Both women, however, claim the notorious incident that made worldwide headlines is only a small part of the Bravo network’s capital city franchise that premieres Aug. 5.

“I was just shocked that anybody would have the gall to crash a party like that,” Turner said via media conference call Thursday. She described her blond cast mate as a friendly, lighthearted “social butterfly.”

“It’s very clear to us the show is not about the Salahis,” added Amons.

Indeed, as if on cue to prove D.C. “Housewives” is heavily about family and charity and local politics and, yes, four other “ladies” in addition to Michaele of the red sari, Amons inexplicably went silent for part of the press conference. “Matt just put a baseball through the living room window,” she announced cheerily when she finally rejoined Turner.

Awwwww.

In other “Housewives” news:

At least four of the five have written or are planning memoirs, to cash in on their hoped-for stardom. Amons — whose kids range from 24 to 12 and who runs two fashion-oriented charities — presumably will describe a life juggling a “jillion jobs.” Turner — adopted out of foster care when just 6 months old, and who earned a Harvard MBA — took a TV crew on her search for her birth father. Talk about self-help, feel-good fodder will include her charity that helps young girls in the city’s problem-plagued foster system.

The Salahis already have a well-regarded co-author to tell their tales of breaching White House security, running a family vineyard currently mired in litigation, and founding a polo team that raises money for worthy causes.

Catherine “Cat” Ommanney, self-described interior designer whose 20-month marriage to fellow Brit and Newsweek photographer Charles Ommanney couldn’t survive the intrusive “Housewives” cameras, has already finished “Inbox Full.” It’s about her racy days in London and due out this year. No word yet on the literary ambitions of Lynda Erkiletian, who founded a D.C. modeling agency 30 years ago.

One journo asked Amons if there would be “Palin kind of moments” where her kids went totally off the reservation. (Think Sarah Palin’s oldest daughter, Bristol, getting pregnant at 17 and having a very public on-and-off-and-on-again romance with baby daddy Levi Johnston).

No, of course not, said Amons. Hers are “good kids,” including Lolly, who moved back home after getting herself in a financial hole and discovered she’s a talented artist.

As the only cast member of color in a majority-black metropolis that she refers to by its retro “Chocolate City” nickname, Turner said she felt “so much pressure” to perform well. “I can only hope I represent the African-American lifestyle well, being a woman, a mom.”

Although the Salahis announced several weeks back they would host a glam Aug. 5 screening party (tickets would cost $20 to $100, but military personnel could attend for free), that fete is not happening.

Instead, there will be a small screening for the cast, their families and friends. I, for one, cannot wait to see all five ladies in the same room.

Health Care Bill Text

Below is a summary of “HR 4872 – Reconciliation Act of 2010″, located in ww.rules.house.gov.

Health Care Bill Text is given below:
§ text of the amendment in a natural substitute
§ section by section of the amendment in the nature of a substitute
§ Text Senate amendments to HR 3590 (health law Senate)
§ The text of the bill as reported (reported by the Budget Committee)
§ H. Rept. 111-443: Budget Committee Report (Volume 1)
§ H. Rept. 111-443: Budget Committee Report (Volume 2)

In June of this year, the Eco-Dentistry Association launched internationally. There are dentists residing in 20 U.S. states, as well as some in Canada, who have joined the association in order to help offices around the world become better suited for the environment and there is no doubt in the industry that these numbers will continue to grow as this new wave of dentistry takes shape.

Dr. Fred Pockrass and his wife Ina started the Eco-Dentistry Association in order to recruit more professionals to this new branch of the trade after they started the first eco-friendly practice in the United States. The Association states in its opening press release a few statistics about the amount of waste that many dental practices accrue. The numbers are jaw-dropping: “…680 million disposable chair barriers, light handle covers and patient bibs, and 1.7 billion instrument sterilization pouches end up in landfills yearly….If every U.S. dental office installed a device capturing mercury-containing waste, at least 7,400 pounds of toxic waste would be kept out of the nation’s water supplies each year.”

The Association explains that cutting down on waste would help tremendously. One of the main concerns in dentists’ offices is contamination and infection which means keeping tools, patients, and the professionals safe and clean. By helping dentists around the globe go “green,” businesses can avoid infection by using non-toxic methods of disinfecting tools and machinery as well as switching to reusable materials around the office which can help boost efficiency in the workplace.

