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Geraldine Ferraro: V.P. candidate inspired a generation of women

s districtShe first ran for Congress in 1978, in the Queens district where the popular TV show All in the Family and its antihero Archie Bunker was set. She labeled herself a small c conservative, running with the slogan "Finally, A Tough Democrat. She won reelection handily in 1980 and 1982.

In later years, Ferraro lost two bids for the US Senate nomination. She also served on the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, and she worked as a television political commentator and co-host of CNNs Crossfire.

As news of Ferraros passing spread, those who knew her Republicans and Democrats alike remembered the qualities and achievements that made her unique.

Geraldine will forever be remembered as a trailblazer who broke down barriers for women, and Americans of all backgrounds and walks of life, President Obama said in a statement. Sasha and Malia will grow up in a more equal America because of the life Geraldine Ferraro chose to live.

Though we were one-time political opponents, I am happy to say Gerry and I became friends in time a friendship marked by respect and affection, said former president George H. W. Bush. I admired Gerry in many ways, not the least of which was the dignified and principled manner she blazed new trails for women in politics.

She inspired women across the country to reach their own greatness as they strengthened our country, said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Her service in the House is a source of pride to all of us in Congress.

Sarah Palin, who became the second woman to be nominated as vice president by a major political party, got to know Ferraro during last years elections.

When I had the honor of working alongside Geraldine on election night last year, we both discussed the role of women in politics and our excited expectation that someday that final glass ceiling would be shattered by the election of a woman president, the former Alaska governor, who ran as John McCains running mate in 2008, wrote on Facebook. She was an amazing woman who dedicated her life to public service as a teacher, prosecutor, Congresswoman, and Vice Presidential candidate. She broke one huge barrier and then went on to break many more.

Praise from a former Republican SpeakerWe came to Congress at the same time and I had great admiration when she was when picked to be the first woman Vice Presidential candidate for a major party, said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. She was a very smart, very hardworking, wonderful person with a deep love for her family and for America.

Those who broke political ground with Ferraro were especially touched by her passing.

I came to Congress two years before Gerry, remembers Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D) of Maryland. There were only 17 women in Congress at the time women like Barbara Jordan, Shirley Chisholm, Elizabeth Holtzman. We became friends. We were the early birds. We weren't afraid to ruffle feathers.

Today, there are 76 women in the US House of Representatives and 17 women in the US Senate.

In her nomination acceptance speech in 1984, Ferraro sent a strong message to future generations:

By choosing a woman to run for our nations second highest office, you sent a powerful signal to all Americans. There are no doors we cannot unlock. We will place no limits on achievement. If we can do this, we can do anything.

IN PICTURES: Notable women in US politics

Sri Lanka rise to England challenge in W.Cup quarters

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara hopes fit-again spinner Muttiah Muralitharan rises to the challenge of a World Cup quarter-final against England on Saturday.

Sangakkara said the 38-year-old off-spinner, who will retire from international cricket after the tournament, was fully fit for the R. Premadasa stadium clash.

Muralitharan, who has a world record of 530 one-day wickets, injured his hamstring during Sri Lanka's impressive 112-run win over New Zealand last week, but has since recovered.

The wily off-spinner is the only survivor of Sri Lanka's historic five-wicket win over England in the 1996 quarter-final -- one of Sri Lanka's two wins over their opponents in eight World Cup matches.

Muralitharan took two wickets in that match in Faisalabad before Sri Lanka went on to capture their only World Cup title.

"Muralitharan is a hundred percent fit. He is a guy who rises to the occasion and we are confident about what he can do for us in this crucial match," said Sangakkara on Friday.

Sangakkara refused to believe that the pressure will only be on Sri Lanka, playing before a packed 35,000 crowd.

"I don't think the pressure will only be on us. All sides feel the intensity and pressure of a big match with the incentive of a semi-final place involved," said Sangakkara, whose team finished runners-up to Australia in 2007 World Cup held in the Caribbean.

Sangakkara said England have proven their worth in the group stages.

"England are one of the best sides and they have proven it in the tournament so expect nothing less than their best," said Sangakkara, praising England's batting and bowling.

