text:
Body-mind problem
When talking about the body, a never-ending debate comes to mind: the mind-body problem. According to some, the body is physical and cannot explain consciousness, which is something inaccessible to … Continue reading
16/07/2015 · Leave a comment
The lived body
Without our bodies we wouldn't be able to 'act' in the world, they allow us to experience, to express our minds, to be objects (when touching something) and subjects (when … Continue reading
22/04/2014 · Leave a comment
The hard problem
Phenomenological Psychology studies how people experience consciousness, the qualitative sensation of mental states and our awareness of the experience. Qualitative states of consciousness bring up a 'hard' problem – the … Continue reading
19/04/2014 · Leave a comment


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(412) 372-5033(412) 372-0850
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text:
LEGO will be returning to McDonald's Happy Meal's around the world thanks to a new promotion for the upcoming film, The LEGO Movie. The last time LEGO found itself inside a happy meal was in 2008, when LEGO Batman The Video Game figures were included with each meal. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that the promotion will provide consumers of Happy Meals with an actual LEGO set, but rather, more likely, a figure of LEGO character that themselves are not compatible with the LEGO System. Expect the promotion to begin sometime in January, 2014.
Source: Brickset, Coloribus(Image)


text:
Proposals have been unveiled for a new 1,000-seat church on the site of another church destroyed by fire in Norwich eleven years ago.More
Plans for new £8M Norwich church put to council
Proposals to spend up to £8 million building a new church - including a 1,100-seat auditorium - are being submitted to planning officials in Norwich.
The city council will consider whether to give the green-light to plans by Soul Church - formerly known as the Norwich Family Life Church - for their site on Heartease Lane.
The growing congregation has been reliant on temporary locations since a fire - started by lightning - tore through its old premises in February 2006.
Pastor Jon Norman told Eastern Daily Press: "What we want to be moving into is a purpose-built building which is not just for where we are today, but where we will be in the future.
"We want to serve our congregation and our community."
If Norwich City Council grants planning permission, it is hopes Soul Church could move into its new home by Easter 2021.
Blueprints also include facilities for children and youth groups, a cafe, a nursery and almost 250 car park spaces.
Updated images created by architects Feilden and Mawson give an impression of what the proposed church would look like.
Soul Church is part of the Hillsong Family group of congregations. It currently holds three services each Sunday and is outgrowing its current home on Mason Road.
Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.


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Gunshots Fired from Lawmaker's Convoy in Bab Idriss
Gunshots were fired into the air on Tuesday when a lawmaker's convoy was making its way by force through crowds of protesters in Beirut's Bab Idriss area blocking routes to the parliament building.
The gunshots were fired from inside the vehicle according to a video footage filmed by one of the protesters. No one was hurt in the incident.
A photo taken of the car plate number went viral on social media and was reportedly identified as allegedly belonging to caretaker Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil.
But in remarks made to reporters, Khalil said it was not his, "I have been here since 8:00 a.m," he said.
The Minister later told reporters standing outside the parliament building: "I was giving a statement to you when the incident happened. I have spoken with the Minister of Interior and told her that the duty of security sources is to open the road for deputies to reach the parliament instead of filing random accusations."
Lebanese protesters from different parts of Lebanon formed a human chain on Tuesday blocking roads leading to the parliament assembly in Downtown Beirut to stop lawmakers from attending a legislative session they deem as "unconstitutional".
Other reports alleged the convoy was that of caretaker Minister Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, while others said it belongs to caretaker Minister of State for Presidency Affairs Salim Jreissati. Both Ministers denied.
بالفيديو: موكب سليم جريصاتي يطلق النار لتفريق الثوار
It's time to step it up, we should use Molotov cocktails against these cars shooting at the people .


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Peterson Party Center's Table Design Series XVI
Just in time for Thanksgiving, this lovely installment of Peterson Party Center's Vendor Table Design series is a Fall-meets-Asian inspired tablescape. Designed by Two Chefs Are Better Than One Catering and Event Planning with Table Decor and Styling of Mark Caputo of MC LifeStyles is a creative mix to get those ideas flowing for our upcoming holiday! Enjoy!
Photos by Edson Dias.


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text: I was in the dressing room at Macy's where I had the very entertaining opportunity to listen to my "neighbors" trying on clothing in the dressing room next to me: Mom and her pre-teen daughter. It was a busy day so the mom-daughter duo were sharing a dressing room. The mother was quickly approving and…Read more »


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Another cost of living increase with road user charges
23 May 2019
New Zealanders' concerns about the cost of living will take a further hit when road user charges (RUCs) go up again in July, says Road Transport Forum (RTF) chief executive Nick Leggett.
"The reality is that it is consumers who will end up paying for the five to six percent increase in RUCs that begin on 1 July this year," Leggett says.
"These RUC charges add to a road transport operator's operating costs. Trucking companies already operate on tight margins, so additional expenses have to be passed down the supply chain and it is the end consumer that pays.
"When you think about all the goods that are transported by truck, including essentials such as food and the exports that keep our economy moving, each additional cost to transporting goods costs every New Zealander.
"Take a look at the Consumer Cost of Living survey and you will see how concerned New Zealanders are about increasing costs of life's essentials. No business wants to keep passing on costs, but they will be out of business if they don't.
"The RTF 100 percent backs the need to improve New Zealand's transport infrastructure. Transport operators accept the high level of RUC is due to the direct relationship the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF) has to the roading network.
"Unfortunately, despite the promises made when the Government announced the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport last year, the reality is that New Zealand's roading infrastructure has failed to keep up with a growing economy and greater number of road users. Less is being spent when more should be.
"The state of our roads is a major concern to the road transport industry, not only because poor and congested roads impact on our productivity and hasten the wear and tear on vehicles, but also because poor quality roads impact safety.
"There has to be a big picture view here. Road users and the New Zealand public can't just keep paying more for everything and getting little in return," Leggett says.


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Alfa Group
|Private conglomerate
|Diversified investments
|Mikhail Fridman
German Khan
Alexei Kuzmichov
Area served
|Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, CIS
Key people
|Mikhail Fridman
German Khan
Alexei Kuzmichov
Petr Aven
|US$16.613 billion (YE2012)[1]
|US$2.722 billion (YE2012)[1]
|Total assets
|US$82.598 billion (YE2012)[1]
|Total equity
|US$21.279 billion (YE2012)[1]
Alfa Capital Management
Alfa Capital Partners
AlfaStrakhovanie Group
X5 Retail Group
A1 Group
Rosvodokanal Group
Alfa Group Consortium (Russian: Консорциум «Альфа-Групп») is one of Russia's largest privately owned investment groups, with interests in oil and gas, commercial and investment banking, asset management, insurance, retail trade, telecommunications, water utilities and special situation investments. Alfa Group's portfolio of companies includes Alfa-Bank, X5 Retail Group, A1 Group, Alfa Capital Management, AlfaStrakhovanie Group, Rosvodokanal Group, and Morginsuisse Holdings.
The group was founded in 1989 as Alfa-Eco by Israeli-Russian businessman Mikhail Fridman, the second wealthiest man in Russia, in partnership with German Khan, Alexei Kuzmichov, Alexander Kushev, and several other partners.
