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SACW | 21 April - 5 May 2005
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- South Asia Citizens Wire | 21 April - 5 May, 2005
[This issue of SACW is dedicated to the memory of
two world citizens, public intellectuals and
activists Andre Gunder Frank and Jugnu Ramaswamy,
whose recent deaths are a great loss for many on
this list. ]
[1] The State of Sectarianism in Pakistan (International Crisis Group)
[2] Press Statement re Indo Pak Peace Process
(Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace,
[3] Indo Pak Peace Process - How irreversible is 'irreversible'? (M B Naqvi)
[4] India Vacillates On Nepal: Don't compromise with despotism (Praful Bidwai)
[5] India: Secular Spirit (Edit., The Telegraph)
[6] India: Sangh goes on air, indirect to home (Hemendra Singh Bartwal)
[7] India: Manipur- An Incendiary Script (Pradip Phanjoubam)
[8] India: Art can't be supressed by fundamentalists: Punjab artistes
[9] India: Space science in the lord's hands (G.S. Radhakrishna)
[10] Announcements:
Upcoming conference on "Political Hinduism" (Los Angeles - May 6-7, 2005)
International Crisis Group - Asia Report No. 95
18 April 2005
Executive Summary And Recommendations
Sectarian conflict in Pakistan is the direct
consequence of state policies of Islamisation and
marginalisation of secular democratic forces.
Co-option and patronage of religious parties by
successive military governments have brought
Pakistan to a point where religious extremism
threatens to erode the foundations of the state
and society. As President Pervez Musharraf is
praised by the international community for his
role in the war against terrorism, the frequency
and viciousness of sectarian terrorism continues
to increase in his country.
Instead of empowering liberal, democratic voices,
the government has co-opted the religious right
and continues to rely on it to counter civilian
opposition. By depriving democratic forces of an
even playing field and continuing to ignore the
need for state policies that would encourage and
indeed reflect the country's religious diversity,
the government has allowed religious extremist
organisations and jihadi groups, and the madrasas
that provide them an endless stream of recruits,
to flourish. It has failed to protect a
vulnerable judiciary and equip its
law-enforcement agencies with the tools they need
to eliminate sectarian terrorism.
Constitutional provisions to "Islamise" laws,
education and culture, and official dissemination
of a particular brand of Islamic ideology, not
only militate against Pakistan's religious
diversity but also breed discrimination against
non-Muslim minorities. The political use of Islam
by the state promotes an aggressive competition
for official patronage between and within the
many variations of Sunni and Shia Islam, with the
clerical elite of major sects and subsects
striving to build up their political parties,
raise jihadi militias, expand madrasa networks
and, as has happened on Musharraf's watch, become
part of government. Like all other Pakistani
military governments, the Musharraf
administration has also weakened secular and
democratic political forces.
Administrative and legal action against militant
organisations has failed to dismantle a
well-entrenched and widely spread terror
infrastructure. All banned extremist groups
persist with new labels, although old names are
also still in use. The jihadi media is
flourishing, and the leading figures of extremist
Sunni organisations are free to preach their
jihadi ideologies. Leaders of banned groups such
as the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Sipahe Sahaba and
Jaish-e-Mohammed appear to enjoy virtual immunity
from the law. They have gained new avenues to
propagate their militant ideas since the chief
patrons of jihad, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI)
and the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), have acquired
prominent and powerful roles in Musharraf's
political structure.
The Islamisation of laws and education, in
particular, graphically illustrates the Sunni
sectarian bias of the Pakistani state. General
Zia-ul-Haq's Islamic penal code, retained by
General Musharraf, is derived entirely from
classical Sunni-Hanafi orthodox sources. The same
is true of "Islamic" textbooks in public schools
and colleges. The Shia minority -- and, in some
cases, even the majority Sunni Barelvi sect -- is
deeply resentful of this orthodox Hanafi Sunni
bias in state policies. Within Sunnism itself,
the competition for state patronage and a share
in power has turned minor theological debates and
cultural differences into unbridgeable, volatile
sectarian divisions. After decades of co-option
by the civil-military establishment, Pakistan's
puritanical clergy is attempting to turn the
country into a confessional state where the
religious creed of a person is the sole marker of
Except for a few showcase "reformed" madrasas, no
sign of change is visible. Because of the
mullahs' political utility, the military-led
government's proposed measures, from curriculum
changes to a new registration law, have been
dropped in the face of opposition by the MMA
(Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal) and its madrasa
subsidiaries. Instead, financial and political
incentives to the mullahs have raised their
public profile and influence. The government's
approach towards religious extremism is
epitomised by its deals with extremists in the
tribal areas, concluded through JUI mediation
after payment of bribes to militant leaders.
The anomalous constitutional status and political
disenfranchisement of regions like the Federally
Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the Northern
Areas have turned them into sanctuaries for
sectarian and international terrorists and
centres of the arms and drugs trade.
Parallel legal and judicial systems, which exist
in many parts of the country with the blessing of
the state, undermine the rule of law. The reform
of discriminatory laws and procedures has, at
best, been cosmetic -- they remain open to abuse
by religious fanatics. Bereft of independence,
the judiciary is unable to check the rising
sectarian violence. Subjected to political
interference, an inefficient police has become
even more incapable of dealing with sectarian
President Musharraf's lack of domestic legitimacy
has forced the military to rely on alliances of
convenience with the religious right, based on
the politics of patronage. In the absence of
international support, moderate, secular and
democratic parties will remain in the political
cold. The choice that Pakistan faces is not
between the military and the mullahs, as is
generally believed in the West; it is between
genuine democracy and a military-mullah alliance
that is responsible for producing and sustaining
religious extremism of many hues.
Given the intrinsic links between Pakistan-based
homegrown and transnational terrorists, the one
cannot be effectively contained and ultimately
eliminated without acting against the other. The
government's unwillingness to demonstrate
political will to deal with the internal jihad
could cost it international support, much of
which is contingent upon Pakistan's performance
in the war against terrorism. The U.S. and other
influential actors have realised with regard to
their own societies that terrorism can only be
eliminated through pluralistic democratic
structures. Pakistan should not be treated as an
To the Government of Pakistan:
1. Recognise the diversity of Islam in Pakistan,
reaffirm the constitutional principle of equality
for all citizens regardless of religion or sect,
and give meaning to this by taking the following
(a) repeal all laws, penal codes and official
procedures that reinforce sectarian identities
and cause discrimination on the basis of faith,
such as the mandatory affirmation of religious
creed in applications for jobs, passports and
national identity cards;
(b) repeal the Hudood laws and the blasphemy laws;
(c) disband privately-run Sharia courts in the
North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and take
action against religious organisations operating
(d) do not use zakat or other sources of
government funding to finance the activities,
educational or otherwise, of any sect; and
(e) purge Islamic Studies textbooks of sectarian
material that promotes or undermines specific
2. Disband, in furtherance of Article 256 of the
constitution, all private militias, including
those organised for sectarian and jihadi causes.
3. Make curbs on sectarian leaders and extremist groups more effective by:
(a) publicising the evidence for banning jihadi groups;
(b) implementing the laws against hate-speech and
incitement of communal violence;
(c) taking legal action against the
administration of any mosque or madrasa or
religious leader responsible for verbal or
written edicts of apostasy;
(d) taking legal action against the
administration of any mosque or madrasa whose
leader calls for internal or external jihad;
(e) cancelling the print declarations (licences)
of jihadi publications and prosecuting the
(f) closing down madrasas run by sectarian and jihadi organisations; and
(g) ending registration of new madrasas until a
new madrasa law is in place, and registering all
madrasas under this new law, including those
currently registered under the Societies Act.
4. Appoint prayer leaders and orators at mosques
and madrasas run by the Auqaf Department (the
government department of religious endowments)
only after verifying that the applicant has no
record of sectarian extremism, and dismiss those
sectarian leaders who are employees of the Auqaf
5. Review periodically the activities of all
government appointed clergy and strictly enforce
the ban on loudspeakers used in mosques other
than for permitted religious activities.
6. Implement police and judiciary reforms, including the following:
(a) ensure institutional independence and
guarantees against political interference;
(b) guarantee the physical security of judges
presiding over cases of sectarian terrorism; and
(c) end the political and policing role of
intelligence agencies and establish parliamentary
oversight of their activities.
7. Use federal prerogative to veto the MMA's
Islamisation agenda, including the Hasba Bill.
8. Provide constitutional and political rights
to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)
and the Northern Areas by:
(a) doing away with their special status and
deciding on a final constitutional and legal
status after negotiations with their directly
elected representatives;
(b) granting decision-making powers and local
administrative and legislative authority to the
Northern Areas Council;
(c) setting up and linking courts in these areas
to Pakistan's mainstream judicial institutions;
(d) ending the practices of raising tribal
lashkars and paying bribes to militants.
9. Regulate the arms industry in FATA to prevent
the proliferation of weapons countrywide.
To the United States and the European Union:
10. Press the Musharraf government to carry out
its commitment of introducing a madrasa
registration regime and instituting a regulatory
authority in conformity with international
conventions on terrorism and extremism.
11. Urge the Pakistan government to repeal
discriminatory legislation that targets women and
Islamabad/Brussels, 18 April 2005
21 April 2005
The Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace
(CNDP), India, warmly endorses the
establishment of bus links between Srinagar and
Muzaffarabad, the opening of cross-border trade
routes between India and Pakistan, and the
commitment by both sides to a peaceful resolution of
the hitherto intractable 'Kashmir problem'. The
peace process however, despite the formal
declaration, is not "irreversible" but is itself
hostage to the possible emergence of distrust and
suspicion between the two countries in the future.
In this context the CNDP registers its deepest
disappointment and dismay that the India-Pakistan
talks completely failed to take note of the
possibility of a nuclear war which stares both the
countries in the face, whether by deliberate action
or unintentional slip. They failed to agree to any
measures to reduce such risks and to eventually
eliminate their respective arsenals. Hence, we once
again urge both governments to take concrete
measures to reverse the open-ended nuclear arms race
that consumes scarce resources and sharpens
animosities and tensions.
