New destination for medical tourism: Puerto Rico

A growing number of Americans are looking farther south than Mexico, and a bit further east, for their ?medical tourism? needs.

Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory in the Caribbean, has become a top destination of choice for those attempting to bypass the high costs of healthcare in the United States.

According to the Medical Tourism Association, a global non-profit organization raising awareness on medical tourism,?Puerto Rico is joining the game of vying for the billions of dollars spent by people seeking cheaper healthcare abroad.

?Puerto Rico is becoming a prime destination for American medical tourists,? said Renee-Marie Stephano, President of the Medical Tourism Association based out of West Palm Beach, FL.

?Since Puerto Rico is just gaining momentum, it cannot be compared to other countries, but it could catch up very fast,? said Stephano.

With healthcare costs in the U.S. increasing at a rate of 6-percent a year, and insurance coverage decreasing, Latin America has always been a viable solution for Americans looking to save money.

?I saved a lot of money,? said Lorena Romero, with a sigh of relief.

Romero spent two weeks in Puerto Rico on a medical tourism trip through Satori World Medical. The company gives employers the option to send people internationally for their healthcare needs.

And in dire need of a hysterectomy, and trying to avoid high hospital fees in the United States, Romero chose Puerto Rico.

?Everything was paid for. I have no extra medical expenses from that trip,? she said.

?It was either Puerto Rico, Mexico or Turkey,? said Romero. ?I decided Puerto Rico because it would be closer to the U.S. and that way my mom wouldn?t be more worried that we were in some foreign country.?

?It was a wonderful experience. The doctor contacted me months in advance, and let me know step-by-step what was going to happen,? said Romero.

?The nurses would speak in Spanish, but when I responded in English, they responded back in English.?

According to the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, an organization that has monitored medical travel abroad, an estimated 1.6 million Americans would receive medical services abroad in 2012, with a growth rate of 35-percent per year. That?s over 2.1 billion dollars a year spent on healthcare services in other countries, costing the United States billions of dollars in lost revenue.

Countries like Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Brazil and Venezuela, have supported the American demand for cheaper healthcare abroad. Procedures can include anything from orthopedic surgery on hips, knees, back and spine, to cosmetic procedures like breast implants and face-lifts.

Other top destinations for international medical tourists include India, Thailand and other Asian countries.

According to the International Federation of Health Plans, a hip replacement in the U.S. on average would cost around $38,017. In Argentina, that same procedure would cost $3,589. A CT head scan in the U.S. goes for a commercial average of $510 or more. In Chile, that same procedure will cost around $184, and in countries like India, can be as low as $43.

In Puerto Rico, procedures like orthopedic surgery, cardiovascular disease treatment, oncology, neurology procedures, and many more, can be done for 60 to 80-percent less than in the United States, and with the same standards.

As a U.S. territory, all hospitals are required to comply with the U.S. infrastructure standards and be staffed by board certified physicians.

?It is American healthcare at much more affordable prices,? said Stephano.

The cost for supporting the infrastructure of healthcare in Puerto Rico is almost 70 to 80-percent less according to the Medical Tourism Association. The cost of labor for doctors and nurses, healthcare supplies, and equipment, all contribute to Puerto Rico?s lower prices.

Travel to Puerto Rico is also fast and simple for United States Citizens.? U.S. Citizens don?t require visa or a passport; just a government issued identification card.

Since most medical procedures abroad are outpatient, which can include anything from breast implants to dentistry, the patient can be sent home within hours of the surgery, making farther destinations a bit more complicated.

Puerto Rico doesn?t have that problem.

?When traveling to a medical facility away from home, patients look for three qualities ? ease of travel, value and high quality of services, and a safe leisure tourism haven. Puerto Rico has all three,? wrote the Puerto Rico Tourism Company on their website.

Many tourism agencies in Puerto Rico have been attempting to take advantage of that ease, creating travel packages for potential American patients. They offer activities like excursions, shopping, and cultural events, all to be enjoyed before or after the procedure.

?At the present there are over 70 hospital facilities, some that have partnerships with hotels,? writes the company.

