PFT: Chargers say LA isn't in picture

BCS National Championship - Alabama v TexasGetty Images

Although the Chargers are the only team that could move to L.A. in 2013, the Chargers say that the memo hinting at the possible move of a team to L.A. in 2013 doesn?t move them any closer to, um, moving.

Mark Fabiani, the team?s special counsel on stadium issues, told NBC 7 in San Diego that the memo doesn?t ?move the sticks? any closer to the Chargers getting a new stadium in Los Angeles.

?We saw it simply as a re-affirmation of things that the Commissioner and the league were saying for a long time,?? Fabiani said.

He then summarized the most important points.

?You can?t move to L.A. without a permanent facility,? Fabiani said.? ?[I]f you move, you?d better expect there to be a second team moving there at some point in the near future after you move.? And, the NFL is clearly in charge of the L.A. market ? and anybody that thinks otherwise should read this memo.?

On the first point, Fabiani isn?t entirely accurate.? The memo from Commissioner Roger Goodell to all 32 teams explains that a team can negotiate a deal with an alternative site like the Coliseum or Rose Bowl that would host games until the permanent facility is built.? Thus, the Chargers could move in 2013, play at the Rose Bowl until the permanent venue has been built, and stay put.

?No memo from the NFL can change the basic fact that until there?s a stadium that?s finished and ready to go,? Fabiani said,? ?and until there?s a team that wants to play in it, nothing?s going to happen in L.A.?

Again, that?s not what the memo says.? A team can move to Los Angeles and play elsewhere temporarily.

Fabiani apparently missed that part of the memo.? Or maybe he?s deliberately misrepresenting it so that the Chargers can have some cover as they position themselves to move, especially in light of an upcoming mayoral election in which both candidates have said they oppose the use of public funding for a football stadium.

So while the memo may not move the Chargers any closer to Los Angeles, it definitely doesn?t move them any farther away.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/07/02/chargers-say-memo-doesnt-move-team-closer-to-l-a/related

r kelly r. kelly macular degeneration whitney houston funeral judi dench alicia keys bobby brown leaves funeral

Jagr to Stars, Suter and Parise still deciding

FILE - In this March 8, 2012, file photo, Philadelphia Flyers' Jaromir Jagr looks across the ice during an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers in Philadelphia. The Dallas Stars announced on their Twitter account, Tuesday, July 3, that they have signed Jagr to a deal that the Canadian Press is reporting is a one-year contract for $4.55 million. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

FILE - In this March 8, 2012, file photo, Philadelphia Flyers' Jaromir Jagr looks across the ice during an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers in Philadelphia. The Dallas Stars announced on their Twitter account, Tuesday, July 3, that they have signed Jagr to a deal that the Canadian Press is reporting is a one-year contract for $4.55 million. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

In this Dec. 23. 2011 photo, Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Suter (20) moves the puck up the ice during an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars Friday in Dallas. Suter and Zach Parise are in Day 3 of NHL free agency with some wondering why they haven't made a decision on where to play. Suter's agent, Neil Sheehy, has heard enough. He tells The Associated Press: "When a young man is asked to commit for 13 years, why is it considered extraordinary to take a few days to make a decision?. A deal will happen when it happens." (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

FILE - In this April 3, 2012, file photo, New Jersey Devils' Zach Parise waits for action to resume during his 500th career NHL hockey game in the second period against the New York Islanders in Newark, N.J. Parise is closing in on his decision for what team he will call home next season as he works through the free agency process after not immediately re-signing with the Devils, according to the Canadian Press on Monday, July 2. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

While the two biggest stars on the NHL free-agent market were still pondering their futures, a future Hall of Famer found a new home in Texas.

The Dallas Stars signed 40-year Jaromir Jagr to a one-year deal worth $4.55 million on Tuesday.

"He's still a world-class player," Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk said. "For us to bring a player like that to our franchise is a big deal."

Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, however, were not yet ready to pick a team to play for next season and beyond.

"When a young man is asked to commit for 13 years, why is it considered extraordinary to take a few days to make a decision?" Neil Sheehy, Suter's agent, wrote in an email. "A deal will happen when it happens."

Parise said Tuesday he still didn't have a timetable for his decision soon after landing in his home state at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

"I'm back here to talk with my family and make sure that we've done all the work that we need to do make sure we make the right decision," Parise told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis.

Parise hasn't met with any teams, one of his agents, Wade Arnott, told The Associated Press. His other agent, Don Meehan, said there was no chance the coveted client would make a decision Tuesday night.

"We will resume tomorrow," Arnott wrote in a text message Tuesday night.