Sukla Sen
CNDP, India
The News International
May 04, 2005
M B Naqvi
The joint statement issued after Delhi's
Indo-Pakistani summit described improvements in
their mutual relationship as "irreversible"
because of the sizeable peace lobbies in both
countries. War mongering is no longer popular.
But how irreversible is this peace process?
Things are often deceptive in politics.
Entrenched powerful groups in both countries do
not want friendship between the two countries,
not even trade and economic cooperation. They
like freer cultural exchanges even less. The two
bureaucracies, each excelling the other in rigid
approaches and in being actually
backward-looking, do not want to change.
Bureaucracies are always meant to preserve a
system. They cannot be expected to take
significant initiatives "outside the box." It is
not their job. That is the job of political
leaderships, and they should make the
bureaucracies implement their "out of the box"
thinking which requires change.
The two governments are a long way from settling
down as friends and have still to build many
bridges. Governments can always reverse their
stances. There is the sudden reversal of India's
policy over Nepal, for instance. Only a few
months ago, India angrily condemned King
Gyanendra's wrapping up the elected system by
assuming total power himself on Feb. 1 last. It
stopped military aid to the Nepalese Army. Now
suddenly it has decided to send him armaments
against the wishes of India's leftists. One goes
beyond a mere notice of this instance of a
reversal for a reason.
The proffered reason was other countries would
take advantage of the tiff between India and the
Nepalese King and would start supplying arms to
him. The "other country" in this case could
either be Pakistan or China because America and
the UK were on India's side against Gyanendra.
Now China, in its own national interests, would
never give an excuse to India, the US and the UK
to unitedly oppose China's help to Gyanendra. As
for Pakistan, it would never go against US and UK
advice, all its gestures of independence
notwithstanding. But even this flimsy threat of
Pakistan establishing a relationship with
Gyanendra was enough to unnerve the South Block.
True, there could be a different reason. Maoist
inroads in India itself demand that the Indian
government should enable the Nepalese Army to
prevent its Maoists from coordinating with their
Indian friends. Doubtless, the Indian bureaucracy
is stoutly fighting against Indian Maoists.
However, this Indian iron fist has not stopped
Maoists from spreading operations from the
Indo-Nepalese border down to Andhra Pradesh. The
logic of fighting the Maoists at home could impel
India to cooperate with Nepal's anti-Maoists. But
India's stoppage of military cooperation with
Nepal had no links with the decades old
insurgencies in India. Pakistan's fishing in
Nepal's troubled waters could only be a minor
Another example is military exercises that India
is about to hold near Jullundhur. Who would be
the enemy to be vanquished in this exercise? The
emotional underpinnings of such exercises make
the enemy known: it is Pakistan. The Indian Army
is for preserving Indian borders from Pakistan;
the two are designated adversary states for each
other. Three wars and many skirmishes have
stabilised these enemy images. These inveterate
enemies have recently gone nuclear. Pakistan's
nuclear stance is India-specific. Thus reversing
the enemy image is going to take time and much
more than diplomatic bonhomie and sweet talk;
something has to be shown to the people before
they change their inimical attitudes. The feel
good factor created by the many "permitted"
cultural exchanges cannot long be sustained on
sweet words alone. There has to be evidence of
inter-state free trade, economic cooperation and
a credible framework of a lot freer travel to
permit cultural exchanges to do their magic.
The Army patronises many other forces. Among
them, two deserve notice: the first is the
political forces that demonise the enemy. In
India there is the Sangh Parivar and parties like
Shiv Sena that are anti-Pakistan and, up to a
point, anti-Muslim. The Bharatya Janata Party
represents their political interests. The second
group associated with the armed forces (and the
bureaucracies) comprises publicists. Whole
battalions of them are embedded in the military
establishments as well as civilian ones.
Governments need special media persons to be
properly guided by intelligence agencies;
arrangements to this effect are in working order
in both countries.
This is reality. Despite professed recent
governmental desires of being friends hard
progress has been slow and halting. A tribute to
Americans is due for bringing India and Pakistan
to the negotiating table. This has had a benign
effect so far. It is for India and Pakistan to go
further than the Americans want. They should go
much beyond a mere normalisation of relations.
They have tried hard to make the Composite
Dialogue, agreed in 1997, productive. Despite
many rounds, it has so far yielded no solution to
any of the eight propositions.
The two states have fixed a "normal" relationship
as their goal, though the Composite Dialogue has
so far refused to move forward. Both are still at
the starting point. However, many agreements on
Confidence Building Measures, some along the LoC
in Kashmir, may have been agreed upon, there
needs to be some concrete agreements on disputes.
These CBMs are welcome. But they are reversible.
Can the bus between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad not
be stopped? Can the Munabao-Khokhrapar line not
be postponed again? The two Consulates General in
Bombay and Karachi can be made to wait more
years. The fact is the two bureaucracies are
micro-managing the relaxation process. Each
action is under strict control. No state is ready
to give the citizens of the other the freedom of
movement in its own country. The Indians in
Pakistan are supposed to pose unexplained
security threats. Similarly, Pakistanis loafing
around Indian cities constitute an equally
serious threat to India. The two bureaucracies
remain unreconstructed and unaffected by new
The two countries are fated to keep going round
the mulberry bush if their aim is no more than
normalisation. Normalisation is a vague concept.
It can mean Peru's relations with Mongolia. It
can mean, at the other extreme, relations between
France and Germany. We must know what kind of
relations we want. There have to be common aims
before relations can stabilise and start growing
into a friendship. It is common objectives that
hold the key. One recommends the goal of peoples'
reconciliation between India and Pakistan from
grassroots up. It has to be complete
reconciliation that should be reinforced with the
aims of common economic and cultural objectives.
Today India is desperate for a permanent seat in
the UN Security Council. Here is Pakistan,
supposedly working to be friends with India,
openly campaigning against India being elevated.
Nothing could be more absurd than the present
sets of antithetical approaches. Why can't
Islamabad think holistically whether it wants to
change or remain in the comfort of old notions:
India is the enemy. Why cannot a situation be
visualized in which India and Pakistan would
invite each other to enrich themselves culturally
and economically through cooperation and trade?
Here is an exciting goal: let the two jointly
undertake to ensure that each Indian and
Pakistani citizen becomes entitled to social
security in his or her own state -- a minimal but
progressive one. And it can be created at the
cost of their military budgets, if necessary.
That will deepen the friendship, especially if
combined with cultural cooperation.
Praful Bidwai Column
May 2, 2005
By Praful Bidwai
Did India lose in two days in Jakarta the
tremendous goodwill it earned over three months
in Nepal, by agreeing to meet King Gyanendra and
resume the arms supply it blocked since the Royal
usurpation of power of February 1? India is
certainly in serious danger of doing
so-notwithstanding the King's reported assurances
about not extending the state of emergency beyond
April 30.
The King quickly publicised the Indian offer and
gloated that " we have got assurances that [the
arms supplies] will continue." This gave New
Delhi an opportunity to go public about the
King's "roadmap" for restoring democracy and thus
hold his feet to the fire. India squandered that
chance and revealed utter confusion in its Nepal
policy. This looks especially stark after the
arrests of former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur
Deuba and others.
Whether or not India's weapons offer is
conditional, and whether or not it's limited to
releasing a consignment already in the pipeline,
a shift has doubtless occurred in New Delhi's
stance. It has been in the making for many weeks
and became apparent at the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights in Geneva last month,
when India, with the United States and Britain,
blocked a worthy and tough resolution
reprimanding Nepal and appointing a Special
Rapporteur. The "troika" offered the King an
escape route under a mild procedure only asking
for "technical cooperation" (Agenda Item 19).
India seems to have diluted its principled stand
against the Royal takeover for four reasons.
First, there is the hyped-up fear in New Delhi
that Nepali Maoists would infiltrate into India,
aggravating the Naxalite problem. Second, the
King pleaded that the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) is
running out of the ammunition it badly needs to
control the insurgents. Third, there was the
fear-especially after the Chinese Foreign
Minister's recent visit to Kathmandu-that China
and Pakistan would occupy the space of influence
vacated by India. And fourth, problems of mutual
concern like water, environment and economic
development would persist if India continued with
its strong stand against the coup.
Remarkably, none of these considerations has
anything to do with Nepali realities: most of the
3,000 prisoners taken under the coup continue to
be detained; draconian operations remain in
force, including Tora Bora-style helicopter
attacks that kill more civilians than insurgents;
the media remains stifled by censorship. On the
very day Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met the
King, the Royal government plucked out from a
plane three Nepalis, including a former Supreme
Court justice and the Bar Association president,
who were leaving Kathmandu to attend a conference
in New Delhi.
Fears about the "Maoist factor" are, to put it
mildly, exaggerated. The Naxalite movement is
indigenous. Less than a fifth of the 175
districts affected by it are anywhere near Nepal.
Indian arms are likely to be used by the RNA to
grossly repressive ends. Between February 17 and
23, the RNA conducted a massacre in Kapilavastu
district and then flogged the dead bodies in
front of TV cameras in the presence of Nepali
India should not worry much about China and
Pakistan becoming Nepal's substitute
arms-suppliers. Pakistan is playing a small game,
and has no major influence in Kathmandu. Neither
Pakistan, nor more importantly China, would like
to lose the greater benefits of peace with India
for tiny potential gains in Nepal. India and
China could well have issued a joint statement
appealing for Nepal's re-democratisation during
Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to Delhi. This chance
was missed. Finally, issues of India-Nepal
bilateral concern would best be resolved if there
is a representative regime in Kathmandu.
However, the weightiest reason why India should
not dilute its stand against the King's
usurpation of power is the Nepal situation
itself. The coup has aggravated the crisis of
governability and the monarchy has discredited
itself. Nepal's political parties were thrown
into disarray after the King unleashed a wave of
repression. But now, they are recouping and
planning to launch a focused agitation for the
restitution of multi-party democracy. At a
convention in Delhi on April 23, all major
parties but one pledged themselves to a
Republican order. As a minimum demand, they all
agreed on a Constituent Assembly.
The Nepali people have tasted democracy for 15
years and won't be easily cowed down by the King.