Its headquarters are in Moscow. As a holding company, in the financial year ending December 2010 Alfa Group had total assets of US$59,900 million, total equity of US$21,790 million and profit for the financial year of US$2,810 million. Return on shareholders' equity were recorded at 13.4%.[1]
In April 2012, Altimo sold its entire 25.1% stake in MegaFon to a private investor and to MegaFon for US $5.2 bln.[2]
Ownership structure and joint ventures[edit]
Alfa Group has ownership stakes in the following companies and joint ventures:
- Alfa-Banking Group, which includes Alfa-Bank Russia, wholly owned commercial and investment bank and one of Russia's largest, private banks, Alfa-Bank Ukraine, one of the ten largest banks in Ukraine, banks in the Netherlands (Amsterdam Trade Bank), Belarus and Kazakhstan as well as financial subsidiaries in Cyprus, United Kingdom and the United States.
- AlfaStrakhovanie Group, one of the largest Russian insurers with a diversified portfolio of comprehensive business and retail insurance products.
- X5 Retail Group, the largest food retail operator in Russia in terms of sales. Operates Pyaterochka, one of the largest discount grocery retailers in Russia in terms of sales, Perekrestok, which runs a leading chain of supermarkets in Russia, and Karusel, one of the largest hypermarket chains in Russia. Listed on London Stock Exchange under the symbol FIVE. Alfa Group owns 47.86% of the company, 19.85% stake belongs to the founders of Pyaterochka.
- TNK-BP, one of the top ten privately owned oil companies in the world in terms of crude oil production. The company was formed in 2003 as a result of the merger of BP's Russian oil and gas assets and the oil and gas assets of Alfa Group, Access Industries and Renova Group (AAR).[3] BP and AAR each own 50% of TNK-BP. In 2013, the company was acquired by Rosneft, with Alfa Group's cut almost fourteen billion.[4][5]
- VimpelCom, one of the world's largest groups of integrated telecommunications services operators. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol VIP. Alfa through Altimo owns 24.998%, Norwegian telco Telenor owns 25.007% of shares, and 29.626% stake is owned by Weather Investments of Sawiris family.
- Turkcell, Turkey's largest mobile operator. Alfa Group controls 13.22% stake in the company with Swedish telco TeliaSonera.
- Rosvodokanal Group, a leading private operator of water utilities in Russia and CIS.
- A1 Group, former Alfa-Eco, wholly owned special situations investment company.
- LetterOne Group, an investment vehicle specialising in energy, technology and private equity.[6]
- Alfa Capital Management, an asset management company, which serves Russian as well as international institutional and private clients.
- IDS Borjomi International, the manufacturer of naturally carbonated mineral water from springs in the Borjomi Gorge of central Georgia.
There are a number of current disputes regarding Alfa's ownership of various stakes[clarification needed] in telecoms companies.[citation needed]
Alfa Group is notably involved in a commercial dispute with Norwegian mobile phone company Telenor over the control of Russian company Vimpelcom [7]
Legal disputes[edit]
Over 10 years, Alfa Group has found itself in legal battle with business partners from Canada (NoreX), Great Britain (BP), Sweden (TeliaSonera), Norway (Telenor), Turkey and Indonesia. Federal Reserve executive Paul Volcker has accused Alfa Group of violation of the UN sanctions against Iraq during Saddam Hussein's regime, and for pressure exercised against KPMG during their spring 2005 investigation of a Bermuda registered, Russian telecom company, Ipoc International.[8][9] To counter the Bermuda government supported audit by KPMG of Ipoc International, Alfa Group hired Diligence, founded by Richard Burt and Lord Powell of Bayswater with Diligence Europe headed by Michael Howard.[10] Diligence began its Project Yucca to infiltrate KPMG.[8] The Bermuda government accused Diligence of impersonating secret service personnel to obtain KPMG information about KPMG's audit of IPOC International Growth Fund Ltd.[8][9] The Bermuda government accused Alfa Group's Ipoc International of money laundering.[8][9] Alfa Group stated that Diligence was not hired by Alfa Group but by BGR which was founded by Haley Barbour.[8][9] BGR had worked for Alfa Group's telecom Altimo.[9] Project Yucca ended on October 18, 2005, when KPMG received papers from Project Yucca.[8] During Project Yucca, the shareholders of Diligence were CEO Nick Day who was a former British agent, Chairman of Diligence Richard Burt who was a former United States ambassador to Germany under Reagan, the Exxel Group which is a Buenos Aires private equity firm, and Edward Mathias from Carlyle Group which is a private equity company from Washington D.C.[8][9]
Dispute with NoreX and BP[edit]
Alfa Group's legal disputes with BP date back to 1991, when the Canadian oil company Norex represented a newly formed, Russian-Canadian joint venture in Siberia's oil industry, operating the marginal Chernogor oil-fields close to Khanty-Mansijsk. With the Russian company Chernogorneft, the Canadian company entered into a 60% ownership in the joint-venture Yugraneft. Later on, NoreX increased their stake to 97,64%, and in September 1998 Chernogorneft was filed with bankruptcy by the Tyumen Oil Company (TNK). The arbitration court of Khanty-Mansinsk proclaimed for Chernegorneft a new chief executive officer, with a background from Alfa Group.[11] The main owner of Chernogorneft was British Petroleum (BP), via their holding company Sidanko.
TNK gained control over 60% of Chernogorneft's debts, and the debt of US$35 million held by EBRD was reduced to US$9 million by Khanty-Mansijsk arbitration court on 30 July 1999. Thereby, TNK controlled 60% of the debt claims, and according to NoreX the Alfa Group took over Chernogorneft's oil sales below market prices.[11] Resulting in a forced sell-out of the company, Sidanko (BP) was rejected from taking part in auctions, and remaining bidders were legally restrained from offering more than US$200 million for Chernegorneft - a mere fifth of its assumed value. On 26 November 1999, TNK took over all of Chernorogneft for US$172 million.
Letters of protest from prime minister Tony Blair to president Vladimir Putin helped little, the legally BP-owned company was forcibly sold to TNK below market price. TNK also got approval from the Khanty-Mansijsk arbitration court to take over Chernogorneft's stakes in two joint ventures, in spite of protests from venture partners Norex and Occidental Petroleum. BP fought on for years to retrieve its rightful ownership in Chernogorneft, and in August 2001 this got its first legal approval.
In 2000, according to NoreX, TNK started to undermine Yugraneft's oil transports through the national semi-monopolistic pipeline system Transneft. On 11 April and 26 June 2001, TNK again got two legal victories in the Khanty-Mansijsk arbitration court, first through a reversal of earlier regulation regarding Chernogorneft's stock capital in the joint-venture, and thereafter through a nullification of the voting powers in 497,142 out of the 600,000 shares held by NoreX. At an extraordinary annual assembly of Yugraneft on 28 June, NoreX' candidate for the CEO position was elected, but the day after TNK's security executive and 20 heavily armed guards appeared at the Yugraneft office with a false annual assembly protocol, installing Mr. A. Berman as CEO of Yugraneft. Norex' demands for investigation and nullification remained fruitless. Norex brought the case before a U.S. Federal court in New York in February 2002, demanding US$1.5 bn in redemption from TNK and Alfa Group.[12]
The year after, BP and Alfa Group merged all their oil and gas interests into a 50/50 joint venture, in spite of BP's legal and financial losses in the Yugraneft disputes since 1999. The new venture controlled both Sidanko og TNK from 11 February 2003.[13] The merger implied that NoreX' stake of 97% in Yugraneft come under control of Alfa Group and BP. NoreX, thereby, saw their possessions dwindle and transferred partly to BP,[14] and appealed for copies of BP documents before a US court.[15] In 2004 the U.S. Supreme Court sustained Norex' right to appeal, but at a lower level the legal dispute went on for years, with only gradual victories for NoreX.[16]
For a summary of the battle of control over TNK, BP, see: TNK-BP.
