting in December.
The U.S. and China, the biggest greenhouse gas polluters, are stuck on issues such as how much aid rich nations should give poor ones to deal with climate change and how much industrialized economies should pledge to reduce emissions. Divisions among developed and developing nations make a completed deal by December unlikely, said Eileen Claussen, head of the nonprofit Pew Center on Global Climate Change in Arlington, Virginia.
“I don’t see us coming to a full, final, ratifiable agreement in Copenhagen,” Claussen said in an interview.
There’s too little time to narrow the differences between countries before the December deadline, and even an interim agreement outlining principles of a deal will require stepped-up efforts, Barroso told reporters yesterday in New York.
“I’ve been in global negotiations like this, and I tell you that 80 days before usually we were much closer to the outcome then we are now,” Barroso said. “So if we don’t move this week there is a real risk that we miss the opportunity in Copenhagen.”
Some political leaders said they were optimistic that Hu will offer new initiatives in his speech to the UN’s climate conference today that will create momentum.
Hu Speech Important
“If we and China can come to an agreement, and we in Congress will recognize that, I believe the rest of this is just going to move very, very rapidly because everybody else is going to come on board,” U.S. Senator John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat and head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said during a panel discussion in New York yesterday. “So what President Hu says tomorrow is very important.”
The U.S. House has approved climate-change legislation backed by Obama. The Senate has yet to act.
More than 190 nations are negotiating an accord to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which set emissions limits on industrialized countries that expire in 2012. Neither the U.S. nor China is part of the Kyoto agreement. China is exempt as a developing country. The U.S. under President George W. Bush rejected the pact over concern that it would harm the economy and because lawmakers objected that China wasn’t included.
The European Union says binding targets are needed to keep the increase in global temperatures to within 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) of pre-industrial times, a target that averts the worst effects of climate change.
Changing the Dynamic
Obama’s top climate negotiator, Todd Stern, told reporters yesterday in New York that progress in discussions leading up to Copenhagen is “slower than we would like.”
“We need to change that dynamic and we can, so long as all of us do our part,” he said.
Stern told reporters last week that the goal in December is to get the “most ambitious, most far-reaching accord” possible. “And to the extent that there’s some things that need to be completed after that, then that will happen,” he said.
Kim Carstensen, head of the World Wildlife Federation’s global climate initiative, said “it’s “clear we aren’t going to get everything in Copenhagen,” and leaders should work on their “political messaging” so the gathering won’t be seen as a failure.
Specifics also had to be worked out after the 1997 climate meeting in Kyoto, he said in an interview.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who is overseeing today’s climate forum, urged advocates for stronger climate policies to put the “heat” on leaders.
“We must seal the deal in Copenhagen,” he said yesterday. “This is a political and moral imperative for all of us, particularly those leaders.”
To contact the reporters on this story: Kim Chipman in New York at kchipman@bloomberg.net; Jim Efstathiou Jr. in New York at jefstathiou@bloomberg.net.