In Jonathan Trott (336 runs) and captain Andrew Strauss (329), England have two quality batsmen but their bowling has been a weak link.

The Ashes winners, who have yet to win the World Cup, opened the tournament with a tied match against India, lost to both Ireland and Bangladesh but still beat South Africa to qualify for the last eight.

With Graeme Swann (12 wickets) and James Tredwell, who took a match-winning four wickets in the decisive Group B win over the West Indies, England have two quality spinners.

"If we do progress in this tournament, we've got to be a lot better than we have been. We're not going to hide from that," said Strauss.

England have suffered a stream of injuries in the tournament having seen ace batsman Kevin Pietersen (hernia), pacemen Stuart Broad (side strain) and Ajmal Shahzad (hamstring) forced out.

All-rounder Michael Yardy then pulled out due to depression, forcing England to bring in leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who won't make it from the Caribbean, where he has been touring with the England second-string, in time for the match.

England will also hope Tim Bresnen recovers fully from a calf niggle.

If not, medium pacer Jade Dernbach, flown in as replacement earlier this week, could get a chance.

The winner of Sri Lanka-England quarter-final will meet the winner of the South Africa-New Zealand clash in the first semi-final in Colombo on March 29.

India and Pakistan meet in the second semi-final in Mohali on March 30.

U-M Transplant Center Performs 500th Lung Transplant; One Organ Donor Saves Two Lives

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 16, 2011 – Two Michigan residents received lungs simultaneously, are recovering well from transplant operations that were a milestone for U-M program

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The University of Michigan Transplant Center celebrated a milestone recently, performing its 500th lung transplant. But there's much more to this story than a number.

U-M surgeons performed both transplant No. 499 and No. 500 almost simultaneously on Jan. 3. Both recipients were saved by a single organ donor.

No. 499 is Jack Wagner, a 64-year-old from Brighton, Mich. No. 500 is Dan Roy, a 64-year-old from Brownstown Township, Mich. Both men had Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). A diagnosis of IPF is not much better than a death sentence: there is no treatment and the survival rate is less than three years.

Roy's older brother died of the same disease before he could get a transplant.

The two men actually ran into each other as they rushed to University Hospital after getting the call that a lung was available. Seeing each other's oxygen tanks, they asked each other what brought them to the hospital. Roy said he was getting a new left lung. Surprised, Wagner replied he was getting a right lung.

Thanks to the Michigan resident who donated those lungs, Roy and Wagner will be able to watch their grandchildren grow up, enjoy their retirement years with family and avoid becoming housebound with a debilitating disease.

"We were both elated. We haven't come down from that high," says Roy. The two men have since found out they share many things in common they are both Vietnam veterans and retirees from the auto industry. Both are 64, had three children and have been married more than 40 years.

"The whole family knew this disease was a death sentence, and I was not destined to see my grandchildren grow up. The gift of this lung, this second chance at life, was enormous. People tell me 'we've got our old Dan back.'"

Jules Lin, M.D., assistant professor of thoracic surgery at U-M, did the 500th lung transplant for Roy on Jan. 3.

"The surgery itself was like others we've done, but it is remarkable that 500 have been done here. For me, it's rewarding to be a part of that," says Lin.

Lung transplant patients have good survival rates and can often return to the activities they loved. Both Wagner and Roy were already very dependent on oxygen and as the disease progressed rapidly, getting close to becoming homebound. Both were facing setting aside an active lifestyle in fact Wagner routinely played softball and had gone to see his doctor about a shoulder injury when he found out he had IPF.

"The diagnosis shook me to the core. I exercised a lot and never thought this would happen to me," says Wagner, who adds that his good physical condition did help him qualify for the transplant and survive the procedure.

U-M transplants more lungs than any other hospital in Michigan. The program has been around since 1990. About 1,500 lungs are transplanted annually each year, and U-M ranks among the top third of lung transplant programs based on the number of operations.

"Just improving a person's life and allowing them to have a productive life again being able to eat, sleep and live without thinking of their lung disease it's very rewarding. It's a great story to highlight the tremendous need for organ donation," says Kevin Chan, M.D., U-M's Medical Director of Lung Transplantation.

