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Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Article source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/feb/22/ap-top-entertainment-news-at-345-am-est/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS

Need coffee? There’s an app for that

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Alexa Chung: Topshop stole my look

Preview: Alexandra Owen winter ’12

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Article source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/fashion/6408204/Stuffs-daily-street-style-photo

The approval was largely a formality after Athens last week unveiled details of the extra budget and public sector wage cuts worth 325 million euros to Eurozone partners.

Lingering doubts over whether Greece can bring its mountain of debt down to more manageable levels in coming years could still hold up the rescue package. Some officials in the 17-nation currency union warn chances of a deal at a euro zone meeting on Monday are little higher than 50-50.

“The 325 million euros worth of measures were approved unanimously,” said one minister, speaking on condition of anonymity, about the cuts, part of a 3.3-billion-euro package of austerity measures that have triggered riots in Athens.

A government official said cabinet had also agreed to launch by March 8 a debt swap for private creditors with the aim of completing it by March 11. The swap is intended to accompany the rescue deal and will mean that creditors take a 70 per cent cut in the real value of their holdings. After months of often acrimonious negotiations, Greek hopes are rising that Monday’s meeting in Brussels will endorse the rescue which Athens needs to avoid bankruptcy on March 20 when major debt repayments fall due.

“The Greek people have done everything they can and we are determined to make good on our commitments,” Public Order Minister Christos Papoutsis said before the meeting.

In a statement, Prime Minister Lucas Papademos regretted that extra pension cuts could not be avoided, but said the impact was limited because it would only affect the part of the pension above a monthly threshold of 1,300 euros.

“We all agree the immediate support of economic activity is a priority of the government’s economic policy,” he added, while not detailing what growth measures were under consideration.

A survey by pollster MRB for Sunday’s Realnews newspaper showed 72.7 per cent of Greeks want the country to stay in the euro, but only about half believe it will manage to do so.

Article source: http://www.stabroeknews.com/2012/news/world/02/19/greek-cabinet-backs-extra-austerity-measures/

Grand Rapids, MI (PRWEB) February 17, 2012

VETiONX announced today that it will be integrating with the Smart Living Network, powered by HelloLife.

VETiONX will still maintain their newly redesigned website, providing pet health information to users who have already begun to populate the sleek new interface. “This integration is really about sharing the wealth of information our VETiONX users have with our Smart Living Network users,” said CEO and President Albert Duoibes. “So many of our users on the Smart Living Network are pet owners who would like to be able to tap into the knowledge of our VETiONX users and vice-versa, this integration will facilitate that exchange.”

“We hope to see the interaction between these two extraordinary groups of users blossom into a community that could really affect some type of change in both the pet and human health realms,” added Duoibes.

VETiONX features a line of seven safe and effective pet health care products for all pets and animals, including dogs, cats, horses, birds and reptiles. The company has been manufacturing and selling OTC pet health products since 2005. Its headquarters are located at 4460 – 44th St. SE, Ste. C 600, Grand Rapids, MI, 49512.

At VETiONX, we believe in helping your pet restore natural balance. By providing valuable veterinarian health coaching, training, and unique homeopathic/oligotherapeutic solutions, we help pets around the world lead long, healthy lives, naturally. Interested consumers can visit the VETiONX website at: http://www.vetionx.com/. Customers are also invited to visit the company’s VETiONX Facebook page and sign up for updates via Twitter.

If you’d like more information about our sister company, HelloLife, or our products, visit the website at http://www.hellolife.net.

###

Sherry Figueroa
HelloLife
616-808-3290 1011
Email Information

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/vetionx-announces-integration-smart-living-network-000621839.html

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Article source: http://www.contactmusic.com/news/charlie-sheen-apologises-to-ashton-kutcher_1296215

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Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Article source: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/feb/20/ap-top-entertainment-news-at-1113-am-est/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS

View full sizeDoug Beghtel/The OregonianHolly, a 12-year-old dachshund, gets some dental work done while under anesthesia.

Get her talking about Old Man River’s teeth, and Denise Sproul’s voice trembles with emotion.

When the president and founder of Cascade Beagle Rescue rescued the neglected beagle from an Ohio shelter several months again, River’s teeth had rotted so badly, some had fallen out.

He could barely breathe because the resulting holes in his nasal passages were impacted with hay, grass and trash, and he was feverish from a massive infection. In the end, River had some 14 teeth pulled and endured about five hours of surgery at Dr. Jean Battig’s Animal Dental Clinic in Portland.

