Alex started selling lemonade four years ago with one stand 카지노사이트 - http://www.xujiaart.com/ and raised $2,000 in a single day. Each year brought more stands, manned by friends and volunteers.

The take so far: more than $200,000, including $15,000 brought in last year by the stand at the Scotts' suburban Philadelphia.

"She's determined about anything that's important to her, whether it's what kind of ice cream she's eating or raising money," said Alex's mother, Liz Scott. "I think (the stand) does keep her going sometimes."

This year, on Saturday, all 50 states will have "Alex's Lemonade Stands" open for business. Alex's father, Jay Scott, estimates - http://www.bbc.co.uk/search/?q=estimates that as many as 1,000 stands will be pouring the icy cold concoction.

"I think it just shows, you read a lot of bad stuff in the news, it shows how good people really are," Jay Scott said.

Two days before her first birthday, Alex was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that originates in certain nerve cells. The survival rate for high-risk neuroblastoma, which Alex has, is just 40 percent.

"Alex would have died many years ago if it wasn't for newer experimental therapies, and I think that's something she and her parents recognize," said Dr. John Maris, who has directed Alex's care at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Neuroblastoma is diagnosed in about 700 U.S. children every year.

Though excited about Saturday, Alex has been drained by the chemotherapy and radiation being used to treat a new attack of tumors, her mother said. After seven years of treatment, her cancer is considered incurable.

"She's tired. She's exhausted," Liz Scott said. "Her future has always been uncertain, but I don't think any of us — me, my husband, her doctor — has felt this pessimistic before.

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Because of her frail condition, her parents and doctor have encouraged Alex to cut back on her fund-raising activities. But she insisted on appearing on a television morning show last Friday to publicize the fifth annual "Alex's Lemonade Stand" day

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After last year's stand, the Scotts put out a call over the Internet for help in every state. Advertising fliers were posted on Alex's Web site, and the Scotts sent out dozens of coupons for free lemonade mix

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Alex has given $150,000 to her Philadelphia hospital. Thousands more have gone for research in Connecticut, Michigan, Texas and California. This year's take will also go for research, but the family hasn't decided yet where

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"Alex will have a big say in that," Liz Scott said. "She always does.

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Some days Alex feels good, like earlier this week when she saw the new Harry Potter movie. Other days she doesn't. Every day she lives knowing many of her friends have died of neuroblastoma

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Her mom calls Alex "the bravest person I know," and she holds out hope her daughter can overcome her disease

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"I'm obviously very proud of her, but it's more than that," Liz Scott said. "I feel privileged to be her mom. I admire her."

An Environmental Protection Agency official responded that the study misconstrued EPA data and created no reason for the government to change its recommendations on eating wild freshwater fish. An official of a commercial fish trade group said the study examined data on recreational fishing, not farm-raised freshwater fish found in supermarkets.

About 2,500 fish collected from 260 bodies of water from 1999 to 2001 showed the presence of mercury, the report said. The toxic metal can cause neurological and developmental problems, particularly in young children.

The report was prepared for Clear the Air, a joint campaign of the Clean Air Task Force, the National Environmental Trust and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. The study recommended more restrictions on mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Seventy-six percent of the fish samples exceeded EPA's mercury exposure limit for children of average weight under the age of three, the report said. And 55 percent contained mercury that exceeded the limit for women of average weight, it said. The report assumed that people in both groups ate fish twice a week.

The high levels of mercury raise the risks of neurological problems in young children or in fetuses of women who ate the fish, said Emily Figdor, a clean air advocate at U.S. PIRG and the study's author. She could not say how many more such cases could be expected.

Although the EPA agrees that mercury exposure is a serious public health issue, the Clear the Air study misused EPA's exposure limits, said EPA spokeswoman Cynthia Bergman.

The advocacy group, in saying the mercury exceeded safe levels, applied standards the EPA set very low to be on the conservative and safe side of any possible errors, Bergman said. The study also based its estimates on material not from EPA, 바카라사이트 - http://www.caddietoursonline.com/cad_tours-past.php taking its consumption estimates from the American Heart Association's recommendation that people ought to eat two fish meals a week, she said.