Bank of America to Pay for Merrill Backstop, Faces SEC Trial

Sept. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Bank of America Corp., the biggest U.S. bank, said it will pay the government $425 million to cancel an unused guarantee of Merrill Lynch & Co.’s assets and cut reliance on federal support after two bailouts.
The payment would end a dispute over what the bank owes the U.S. for a promise to help absorb losses on $118 billion of holdings, mostly at Merrill Lynch. The federal guarantee helped seal Bank of America’s takeover of the New York-based brokerage after fourth-quarter losses spiraled past $15 billion. While the accord was announced in January, an agreement was never signed and the bank resisted paying.
Chief Executive Officer Kenneth D. Lewis has said he wants to shrink the U.S. role in company affairs. Paying the fee is part of a plan to reduce “reliance on government support and return to normal market funding,” the company said yesterday in a statement. The Treasury Department, Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will get the money.
“The bank is a wounded duck and everybody wants a piece of them,” said Robert Serino, a partner at Buckley Sandler LLP in Washington and a former director of the Comptroller of the Currency’s enforcement and compliance division. “In the past, Ken Lewis was a pretty strong character but now he’s been beaten down like everybody else.”
Even as the payment was announced, the Securities and Exchange Commission pledged to “vigorously pursue” a case against the bank for not disclosing $3.6 billion in bonuses to Merrill before the acquisition was completed. U.S. Judge Jed Rakoff last week rejected a $33 million settlement, accusing both the bank and SEC of trying to avoid a public trial.
Congressional Pressure
Bank of America also faces pressure from Representative Edolphus Towns, a New York Democrat and chairman of the House Oversight Committee, who scolded the bank yesterday for missing a deadline to turn over documents sought by his panel. Chief Marketing Officer Anne Finucane plans to meet with Towns to discuss how to provide information “without violating attorney- client privilege,” bank spokesman Scott Silvestri said.
Lewis “is holding up very well,” spokesman Robert Stickler said. “He doesn’t dwell on things that he can’t control and he remains convinced that the deal will be a good one for shareholders over time.”
The Merrill asset guarantees prompted regulators to press for compensation from the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank. The government said Bank of America benefited from the accord’s implied U.S. backing for three to four months as investors were speculating the company might fail or be nationalized.
‘Encouraging Sign’
The agreement reflects “an encouraging sign of increased stability in the financial system,” Treasury spokesman Andrew Williams said. The bank said in July it expected a settlement of the dispute within 30 days.
“This is another terrible deal for taxpayers negotiated by the U.S. Treasury,” said Linus Wilson, a University of Louisiana professor who has studied government bailout programs. The bank is paying less than 10 percent of a potential $4.3 billion cost, including warrants associated with $4 billion in preferred shares cited in the term sheet and never issued.
“The insurance company does not refund most of your premium just because you did not wreck your car in the last six months,” Wilson said.
Bank of America hasn’t received permission to repay the extra $20 billion of U.S. rescue funds that came with the Merrill deal, Chief Financial Officer Joe Price said last week. The bank received a total of $45 billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program and expects to repay the money in installments, pending approval by regulators, Price said.
New Board Member
The bank added its sixth new board member this year, tapping DuPont Co. Chairman Charles “Chad” Holliday Jr. Bank of America will have 15 members on its board, down from 18, with all positions now filled.
Holliday “will get the board to gel in the proper way,” said Ram Charan, an author, management consultant and former Harvard Business School professor who said he has known the DuPont executive for 25 years. “The board will do what is necessary to get the most out of a franchise that is the envy of the rest of the banking industry.”
During Holliday’s 11 years as DuPont CEO, the shares of the third-biggest U.S. chemical maker declined 55 percent. Bank of America shares have dropped by more than a third since Lewis took over as CEO in April 2001. Holliday didn’t respond to a request for a comment through DuPont spokeswoman Lori Captain.
To contact the reporters on this story: Margaret Popper in New York at mpopper1@bloomberg.net; David Mildenberg in Charlotte at dmildenberg@bloomberg.net.

