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Saturday, June 30, 2012
Preventing the immune system from going haywire during sepsis
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Public release date: 29-Jun-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Felpe del Pizzol
piz@unesc.net
44-777-811-8025
Publicase Comunicao Cientfica
The immune system during sepsis
Septic shock is the most severe outcome associated with pathogen infection in the bloodstream. It is a life-threatening condition invariably leading to multiple organ dysfunctions. Currently, septic shock is one of the most frequent causes of death in intensive care units worldwide.
However, it is already known that sepsis-induced multiple organ dysfunction is not a direct effect of the pathogen invasion itself but rather an overreaction of the host immune system against the infection. Many strategies aiming at holding back the extreme response of the immune system have been developed but little progress has been made.
A group of researchers from Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and So Paulo, in Brazil, have shown that blocking the receptor of bombesin/gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP), a peptide involved with the activation of neutrophil and macrophage immune cells, improves survival in sepsis animal models. Working with RC-3095, an antagonist of the GRP receptor developed by Nobel Laureate Dr Andrew Schally, the group showed that this molecule attenuates the release of the host's exacerbating immune response elements, and reveals a new inflammatory pathway and potential target for new drugs. The study was part of a research effort to investigate additional functions and potential clinical applications for the GRP receptor, initiated by Drs Gilberto Schwartsmann and Rafael Roesler at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.
Led by Drs Felipe Dal-Pizzol and Fabricia Petronilho at the Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, in Brazil, the group has recently teamed up with Drs Andrew Schally and Norman L. Block at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine to investigate the potential link between GRP and TLR-4, a receptor found in neutrophils and macrophages. TLR-4 is one of the molecules responsible for spreading the word that the body has been invaded by microbes and that something must be done quickly.
In a paper entitled "Gastrin-releasing peptide receptor antagonism induces protection from lethal sepsis: involvement of toll-like receptor 4 signaling" and published in Molecular Medicine, the group shows that RC-3095 reduces the levels of circulating TLR-4 and other immune elements associated with an extreme inflammatory response. Additionally, the group has found that patients with septic shock have greater amounts of GRP if compared to those with less severe forms of sepsis. These higher levels of GRP may explain why septic shock patients develop multiple organ dysfunctions and present the highest mortality rate among sepsis patients.
The study also shows that in animal models, administration of RC-3095 limits the spread of infection beyond the abdominal cavity, indicating the potential of RC-3095 in preventing the complete breakdown of the host's system.
Besides its clinical relevance, the study provides new insights on the roles of key players involved in the complex communication network triggering extreme inflammatory responses. Together, these findings may open new avenues for the development of effective therapeutic strategies to treat sepsis and related inflammatory diseases.
###
The research was funded by the National Institute for Translational Medicine (INCT-TM) and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) in Brazil.
A pdf of the article can be found at http://www.molmed.org/pdfstore/12_083_Petronilho.pdf
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 29-Jun-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Felpe del Pizzol
piz@unesc.net
44-777-811-8025
Publicase Comunicao Cientfica
The immune system during sepsis
Septic shock is the most severe outcome associated with pathogen infection in the bloodstream. It is a life-threatening condition invariably leading to multiple organ dysfunctions. Currently, septic shock is one of the most frequent causes of death in intensive care units worldwide.
However, it is already known that sepsis-induced multiple organ dysfunction is not a direct effect of the pathogen invasion itself but rather an overreaction of the host immune system against the infection. Many strategies aiming at holding back the extreme response of the immune system have been developed but little progress has been made.
A group of researchers from Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and So Paulo, in Brazil, have shown that blocking the receptor of bombesin/gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP), a peptide involved with the activation of neutrophil and macrophage immune cells, improves survival in sepsis animal models. Working with RC-3095, an antagonist of the GRP receptor developed by Nobel Laureate Dr Andrew Schally, the group showed that this molecule attenuates the release of the host's exacerbating immune response elements, and reveals a new inflammatory pathway and potential target for new drugs. The study was part of a research effort to investigate additional functions and potential clinical applications for the GRP receptor, initiated by Drs Gilberto Schwartsmann and Rafael Roesler at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.