?There are also six approved projects that integrate hotel and hospital facilities.?

One of those facilities is the 104-room Hyatt place, with the El Tropical Casino, that sits adjacent to the San Pablo HIMA Bayamon Hospital.

?The Puerto Rico Tourism Company has also provided training and presentations for members of the industry, including hotels and hospitals,? said Luis Rivera-Marin, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.

?These efforts are meant to create awareness of this market, and bring members of the industry together to begin a collaborative effort in promoting PR as a medical tourism destination.?

Despite some of the obvious advantages, many U.S. based doctors and lawyers continue to raise red flags about medical travel abroad.

For Jed Kurzban, an attorney in Miami, FL specializing in medical malpractice, he?s witnessed how medical travel abroad can play out of favor for the ?medical tourist.?

?I think it?s always more dangerous to go abroad because it limits your ability to recover (money) if there is wrong done to you,? said Kurzban.

He says it?s not uncommon to have patients seek malpractice abroad, and they usually come up short.

?If they are a out-of-country doctor, it?s very difficult to list them on a verdict form,? which would place them at fault for malpractice. ?So what happens is you end up not being able to recover that money, which is necessary many times for future medical treatments,? said Kurzban.

?But I certainly understand why people do go abroad because health insurance is so expensive.?

For Lorena Romero, she says it was worth her risk.

?Just take the chance,? Said Romero. ?At this point, nobody has the extra money anymore to give to the hospitals. Medical care is just really outrageously expensive. I just say why not. Why not do it??

And as the price of healthcare and insurance in the United States continues to rise, Puerto Rico, and many Latin American countries, will continue to accept those looking for other options.

Alex Pe?a is a freelance foreign correspondent currently covering Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Previously, Pena was based in Nairobi, Kenya covering East Africa for Voice of America TV, and has also filed stories from the Middle East, including the border of Jordan and Syria. He graduated from the journalism program at Florida Gulf Coast University in December 2011.

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Source: http://nbclatino.com/2013/02/02/new-destination-for-medical-tourism-puerto-rico/

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Ahmadinejad to make first Egypt visit by Iran head in decades

CAIRO (Reuters) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will visit Cairo next week, becoming the first Iranian president to travel to Egypt since Iran's 1979 revolution ruptured diplomatic ties between the two most populous countries in the Middle East.

Ahmadinejad will head Iran's delegation to a summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Cairo, said Amani Mojtaba, head of Iran's interest section in Cairo, which it maintains in the absence of an official embassy.

"I hope that Iranian-Egyptian relations return to the full diplomatic level," he told Reuters.

The trip follows a visit by Egypt's new Islamist President Mohamed Mursi to Iran in August last year, when the two leaders agreed to reopen official embassies.

Tehran broke off relations with Cairo in 1980, a year after both Iran's revolution and Egypt's peace agreement with Israel.

While the countries were estranged, Egypt gave asylum and a state funeral to Iran's exiled Shah Reza Pahlavi, who is buried in a medieval Cairo mosque alongside his ex-brother-in-law, Egypt's last king, Farouk. Iran named a street after the assassin who killed Egypt's President Anwar Sadat.

The 2011 uprising that toppled Egypt's former autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak has provided a chance to reopen formal relations. But Egypt, like other Sunni Muslim Arab states, remains at odds with Shi'ite Iran over many regional issues.

Mursi has been among the most vocal opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Iran's ally. Syria's membership of the OIC was suspended at the organization's last summit, despite strong Iranian objections, and the civil war there is likely to be one of the main issues discussed in Cairo next week.

The OIC summit will be the biggest international event Mursi has hosted since taking power seven months ago as the first elected leader in Egypt's 5,000-year history.

It follows days of violent street demonstrations by his political opponents in which nearly 60 people have been killed since January 25.

(Reporting by Ayman Samir; Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Stephen Powell)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ahmadinejad-first-egypt-visit-iran-head-decades-162747693.html

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Why is Beckham sitting on the bench for nothing?