Brief history of Forex trading

Initially, the value of goods was expressed in terms of other goods, i.e. an economy based on barter between individual market participants. The obvious limitations of such a system encouraged establishing more generally accepted means of exchange at a fairly early stage in history, to set a common benchmark of value. In different economies, everything from teeth to feathers to pretty stones has served this purpose, but soon metals, in particular gold and silver, established themselves as an accepted means of payment as well as a reliable storage of value.
Originally, coins were simply minted from the preferred metal, but in stable political regimes the introduction of a paper form of governmental IOUs (I owe you) gained acceptance during the Middle Ages. Such IOUs, often introduced more successfully through force than persuasion were the basis of modern currencies.
Before World War I, most central banks supported their currencies with convertibility to gold. Although paper money could always be exchanged for gold, in reality this did not occur often, fostering the sometimes disastrous notion that there was not necessarily a need for full cover in the central reserves of the government.
At times, the ballooning supply of paper money without gold cover led to devastating inflation and resulting political instability. To protect local national interests, foreign exchange controls were increasingly introduced to prevent market forces from punishing monetary irresponsibility.
In the latter stages of World War II, the Bretton Woods agreement was reached on the initiative of the USA in July 1944. The Bretton Woods Conference rejected John Maynard Keynes suggestion for a new world reserve currency in favour of a system built on the US dollar. Other international institutions such as the IMF, the World Bank and GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) were created in the same period as the emerging victors of WW2 searched for a way to avoid the destabilising monetary crises which led to the war. The Bretton Woods agreement resulted in a system of fixed exchange rates that partly reinstated the gold standard, fixing the US dollar at USD35/oz and fixing the other main currencies to the dollar - and was intended to be permanent.
The Bretton Woods system came under increasing pressure as national economies moved in different directions during the sixties. A number of realignments kept the system alive for a long time, but eventually Bretton Woods collapsed in the early seventies following president Nixon's suspension of the gold convertibility in August 1971. The dollar was no longer suitable as the sole international currency at a time when it was under severe pressure from increasing US budget and trade deficits.
The following decades have seen foreign exchange trading develop into the largest global market by far. Restrictions on capital flows have been removed in most countries, leaving the market forces free to adjust foreign exchange rates according to their perceived values.
But the idea of fixed exchange rates has by no means died. The EEC (European Economic Community) introduced a new system of fixed exchange rates in 1979, the European Monetary System. This attempt to fix exchange rates met with near extinction in 1992-93, when pent-up economic pressures forced devaluations of a number of weak European currencies. Nevertheless, the quest for currency stability has continued in Europe with the renewed attempt to not only fix currencies but actually replace many of them with the Euro in 2001.
The lack of sustainability in fixed foreign exchange rates gained new relevance with the events in South East Asia in the latter part of 1997, where currency after currency was devalued against the US dollar, leaving other fixed exchange rates, in particular in South America, looking very vulnerable.
But while commercial companies have had to face a much more volatile currency environment in recent years, investors and financial institutions have found a new playground. The size of foreign exchange markets now dwarfs any other investment market by a large factor. It is estimated that more than USD 3,000 billion is traded every day, far more than the world's stock and bond markets combined.