Led by Drs Felipe Dal-Pizzol and Fabricia Petronilho at the Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, in Brazil, the group has recently teamed up with Drs Andrew Schally and Norman L. Block at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine to investigate the potential link between GRP and TLR-4, a receptor found in neutrophils and macrophages. TLR-4 is one of the molecules responsible for spreading the word that the body has been invaded by microbes and that something must be done quickly.
In a paper entitled "Gastrin-releasing peptide receptor antagonism induces protection from lethal sepsis: involvement of toll-like receptor 4 signaling" and published in Molecular Medicine, the group shows that RC-3095 reduces the levels of circulating TLR-4 and other immune elements associated with an extreme inflammatory response. Additionally, the group has found that patients with septic shock have greater amounts of GRP if compared to those with less severe forms of sepsis. These higher levels of GRP may explain why septic shock patients develop multiple organ dysfunctions and present the highest mortality rate among sepsis patients.
The study also shows that in animal models, administration of RC-3095 limits the spread of infection beyond the abdominal cavity, indicating the potential of RC-3095 in preventing the complete breakdown of the host's system.
Besides its clinical relevance, the study provides new insights on the roles of key players involved in the complex communication network triggering extreme inflammatory responses. Together, these findings may open new avenues for the development of effective therapeutic strategies to treat sepsis and related inflammatory diseases.
###
The research was funded by the National Institute for Translational Medicine (INCT-TM) and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) in Brazil.
A pdf of the article can be found at http://www.molmed.org/pdfstore/12_083_Petronilho.pdf
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-06/pcc-pti062912.php
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Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Skydiving and BMX Bike Riding: Does This Stuff Actually Make Google Glass Cool? [Chatroom]
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China to US embassy: Stop telling people how bad the air is in Beijing.
Air quality in Beijing is notorious for being 'crazy bad.' The US Embassy in Beijing started tweeting air quality reports, but now China says it's unfair to judge it by international standards.
A cleaner wears a face mask as she works in front of the giant portrait of former Chinese chairman Mao Zedong at Beijing's Tiananmen Gate on June 5. The Chinese government today warned the US Embassy in Beijing to stop telling the world how bad the air quality really is.
David Gray/Reuters
EnlargeThe Chinese government today warned the US Embassy in Beijing to stop telling the world just how bad the capital?s air really is.
Skip to next paragraph Peter FordBeijing Bureau Chief
Peter Ford is The Christian Science Monitor?s Beijing Bureau Chief. He covers news and features throughout China and also makes reporting trips to Japan and the Korean peninsula.
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For the past three years or so, the embassy has Tweeted the hourly readings from a pollution monitor on its roof, providing the only real time indicator of what we are breathing here.
Deputy Environment Minister Wu Xiaoqing, however, told reporters today that this was a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Only the Chinese government is allowed to measure and publish air quality information, he said.
The trouble with that is that I am not the only person in Beijing who has sometimes found it hard to reconcile the soupy grey fog that I often see outside my window with the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center?s insistence that pollution is ?light.?
The US embassy spokesman was unavailable to comment on Mr. Wu?s admonition, but @BeijingAir, its Twitter feed, was still posting at 6 p.m.; it found the air to be ?Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.?
That is a definition taken from the US EPA, and Wu said it was not fair to judge Chinese air by American standards, which are stricter than Chinese ones, because of ?our current stage of development.?
This is not the first time the US Twitter feed has got into trouble. On Nov. 19, 2010, when the Air Quality Index soared above 500 ? the top of the US scale ? the reading was described in a tweet as ?crazy bad.?
The term appeared to have been inserted into the monitoring program by a programmer who never expected such an outlandishly high reading: Anything over 300 ?would trigger a health warning of emergency conditions? in America, according to an EPA website.
Nowadays, readings over 500 (20 times higher than World Health Organization guidelines) are described simply as ?beyond index.?
The Beijing municipality website publishes its own hourly readings of PM 2.5 tiny particulate matter, regarded as especially dangerous, but only 24 hours after the fact. It also publishes an average figure for air quality over the previous 24 hours, but does not characterize it as good, bad, or hazardous.
Wu?s warning to the US embassy will doubtless re-focus public attention on the real quality of Beijing?s air, which cannot be good for the authorities. What?s odd is that for the past few early summer days here the air has mostly been clear, and even gloriously sharp on one or two evenings.
