Many Olympians Suffer From Asthma

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Olympic athletes might appear to have the cardiovascular and respiratory systems of superheroes. But a new study reveals that one in 12 Olympic athletes uses asthma treatments. The findings are in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. [Kenneth Fitch, An Overview of Asthma and Airway Hyper-Responsiveness In Olympic Athletes]

That usage has jumped since the mid-?90s. So the International Olympic Committee now requires athletes to provide medical proof of an asthma diagnosis before allowing them to use an inhaler during the competition.

Both cold and polluted air increase the risk for asthma, affecting winter and summer athletes alike. Dangerous ozone and particulate matter are worse in warm weather, so athletes in the Summer Olympics are slightly more likely to suffer from asthma. Winter events, such as cross-country skiing, can also damage airways with cold air and ice particles.

But athletes with asthma have a better chance of winning?and not because the drugs enhance their performance. Asthma occurs more often in older endurance athletes, suggesting that years of intense training could be to blame for the condition?and to thank for the conditioning.

?Katherine Harmon

[The above text is a transcript of this podcast]?????

Interested in science and the Olympics? Check out the new Scientific American ebook, the Science of Sports: Winning at the Olympics. Available in most popular ebook formats including for the Kindle and the Nook. Just $3.99 wherever fine electrons flow or electromagnetic waves pass.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/many-olympians-suffer-asthma-032808030.html

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'The Obesity Olympics': Marketing junk food to kids - blog*spot

Somehow I doubt that the athletes competing in the London Olympics trained on a diet that included regular servings of McDonald?s Happy Meals, Coca-Cola soft drinks and Cadbury?s chocolate bars.

But that?s what our children may think as they?re bombarded with ads from these three official Olympic food sponsors over the next two weeks. For, as a public health official told a BBC news reporter earlier this year, research suggests that children perceive junk food to be less unhealthy when it?s associated with sporting events.

And the food manufacturers know this. Cadbury?s (the games? official ?treat? sponsor) has called the Olympics ?the biggest sales opportunity of our lifetime.? That?s not hyperbole. Cadbury?s pre-games Willy-Wonka-like ?Unwrap Gold? promotion was the most successful in the company?s history.

Coca-Cola also had huge pre-game success with its sponsorship of the Olympic torch relay celebration that (literally) ran throughout England for weeks. The company?s logo was constantly visible at these family-oriented events, and Coca-Cola promotional products and samples were handed out to children as well as adults by people in tracksuits along the relay route. (Marketing junk food directly to children is normally banned in Britain.)

McDonald's has celebrated the Olympic spirit by building its largest-ever restaurant (seating capacity: 1,500). The company expects to sell 50,000 Big Macs, 100,000 servings of french fries and 30,000 milkshakes during the 29 days of the Olympics and its companion event, the Paralympics.

?The Obesity Olympics?

Earlier this week, the London-based Children?s Food Campaign (CFC) released a scathing report called ?The Obesity Olympics? that takes the International Olympics Committee (IOC) to task for permitting junk-food manufacturers to continue to sponsor the Games.

?Even before a medal has been won, McDonald?s, Coca-Cola and Cadbury?s are already big winners of the Games,? write the authors of the report. ?Their sponsorship buys them unchallenged prominence and it gives them a particularly valuable association with athleticism and success. They want people either to forget that their flagship brands are high in calories, sugar and fat, or believe instead that consuming such food and drink is part of a healthy, and ?winning? formula. The increased emphasis these companies place on ?obesity-offsetting? ? funding sports equipment and exercise schemes ? is also part of their drive to convince us that they are trying to be a positive force for the nation?s health.?

You?d have to do a lot of ?offsetting? to counter the calories in the flagship junk-food products sold by McDonald?s, Coca-Cola and Cadbury, the report points out. To burn off the calories in a meal that includes a Big Mac and a medium-sized Coca-Cola, you?d need to bicycle for 110 minutes, for example. And to undo the calories in a Cadbury?s Dairy Milk chocolate bar, you?d need to swim laps for 30 minutes.

?The Olympics have become a celebration of 'big,'? a CFC official told the Guardian. ?For the junk food companies who sponsor the Games, that means big restaurants, big audiences, big brand value, big profits. But for children that could also mean bigger waistlines and bigger health problems later in life."