Nepal's politicians may not be South Asia's most
competent, coherent or clean leaders. But as
Nepali editor and commentator Kanak Mani Dixit
says, "they do shine when compared to the
monarchy's 30 years of misrule" until 1990.
Since the RNA's Unified Command took over under
the monarchy in November 2001, Nepal has
accelerated its march towards state failure. All
its institutions, including the judiciary, are in
trouble. The state's writ doesn't run in 70
percent of the territory. The law-courts don't
function in the 19 hill districts. The number of
police stations has decreased from 1,500 to 350.
The healthcare system has collapsed. Growth has
come to a standstill.
Since the coup, the number of people being killed
daily has risen almost three-fold. The number of
"disappeared" persons is now 1,619, according to
the Human Rights Commission. More than half of
the budget of the country, 42 percent of whose
people live below subsistence, is financed by
external aid.
The King's takeover had little to do with
"safeguarding democracy" or even fighting the
insurgency. Rather, it was a reaction to the
decentralisation and redistribution of power that
has occurred under Parliamentary democracy. Power
has increasingly devolved to regional groups and
ethnic minorities outside the Kathmandu Valley.
As Dixit says, a "doubling of the rural roads
network, spread of telecommunications, and the
opening up of overseas employment" has made
Nepalis more "confident in challenging
authority." The Royal coup was a reaction to this
momentum towards democratisation-a desperate
attempt to roll it back. It was profoundly
The King has acquired a new instrument of
coercion through the high-powered Commission on
Corruption Control, which is being used to
intimidate and harass political leaders,
dissidents, even judges. Community radio, in
which Nepal is a world leader, is being
destroyed. King Gyanendra's record thoroughly
falsifies the grandiose promises he has made,
including that of restoring normalcy in 100 days.
He has done his utmost to promote the interests
of a narrow rapacious elite that thrives on the
peoples' poverty. Just before leaving for
Jakarta, he passed on his mantle to his dreaded
son Paras in a special ceremony organised by the
World Hindu Federation.
Opposing the King does not amount to
strengthening the Maoists. Indeed, it can
encourage long-overdue reform, including land
reform, and further decentralisation. The
Maoists' methods can be criticised, but not their
political platform-a representative, radicalised,
democracy. Their violence fades into
insignificance beside the excesses of the RNA,
which is responsible for a majority of the 11,000
people killed since 1996.
India, with the US and Britain, did great harm to
the cause of Nepali democracy and pluralism a
year ago, when it sent its ambassador (present
foreign secretary Shyam Saran) to persuade a
multi-party "Anti-Regression" initiative to call
off a major agitation for restoring multi-party
rule. The agitation might have pre-empted the
coup. It's India's moral and political
responsibility to rectify this blunder.
India must now revise its standard formulation
emphasising the "twin pillars"- Constitutional
monarchy, and multi-party democracy. She must
squarely side with the popular forces fighting
for democracy. The King is a despot. He has shown
no intention of reforming his ways. Even if he
lifts the emergency, he is unlikely to release
prisoners, bring errant soldiers to book, restore
media freedom, or install a broad-based
multi-party government. The issue of lifting the
emergency is a red herring. It's not good enough
that Nepal return to the pre-February status quo.
It must go further. India has been seen as a
bulwark of support by the Nepali people. It must
not let them down by legitimising the King's
authoritarian rule.
A larger issue arises. What role should India as
an aspirant to Great Power status and a Security
Council seat play? This cannot be separated from
India's potential contribution to making the
world, especially its neighbourhood, a better
place. India must help South Asia become a more
open, democratic, plural, just and equitable
society at peace with itself.
Leadership is not only about economic clout,
military muscle or political power. It's about
the purposes of power. These will be legitimate
only if they promote universal principles and
values. Taking one-fourth of humanity, which
lives in South Asia, out of poverty and
backwardness undoubtedly constitutes a universal
good. India must contribute to it.
The case for doing so in Nepal is all the greater
considering India's special relationship with it,
the 1,700 km-long open border, their citizens'
right of residence and work in each other's
countries, as well as historic ties of culture. A
failing state and a deeply convulsed, troubled
and disintegrating society in Nepal cannot be in
India's interest. The King is the surest
guarantee of disaster. He must be opposed-on
principle and in practice.-end-
The Telegraph
April 25, 2005 | Editorial
Other-worldly aspirations never went against
worldly acquisitions - any well-to-do temple in
India would stand witness to that. Managing the
wealth of the houses of worship is a complicated
job, and the Supreme Court does not think that it
need be left to believers alone. This is
suggested by its response to a petition
challenging a Kerala high court ruling, brought
by the president of the Guruvayoor temple
protection committee and a Vishwa Hindu Parishad
leader. The petition objects to Marxist ministers
nominating members to the temple committees as
Marxists are against religious practice. The
Supreme Court has made two points in its
judgment. It has said that to be a Hindu a person
need not go to a temple or follow particular
rituals. This statement makes an incisive
distinction between Hinduism and Hindutva. Its
second, and equally important, point is that
management of a temple has nothing to do with
religion, it is a secular task and should be
conducted in the same manner as the
administration of any other institution. That is,
when the state has taken over the job of managing
the worldly affairs of a temple, as in the case
of Guruvayoor or of many of the temples in Tamil
Nadu, the system of ministers nominating members
to temple managing committees should not be
affected by the faith or political ideology of
the government in power.
The Supreme Court's clarity is in contrast to the
murky tussles concerning temple management that
must lie behind the petition. Whatever might have
been this petitioner's primary concern, it would
seem that, generally, faith is hardly the core
issue. The sphere of temple management offers an
arena for tourneys for power and less
metaphysical prizes, with the aura of sanctity as
a useful screen behind which such profane
struggles can continue undetected. The lurid tale
of the Kanchi math is a good recent example.
So while the Supreme Court has made the relevant
clarifications, it is also necessary to take the
question further. A secular state can be secular
only by divorcing itself strictly from the
functioning of the various religions of its
people. Its "tolerance" need not be exhibited in
the organizing and subsidizing of pilgrimages or
ceremonies for all faiths. Neither should its
leaders try to curry favour with the electorate
by displaying their deep respect for the
spiritual heads and holy men of different
religions. But such a divorce is impossible if
the state takes over the administration of places
of worship. A government in a secular state does
not provide the places of worship; there is no
reason why it should look after them. As it is,
the notion of secularism is a deeply troubled
one. A secular state administering temples is
likely to confuse perceptions further.
Hindustan Times
May 3, 2005
Hemendra Singh Bartwal
New Delhi, May 2, 2005
The Sangh Parivar soon won't be cribbing about
its leaders being 'misquoted' by 'biased' news
channels with the launch of 'Sudarshan TV'.
Floated by a dedicated swayamsewak, the channel
is expected to project the Sangh's Hindutva
ideology and viewpoint. And though the Sangh is
not going to be directly involved in the
channel's operations or funding, it has certainly
welcomed it.
Incidentally, the resemblance of the soon-to-be
launched channel's name to RSS chief KS Sudarshan
is purely coincidental, or that's what its
promoters would like everyone to believe.
Whatever the case, Sudarshan - who bitterly
complains about the "biased" Indian media
dominated by what he calls "Macaulay-putras and
Marx-putras" - is definitely looking forward to
not to being 'misquoted' on the channel.
Sources say the Rs 100-crore project has been
granted clearance by the I&B Ministry.
Coming at a time when the Sangh is under heavy
attack from various quarters, Sudarshan TV is
expected to come in handy when Sangh leaders want
to counter what they call "distorted and
malicious propaganda" with their own 'version' of
news and views.
"This will be an aggressive channel... Other
channels make goats out of the youth while we
will turn them into roaring tigers," declared its
chairman Suresh Chavhanke, a Pune-based business
Admitting he is an active swayamsewak, he denies
Sudarshan TV will be directly influenced by the
Sangh, saying that it is a commercial venture
that will be run on professional lines. "It is a
patriotic channel whose mission is
nation-building. It will be guided by the
objectives of dev, desh and dharma," he said.
Chavhanke maintains that the channel's name
refers to the mythical 'Sudarshan chakra' wielded
by Lord Krishna in the Mahabharata. Besides, in
Hindi, Sudarshan also means "good viewing", he
Outlook Magazine
Web | April 26, 2005
The atrocious act of arson at the Manipur State
Central Library where all of its more than
1,45,000 books were destroyed on April 13, 2005
is just the latest in the storm of revivalism
blowing across the violence-wracked state.
Pradip Phanjoubam
A storm of revivalism is blowing across the
valley districts of Manipur, spearheaded by an
organisation that calls itself MEELAL (Meetei
Erol Eyek Loinshillon Apunba Lup, or the United
Forum for Safeguarding Manipuri Script and
Language), and has culminated in the atrocious
act of arson at the Manipur State Central Library
where all of its more than 1,45,000 books were
destroyed on April 13, 2005.
MEELAL initiated its violent campaign to
'immediately' have the Bengali script replaced by
the indigenous Meitei Mayek in written Manipuri,
and to have all school text books written in this
script from the current academic session.
Presently, and for almost the last 300 years, the
Bengali script has been the medium of written
Manipuri. MEELAL activists have been going about
visiting schools, snatching textbooks written in
Bengali and burning them for almost two months
now, with the Okram Ibobi led Congress government
merely 'waiting and watching' - now very much its
trade mark policy for 'tackling' crises - in the
hope that the storm will eventually spend itself
and pass.
Regardless of numerous appeals from the
government and a good section of the vocal
public, MEELAL intensified its campaign and added
an economic blockade of the state, over and above
its textbook burning spree. Many freight trucks
that entered Imphal against the blockade call
ended up in ashes, in the heart of capital, in
full public view and under the very nose of the
At one stage, MEELAL even issued a diktat that
all vernacular dailies should begin using Meitei
Mayek by March 1. The newspapers initially
refused to do so, provoking MEELAL's ire, with
activists raiding newspaper distribution centres
and intimidating hawkers, starting March 11, till
the newspapers complied with their diktat. In the
initial sweep, even local English dailies were
not spared. In protest, newspapers in the state
stopped publication for three days and
journalists staged a sit-in protest against the
intrusion on their freedom, until a settlement
was negotiated under which MEELAL was to allow
the distribution of newspapers if the vernacular
newspapers reserved some space on the front page
for news written in Meitei Mayek.