The New Jersey Devils want their top forward available to re-sign while Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Detroit and Minnesota are among the teams that are trying to lure him away.

Parise said he has been looking at where he wants to live, where he'll be happy and what team he wants to play for since hitting the market Sunday. And, he's looking forward to being done with the process.

"It's been a stressful couple days," Parise told the Star Tribune.

The two free agents are both 27 and each has been with only one team during their seven-season careers. Suter has played for the Nashville Predators, who are hoping for a quick answer from him so that they can move onto Plan B if necessary. The Predators aren't alone.

Second-tier free agents such as defenseman Matt Carle and forward Alexander Semin seem to be waiting for Suter and Praise to sign so that they can offer their talents to teams that don't get a top target.

Some players, however, have jumped at chances to re-sign or sign in the opening three days of free agency.

Colorado kept defenseman Erik Johnson thanks to a $15 million, four-year deal and New Jersey retained defenseman Bryce Salvador with a $9.5 million, three-year contract.

Jagr, who played last season with Philadelphia, has led the NHL in scoring five times and won an MVP. He had 19 goals and 54 points ? both career lows ? for the Flyers.

In NHL history, he ranks first with 16 overtime goals, second with 114 game-winning goals, eighth with 1,653 career points, 11th with 665 goals and 12th with 988 assists.

Jiri Hudler signed a $16 million, four-year contract with Calgary ? getting much more than Detroit offered to keep him ? and former Flames forward Olli Jokinen left to play in Winnipeg on a $9 million, two-year contract on Monday.

There were a flurry of signings Sunday ? Day 1 of NHL free agency ? including forward P.A. Parenteau leaving the New York Islanders for a $16 million, four-year contract with the Avalanche and 40-year-old forward Ray Whitney getting a $9 million, two-year deal from Dallas.

___

Follow Larry Lage on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/larrylage

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-07-03-HKN-Free-Agency/id-4b8021f402484161bda3e1252e04226d

lauren scruggs william shatner seattle weather skier sarah burke gingrich wife cheryl burke sarah burke

Egypt's new leader claims revolution's mantle

CAIRO (AP) ? Standing before tens of thousands of adoring supporters in Tahrir Square, President Mohammed Morsi opened his jacket in a show of bravado to prove he was not wearing a bullet-proof vest. The message was clear: He has nothing to fear because he sees himself as the legitimate representative of Egypt's uprising.

In the week since he was named president, Morsi has portrayed himself as a simple man, uninterested in the trappings of power and refusing to take up residence in the presidential palace

His speeches reveal a populist bent, filled with generous promises many are skeptical he can keep. And although he began as an awkward and uninspiring speaker, Morsi appears to be striving to reinvent his uncharismatic public persona.

After eking out a narrow victory in last month's runoff, Morsi has claimed the mantle of the revolution that ousted Hosni Mubarak last year.

But his Muslim Brotherhood did not join the uprising until it had gained irreversible momentum. And its critics say the Islamic fundamentalist group has hijacked the movement that was led by secular and liberal youths, and abandoned demonstrators during deadly clashes with security forces in the months that followed Mubarak's February 2011 ouster.

Morsi's moves are an attempt to make up for the way he came to power, narrowly defeating Mubarak's last prime minister in a runoff that had just a 51 percent turnout, said Karima Kamal, a minority Christian activist and writer.

"He knows that he did not come to power because voters liked him. But the general impression in the street now is that he is a kind and simple man who came from a simple family. This is reassuring to many people," she said.

A U.S.-trained engineer who lectured at a Nile Delta university, Morsi, 61, has none of the grandeur or name recognition of his predecessors.

Mubarak was a decorated war hero who was in office long enough to become a global household name. Anwar Sadat was the darling of the West, disengaging Egypt from decades of dependence on the Soviet Union and making peace with Israel. Gamal Abdel-Nasser was an Arab nationalist and an anti-colonialist hero who commanded respect and admiration across the Arab world.

Morsi, by contrast, was only months ago a little-known Islamist politician with no oratorical skills, no history of military prowess and no international standing. Still, he may represent a change in style and substance that Egyptians are ready for after millions took to the streets in last year's stunning uprising.

Columnist Salama Ahmed Salama said Morsi has made progress in the relatively short time he has been in the limelight.

"What we see now is a much more daring, open and talkative personality than the conservative and introverted Morsi we knew before," he said. "He is doing his best to fill the seat, but it is hard for him."

On Sunday, his first full day as president, Morsi decreed a 15 percent salary bonus to state employees and substantially raised the state stipend for the poorest in what many saw as a return to Mubarak's tactic of trying to appease the population of 85 million, nearly half of whom live in poverty.