Cathy’s Teeth Whitening Success

My story of how I stumbled upon a special combination of two different FREE products that when put TOGETHER took me from this:
To this:
My name is Cathy Anderson. I live in Kathmandu,
00 and I want to tell you how I changed my teeth from being something I was ashamed of to being something I’m proud to show off. This teeth whitening trick changed my life and I hope it can change yours too. I’m not a dentist, doctor or medical expert, I’m just a mom who stumbled upon a special combination of two different products that work wonders when put together. This is my story.
How did my teeth get so bad?
Well, honestly, I did quite a few things that probably contributed to my yellow teeth. I love a glass of red wine, I’m an avid coffee drinker, and, most regrettably, I started smoking way back in college when I was about 21 years old. I smoked for just over 10 years before finally quitting, and although I’m very happy I did quit, I was disappointed that my teeth really didn’t recover. Finally, I was self employed for many years and had no dental coverage whatsoever. I can’t claim to have brushed twice a day every single day, but I honestly think I was usually pretty good about it… and I didn’t see any improvement, no matter how many “whitening toothpastes” I tried. Anyway, long story short, the coffee (couple cups a day), red wine here and there, and about ten years of smoking made my teeth look the way they appear in the “before” picture above.
Fortunately, with the help of a little “dumb” luck I found a teeth whitening solution that really works.
I guess in some strange way, I owe my new teeth to the reporters at CNN. After having no success at all with the tooth whitening toothpastes over the years, I was casually talking to my son one night when he started telling me about a news report on CNN in which a famous New York dentist discussed the advancements and effectiveness of modern “at home” tooth whitening products. The dentist on CNN’s exact words were, “Yes, two years ago I used some of the products that were on the market. And my teeth lightened up to five shades. We tested 22 volunteers, and it ranged from one shade difference to eight shades lighter.” 8 shades lighter sounded pretty good to me and I trusted that CNN, being a reputable news station, wouldn’t be featuring “shady” doctors, so I started looking around on the internet at some of the recommended products. First I tried some of the popular strip options and didn’t notice much of a difference with any of them, although at the time I thought I might be seeing some slight improvement (you know, the “placebo” effect )
The “dynamic duo” of teeth whitening
Next I did what I should have done right off the bat and followed the dentists’ recommendation. I had wanted to all along, but I’m not a rich woman and didn’t think I could afford it. But after looking around online, my son helped me find a few special offers where you could try the product by only paying a few dollars for shipping. That allowed me to get two different products–completely free! :). My idea was that I’d just use one first and once I ran out I’d switch to the other, and that’s exactly what I did. The results were good with the first product alone, but what I hadn’t expected was that when I followed it with the second, I noticed improvements in parts of my teeth that the other product hadn’t affected, or had only slightly improved. Like I said, I’m no doctor or medical expert, but it appears that each of the separate products focus on DIFFERENT parts of the problem, or that the second one just gave the whitening enough of a “boost” that it finished the job! By using them both in a row I was able to get even better results, and because they both had trials I was able to do the whole thing by just paying a few dollars in shipping charges. By using TWO trials, I effectively got a super whitening that was even better than either them would have been on its own. I am absolutely blown away by the results. For years I was afraid to smile for fear of showing my yellow teeth - now, I’m regularly getting compliments on how great my teeth are, and I smile all the time . I’m happy to have a chance to share the secret - after all, it was really pretty simple to do. The trick is just to combine two trials. There are still trials available for the following two products (at least there were when I wrote this!).
Step 1: Dazzle Smile
Dazzle White is the first product in the two product dynamic duo. I found a “promo code” for this offer that reduces the shipping cost for the trial down to just $1.95. Make sure that you enter “bedazzled” (without the quotation marks) in the coupon code box (yellow background). This will lower the shipping to $1.95 and saves a few extra bucks. The trial is still available and last I checked the promo code was working!
Dazzle White Helps With:
General Yellowing of the Teeth
Aging Stains
Coffee/Wine Stains
Smoking Stains (my problem)
Genetic Stains
You can get a trial by clicking this link: Dazzle White
Offer T&Cs
Step 2: Cleanwhites
EZ Bright is the “second ingredient” in the white smile recipe–it basically fills in the spots the Dazzle White misses and adds to the overall whiteness. Again, after some digging I was able to find a another "promo code" online (this one reduces shipping down to $0.97). Using the promo codes along with the trials is the key to doing the whole whitening without spending a bunch of money. When you're checking out on this one, make sure to put "save" (without the quotation marks) in to the promo code box on the second page of the checkout process (this one has a yellow background also) and your shipping charge should go down to $0.97. Last I checked it was still working.
EZ Bright helps:
Whiten the areas the Dazzle White doesn’t hit.
Reinforce and complete the general improvement.
Complete the whitening using just trials to save money.
The trick is using two TRIAL products that compliment each other to give yourself a whitening that’s better than you ever could have expected. Pictures speak better than words, and looking at the change always makes me smile, so I’ll end with my improvement again.

Insurance Quotes

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Discovering Online Insurance!