The government continued its watching game. All
except one daily complied with the agreement, but
many were extremely compliant and even went the
whole hog in using the entire front page for news
written in the Meitei Mayek. However, these
enthusiasts retracted their extreme gesture of
support after they found no takers among their
readers, and their circulations dropped.
The Hindu, May 4, 2005
Chandigarh, May 4 (PTI): Expressing concern that
a handful of "fundamentalists" in the name of
religion were out to harass them in a bid to curb
their freedom of expression, theatre and
television artistes drawn from various parts of
Punjab and Chandigarh today resolved that they
will keep highlighting the issues plaguing
society despite all odds.
"Nobody can gag our voice. If there are wrongs
happening in our society we can't shut our eyes
and look other way. It is our duty to convey to
the people what is right by staging plays,
through satire etc," veteran theatre artist from
Punjab Gursharan Singh said during a press
conference here. Theatre personality from
Chandigarh G S Channi said, "No religion imposes
any kind of censorship and it is only a handful
of people who exploit religion for their vested
Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi's chairman Kamal
Tiwari said if an artist's right to highlight the
social issues was snatched in the name of
"religion or by fundamentalist elements then it
will be very unfortunate".
The artistes had gathered here to express their
solidarity with famous satirist Jaspal Bhatti,
who is facing a Court case here over one of his
street performances in Chandigarh last year.
Another artist Davinder Daman said that even
first Sikh Guru, Nanak Dev and Saint Kabir used
to "encourage people to think on scientific lines
and shun rituals which did not have any
scientific backing".
Theatre and Film Artistes Association President
Shavinder Mahal urged the artistes to unite on
one platform. "We will unitedly fight against the
individuals or organisations who will try to
divide the artistes' unity and our audiences on
communal lines," he said.
The Telegraph - May 05, 2005
G.S. Radhakrishna
Hyderabad, May 4: If the rocket crashes tomorrow, blame Lord Balaji.
Indian space scientists placed miniature replicas
of the rocket that is set to blast off tomorrow
morning from the Sriharikota spaceport and the
two satellites it would carry at a shrine to the
god for his blessings.
The replicas were taken to the sanctum sanctorum
of the reigning deity of the Tirupati Tirumala
Dewasthanam and ordained as priests chanted Vedic
Authorities of the temple in Tirupati in Andhra
Pradesh, where the spaceport is located,
confirmed that 15 scientists from the Indian
Space Research Organisation, led by its chief, Dr
G. Madhavan Nair, came to the town yesterday to
seek the deity's blessings.
A temple spokesman quoted Nair as saying: "I am
in Tirupati to offer prayers for the success of
the launch."
"I cannot believe they actually did this," said
Prof. Ajay Sood, head of physical sciences at the
Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.
"For an individual, going to a temple may be an
issue of faith, but to mix the space programme
with religion is very wrong," said Prof. Kasturi
Lal Chopra, president of India's Society for
Scientific Values and former director of the
Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.
Tomorrow's launch is aimed at putting every
Indian household on the map. One of the
satellites, the 1.5-tonne CARTOSAT-1, mounted
with two cameras for "stereographic" imaging,
carries with it the ambitions of India's space
Once lodged into orbit 618 km above earth, the
satellite can read images smaller than a motorcar
by identifying features down to 2.5 metres across.
The satellite will help urban and rural planning,
land and water management, relief operations and
environmental assessments.
CARTOSAT-1, which represents the highest payload
carried so far by a polar satellite launch
vehicle, will also carry a 42.5-kg HAMSAT, a
micro-satellite that provides amateur radio
The scientists spent almost half an hour in the
sanctum sanctorum and later took part in an
elaborate ritual for another hour when priests
showered ashirvachanam (blessings) of the deity
on them.
"Some of the scientists even put currency notes
in the temple hundi (container) for the success
of the launch," said the temple spokesman.
Sources said the prayers followed astrological
predictions that the launch could be delayed.
This is not the first time space scientists have
turned to god before an expedition into the
distant heavens. Former Isro chief K.
Kasturirangan, too, had invoked divine blessings
before a launch.
"This practice is in vogue since the days of
Kasturirangan," said D. Narayana Rao, director of
the MSP radar station at Tirupati who had
organised the temple trip.
Tomorrow's launch is scheduled for 10.19 am when
the PSLV C-6 (picture on right) will take off
from the newly-built second launch pad, 1.5 km
south of the first launch pad in Sriharikota.
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who has a
scientific background, inaugurated the second
launch pad today.
[10] [Announcements: ]
The Center for the Study of Religion, with additional
funding from the Asia Institute and the Center for
Modern and Contemporary Studies, and the assistance of
the Department of History and the Colloquium on South
Asian History and Cultural Studies, presents
a major conference on "Political Hinduism" at the UCLA
Campus, 6-7 May 2005.
Venue: Haines 118 [Central Quad], 9- 6 PM both days
(Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7). The conference
is free and open to the public.
Parking is $7 and available at Lots 2 and 3.
Conference Director: Vinay Lal, Department of
History, UCLA [vlal@...]
Brief Description:
The political ascendancy of the Hindu right in India
since the mid-1980s has been a subject of much
scholarly inquiry. This conference is not intended
to cover terrain that has already been well explored,
but rather it seeks to open new lines of inquiry and
bring cultural anthropologists, scholars of Hinduism,
media and cultural studies practitioners, historians,
and scholars of Indian culture more broadly into
conversation with each other. The distinguished
scholars who will be presenting papers at this
conference will pose different kinds of questions,
such as: What is the relationship between Hindu
militancy and Hindutva to Hinduism on the ground?
Have Hindu modes of worship and religious practices
witnessed any dramatic changes? We have all heard
much about 'Vedic science', but is the Hindi film also
a barometer of these changes, and not only in the most
obvious ways (increasing references to
terrorism in Pakistan, for instance)? Again, we have
heard (correctly or otherwise) a good deal about the
elevation of the Ramacaritmanas into an allegedly
hegemonic text under the aegis of Hindutva, but can we
entertain broader considerations about how certain
texts, religious practices, deities, and 'margas' have
prospered while others have declined, been demoted,
or have suffered from neglect? is it only the upper
castes which have mobilized in the name of Hindutva,
or have the lower castes done so as well? Can there
be 'political Hinduism' that is something other than
PROGRAM: ALL events will be held in HAINES 118
Friday, May 6
9 - 9:30 AM The Politics of Hinduism: Introduction
to the Conference
Vinay Lal (History, UCLA)
9:30 - 11 AM Tilak's Arctic Home Theory: Religion,
Politics, and the Colonial Context
Madhav Deshpande (Sanskrit and Linguistics, University
of Michigan-Ann Arbor)
11:15 - 12:45 AM Vande Mataram: the Genesis and Power
of a Song
Julius Lipner (Divinity, Cambridge University, UK)
2:15- 3:45 AM Religious Categories, Translation and
Everyday Life
Veena Das (Anthropology, Johns Hopkins University)
4 - 5:30 PM C. Rajagopalachari and the Cultural Work
of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Paula Richman (Religion, Oberlin College)
Saturday, May 7
9 - 10:30 AM Making Hinduism Global: New
Guru-Oriented Religious Movement as Confluent with or
Counter to Hindutva?
Joanne Waghorne (Religion, Syracuse University)
10:30 - noon Nationalist Nostalgias, Diasporic
Desires: Identity and Tradition in an Era of
Transnational Media
Purnima Mankekar (Cultural and Social Anthropology,
Noon - 1:15 PM LUNCH
1:15 - 2:45 PM Ramdev and Ravidas: How Hinduism
gets Political for Dalits
Chris Pinney (Anthropology & Visual Culture,
University College London)
2:45 - 4:15 PM Getting a Life: The "Hanumayana" as
Emerging Epic
Philip Lutgendorf (Hindi and Indian Studies,
University of Iowa)
4:30 - 6 PM Patriotism and the Hindi Film
Ron Inden (History, and South Asian Languages &
Civilizations, University of Chicago)
Buzz on the perils of fundamentalist politics, on
matters of peace and democratisation in South
Asia. SACW is an independent & non-profit
citizens wire service run since 1998 by South
Asia Citizens Web: www.sacw.net/
SACW archive is available at: bridget.jatol.com/pipermail/sacw_insaf.net/
Sister initiatives :
South Asia Counter Information Project : snipurl.com/sacip
South Asians Against Nukes: www.s-asians-against-nukes.org
Communalism Watch: communalism.blogspot.com/
DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed in materials carried in the posts do not
necessarily reflect the views of SACW compilers.
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text:
I have been receiving juvederm lip fillers for over 8 years now only 1cc per year to add volume to my lips. Just recently I have noticed that the distance between my nose and my upper lip has gotten longer and looks really funny. I also noticed that it is almost as though my upper lip has muscle as it can protrude past my nose now and is really noticable especially when I talk. I was never able to do this prior to the injectables. What is goin on and what can I do as I feel like a freak!
Juvederm Fillers for Lips
Doctor Answers 3
Correcting strange appearances after unbalancede Juvederm and other fillers
What you are refering to is probably the result of common practice in the fillers industry: placing filler in a roll in the pink part of the lip without addressing the area between the nose and lip creates a bazarre appearance. The subunit of the lip begins at the base of the nose and goes to the chin. As we age the entire upper lip thins and if this thinning is not addresssed when volume is added to the lip, is can appear strange, elongated and even rippled depending on the injection technique. Going to a Plastic and Reconstructive surgeon that understands these nuances is your best bet in getting a beautiful balance restored to your lips.
All the best,
Rian A. Maercks M.D.