A cynical strategy

IOC president Jacques Rogge acknowledged this summer that there might be a ?question mark? over the suitability of having fast-food manufacturers sponsor the Olympics. But that didn?t keep the IOC from letting McDonald?s and Coca-Cola sign up for another two rounds of the Games.

?What we now see coming to fruition in London2012,? write the authors of the CFC report, ?is a cynical money-before-health strategy that values pounds in the pocket, but ignores the pounds of fat in our already obese society, contradicts medical advice and undermines parents? best efforts to encourage their children to eat healthily.

?Members of the International Olympic Committee must hold up their hands and recognise that they bear some responsibility,? the report adds. ?Ultimately though, it is up to all of us ? whether spectators, armchair fans or Olympic refuseniks ? to make a stand against the double standards which see companies making fat profits out of a sporting event at the expense of the health of our children and young people. If we do so, London2012 could yet have a more positive legacy: as the start of a successful movement to change the way the Games, and other major sporting events, select their sponsors and expect them to behave.?

Don?t hold your breath.

Countering the message

Parents will need to make an extra effort this Olympics to point out to their children that athletes don?t become top competitors by eating nutrient-poor and calorie-laden burgers, soft drinks and chocolate bars, no matter what the TV ads suggest. In fact, not eating such foods is what makes them more competitive.

Take the example of Ryan Lochte, the 27-year-old American swimmer who is likely to win several medals in London. He overhauled his diet after not performing as well as he hoped in the 2008 Olympics.

Before, his typical breakfast was often ?two or three McDonald?s egg McMuffins, some hashbrowns and maybe a chicken sandwich,? he told People magazine?s Kristen Mascia. And he?d down a whole bag of chips before each practice. Now, however, Lochte starts his day with scrambled eggs, fruit and oatmeal, and eats salads or healthy wraps for lunch and dinner. His new diet has made him much fitter, he told Mascia.
That?s a great message for our children ? and one no Olympics sponsor will be promoting.

Minn Post:?http://www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/2012/07/obesity-olympics-marketing-junk-food-kids

Source: http://heartofminnesota.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-obesity-olympics-marketing-junk.html

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Craig Payton/ Class 5: Self-Improvement Training @ Straight-A-Guide

by Craig Payton

126. When you assess your environment, what opportunities for self-improvement can you create or seize?

First I recognize that seeing clearly the nature of my environment and circumstance is essential to any endeavor.? My motivation is urgently provided by keeping in mind the hurdles society at large is likely to set in front of me.? Knowing this, I am creating opportunities for self- improvement first of all by aspiring to any path of self-improvement and constantly reminding myself that my duty my purpose is to engage in those activities which are self -improving.? I write every day, whether it is answering workbook questions, writing blogs or book reports, I strive to improve my use of the written language further every day.? I aspire to teach others Self Applied Health Enhancement Methods in some form.

Whether that be Yoga, Taiji, qigong or in other ways.? Therefore I am practicing those arts which I already have been training in everyday, morning and evening.? I also am reading related material to the purpose of deepening and broadening my understanding.? As a student, I could distill my practice down to what is most effective or right for me at the moment.? As a teacher, it would be useful to understand and have a broad grasp of knowledge at my fingertips to offer just what a particular student, client or class might find most useful. I am using the opportunity to contribute to the Straight A Guide website to make myself know to more people in ?addition to being part of my strategy to provide a way to stay in touch with friends already in my life.? I am studying material provided me to prepare for a position as an environmental sire assessment technician upon my release.? This is not my absolute aspiration, but may be a great stepping stone towards opening the doors for other possible pursuits.? Meanwhile I am always looking for other opportunities to improve myself.? This is a demonstration of my awareness of my surroundings.? Without preparations and awareness one will miss opportunities.

127. What is your interpretation on the value of self-imposed structure of free time?

If one does not find a way to consistently generate self-imposed motivation, it is far too easy to fall into habits of taking it easy and looking for ways to fill the day only to pass time.? Only by living on purpose with intention will you be able to consistently advance your goals.? Success is no accident, it is hard work.? This reminds me of the definition of a Chinese word most of us have heard of Kung-Fu.? Most people might consider this word to identify a martial art.? In fact it is much more general term.? It means ?Diligent work performed correctly/effectively over a long period of time?.? No one achieves good Kung-Fu without a self-imposed structure of their free time.