During his speech Friday in Tahrir Square, Morsi roused the crowd with his loud words and constant finger-wagging. When he opened his jacket in a dramatic gesture ? "I fear no one but God," he declared ? he was surrounded by 12 burly security officers.

Still, some maintain this is the authentic Morsi.

"When he lifted his jacket and moved closer to the people, to speak to them directly, I felt he was trying to claim leadership ... for himself as Mohammed Morsi, not the Muslim Brotherhood man," columnist Emadeddin Hussein wrote in the independent el-Shorouk daily.

"The man we saw was the real Mohammed Morsi, not the spare tire," he said, referring to the unflattering moniker thrust on Morsi as a reminder that the Muslim Brotherhood only fielded him after its first-choice candidate was thrown out of the race over a Mubarak-era conviction.

The generals who took over from Mubarak last year stripped the presidency of many of its major powers in the two weeks before Saturday's handover to Morsi. They dissolved the Muslim Brotherhood-dominated parliament and gave themselves legislative power, as well as significant influence over domestic and foreign policy and the drafting of a new constitution.

Much of what Morsi has done over the past week was aimed at allaying the concerns of liberals, women and minority Christians that he will inject more religion into government or even turn Egypt into an Islamic state. In the meantime, he has sought to project an image of himself as humble, fair and pious, qualities that have struck a chord with Egyptians long accustomed to the pomp and personality cult of his predecessors.

During his first week in office, Morsi has led prayers at the presidential palace and refused to have his portrait hung in schools and government offices, long a custom in Egypt. He shed tears during a moving sermon last Friday and has declined to move into the presidential palace, living instead in his own apartment in a suburb east of Cairo, where he rises daily at dawn to pray at a nearby mosque.

Morsi's 50-year-old wife, Naglaa Ali, is also evidence of a new era: She wears a long flowing veil, known as a "khemar," and didn't attend college. She refuses to be called first lady, saying: "I want to be called the president's wife."

Morsi's motorcade is significantly smaller than Mubarak's and he permits traffic to be halted only briefly when on the move, something that has gone down well with Cairo's 18 million residents, who were stuck in traffic for hours every time Mubarak took to the road. He began his inauguration speech at Cairo University with an apology to students whose final exams had to be postponed to allow the ceremony to take place.

A Muslim preacher known to be close to the Brotherhood, Safwat Hegazy, was caught on camera kissing Morsi's hands when he arrived at Tahrir on Friday, showing the sort of reverence reserved for holy men or senior clerics, but which is also frowned upon by theological purists.

"Kissing the hands of the president just creates another pharaoh," wrote Wael Ghonem, an iconic figure of the uprising.

Significantly, Morsi has made no mention in any of his five speeches so far of implementing Islamic Shariah law, with only his frequent citation of Quranic verses betraying his political orientation as an Islamist.

Instead, he seems to have found a new way of delivering the message of the Muslim Brotherhood, whose main goal is to Islamize Egypt.

He has sought to emulate the governance style of the Prophet Mohammad's immediate successors in the seventh century. Under their tutelage, according to scholars, Islam witnessed its golden age as a faith that provides both spiritual guidance as well as a way of life.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-leader-claims-revolutions-mantle-212310675.html

lsu vs alabama college football college football ncaa football brian van gorder blazing saddles lsu alabama

U.N. confirms Saudi dissident, group off al Qaeda list

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-n-confirms-saudi-dissident-group-off-al-210403707.html

school delays joran van der sloot honey badger critics choice awards 2012 colbert president huntingtons disease rob

$2,540 for 2 fillings? Poor hit by high fees at chain

Surviving on a meager $1,300 a month, 87-year-old Theresa Ferritto fretted about the cost when her dentist told her she needed two teeth pulled.

  1. Don't miss these Health stories

    1. $2,540 for 2 fillings? Poor hit by high fees at chain

      Surviving on a meager $1,300 a month, 87-year-old Theresa Ferritto fretted about the cost when her dentist told her she needed two teeth pulled.? So she decided to try out a dental chain that promoted steep discounts in its advertisements.

    2. Psst: asparagus pee. Are you in the club?
    3. Thrilled and relieved, sick patients cheer court ruling
    4. Will NBA player's fear of flying keep him from soaring?
    5. Tasty lionfish? Beware nasty toxins

She figured an oral surgeon would be too expensive. So she decided to try out a dental chain that promoted steep discounts in its advertisements. She went to an Aspen Dental office just outside Cleveland.