The sad part is that all River’s pain was preventable, says Sproul, whose nonprofit organization spent $5,000 to save the dog.

“I saw him almost die,” she says, her voice catching. “Nobody cared enough to just brush his teeth.”

River’s case is extreme, but it’s a good example of what can happen when pets don’t get proper dental care.

By age three, about 80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats have periodontal, or gum disease, according to the American Veterinary Dental Society.

But while oral disease is among the most common health issue in dogs and cats, it’s also among the most underappreciated, says Tom McPheron, a spokesman for the American Veterinary Medical Association.

That’s why the AVMA and a handful of other national veterinary organizations are sponsoring Pet Dental Health Month throughout the month of February.

The biggest culprit in periodontal disease is plaque, a colorless film consisting of bacteria, which hardens into tartar, says Battig, a board-certified veterinary dental specialist.

The tartar creeps underneath the gum line and traps bacteria against the sensitive gum tissue.

An infection can develop and enter the bloodstream, which can compromise the kidney, heart and liver. The consequences may not reveal themselves for months or even years later, but the end results can shorten your pet’s life, says Dr. Courtney Anders, a veterinarian at Pearl Animal Hospital who has a special interest in veterinary dentistry.

While all breeds are susceptible to periodontal problems, some are more prone than others.

Most of the toy breeds don’t shed their baby teeth, and they’re more likely to suffer from crowding and resulting periodontal problems, says Dr. Don Scarpinatto of Best Care Animal Hospital in Beaverton.

Bigger dogs with more space between their teeth are more prone to fracturing teeth from chewing on bones, Battig says.

If your pet suffers from a tooth problem, you might not even know it.

“You might think the first thing they do is stop eating, but that’s actually the last thing they do,” Battig says.

Eating is a survival instinct, so an animal will continue to eat food despite discomfort, she says.

If your dog’s breath smells particularly stinky – worse than the usual “doggie breath” – that’s a big indicator that something’s not right.

The odor is the result of gases produced by anaerobic bacteria, which increase when there’s an infection under the gum.

The biggest indicator is lack of energy.

But because there are so few signs of a dental health problem, many veterinarians – as well as the American Veterinary Dental College – say the safest way to conduct a complete oral evaluation is to put the pet under general anesthesia. According to the AVDC’s website, the risk of chronic oral infection is much greater than the risk of an anesthesia-related complication.

Cleaning without anesthesia is
what Battig calls “tooth grooming” and achieves mainly
cosmetic results, she says.

Small dogs and cats should have their first annual professional cleaning by age 1½ to 2 years, and large dogs should have their first one by age 3 or 3 ½, Anders says.

It’s difficult to estimate the cost of anesthesia because prices range so much for each patient. But as Scarpinatto points out, “It’s better to spend a couple hundred dollars to maintain all the teeth than spend thousands of dollars trying to save one tooth.”

Aside from the professional cleaning, you should also be providing regular home care.

Battig suggests gradually getting Fido used to letting you run your finger down the side of his teeth. Start with the front canine teeth, and within a few weeks, move to the back teeth.

You can use a soft-bristled child’s brush for dogs, but you should use a canine-specific toothpaste, Anders says; the fluoride in human toothpaste is toxic.

“The thing people don’t understand about brushing a dog’s teeth is, once you get them used to it, it’s a really quick procedure,” says Salem resident Shawn Wilton.

Wilton brushes his two Chihuahuas’ teeth each night. He divides the mouth into four quadrants and spends only five to 10 seconds on each section.

It was thanks to this evening routine with his two Chihuahuas that Wilton recently noticed one of his dog’s pre-molars was badly chipped.

When it comes to brushing a cat’s teeth, Anders suggests wrapping first-aid gauze around your finger, rather than a toothbrush. It’s easier than using a toothbrush and still effectively wipes off plaque.

But if that’s just not an option, you can try special chews, diets geared toward removing plaque or water additives (Anders isn’t a fan of the latter, since they don’t have much contact with teeth).

Kongs or rawhide chews are good for dogs, but make sure the chew toy you buy is appropriate for teeth. Some chews are too hard and can actually fracture a dog’s tooth – an injury requiring either a root canal or extraction, Anders says.

There are so many products out there that it’s best just to ask your veterinarian for a recommendation specific to your pet’s needs.

It sounds like a lot to chew on, but proper dental care can lengthen your pet’s life – and save you a lot of money in the long run.