128. What relationship do your daily activities have to the vision you have for your life upon release?

If I am honestly striving constantly, urgently to achieve my goals which are pegged to my values, everything I do from moment to moment will be a reflection of those values and in pursuit of my stipulated goals.? This is admittedly a high bar.? I have examined my values, I have set some goals.? I am seeking self -improvement.? To be honest, thought I have not fully realized the vision the overarching aspiration to pull me forward.? What I am doing is still maintain my attitude to pursue what I do aspire to with 100% commitment and urgency.? As days go by, my longer term aspirations seem to be coming clearer.

129. Imagine that you were to replicate your activities or use of time yesterday every day or your sentence. If you did, what level of preparation would have to triumph over the obstacles that await you upon your return to society?

Yesterday July 17th, 2012:

If I replicated my activities of yesterday, every day for the balance of my sentence, I expect that I would achieve a great deal of progress preparing myself upon return to society.? Yesterday I spent a good amount of time writing a book report on a book related to mind-body practice which is a component of my vision for how I will lead my life upon return to society. If I continue on the pace I have set, I expect to read, study and report on at least 3 books per month for the next 16 months.? That comes to almost 50 books by the time I am eligible for half way house (this figure is based on the most optimistic possible halfway house release date following RDAP program).? I expect to achieve a level of fitness not reached in the last 10 years of my life.? Although I currently have no weight goal, I am increasing my training to make myself stronger and more resilient.? Continuing to practice Taiji and Qigong daily, I see myself as accomplishing a higher level of vitality as well as expertise which I will seek the opportunity to share with others after my release.? I would like to answer this question more substantively detailing my career preparations, but the vision for the next step of my life is not entirely clear at the moment.? What I do know is that as time goes on, I continue to focus on my vision for the future and it becomes clearer over time.

I definitely will not set foot outside of prison the same person who entered 09-30-2011.? I will be strong, physically and mentally with the achievements developed by self imposed discipline adhered to daily.? I will have maintained a sense of urgency and a desire to create success which builds daily.

130. What activities within the prison environment can you pursue that will enhance your strengths?

The only activities available within the prison environment which may enhance my strengths are those which I set for myself.? In my current location, there are ZERO activities which I would consider helpful to me upon release which the prison environment provides.

I enhance my mental strength through meditation, reading, writing and purpose driven conversation.? I enhance my physical strength through various mind-body practices along with basic calisthenics to maintain or gain strength and promote resilience and flexibility.? I enhance my emotional strength by maintaining and building on the relationships I have, especially spousal and familial relationships but not limited to that.

131. What activities within the prison environment would you categorize as a weakness?

Every activity within the prison environment which does not resonate with ones values and plans and goals is creating weakness.? If it is tasks imposed upon one by the BOP as a ?job?, this is something to be gotten out of the way as expediently as possible in order to return to ones? own self-directed pursuits.? Watching television habitually or playing table games or any other entertainments are merely things which distract us from the urgency of our mission, which needs to be seen as akin to being under attack.

Complacency is the enemy and there are many ways prisoners fall victim to it.

132. What activities within the prison environment would you perceive as offering opportunities?

My own self-directed activities provide opportunity.? Beyond that the only other opportunity I have become aware of is the opportunity to learn from other prisoners.? There are many experienced, intelligent individuals who although diverse circumstances have lead them here, can provide me with fresh perspectives and ideas in many areas.? I values the opportunity to meet new people.

I try to honor that which can be of value in society when they emerge like me from this uncaring monster which has swallowed them for now.? I have had the good fortune to interact with many people I never would otherwise have encountered in my daily life.? Some with similar backgrounds as myself and others with very different? backgrounds.? This is a valuable opportunity to expand my awareness of the nature of our society and it?s failings, especially those which affect people with backgrounds very dissimilar to my own.

133. What activities within the prison environment do you perceive as threatening your prospects for success upon release?

Threatening activities are in two categories as I see it.? The first category is as I have already detailed those activities which would tend to be unproductive time-wasters or time-fillers which lead to complacency and lack of purpose.? The other category would be the more serious threats of engaging in behavior which could lead to prison sanction such as using cell phones or smoking tobacco or otherwise engaging in use of contraband.

Also any negative interaction with fellow prisoners which might rise to the level of physical confrontation is a threat and in the camp setting will likely earn a one way ticket to a higher security institution.? In fact, I don?t view any of these as threats to me personally because I remain aware of the rules of this institution and avoid these type of risks.? These are merely the types of risk taking I have observed or heard about.

134. To what extent do the activities you pursue inside the prison environment contribute to your strengths and opportunities?