The Internet is a powerful tool for the savvy online consumer. You can review products, compare prices, research companies and purchase almost anything. Following this trend is the increase availability of insurance online. Insurance companies are providing coverage information, quotes and even contracts online. This includes automobile, homeowners, life, medical and even pet insurance. Insurance has traditionally been a high customer service field with direct human contact with your insurance agent. Because of the change in customer contact, the migration towards providing insurance online has not always been a smooth one. Instead, companies are finding some tools work and others only cause frustration or confusion. Indeed, the availability of insurance online is still fluctuating and developing. Below we have compiled a few of the ways you can utilize online insurance options and determine if it is the right tool for you.
Researching and obtaining insurance online is much easier today. Many websites now offer comparison tools that will provide quotes and coverage information (some of these sites are listed below). Keep in mind if you choose a carrier from these searches, you will then be contracting with that carrier for your insurance, not the original site. This will either be done by forwarding you to the carrier's website or the comparison site will forward your information to the insurance company and they will then contact you. Many insurers still prefer to have a representative call you and discuss your coverage over the phone. Although not the same as meeting with a personal insurance agent, it allows them to make certain you understand the coverage provided. Also, because buying insurance online is new, many companies believe that individualized customer care is still the best way to get your business and a follow up call still provides some of this customer service.
The Pros There are many benefits for utilizing online insurance:
Easy comparison shopping: Using insurance comparison websites you can compare coverage and prices on almost any type of insurance. You can also browse the individual insurance carrier websites once you have narrowed your search. Almost all companies now have libraries and tools for you to learn more about their services online.
Your time is money: Shopping for insurance online can be done at any time of day. It is hard to get time away from your daily schedule to sit down and comparison shop with insurance brokers, or indeed, individual agents.
Low pressure: Let's face it, many people find it easier to stand firm without the person-to-person contact. Users feel they can be more savvy and better informed when every option is at their fingertips rather then relying on an agent's account.
Save money: Due to the time needed to comparison shop, the pressure to stay loyal with one company, and the uncertainty about other companies, some may lose money by staying blindly loyal to one insurance carrier. The online market allows for easy comparison shopping, less pressure, and research tools to learn more about other companies. By becoming well informed, you can either work out a better rate with your current provider or move to a new provider who offers better coverage for your dollar.
The Cons Be aware of these complications when purchasing insurance online:
Understanding coverage options: Without an agent to explain 'insurance speak' you may not know all the coverage you may need. This is especially the case for those getting insurance for the first time. However, if you have discussed options with an agent before and have a generally good idea of the type of coverage you will need, this may be something that is manageable with a little extra research.
Is that quote really a deal: All quotes may not be equal. Take care to examine all the coverage included with quotes. The online quotes may help you narrow your search, but should not be taken at face value as not all companies offer the same 'comprehensive' coverage.
Buying insurance coverage in your state: Not all states will allow you to purchase insurance online. Some allow you to get quotes but still require you to meet with an agent before signing any contracts. Also, because the internet clouds locality, you will need to make sure the insurance carrier is licensed in your state.
Individual customer care: Do you really want to push 1, then 2, then 4 to talk to someone about your insurance coverage? Working with a local agent still offers the advantages of individualized customer service. This agent can offer coverage that speaks to your locality as it is more likely they live in your community. They will also have a better knowledge of the coverage their carrier provides and can help you understand all of your options. They may also be aware of more discounts available to you that you may not know to ask for online. In this way they can offer better individualized care.
Whether you choose to shop for insurance online or not, you should look at your insurance carrier websites. Insurance carriers now offer detailed information about coverage online. In fact, once you have settled on a carrier you can often answer coverage questions, pay bills, get updates on claims and find useful tip sheets and information on how to better protect yourself and your property. A primary example of this is your health coverage. Most health insurance carriers still prefer you to sign up through your employer or an agent. However, once you have your coverage, they offer information about doctors, medical options, prescriptions, and claims. Considering health care is one of the most complex types of insurance used, their increasing online presence is an invaluable tool. To explore online insurance options more, please see the links below.

Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the heart,[1] the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart) or tunica vaginalis.
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fiber in other ways. It has also been suggested that washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos can put a person at risk for developing mesothelioma.[2] Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking, but smoking greatly increases risk of other asbestos-induced cancer.[3] Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits is an important issue in mesothelioma (see asbestos and the law).
The symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss. The diagnosis may be suspected with chest X-ray and CT scan, and is confirmed with a biopsy (tissue sample) and microscopic examination. A thoracoscopy (inserting a tube with a camera into the chest) can be used to take biopsies. It allows the introduction of substances such as talc to obliterate the pleural space (called pleurodesis), which prevents more fluid from accumulating and pressing on the lung. Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease carries a poor prognosis. Research about screening tests for the early detection of mesothelioma is ongoing.

