Author Archives: Admin

Journey comes to Tulsa

Tracy Crain

Tulsa Today is pleased to welcome classic rock bands Journey and Night Ranger to the BOK Center this evening for what is sure to be a lively night of great rock and roll.

Journey, who has sold over 47 million records, not only “created the power ballad” (BOK Center), they are a band that has truly survived the test of time.

Tickets for this evening’s show range from $29.50-$79.50 and may be purchased at the BOK Center box office or online at www.bokcenter.com.

Doors are scheduled to open at 6:30p.m. and the show starts at 7:30p.m. The BOK Center is requesting no audio, video or professional photography, please.
Journey’s new 10-week tour, which has been one of the most anticipated concerts of the year, is scheduled to end with a September 26 concert at New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, LA.

Just wrapping up a July 29-30 performance at Pala Casino in Pala, CA, the group arrives into Tulsa rested and ready to rock.

With this tour, Journey is promoting its 13th studio album, "Revelation," released in June 2008, which hit No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and peaked at No. 1 on the independent albums chart.

The Platinum-certified release is also the first to feature new lead singer Arnel Pineda, who is based in the Philippines.

“In early December 2007, Journey announced that the Manila-born vocalist would be the most recent replacement for original singer Steve Perry, who left the band after a hip injury suffered in 1997 prevented him from touring.

In the decade since Perry’s departure, several vocalists have filled in for him on the band’s tours and albums.” (Ticketnews.com)

For more information on this event, visit the BOK Center website at http://www.bokcenter.com/events.asp?id=11&pid=171&task=display

Hear some great utube recordings here: site one and site two.

Journey’s official website: http://www.journeymusic.com/home

Clinical trial seeking volunteers

Staff Report

Wednesday, 05 August 2009
REDMOND, Wash.– Oklahoma State University issued the following news release: Spiration, Inc., a developer of novel medical devices designed to benefit patients with acute and chronic conditions of the lung, announced today that several new clinical sites are now actively recruiting patients for participation in a pivotal trial of the company’s minimally invasive treatment for severe emphysema.

These sites include Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, Okla., Akron General Medical Center in Akron, Ohio; Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wis.; National Jewish Health in Denver, Colo.; New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center in New York, N.Y.; Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, Ill.; University of Iowa Health Care in Iowa City, Iowa; University of California, San Diego Medical Center; the University of Chicago Medical Center; the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla.; and the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, Wash.

"We’re very excited about the addition of these well-respected sites to the first-rate hospitals already participating in the IBV Valve Trial," said Rick Shea, president and CEO, Spiration.

"The approximately 30 sites actively enrolling patients in the study are leaders in their communities helping to advance medical research that may one day improve the lives of people with emphysema, a debilitating condition that severely impacts quality of life."

Other sites now actively recruiting patients for the study include:

Alexian Brothers Medical Center, Elk Grove Village, Ill.

Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio

Emory Healthcare, Atlanta, Ga.

Franciscan Health System Research Center, Tacoma, Wash.

Franklin Square Hospital Center/Pulmonary & Critical Care Associates, Baltimore, Md.

HealthPartners, St. Paul, Minn.

Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pa.

Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, N.Y.

Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, Okla.

Pulmonary Associates of Mobile, P.C., Mobile, Alabama

Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, R.I.

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, Calif.

Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Sarasota, Fla.

Scott & White Memorial Hospital, Temple, Texas

University of Alabama at Birmingham, Ala.

University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, Calif.

University of Louisville, Louisville, Ky.

University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, Pa.

University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah

University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas

University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Va.

About the IBV Valve Trial
The pivotal trial to treat patients with emphysema will generate safety and effectiveness data for submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This prospective, randomized, blinded clinical trial will enroll up to 500 patients at up to 50 sites in the United States.

Study investigators are still actively recruiting patients for the IBV Valve Trial. The study is open to men and women age 40 to 74 who have been diagnosed with predominantly upper lobe emphysema and shortness of breath with exertion.

Eligible patients must be able to participate in pulmonary function and standardized exercise tests, have not smoked for four months and be willing to not smoke during the trial. Additional criteria must be met for participation in the study. For more information, including a complete list of trial site locations, please visit www.emphysematrial.com or call 877-54-STUDY (877-547-8839).

About the IBV Valve System

The IBV Valve System is a minimally invasive treatment that has diverse applications in both acute and chronic conditions of the lung. During the minimally invasive procedure, a catheter is passed through a bronchoscope (a flexible tube passed into the bronchial tubes through the mouth or nose) to deploy the small umbrella-shaped valves into the airways of the lungs. The valves are designed to be easily removed via a similar bronchoscopic procedure.

The device has received Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to control prolonged air leaks of the lung, or significant air leaks that are likely to become prolonged, following lobectomy, segmentectomy, or lung volume reduction surgery. The effectiveness of this device for this use has not been demonstrated.

The IBV Valve System is currently under investigation in the U.S. as a new treatment option for the many people with severe emphysema who do not respond well to current medical therapies or are not eligible for or elect not to undergo invasive surgery such as lung volume reduction or lung transplantation.

The IBV Valve System is marketed and distributed by Olympus in Europe, where the system has received market clearance through the CE Mark for the treatment of diseased and damaged lung, an indication that includes the treatment of emphysema and the control of prolonged air leaks. Olympus also has development and distribution rights for the IBV Valve System in Japan.

About Spiration, Inc.
Spiration, Inc. is committed to improving quality of life for patients with acute and chronic conditions of the lung through the development of novel therapies. Founded in 1999 in Redmond, Wash., the privately held company is backed by prominent investors including Three Arch Partners, New Enterprise Associates, Versant Ventures, New Leaf Ventures (Sprout Group), InterWest Partners, Investor Growth Capital, Saints Capital and Olympus Medical Systems Corp. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.spiration.com.