Learn more: http://www.rianmaercksmd.com/before-after-photos/Facial-Surgery/Lip-Augmentation/case138.html
Treating lips with hyaluroinc acid fillers
I love treating the lips with hyaluronic acid fillers, like Juvederm. We use these fillers in the lips, and the surrounding area, for lip augmentation and rejuvenation. An increased distance between the nostrils and the lip line occurs as we age. Additionally, the philtral columns (the linear ridges that run from below the nose to cupid's bow) flatten over time. Generally, a very natural and satifying result can be achieved by revolumizing the area above the lip line, as well as by slightly re-building the philtral columns. This is done in addition to augmenting the pink lip itself. I recommend for you to share one of your favorite photos of yourself with your injector. Using this photo can be very helpful in both pointing out what you feel has changed over time and assessing treatment success. Best of luck.
Juvederm lips
The distance from the base of the nose to the upper lip gradually increases with aging, so I think what you are describing is normal, although a photo might be helpful. Some people have a more prominant philtrum, two raised lines from the base of the nostril to the upper lip. Placing some filler is this area gives the area more definition and dimension, this is sometimes referred to as the Paris lip.
I would go talk with the doctor who did the injection. If you are not happy, one of the nice things about Juvederm is that it can easily be dissolved in the office with hyaluronidase. I hope this helps. Lana Long, M.D.
You might also like...
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Surname List
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Eighth Generation
210. Elizabeth JOHNSON118 was born on 25 March 1809 in Logan County, Kentucky.223 She died on 14 December 1843 at the age of 34 in Logan County, Kentucky.223
Peyton's mother Lucy left him a 2-year old colt in her will probated Nov 1831.
Will of Peyton Lyon. 23 Jan 1857
Elizabeth JOHNSON and Peyton M. LYON were married on 8 March 1824 in Logan County, Kentucky.233 Peyton M. LYON234 was born (date unknown).
Elizabeth JOHNSON and Peyton M. LYON had the following children:
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text:
This is the first installment of an occasional series that examines the impact of new growth in Fort Mill and ways officials might manage that growth.
The Fort Mill School District is trying to prepare for a flood of new students thanks to proposed developments in and outside of the town's limits.
Two weeks ago, the town discussed indicators showing that Fort Mill's population could rise from 11,000 to 30,000 by 2030 – not counting new homes outside town limits that would be in the school district.
New developments will mean more pressure on the district to provide adequate facilities, said Patrick White, chairman of the Fort Mill School Board.
"We want to make sure people understand the significant cost taxpayers will pay for new students coming into our area," he said.
To better understand the effect new developments will have, the school board developed a template that calculates the growth and costs associated by new residences, White said.
One such development is the 280-acre Crescent Communities property at 1999 Suttonview Road zoned for 650 homes, which was recently annexed into Fort Mill town limits. The development is in the planning stage now.
The development could bring 423 new students into the Fort Mill School District, White said. Using the template, White estimated an additional 201 elementary, 89 middle and 133 high school students could enter the school district.
The 650 homes would generate an estimated $2.2 million in tax revenue from personal property such as cars and boats and secondary homes in one year and an estimated $7.2 million in the first 10 years for the district in impact fees, White said, but the costs to build new schools needed to accommodate the new students will cost the district an estimated $18.3 million, he added.
"Development doesn't pay for itself," White said.
Fort Mill is the only district in the state allowed to collect a per-roof impact fee on new homes. The fee was outlawed, but Fort Mill was grandfathered in. The money can only be used on capital projects.
In addition to Crescent's project, other upcoming development includes the 400-home Cameron Creek in the Tega Cay area and Riverchase, which can bring up to 250 new homes to property off Doby's Bridge road.
While the school board has no control over growth in the area, district officials will continue a 10-year building plan that considers the increasing growth rate for the district, White said. With new schools Tega Cay Elementary and Doby's Bridge Elementary opening this summer, the district will be under capacity for the near future, White said.
For now.
White said the district would like to see more commercial growth rather than residential.
"I think we've got a pretty good school district," White said. "We need to protect the school district from the harm fast growth could cause it."
Ironically, that quality is what helped fuel the growth as developers for more than two decades have worked to meet the demand for homes created by parents' desire to relocate to Fort Mill for the schools. Parents from other states have flocked to Fort Mill for the eduction benefits and economic value; Local property taxes and home costs are a fraction compared to other regions, particularly the Northeast.
Fort Mill resident Randy Griesman said he is "frustrated" that after new schools were recently added to the district – as well as an expansion of both high schools and the relocation of Riverview Elementary to a new building now under construction – growth will continue to impact school resources.
"The amount of growth hasn't been contained," he said. "Residents feel helpless to stop it."
White said he has brought his concerns to town and county officials as the district continues to monitor growth in the area.
York County Councilman Michael Johnson said the county would also like to see residential growth slow in the area.
"I hate to see more rooftops built when that land could have been better used for commercial or industrial use," he said.
The Suttonview property had been zoned for commercial use when it was in York County's jurisdiction, James Martin, vice president of Crescent Communities. However, the Fort Mill area plan showed the future use of Crescent's land as a residential use with medium density, or three to five units per acre, Martin said. Crescent's plan for the maximum of 650 units is 2.3 units per acre.
Johnson said the county continues to work with Fort Mill School District officials to manage growth.
"We try to take into account what they want or need," he said.
Town's concerns
Fort Mill Town Councilman Tom Adams said the town has heard and understands the school district's concerns.
However, Adams said there's nothing Fort Mill can do to stop residents from selling their land to developers.
"The town isn't in a position to stop residential growth," he said.
While some residents have expressed the desire for a moratorium on residential building, Adams said that would not affect growth outside of town limits, which still impacts the school district.
"I don't feel like that would be a wise way to go," he said. "It's a no-win situation for the town if growth happens outside of town limits."
In the case of the Suttonview Road property and similar residential projects, Adams said annexing allows the town to maintain control over the developments. Adams said if the town had left the Crescent property in the county, future residents would still use the town's facilities, such as parks and recreation sports, and add to the school district.
By not annexing, Adams said Fort Mill "would be doing a huge disservice to people that live in town."
Being inside town limits also means access to Fort Mill's fire and police services, Martin said. Which is what residents got when they bought homes in Crescent's upscale Springfield community.
"We knew we wanted that level of service in our community," he said. "We want a positive relationship between the community, police and fire departments."
With easy access into Charlotte, the great reputation of the public schools and amenities available to residents, Martin said growth will continue.
"It makes the Fort Mill area a very desirable place to live," he said. "The town has done good job of encouraging the right type of development in town limits."


text:
Opportunities squandered, that's what should be North Lincoln's assessment of their game versus West Iredell Friday night.
The Knights, who led 7-6 at the half, were stopped twice inside the five-yard line, once by a fumble and once on downs en route to a misleading loss 35-7.
At first glance, the score appears to show the Warriors dominated, but when you take into account the 353 total yards the Knights accumulated, plus a late score by senior running back Chris McCormick that was not the case.
"We were able to do exactly what we practiced all week,†North Lincoln head coach Matt Beam said.
"We were outstanding from our five to their five, but when we got near the goal line bad things happened,†he added.
Among the miscues for the Knights were five fumbles and a dropped touchdown pass.
The mistakes offset a 213-yard rushing performance by senior tailback Brandon Mull, which is undoubtedly a school record.
"Brandon played as hard and as physical as any kid I've seen in awhile,†Beam said.
"Brandon's his own-worst critic. He knows he has to hang on to that rock,†speaking of Mull's problem holding onto the ball.
"I'm not mad about it, I'm just disappointed for him.â€
West Iredell, frustrated by defensive coordinator Wes Beam's scheme, made halftime adjustments, relying heavily on the run opposed to the pass.
Going to the option attack, quarterback Dewain Clark gained 35 yards, Bobby Morrison chipped in with 31 yards and McCormick had 131 yards before scoring on a 97-yard run with just two minutes left versus the reserves.
"Effort-wise, it was just outstanding. West Iredell had so many athletes on the field we couldn't take everything (all their play-calling possibilities) from them,†Beam said.
Junior quarterback Trent Hopkins scored the Knights' lone touchdown, on a four-yard keeper in the second quarter.
He was 9-for-28 passing, but was victimized by several dropped passes.
Devin Borders led North Lincoln in receiving with 57 yards on three catches. Kyle Baker contributed two for 36 in the loss.
North Lincoln finishes its non-conference schedule at 3-2 and will visit Lincoln County rival East Lincoln on Friday night in what should be a packed-house showdown.
by John Mark Brooks
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text:
be in fine fettle(redirected from am in fine fettle)
be in fine fettle
To be in good physical and/or mental health. A: "I heard you had the flu last week, so how are you feeling now?" B: "I'm finally back in fine fettle, thank goodness!" I was in fine fettle for a while, but now that school is over I'm feeling pretty sad.
be in fine fettle
to be very healthy or working well She was in fine fettle when she came back from her trip to the States. The business is in fine fettle and we're even planning to expand.


text:
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text:
Renal Sympathectomy in Treatment Resistant Essential Hypertension, a Sham Controlled Randomized Trial (ReSET)
This study has been completed.
Aarhus University Hospital Skejby
Aarhus University Hospital
Regionshospitalet Silkeborg
Randers Regional Hospital
Regional Hospital Holstebro
Central Jutland Regional Hospital
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Ole Norling Mathiassen, Aarhus University Hospital Skejby
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: October 24, 2011
Last updated: September 19, 2016
Last verified: September 2016
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
The purpose of this double blind, randomized and sham controlled study is to determine whether renal denervation in terms of catheter based ablation in the renal arteries is effective in lowering blood pressure in patients with treatment resistant hypertension. The blood pressure lowering effect will be evaluated by 24 hours ambulatory blood pressure measurement at baseline and after 1, 3 and 6 months of follow up. Secondary end point evaluation concerns hemodynamic measures using echocardiography, applanation tonometry and forearm plethysmography.
|Procedure: Renal artery ablation Procedure: Renal angiography
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double (Participant, Care Provider)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|Renal Sympathectomy in Treatment Resistant Essential Hypertension, a Sham Controlled Randomized Trial
Further study details as provided by Ole Norling Mathiassen, Aarhus University Hospital Skejby:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- daytime systolic blood pressure assessed by 24 hours ambulatory BP measurement [ Time Frame: 3 months follow up ]Changes in mean daytime systolic BP after 3 months is compared between groups. Also the proportion of responders versus nonresponders after 3 months is compared between groups, responders being defined as A) a minimum decrease in daytime systolic BP of 10 mmHg analysis together with and unchanged/increased number of antihypertensive drugs, or B) a decrease in daytime systolic BP of 0-10 mmHg together with a reduced number of antihypertensive drugs.