If the embassy Twitter feed dies, we shall just have to go back to trusting our eyes and our noses. Just because we cannot put a scientific figure to it, doesn?t mean we don?t know what we are breathing.
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Tuesday, June 26, 2012
LG slips out Optimus L3 DualSim for Russia and Ukraine, keeps you in touch with both Kiev and Kursk
LG's Optimus L3 was always designed with modest ambitions -- mostly of scooping up the starter smartphone crowd -- but a new variant for Russia and the Ukraine has our ears perked. The tiny L3 DualSim includes two SIM slots to let locals hop between two different phone numbers with a switch. Ostensibly it's to give jetsetting businesspeople a way to switch between their home and work phone lines, although the abundance of prepaid service options in the two countries makes us think there's some cost-saving involved as well. The tweaked L3 isn't just another dual-SIM conversion; LG has also seen fit to overcome qualms about performance with an 800MHz Snapdragon replacing the 600MHz of the original. Sadly, we're not seeing any upgrades to the creaky Android 2.3 install or the 3-megapixel camera, so this won't let you get a shrunken L5 on the cheap. At a price of 1,500 Ukranian grivnas (6,169 Russian rubles, or $186) without a contract, however, we suspect many Muscovites and Sevastopolians won't have objections to picking up the L3 DualSim for themselves come the July release.
LG slips out Optimus L3 DualSim for Russia and Ukraine, keeps you in touch with both Kiev and Kursk originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 08:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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HBO gives Bush's head a makeover on 'Thrones'
HBO
Before and after: HBO gave the spiked likeness of George W. Bush a major "Game of Thrones" makeover.
By Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter
HBO has done a number on the controversial "Game of Thrones" scene depicting what resembled the severed head of former President George W. Bush.
The cable network has edited and restored the season-one finale of its period drama to its digital platforms after performing a radical face-lift on what producers acknowledged that a scene in the episode depicted a model of the 43rd president's severed head on a spike in the hour.
PHOTOS: Spoiler alert! From 'Game of Thrones' to 'Mad Men' -- TV's most shocking deaths
In the new scene, the model has a drastically smaller chin and nose and what appears to be a considerably smaller face.
?
HBO yanked the episode -- and halted DVD shipments of its season-one?"Thrones" boxed set -- after showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss noted the likeness in a commentary included in the best-selling set, adding that the decision to use the model was motivated by budget and not by politics.
STORY: 'Game of Thrones' showrunners, HBO apologize for Bush's head on spike
"George Bush's head appears in a couple of beheading scenes. It's not a choice; it's not a political statement," the duo said in the commentary. "We just had to use whatever head we had around."
The duo apologized after the story went viral, with HBO issuing a stern statement condemning their actions.
STORY: HBO yanks Bush head 'Game of Thrones' episode, halts DVD shipments
"We were deeply dismayed to see this and find it unacceptable, disrespectful and in very bad taste," the network said at the time. "We made this clear to the executive producers of the series who apologized immediately for this careless mistake. We condemn it in the strongest possible terms and have halted all future shipments of the DVDs, removed it from our digital platforms and will edit the scene for all future airings on any distribution domestic or international."
The Washington Post first reported the news.
Do you think the new model still looks like the former president? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
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Sunday, June 24, 2012
California Sea Level Projected to Rise at Higher Rate Than Global Average; Slower Rate for Oregon, Washington
Date:? June 22, 2012
?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
?
California Sea Level Projected to Rise at Higher Rate Than Global Average;
Slower Rate for Oregon, Washington, But Major Earthquake Could Cause Sudden Rise
?
WASHINGTON ? The sea level off most of California is expected to rise about one meter over the next century, an amount slightly higher than projected for global sea levels, and will likely increase damage to the state's coast from storm surges and high waves, says a new report from the National Research Council.? Sea levels off Washington, Oregon, and northern California will likely rise less, about 60 centimeters over the same period of time.? However, an earthquake magnitude 8 or larger in this region could cause sea level to rise suddenly by an additional meter or more.?
?