In an attempt to reduce the carbon footprint, eco-dentists are opening and redesigning offices all around the country, incorporating ideas on how to reduce, reuse, and recycle while keeping the medical process running smoothly, all the while creating peace of mind for patients. These ideas include: Recycled paper materials used in the reception area as well as decoration in the waiting room such as wallpaper, natural fiber-based fabrics for the carpet and rugs and chairs, environmentally safe non-toxic cleaners, recycled wood furniture, chemical-free sterilization techniques, a safe mercury-disposal system, the use of forms and databases as well as billing and payment through online forums to reduce paper, reusable instrument carriers, and washable patient bibs and disinfectant cloths, among others.

Perhaps the best new form of technology making headlines in the industry is digital imaging. By taking tooth and gum images using digital technology instead of X-rays you can eliminate up to 90 percent of the radiation being sent out into the universe.

Although most of us never really want to go to the dentist except to listen to the great selections on the iPods, maybe the next time your teeth are due for the annual cleaning you can keep your eyes out for the new and improved practice used on old but standard procedures. Help keep your teeth, keep your health intact, and clean up your community through eco-friendly dentistry.

WASHINGTON — Federal drug regulators warned Wednesday that patients taking two popular drugs to stop smoking should be watched closely for signs of serious mental illness, as reports mount of suicides among the drugs’ users.

But officials emphasized that fear should not stop patients from taking the smoking-cessation medicines, Chantix, made by Pfizer, and Zyban, made by GlaxoSmithKline, which also sells it under the brand name Wellbutrin, for depression.

“Stopping smoking is a goal we should all be working towards,” said Dr. Curtis J. Rosebraugh, director of a drug evaluation office at the Food and Drug Administration. “We don’t want to scare people off from trying a medication that could help them achieve this goal. You should just be careful.”

Pfizer will add a so-called black box warning — the F.D.A.’s most serious caution — to the packaging information for Chantix.

The Pfizer drug, introduced in 2006, has about 90 percent of the market for prescription smoking-cessation drugs, according to IMS Health, a health care information company. Even so, Chantix sales — $846 million in 2008 — had been less than Pfizer had hoped because of previous warnings of its side effects.

Glaxo will expand its existing black box warning on Wellbutrin, citing suicidal thoughts by patients who use it for depression, to include Zyban, which has had only modest sales in the smoking cessation market.

Both companies will also be required to conduct clinical trials to assess the mental health risks associated with the drugs’ uses. Pfizer is already enrolling schizophrenia patients in a trial.

Because smokers and people trying to quit are statistically more likely to be depressed and suicidal, officials for both companies said it was difficult to identify the specific impact of the drugs on those risks. “Nicotine withdrawal itself can be very difficult for people to endure,” Dr. Steve Romano, a Pfizer vice president, said Wednesday.

Analysts said the F.D.A. action would have little effect on sales because of previous indications of the drugs’ psychiatric risks.

“I think the market and physicians have already been sensitized to this,” said Catherine J. Arnold, an analyst for Credit Suisse.

“I’m not panicking,” said Jami Rubin, an analyst for Goldman Sachs, “Sales are already down a lot. It is and will remain a small niche product.”

Chantix had already experienced a slight sales decline last year from the $883 million achieved in 2007. And this year’s first-quarter sales of $177 million were 36 percent below the corresponding period last year.

Ms. Arnold predicted that sales would probably continue falling to around $740 million for all of 2009, but that demand for smoking-cessation treatments would enable it to grow modestly after that — to perhaps half of the $2 billion in annual sales Pfizer had originally hoped for the drug.

European officials first alerted the F.D.A. in 2007 to problems associated with Chantix. In September of that year, Jeffrey Carter Albrecht, a keyboard player from the pop-music group Edie Brickell and New Bohemians, was killed by a neighbor who had complained that Mr. Albrecht was banging on his door, ranting. Mr. Albrecht’s girlfriend blamed Chantix, which she said had made him hostile.

The widely publicized event led to a cascade of similar reports and scrutiny by F.D.A. safety officials, who have now received 98 reports of suicides and 188 reports of suicide attempts among those taking Chantix.