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- ambulatory 24 hours BP measurements [ Time Frame: 1, 3 and 6 months ]Systolic, diastolic and mean Blood Pressures at different time points. Daytime and night time BP, dipping status, morning BP surge and BP variation.
- Echocardiography [ Time Frame: 6 months ]Coronary flow reserve (LAD), Diastolic and Systolic ventricular function. LV hypertrophy.
- Biomarkers [ Time Frame: 1 months ]Biomarkers concerning renal sodium excretion
- Applanation tonometry [ Time Frame: 6 months ]Pulse wave velocity, augmentation index, central BP estimates
- forearm plethysmography [ Time Frame: 6 months ]Forearm minimum vascular resistance
|Study Start Date:
|September 2011
|Study Completion Date:
|February 2015
|Primary Completion Date:
|February 2015 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Active Comparator: Renal artery ablation
By femoral access, coronary and renal angiography are performed. The patient will be sedated. In case of vessel anatomy allowing renal ablation, the patient will be randomized in the card. lab. In case of randomization to active treatment, renal artery ablation will be carried out straight away.
Procedure: Renal artery ablation
Catheter based renal denervation by applying low power radiofrequency to the renal artery using the Ardian Medtronic Simplicity Catheter, introduced by femoral artery access.
Sham Comparator: Sham
By femoral access, coronary and renal angiography are performed. The patient will be sedated. In case of vessel anatomy allowing renal ablation, the patient will be randomized in the card. lab. In case of randomization to sham procedure, no renal artery ablation are performed.
Procedure: Renal angiography
Renal angiography by femoral access.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|30 Years to 70 Years (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Systolic daytime ambulatory BP at least 145 mmHg and compliance to a minimum of 3 antihypertensive drugs, including a diuretic, or in case of diuretic intolerance at least 3 nondiuretic antihypertensive drugs.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Pregnancy
- Non compliance
- Heart Failure (NYHA 3-4)
- LV ejection fraction < 50 %
- Renal insufficiency (eGFR<30)
- Unstable coronary heart disease
- Coronary intervention within 6 months
- Myocardial infarction within 6 months
- Claudication
- Orthostatic syncope within 6 months
- Secondary Hypertension
- Permanent atrial fibrillation
- Significant Heart Valve Disease
- Clinically Significant abnormal electrolytes, haemoglobin, Liver enzymes, TSH
- Second and third degree heart block
- Macroscopic haematuria
- Proximal significant coronary stenosis
- Renal artery anatomy not suitable for renal artery ablation (Stenosis, small diameter < 4 mm, length < 2 cm, multiple renal arteries, severe calcifications)
Contacts and Locations
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01459900
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01459900
|Skejby Hospital
|Aarhus, Aarhus N, Denmark, 8200
Sponsors and Collaborators
Aarhus University Hospital Skejby
Aarhus University Hospital
Regionshospitalet Silkeborg
Randers Regional Hospital
Regional Hospital Holstebro
Central Jutland Regional Hospital
|Principal Investigator:
|Ole N Mathiassen, MD, PhD
|Aarhus University Hospital, Dep. Cardiology
More Information
Keywords provided by Ole Norling Mathiassen, Aarhus University Hospital Skejby:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017
|Responsible Party:
|Ole Norling Mathiassen, Dr.med, Aarhus University Hospital Skejby
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01459900 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|October 24, 2011
|Last Updated:
|September 19, 2016
Keywords provided by Ole Norling Mathiassen, Aarhus University Hospital Skejby:
Treatment Resistant Hypertension
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Vascular Diseases
Cardiovascular Diseases
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


text:
Do you want to learn more about RTB's testable creation model approach, but don't have time to take a full course?
Course Description:
This series of lectures will expose listeners to the latest scientific
discoveries related to the history of life. The course begins with a
survey of key definitions of evolution and then explores an overview of
the fossil record, from the first life through early humans. Instruction
will also include strategies to carefully weigh the scientific data for
biological evolution in comparison with evidence for supernatural
12 MP3 audio files (approx. 1 hour each)


text:
Trey Thompkins joked with operations coordinator Mark Pope after being informed that head coach Mark Fox wanted to see him in his office Tuesday morning.
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text:
Make Juicing Work for Your Budget & Lifestyle
I'm in love with green juice and drink it whenever I get the chance. There's nothing like the flood of easy to digest & assimilate nutrients that a rich green veggie juice can provide. Regardless of how good it tastes or how amazing it feels for our bodies, I have heard (and used) so many excuses as to why it's impossible to keep up with a juicing practice. From being too busy to clean the juicer to finding juicing expensive and wasteful, there's plenty of reasons why we might avoid it. I wanted to share some tips & tricks that have allowed me to push the excuses aside and enjoy super healthy green juice everyday, without stress.
Sustainable Juicing Tips
1. Invest in a really good juicer.
I use the Omega Vert and it is worth every penny. Slower speed juicers like this create such a high quality juice that you can actually store it without losing nutrients for up to 72 hours. This means, I am only juicing (and cleaning my juicer) twice a week, but drinking fresh juice all week long. This method completely altered my outlook on juicing after using centrifugal juicers for many years where the juice has to be consumed right away. It's really been life changing! Also, the pulp comes out very dry and doesn't feel the least bit wasteful. Even though the juicer is a little expensive upfront, I truly believe you'll be saving money in the long run with the amount of juice it squeezes out of each veggie & fruit. One note of warning, the juice from the Omega is a little bit pulpy, so I place a fine mesh strainer on the juice cup to catch the pulp. The result is a very smooth & luscious juicing experience. Drink a glass right away and place a couple of full, tightly sealed jars in the refrigerator for the next two days.
2. Juice scraps that would normally be composted.
This saves so much money! I make a lot of kale salads, so I always have kale stems lying around. I love herbs, but often trim the stems. I use only broccoli crowns, so there are times when I have stalks left over. When I make zucchini noodles with a vegetable peeler, I don't use the seedy insides of the squash. All of these "scraps" which would normally be composted can be turned into freebie juicing materials! With the Omega, I ended up with 10 oz of juice just from 2 bunches of leftover kale stems! For better flavor, I cut this with some milder veggies or green apples, but what an amazing base to start with—for free!
3. Find affordable organic produce sources.
If you're juicing, I can't stress the use of organic produce strong enough. You're creating a concentrate of vitamins and minerals that is very easy for your body to absorb. You absolutely do not want this concentrate to include toxic pesticides that will be just as easily absorbed into your system.
The best place to shop would be your local farmers market! It's freshest, most affordable & the cucumbers should be unwaxed. My second choice, for when the farmers market is out of season, is Trader Joe's. They have a great price on English cucumbers (which are unwaxed if they're wrapped in plastic) bagged lemons and bagged apples. Throw in some celery & your "scraps" and you've created an amazingly healthy & delicious organic green juice.
When I'm out and about, I'll happily grab a green juice from a grocery store or cafe and these will run anywhere from $7-9 for a 16 oz juice. I wanted to see how my home juicing compared, so I did some math after making my juice with produce from Trader Joe's. After juicing in bulk and crunching the numbers, each 16oz serving ended up costing just about $3.75. That's quite a savings!
Other super affordable options are CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture shares) or wholesale buying clubs. When I lived in Sarasota, there were multiple produce buying clubs around town. For $20 a week, every member would be given a huge bag full of organic produce. I think it would be an amazing idea to start one just for juicing, ordering cucumbers, celery, apples, beets & leafy greens. With the group buying power, you can reach wholesale minimums and get delivery from a supplier in your area.
One final thought—I've known lots of friends who would volunteer with local farms in exchange for free veggies! It doesn't get cheaper than that!
4. Keep it simple.
We don't have to be making V8 everyday. Green juice can be as simple as tossing cucumbers and celery in the juicer!
Keep these four points in mind and start to develop a juicing method that works for your personal schedule and budget. Do you ave any tips that have made juicing a sustainable practice for you? Let us know in the comments.
I'd love to leave you with my 3 day green juice recipe for 2. You can skip the apples if you're avoiding sugars and add in additional cucumbers and celery. I like it both ways!
3 Day Green Juice for 2
(makes 6-16oz juices in the Omega)
- 6 green apples
- 3 English cucumbers
- 2 heads of celery
- Kale stems & additional scraps
- 6 lemons
Cut all ingredients to fit your juicer. Remove the seeds from the apples. Run all ingredients (except for the lemons) through the juicer. Juice the lemons by hand and stir into the juice. Drink a glass and refrigerate the rest in well sealed jars. Cheers!


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Vondelpark Discuss Their Suave Sound, R&B Influences and Plans to Keep Dropping New Jams
Tradition holds that musically inclined British males of a certain age strap on electric guitars, get funny haircuts and demand the world pay attention. A few years back, Lewis Rainsbury seemed to be following protocol. As leader of Lion Club, he brought the post-punk ruckus, but ever since 2010, when he formed the trio Vondelpark, the 21-year-old singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has been kicking his version of late-night slow jams, drawing on classic soul, '90s R&B, cloudy modern hip-hop, achy Drake-y downbeat pop and all those woozy, bass-heavy strains of U.K. dance music we yanks will never keep straight.
Following a pair of EPs, Vondelpark have just released their full-length debut, 'Seabed,' an album named for the isolated environment in which Rainsbury and childhood chums Alex Bailey (bass) and Matt Law (keys) recorded the music. Sequestered from the world, the trio created one of the suavest records since the xx's debut, tapping into the fever-dream-R&B sounds of contemporaries like the Weeknd and How to Dress Well but maintaining an urban sophistication that reveals them to be more than mere bandwagon jumpers.