Sidebar: Questions to ask before putting your pet under anesthesia

While any veterinarian can legally form anesthesia, you may want to find out a few things first:

• Does the veterinarian do dental X-rays?
• Does the veterinarian have an intravenous catheter in place?
• Who will be monitoring your pet during the procedure?
• What types of monitors are in place (i.e., blood pressure, heart, oxygen levels, temperature)?
• Will there be one person monitoring your pet while a second person performs the procedure? (That is ideal).
• Will the veterinarian be actively involved in the process?

For more information on Pet Dental Health Month, visit www.petdental.com

–Monique Balas

Article source: http://www.oregonlive.com/pets/index.ssf/2012/02/proper_dental_care_is_key_for.html

An Austrian did indeed bid for Totilas, but this was Gaston Glock, owner of the famous firearms company, who within days announced a 10-year sponsorship of  Totilas’s original rider-trainer, Edward Gal of Holland. The forced separation of world champion Gal and his five-times gold medallist had caused global consternation, so why indeed wouldn’t someone with massive financial clout at least attempt to reunite them?

It was inevitable, too, that the Raths would reject the offer, though pride comes before a fall. Despite regular humiliation on world-wide chat rooms, Totilas’s new rider Matthias-Alexander Rath labours on, with a mountain still to climb if he is to find the key to Totilas before Greenwich.

It was obvious Rath and Totilas were not gelling at last summer’s European championships. They finished out of the individual medals, though were still good enough to help secure team silver behind Britain for Germany, which has been down on its luck in recent years.

But last month, Rath dropped out of the World Dressage Masters in Florida, his first major competitive date since Rotterdam, stating Totilas was only just back in work after a minor injury. This prompted German newspaper Die Welt to speculate he might not make London at all.

Then two weekends ago a lacklustre Totilas paraded at a German stallion show where his tongue lolled out of his mouth – often a sign of tension. At his second appearance the problem did not arise but there is a new dilemma for the German team selectors if he does it again. A displaced tongue exposes itself to minor laceration (by either the horses’ own teeth or the bit) and a droplet of blood during a dressage test eliminates any horse without appeal, taking out out its entire national dressage team under Olympic rules.

The poaching of Totilas was just another chapter in the acrimonious history of German versus Dutch dressage. In 2010 Rath’s father and trainer, Klaus-Martin Rath, was among many Germans who signed a petition demanding the banning of a controversial  training technique, rollkur, which is openly practiced by Dutch team trainer Sjeff Janssen and his wife, Anky van Grunsven, the three-time Olympic champion.

Now, in further evidence of desperation behind the scenes, the Raths have asked Janssen for help. Initially Janssen was only to train Rath’s younger horses, but after last week’s hiatus about conflict of interest, the arrangement was abruptly deferred until after the Games.  Asked by the German paper Der Spiegel why the Dutch training system was suddenly acceptable to him, Rath Snr is reported to have said: “It’s part of life to change one’s mind.”

Meanwhile, Gal – and by default, the Dutch national team –  can expect a fast reversal of fortune through the Glock deal.  There may be no obvious connection between pistol sales and this aesthetic equestrian sport but Herr Glock’s wife is a dressage fan and they have already developed a fabulous riding centre in Austria. They plan another for Holland which will be run by Gal and his partner and team-mate Hans-Peter Minderhoud who is also being bought horses as part of the deal.

You can’t blame Gal for aligning himself with some serious dosh. He’s produced the brilliant Ravel (now America’s top London prospect, under Steffen Peters), Lingh and Totilas only to see them all sold from under him. Gal probably received a commission from the vendors but must be weary of seeing other people going to championships on “his” horses, and heartbroken about the demise of his world record-breaker.

Herr Glock’s wallet has, though, arrived 16 months too late for Totilas, and Gal may have to look to 2016 to realise his personal Olympic ambitions with a new equine partner. There is excitement about Undercover, newly bought for Gal by Glock but registered too late to be eligible for London 2012, even if Gal thought him ready.

Is there any prospect of connections relinquishing Totilas after 2012? Unlikely, for he is still worth a fortune at stud – one of his first foals made 105,000 Euros – and even Gal could not expect the pair’s competitive performance to pick up exactly where it left off 22-months beforehand.

Over the years, hundreds of lovely “made” horses have been bought by rich people who have not necessarily got on with them, and the salutary tale of Totilas won’t put anyone off. Dealing keeps the horse world afloat after all, though the increasing disregard for the sanctity of  precious partnerships like Gal-Totilas cannot be good for the elite tier’s long term health.

Article source: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/pippacuckson/100023806/london-2012-olympics-glock%E2%80%99s-financial-arsenal-too-late-for-totilas/