Ferritto said Aspen Dental wouldn?t just pull the teeth but insisted on a complete exam. She was bewildered when they finally handed her a treatment planfour pages long. Total price: $7,835.

Ferritto could not afford it, but Aspen Dental signed her up for a special credit card, with monthly payments of $186 for five years. She blames herself for signing the papers.

?I made a big mistake going there,? she says. ?I should have known better.?

After a day of cleanings and two fillings, Ferritto asked her son for help. He called Aspen Dental to complain but said he got nowhere. So they turned to the state Attorney General.

Aspen Dental took all charges off her credit card for treatments she hadn?t yet received. But said the $2,540 she was charged for two fillings and cleanings was appropriate.

Aspen Dental charged Ferritto $350 for an antibiotic put next to teeth the dentist was going to pull, a charge other dentists say makes no sense. There were four separate charges for an antibacterial rinse similar to Listerine for $129. There was even a $149 charge for an electric toothbrush that Ferritto didn?t even know she had, until she recently retrieved an Aspen Dental bag from her garage and found it inside.

Imagine how many groceries that would buy, she sighed.

When asked if Ferritto was taken advantage of, Aspen Dental chief executive Robert Fontana said, ?I hope that the team was clear about what she needed and that that she completely understood what she was getting into. And hopefully, you know, she made the choices that she thought was right for her.?

Aspen Dental is a chain of nearly 350 offices in 22 states managed by a company owned by a private-equity firm. It is part of a fast-growing industry of corporate dental practices, many of which specialize in serving people who cannot afford to go to the dentist, a group many dentists ignore.

By marketing to people who haven?t seen a dentist in years, Aspen Dental often gives new patients treatment plans costing thousands of dollars. The Center for Public Integrity (CPI) and FRONTLINE spent months examining Aspen Dental and found that the same business model that makes Aspen Dental accessible to people short on cash can also lock people into debt and has led to complaints of patients being overcharged or given unnecessary treatments.

Dentists paid bonuses
Former employees say Aspen Dental trained them in high-pressure sales. Corporate management scrutinizes the production of dentists and staff daily. And an Aspen Dental recruiting video says that dentists get paid bonuses as key production targets are met.

?You?ve got people who are not dentists, that are in management ? they are breathing down the doctor?s back,? said Jenny Hayes, who worked as an office manager for Aspen Dental in the Chicago-area last year. ?There are goals and if you are not hitting your goals, then you lose your job.?

Aspen Dental denies that its dentists have stronger financial incentives than other dentists or that its bonuses affect treatments. Fontana, founder and chief executive officer of Aspen Dental, based in East Syracuse, NY, said dentists won?t do unnecessary treatments because ?it?s just not in their DNA.?

?I?m not even sure what corporate dentistry means, because we have no influence on the dentistry,? Fontana said.

He said Aspen Dental frees dentists to focus solely on patients, because the company handles back-office duties such as marketing, accounting and billing. In fact, dentists own and control all of the practices, says Fontana. All but four states forbid anyone who?s not a dentist from owning a practice on the assumption that dentists are trained and motivated to put patients ahead of profits.

Company being investigated
But Sen. Charles Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, questions whether dentists at corporate-dental chains are free from corporate pressures to maximize profits. Grassley wouldn?t speak about Aspen Dental specifically, but he?s had investigators looking into the company and other private-equity-owned chains for months.

?Because when private equity firms get involved,? Grassley explained, ?You got to understand that their motivation is to make money. And they are not dentists. And dentists ought to make the determination ? of what is good for the teeth ? Not some private equity manager in Wall Street.?

Aspen Dental says it serves people who otherwise wouldn?t go to a dentist. Forty percent of Americans have a family member who put off going to the dentist because they couldn?t pay for it, according to a survey by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Fontana says Aspen Dental looks for ways to make it easier for those people to walk into their offices.

Their offices are easy to spot at shopping centers, often near fast-food restaurants. Posters advertise a free examand X-rays. Many of their new patients walk in the door without an appointment. Aspen Dental accepts most insurance and if the patient is still short on cash, they will sign you up on your first day for ?no-interest? credit cards through GE Capital or Chase.

Aspen Dental specializes in dentures, which they make in each office. The consultation room has a tray of dentures to choose from, ranging from the basic no-frills model to the ?precision hand-crafted? ComfiLytes, coming in 27 shades. Internet ads offer dentures on sale for $249. Its commercial tells stories of a man in pain from poor-fitting dentures and a woman too embarrassed to smile.