Checking in from London, Rainsbury chatted with Diffuser.fm about pizza delivery, Sade, Teddy Pendergrass, weed, sex and more.
Thanks for taking time to talk. This album has been getting a lot of attention.
There have been mixed reviews, but I think the bulk of people get it. There are a few hateful reviews knocking about, but I think they're misunderstanding. We had an interview with Pitchfork, and we said stuff that got [taken] a little bit out of context, and I think they hate us for the fact they think we don't like dance music. I don't really believe what I read when I see them anyway.
I read that Pitchfork interview, actually. I wanted to start by asking whether you still work at the pizza place referenced in that piece.
Um, no.
I actually worked at a pizza place myself, back when I was in college.
I enjoyed working there. The people that worked there at this particular place were all DJs and stuff, so it was a good hangout. But I didn't have enough time, with the album coming out, doing press and going on tour. But I would like to work there again when this stuff calms down again.
I was a driver. It was great — I could cruise around all night playing music in my car.
I used to do that for Domino's in Surrey. That's what me and Matt both used to do, actually.
How did you guys make the transition from Lion Club to Vondelpark?
We were flirting around with the idea of being in a band when we were younger, and it got to the point where we didn't feel comfortable being in Lion Club anymore. We didn't really want to be in a band at all. There was a period of two years of just making music, or maybe a year-and-a-half, but the reasons Vondelpark emerged wasn't because we wanted to be a band. We just wanted to hear these tracks we were working on. I think that explains the [initially] elusive Internet presence. We weren't comfortable with the band idea. There were a lot of dicks we knew that were in bands. We were trying to come from a more honest approach. I kind of want that to be our thing, but it's difficult when you have interviews, because you say things you don't really mean.
Lion Club definitely had a rock 'n' roll sound, where as Vondelpark's music references a lot more R&B and dance music. Were you exposed to all of those things growing up?
I wouldn't really relate our previous band to the band we're in now. I don't think there's that many similarities. I think we grew up quite quickly. I don't really feel like, as musicians, we even work in the same way. When I was that young, like 17, when we broke up, I didn't listen to that many records, and just in this three- or four-year gap that we had, it's been an intense time of building our influences and buying records. We've built up a bigger language, sonically, in a really short amount of time. The stuff we used to listen to, like My Bloody Valentine, still influences us, but I wasn't listening to so much R&B at the time. I kind of missed that because I was so into shoegaze, I guess.
'Seabed' has a really suave sound. It doesn't necessarily sound like it could have been made by 16- or 17-year-olds. You're now in your 20s; do you feel like this music is emblematic of greater maturity?
Even our manager says we don't make music for people our own age, so that's why at our live shows, [we're] making it a little punchier. I personally feel that people I hang around with in age — this is what they like listening to. They don't want something that's too much. They just want something to hang out to and listen to in the background, like to stay up late night and come back and listen to once you've been out all night. I like putting on chilled-out records when I come in. That's probably the time where I listen to the most music. ['Seabed'] is definitely a record where if I hadn't written it, I'd probably want to put it on. Occasionally, I'll put on [our 2010 EP] 'Sauna.' But I think it's too soon to be putting on 'Seabed.'
Over the last couple of years, it's become acceptable for bands to explore the influence of '90s R&B. I definitely hear that in your sound. Why do you think that's become such a go-to reference these days?
I have read about this R&B, quiet-storm, blah-blah, whatever. But can you give me another example of another band, so I know what we're talking about?
I'm not trying to lump you in with anyone, certainly…
No, it's good that it comes across in our music. But it wasn't intentional.
I'm thinking of someone like How to Dress Well, or maybe Rhye.
How to Dress Well … I don't know the reasons [for the similarity]. It's just quite expressive, isn't it? It probably comes from making music in your bedroom, because when you're in a band, you don't want to experiment with your voice in front of your mates. If you're just making music in a solitary environment, you can just try things. I'm sure How to Dress Well had to experiment before he could find his range. Something like 'California Analog Dream,' we're just working as a unit of musicians. We're just trying to achieve a sound; we're trying to make an arrangement. And if it happens to have R&B-style vocals, that just happens to be a coincidence for us.
If you're saying the record sounds suave, in a way, R&B is kind of sexual, maybe. Girls grind to R&B, and I think there is in London — and I'm sure there is in America as well — a massive fan base for acts like Drake. When you're at a festival watching people like the Weeknd and stuff, there's this exciting atmosphere. It goes with smoking weed and skating and stuff. It just seems to be part of a lifestyle.
You've described 'Seabed' as a "bedroom record." It seems like you could take that in a sexual way — "bedroom record" like baby-making music — but it could also be this chilled-out vibe you're talking about.
It's not necessarily a bedroom. Maybe a lounge, or a balcony overlooking the city. Apartment listen.
Yeah, but it's not, like, a Teddy Pendergrass record, and you're hanging with your lady. Or maybe it is…
Well, Teddy Pendergrass is a good reference point, because I listen to Dexter Wansel quite a bit, who produced most of Teddy Pendergrass' good records, in my opinion. I do like slow jams, to be honest. I enjoy [listening while] hanging out in a room with my girlfriend, as well as hanging out in a room with my friends. That doesn't necessarily ever become sexual.
If you're lucky it does, sometimes. [Laughs]
Well, yeah, not with my friends, though [laughs].
Some of the reviews of the record mention Sade — another of our personal faves. Was she someone you grew up listening to?
I love Sade. I got into Sade from doing karaoke in Peckham. There's a really cool pub in South London, and some girls I know would go there, and I went down and learned most of the songs at karaoke. Then I got the records after that. I wasn't brought up on Sade, but obviously the big tracks, I knew. I read a review of ['Seabed'] that said it sounded like it would suit a naff '80s wine bar where they'd be playing Sade. I thought, "That's an insult," but to me, it's actually a good thing to hear.
I don't know why I'm drawn to it. But I do wish sometimes we had a female vocalist we could use. I think on the next record, there are a few possibilities. There's something about a female vocal — and especially one as good as that one.
You guys use keyboards and samplers and things, but everything you sample is music you created yourselves, right? And all the vocals on the album are yours?
We definitely, on this record, wanted everything to be as close to us as possible. On these new demos we've got, I've been sampling a little more … and I'm going to be working with female vocals. But with our debut record, we wanted it to be something judged on the basis of something we could do as three guys making music.
Now that Vondelpark is gaining popularity, it might become more like a traditional band, where you put out records and tour. In some ways, that's what you weren't looking for. Are you comfortable with that? Do you sometimes wish it would go back to being a bedroom project?
It's difficult. I enjoy both elements, both bedroom producing and being in a band. So I think what I"ll probably do is develop it so I won't be making records in a bedroom. I'm going to have my own studio, so it's still stepping it up. I'm not scared of being in a band again, because we clearly are a band. I don't like the idea of being stylized in any way. As long as we've still got the control, and it's self-produced, I don't really have a problem with people wanting to hear records. That's a good thing. Definitely, there's going to be more of an art influence again, [as on] the early records, like working with video artists and curating events and stuff. That's something that excites me, because I did sound art at [university], and they scrutinize the contemporary idea of a band. As long as you're musicians trying to push boundaries, it kind of means longevity of your band can progress. I don't strive to be on the cover of NME and it doesn't bother me if we have good or bad reviews. We're just making music as artists. It's not the only outlet.
A song like 'California Analog Dream,' a 2010 song you re-recorded for the new album — was that inspired by an actual trip to California? Are there autobiographical bits in there?
Definitely. There are elements of escapism in that track. I have an uncle who lives in Riverside, south of L.A. I did visit him when I was writing the lyrics for the original version on 'Sauna.' That was the period where I was really uncomfortable with being in a band. It was talking about leaving and not thinking about coming back. The new version, there's more thought in it. It's about being in a nightclub and standing on the edge but not being able to cut in and do what everyone else is doing. It's about being infatuated with the idea of getting involved but not being able to do the thing that is normal, if that makes any sense.
There is a distance there…
There's a lyric which is, "I passed her on my way out / I passed her hair as I climb out." That was actually about a girl, who is now my girlfriend. And it's that idea of being awkward in weird situations, the idea of "climbing out," like it's an uncomfortable environment for us. But I think we've become a lot more normal since we made the record. We're not in a "seabed" anymore. We're not in, like, a cloud. We were, but I think it was a growing-up period, where we thought it was cool to be staying in and getting high, but we're past that now.
Now you think it's cool to go out and get high? [laughs]
[Laughs] Going out and eating and cooking.
Are there plans to tour in America?
Probably after summer. We need to get a North American agent sorted out, but there are definitely plans. I feel like our music could go over well in America.
Have you started looking ahead to the next record?
I've got quite a lot of the next album demoed. I've also been working on my solo project, which is trying to do a different genre per track, but at the same time, there's a film that goes over all of it.
What kinds of genres have you tried so far? Like, third-wave ska? Polka? [Laughs]
[Laughs] Kind of like weird tech-house tracks, and it kind of verges into jazz on other tracks, and then it's quite Motown. It's still within a certain Western way, but I'm trying to do something with raggas as well, Indian-style music. We're always doing loads of stuff, and we're just gonna basically find the best label for the next [Vondelpark] record and try to get it out before the end of the year.
Wow, that soon?
I look to what rappers are doing in America — you know, how they're giving music continuously. The way the Internet works now, it's quite a short attention span, as a culture. People have a short attention span. The more you can give as an artist — you have to develop [your sound] and people don't want to buy music. Getting as much stuff out as possible is a good way to explore stuff. It's good to get reactions.
Watch Vondelpark's Video for 'California Analog Dream'
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text:
A NEW sixth form is opening in Halton for young people on the autistic spectrum.
Ashley School in Green Lane, Widnes will welcome its first intake of students in September.
They will have their own purpose built building.
It includes a cybercafe, a working office administration room and a large vocational and mini business enterprise area.
Head teacher Linda King said: "We are really excited about the opening of our new sixth form which enables us to support and provide for our young people up to the age of 19.
"We want to ensure that they have a valuable contribution to make within the community in which they live."
Ashley School was named after the late Jack Ashley, the youngest Widnes councillor who went on to become a successful disability champion and then a member of the House of Lords.