Global sea level rose during the 20th century, and projections suggest it will rise at a higher rate during the 21st century.? A warming climate causes sea level to rise primarily by warming the oceans -- which causes the water to expand -- and melting land ice, which transfers water to the ocean.? However, sea-level rise is uneven and varies from place to place.? Along the U.S. west coast it depends on the global mean sea-level rise and regional factors, such as ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns, melting of modern and ancient ice sheets, and tectonic plate movements.? California Executive Order S-13-08 directed state agencies to plan for sea-level rise and coastal impacts and asked the Research Council to establish a committee to assess sea-level rise.? Oregon, Washington, and several federal agencies joined California to sponsor the study.? The report estimates sea-level rise both globally and for those three states for the years 2030, 2050, and 2100.??
?
The committee that wrote the report projected that global sea level will rise 8 to 23 centimeters by 2030, relative to the 2000 level, 18 to 48 centimeters by 2050, and 50 to 140 centimeters by 2100.? The 2100 estimate is substantially higher than the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's projection made in 2007 of 18 to 59 centimeters with a possible additional 17 centimeters if rapid changes in ice flow are included.?
?
For the California coast south of Cape Mendocino, the committee projected that sea level will rise 4 to 30 centimeters by 2030, 12 to 61 centimeters by 2050, and 42 to 167 centimeters by 2100.? For the Washington, Oregon, and California coast north of Cape Mendocino, sea level is projected to change between falling 4 centimeters to rising 23 centimeters by 2030, falling 3 centimeters to rising 48 centimeters by 2050, and rising between 10 to 143 centimeters by 2100.? The committee noted that as the projection period lengthens, uncertainties, and thus ranges, increase.?
?
The committee's projections for the California coast south of Cape Mendocino are slightly higher than its global projections because much of the coastline is subsiding.? The lower sea levels projected for northern California, Washington, and Oregon coasts are because the land is rising largely due to plate tectonics.? In this region, the ocean plate is descending below the continental plate at the Cascadia Subduction Zone, pushing up the coast.?
?
Extreme events could raise sea level much faster than the rates projected by the committee.? For example, an earthquake magnitude 8 or greater north of Cape Mendocino, which occurs in this area every several hundred to 1,000 years with the most recent in 1700, could cause parts of the coast to subside immediately and the relative sea level to rise suddenly by a meter or more.?
?
"As the average sea level rises, the number and duration of extreme storm surges and high waves are expected to escalate, and this increases the risk of flooding, coastal erosion, and wetland loss," said Robert Dalrymple, committee chair and Willard and Lillian Hackerman Professor of Civil Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.?
?
Most of the damage along the west coast is caused by storms, particularly the confluence of large waves, storm surges, and high tides during El Ni?o events.? Significant development along the coast -- such as airports, naval air stations, freeways, sports stadiums, and housing developments -- has been built only a few feet above the highest tides.? For example, the San Francisco International Airport could flood with as little as 40 centimeters of sea-level rise, a value that could be reached in several decades.? The committee also ran a simulation that suggested sea-level rise could cause the incidence of extreme water heights in the San Francisco Bay area to increase from about 9 hours per decade, to hundreds of hours per decade by 2050, and to several thousand hours per decade by 2100.?
?
The study was sponsored by the states of California, Washington, and Oregon; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; U.S. Geological Survey; and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.? The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies.? They are independent, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under an 1863 congressional charter.? Panel members, who serve pro bono as volunteers, are chosen by the Academies for each study based on their expertise and experience and must satisfy the Academies' conflict-of-interest standards.? The resulting consensus reports undergo external peer review before completion.? For more information, visit http://national-academies.org/studycommitteprocess.pdf.? A committee roster follows.
?
?
Contacts:?
Jennifer Walsh, Media Relations Officer
Luwam Yeibio, Media Relations Assistant
Office of News and Public Information
202-334-2138; e-mail news@nas.edu
?
____________________________________________________________________________________
Pre-publication copies of Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington: Past, Present, and Future is available from the National Academies Press; tel. 202-334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242 or on the Internet at http://www.nap.edu.? Reporters may obtain a copy from the Office of News and Public Information (contacts listed above).
?
#?????? #?????? #
?
? ?
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
Division on Earth and Life Studies
Board on Earth Sciences and Resources
and
Ocean Studies Board
?