As officials looked more closely, they found to their surprise that Zyban has similar associated risks. The agency received 14 reports of suicides and 17 reports of suicide attempts among those taking Zyban.

No one knows why the drugs are associated with mental problems. In some cases, patients could be experiencing nicotine withdrawal, but some of the reports involved patients who had yet to stop smoking. And many of the events happened just as patients began or stopped therapy, officials said.

“If this is nicotine withdrawal, it really doesn’t matter,” said Dr. Robert Temple, an F.D.A. official. “You need to pay attention to them.”

The agency’s action requires the drugs’ makers to mention the risk of suicide in advertising, and it prevents the companies from using “reminder” ads, during which consumers are encouraged to talk to their doctors about a health issue but the product’s name is not mentioned.

LOS ANGELES – A lawyer for Michael Jackson’s doctor said his client never gave or prescribed Jackson the painkillers Demerol or OxyContin, and denied reports suggesting that the doctor gave the pop star drugs that contributed to his death.

Edward Chernoff told the Associated Press on Sunday that any drugs that Dr. Conrad Murray gave Jackson were prescribed in response to a specific complaint from Jackson.

“Dr. Murray has never prescribed nor administered Demerol to Michael Jackson,” Chernoff said. “Not ever. Not that day. … Not Oxycontin (either) for that matter.”

Jackson still had a faint pulse and a warm body when Murray found him in bed and not breathing on Thursday afternoon, Chernoff said.

Chernoff told the AP that Murray was at the pop icon’s rented mansion when he discovered Jackson in bed and not breathing. The doctor immediately began administering CPR, Chernoff said.

“He just happened to find him in his bed, and he wasn’t breathing,” the lawyer said. “Mr. Jackson was still warm and had a pulse.”

Jackson’s family requested a private autopsy in part because of questions about Murray, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said. Murray also told the family an autopsy should be performed, Chernoff said.

People close to Michael Jackson have said since his death that they were concerned about his use of painkillers. Los Angeles County medical examiners completed their autopsy Friday and said Jackson had taken unspecified prescription medication.

Paramedics were called to the mansion while the doctor was performing CPR, according to a recording of the 911 call.

Because Jackson was so frail, Murray “administered with his hand behind his back to provide the necessary support,” Chernoff said. Some have speculated the doctor botched the CPR.

“He’s a trained doctor,” Chernoff said. “He knows how to administer CPR.”

Medics spent three-quarters of an hour trying to revive Jackson. He was pronounced dead later at UCLA Medical Center.

Murray was interviewed by investigators for three hours Saturday. His spokeswoman called Murray “a witness to this tragedy,” not a suspect in the death, and police described the doctor as cooperative.

The attorney said Murray will wait to speak publicly until after the police and forensics investigation is complete.

A second autopsy can allow the family to get some information about a death almost immediately, including signs of heart, brain or lung disease or fresh needle punctures, said Dr. Michael Baden, a medical examiner not involved in the Jackson case.

“Usually if it looks normal with the naked eye, it looks normal under the microscope,” said Baden, who recently performed a second autopsy on actor David Carradine.

Los Angeles County coroner’s officials said their autopsy found no indication of trauma or foul play. But because of additional tests, an official cause of death could take weeks to determine.

Three days after the death of the King of Pop, celebrities descended on Los Angeles for a spectacular celebration of Jackson’s life at the annual BET awards show.

Joe Jackson, Michael’s father, walked on the red carpet wearing a black hat, sunglasses and a dark suit. He did not appear on stage during the show.

“I just wish he could be here to celebrate himself,” he said. “Sadly, he’s not here, so I’m here to celebrate for him.”

In a statement read at the show, Jackson’s parents said they solely had the personal and legal “authority for our son and his children.” It was their strongest declaration yet about their son’s affairs.

A tearful Janet Jackson appeared on stage in a white dress at the end of the BET awards. After a long pause to gather herself, she spoke haltingly but deliberately to the audience.

“I’d just like to say that to you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family. And he will forever live in all of our hearts,” she said.

There was no word from the family on funeral plans. Many of Jackson’s relatives have gathered at the family’s Encino compound, caring there for Jackson’s three children.

Al Sharpton planned to visit the Jackson compound Monday and would talk with the family about how to memorialize the late pop star. Sharpton said they want to hold memorials in key cities around the globe and also planned a memorial service Tuesday at the Apollo Theater in New York.