Chan stressed the important role of the donor's family members, whose generosity in a time of tragedy allowed others a second chance at life.

"The thanks really shouldn't go to us, but more to the family of the person who passed who made it possible to save another person's life. They are the true 'heroes' of this story," Chan says.

Every year, 30,000 Americans die from IPF, a disease that often affects older people. Its cause generally is unknown, although cumulative injuries like exposure to environmental toxins and pollutants in genetically susceptible individuals could contribute to causing fibrosis.

There is a gradual scarring of the lung, thickening and contracting the organ until it loses its ability to exchange oxygen with blood. Patients experience extreme fatigue, rapid weight loss, chronic cough and shortness of breath.

There are 5 million people worldwide that are affected by this disease, according to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. In the United States there are more than 100,000 patients with pulmonary fibrosis.

Both Wagner and Roy waited only about a month before they received the new lungs. At U-M, the waiting period for lungs is about seven months on average.

Every day, 19 people die while waiting for an organ transplant and another 138 people are added to the national waiting list. More than 100,000 people are on that waiting list enough to fill Michigan Stadium where the Wolverines play football.

"I think organ donation is a very simple gift that anyone can make. And the more people that do it, the more people who can have this better lease on life," says Rishindra M. Reddy, M.D., assistant professor of surgery at U-M, and the thoracic surgeon who performed Wagner's transplant.

Both Wagner and Roy thanked Gift of Life Michigan and the donor for the gift of a second chance.

"That donor helped out tremendously, allowing two people or more to carry on their lives a lot longer than 64 years of age. We're hoping it is 84, 94 years of age," Wagner says.

Resources:

Gift of Life Michigan:

U-M Transplant Center:

SOURCEUniversity of Michigan Health System

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Illinois governor's budget relies on big bond sale

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (Reuters) – Illinois Governor Pat Quinn on Wednesday proposed a budget that largely depends on selling more debt to pay off a pile of bills that have left Illinois' finances the weakest among U.S. states.

Tax increases Illinois enacted last month did not solve the state's budget dilemma, and Quinn suggested that opponents of his proposed $8.75 billion bond sale identify programs to eliminate to free up money to pay the state's overdue bills.

"Even with our new (tax) revenues, if we do not restructure our debt it will take us decades for us to return to the prompt payment cycle of a fiscally responsible government," the Democratic governor told the General Assembly.

"Billions of dollars of existing bills will not go away by magic," Quinn said.

Republicans, who voted against the tax hikes and oppose the borrowing, are the minority party but their votes are needed for the three-fifths majority required for general obligation bond sales.

Illinois is currently facing roughly $10 billion in bills for state services, corporate tax refunds, and group health insurance payments, while it also has to pay back money it borrowed from other state funds, state officials said.

The $52.7 billion fiscal 2012 budget, which includes nearly $35.4 billion of spending for essential operations, would be balanced if lawmakers agree to the bond issue, they said.

Without money from the 15-year bonds, the state would continue its cycle of pushing expenses incurred in one fiscal year into the next, exacerbating its structural budget deficit as bigger and bigger chunks of revenue from the new fiscal year would not be available to pay for current services.

Illinois' finances were cited this month as the weakest among U.S. states in a Reuters poll of Wall Street professionals and investors who were asked about the $2.8 trillion municipal bond market.

TAX HIKE STEAMS REPUBLICANS

The usually tame market has been shaken by predictions that some local governments may default on debt and by suggestions that states be allowed to file for bankruptcy, an option that is currently not available

Illinois, the fifth-most populous state, was the second largest issuer of debt in 2010 behind much-larger California, which shares with Illinois an A1 bond rating that is the lowest for states from Moody's Investors Service.

The rating agency has cited Illinois' bill backlog and growing debt burden as factors that could lead to a rating downgrade.

Illinois pushed a record $6 billion in fiscal 2010 bills into the current fiscal year, said Budget Director David Vaught, adding that all those bills were paid by the end of December.

Republicans are still steaming over last month's approval along party lines of a 67 percent four-year increase in the individual income tax rate and a 46 percent temporary hike in the corporate tax rate. While the tax increase is expected to generate about $6.8 billion a year, the state needs more than that amount of cash before fiscal 2011 ends on June 30 to avoid pushing a record amount of bills and other expenses into the next fiscal year.