Dispute with Telenor[edit]
Alfa started investing in VimpelCom in summer, 2001.[17] The power-broking between Alfa group and Telenor in VimpelCom started 2004, when Alfa proposed that VimpelCom acquire a larger share in Ukrainian RadioSystems (URS), a small GSM operator in Ukraine operating under the brand «WellCom». Telenor found the price of US$132 million far too high, after the Russian telco Golden Telecom had declined acquiring URS at a far lower price.[18][full citation needed] In October 2004, a minor shareholder of VimpelCom lodged three lawsuits against Telenor in the provincial city of Krasnoyarsk in Siberia, with claims that the VimpelCom shareholder agreement be cancelled, and the URS shares be acquired.
In May 2005, the Alfa Group filed a lawsuit against Telenor, via Alfa's daughter company Eco Telecom Ltd, contesting the declination of Telenor's three VimpelCom board members to approve the URS acquisition. Eco Telecom especially contested Telenor's vetoing power in the VimpelCom shareholder agreement.[19] After the trial, Alfa Group declined during four years to take part in the board of managers meetings in Ukrainian Kyivstar, thereby blocking the normal procedures of annual assemblies, approval of accounts, and payments of dividends. In 2008 Telenor achieved several legal approvals in the U.S. Federal Court of Appeal in New York, and in 2009 the Alfa Group submitted to the rulings and took up normal shareholder activity in Kyivstar. In Russian VimpelCom, however, the Alfa Group geared up its legal battle with Telenor by nominating more directors than Alfa's capital share implied. In January 2007, a court of appeal in Geneva, Switzerland ruled that Alfa Group had violated the shareholder agreement of VimpelCom.
In November 2005, VimpelCom acquired 100% of URS, after having got approval from VimpelComs annual assembly. Thereby, the Alfa Group owns shares in both URS (Beeline Ukraina) via VimpelCom, and in Golden Telecom which operates in both Russia and Ukraine, and in Ukraine's major mobile operator Kyivstar GSM, and in Turkish Turkcell which owns a stake in the Ukrainian mobile operator Astelit. Telenor and Alfa disagree over the latter's ownership in three of Kyivstar's competitors in the Ukrainian market.[20]
In 2004, Alfa Group's daughter company «Storm» filed a number of lawsuits against Telenor, to nullify a number of provisions in the Kyivstar charter and shareholder agreement. Alfa Group especially wanted to nullify an arbitration case that Telenor had lodged in New York, but was rejected. Alfa reacted to their legal loss by boycotting all normal shareholder activity in Kyivstar, for four years from 2004, effectively blocking the business of annual assemblies, and avoiding the consolidation and ratification of Kyivstar's annual accounts.[18] No dividends were paid after 2003. In February 2006, Telenor took the issue to a U.S Federal court in New York. On 16 December 2008, Alfa Group resumed normal shareholder activities, joined in the election of a new board of directors, and agreed to pay accumulated dividends. On 11 March 2009, the Federal district court in New York ruled for the second time that Alfa companies Altimo, Storm, Alpren and Hardlake had revealed contempt for the court by not depositing their Kyivstar shares in the United States.[21] Alfa Group was convicted to daily penalties of US$100,000 from 12 March, and a further 100,000 daily if not either Alfa's shares in Kyivstar be sold, or ownership in competing business be reduced to a maximum 5%. NeOn 28 April 2009, the New York court ruled that Alfa Group had submitted to the legal rulings. Judge Gerard E. Lynch established that Alfa Group had reduced their ownership in competing mobile operations in Ukraine.
Farimex vs. Telenor[edit]
In 2009 a small, Russian-owned company, Farimex Ltd, wholly owned by a Dimitrij Fridman, lodged a claim of US$5.7 bn from Telenor in compensation for Telenor's refusal to approve VimpelCom's acquisition of URS and market entry in Ukraine. Courts in Khanty-Mansiysk[22] and Omsk have approved Farimex' claims and arrested Telenor's US$1,8 bn worth shares in VimpelCom in March 2009,[23] but Telenor refuses to accept the legal premises and appeals the verdicts to the regional court of Tyumen, which is the last court of appeal before the federal level in Moscow.[24]
Telenor Executive vice president Jan Edvard Thygesen has repeatedly said that a swap of shares in VimpelCom and Kyivstar between Telenor and Alfa Group is an option, but hard to achieve in practice.[25]
When Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre visited his Russian counterpart Sergej Lavrov in Moscow on 24 March 2009, the strife between Alfa and Telenor was elevated to become the prime issue.[26] Still, Telenor was presented by a claim from the Russian bailiff of US$1.7 bn, on 3 April, via a Norwegian district bailiff. Three days later, Telenor asked the federal arbitration court in Moscow to sustain this action until the Tyumen court had negotiated the substantial issue.
The case between Farimex and Telenor has aroused widespread, international concern. Roland Nash, Chief of research at Renaissance Capital viewed the case as a test to the credibility of Russia's legal system and openness to foreign investment.[27] Russia analyst Christopher Granville views the Farimex vs. Telenor case as even more serious to Russia's credibility than earlier legal battles.[28] And judge Gerard E. Lynch, presiding in the New York appeal cases lodged by Telenor over Kyivstar, has criticized Alfa Group's utilisation of remote courts in Western Siberia.[29]
In early October 2009, it became evident that Altimo (Alfa) and Telenor had for some time conducted negotiations for a solution to their conflicts. On 5 October, it was communicated that written agreement had been reached, to establish a joint holding company for VimpelCom and Kyivstar, named VimpelCom Ltd.[30] The agreement says that the two main owners establish VimpelCom Ltd in Amsterdam and list it at the New York Stock Exchange. The holding company, and thereby VimpelCom and Kyivstar, will be owned 38,84% by Telenor and 38,46% by Altimo. The remaining stock capital, minimum 20%, is to remain free floating at any given time. The two main owners will have three board members each, and let the remaining owners appoint another three members of the Board of directors. That board of nine will appoint the holding company's CEO after an independent, international recruitment process. The agreement depends on all legal disputed concerning VimpelCom and Kyivstar to vanish, and it depends on the Russian Federation to allow Telenor to increase its ownership in VimpelCom.
Dispute with TeliaSonera[edit]
Alfa Group and Swedish-Finnish TeliaSonera jointly own the Turkish mobile operator Turkcell.
In Turkey, TeliaSonera has acquired 47% of the shares in Turkcell Holding, which controlled 51% of Turkcell. Telia's partner was the Turkish company Cukurova. TeliaSonera and Cukurova agreed on a binding shareholders' agreement in 2005,[31] depriving Cukurova from the right to sell Turkcell shares without the prior consent of TeliaSonera, and with the latter company's right of first priority to buy eventual shares from Cukurova. However, Cukurova sold their shares to Alfa Group that same year.[32] Through this US$3.5 bn purchase, Alfa Group exercised control of Turkcell's board of directors already from First quarter, 2006.[33] In January 2007, a court of appeal in Geneva, Switzerland, ruled that Cukurova had violate the shareholder's agreement by selling their shares on to the Alfa Group. The court demanded Cukurova to see to it that the shares be transferred back and re-sold to TeliaSonera. A court of appeal in Vienna, Austria confirmed this ruling on 7 March 2008, and repeated the demand to enter into negotiations with Alfa Group over at transfer of the shares, but with no practical results. On 7 August 2009 the International Chamber of Commerce issued an award stating that Cukurova must deliver all the remaining shares in Turkcell Holding to TeliaSonera.[34]
Links to the Icelandic financial crisis[edit]
Alfa Bank has a Luxembourg-registered subsidiary Alfa Finance Holdings. The company's document trail shows that Shapburg Limited was a shareholder of Alfa Finance Holdings. Shapburg Limited is an anonymous Luxembourg-registered company which has been suspected of controlling important Icelandic companies. The finding was reported in 2005.[35]
See also[edit]
- ^ a b c d e PricewaterhouseCoopers Moscow (18 October 2011). "Alfa Group Consortium Annual Report 2010" (PDF). Alfa Group Consortium. Retrieved 2011-11-13.
