Anita Collins, 67, Charged With Stealing $1 Million From NY Archdiocese

By David Gibson
Religion News Service

NEW YORK (RNS) A 67-year-old woman with a criminal record for theft has been charged with siphoning $1 million in donations while working in a finance office of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, church officials announced Monday (Jan. 30).

The archdiocese said it did not conduct a criminal background check when the employee, Anita Collins, was hired in 2003. Collins' complex scheme drained money from an education fund at the same time the church was closing Catholic schools.

Church and law enforcement officials said that over seven years Collins sent fake invoices to the archdiocese, then issued some 450 checks to accounts she controlled, all in amounts just under the $2,500 threshold that would have required a supervisor's approval.

Most of the money was apparently siphoned from the accounts payable system in the archdiocesan Department of Education Finance Office, according to a statement from archdiocesan spokesman Joseph Zwilling.

In a 2010 article in the archdiocese newspaper Catholic New York, Collins was lauded for volunteering at St. Patrick's Cathedral when Archbishop Timothy Dolan presided over a Mass welcoming 600 people to Catholicism.

Collins was described as an "unassuming" person; in a 2010 article in the archdiocesan newspaper she said, "My faith has always been a steadfast part of my life."

Most of the money Collins allegedly embezzled was spent on mortgage payments and on "a lifestyle that was not extravagant but was far beyond her lawful means," Adam Kaufmann, the chief of investigations for the Manhattan District Attorney, told The New York Times.

Outside auditors implementing enhanced financial safeguards in late 2011 initially found $350,000 in missing funds, Zwilling said. After law enforcement officials were called in, the full extent of the theft was uncovered. Collins was confronted with the evidence and was fired on Dec. 6, 2011.

"Sadly, there will always be individuals who seek to exploit and circumvent whatever system is established, but we will remain vigilant in our oversight," Zwilling said.

There have been a rash of large-scale embezzlement cases in the Catholic Church in recent years, ranging from lay people embezzling from dioceses to pastors pilfering from their parishes. Many of these cases occurred despite warnings to church officials in the wake of the clergy sexual abuse scandals that they needed to tighten financial oversight as well.

Collins had previously pleaded guilty to criminal charges in fraud schemes at other New York employers in 1986 and 1999. The archdiocese says it now conducts criminal background checks on all employees and is reviewing its financial oversight policies.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/30/anita-collins-stole-archdiocese-of-ny_n_1242836.html

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Japan Cabinet OKs bill to cap nuke reactor life (AP)

TOKYO ? Japan's Cabinet approved bills Tuesday aimed at bolstering nuclear safety regulations following last year's Fukushima disaster, including one that would put a 40-year cap on the operational life of nuclear reactors.

The approval came as International Atomic Energy Agency experts generally endorsed "stress test" results at two idled reactors in western Japan, bolstering the Tokyo government's efforts to restart the facility, though the IAEA team said some safety measures needed clarification.

Japan currently has no legal limit on the operational lifespan of its 54 reactors, many of which will reach the 40-year mark in coming years. One reactor at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant had been in use 40 years when the tsunami struck last March.

The legislation, which still needs parliamentary approval to take effect, does allow for an extension of up to 20 years. Critics have blasted that exception as a loophole, but officials have said extensions will be rare and require strict safety standards.

Also Tuesday, the chief of Kawauchi village, which straddles the exclusion zone around the Fukushima plant, told more than 2,500 residents that returning to the town areas outside the no-go zone was safe, following extensive decontamination of radiation fallout.

Most residents whose homes were outside the exclusion zone chose to leave when the Kawauchi town hall moved to Koriyama City, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) away.

Mayor Yuko Endo said offices, schools and other public facilities will restart in April. Kawauchi is the first of nine townships whose administrative functions shifted elsewhere to make such an announcement.

"I encourage you to go home," Endo told a televised news conference from the Fukushima government office. "Those of you who can return now, please do so. If you are still worried, you can wait a little until you feel comfortable."

About one-third of Kawauchi village lies within the 12-mile (20-kilometer) exclusion zone and remains off-limits.

Since the government announced in December that the Fukushima plant was stable, guidelines have been made for affected towns that would allow residents to return to areas with contamination levels below 20 millisieverts per year, which it says is safe, though further reduction is recommended.

Another bill approved by the Cabinet would create a new nuclear regulatory agency under the Environment Ministry that would unify nuclear safety and regulatory bodies. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency is currently under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry ? which also promotes nuclear energy. Critics say that placement has contributed to lax supervision of the industry.