Jobs in Nepal

District Coordinators : Detail
Here are the details of this job listing. From this page you can apply for this job, or send it to a friend, by clicking on one of the buttons below.
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Category: Social Science
Detailed Job Description / Requirements:
The Dalit NGO federation is an umbrella organisation dedicated to establishing Dalit Rights. It has around 300 member organisations and a presence in 60 districts. DNF has its regional chapters in five headquarters (Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Pokhara, Nepalgunj and Danghadi) of the country. DNF with the support of DFID/ESP has recently launched the project "Improved Access to Socio-economic Opportunities for poor Dalits" in 10 districts (Mahattori, Rautahat, Siraha, Saptari, Surkhet, Banke, Kallali, Battadi, Baglung and Syanga) from five development regions of Nepal. The project focuses on 3 key areas: access to health and education, strengthening livelihood opportunities and advocacy for Pro-Dalit policies. DNF is looking for committed project staff for the following regional and district based positions. District Coordinators (10) KEY RESPONSIBILITIES • Assist in the planning, implementation and monitoring of field level project activities • Ensure coordination of project activities with local Dalit NGOs, DDCs, CDO, VDCs and other government district line agencies and civil society organisations and staff • Ensure full participation of Dalit NGOs and Dalit communities in the project activities * Support local Dalit NGOs in implementing project activities • Submit regular progress reports to the Project Manager. SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: Minimum requirement of an Intermediate's degree with 5 year's experience or a Bachelor's degree with 3 year experience in social science or any related field. Experience in working with community groups, managing partnerships and working to strengthen civil society will be additional advantage. HOW TO APPLY Please send your CV outlining your key roles and responsibilities plus a personal statement of up to 1 page maximum outlining why you would be suitable for the post along with interested region/district to jobs@dnfnepal.org by no later than the 5th October 2009. The application also can be sent to following addresses of DNF regional offices: Dalit NGO Federation (DNF): Far-western Region: Hasanpur-5-Dhangadhi. Phone: 091-524879, Mid-Western Region: Shantinagar-5, Nepalgung. Phone: 081-550022, Western Region: Simalchaur-8, Poknara. Phone: 061-539843 Eastern Region: Biratnagar-15, Morang Phone: 021-521891. Central Region: Sanepa-2, Lalitpur Phone: 01-5529075 DNF welcomes applications from interested candidates, particularly minority groups, including Dalits, Women, Indigenous groups and people with disabilities. Note: Published in the Himalayan Times Daily Date: 17/09/2009
Special Instructions for Applicants:
All the applicants are requested to apply to the respective addresses mentioned in the individual job postings and NOT to Websoft International Pvt. Ltd OR JobsNepal.com.

Govt-TU temporary teachers reach agreement; indefinite fast ends

The Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Tribhuvan University's temporary teachers have signed a seven-point pact regarding the demands raised by the teachers, Wednesday night.
The temporary teachers have called off all programmes of agitation following the agreement at the talks held with ministry officials, late evening, Yesterday.
MoE has agreed to give permanent status to the temporary teachers after fulfilling the official criteria and increase the pay to a minimum of Rs 200 per class.
Likewise, an agreement has been reached to form a seven-member task force comprising the teachers' representatives to work out strategies to address the remaining demands of the teachers.
Three temporary teachers were on fast-unto-death since past ten days to pressure the government on their demands. One of the fasting teachers, Lila Raj Baral, had been admitted to hospital after his condition deteriorated.
They have broken the fast at midnight, Wednesday following the agreement.
Earlier on Wednesday, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had issued a statement expressing concern over the deteriorating health condition of the teachers and urged the government to find a solution through talks.

NEA seeks 100 MW more electricity from India

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has asked Power Trading Corporation (PTC) of India to provide at least 100 MW of electricity to Nepal at a commercial rate from December, this year.
NEA wrote to PTC requesting it to supply electricity to Nepal through the transmission lines in Naikatiya, Biratnagar, Gandak and Nawalparasi from December and Tanakpur of Kanchanpur from January about two weeks ago. PTC has not replied yet.
In the letter, NEA has also asked PTC to determine the commercial rate.
Earlier, India had refused to provide more electricity to Nepal at subsidised rate. Nepal is importing about 100 MW of electricity at subsidised rate.
NEA has predicted at least 12 hours of load shedding this winter. Last year, load shedding had exceeded 16 hours per day. nepalnews.com

For Democrats, 60 Senators Is Magic Number for Health Bill

WASHINGTON — The unveiling of a compromise health care proposal has Senate Democrats pondering a daunting mathematical challenge: how to keep all 59 Democrats united and attract at least one Republican to pass an overhaul measure.
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Senator Olympia J. Snowe, a Republican whose support Democrats want on a health care bill, with reporters on Wednesday.