- ^ History of Alfa Group Consortium
- ^ "BP, Russian billionaires, and the Kremlin: a Power Triangle that never was" Oxford Energy Comment, November 2011 Accessed 24 November 2011
- ^ "Rosneft finalizes TNK-BP deal, becomes world's largest oil producer", RT, 21 March 2013. Accessed 3 March 2016.
- ^ Dexter Filkins. "Was There a Connection Between a Russian Bank and the Trump Campaign? A team of computer scientists sifted through records of unusual Web traffic in search of answers". NewYorker.com. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
- ^ ""L1 Group"". Archived from the original on 2015-10-09. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
- ^ Wall Street Journal, Norway seeks caution in Telenor battle
- ^ a b c d e f g Javers, Eamon (25 February 2007). "Spies, Lies & KPMG: An inside look at how the accounting giant was infiltrated by private intelligence firm Diligence". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 4 July 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Hotten, Russell (27 June 2008). "«BP antagonist has Altimo ambitions»". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ Vina, Gonzalo (19 June 2006). "Shakers: Former Tory leader to head risk firm". International Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ a b NoreX Archived 2008-11-21 at the Wayback Machine - «History of Conflict».
- ^ Norex Petroleum Ltd. v. Access Industries, et al., No. 02-CV-1499 (LTS)(KNF) (S.D.N.Y.).
- ^ Pravda - «Alfa Group, Access/Renova and BP to create new company», 11. February 2003.
- ^ Moscow Times Archived 2011-07-14 at the Wayback Machine - «Norex Petroleum Sues For BP's Dirt on TNK», 13, February 2002, referred at the NoreX web page.
- ^ Extract Archived 2011-07-14 at the Wayback Machine of NoreX' appeal of 18 February 2003.
- ^ U.S. Court of Appeal, New York Archived 2011-07-14 at the Wayback Machine - extract of rulings on NoreX' right to further appeal and repartiation of funds, 21 July 2005.
- ^ IPR Strategic Business: «VimpelCom shareholders approve Alfa Group investment», 2 August 2001.
- ^ a b Telenor Archived 2009-05-27 at the Wayback Machine - Background on Russia and the Ukraine, 2009.
- ^ Forbes Magazine, Bente Bjørndal, «Telenor to fight new Alfa Group lawsuit over Ukraine's WellCom», 24 May 2005.
- ^ Forbes Magazine, Bente Bjørndal,«Telenor to fight new Alfa Group lawsuit over Ukraine's WellCom», 24 May 2005.
- ^ Telenor Archived 2009-03-26 at the Wayback Machine - «Alfa Held in Contempt for Second Time by US Court; Telenor's VimpelCom Shares Arrested in Russia», 12 March 2009.
- ^ Times Online - «Telenor to fight Siberian court order», 18 August 2008.
- ^ Norwegian business daily Dagens Næringsliv Archived 2009-05-17 at the Wayback Machine - «Telenors Vimpelcom-aksjer i arrest», 12 March 2009.
- ^ IT Examiner Archived 2012-05-27 at Archive.today - «Telenor appeals Farimex decision», 4 March 2009.
- ^ Reuters - «Telenor confident as Alfa bows to U.S. court», 18 March 2009.
- ^ Aftenposten - «Støre ga klar melding til russerne», 24 March 2009.
- ^ St. Petersburg Times - «Investors See Major Implications in Telenor Case», 17 March 2009.
- ^ The New York Times - «Telenor Ruling Stirs Fear of Court Shopping in Russia», 10 April 2009.
- ^ The New York Times - «Telenor Ruling Stirs Fear of Court Shopping in Russia», 10 April 2009.
- ^ Telenor Archived October 8, 2009, at the Wayback Machine - «Telenor and Altimo to Create a Leading Emerging Markets Mobile Operator», 5. oktober 2009. The following bases on this joint press release.
- ^ "TeliaSonera - press release". Cision Wire. Archived from the original on 2009-08-10. Retrieved 2005-03-25.
- ^ TeliaSonera Archived 2008-11-21 at the Wayback Machine - «Significant events after Year-end 2007».
- ^ TeliaSonera[permanent dead link] - «Delårsrapport Januari-juni 2006», page 16.
- ^ "TeliaSonera - press release". Cision Wire. Archived from the original on 2009-08-10. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ "Россия желает спасать Исландию из-за давних офшорных связей чиновников и бизнесменов". The New Times. 2008-10-21.. Another copy: "Зачем Россия спасает Исландию". Rususa. 2008-10-21. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15.. An automatic translation: "Discussion of the relationship between Iceland and Russia from the Russian newspaper". Archived from the original on 2008-10-23. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
External links[edit]
- (in English) Alfa Group official website
- (in Russian) Alfa Group official website
- TeliaSonera initiates legal action against Russian Alfa Group 28 November 2005
- Western Operators Warned to Beware Altimo's Business Record 14 December 2005
- Shareholder dispute could drive Kyivstar into technical default 11 April 2007
- Telenor steps up fight on Altimo 'propaganda' 30 March 2007
- BP, Russian billionaires, and the Kremlin: a Power Triangle that never was 23 November 2011


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Installed capacity of power plants operated in the Republic of Srpska totals 2 GW. Turbines and generators manufactured in the 1980s at Leningradsky Metallichesky Zavod and Electrosila, which are parts of Power Machines OJSC, are operated at thermal power plants Ugljevik TPP and Gacko TPP. Currently, the equipment has exhausted its lifespan and requires modernization.
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CLAY CENTER � Alma Decker, 103, of Clay Center, died Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. She was born May 29, 1912, the daughter of Edward and Mary (Ferguson) Buchanan.
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The reason some devotees are doubting Bhakti Tirtha Swami's authenticity is because they are intelligent and can realize that he is not an authentic Vaishnava, what to speak of an authentic Gaudiya Vaishnava.
Practically nothing in his books is presented with even a shred of supporting evidence. Bhakti-Tirtha Swami claims to have knowledge of all these things because he "accesses higher dimensions." This is bogus. Genuine Vaishnavas have only these methods of acquiring right knowledge: guru, sadhu, and sastra.
some bts fanatic said:I fail to realise why some wish to discredit Maharaja in such a way in light of his considerable achievements.
Srila Prabhupada taught that the Guru carries his authority form the fact that he doesn't deviate from the teachings of the previous acharyas. Further he explains that devotees have a system of checking spiritual teachings against three sources (guru, sadhu and shastra) to test the teachings authenticity.
Now in the case of Bhakti Tirtha Swami, he manufactured teachings about aliens, lost continents, etc., from his imagination and then claimed that he received this knowledge through psychically linking to higher dimensions. He admits that what he teaches isn't found in shastra, nor from his gurus teachings, nor from the teachings of the assembly of sadhus, but that doesn't matter. Why? Because he has a direct psychic link to higher dimensional teachers that no one can verify or question.