El futbolista David Beckham posa con su nueva camiseta del Paris Saint-Germain el jueves, 31 de enero de 2013, en Par?s. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

El futbolista David Beckham posa con su nueva camiseta del Paris Saint-Germain el jueves, 31 de enero de 2013, en Par?s. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

PARIS (AP) ? David Beckham has won league championships in three countries on two continents, earns millions of dollars in endorsements and his name is practically synonymous with celebrity itself. He has his own cologne, for goodness sake. So why is he even bothering to sit on the bench for the Paris Saint-Germain football club?

His royal highness of football doesn't need the money ? and he's said he'll donate his PSG salary to charity ? but he does need to start thinking about life after the game. At 37, Beckham is practically a dinosaur for the sport, and he acknowledged in his welcoming press conference on Thursday that he probably won't be in the team's starting lineup.

Instead, Beckham may be beginning to put in place a plan for life after the final whistle. Ellis Cashmore, a sociologist who writes about sports and media culture at Staffordshire University, said that prolonged exposure is always useful to celebrities building empires. In that way, the deal with PSG does double work: It keeps his name in lights for longer and also garners extra attention for the charitable contribution.

"When he does stop playing, which is going to be quite soon, his overall brand appeal will inevitably decline because we will inevitably forget about this guy," he said. "I think he's probably thinking, I want to stay in the shop window for a bit longer."

But Cashmore also cautioned against being too cynical in assessing Beckham's motives: "The guy is an athlete. He wants to do what he loves to do."

Bruno Satin, an independent players' agent who was with IMG for a decade, also said that the move to PSG ? even if it's to sit on the bench ? is a step up for Beckham.

"For him, to be on the PSG team, it's a higher level than being on the Los Angeles Galaxy," he said. "For the world of football, for real football, the Los Angeles Galaxy is nothing on the map of football."

Some wondered if Beckham was trying to avoid the notoriously sticky fingers of the French state with his plans to donate his salary.

But Sandra Hodzic, a tax lawyer with Salans, said the deduction an individual can take on such contributions is limited. Instead, it would be smarter for PSG to directly donate the salary ? and take a big tax break in the process.

Doing so would have an added benefit for the club: UEFA, the governing body for European football, mandates that clubs break even. The donation could allow PSG to essentially write off Beckham's entire salary ? a huge help for a team notorious for mega-contracts.

Beckham, meanwhile, would be better off trying to avoid becoming a French tax resident at all. So far, Hodzic said, he is making all the right moves: His family is staying in London, he plans to live only part-time in the country for less than six months, and his primary source of income ?whether or not he donates his salary ? isn't being earned in France.

Beckham's agent did not return calls for comment on specifics of the contract.

Still, the charitable contribution has raised the question about what Beckham is getting out of the deal. For one, he likely is still getting a cut of rights to his image. Jerseys with his name on them were already selling out at the PSG store on the Champs-Elysees on Friday.

Cashmore, who wrote a book called "Beckham," calls him a "marketing phenomenon" and estimates that about 70 percent of Beckham's income comes from endorsement deals ? with Adidas, for instance. That makes salary almost irrelevant ? especially for a man estimated by the Sunday Times Rich List to be worth 160 million pounds ($253 million).

But the football feeds the endorsements, Cashmore says.

"It makes an awful lot of business sense to perpetuate, to prolong his active competitive football career," he said, especially with a team that's doing fairly well this year. "It makes an awful lot of sense for him to showcase himself because it will generate more income from his various other sponsorship and licensing activities."

But certainly this move, as any at this late-stage in his playing career, is being made with an eye on what will come next. Cashmore said that when Beckham signed with the L.A. Galaxy, there was an understanding that he would eventually become an ambassador for American soccer. That plan clearly fell by the wayside ? perhaps because Major League Soccer decided it was just too expensive to keep on the star after his presence on American soil failed to generate more interest in the game.

It's possible, Cashmore said, that Beckham is looking for a similar deal after his stint at PSG, which is Qatari-owned. The tiny, wealthy nation is hosting the World Cup in 2022, and Beckham's contract with PSG will establish a relationship with it; from there, a role as, say, an ambassador for the tournament would seem more natural.