Committee on Sea Level Rise in California, Oregon, and Washington
?
Robert A. Dalrymple1 (chair)
Willard and Lillian Hackerman Professor of Civil Engineering
Whiting School of Engineering
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore
?
Laurence C. Breaker
Adjunct Professor
Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
Moss Landing, Calif.
?
Benjamin A. Brooks
Associate Researcher and Director, Pacific GPS Facility
Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology
University of Hawaii
Honolulu
?
Daniel R. Cayan
Research Meteorologist
Climate Research Division
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California, San Diego, and
Researcher
U.S. Geological Survey
La Jolla, Calif.
?
Gary B. Griggs
Distinguished Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, and
Director
Institute of Marine Sciences
University of California
Santa Cruz
?
Weiqing Han
Associate Professor
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
University of Colorado
Boulder
?
Benjamin P. Horton
Associate Professor
Department of Earth and Environmental Science
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia
?
Christina L. Hulbe
Chair and Professor
Department of Geology
Portland State University
Portland, Ore.
?
James C. McWilliams2
Louis B. Slichter Professor of Earth Sciences
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics
University of California
Los Angeles
?
Philip W. Mote
Director
Oregon Climate Change Research Institute, and
Oregon Climate Services
Professor, College of Earth, Oceanic, and Atmospheric Sciences
Oregon State University
Corvallis
?
W. Tad Pfeffer
Professor of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, and
Fellow
Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research
University of Colorado
Boulder
?
Denise J. Reed
Professor
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences
University of New Orleans
New Orleans
?
C.K. Shum
Professor and Distinguished University Scholar
Division of Geodetic Science
School of Earth Sciences
Ohio State University
Columbus
?
STAFF
?
Anne Linn
Study Director
____________________________________
1?? Member, National Academy of Engineering
2?? Member, National Academy of Sciences
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Paraguayan president's trial to start in Senate
ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) ? Paraguay's fragile democracy was being put to the test on Friday as the Senate organized a trial of President Fernando Lugo for his role in a deadly clash involving landless farmers.
The impoverished, landlocked nation has a long history of political instability and Lugo's earlier announcement that he will not step aside sparked fears of possible violence following the lower house's vote to impeach the former Roman Catholic bishop.
Lugo, who was elected four years ago on promises that he would help the South American country's poor, went on national television Thursday vowing to face the trial "with all its consequences."
In an interview with the Venezuelan government's international broadcaster Telesur late Thursday, Lugo described the move against him as an "express coup d'etat."
"I hope that the parlimamentarians vote against the poloitical trail because we are hoping to strengthen democracy, the rule of law, and citizen participation," Lugo told Montecarlo radio station in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo.
Lugo's attorney Adolfo Ferreiro asked Paraguay's Supreme Court to suspend the trial, arguing that the two hours being set aside for the president's defense is inadequate and could violate his rights of due process. Fabian Escobar, administrative secretary of the court, confirmed that Ferreiro's request had been received.
A delegation of officials from the Union of South American Nations, known as Unasur, arrived in Asuncion late Thursday to look into the proceedings.
"Although this is happening in Paraguay, it isn't limited to the borders of Paraguay," Unasur Secretary General Ali Rodriguez Araque said after his arrival. "It goes beyond that. It affects the Unasur body, in particular when it comes to the preservation of the democracy that has cost sweat, blood and tears."
The lower house voted 76-1 on Thursday to impeach Lugo, and hours later the Senate announced that it would begin his trial on Friday. The hearing was set for 1500 GMT.
In the capital of Asuncion, the vote prompted frightened residents to shutter businesses and pull children out of schools. Hospitals were put on red alert, freeing up beds in case of possible violence and injuries.
Paraguayans were unnerved by the possibility that the looming showdown in the opposition-controlled Senate could spark violent street protests such as those that followed the March 1999 assassination of Vice President Luis Maria Argana.
"We are not going to escape turbulence, it's coming," said Paraguayan political analyst Horacio Galeano Perrone, who specializes in national defense issues. "If you were to ask me, I'd tell you to go to the supermarket and buy batteries, buy everything."
Lugo's election in 2008 ended 61 years of rule by the Colorado Party, and he has constantly clashed with Congress, where he has few firm allies.