Information about the U.S. pivotal study of Spiration’s IBV Valve System may be found at www.emphysematrial.com.

Caution: The IBV Valve is not yet approved for use in emphysema, but is subject to an ongoing clinical investigation in which approval for use in emphysema will be sought. The IBV Valve is a Humanitarian Use Device authorized by Federal (or United States) Law for the control of prolonged air leaks of the lung, or significant air leaks that are likely to become prolonged following lobectomy, segmentectomy, or lung volume reduction surgery. The effectiveness of this device for this use has not been demonstrated.

Photo credits: general stock photo on web

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 05 August 2009 )

Freedmen Association hosts meeting Saturday

Staff Report

Wednesday, 05 August 2009
The Descendants of Freedmen Association will host their next meeting on Sat., Aug. 8, 2009 in Muskogee Oklahoma.

The meeting will be held beginning at 1pm at Elliot Park. Attendants are asked to bring a "covered dish" to share with other meeting attendants. Meeting attendants will be updated about the recent naacp national conference.

For more information on the meeting, please contact Mister Graham: 918-756-5886 or Mrs Vann: 405-818-5360. Immediately following the Descendants meeting will be a meeting of the Cherokee freeedmen band of OKlahoma.

Meeting attendants will be updated on recent events in Washington DC as well as federal case updates.

For more information on the meeting, please contact Mrs Vann: 405-818-5360 or Mister Hightower: 918-360-2029

Both meetings are free and open to the general public of all races, creeds, colors and tribal affiliations.

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 05 August 2009 )

Inhofe appoints Tulsa native to staff

Staff Report

Wednesday, 05 August 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) today announced the addition of a new staff member in his Washington office. Joel Starr, a Tulsa native, joins the office as Legislative Assistant and Counsel to the Senator on issues pertaining to Inhofe’s recent appointment to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“As a native Oklahoman, I am very proud to join the Inhofe team,” Starr said. “Senator Inhofe will play a vital role on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I look forward to using my professional foreign relations experience to assist him on this new committee assignment.”

Starr most recently served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs at the Department of State. He was responsible for relations between the U.S. House of Representatives and the Department of State.

Immediately before this position, Starr served as Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

He has also previously served as Counsel and foreign affairs Legislative Assistant to Congressman Tom Campbell of California, and as an Attorney/Advisor to Housing and Urban Development Secretary Jack Kemp.

Starr is a Major in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Army Reserve, and is a member of the 151st Legal Support Organization out of Alexandria, Virginia.

He is a graduate of Westminster College, the University of Oklahoma and Harvard University.

Last Updated ( Friday, 21 August 2009 )

Enjoy your life, change your point of view

Staff Report

"Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud, and one sees the stars."- Frederick Langbridge, A Cluster of Quiet Thoughts

If you’ve placed second in a writing contest, will you jump for joy and push for better results the next time or will you be discouraged and find an excuse not to join again?

In life, you are always filled with choices. You may opt to have a pessimist’s view and live a self-defeated life or you may decide to take the optimist’s route and take a challenging and fulfilling life.

So why nurture an optimist’s point of view? And why now?

Well, optimism has been linked to positive mood and good morale; to academic, athletic, military, occupational and political success; to popularity; to good health and even to long life and freedom from trauma.

Here’s how optimists are in action and researches that back up why it really pays to be an optimist:

Optimists expect the best

The defining characteristic of pessimists is that they tend to believe bad events, which will last a long time and undermine everything they do, are their own fault.

The truth is optimists are confronted with the same hard knocks of this world. What differs is the way they explain their misfortune—it’s the opposite way. They tend to believe defeat is just a temporary setback, that its causes are confined to this one case.

Optimists tend to focus on and plan for the ‘problem’ at hand. They use ‘positive reinterpretation.’ In other words, they most likely reinterpret a negative experience in a way that helps them learn and grow. Such people are unfazed by bad situation, they perceive it is a challenge and try harder.

They won’t say “things will never get better,” “If I failed once, it will happen again” and “If I experience misfortune in one part of my life, then it will happen in my whole life.”

Positive expectancies of optimists also predict better reactions during transitions to new environments, sudden tragedies and unlikely turn of events. If they fall, they will stand up. They see opportunities instead of obstacles.

People respond positively to optimists

Optimists are proactive and less dependent on others for their happiness. They find no need to control or manipulate people. They usually draw people towards them. Their optimistic view of the world can be contagious and influence those they are with.

Optimism seems a socially desirable trait in all communities. Those who share optimism are generally accepted while those who spread gloom, panic and hysteria are treated unfavorably.

In life, these people often win elections; get voted most congenial and sought for advice.

When the going gets tough, optimists get tougher

Optimists typically maintain higher levels of subjective well-being during times of stress than do people who are less optimistic. In contrast, pessimists are likely to react to stressful events by denying that they exist or by avoiding dealing with problems. Pessimists are more likely to quit trying when difficulties arise.

They persevere. They just don’t give up easily, they are also known for their patience. Inching their way a step closer to that goal or elusive dream.

Optimists are healthier and live longer

Medical research has justified that simple pleasures and a positive outlook can cause a measurable increase in the body’s ability to fight disease.

Optimists’ health is unusually good. They age well, much freer than most people from the usual physical ills of middle age. And they get to outlive those prone to negative thoughts.

So why not be an optimist today? And think positively towards a more fulfilled life.

Why not look forward to success in all your endeavors? Why not be resilient? Like everybody else you are bound to hit lows sometimes but don’t just stay there. Carry yourself out of the mud and improve your chances of getting back on the right track. And why not inspire others to remove their dark-colored glasses and see life in the bright side?
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 19 August 2009 )