The report does not create a reason for the EPA and the Food and Drug Administration to change the guidance the agencies gave in March on eating wild fish, Bergman said. The agencies said people should check with state or local authorities - http://ccmixter.org/api/query?datasource=uploads&search_type=all&sort=ra... to learn the safety of the fish. If no such advice is available, people should eat no more than one six-ounce portion a week and should eat no other fish, they said.

Consumers who buy their freshwater fish at markets should not be alarmed about the study, which looked at sources of recreationally caught fish, said Bob Collette, vice president for science and technology at the National Fisheries Institute, a fish industry trade group.

Most freshwater fish that people eat is raised on farms and is not a danger, Collette said.

The report said reducing mercury emissions from power plants is crucial to reducing unsafe levels of mercury in the fish. It criticized the Bush administration as planning to "delay even modest reductions in mercury from power plants until after 2025."

The EPA's Bergman said the administration had taken a big step forward by deciding to regulate the emissions, but she said technology needed for plants to make the cuts had not yet proved itself. U.S. PIRG's Figdor disputed that, and said some states were imposing earlier deadlines on emissions control than the EPA has planned.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Friday signed a bill barring people from filing lawsuits claiming a restaurant caused weight gain, 카지노사이트 - http://128.199.151.213/ obesity - http://scp-knowledge.org/?s=obesity or other health problems.

Illinois joins 11 other states to enact such laws, 10 of which have been signed since March, according to the National Restaurant Association. Louisiana led the way by enacting a "frivolous-lawsuit" law last summer.

Blagojevich said signing the "Illinois Common Sense Consumption Act" promotes personal responsibility.

"Obesity is a serious problem in Illinois," Blagojevich said in a prepared statement. "But blaming a restaurant for weight gain is not the answer."

A federal judge in New York last year dismissed two lawsuits alleging Oak Brook-based McDonald's Corp. had caused obesity and related health problems in thousands of children. The judge said the law shouldn't try to protect people from their own excesses and that other factors besides fast food could have caused failing health.

"We must put the focus on healthier lifestyles and nutritional balance instead of costly lawsuits and litigation that only serve to clog up our courts and drive up the cost of a meal," said the bill's sponsor, Sen. John Cullerton, D-Chicago.

The federal government estimates 6 percent of Illinois residents and nearly 8 percent of Medicare recipients are obese, according to the governor's office.

Similar measures still are pending in six states, according to the restaurant association, but nine other states considered legislation this year but killed it.

The U.S. House also passed a similar law in March.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Friday signed a bill barring people from filing lawsuits claiming a restaurant caused weight gain, obesity or other health problems.

Illinois joins 11 other states to enact such laws, 10 of which have been signed since March, according to the National Restaurant - http://www.answers.com/topic/National%20Restaurant Association. Louisiana led the way by enacting a "frivolous-lawsuit" law last summer.

Blagojevich said signing the "Illinois Common Sense Consumption Act" promotes personal responsibility.

"Obesity is a serious problem in Illinois," Blagojevich said in a prepared statement. "But blaming a restaurant for weight gain is not the answer."

A federal judge in New York last year dismissed two lawsuits alleging Oak Brook-based McDonald's Corp. had caused obesity and related health problems in thousands of children. The judge said the law shouldn't try to protect people from their own excesses and that other factors besides fast food could have caused failing health.

"We must put the focus on healthier lifestyles and nutritional balance instead of costly lawsuits and litigation that only serve to clog up our courts and drive up the cost of a meal," said the bill's sponsor, 카지노사이트 - https://www.lattanzishoes.it/ Sen. John Cullerton, D-Chicago.

The federal government estimates 6 percent of Illinois residents and nearly 8 percent of Medicare recipients are obese, according to the governor's office.

Similar measures still are pending in six states, according to the restaurant association, but nine other states considered legislation this year but killed it.

The U.S. House also passed a similar law in March.

Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program provided a safety net for children whose parents' coverage ended or became too expensive during the economic downturn at the start of the decade, said the Center for Studying Health System Change, a private research organization in Washington, D.C.