Socialist Carlos Filizzola, who until recently was Lugo's interior minister, called the impeachment vote by lawmakers an "institutional coup" and said he thought the president's fate had already been decided.
"The political trial is a formality," he said.
If ousted, Lugo would be replaced by Vice President Federico Franco. Franco, of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party, "is ready to assume command and pacify the country," said Liberal lawmaker Enrique Sallim Buzarquis.
It would be a sharp fall for the once-popular leader who stepped down as the Catholic "bishop of the poor" to run for the presidency amid a leftward swing in South America. Once in office, he was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer and was hounded by paternity scandals.
But the fall in Lugo's popularity arises partly from his failure to enact agrarian reform in a country where tens of thousands of people are demanding land, said Galeano Perrone, the analyst. This failure led to a loss of support from some peasant groups.
"The true problem is the lack of agrarian reform," he said. "We are facing a social explosion and a rural explosion."
Paraguay's land ownership problems stretch back nearly 140 years to a war Paraguay lost to Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. Saddled with crushing war debt, Paraguay began selling off government holdings that amounted to 95 percent of the country, with the most fertile parcels going to political cronies.
Privatizations accelerated under the 1954-1989 dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner and into the early 1990s, when about 17 million acres (7 million hectares) ended up in the hands of just 1,877 people, according to a 2004 government study.
Paraguay is now the world's No. 4 supplier of soybeans and land disputes have risen as farmers seek more land to grow the crop.
"Lugo isn't fulfilling his main election promise of carrying out agrarian reform but it is not his fault. The fault lies with a judicial system that blocks all attempts to expropriate land in the hands of foreigners or to recover formerly state land that was given to supporters of the dictatorship of Gen. Alfredo Stroessner," said Belarmino Balbuena, leader of the Paraguayan Campesino Movement.
Another reason for possible discontent was Lugo's request that the Senate archive a proposal to grant $50 million in funding for authorities to hire 10,000 registrars to inscribe new voters among other things. Some opponents accused the government of wanting to leave election authorities without funding and then order the postponement of elections so he could stay in power. Government officials have said the $50 million could be better spent elsewhere.
Lugo was elected with about 41 percent of the vote, but lacking legislative majorities his party was forced to strike deals with opponents to govern. As his popularity fell and the latest scandal erupted, his political allies deserted him, especially the vice president's Liberal party.
This cleared the way for the impeachment.
The trigger for the current impeachment was an attempt by police to evict about 150 farmers from a remote, 4,900-acre (2,000-hectare) reserve, which is part of a huge estate owned by a Colorado Party politician. Advocates for the farmers say the landowner used political influence to get the land from the state decades ago, and say it should have been put to use for land reform.
Seventeen people died in the clash and many people blamed Lugo.
Lugo, 61, has expressed sorrow at the confrontation and accepted the resignations of his interior minister and his chief of police.
On the streets of the Paraguayan capital, opinions about the impeachment effort were mixed.
"Lugo should finish his mandate," said Benito Canete, a 68-year-old concierge in an apartment building. "I think that if they get rid of him now it will be bad for the country."
Ana Campuzano, a 42-year-old odontologist, backed the ouster effort.
"Lugo should resign, it was bad for him to remain" after the deadly clash, she said. "It's his fault because he doesn't know how to manage things."
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Saturday, June 23, 2012
An Exclusive Interview with Mark Waterhouse, Dining Services New ...
Usual reception food at AUBG.
If you are one of the few that haven?t heard yet, Mark Waterhouse, owner of the fine dining restaurant Casa Adria, is the new Executive Chef in charge of the Dining Services at AUBG. It seems to us, the Daily staff, that the guy will be around for some time. He has already established some presence by making a group on Facebook (link at the bottom of the article) where he actively communicates with the student body and carefully notes all comments and feedback. The following interview sheds some light on the upcoming changes under his ?rule?.
?
Tell us more about what you did before coming to Bulgaria and what made you come here? Why Blagoevgrad?
I have lived outside the UK for 22 years and before coming to Blagoevgrad spent 20 years in Portugal, working for 4/5 star hotel groups in the marketing departments. My background is in hotels and catering and I have a diploma in hotel and catering management.