"For his after-career conversion, it's important to have links with major actors in the world of sports," said Satin. And Qatar is certainly one. It has poured money into PSG, drawing major names like striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It also funds the satellite network Al Jazeera, which could provide Beckham with a platform. And then there's the World Cup.

In the end, though, Satin said the clue to Beckham's thinking may be as simple as the eternal draw of Paris.

"PSG has become a glamorous club, a pretty nice club in a beautiful city," said Bruno Satin, an agent. "It's just two hours on the Eurostar (train) from London."

____

AP Sports Writer Rob Harris contributed to this report from London.

____

Follow Sarah DiLorenzo at http://www.twitter.com/sdilorenzo

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-02-Beckham-Where's%20the%20Money?/id-af29aeb10bd5403190227e384d40629f

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Norwegian targets global business travel growth with Sabre | News ...

Sabre Travel Network has signed a multi-year agreement with Norwegian to sell its fares, schedules and inventory to Sabre-connected travel agencies.

As part of the agreement, travel agents will be able to shop for and book tickets that include ancillary services offered by the carrier, including on-board meals and up to two checked bags.

Lars Sande, sales director for Norwegian said: ?This agreement with Sabre, and the global reach it provides, will help distribute our product into new markets.

?The agency channel will play a crucial role in our ability to provide a first-rate travel experience at affordable prices to the broadest possible customer base.

?It will also allow agencies and travel management companies to efficiently shop and book our bundled fares.?

The deal with Sabre is part of Norwegian?s long-term growth strategy that includes entry in to the North American marketplace.

Harald Eisenaecher, senior vice president for Sabre EMEA, said: ?Norwegian?s importance among European corporations and business travellers has been growing in recent years.

?Sabre aims to play a pivotal role in the airline?s future by making its fares, ancillaries and schedules available to our global travel agency community and helping drive revenue from the corporate market.

?We will continue to invest in the products and services that low-cost carriers, such as Norwegian, need to grow their international businesses.?

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Source: http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/norwegian-targets-global-business-travel-growth-with-sabre/

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Incandescent Lightbulb Regulations: What's True, What's Not | AOL ...

By Mary Boone

Feeling in the dark about lightbulbs? You're not alone. New federal regulations regarding the sale of incandescent lightbulbs are a little confusing. Many consumers mistakenly believe the new standards, included in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, ban the sale of incandescent bulbs. Not true. Rather, the federal government has placed new efficiency standards on bulbs. As of Jan. 1, 2012, any bulb that can generate the amount of light produced by a conventional 100-watt bulb, but do so with roughly 30 percent less energy, is eligible for the market.

The Basics

Uncle Sam is giving consumers -- and lightbulb manufacturers -- time to adjust to the new regulations. In 2013, the rule will be extended to include 75-watt bulbs. In 2014, 40- and 60-watt bulbs will also be included. No bulbs will be outlawed if they meet the new energy standards, and retailers are allowed to continue selling bulbs that don't meet the standards until their stock runs out.

It's also important to note that the new standards do not affect all bulbs. Some specialty bulbs are exempt, including appliance bulbs, heavy-duty bulbs, colored lights, three-way bulbs and others. The new energy efficiency standards apply to conventional pear-shaped, medium-size, screw-in lightbulbs -- most often used in traditional home lighting fixtures.

Watts and Lumens

One of the most notable changes that consumers will see when they hit the lighting aisle of their local home improvement store is the way products are labeled. For decades, bulbs have been sold by watt -- a measurement of the energy used by a specific product. Now, bulbs must be labeled according to the amount of light they give off, a measurement known as lumens.

The Federal Trade Commission is requiring new product labels that clearly list the lumens -- or brightness -- of the bulb, the estimated operating cost for the year and the color of the light (from warm/yellowish, to white to cool/blue).

The U.S. Department of Energy sheds additional light on the subject:

? Nationwide, lighting accounts for about 14 percent of all building electricity use (approximately 10 percent of home electricity).The new lighting standards could save U.S. households nearly $6 billion in 2015 alone.