After the Fukushima accident, Japan reversed its nuclear energy policy and now aims to reduce its dependency on atomic power. Officials say capping the lives of reactors at 40 years is consistent with that policy.

Still, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has said Japan must rely on nuclear energy during the transition and idled reactors deemed safe after inspections need to be restarted.

The government has ordered reactors shut down since the meltdowns at Fukushima to undergo "stress tests" before they can be restarted. But passing the tests may not lead to a quick startup because of deep safety concerns in local communities hosting the reactors.

With only three of the country's 54 reactors online, officials are desperately trying to avoid a power crunch. One of the three operating reactors will go offline for regular checks next month, and Japan will have no operating reactors by the end of April.

Last week, a 10-member IAEA delegation inspected the Ohi No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at a nuclear plant in Fukui prefecture ? a rural area where 13 reactors are clustered around a bay. The reactors have undergone stress tests, which are supposed to assess whether they can withstand earthquakes, tsunamis, loss of power or other emergencies, and to suggest changes to improve safety.

The IAEA team was invited by Tokyo to visit the plant in a step seen as an attempt to drum up support for the government's safety campaign.

In a preliminary assessment Tuesday, the team said that Japanese nuclear safety officials' instructions to their operator, Kansai Electric Power Co., and the review process for the tests were "generally consistent" with IAEA safety standards.

However, the team said authorities should clarify the stress tests' goals and better define what constitutes the safety margins within which plants would be able to tolerate disasters. It also said the nuclear safety agency, or NISA, still needs to confirm certain improvements to safety before allowing the facility to resume operation.

Mission leader James Lyons said that the team was "satisfied with the work they had done as part of their primary assessment" but that there was room for improvement.

NISA chief Hiroyuki Fukano welcomed the IAEA review, saying authorities were "encouraged" that stress tests were deemed valid.

Critics, however, say the tests are meaningless because they have no clear criteria, and view the IAEA as biased toward the nuclear industry.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_nuclear

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2-arm blood pressure check indicator for risk from heart disease or death

Public release date: 29-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Andrew Gould
andrew.gould@pcmd.ac.uk
44-139-268-6107
The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry

A systematic review and meta-analysis carried out by researchers at the University of Exeter Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD) has found that differences in systolic blood pressure between arms could be a useful indicator of the likelihood of vascular risk and death.

The findings add support to the calls for both-arm blood pressure checks to be performed as standard.

The review is published in The Lancet online today (30th January) and the study is supported by the Royal College of General Practitioners, the South West GP Trust and the National Institute for Health Research Peninsula Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care.

The study reviewed 28 papers covering difference in systolic blood pressure between arms. It found significant evidence to suggest that a difference of 15mm Hg or more was associated with increased risk of: peripheral vascular disease (the narrowing and hardening of the arteries that supply blood to the legs and feet); pre-existing cerebrovascular disease (affecting the blood supply to the brain and often associated with cognitive issues such as dementia); and mortality, both as a result of cardiovascular problems and generally.

The risk of peripheral vascular disease was also increased at a difference of 10mm Hg or more.

The findings further support the need for both-arm blood pressure checks to be the norm not least because most cases are 'clinically silent' and such checks would better identify those at risk.

Dr. Christopher Clark, Clinical Academic Fellow at PCMD and a GP in Witheridge, Devon, led the study. He said: "We set out to investigate whether there was an association between differences in systolic blood pressure between arms and vascular disease and mortality. Our findings indicate a strong association, and that differences of 10mm Hg or 15mm Hg or more might help to identify patients who are at risk and who need further vascular assessment. More research is required in order to transfer our findings to clinical practice, but in the meanwhile we will be flagging the results of our review to the UK Vascular Check programme."

###

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[ | 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-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Andrew Gould
andrew.gould@pcmd.ac.uk
44-139-268-6107
The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry

A systematic review and meta-analysis carried out by researchers at the University of Exeter Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD) has found that differences in systolic blood pressure between arms could be a useful indicator of the likelihood of vascular risk and death.

The findings add support to the calls for both-arm blood pressure checks to be performed as standard.

The review is published in The Lancet online today (30th January) and the study is supported by the Royal College of General Practitioners, the South West GP Trust and the National Institute for Health Research Peninsula Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care.

The study reviewed 28 papers covering difference in systolic blood pressure between arms. It found significant evidence to suggest that a difference of 15mm Hg or more was associated with increased risk of: peripheral vascular disease (the narrowing and hardening of the arteries that supply blood to the legs and feet); pre-existing cerebrovascular disease (affecting the blood supply to the brain and often associated with cognitive issues such as dementia); and mortality, both as a result of cardiovascular problems and generally.