Now what does this mean for his disciples? They are in a position where they can no longer verify their gurus teachings against guru, sadhu and shastra. There is absolutely no way for them to judge these nonsensical teachings, and as a result they blindly follow them on the strength of the guru's charisma and the gurus personality cult. This was the same thing about Kirtanananda. He made insane deviations from Prabhupada's teachings and then claimed immunity on the strength that he was a pure devotee not subject to our judgements, nor under the purview of guru, sadhu and shastra.
Is it any coincidence that Bhakti Tirtha Swami was one of Kirtanananda's staunch followers and supporters even after he was found to be a criminal and expelled from ISKCON? Perhaps it's just a coincidence, but there seem to be many lines of comparison between the two in regards to deviating from the teachings of their gurus.
The fact that he heard Krishna's name at the time of death and went back to Godhead doesn't make his nonsensical teachings any more true. He is a glorious person because at the end of his life he heard Krishna's names.
But his disciples continue to print and distribute his teachings which are better off forgotten. It has become a habit in the present times for gurus to push the distribution of thier own books instead of Srila Prabhupada's books. Add to that the fact that their own books sometimes have little to do with Krishna consciousness and more to do with aliens and motherships.
You say we should leave him alone since he is no longer present and has gone to Krishna. But his offtrack teachings are very much alive, more so than when he was present. Now BTG will try to deify him and Satyaraja is writing a book about his life. ISKCON and the GBC have a duty to uphold Prabhupada's teachings and standards, but instead they are encouraging those who have deviated and propping them up even after they have left.
Much of this information was made available through contact with a level of cosmic attunement as well as a connection from a previous life.
(from "Spiritual Warrior I" by Bhakti Tirtha Swami Krishnapad)
Actually, all of this information has been available for many years on the internet and in numerous books. The only special connection you need to know this info is an internet connection!
Do a google search for: Skull and bones, Illuminati, New World Order
Where did SP mention this?
Some people who have been abducted have dreams of being raped or of being on a spaceship and ejaculating continuously. These dreams represent their real experiences. The abductors take semen and use it for the continuation of their own race. Humans who have had their seed taken during these experiences later feel pain in the genitals.
read full nonsense of Bhakti Tirtha Swami's Alien abduction theories which got from, "through contact with a level of cosmic attunement as well as a connection from a previous life"


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The role of the PCA3 assay in predicting prostate biopsy outcome in a South African setting Ahmed Adam, Matthys J. Engelbrecht, Maria S. Bornman, Samuel O. Manda, Evelyn Moshokoa, Rasmi A. Feilat Abstract OBJECTIVES • To evaluate the investigational role, ideal threshold and indications of the Prostate CAncer gene 3 (PCA3) assay in a South African context. • To better define the universality of the above marker since this is the pioneer study on the continent of Africa. PATIENTS AND METHODS • We prospectively evaluated 105 consecutive South African men referred for a prostate biopsy at two tertiary centres in the capital city, Pretoria. • Sequentially, PSA levels and post DRE urine samples were taken within 24 h before prostate biopsy. • The urine specimen was tested using the PROGENSATM PCA3 assay and a score was generated as (PCA3 mRNA/PSAmRNA) x 1000. • The performance of this assay in predicting biopsy outcome was assessed, and compared with that of serum PSA. RESULTS • Median patient age was 67 years with a positive biopsy incidence of 42.9%. • The higher the PCA3 score the greater the probability of a positive biopsy (P = 0.003). • This score performed independently of prostatic volume (P = 0.3889) or the presence of a concurrent primary malignancy (P = 0.804). • A threshold of 60 revealed a positive predictive value of 60% with an odds ratio of 4, whereas setting a limit of 35 revealed a positive predictive value of 54% and odds ratio of 3.5. • Using receiver operating characteristics for overall performance comparison, the PSA level (area under the curve 0.844) performed better than the PCA3 score (area under the curve 0.705). CONCLUSION • PCA3 assay has shown consistency and performed in line with previous studies but it did not surpass serum PSA in this population. • A PCA3 assay threshold of 60 performed better than the conventional limit of 35. • This assay may have a potential niche in a certain subset of South African men that includes patients with larger glands, previous negative biopsies and altered baseline PSA levels. KEYWORDS biomarker, Prostate CAncer gene 3, prostate histology, prostate-specific antigen, South Africa Introduction Prostate cancer (CaP) is a common entity worldwide, with a higher reported incidence amongst South African Black men (8.5%) when compared to South African Caucasian men (3.7%) [1]. However, the prevalence of prostate specific antigen (PSA)-detected CaP in South Africa has been described as at least 'similar' amongst both racial groups [1,2]. In confirming the presence of CaP, the current standard trigger for a prostate biopsy consists of an abnormal digital rectal examination (DRE) and, or an elevated total serum PSA level [3]. In reality, both the above parameters have a poor positive predictive value (PPV) in detecting CaP, with a meta-analysis revealing a PPV range for DRE and PSA at 5-33 % and 1757% respectively [4]. The PSA level has other well described limitations, with false elevations in common noncancerous states, including prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) [5]. A recent French study revealed that this level also expresses a seasonal variation, with a 23% higher possibility of having a PSA level above 3ng/ml, if screening was carried out in the summer months [6]. Some of the above drawbacks of the PSA level have led to the development of a novel marker, the Prostate CAncer gene 3 (PCA3) assay. Since having first been described to have a significant overexpression in 53 of 56 prostatic tumours [7], the PCA3 (formerly known as DD3) assay has progressed into a promising biomarker with great potential for use in the clinical scenario. A comprehensive review of the first 11 studies (2723 men) assessing the PCA3 assay in Western countries forecast a significant future in its role as a predictor of prostate biopsy outcome [8]. We therefore deemed it necessary to assess this biomarker in a more demographically suitable context. Being the first study of this nature in an African setting, an added objective would be to better define the universality of the PCA3 assay. We thus set out to evaluate this assay in the prediction of prostate biopsy outcome among South African men, at two major tertiary referral centres in Pretoria. Patients and Methods We prospectively assessed the role of the PCA3 assay amongst consecutive men who were already scheduled for a prostate biopsy. Ethics approval (protocol number: 60/2009) had been attained at the University of Pretoria, Ethics Committee and the study was registered with the South African National Clinical Trial Register and the Department of Health, URL: www.sanctr.gov, with trial number: DOH-27-0609-2892. Written consent was obtained from all patients, with each patient being assigned a unique study number. The study was performed at the Steve Biko Academic and Kalafong Hospitals, based in Pretoria. Patients with indwelling urethral and supra-pubic catheters were excluded. All age and race groups were considered, irrespective of the referral PSA level. Patients scheduled for the first or repeat prostate biopsy were included. Over a period of eight months (ending in February 2010) a total of 107 men were assessed. Venous blood was taken for the