? Experts estimate that replacing 15 traditional incandescent bulbs in your home with new energy-saving incandescents, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) could save an average of $50 annually.

? The average consumer spends about $4.80 to operate a traditional incandescent bulb for a year (electricity cost). By comparison, that consumer would spend about $1 to operate an Energy Star-certified LED bulb, about $3.50 on a halogen incandescent bulb and about $1.20 on an Energy Star CFL bulb - each producing roughly the same amount of light.

? CFLs and other fluorescent light bulbs contain a very small amount of mercury, so it is important to recycle them at the end of their lifespan. Many retailers recycle CFLs for free, and some municipalities have special recycling programs for CFLs. The United States Environmental Protection Agency offers special guidelines for recycling CFLs.

See more on Zillow:
High Energy Bills? Fix Air Leaks in These Four Offending Areas
How to Winterize Your Home on a Budget
Stay Warm With a Fireplace Insert

More on AOL Real Estate:
Find out how to calculate mortgage payments.
Find homes for sale in your area.
Find foreclosures in your area.
Find homes for rent in your area.

Follow us on Twitter at @AOLRealEstate or connect with AOL Real Estate on Facebook.

Source: http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2013/01/31/incandescent-light-bulb-regulations/

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Easy Face Skin Care Tips For Men | What is How to

Gone are the days when men could get away with a few splashes of after shave for their skin care routine. Expectations have certainly grown, but don?t worry things don?t have to get complicated when it comes to skin care.

There?s some real easy face skin care tips for men that can make a world of difference and we?re happy to share them with you.

- Dive Into a Men?s Face Cream. First and most important on our list using a high quality mens face cream can quickly solve the majority of your skin care issues. If you?re experiencing dry or cracked skin especially this is the quick road to a healthy, vibrant appearance. A good mens face cream covers a whole laundry list of skin issues as well. Make this the number one spot on your skin care shopping list. You won?t regret it.

- Cleanse Properly. Keeping your pores unclogged is essential my friend. Washing thoroughly with face and body wash will go a long way in that direction. Don?t use hand plain old soap and water on your face or you?ll end up being sorry. It?s a recipe for bad skin.

- Exfoliate, Exfoliate! Somewhere in the neighborhood of two or three days a week your face needs a good exfoliation in your skin routine. This will clean up and of the nasty dirt that?s made it?s way deep into your pores, despite proper cleansing. This has the added benefit of getting your hairs ready for a closer shave and can help prevent razor bumps. Which we?ll touch on more below.

- Don?t Forget Your Eyes. Think about how important the skin around your eyes is for your whole appearance for a few seconds. Dark circles, creases and crinkles are all bad news, right? No one wants to look old before their time. Well you can be pro-active in preventing these problems with just a little thought and a few minutes in the morning or evening. A simple eye cream will go a long way in guarding against or healing these issues and only takes a minute (or less) to use. The trick? Using a eye cream occasionally does no good at all. This is one area you must take care of everyday if you want to see good results!

- Your Lips Matter. If you have cracked lips they can definitely send the wrong message, can?t they? Buy some lip balm and use it once a day. This will do wonders for your overall look, trust me.

- Razor Bumps. Razor bumps can certainly be a huge pain. If you?re prone to them it?s a good idea to have a quality razor bump cream at hand. These creams work great at razor bump removal, taking care of them quickly and smoothly. Also don?t forget to skip shaving for a few days when you feel them coming on.

You can see skincare isn?t too complicated. When looking good is part of the agenda these easy face skin care tips for men can save you lots of time, money and frustration. Did we miss one of your favorites? Let us know and we?ll be sure to check them out!