Treatment plan includes problems that may crop up in future
Aspen Dental insists that all new patients get a comprehensive examination. So even if someone just wants a routine cleaning or needs a broken tooth fixed, Aspen Dental presents a treatment plan for any problems that may crop up years later. Fontana says this approach is what?s best for patients, because neglected teeth and gums can lead to serious problems. Several former employees, however, describe the initial exam as a sales tactic to maximize revenue on each new patient.

?People would come into the office maybe with a toothache and come out with a treatment plan that maybe the dentist said we need to extract all your teeth,? said Jenny Hayes, the former office manager in Illinois. ?They were made to stop in the manager?s office and sit down for an intense consultative selling process that they really didn?t bargain for when they walked in the door. I had people literally breaking down and crying in my office. And it happened quite regularly.?

The average treatment plan presented to new patients runs $4,450 at Aspen Dental?s top producing offices, according to an internal company document obtained by CPI and FRONTLINE. The company says the extensive treatment is a reflection of the patients they draw.

?A typical patient is probably 45 to 65 and struggling just to make ends meet,? said Fontana, Aspen?s CEO. ?They?re taking this week?s paycheck to pay last month?s mortgage, making their car payment, trying to put their kids through school and unfortunately, dentistry can become discretionary.?

Donna Kelce of Des Moines, Iowa, fits the profile. At age 55, she hadn?t been to a dentist in 15 years. She didn?t have dental insurance and didn?t think she could afford it. Besides, her teeth never bothered her until a gap starting forming between two front teeth. Embarrassed, she finally went to an Aspen Dental office after seeing one of its commercials.

Kelce was X-rayed and sent to a consultation room, where a dental assistant handed her a treatment plan. Kelce?s gaze stopped on a particular word.

?I could feel the kind of blood run from my face, thinking, ?Oh my God. Dentures,? Kelce said.

Kelce recalls the dentist saying she had no real option but to get dentures because she had lost too much bone for implants. She wasn?t sure how she could afford Aspen Dental?s $3,700 bill. But then the office manager signed her up for a ?no-interest? credit card through Chase. Relieved, Kelce thought she was getting a bargain.

She came back in late November 2009 to have 13 teeth pulled. But she said the dentist pulled and pulled and couldn?t get all the teeth out, breaking one at the root. Kelce wondered if so much bone was gone, why the teeth weren?t coming out easily. After three hours, the dentist still had six teeth to pull but said she could do no more because she had already given Kelce the maximum dose of Novocain.

Aspen Dental sent Kelce to one of its former dentists who could see her that evening. Dr. Jessica Lawson looked at Kelce?s teeth and concluded that they didn?t all need to be pulled. But she finished the work so Kelce could wear her dentures. Kelce said Lawson suggested that Kelce report the incident to the Iowa Dental Board. Lawson herself wrote a letter to the board.
?Having worked at Aspen Dental myself for a short period of time, I am well aware of the type of care that can potentiate, especially if the doctor isn?t firm with the office manager and regional managers in providing the standard of care that he/she is use to, instead of producing the numbers that Aspen requests and expects,? Lawson wrote.

The dentist at Aspen Dental, did not return phone calls for comment. But she gave a different account of Kelce?s treatment in her notes. She said she suggested alternatives but that Kelce ?insisted on dentures and full upper extractions even though (six upper teeth) can be saved.? She added that four of those teeth might not last forever.

Kelce, who is now suing for malpractice, said the dentist never told her any of her teeth could be saved.

?Who in their right mind would let them pull my teeth if they didn?t need to?? she asked.

Dr. Gerald Marlin, a Washington DC prosthodontist who specializes in replacing teeth, looked at Kelce?s X-rays at the request of CPI and FRONTLINE. He drew a red line along the bone and said Kelce had plenty of bone to save seven of her upper teeth.

Marlin came up with seven treatment options for Kelce, in most cases replacing her teeth with a bridge or partial denture. He said dentures should only be a last resort. They don?t adhere well and affect a person?s ability to speak and eat. Partial dentures are not only cheaper but they fit securely, anchored by the remaining teeth.

The dental board dropped the case and won?t discuss it, citing confidentiality laws. Coincidentally, that same month the dental board issued a press release, saying, ?The Board has seen an increase in complaints in connection with corporate dental practices. The types of complaints include both continuity of care issues and issues related to the business aspects of the practice.?

Little regulation
Corporate dental chains are barely regulated in most states, especially if they don?t accept Medicaid patients. State dental boards typically don?t have any power over corporations.

Lili Reitz, executive director of the Ohio State Dental Board, said last year a quarter of her complaints ? or 140 ? were against dentists at corporate chains. Yet she has little authority to take action against the companies. Instead, her power comes from having control over the licenses of individual dentists.