study serum PSA level, which was measured using the WHO calibrated Beckman Coulter Access Hybritech ® system. Thereafter, a DRE as described by Groskopf et al. [9] was performed, followed by collection of a first-catch urine specimen. A unique study code was assigned to each urine sample and the specimen was assessed to quantify PCA3 and PSA mRNA concentrations using the PROGENSATM PCA3 assay. A PCA3 score was generated as (PCA3 mRNA/PSA mRNA) x 1000. Blood and urine specimen collection was always obtained in the above order and was both collected within 24h prior to the scheduled prostate biopsy. Antibiotic prophylaxis was administered prior to biopsy. Using a Trans Rectal Ultrasound (TRUS) probe, the prostate volume was always assessed using the height measurement obtained trans-axially as recommended by Park et al. [10]. TRUS biopsies of the prostate gland were then performed using a standardised systematic 13-core 5-region biopsy method [11]. The physician performing the biopsies was blinded to the study PSA level and PCA3 score. For standardisation purposes, every DRE, first-catch urine specimen collection, TRUS volume assessment and prostate biopsy was performed by the same physician. The serum PSA, urinary PCA3 assay and prostatic histological assessment was always performed by the consistent respective group of pathologists in the same relevant laboratory. All the above staff members were blinded to the patient's study details. The final histological outcome for cancer was then compared and contrasted to each of the above predictive parameters. Results Among 107 subjects, 105 urine sediment samples had sufficient concentrations of PCA3 and PSA mRNA to generate a PCA3 score, resulting in an informative rate of 98.1%. The demographic details of the patient population are listed in Table 1. The mean age was 67 yr. Majority of the patients were Black (68.6%), with fewer Caucasians (25.7%) and the remainder belonging to other racial denominations (5.7%). A positive family history of CaP was present in only 4.6% of all patients. Most men (81.9%) were scheduled for their first biopsy. Overall, a wide range of risk stratification for cancerous disease had been observed, with 48.6% of patients having a suspicious DRE and 27.6 % of patients having a study PSA less than 4ng/ml. Histology reports revealed the presence of CaP in 42.9% of patients. In a review of the Gleason sum amongst the cancer cohort, 28/44 patients scored 6 or less, 12/44 patients scored 7 and the reminder 4/44 patients scored 8 or more. Amongst the non-cancerous group, BPH was the commonest (80%) histological finding. An increase in the PCA3 score was found to be associated with an increase in the incidence of CaP (p=0.003) (Figure 1). By implementing the suggested cut-off value of 35 [9], a sensitivity of 77.7% and specificity of 50% was reached, in contrast to a higher cut-off of 60, which yielded an overall sensitivity and specificity of 68.9% and 66.7%, respectively (Table 2). Black patients presented with higher PCA3 scores (p < 0.05) and PSA levels (p < 0.05) when compared to their Caucasian counterparts. However, the predictability of the PCA3 score amongst Black men was less impressive than that of Caucasian men (Table 3). These two groups also performed differently when applying different cut off points, with the best overall predictability (specificity of 90.0%, sensitivity of 71.4%) being reached when applying a cut-off of 60 amongst Caucasian men. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis yielded an AUC of 0.7054 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.599 to 0.812) for the PCA3 score. Overall, the PSA level performed better in this population, achieving an AUC of 0.8443 (95% CI: 0.764 to 0.910) (Figure 2). The PCA3 score performed independent of gland volume (p=0.3889) (Figure 3a), as opposed to the PSA level, which revealed a significant proportional correlation (p=0.0428) (Figure 3b).The sum of the PCA3 score and PSA level (AUC of 0.8306 (95 % CI: 0.743 to 0.895)) in this population did not perform better than the PSA level alone (Figure 4). When comparing the performance of the PCA3 assay amongst various PSA level ranges, the PCA3 performed best in the 'PSA gray zone' (4 to 10 ng/ml) reaching a specificity and sensitivity of 64.7% and 85.7% respectively (Table 4). Amongst the cohort, 29 (27.6%) men were observed to have a 'study' PSA level < 4 ng/mL (Table 5), with 11/29 being found to have an associated suspicious finding on DRE. The remainder 18/29 men had a normal DRE, but biopsies were performed even though their 'study' PSA level was < 4 ng/mL, since the physician performing the biopsy was blinded to the 'study' PSA result, and these 18/29 men were already scheduled for a biopsy based on their previous referral findings alone. This group thus represents the 'low risk' segment of the study population as they presented with a normal DRE, PSA level < 4 ng/mL (on day of biopsy) and absence of CaP on histology. The diagnostic ability of PSA (ROC AUC of 0.8550 (95% CI: 0.683 to 0.961)) was better than that of PCA3 (ROC AUC of 0.8100 (95% CI: 0.603 to 0.920)) in this PSA range group. Applying a PCA3 cut off point of 60, a sensitivity of 66% and a specificity of 70.7% was achieved within this subset. CaP was not present if a PSA level <4ng/ml was attained in combination with a normal DRE finding or a PCA3 score <60 (table 5). When assessing the repeat biopsy group (n=19), the predictability of the PSA level (ROC AUC of 0.700 (95% CI: 0.435 to 0.874)) performed better than that of PCA3 (ROC AUC of 0.575 (95% CI: 0.335 to 0.797)). However, using a cut-off of 60, the PCA3 assay (sensitivity of 50%, specificity of 75%) performed better than the PSA level at a cut off of 4 ng/ml (sensitivity of 33%, specificity of 75%) in this group. A sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 46.6% was revealed if the conventional cut-off point of 35 for PCA3 assay was applied in this subset. Since both the PSA level and the PCA3 score values were skewed to the right (non-normal), a non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare both values across the Gleason sum. There was evidence of an increase in the PSA level with an increase in the Gleason sum (p=0.057). The median PSA level was 21.57 ng/ml for a Gleason sum of 5 or less, 27.52 ng/ml for Gleason sum of 6 and 50.01 ng/ml for a Gleason sum of 7 or more, respectively. The relationship of the PCA3 score to the Gleason sum was not found to be systematic (p=0.111). With a median PCA3 score level of 174 for a Gleason sum of 5 or less, 72 for Gleason sum of 6 and 87 for a Gleason sum of 7 or more, respectively. The presence of a concurrent malignancy (n=6) at the time of urine sediment collection did not significantly affect the overall AUC of this diagnostic assay (p=0.804). These associated malignancies included; liposarcoma (spermatic cord) [12], high grade squamous epithelial lesion (penis), paraganglionoma (bladder), malignant melanoma (skin) and the remaining 2/6 patients with transitional cell carcinoma (bladder). No complications were encountered at follow-up. Discussion A direct comparison amongst this cohort has shown the PSA level to be a better predictor than the PCA3 assay across the range. The former marker in isolation has even proven to be superior to the cumulative sum (PSA and PCA3) of both the above contemporaries. In contrast however, Wang et al. [13] has shown this sum to perform better than the PSA level alone. We have observed an acceptable informative rate (98.1%) in line with the initial 11 study ranges of 79 % to 100% [8].As an isolated biomarker, the PCA3 assay performance was 'good' with an overall AUC of 0.7054 (95% CI: 0.599 to 0.812). This finding is remarkable as it closely resembles the first study performed in 2003 evaluating a similar sample size of Dutch men (n=108), where an AUC of 0.717 (95% CI: 0.58 to 0.85) was observed [14]. The consistency and universality of the PCA3 assay is convincing, since the above similarity in performance assessment was attained on a different continent, evaluating a different population, almost seven years later. Although much variation has been observed in the PCA3 assay performance with the application of different cut-offs, we observed the cut-off point of 60 to perform better than the conventional point of 35. The inter-racial inconsistency of the PCA3 assay may be due to the added difference of risk stratification amongst both groups, since Black men had higher PCA3 scores and PSA levels at presentation, when compared to the Caucasian subset. This advanced cancer risk among South African Black men has been previously reported, with Heyns et al. [1] showing a higher percentage of an abnormal DRE and elevated PSA level amongst Black men when compared alongside other race groups. In contrast to the PSA level, the PCA3 score performed independent of prostate gland volume and thus may prove useful in assessing men with larger glands. This finding of volume independence has been echoed in two previous studies which assessed European [15] and North American men [16]. Evidence of linear correlation of PSA with the Gleason sum was present. However, this was not the case with the corresponding PCA3 score, but Haese et al.