Whilst in Portugal I met my wife who is from Blagoevgrad, and when the financial crash hit, we decided it would be a good time to move closer to her family, as we also have two children, Georgia 9 and Cydney 7 and we thought they should understand some of their heritage, culture and learn Bulgarian better.
How were you recruited as the new Executive Chef of AUBG?s Dining Services? Was there a lot of competition for this position?
I don?t know about competition, as the position came about in a funny way. The Provost was having dinner in my restaurant one evening and asked my advice on recruiting a new executive chef for AUBG, and did I have any contacts within the Bulgarian Hotel and catering trade. I said ?no? and thought little more of it, until a conversation with my wife about it, and she said ?why don?t you do it? on reflection I thought ?yes, good idea?, so I approached Provost Reed and suggested it. He put it to the board, I was asked for an outline plan, which I did, and was offered the position last week.
Is Olga Draganova keeping her job as a Manager of the Dining Services and if yes, how do you imagine your work with her?
Of course Olga will keep her job, my Bulgarian speaking is limited and she has a wealth of experience as manager, I see us working together to bring a new outlook to the dining services and Olga will be a big part in putting that to the rest of the staff and seeing it through to its conclusion.
What will happen to the old canteen?
The old canteen will run till the new restaurant (I do not want it called a canteen as it will be far superior to a canteen) opens in the spring, I presume it has been earmarked already for offices or classrooms and is not needed. What is needed is a coffee/snack bar style eatery, with ?grab and go? style food and drink, somewhere the students and faculty can grab a bite to eat and drink.
What dishes do you imagine are going to be offered?
Usual canteen food at AUBG.
That is a big question!!!!! I will bring an international style of food into dining services, fresh, wholesome, nutritional, seasonal and with an eye to our multicultural student body. So fresh soups every day, salad bar, deli bar, sandwiches, wraps, pizza, burgers, several main courses and a selection of desserts. Taking into account ethnic, vegetarian, vegan, allergy and religious tastes.
How about alcohol? Do you think that?s even possible?
Alcohol is an essential part to any restaurant and I feel an essential part for many people to their best eating experience, so to that end I will be looking into adding it to the menu. I can see no reason for it not to be added and with it not being there, it only pushes the student to eat elsewhere, which is what we are trying to change. So my answer to the question is WATCH THIS SPACE!!!!
Any surveys that your planning to conduct? Or are you relying only on social media for feedback?
I am a great believer in using social media, I think the students will reply to a Facebook survey before they will reply to one sent to their AUBG emails. But I will use all media to get in contact with my old and future clients, so I will bombard you with Facebook, Twitter, e mail, TV, web page, word of mouth, and funnily enough good old fashioned talking face to face!!! (I will be asking the journalism dept to help, and other departments I.E. we will need a web page building)
Is there going to be a change in the prices of dishes?
I have purposefully not looked at the pricing policy and how they price the food as I will be pricing as per any outlet that is a business. I have to take into account, food costs, staffing costs, utility charges and many more other costs to come to a figure that is good for the governing body and also good for the students. I will also be pricing to give a wide range of different products at different levels. I can sell a potato salad at a very low cost, but in the same level I cannot sell a rocket salad so cheap. This is where seasonality and best buying of produce will come into its own. I aim to give good value for a good price. But it will be better quality and cheaper than the surrounding eateries.
Do you think that making the Dining Services popular might pose a threat to your business?
I have been asked this question several times in the last week, and my simple answer is NO, it will actually enhance it. The two things are in totally different spheres and as the restaurant only opens late afternoon and does most of its business in the evening, I don?t believe there will be a clash. The restaurant is fine dining, top of the Blagoevgrad tree, we offer what you can?t get elsewhere on a small scale, so I think if the students like what they see in the dining services, they will want to come and taste the foods in the restaurant. We are not an everyday restaurant more of a special occasion, or once a week restaurant. The restaurants in dining services will be a place, I hope, the students and faculty use on a daily basis to eat, drink, socialize at. In fact I want to make dining services the hub of the university where you can come for a coke and a chat or come and get a great three course meal.
Thank you, Mark.
Join the group on Facebook to express your opinions and concerns or just to be better informed about the changes that are coming to the Dining Services at AUBG: Dining Services AUBG.
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