It?s common for Reitz to get complaints that private dentists are trying to do unnecessary care, such as putting fillings on cavities that other dentists don?t see. Still, Reitz says the pressures on dentists at corporate dental practices seem more intense.

?I think quotas and how many patients need to be seen a day definitely have an adverse effect on the quality of care,? Reitz said. ?What?s frustrating for us is to go dentist by dentist by dentist. By the time we get there, they?re not there anymore? because corporate chains have high turnover rates.

Reitz says dentists tend to stop doing needless treatments after leaving a corporate dental chain, so she considers the problem solved and takes no formal action.

State attorneys general can take action under consumer laws if a dental chain deceives patients. The Pennsylvania Attorney General sued Aspen Dental in 2010, alleging that Aspen Dental advertised ?free? exams but still charges patients with insurance. The state also alleged that Aspen Dental failed to reveal that the ?no-interest? credit cards it pushes have steep penalties ? 29.9 percent interest on the entire amount of the original loan ? if a patient misses payments. Aspen Dental settled, paying $175,000 in restitution without admitting wrongdoing.

Dental malpractice cases are relatively rare, attorneys say, because they are expensive to pursue and usually don?t offer big payouts.

Consumer sites on the Internet are full of complaints about Aspen Dental. Fontana acknowledges that the company counted 1,000 complaints posted from 2006 to 2010. But he said Aspen Dental treats 12,000 patients a day, so the number of complaints is relatively small. Aspen Dental has an employee who now responds to the complaints.

Two former dentists at Aspen Dental said Donna Kelce?s story is not surprising. Neither would allow their names to be used because they?d signed confidentiality agreements and feared being sued. But one admitted that he himself pulled teeth that he didn?t think needed to be pulled. It would happen when another Aspen dentist had written the treatment plan and said the patient had insisted on dentures.

'I couldn't do it anymore'
He recently left Aspen Dental, saying, ?I couldn?t do it anymore ? They spend most of their time trying to talk people out of their teeth.?

Fontana dismissed complaints by former employees, saying all companies have disgruntled workers.

Aspen Dental is a pioneer among corporate dental chains. Fontana considered becoming a dentist when he graduated business school in 1991, but decided instead to apply his business knowledge from working in a group dental practice, imagining ways of tapping into the market of people who never go to a dentist.

In 1998, he founded Aspen Dental Management. After five years, the company had opened 50 offices and had drawn the interest of private-equity firms. Capital Resources Partners of Boston invested $18.7 million in Aspen Dental in 2004. The Los Angeles firm Leonard Green & Associates bought the company in 2010 for just under $550 million.

Fontana says private-equity firms want out of a business after about five years, and the key to a big payoff is growth. Aspen Dental opens a new office nearly every week, creating a drag on profits, according to a recent report by Moody?s. Last year, the company made more than $500 million in revenue but had a pretax profit of only $12 million.

The company meticulously tracks revenue targets for each office. Yet Fontana said those targets don?t apply to dentists.

?I think it?s important to keep in mind again, that the dentists don?t have these goals,? he said. ?They just don?t have them. They don?t exist.?

But even an Aspen Dental video on the company?s Web site recruits dentists by saying, ?Compensation for associate dentists includes an annual salary plus bonus opportunity that increases as key targets are met.?

The video even gives a glimpse of the revenue targets for an office in Springfield, Mass. A multicolored spreadsheet titled ?My Practice Metrics? shows that ?dentistry? billings for November 2009 were 243 percent above ?budget.? The image shows there are also revenue targets for cleanings and dentures.

The scrutiny dentists are under at Aspen Dental is clear in a report that Fontana called the ?game tape.? It?s a monthly performance measure sent to office managers. CPI and FRONTLINE obtained one of these confidential reports for an office in Owensboro, Ky. It shows that in February, the office had billed $270,000 so far this year, $35,000 above its target.

The document shows that Aspen Dental also scrutinizes the billings of its dentists. The lead dentist in Owensboro was billing an average of $5,206 a day, earning him praise from the regional director, who wrote ?Showing great trends for this month.? But the tape also compared the dentist to top producing dentists, and in that regard, he fell nearly $1,000 short each day.

Heather Haynes, who managed an Aspen Dental office in Joliet, Illinois, said that office managers who didn?t hit their targets consistently were likely to be fired. She said that?s in fact what happened to her. Haynes said dentists and hygienists, the office?s revenue makers, faced the same pressures.

Aspen Dental invited CPI and FRONTLINE to a new office in Warsaw, Ind., to show how badly needed its services are. Warsaw, a town of about 13,500, has only six private dentists. Aspen Dental opened an office there after a dentist noticed how many people from Warsaw were driving an hour to Fort Wayne for dental appointments.