CHICAGO (AP) – A surprising number of teenagers – nearly 15 percent – think they’re going to die young, leading many to drug use, suicide attempts and other unsafe behavior, new research suggests.

The study, based on a survey of more than 20,000 kids, challenges conventional wisdom that says teens engage in risky behavior because they think they’re invulnerable to harm. Instead, a sizable number of teens may take chances “because they feel hopeless and figure that not much is at stake,” said study author Dr. Iris Borowsky, a researcher at the University of Minnesota.

That behavior threatens to turn their fatalism into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Over seven years, kids who thought they would die early were seven time more likely than optimistic kids to be subsequently diagnosed with AIDS. They also were more likely to attempt suicide and get in fights resulting in serious injuries.

Borowsky said the magnitude of kids with a negative outlook was eye-opening.

Adolescence is “a time of great opportunity and for such a large minority of youth to feel like they don’t have a long life ahead of them was surprising,” she said.

The study suggests a new way doctors could detect kids likely to engage in unsafe behavior and potentially help prevent it, said Dr. Jonathan Klein, a University of Rochester adolescent health expert who was not involved in the research.

“Asking about this sense of fatalism is probably a pretty important component of one of the ways we can figure out who those kids at greater risk are,” he said.

The study appears in the July issue of Pediatrics, released Monday.

Scientists once widely believed that teenagers take risks because they underestimate bad consequences and figure “it can’t happen to me,” the study authors say. The new research bolsters evidence refuting that thinking.

Washington, DC — To be effective, health care reform must include insurance coverage for everyone, encourage prevention measures, and reform the inefficiencies in our system to ensure the future strength of our economy. CPR—Coverage, Prevention, Reform—is a plan I have proposed that sets up a system where every American will be required to purchase meaningful health insurance to ensure each family will be protected against bankruptcy if a family member becomes seriously ill or injured. No family should lose their home or life-savings because of illness or injury. For those who may not be able to afford this plan, you will have assistance getting coverage.

This proposal also aggressively focuses on the need for more robust preventive care and creates incentives for people and businesses to work toward better health sooner, rather than later when such measures may not work and crisis treatment is much more costly. By offering first-dollar coverage for early health screenings and immunizations, this program will create the foundation for healthy lifestyles and reduce the need for later treatments. Further, by rewarding employees for taking part in employer-sponsored programs, which often include programs to help people quit smoking, fitness club membership options, and affordable access to programs like Weight Watchers, CPR creates incentives that will motivate Americans to take control of and improve their personal health.

The third component of CPR entails much needed reform of the way we pay for health care in this country. As it stands now, health care constitutes 17% of the U.S. economy, an amount that totals more than $8,000 annually for every person in the U.S. We already have more than $38 trillion in promised Medicare benefits over the next 75 years that we don’t know how to pay for. The President himself has stated, “The biggest threat to our nation’s balance sheet is the skyrocketing cost of health care.” We don’t need more health care that spends more taxpayer dollars to grow government; we need better health care that offers Americans peace of mind and quality care at prices they can afford.

Reform starts with paying for quality, not quantity. According to a study at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, as much as $750 billion is spent each year on procedures or health-related services that don’t necessarily help patients get better. For example, when discharging patients, hospitals have an obligation to provide patients with a care plan to ensure they don’t end up readmitted. However, Medicare pays more to hospitals when a patient ends up back in the hospital. And physicians are paid more when they order more tests, procedures and office visits, whether you need them or not.

Ask yourself: Would you pay your dinner bill if the waiter spilled your first plate all over the floor, brought you a replacement plate, and then charged you double? We have the information and ability to change how we pay for health care; we just need to begin implementing the policies to do it, such as informing providers and the public of their performance compared to other providers in their locality and around the country. Payment incentives can also be instituted to improve care by encouraging physicians to coordinate care for patients, thereby eliminating unnecessary procedures and tests. Efforts such as these will improve quality and reduce costs.

We can respond appropriately to the health care crisis that faces millions of families by focusing on providing coverage for everyone, ensuring prevention becomes part of your health care plan, and reforming inefficiencies in the system at the same time we address the future economic security of this country.

Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) is the ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee and the former chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

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