What you pursue of your own volition through your own discipline, in pursuit of your goals, determined by your values represent the ONLY way to contribute to your strengths and to prepare to be aware of and seize opportunities.

135. What steps do you deliberately take to minimize your exposure to weaknesses and threats?

The main steps I take to minimize weaknesses and threats if to always come back to my values and goals.? If I ever find myself getting sucked into watching TV, I return to awareness and remind myself there are more important pursuits to engage in.? In camp, the only real ?threat? as I see it is falling in to complacency.? Staying focused and busy is the key to avoiding weakness.

136. Using the SWOT-assessment technique, how would you assess your decision-making process prior to imprisonment?

My decision making process prior to prison was deeply flawed.? I characterize my life as having been out of control for several years, even prior to the criminal activity which led to my arrest in November 2009.? It would have been very useful to sit down at the beginning of 2007 and logically weigh my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.? Perhaps I would have chosen differently.? If I had directly contemplated the real threat placed upon myself by engaging in criminal activity, I may have chosen a better path.? If I had more thoroughly examined REAL opportunities at that time, I could have forged new paths in the nutritional products field in which I had been employed for about 20 years. ?If I had the courage to explore my weaknesses and the vision to exploit my strengths during the difficult times prior to my illegal activity in 2007, I may have become aware of different opportunities.

However at the time prior to my arrest I was like a cork afloat in a torrential river and not like a ship steering securely towards its planned destination.? How I came to be in such a state is a matter for contemplation to support my own ongoing growth, but from my current vantage point I can see that I had allowed myself to collapse into an entirely unresourceful state, almost an unconscious delusional state in response to the challenges which had been placed before me.

137. In what ways can the SWAT-assessment technique guide your decisions as you prepare for success upon release?

The SWAT assessment technique falls into the category of awareness.? If I maintain and improve my self awareness in the areas of strength, weakness, opportunity and threats, I have a tool to measure my progress, goals and aspirations.

Primarily SWAT reminds me of the weakness of my situation being a convicted felon and of the treat to my future this status conveys.? Being aware, daily and constantly of the nature of this threat provides motivation to seek to foster my strengths and attempt to open up and pursue opportunities.

138. What types of activities in prison fall into quadrant one: low-risk/high-reward?

Low risk/high reward activities are the activities I engage in daily to improve myself.? They are rewarding by moving me towards achievement of my goals and supporting my aspirations.? They are low risk because their pursuit removes me from potential activities which could put such progress at risk.

139. What types of activities in prison fall into quadrant two: high-reward/high-risk?

High risk high reward activities are rare.? I must defer to Michael Santos answer that the only thing I see which would be highly risky and rewarding would be to pursue some type of income generating project which goes against BOP policy.? I have not engaged in this myself but if the opportunity were to arise, I would not be averse to it.

140. What types of activities in prison fall into quadrant three: low-risk/low-reward?

Low risk/low reward would be activities like watching TV or playing table games and other non-productive pursuits.

141.? What types of activities in prison fall into quadrant four: high-risk/low-reward?

Of these I might just re-categorize cell phone use as high risk/high reward because it could significantly advance the value of enhanced communication with friends and family.? I understand the temptation.

142. To what extent do your consider risk-reward analysis when assessing activities, interactions, or time allocation in prison?

I do not need to spend time making assessments regarding risk reward now.? Once I examined and clearly made conscious my values and started to list my goals, I began to now automatically whether I was on track from moment to moment, hour to hour and day to day.? I maintain awareness through this process and remain motivated to make progress.

?143 What type of self-improvement programs would enhance an individual?s prospects for success upon release?

Self-improvement by definition, should enhance ones prospects upon release.? Making self- improvement efforts evident to others, making them aware of your work being able to demonstrate your work prior to and upon release are key enhancements to any self-improvement work.

144. What thoughts have you given to the type of employment you want to pursue upon release?

I have given a great deal of thought to what type of employment I might pursue upon release.? I must overcome the problem of not being allowed to continue in any job related to the trades of food, cosmetics or pharmaceuticals for approximately 5 years after my release.? Therefore I must seek out opportunities to maximally utilize the skills I do have in an unrelated field.? My primary skill set is I believe, related to effective communication.? This relates to sales and marketing.? This relates to international communication in support of sales and marketing.

This relates to technical sales, ie, providing communication to answer complex customer service questions.? Also I have considerable experience in international trade, and logistics.? I would rush to point out that this experience is primarily derived from legitimate trade.