"Public insurance clearly picked up the slack," the group said in its report.

A separate Urban Institute report highlighted problems children face when they lack insurance, including missing regular checkups and visiting hospital emergency rooms for routine care. Nearly half of uninsured children had no checkup in the last year, that report said.

The studies were released in tandem by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as part of its Covering Kids and Families campaign to boost children's health insurance. The foundation said lack of insurance is especially pronounced among African-American and Hispanic children.

Public insurance programs typically see enrollment increase when the economy slows and 카지노사이트 - https://m-preview.com/doctornina/ people lose their jobs. The study of employer coverage found 67 percent of Americans were insured through their employers in 2001. By 2003, that number had dropped to 63.4 percent.

Sustained economic growth should increase employer coverage, easing the burden on public programs, the health research group said.

As it is, states that have struggled with budget crises because of the economy are trying to cut health program costs, although several million more children are eligible for them. State actions have included restricting eligibility, freezing enrollment and increasing participants' - http://www.bbc.co.uk/search/?q=increasing%20participants%27 contributions, several studies have found.

Federal and state governments share the costs of both Medicaid, which provides health care for the poorest families and children, and SCHIP, for children from working poor families.

The plans cover - http://topofblogs.com/tag/plans%20cover more than 17 million children, the Johnson foundation said. Eligibility varies by state, but on average, a family of four earning up to $37,000 a year can qualify, it said.By Mark Sherman

An Environmental Protection Agency official responded that the study misconstrued EPA data and created no reason for the government to change its recommendations on eating wild freshwater fish. An official of a commercial fish trade group said the study examined data on recreational fishing, not farm-raised freshwater fish found in supermarkets.

About 2,500 fish collected from 260 bodies of water from 1999 to 2001 showed the presence of mercury, the report said. The toxic metal can cause neurological and developmental problems, particularly in young children.

The report was prepared for Clear the Air, a joint campaign of the Clean Air Task Force, the National Environmental Trust and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. The study recommended more restrictions on mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Seventy-six percent of the fish samples exceeded EPA's mercury exposure limit for children of average weight under the age of three, the report said. And 55 percent contained mercury that exceeded the limit for women of average weight, it said. The report assumed that people in both groups ate fish twice a week.

The high levels of mercury raise the risks of neurological problems in young children or in fetuses of women who ate the fish, said Emily Figdor, a clean air advocate at U.S. PIRG and the study's author. She could not say how many more such cases could be expected.

Although the EPA agrees that mercury exposure is a serious public health issue, the Clear the Air study misused EPA's exposure limits, said EPA spokeswoman Cynthia Bergman.

The advocacy group, in saying the mercury exceeded safe levels, 카지노사이트 - http://sonhawegen.com/ applied standards the EPA set very low to be on the conservative and safe side of any possible errors, Bergman said. The study also based its estimates on material not from EPA, taking its consumption estimates from the American Heart Association's recommendation that people ought to eat two fish meals a week, she said.

The report does not create a reason for the EPA and the Food and Drug Administration to change the guidance the agencies gave in March on eating wild fish, Bergman said. The agencies said people should check with state or local authorities to learn the safety of the fish. If no such advice is available, people should eat no more than one six-ounce portion a week and should eat no other fish, they said.

Consumers who buy their freshwater fish at markets should not be alarmed about the study, which looked at sources of recreationally caught fish, said Bob Collette, vice president for science and technology at the National Fisheries Institute, a fish industry trade group.

Most freshwater fish - http://www.google.com/search?q=freshwater%20fish&btnI=lucky that people eat is raised on farms and is not a danger, Collette said.

The report said reducing mercury emissions from power plants is crucial to reducing unsafe levels of mercury in the fish. It criticized the Bush administration as planning to "delay even modest reductions in mercury from power plants until after 2025."

The EPA's Bergman said the administration had taken a big step forward by deciding to regulate the emissions, but she said technology - http://www.encyclopedia.com/searchresults.aspx?q=technology needed for plants to make the cuts had not yet proved itself. U.S. PIRG's Figdor disputed that, and said some states were imposing earlier deadlines on emissions control than the EPA has planned.