Jack Lavin, Quinn's chief of staff, said a slice of the tax increase was set aside in the law to pay off the bonds.

Illinois tied the tax increases to restrictions on spending that limit growth to 2 percent annually through fiscal 2015. For the fiscal year that begins on July 1, general fund spending is capped at $36.8 billion and Quinn's budget at just under $35.4 billion is below the cap.

(Editing by Andrew Stern and Jackie Frank)

Pujols deadline passes with no deal announced

JUPITER, Fla. – The deadline for Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals to reach a new contract agreement has passed with no announcement from either side.

The Cardinals scheduled a news conference for 12:30 p.m. at their spring training complex.

Pujols, a nine-time All-Star, is the only player in major league history to hit 30 or more home runs each of his first 10 seasons — all coming with the Cardinals, the franchise he has said in the past he wants to remain with for the rest of his career.

But the sides failed in recent months to reach common ground, raising the possibility the three-time NL MVP may be on the cusp of his final season in St. Louis.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Albert Pujols' locker was stocked Wednesday morning with a red jersey, four pairs of white and gray baseball pants, his spring-training parking pass and several other items.

Still missing: A new contract from the St. Louis Cardinals, and the window to get that done is fast closing.

With a noon Eastern deadline for a new deal looming, Pujols was not at camp with the Cardinals on Wednesday. Many of his teammates were, including a handful of position players who were at work ahead of schedule. Pujols is expected to join them Thursday, whether or not the three-time NL MVP has a contract done to his liking.

"It really doesn't matter to us," said Cardinals pitcher and union rep Kyle McClellan. "It's none of our business. It's none of anybody's business. ... The truth is, I've never been on the mound and thinking of Albert Pujols' contract."

St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said Tuesday that he believes Pujols is feeling pressure from the union to "set the bar" with this deal, which some expect could exceed Alex Rodriguez's $275 million, 10-year pact with the New York Yankees.

On Wednesday, La Russa insisted that he'd said too much already.

"It was kind of omitted. I said if I was running the union or part of the union, I'm not sure I'd handle it any different," La Russa said, about two hours before the noon deadline. "I checked with some of our veteran coaches. It strains credibility a little bit to think there hasn't been any contact or mention. He's too significant."

Union officials have denied pressuring Pujols or his agent, Danny Lozano. And McClellan said La Russa's comments did not create an awkward situation for him, even though as the union rep in the Cardinals' clubhouse, he had to take a decidedly different stance than his manager.

"It doesn't really have anything to do with me. I just represent the players," McClellan said. "All I can do is get the facts that I know, that the union's job is to make sure that the players and agents are informed. They're not going to overstep any boundaries and tell anybody what to do. Everybody's a grown man. They can make a decision for themselves."

La Russa said often Wednesday morning that his focus is on spring training and the NL Central, not what will or won't happen with his slugger.

"We don't want to get our minds cluttered as a team," La Russa said. "There's enough to do. ... The competition in the Central and the National League has got our complete attention. And that's just what we're going to think about. You can choose what you think about. That's what we're going to think about."

General manager John Mozeliak has said it's not necessary that a deal be signed by noon Wednesday, but the sides would need to have agreed to terms. Mozeliak was planning to speak about the negotiations Wednesday afternoon, team officials said.

Pujols, a nine-time All-Star, is the only player in major league history to hit 30 or more home runs each of his first 10 seasons — all coming with the Cardinals, the franchise he has said in the past he wants to remain with for the rest of his career.

He has a .331 career batting average and averaged 41 homers and 123 RBIs. He's also won six Silver Slugger Awards and two Gold Gloves.

Last year he batted .312 with 42 homers and 118 RBIs and finished second in MVP balloting.

"I don't think there's a better guy for us to have on the team," Cardinals second baseman Skip Schumaker said. "He's the face of the franchise. You respect both sides of it. You respect what the Cardinals are doing, you respect the management and what Albert's agent is doing. It's a tough situation, as everybody knows. He's an iconic player."