The risk of peripheral vascular disease was also increased at a difference of 10mm Hg or more.

The findings further support the need for both-arm blood pressure checks to be the norm not least because most cases are 'clinically silent' and such checks would better identify those at risk.

Dr. Christopher Clark, Clinical Academic Fellow at PCMD and a GP in Witheridge, Devon, led the study. He said: "We set out to investigate whether there was an association between differences in systolic blood pressure between arms and vascular disease and mortality. Our findings indicate a strong association, and that differences of 10mm Hg or 15mm Hg or more might help to identify patients who are at risk and who need further vascular assessment. More research is required in order to transfer our findings to clinical practice, but in the meanwhile we will be flagging the results of our review to the UK Vascular Check programme."

###

---

[ | 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/2012-01/tpco-tbp012712.php

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Bulletins Live ? The automotive industry is rebounding from a bleak ...

By

Saturday, January 28, 2012

BERWYN, Pa., Jan 25, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) ?
In 2009, sales and profits in the automotive industry were generally ?as
bleak as a burned forest,? according to the latest Sector Focus
commentary from Turner Investments. But the investment firm believes
better days may be ahead for automotive companies now running leaner,
more competitive businesses that are meeting pent-up consumer demands
for higher quality products.

Turner Investments, based in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, publishes Sector
Focus commentaries monthly as part of the continuing efforts of its
five teams of security analysts to monitor market sectors for its
growth-stock portfolios.

Titled Back from the brink: what?s driving a resurging automotive
industry, the piece was written by the five analysts who cover the
consumer sectors: Chris Baggini, senior portfolio manager/global
security analyst; Bill McVail, senior portfolio manager/global security
analyst; Halie O?Shea, portfolio manager/global security analyst; Jason
Schrotberger, senior portfolio manager/global security analyst; and Eric
Turner, global security analyst.

In the U.S., for instance, sales of new cars and light trucks are up
sharply since 2009, when they reached their lowest point since the Nixon
Administration. Sales climbed to 11.8 million units in 2010 and 12.8
million last year. The auto manufacturers predict sales will hit 13.5
million this year.

As sales increase, Turner?s consumer analysts believe the prospects
appear especially strong for seven companies: vehicle manufacturers
Honda Motor and Hyundai Motor; auto dealers Asbury Automotive Group and
Sonic Automotive; and automotive-parts makers BorgWarner, Harman
International Industries, and Tenneco.

To read this January 2012 Sector Focus in its entirety, click on
this link to the Turner Investments Web site:
http://www.turnerinvestments.com/SectorFocus .
Or call 484.329.2407 for a free copy of the piece.

?

The views expressed represent the opinions of Turner Investments and are
not intended as a forecast, a guarantee of future results, investment
recommendations, or an offer to buy or sell any securities. There can be
no guarantee that Turner will select and hold any particular security
for its client portfolios. Past performance is no guarantee of future
results.

Turner Investments, founded in 1990, is an investment firm based in
Berwyn, Pennsylvania. As of December 31, 2011, we managed more than $13
billion in stocks in separately managed accounts and mutual funds for
institutions and individuals.

As of December 31, 2011, Turner held in client accounts 398,740 shares
of Asbury Automotive Group, 378,579 shares of BorgWarner, 9,800 shares
of Honda Motor, 6,240 shares of Hyundai Motor, 1.2 million of Sonic
Automotive, and 672,840 shares of Tenneco. Turner held no shares of
Harman International Industries.

SOURCE: Turner Investments

Turner Investments
Abbi Anderson, 484-329-2407
aanderson@turnerinvestments.com

Copyright Business Wire 2012

Source: http://www.bulletinslive.com/?p=2071

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Man rescued after being stuck in NM mud for 3 days

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) ? A homeless man who was stuck in thick mud near the Rio Grande river in Albuquerque for three days was rescued Saturday after some high school students on a field trip heard him yelling for help, authorities said.

However, the man's newfound freedom wasn't going to last. Police said he was wanted on a felony warrant, and they planned to arrest him after he was treated at a local hospital.

A group of La Cueva High School students and their biology teacher heard the man yelling Saturday morning from a marshy wetlands area in the Oxbow Open Space Preserve, the Albuquerque Fire Department and police officials said.

The students were in the area ? about two miles north of Interstate 40 in Albuquerque ? doing a school project. They called authorities and told them that the man said he'd been stuck in the river for three days and could not move, according to a police report.

Fire crews and preserve officers responded and found a "male subject stuck on a reed island about a hundred yards from the west bank of the river," the report said.