A blog from The New York Times that tracks the health care debate as it unfolds.
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As many lawmakers on Wednesday got their first detailed look at a Finance Committee plan that was months in the making, senators immediately began exploring whether the plan — when combined with elements of another, more liberal one — could win enough senators to reach that magic procedural number of 60.
“We have to meld a couple of things together and see where we are,” said Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut. “I wouldn’t say today with absolute certainty that you could get to 60, but it would be just as foolish to say you can’t get there either. This is the Senate.”
In trying to reach critical mass for legislative success, advocates of health care overhaul face an extremely delicate balancing act. With the death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, Democrats control 59 seats, meaning they need at least one Republican to join them if they are to proceed without employing a procedural shortcut that could cause havoc in the Senate.
And Senate Democrats have substantial differences of their own. More liberal members like Senator John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia and Senator Bernard Sanders, independent of Vermont, have been strong advocates of a public insurance option; many of the more centrist Democrats have come down just as strongly against one. Centrists are interested in holding costs down; progressives want to bring more Americans under the insurance umbrella, a push that drives costs up.
As a result, changes intended to bring the centrists and conservatives in line could drive away progressives, while any move to draw in the more liberal elements could end up alienating the centrists. There is little margin for error.
“I continue to believe that you start at the center and then move to collect additional support on both ends of the political spectrum,” said Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat and health policy expert whose seat on the Finance Committee makes him a key player as that panel considers the new plan from Senator Max Baucus, the Montana Democrat who leads the committee.
Juggling the individual party demands can be dizzying. Another Finance Committee member, Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, is digging in against potential Medicare cuts. Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania wants to make sure the plan does enough for poor children, while Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana is worried about health costs for small businesses and middle-class families.
And Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, typically one of the hardest votes for Democratic leaders to corral, is looming as a particularly tough sell. “At the end of the day, I want to see everything before I commit to anything,” said Mr. Nelson, who added that he would have trouble backing a bill that did not have some Republican support.
Yet winning over just one Republican will take extraordinary effort, partly because of the intense pressure from colleagues to deny Democrats a legislative victory. Senator Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, the Republican viewed as the most likely to back the proposal, did not endorse the plan on Wednesday, though she is talking to Democrats.
Other Republicans considered potential allies under the right circumstances have their own reservations. Senator Susan Collins, another Maine moderate who has joined with Democrats in the past, has not seen enough emphasis on cutting health care costs over all.
Senator George V. Voinovich of Ohio, who is retiring and thus may face fewer political constraints, said he feared the expansion of coverage for the poor could bankrupt states. “To be candid, I don’t know how you pay for it,” he said.
Given the steep climb toward 60, Senate Democratic leaders have begun to make another argument to lawmakers. They are pressing colleagues to vote with the party on procedural matters related to health care legislation and against any filibuster — a 60-vote issue — even if they intend to oppose the measure in the end when simple majority rules.
Senators are usually reluctant to clear the way for a bill they might vote against since they relinquish their most powerful leverage, but the message is evidently reaching some.
“It is difficult to ask someone to facilitate the enactment of legislation with which they disagree,” Mr. Bayh said. “But to move the process forward, to improve things, to get to the point where you can support it substantively, that of course I would be willing to do.”
Even with all the policy disputes compounded by political and procedural hurdles, Democrats said they still believe they can get a bill through. But it will not be easy.
“Do I believe there is enough consensus around here to get a bill done in the end? Yes,” Mr. Casey said. “But I also believe it is going to be a difficult couple of weeks.”

Big 3 agree on joint resolution motion

Kathmandu, September 17 - UCPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress and CPN-UML on Wednesday agreed in principle to prepare a joint resolution motion to end the parliamentary deadlock by addressing the Maoist demand for civilian supremacy. The meeting, initiated by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal at his office, decided to engage in bilateral and multilateral consultations between and among the three big parties to finalise the contents and nature of the motion to be tabled at the Legislature-Parliament. “We also decided to amend laws and the constitution if need be,” said Bhim Acharya, chief whip of the CPN-UML. Prime Minister Nepal expressed optimism that consultations in the coming days would forge consensus on the divisive issue before he heads off to New York to attend the 64th UN General Assembly on Sept. 20 as head of a 23-member delegation.NC leader Ram Sharan Mahat said while there would be options left open for the Maoists, there would be no consensus on any no-confidence motion against the UML-led government and impeachment motion against the president. “A common and consensual motion is just coming as an option after the Maoists rejected the other two alternatives,” Mahat said. Senior leaders including Prime Minister Nepal, Raghuji Panta, Bishnu Poudel, Bharat Mohan Adhikari and Ishwor Pokhrel were present from the UML. Prakashman Singh, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Bimalendra Nidhi and Ram Sharan Mahat represented the NC, while Baburam Bhattarai, Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Dev Gurung attended the meeting from the UCPN (Maoist). “If the prime minister is able to forge consensus to finalise the content of the consensual motion as per the demands of other political parties within a couple of days, we will be able to end the deadlock,” Acharya said. The prime minister told the meeting that he would take the lead to organise a meeting to find a common ground within a couple of days. “This is a positive development and a possible ice-breaker for all,” said UML leader Bharat Mohan Adhikari after the meeting. During negotiations, differences are likely to surface on issues concerning the nature of the motion, language and ways to address the Maoists’ agendas. “That is why we decided to buy some more time instead of trying to fix things in haste,” said Acharya.