Therefore, I would ideally seek out employment which could exploit these strengths.

145. Define the qualifications necessary for the type of job you want to pursue?

In A:144, I detailed qualifications a bit.? I have 10 years experience in domestic and international logistics, sales and customer service, inventory management and purchasing for business to business trade.

Rather than defining the qualifications necessary for any particular job, currently I am assessing my skill set to determine what jobs I may be qualified to perform.? In understanding the job market, I know I must be flexible and seek to widen the net of jobs to which I might bring value.

146. How do your self-improvement programs prepare you for the type of job you want to pursue?

Currently I believe the most important self-improvement I can achieve is to further hone my written communication skills.? The Straight A Guide workbook is only one way I am working to improve my command of the written word.? I believe my mediation practice helps me to improve my focus and ability to work efficiently and effectively.

Also, my self-improvement work in the areas of mind and body training prepare me to pursue my avocation and potential vocation of teaching Self Applied Health Enhancement Methods.? I aspire to teach people how to improve their physical and mental health through methods I have trained in over the last ?30 or so years.

147. What types of self-improvement programs can you pursue independently that will enhance your prospects as a candidate for employment upon release?

I can continue to pursue methods to hone my writing skill.? I can complete The Straight A Guide, carry on contributing blogs as well as publishing highly detailed book reports.? Beyond working on writing ability, my subject of focus in book reports is primarily mind-body training and health in general.? This supports my aspiration to become a teacher of min-boy methods to support health and well-being.

148. In what ways do academic credentials influence an individual?s candidacy for employment?

149. How do prospective employers gauge the value of academic credentials?

150. What types of self-improvement steps trump academic credentials?

?

?

Source: http://straight-a-guide.com/craig-payton-class-5/

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UN Council condemns 'outside' backing for DR Congo rebels

The UN Security Council on Thursday demanded that "outside countries" halt support for rebel forces that have seized territory in a renewed conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

But a council statement that has taken days of haggling between its 15 members did not mention United Nations and DR Congo government accusations that Rwanda has backed the M23 rebels.

The statement said there was an "imminent threat" from the rebels on the key provincial capital of Goma.

"The members of the Security Council reiterate their strong condemnation of any and all outside support to the M23 and demand that all support to the movement, including from outside countries, cease immediately," said the statement.

"They further call upon all countries in the region to cooperate actively with the Congolese authorities in dismantling and demobilizing the M23."

The rebels, led by Bosco Ntaganda, who is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, broke away from the DR Congo army in April to launch an uprising. Their well-equipped forces are now closing in on the Nord-Kivu provincial capital of Goma, in the region bordering Uganda and Rwanda.

M23 have taken several towns and villages between the border and Goma, with government forces abandoning positions as they run out of ammunition, according to diplomats and UN officials.

UN peacekeepers in eastern DR Congo have joined attacks on the rebels when they have threatened civilians, UN officials said.

DR Congo has accused Rwanda of sponsoring the M23 rebels. A UN panel of experts report also said that equipment and fighters had been provided by senior Rwandan military officers. The Kigali government has strongly denied the charge.

Resource-rich eastern DR Congo has been at the center of decades of conflict involving several countries that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives.

The Security Council statement made a "strong condemnation" of M23 and its offensive and demanded the group halt "immediately all destabilizing activities, including any advances towards the city of Goma."

M23 is said to be using child soldiers and the United Nations is investigating allegations of sexual violence in the new conflict, which has caused about 200,000 people to flee their homes.

DR Congo President Joseph Kabila and Rwandan President Paul Kagame recently held talks on the tensions and said they had agreed on the setting up of an international border force for the region. However, no details of the force have emerged.

The Security Council on Thursday also called for more talks between the rival neighbors and through regional meetings to end the new crisis.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/un-council-condemns-outside-backing-dr-congo-rebels-204835368.html

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Dairy Free For Acne! (Does Dairy Cause Acne ... - My Very Healthy

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Substance Abuse Charges a Heavy Payment If the worth of enrolling ...

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Weekly jobless claims rise less than expected

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits rose less than expected last week, but the data continues to be influenced by distortions from seasonal auto shutdowns.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 365,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week's figure was revised up to 357,000 from the previously reported 353,000.