[15] have previously shown the PCA3 assay to perform as a predictor of cancer severity in their series. A larger data set would prove beneficial to confirm or refute the above relationship in our setting. When assessing the PCA3 specificity across PSA ranges, the highest specificity (64.7%) of PCA3 was amongst patients in the 'PSA gray zone'. The potential role of the PCA3 assay in this 'enigmatic' zone cannot be overemphasized, since it is within this range group that the urologist and pathologist commonly find themselves in a 'stalemate' situation. According to the literature, the specificity of the PCA3 assay in this 'PSA gray zone' has been favourable but not constant, with values ranging from 71% [16] to 91% [17] in this PSA range. However, the finding of the PCA3 assay specificity performing best within the ' PSA gray zone' had been previously observed amongst a European cohort [15]. The above finding does prove that an essential role for the PCA3 assay does indeed lie in this 'PSA grey zone'. When reviewing men in the lower PSA range group, none of the patients with a PSA level <4ng/ml associated with a PCA3 score < 60 (n=17), were observed to have CaP. Their inclusion in this study allows for representation of the 'true negatives' in this population group, thus allowing a widespread evaluation of the PCA3 assay across the risk stratification profile. Combined with a PSA level <4 ng/ml, the PCA3 cut off point of 60 performed better than the point of 35, in identifying the 'low risk' group (table 5). Thus, the presence of a normal DRE, combined with a PCA3 score below 60 and a PSA level below 4ng/ml excluded the presence of underlying CaP in this study. Therefore, the PCA3 assay may also be advocated for use in combination with other parameters to better define the 'low risk' group in our population. Another unique feature in this study is the impressive performance of the PSA level (AUC of 0.8443). Such an impressive AUC for PSA was not reported in the previous studies evaluating and comparing the PSA level with the PCA3 assay. The following is a plausible explanation for the higher comparative performance of the PSA level in this study; As the title suggests, we set out to assess the PCA3 assay in a truly representative 'local setting' and have included consecutive men scheduled for a prostate biopsy, irrespective of the PSA level. Some of these initial studies reviewed, [8] assessed men at certain PSA cut off levels. The PSA performance here would therefore be superior since 49.5% of this cohort had a PSA level > 10 ng/ml. The fact that Black men comprised the largest racial denomination (68.6%) in this cohort had also influenced the PSA diagnostic accuracy, since PSA performs better amongst the higher risk stratification group [18], and South African Black men have been shown to have an advance cancer risk on presentation [1]. Amongst the positive biopsy group, a considerable amount had intermediate to high grade cancer, with Gleason sum scores greater than 6 in 36.4% of cases. Since the referral PSA levels were taken at different locations, all at different time intervals we decided to repeat the PSA level within 24h prior to biopsy. Patients underwent biopsies regardless of this repeated PSA level. This repeated sample was assessed as the 'study' PSA level. The improvement in the diagnostic yield of a repeated PSA sample has been well established [19], and had influenced the diagnostic ability of the PSA in this scenario. Absolute PSA levels were always used. This increased the specificity of the test, with Heyns et al. showing a specificity of 100% for absolute PSA levels above 200 ng/ml in a South African series [18]. The multicentre and inter-lab PSA variance factor was absent in this study, as all samples were analysed in the same laboratory within the same fashion, by a constant team of chemical pathologists. None of the patients had reported being on any PSA baseline altering agents prior to biopsy, and a DRE was never performed prior to veni-punture for PSA, thus further increasing its diagnostic efficacy. When assessing the repeat biopsy group, the performance interpretation of the PCA3 assay is to be done with caution, since they were only represented by a small number of patients (n=19) in this study. However, Deras et al. [16] has shown the PCA3 assay to perform superior to that of the PSA level in the repeat biopsy cohort, and has shown this marker to perform independent of a history of previous biopsies. With this being the pioneer study on the continent of Africa, a larger trial with a direct interracial comparison of patients being corrected for their respective pre-biopsy risk amongst different racial groups will be needed in the future. The ideal cut-off points and their respective implications can also be better defined if a greater sample size is assessed. A further evaluation of the repeat biopsy group is also needed to confirm the PCA3 assays utility in this crucial subset of our population. In conclusion, the PCA3 assay performance has shown to be consistent with previous studies, thus supporting its claim to universality. It has proven to function independent of prostatic volume. This assay has also been observed to perform independent of the presence of a concurrent primary malignancy. Although proven to be a 'good' biomarker, we have not witnessed it to be superior to the serum PSA level across the risk spectrum in this population. The PCA3 assay could establish a significant role amongst a certain subset of South African men. This subset includes those anxious patients remaining in the 'PSA gray zone', patients with larger glands, previous negative biopsies, those being incorporated into risk nomograms, men with altered baseline PSA levels and those informed men who request it. Tables and their legends Parameter Number (%) Age (y) Median 67 Range 35-89 Race Black 72 (68.6%) Caucasian 27 (25.7%) Other 6 (5.7%) History of previous biopsy No 86 (81.9%) Yes (one or more) 19 (18.1%) Family History of Prostate Cancer Yes 5 (4.8%) No 93 (88.6%) Other Cancer 7 (6.6%) Men with serum PSA: 0-4ng/ml 29 (27.6%) >4-10ng/ml 24 (22.9%) >10ng/ml 52 (49.5%) Digital Rectal Examination Suspicious 51 (48.6%) Not Suspicious 54 (51.4%) Prostate Volume (ml) Median 31.1 Prostatic Biopsy : Histological Outcome Cancer 45 (42.9%) Non-Cancerous condition 60 (57.1%) Table 1. Demographic details for the 105 South African men. Table 2. The PCA3 assay performance across various PCA3 assay score cut-off points. PCA3 assay cut-off point 10 35 60 Sensitivity(%) Specificity(%) NPV(%) PPV(%) Odds Ratio (95% CI) 91.1 77.7 68.9 16.6 50.0 66.7 71 75 73 45 54 60 2.05 (0.599 - 7.020) 3.5 (1.472 - 8.321) 4.0 (1.762 - 9.081) Abbreviations: PCA3 = Prostate CAncer gene 3; NPV = Negative predictive value; PPV = Positive predictive value; CI = Confidence interval Table 3. The inter-racial comparison of the PCA3 assay's performance. PCA3 ROC AUC Confidence Interval Using 35 as cut off Sensitivity (%) Specificity (%) Using 60 as a cut off Sensitivity (%) Specificity (%) Black (n= 72) 0.645 0.508-0.773 Caucasian (n=27) 0.804 0.577-1.00 77.1 35.1 71.4 75.0 65.7 54.1 71.4 