Astronomers find rocky planet outside solar system

WASHINGTON, September 16 - Astronomers have finally found a place outside our solar system where there's a firm place to stand — if only it weren't so broiling hot.As scientists search the skies for life elsewhere, they have found more than 300 planets outside our solar system. But they all have been gas balls or can't be proven to be solid. Now a team of European astronomers has confirmed the first rocky extrasolar planet.Scientists have long figured that if life begins on a planet, it needs a solid surface to rest on, so finding one elsewhere is a big deal."We basically live on a rock ourselves," said co-discoverer Artie Hartzes, director of the Thuringer observatory in Germany. "It's as close to something like the Earth that we've found so far. It's just a little too close to its sun."So close that its surface temperature is more than 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit, too toasty to sustain life. It circles its star in just 20 hours, zipping around at 466,000 mph. By comparison, Mercury, the planet nearest our sun, completes its solar orbit in 88 days."It's hot, they're calling it the lava planet," Hartzes said.This is a major discovery in the field of trying to find life elsewhere in the universe, said outside expert Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution. It was the buzz of a conference on finding an Earth-like planet outside our solar system, held in Barcelona, Spain, where the discovery was presented Wednesday morning. The find is also being published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.The planet is called Corot-7b. It was first discovered earlier this year. European scientists then watched it dozens of times to measure its density to prove that it is rocky like Earth. It's in our general neighborhood, circling a star in the winter sky about 500 light-years away. Each light-year is about 6 trillion miles.Four planets in our solar system are rocky: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.In addition, the planet is about as close to Earth in size as any other planet found outside our solar system. Its radius is only one-and-a-half times bigger than Earth's and it has a mass about five times the Earth's.Now that another rocky planet has been found so close to its own star, it gives scientists more confidence that they'll find more Earth-like planets farther away, where the conditions could be more favorable to life, Boss said."The evidence is becoming overwhelming that we live in a crowded universe," Boss said.

Tambora Volcano: The Largest Eruption in Recorded History

Largest Eruption in Recorded HistoryOn April 10, 1815, Tambora Volcano produced the largest eruption in recorded history. An estimated 150 cubic kilometers (36 cubic miles) of tephra (exploded rock and ash) resulted, with ash from the eruption recognized at least 1,300 kilometers (808 miles) away to the northwest. While the April 10 eruption was catastrophic, historical records and geological analysis of eruption deposits indicate that the volcano had been active between 1812 and 1815. Enough ash was put into the atmosphere from the April 10 eruption to reduce incident sunlight on the Earth’s surface, causing global cooling, which resulted in the 1816 “year without a summer.”
Tambora Volcano in Satellite ViewThis detailed astronaut photograph depicts the summit caldera of the volcano. The huge caldera is 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) in diameter and 1,100 meters (3,609 feet) deep. It formed when Tambora’s estimated 4,000-meter- (13,123-foot) high peak was removed, and the magma chamber below emptied during the April 10 eruption. Today the crater floor is occupied by an ephemeral freshwater lake, recent sedimentary deposits, and minor lava flows and domes from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Layered tephra deposits are visible along the northwestern crater rim. Active fumaroles, or steam vents, still exist in the caldera.
Archaeology: Pompeii of the EastIn 2004, scientists discovered the remains of a village, and two adults buried under approximately 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) of ash in a gully on Tambora’s flank—remnants of the former Kingdom of Tambora preserved by the 1815 eruption that destroyed it. The similarity of the Tambora remains to those associated with the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius has led to the Tambora site’s description as “the Pompeii of the East.”