"The claims number is not that bad. There does seem to be some difficulty dealing with the seasonals this time of year whether it's auto plant closures or lack thereof," said Cary Leahey, a senior economist at Decision Economics in New York.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims rising to 370,000 last week. The four-week moving average for new claims, a better measure of labor market trends, fell 2,750 to 365,500, the lowest in four months.

Temporary plant shutdowns by automakers for annual retooling cause wide swings in claims data in July, which makes it difficult to get a clear picture of the labor market's health.

The model used by the government to smooth the numbers for typical seasonal patterns has trouble anticipating the timing of the temporary closures and in addition, some automakers kept production lines running in July.

A Labor Department official said last week was the last where the seasonal expectation was shaped by seasonal layoffs in the auto manufacturing sector.

U.S. financial markets were little moved by the data, with traders focusing attention on a press conference by European Central Bank President Mario Draghi.

The claims data has no bearing on the July employment report as it falls outside the survey period.

The government is expected to report on Friday that employers added 100,000 new workers to their payrolls last month, according to a Reuters survey, up from 80,000 in June.

Job growth averaged 75,000 per month in the second quarter, a sharp deceleration from the average monthly increase of 226,000 in the first three months of the year.

An uncertain fiscal policy path and ongoing debt problems in Europe have hurt demand and left businesses cautious about hiring new workers.

On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve signaled it was willing to ease monetary policy further, noting that economic activity had slowed in the first half of the year. Many economists expect the U.S. central bank to launch a third round of bond buying, also known as quantitative easing, in September.

The number of people still receiving benefits under regular state programs after an initial week of aid fell 19,000 to 3.3 million in the week ended July 21.

A second report showed planned layoffs at U.S. companies dropped for a second straight month in July, even as job cuts in the financial sector persisted.

Employers announced 36,855 planned job cuts last month, down 1.9 percent from June, consultants Challenger, Gray & Christmas said. So far this year, announced layoffs are up 2.5 percent from the same period in 2011.

The financial sector cut 6,156 jobs in July, the largest number since January.

"The situation in Europe is far from being resolved and ongoing weakness here could continue to take a toll on the financial sector," John Challenger, chief executive of the company, said in a statement.

Challenger also cautioned that layoffs typically slow during the summer months, while the heaviest job cuts historically happen in the fourth quarter.

"This may simply be the lull before the storm," he said.

(Reporting By Lucia Mutikani, additional reporting by Leah Schnurr and Ellen Freilich in New York; Editing by Andrea Ricci)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/weekly-jobless-claims-rise-less-expected-123337867--business.html

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Michael Jackson's siblings resume attack on will

FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2011 file photo, Katherine Jackson, Michael Jackson's mother, leaves court after a hearing for Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, in Los Angeles. Jackson on Tuesday, July 31, 2012 announced she will spend what would have been her son Michael's 54th birthday in the family's hometown of Gary, Ind., which is planning a candlelight vigil, concert and other events to honor the pop superstar and his mother. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2011 file photo, Katherine Jackson, Michael Jackson's mother, leaves court after a hearing for Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, in Los Angeles. Jackson on Tuesday, July 31, 2012 announced she will spend what would have been her son Michael's 54th birthday in the family's hometown of Gary, Ind., which is planning a candlelight vigil, concert and other events to honor the pop superstar and his mother. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2011 file photo, from left, Prince Jackson, Prince Michael II "Blanket" Jackson and Paris Jackson arrive on stage at the Michael Forever the Tribute Concert, at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Despite criticisms from some of Jackson's siblings that the singer's will is a fake and the executors of his estate should step down, experts note that the window to contest the five-page document has long since closed. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan, File) *Editorial Use Only*

In this Feb. 24, 1988 file photo, Michael Jackson leans, points and sings, dances and struts during the opening performance of his 13-city U.S. tour, in Kansas City. More than three years after Michael Jackson's death on June 25, 2009, the validity of the pop superstar's will is being criticized by some of his siblings that it is a fake and the executors of his estate should step down, though experts note that the window to contest the five-page document has long since closed. (AP Photo/Cliff Schiappa, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? More than three years after Michael Jackson's death, his youngest brother continues to raise questions about the validity of the pop superstar's will.

On Twitter and cable TV, Randy Jackson has called the five-page document signed in 2002 a fake. The one place he hasn't made the claims is a courtroom, where legal experts say he faces almost insurmountable hurdles to invalidate the will and stiff odds against ousting the men who run the lucrative estate.

In a recent letter, Randy Jackson and three of his siblings called on Jackson's estate executors to resign and renewed claims that the will is a fake.