90.0 Abbreviations: n = patient number; ROC = receiver operating characteristics; AUC = Area under curve Table 4. A comparison of the PCA3 assay performance within specific PSA score ranges, with the corresponding patient number in brackets. PSA range (n) PCA3 Specificity (%) PCA3 Sensitivity (%) p value 0-4 (29) 48 100 0.07 >4-10 (24) 64.7 85.7 0.025 >10 (52) 38.8 73.5 0.356 Abbreviations: PCA3 = prostate cancer gene 3; PSA = prostate-specific antigen Table 5. Breakdown of the cohort with PSA <4ng/mL (n=29) combined with DRE findings and PCA3 score, contrasted against respective histological outcome. PSA <4 ng/mL Patient number CaP on histology No CaP detected on histology Suspicious DRE 11 4 7 Normal DRE 18 0 18 PCA3 > 35 17 4 13 PCA3 < 35 12 0 12 PCA3 > 60 12 4 8 PCA3 < 60 17 0 17 with, Abbreviations: DRE= digital rectal examination; PCA3 = Prostate CAncer gene 3; CaP= Prostate Cancer Legends, and the Figures Figure 1. Bar graphs depicting the percentage of biopsy positive men within the various PCA3 score ranges, with the corresponding patient number in brackets. % Biopsy Positive 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% < 35 (40) 35-59 (14) 60-99 (16) The PCA3 Score range Abbreviations: PCA3 = Prostate CAncer gene 3 >100 (35) 0.00 0.25 Sensitivity 0.50 0.75 1.00 Figure 2. ROC curve comparison of the PSA level and the PCA3 score. 0.00 0.25 0.50 1-Specificity psa ROC area: 0.8443 Reference 0.75 1.00 pca3n ROC area: 0.7054 Abbreviations: ROC = receiver operating characteristics; PSA = prostate-specific antigen; PCA3 = Prostate CAncer gene 3 Figure 3a. Figure 3b. Figure 3a & 3b. 0.00 0.25 Sensitivity 0.50 0.75 1.00 Figure 4. The ROC AUC of the sum of PSA and PCA3 against PSA alone. 0.00 0.25 0.50 1-Specificity psa ROC area: 0.8443 Reference 0.75 1.00 sum2 ROC area: 0.8306 Abbreviations: ROC = receiver operating characteristics; AUC = area under curve; PSA, prostate-specific antigen; PCA3 = Prostate CAncer gene Funding and Acknowledgements We wish to thank IlexSA Medical and Lancet Laboratories (South Africa) for the PCA3 assay testing that was performed at no cost to patient, researcher or institution. We are indebted to the following staff and consultants for their support; Dr R.Govender (Chemical Pathology, NHLS, Tshwane, SA), Dr. L.Berrie, Mr W.Hechter (IlexSA Medical) and Dr C.Tsilimigras (Molecular Diagnostics, Lancet, SA), Ml. T. Karaan, Prof. M.Tikly (Ethical advice and assistance), Srs. J.Nel, R.R. Du Plessis, T.P. Sereo, S. van Rooyen, N. Mangane and M.R. Khumalo (Nursing staff, Department of Urology). We are also immensely grateful to every patient who selflessly contributed to this advancement. Conflict of interest None declared. References 1 Heyns CF, Naude AM, Visser AJ, et al. Early diagnosis of prostate cancer in the Western Cape. S Afr Med J. 2001;91(8):679-84. 2 Heyns CF. Is prostate cancer more common and more aggressive in African men? Afr J Urol. 2008;14(2):66-74. 3 Schilling D, de Reijke T, Tombal B, de la Taille A, Hennenlotter J, Stenzl A. The prostate cancer gene 3 assay: indications for use in clinical practice. BJU Int. 2009;105:452-5. 4 Mistry K, Cable G. Meta-analysis of prostate-specific antigen and digital rectal examination as screening tests for prostate carcinoma. JABFP. 2003;16(2):95-101. 5 Morote Robles J, Ruibal Morell A, Palou Redorta J, de Torres Mateos JA, Soler Rosello A. Clinical behaviour of prostate specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase: a comparative study. Eur Urol. 1988;14:360-6. 6 Salama G, Noirot O, Bataille V, et al. Seasonality of serum prostate-specific antigen levels: a population-based study. Eur Urol. 2007;52:708-714. 7 Bussemakers MJG, van Bokhoven A, Verhaegh GW, et al. DD3: a new prostatespecific gene, highly overexpressed in prostate cancer. Cancer Res. 1999;59:59759. 8 Vlaeminck-Guillem V, Ruffion A, Andre J, Devonec M, Paparel P. Urinary prostate cancer 3 test: toward the age of reason? J Urol. 2010;75:447-53. 9 Groskopf J, Aubin SM, Deras IL, et al. APTIMA PCA3 molecular urine test: development of a method to aid in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Clin Chem. 2006;2:1089-95. 10 Park SB, Kim JK, Choi SH, Noh HN, Ji EK, Cho KS. Prostate volume measurement by TRUS using heights obtained by transaxial and midsagittal scanning: comparison with specimen volume following radical prostatectomy. Korean J Radiol. 2000;1:110-3. 11 Eskew LA, Bare RL, McCullough DL. Systematic 5 region biopsy is superior to sextant method for diagnosing carcinoma of the prostate. J Urol. 1997;157:199203. 12 Adam A, Adofo CK, Ijane KK, Dinkel JE, Feilat RA. Paratesticular liposarcoma and prostate adenocarcinoma: a synchronous association. Afr J Urol. 2010;16(2):20-4. 13 Wang R, Chinnaiyan AM, Dunn RL, Wojno KJ, Wei TJ. Rational approach to implementation of prostate cancer antigen 3 into clinical care. Cancer. 2009;115:3879-86. 14 Hessels D, Klein Gunnewiek JMT, van Oort I, et al. DD3PCA3- based molecular urine analysis for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Eur Urol. 2003;44:8-16. 15 Haese A, de la Taille A, van Poppel H, et al. Clinical utility of the PCA3 urine assay in European men scheduled for repeat biopsy. Eur Urol. 2008;54:1081-8. 16 Deras IL, Aubin SMJ, Blase A, et al. PCA3: a molecular urine assay for predicting prostate biopsy outcome. J Urol. 2008;179:1587-92. 17 Fradet Y, Saad F, Aprikan A et al. uPM3, a new molecular urine test for the detection of prostate cancer. Urology. 2004;64:311-5. 18 Heyns CF, Naude AM, Ahmed G, Stopforth HB, Stellmacher GA, Visser AJ. Serum prostate-specific antigen as a surrogate for the histological diagnosis of prostate cancer. S Afr Med J. 2001;91:685-9. 19 Rosario DJ, Lane JA, Metcalf C et al. Contribution of a single repeat PSA test to prostate cancer risk assessment: Experience from the ProtecT study. Eur Urol. 2008;53:777-84.
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The California Department of Motor Vehicles and the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office have opened a joint investigation into alleged unfair sales practices at an AutoNation dealership in Cerritos, Calif.
Bill Branch, a DMV spokesman, said that investigators from the two state agencies executed a search warrant Wednesday at Power Toyota of Cerritos, one of Southern California's largest auto dealers. Because the search warrant and supporting affidavit are sealed, he said the agencies could not provide further details.
The investigation came after about a dozen Power Toyota customers collectively filed a lawsuit against the dealership in May, alleging that they were overcharged on car leases.
Power Toyota issued a statement saying that after receiving customer complaints, the dealership "determined that in a limited number of transactions" the "pricing was too high." It offered "a compete refund" to the affected customers, the statement said.
The lawsuit is "meritless," said Marc Cannon, spokesman for Fort Lauderdale-based AutoNation Inc., the country's largest car retailer, and the company expects to aggressively defend itself.
He said that the lawsuit is an attempt "to abuse the legal system to extort us for a multimillion-dollar payday."
As a result of the investigation, some employees at the California dealership have been terminated, and the company is fully cooperating with authorities, he added.
In 2001, another AutoNation dealership in California, Gunderson Chevrolet in the Los Angeles suburb of El Monte, was investigated by the same state agencies for alleged deceptive practices that included selling used vehicles as new, telling customers they would get a cheaper loan rate if they bought a service contract and forging customers' signatures on orders for options.
Gunderson fired two employees in the dealership's finance and insurance unit and agreed, without admitting guilt or liability, to pay $1.1 million in fines and costs. It also created a fund of $1.1 million to $1.5 million for consumers allegedly harmed by the dealership's actions, which affected more than 1,000 car buyers in the Los Angeles area.
Joseph Mann can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or 954-356-4665.


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