Crews deployed an air boat and used a pulley system to lift the man from the mud and water, and up a hill.

Police later identified the man as Clayton Senn, a transient who'd been living near the river.

Authorities said they discovered a warrant for Senn's arrest on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a felony. Senn was taken to an Albuquerque hospital for treatment and was to be booked on the warrant upon his release, police said.

Details on Senn's condition were not immediately available.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/aa9398e6757a46fa93ed5dea7bd3729e/Article_2012-01-29-Mud%20Rescue/id-04c6482133b24b099633869b2c7c159a

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Some G20 countries soften stance on Europe: sources (Reuters)

MILAN/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) ? Some of the world's biggest economies want to move quickly on a cash injection for the International Monetary Fund to help rescue the euro zone, but hardliners may still scupper an early deal to boost the fund's war chest, G20 sources said on Friday.

Officials from the Group of 20 leading economies are engaged in what one called a 'chicken and egg' game as they work toward a possible deal on boosting the IMF's firepower at a meeting of the bloc's finance ministers and central bank governors in Mexico City in one month's time.

Emerging market powers Brazil and China are among the countries keen to pursue the two-track plan pushed by the current G20 president Mexico to work on additional IMF funding simultaneously with extra steps from Europe, one G20 official told Reuters, rather than insisting on European action upfront.

"There was a much more cooperative sentiment between G20 countries than in recent meetings," said the official, referring last week's discussions between G20 deputies in Mexico City.

"Some emerging countries are more open to consider contributions to increase IMF resources in parallel with euro zone efforts, so they are open to make commitments to increase IMF resources in the next few weeks," the source added.

Mexican central bank governor Agustin Carstens said a consensus was building on boosting IMF resources to help European countries and others that need aid.

But the February 25-26 meeting deadline may prove ambitious, given the United States' insistence that Europe boost its own crisis shield further before any pledges to the IMF - which estimates it needs $600 billion more to limit the fallout.

"Our view is that the only way Europe is going to be successful in holding this together is for them to bring a stronger firewall," U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

"If Europe is able and willing to do that, we believe the IMF is ready to play a constructive role."

Canada is also taking a tough public stance, although a G20 official from another country said Ottawa was becoming more conciliatory, along with Japan.

"Canada and Japan are more flexible than in the past," the second official said. "It could be a bit more difficult with the USA, although they too have softened their position, but it's still early in the game."

STANDOFF FEARS

Europe, for its part, supports the two-track approach, but officials are concerned that Germany's reluctance so far to back increased funding for the euro zone's own rescue fund may fuel a standoff at the G20.

Germany has insisted that the safety net should not exceed 500 billion euros, but officials close to the G20 talks estimate that a further 230 billion to 250 billion euros is needed.

"It is important that we should not let this be locked between the Americans and the Germans, or the IMF and the Germans, so that nobody would get any pretext or excuse to not do their part," one senior euro zone official said.

A G20 official from a large emerging market economy said Europe accepted the need to put in more resources but "won't say it for fear of" Germany.

"They will get to that point because they know not one cent of this IMF money will be made available unless they come up with their side ... the majority view is that we move in parallel we have things ready, but we don't have to deploy it until the Europeans have gotten their act together."

European Union leaders will discuss increasing the bloc's permanent rescue fund, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), on March 1-2, just days after the February meeting in Mexico, with the timing creating extra difficulty for policymakers.

"If the parallel approach wins inside the G20, a deal on increasing IMF resources could be clinched by the G20 meeting in February," the initial G20 source said. "Otherwise, the G20 will work on reaching a deal by next April in Washington, after an increase of ESM firepower is signed in March among euro zone countries."

G20 finance ministers are due to meet in Washington on April 19-20 ahead of a leaders summit in Mexico's Los Cabos on June 18-19.

Countries keen on the parallel approach are Brazil, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, China, Indonesia and South Korea, the source said.

A senior Brazilian government official confirmed Brazil was keen to push the two aims simultaneously, but said a commitment to a bigger ESM would definitely smooth the way.

"If the Europeans increase (funding to) the ESM then they increase the chances of additional resources to the IMF in support," he said.

The extra funding may come in the form of bilateral loans between individual countries and the IMF or an increase in countries' quotas, which could also give emerging economies more say in how the fund is managed.

(Additional reporting by Lesley Wroughton in Washington, Alonso Soto in Brasilia, Paul Carrel in Davos and Jan Strupczewski in Brussels; Writing by Krista Hughes; Editing by Andrea Evans, Gary Crosse)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120128/bs_nm/us_imf_g20

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