Ted Collins, a 47-year-old truck driver, walked into the office that day with an excruciating toothache.?I have to use ice packs at times to keep it frozen so I can get some sleep,? Collins said.

He hadn?t been to a dentist in 10 years and came in because of the free X-rays. Two of his teeth were abscessed, an infection that can spread and in rare cases even become fatal. The office gave him a comprehensive exam and found he needed dentures.

Dr. Kurt Losier, the owner of the practice, wiggled several of Collins teeth and showed on the X-ray that his bone had receded dramatically. Losier suggested Collins get the dentures with the longest warranty, which are also the most expensive dentures. Collins couldn?t afford the treatment plan, which came to $7,000. So the office manager tried to sign him up for a credit card. He was rejected.

Patients at Aspen Dental are turned away every day because they cannot afford the treatment, Losier said. To avoid that, the office will trim the treatment plan down. But even that often doesn?t work.

Losier vowed no matter what, he would take care of Collins? abscessed teeth. Ultimately Collins said a friend gave him the money for the dentures.

Haynes, the former office manager, said she lost sleep at night worried about whether the sales tactics Aspen Dental taught her were ethical. She said she trusted the dentists she worked with. But she was so skeptical of the expensive deep-cleanings sold to so many patients that she herself refused to get one after she was examined in her own office.

Lance Dykes, who managed an office in in Tennessee, said he felt like he was being forced to take advantage of people by selling them treatments he suspected they didn?t really need. He finally quit one day when he says he had to sell a $12,000 treatment plan to an elderly couple who seemed confused.

Dykes said the man looked him in the eye and asked if he had to decide right then. Dykes said no. Go home and think about it. This broke the rules taught in training for closing the deal, which he says, include getting the patient to commit before they walk out.

In December 2008, Sarah Keckler went to an Aspen Dental in Mechanicsburg, Penn., just to get her teeth cleaned. After a long wait, the dentist said the 20-year-old had three cavities and also needed to have her wisdom teeth pulled. She also said Keckler might have oral cancer.

Keckler, who now lives near Washington D.C., recalls the woman talking so loudly that it seemed the whole office could hear. ?She was giving this massive disaster scenario. I didn?t believe a thing that she said.??

Keckler went to her dentist regularly, the last time just six months earlier. But a change in her insurance forced her to switch dentists. As she was wondering how she was going to get out of this, the office manager handed her an estimated bill for a little more than $600. Keckler said the manager encouraged her to sign and even to enroll for a special credit card to pay for it all up front.

Angered by what she considered a hard sell, Keckler got up and left and went back to her family dentist. He found no cavities, no need to pull her wisdom teeth and no oral cancer.

Aspen Dental reviewed Keckler?s files and says she was appropriately diagnosed and that other dentists would agree. However, in an interview, Aspen Dental?s Arwinder Judge, the vice president of clinical support, acknowledged that the surface cavities don?t show up in Keckler?s X-rays. The company is relying on the dentist?s notes to support its diagnosis.

Last February, Dr. David Schneider, a dentist in Chevy Chase, Md., examined Keckler and her X-rays at the request of CPI and FRONTLINE. He said there were no cavities, no need to pull her wisdom teeth and no signs of oral cancer.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48033848/ns/health-health_care/

reno news shonn greene oklahoma state plane crash syracuse university best buy black friday 2011 ads broncos jets jessie james

Big Sean Drops A G.O.O.D. BET Awards Performance Clue: 'All White'

Kanye's G.O.O.D. Music soldier gives MTV News a mysterious hint of what's to come at tonight's BET performance, airing live at 8 p.m.
By Rob Markman


Big Sean
Photo: MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1688863/big-sean-good-bet-awards-all-white.jhtml

josh smith birdsong teresa giudice atlanta hawks flyers 2012 white house correspondents dinner forrest gump

B.C.'s pollution-fighting carbon tax to increase 1 cent on Canada Day

VICTORIA - British Columbia's pollution-fighting carbon tax is set to rise another penny on Canada Day, adding almost seven cents to the cost of a litre of most fuels.

However the tax appears to be running out of gas with the B.C. Liberal government, and the groundbreaking climate change initiative may be in for a tune up.

The provincial government announced a review of the carbon tax earlier this year and has since signalled its goal of creating jobs in the natural gas sector includes relaxed environmental standards.

Many British Columbians say they support environmental initiatives, but grumble about paying the carbon tax, wondering where their money actually goes.

Environmental groups fear the province is losing its leadership position on climate issues and has virtually given up on reaching its legislated target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by one third by 2020.