The letter states the family was too overwhelmed after the singer's death to meaningfully challenge the will that gave only family matriarch Katherine Jackson and Michael's three children ? Prince, 15, Paris, 14, and Blanket, 10 ? a stake in the estate.

"At that time we couldn't possibly fathom what is so obvious to us now: that the Will, without question, it's Fake, Flawed and Fraudulent," the letter originally signed by Randy, Jermaine, Janet and Rebbie Jackson states.

On Wednesday, Jermaine Jackson rescinded his support for the letter and said it never should have been made public.

The delayed challenge likely dooms any effort to invalidate the will. Even if it was thrown out, it would not alter the stake received by the King of Pop's three children, experts say and an appeals court has noted.

Randy Jackson has since posted on Twitter that he believes the estate is trying to isolate his mother to the detriment of her health. "It is my fear and belief, that they are trying to take my mother's life," Randy Jackson wrote last week.

The estate has denied the accusations. "We are saddened that false and defamatory accusations grounded in stale Internet conspiracy theories are now being made by certain members of Michael's family whom he chose to leave out of his will," it wrote in a statement.

Jermaine Jackson said Wednesday he still has concerns about the estate's operations but realizes "the way to address such matters is through the proper channels and via a private dialogue, not public conflict."

Almost from the moment it was filed, the will has been a topic of controversy for some members of the Jackson family. The pop superstar's father Joe Jackson attempted to get a stipend from the estate, but like his children, he was excluded from any share.

Katherine Jackson explored the possibility of challenging the executors and was given permission by a judge but settled before a full hearing was held.

The document is straightforward and simple, and many key provisions of how Jackson's estate is constructed are set out in a trust. That document has never been publicly released.

Many of the misgivings stem from the will's final page, which bears the signatures of three witnesses who claim Michael Jackson signed the document on July 7, 2002, in Los Angeles. Jackson's family points out that the singer was in New York on that day, a point the Rev. Al Sharpton recently bolstered by showing video of the "Thriller" singer appearing with him at an event in Harlem that day.

"I don't think that kind of extrinsic fraud would be enough to overturn the order admitting the will to probate," said Marshall Oldman, a probate attorney who represented Peter Falk's wife in a conservatorship proceeding.

He said the only valid argument of Jackson's siblings is that they did not receive proper notice that their brother's will had been accepted into probate. Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff accepted the will in November 2009. Any challenge would have had to been filed within four months, Oldman said.

The California 2nd District Court of Appeal noted in an October 2010 ruling against the singer's father that the period to challenge the will had already expired. Even if the will were thrown out, the court noted, California law would require the estate to benefit Michael Jackson's children.

"I don't see how you come in three years later, and say, 'oh, by the way, the will's a fraud, a forgery, because he wasn't in LA when he was purported to be,'" said Howard Klein, a probate attorney for nearly 50 years and partner in the Los Angeles firm Feinberg Mindel Brandt Klein & Kline. "It's something that should have been brought up a long time ago."

Randy Jackson, in comments on Twitter and to Sharpton on his MSNBC show last week, has repeatedly accused the estate's executors of criminal conduct. Both Klein and Oldman said even if the executors were charged with wrongdoing, it wouldn't open the door for more of Jackson's relatives to gain access to the estate.

Jackson's children are deemed his heirs without the will, and a 1997 version lodged with the court but never publicly released also doesn't name the singer's siblings as beneficiaries of his estate.

Klein said even if Jackson or other siblings try to challenge the document, their bid will likely be rejected because it is too late. The judge could also rule, as he did against family patriarch Joe Jackson, that because he isn't a beneficiary of the will, he isn't entitled to contest it.

"It would be a tough sell," Klein said of any effort by another Jackson relative to challenge the will now.

The executors recently informed a judge that there have been $475 million in gross earnings for the estate since Michael Jackson died in June 2009 from an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol. Jackson died with more than $500 million in debts, but the earnings have been used to repay many of the singer's creditors and provide a spacious hilltop home for Katherine Jackson and the children along with private schooling, staff, security, vacations and other perks.

Katherine Jackson has requested and the estate is recommending approval of a nearly $35,000 a month increase in her stipend so she can retain her own attorney, accountant and homes in Indiana and Las Vegas, court filings show.

___

Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-08-01-Michael%20Jackson-Will/id-903d7642b0114252a2bd0952017cb0b4

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