He himself coped with a hearing disability.
The school was redesignated as a social communication and high functioning autism specific school to fill the gap for this often overlooked group of young people.
It has been extensively refurbished to meet accreditation standards in June, 2013.
Construction of the new sixth form started in January and took six months to complete.
Halton Clr Ged Philbin, board member for children, young people and families, said: "The new part of the school is a fantastic facility for young people in Halton.
"I am sure they will benefit from experience of sixth form life and prepare them even better for post-school life."
Pupils helped to move books and new equipment into the building before they broke up for the summer.


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How Joel Embiid's Injury Impacts Kansas' Chances in the 2014 NCAA TournamentMarch 10, 2014
The sky has resumed falling in Kansas, where concerns about Joel Embiid's injured back have had Jayhawks fans in a flutter all week.
Bill Self had tried to calm the masses with his proclamation to ESPN's Jeff Goodman that he is "100 percent confident" Embiid will return for the Big Dance, but now the actual medical professionals have weighed in.
As Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde reported, there are no guarantees when, or even if, the freshman center will return:
With their interior anchor no longer a sure thing for the postseason, the Jayhawks now have multiple problems to overcome.
First, they need to win the Big 12 tournament, in which it seems prohibitively likely they'll be without Embiid for the duration. Despite its perennial dominance, KU has had its issues in this tourney—two losses in the last five seasons, as opposed to nine straight regular-season titles—and really could have used its star center.
Even if Kansas does pull together and win another conference championship, though, Embiid's status stands a very good chance of affecting the Jayhawks' seeding in March Madness. There are going to be a lot of close calls among the flawed teams vying for the top four seeds, and the selection committee is under no obligation to ignore an injury that's bound to have an impact on KU's performance.
If Embiid's back problems make the difference in Kansas getting a lower seed, or landing in a less favorable region, it may not matter whether he returns in time for the start of the tournament itself.
Of course, the biggest issue for Self is how much his team will suffer for Embiid's absence on the floor. Saturday's defeat against West Virginia provided a timely demonstration of just how vulnerable the shorthanded Jayhawks could be in a bad matchup in the coming weeks.
Mountaineers freshman Devin Williams ate up Tarik Black (Embiid's replacement) and the rest of the Kansas front line, piling up 22 points and 13 rebounds in a six-point win in Morgantown. There are many big men out there more dangerous than Williams, and most of them will be playing in the field of 68.
Black's increased role will also hurt Kansas on the offensive end, where he's neither the scorer nor the passer that the precocious Embiid is. When Embiid was commanding constant double-teams during KU's red-hot Big 12 start, he made life easier for everyone else in the offense. Black can't provide that kind of value.
And, as badly as Kansas might want Embiid on the floor, Self has to balance the team's current predicament with the remainder of the career of a not-quite-20-year-old who could be a No. 1 NBA draft pick. How close to ready will Embiid have to be before it becomes worth the risk to throw him out there in a high-intensity postseason game? Only Self will be in a position to make that call.
Regardless of Self's decision, Kansas' postseason hopes are still very much alive. Embiid could recover faster than anticipated, and the Jayhawks still have stars such as Andrew Wiggins headlining their roster.
Still, what had been a strong Final Four contender with a hypothetical Embiid return is looking like a long shot to make it that far in the freshman's (increasingly likely) absence.


text:
Improving Outcomes of Depression in Primary Care (DEP-PC)
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Behavioral: Collaborative Care - Depression Decision Support (DDS)
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|Improving Outcomes of Depression in Primary Care
- Symptom Checklist SCL-20 score [ Time Frame: SCL-20 score over 12 months ]
|Study Start Date:
|July 2002
|Study Completion Date:
|December 2008
|Primary Completion Date:
|November 2004 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Experimental: Arm 1
Multifaceted collaborative intervention for depression based in primary care
Behavioral: Collaborative Care - Depression Decision Support (DDS)
Multifaceted collaborative intervention for depression based in primary care
Other Name: Depression Decision Support (DDS)
No Intervention: Arm 2
Treatment as usual
Detailed Description:
OBJECTIVE(S): The primary objective of the study was to determine the impact of a low-intensity, care management intervention on depression treatment outcomes of patients in a VA primary care setting. Secondary objectives were to determine the extent to which primary care clinicians adhere to major depression treatment guidelines, the extent to which the intervention impacts healthcare utilization, and to examine the impact of provider and patient covariates (including pain and adherence) on depression treatment response PLAN: Randomized controlled trial. METHODS: All clinicians first participated in the MacArthur Depression Education Program (DEP). After stratification by discipline and site, clinicians were randomized to receive the Depression Decision Support (DDS) intervention versus usual care (which included an on-site mental health team). Patients were nested within clinician intervention status. DDS intervention clinicians received serial reports of depression severity scores and other clinical data for their enrolled patients. The DDS care manager made one telephone contact with each intervention patient, and invited patients to attend a depression group education session. The DDS team monitored patient depression severity over time, and targeted additional time and effort towards patients not showing improvement. Additional DDS intervention included making further recommendations to primary care clinicians, and in some cases, a one-time consultation with the DDS psychiatrist.
Potential subjects were identified from lists of patients due for appointments with primary care clinicians, and were contacted for telephone screening. Patients were enrolled if they had Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scores >10 or a Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-20) score of > 1.0 at a subsequent in-person interview. There were no restrictions by age or sex. Patients were excluded if they had psychotic symptoms, dementia, serious suicidal ideation, very severe depression (PHQ-9 >25), or had been treated by mental health clinicians within the previous six months. The intervention lasted 12 months. Depression symptom severity (SCL-20) and health related quality of life (SF-36V) at 6 and 12-months were primary outcomes. Primary analyses employed mixed-model repeated measure analyses of covariance, which include a random effect for clinician and fixed effects for time and intervention status.
FINDINGS TO DATE: Five Portland VA clinic sites and 41 clinicians participated. 3,103 patients were screened, and 402 patients were enrolled. Three hundred seventy-five met final eligibility criteria. There were no adverse events. SCL-20 scores improved in both groups over 12 months (slope: -.382; 95% CI -.488, -.276), but there was no effect of the intervention on SCL-20 or Short Form-36V compared to usual care. There was greater initial improvement in PHQ-9 for intervention patients (p=.030); however, this effect diminished over time. At 12 months, intervention patients reported greater satisfaction (p=.002), and were more likely to have received antidepressants. To date, 10 manuscripts supported by the project have been published. One manuscript examining associations between stressful live events and depression outcomes has been submitted for publication.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|Child, Adult, Senior
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
Primary care patients of eligible providers with depression (Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9] depression scores of 10 to 25 or Hopkins Symptom Checklist-20 [SCL-20] scores >= 1.0)
Exclusion Criteria:
Patients who had received treatment from mental health specialists within the previous 6 months; who had received a diagnosis of psychotic disorder, dementia, or bipolar disorder; or who were considered to be terminally ill
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00105833
|United States, Oregon
|VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR
|Portland, Oregon, United States, 97239
|Principal Investigator:
|Steven K. Dobscha, MD
|VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR
|Principal Investigator:
|Martha S. Gerrity, MD MPH PhD
|VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR
|Responsible Party:
|VA Office of Research and Development
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00105833 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|March 16, 2005
|Last Updated:
|April 6, 2015
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Depressive Disorder
Behavioral Symptoms
Mood Disorders
Mental Disorders
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


text: On Tue, April 19, 2005 11:11, David Powell said: > Hi All, > > I'm not sure how to decipher firewall logs yet, hoped you could help. > I've got a basic firewall that is allowing in remote ssh, and local > (intranet) http requests only. > > Something from the router address is hitting it constantly - last time I > saw something like this (in my v. short history administering linux > boxes) it was spyware on a PC, but this is a router. Anyway, I wondered > if someone could shed light on what it might be. Here's an example from > the logs: > > Apr 19 15:00:51 database kernel: block: IN=eth0 OUT= > MAC=ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:00:0f:66:8c:77:75:08:00 SRC=192.168.0.254 > DST=192.168.0.255 LEN=135 TOS=0x00 PREC=0x00 TTL=150 ID=0 PROTO=UDP > SPT=17603 DPT=162 LEN=115 Your router is sending SNMP-traps to (I assume) your broadcast address. > To give you an idea of frequency,this line (almost exactly as is, > including time, but the len value slightly different) is repeated in the > logs dozens of times per second. The length of a SNMP-trap is somewhat limited to the size of the UDP-packet. SNMP-traps can also use TCP, but you won't see that unless you sniffer between HP-Openview or Tivoli Netview machines for example. And the frequency, that depends how you have configured your router assuming it is your router sending these messages. > Happy to post the firewall script if that would help. > > Is this normal for a router (which is at 192.168.0.254) to do this? It depends on what you have configured, but most admins use these features to monitor there machines. > Also, the reason I've been checking the logs is to work out why > local/intranet users haven't been able to access the box via http (port > 80, TCP) - they are getting a page unavailable message, but the firewall > was letting them in a couple of weeks ago, and it hasn't been changed at > all. Anyway, this might be a red herring, but am curious anyhow. Without any knowlegde from your setup, the best advice may be. Follow the path between user and webserver back and forward, top to bottom. So is the webserver running, is the webserver responding to the right answers, point the dns-entry to the right address, do you see the requests for the webserver on the network interface of the webserver and do they go back, does your firewall processes the packets. Using tcpdump, telnet to port 80 and adding log entries to your acl's on your webserver and firewall may come in handy. Hans


text:
Walker County BOE votes to close 3 schools
WALKER COUNTY, Ala. -- The Walker County Board of Education voted to close three of its schools Thursday despite some strong opposition from the community.
The board, in two separate decisions, voted 4-1 to close Parrish High School and 5-0 to close both Sipsey and T.S. Boyd elementary schools.
Students at Boyd and Sipsey are likely to begin attending Sumiton Elementary School while Parrish students will either attend Oakman or Cordova high schools.{}
Watch ABC 33/40 News at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. for the latest on this developing story. To watch the newscasts live online, click here.