"More isn't always best," said Victoria resident Dennis Briggs, while filling up his truck. "They need to actually rethink how to go about business."

Briggs said he's environmentally conscious, but doesn't think about the carbon tax ? which is supposed to help convince people to change their vehicle-use habits ? when he's filling his tank.

"I think the idea's right," he said. "I don't think the process is proper. If we could clearly see those dollars being returned to green projects and road infrastructure, sure, I would support it. But that aside, if I can't see it, I don't understand it."

Finance Minister Kevin Falcon announced in last February's budget the government will undertake a comprehensive review of the carbon tax to assess its impact on the province.

He said the review will focus on the ongoing revenue neutrality design of the tax, which returns the tax's revenue earnings to taxpayers and business. The review will also consider how the carbon tax impacts the competitiveness of B.C. business, said Falcon.

Finance Ministry budget estimates forecast the carbon tax will generate $1.17 billion in revenue this year.

The carbon tax increases to 6.67 cents per litre from 5.56 cents per litre on July 1.

Environment Minister Terry Lake said despite the planned review the carbon tax is not on the chopping block.

"There are no plans to get rid of the carbon tax," he said. "Premier Christy Clark has made it very clear we want to be a leader on climate action policies. But when you are a leader you expect others to follow."

"When other jurisdictions aren't following, you get into a problem of competitiveness," said Lake.

The tax was hailed as world-leading when it was introduced in 2008, but jurisdictions didn't follow as the then-Gordon Campbell government expected.

B.C. food producers have said the carbon tax hurts their bottom line. The Business Council of B.C. has described the carbon tax as unfair because B.C.-based businesses pay the tax, but their competitors from outside of the province do not.

Lake said the revenue neutral aspect of the carbon tax provides competitive advantages for British Columbians because it lowers taxes for business and taxpayers.

He said the carbon tax and other B.C. environmental initiatives have led to behaviour changes that favour the environment.

"We're seeing leadership in terms of moving to hybrid vehicles and moving now to electric vehicles," he said.

Environmental groups have said previously the carbon tax needs to hit $200 a tonne or about 44.5 cents per litre by 2020 for the province to meet its target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by one third. It now amounts to $30 per tonne.

Ian Bruce, a spokesman with the David Suzuki Foundation, expressed disappointment with the Liberal government's recent decision to use natural gas as a power source for at least one of three proposed liquefied natural gas plants in northwest B.C.

The Liberals say exporting B.C. natural gas to Asia is a generational opportunity that could create thousands of jobs, but environmentalists say burning natural gas increases harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

"It will take British Columbia away from its leadership on climate change and will increase global warming emissions," Bruce said.

Opposition NDP environment critic Rob Fleming said residents would have more confidence in the carbon tax if they knew it was going to support investments in green infrastructure.

"In most communities in British Columbia that would likely be an expansion of public transit services," he said. "Right now, as the Liberals have configured the carbon tax, the money mostly goes towards tax cuts, primarily for large corporations, many of whom are the biggest polluters in the province."

Source: http://www.trurodaily.com/Canada---World/Business/2012-06-30/article-3020746/B.C.s-pollution-fighting-carbon-tax-to-increase-1-cent-on-Canada-Day/1

cowboys vs giants ndaa timberwolves weight watchers rawhide bigfoot sandra dee

Israel holds beauty pageant for Holocaust survivors

Qualcomm restructures itself for summer, R&D division becomes wholly owned subsidiary

Qualcomm restructures itself for summer, R&D division becomes wholly owned subsidiary

You know all those lawsuits swirling about in the tech industry? Yeah... Qualcomm is looking to avoid some of the weighty implications of courtroom battles with an air gap strategy that will restructure its R&D division into a new, wholly owned subsidiary known as Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. (QTI). While the parent company will retain the company's existing patent portfolio, QTI will be responsible for product development and the existing semiconductor business. Interestingly enough, it's also said that the subsidiary will ramp up its use of open source software, and it'll strive to avoid the patents of parent company, Qualcomm. It's also said that the restructuring will help the business bring its products to market more quickly, and if the company is able to avoid just one lawsuit / injunction, it may be very correct with that assertion.

Continue reading Qualcomm restructures itself for summer, R&D division becomes wholly owned subsidiary

Qualcomm restructures itself for summer, R&D division becomes wholly owned subsidiary originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 21:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Reuters, Yahoo! Finance  |  sourceQualcomm  | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/nM3JFlNvYRc/

ohio university ohio university keystone xl pipeline idaho potato bowl cagayan de oro cagayan de oro bowl schedule 2011