Source: http://www.whatishowto.net/2013/01/31/easy-face-skin-care-tips-for-men/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=easy-face-skin-care-tips-for-men

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Negotiators talking to Ala. captor through pipe

In this Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 photo, media outlets those from around the state of Alabama broadcast while covering the ongoing hostage crisis, in Midland City Ala. Police, SWAT teams and negotiators were at a rural property where a man was believed to be holed up in a homemade bunker Wednesday after fatally shooting the driver of a school bus and fleeing with a 6-year-old child passenger, authorities said. (AP Photo/Dothan Eagle, Jay Hare)

In this Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013 photo, media outlets those from around the state of Alabama broadcast while covering the ongoing hostage crisis, in Midland City Ala. Police, SWAT teams and negotiators were at a rural property where a man was believed to be holed up in a homemade bunker Wednesday after fatally shooting the driver of a school bus and fleeing with a 6-year-old child passenger, authorities said. (AP Photo/Dothan Eagle, Jay Hare)

Law enforcement personnel load provisions into a bus during the third day of a hostage crisis involving a 5-year-old boy, in Midland City, Ala, Thursday, Jan 31, 2013. A standoff in rural Alabama went into a second full day Thursday as police surrounded an underground bunker where a retired truck driver was holding a 5-year-old hostage he grabbed off a school bus after shooting the driver dead. The bus driver, Charles Albert Poland Jr., 66, was hailed by locals as a hero who gave his life to protect the 21 students aboard the bus. (AP Photo/The Dothan Eagle, Jay Hare)

In this undated photo released by the Dale County Board of Education, bus driver Charles Albert Poland, Jr., is shown. A standoff in rural Alabama went into a second full day Thursday as police surrounded an underground bunker where a retired truck driver was holding a 5-year-old hostage he grabbed off a school bus after shooting Poland, the driver dead. Poland Jr., 66, was hailed by locals as a hero who gave his life to protect the 21 students aboard the bus. (AP Photo/ Dale County Board of Education)

Police vehicles are staged near where a gunman has positioned himself below ground with a child hostage, in Midland City, Ala. on Wednesday Jan. 30, 2013. Authorities were locked in a standoff Wednesday with a gunman authorities say on Tuesday intercepted a school bus, killed the driver, snatched a 6-year-old boy and retreated into a bunker at his home in Alabama. (AP Photo/Montgomery Advertiser, Mickey Welsh)

Law enforcement personnel work at check point Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, in Midland City, Ala., near the home where the Tuesday's school bus shooting suspect is barricaded in a bunker with a young child as hostage. Police, SWAT teams and negotiators were at a rural property where a man was believed to be holed up in a homemade bunker Wednesday after fatally shooting the driver of a school bus and fleeing with a 6-year-old child passenger, authorities said. (AP Photo/The Dothan Eagle, Jay Hare)

MIDLAND CITY, Ala. (AP) ? A standoff in rural Alabama went into a second full day as police surrounded an underground bunker where authorities said a retired truck driver was holding a 5-year-old hostage he grabbed off a school bus after shooting the driver dead.

A normally quiet dirt road was teeming with activity Thursday around the siege that began late Tuesday. More than a dozen police cars and trucks, a fire truck, a helicopter, officers from multiple agencies, media and at least one ambulance crowded the stretch where the dead-end residential road branches off a U.S. highway near Midland City, population 2,300. A staging area for law enforcement was lit by bright lights overnight.

The boy being held was watching TV and getting medication sent from home, according to state Rep. Steve Clouse, who met with authorities and visited the boy's family. Clouse said the bunker had food and electricity.

The shelter is about 4 feet underground and has about 6-by-8-feet of floor space, said Police Chief James Arrington from the adjacent town of Pinckard, whose city limits border the neighborhood. Negotiators have been talking to the man through a 4-inch-wide PVC ventilation pipe.

"He will have to give up sooner or later because (authorities) are not leaving," he said. "It's pretty small, but he's been known to stay in there eight days."

Arrington thought the man had been sleeping some, because he told negotiators one night that he was through talking and was going to sleep.

The gunman, identified by neighbors as Jimmy Lee Dykes, 65, was known around the neighborhood as a menacing figure who once beat a dog to death with a lead pipe, threatened to shoot children for setting foot on his property and patrolled his yard at night with a flashlight and a shotgun.

The chief confirmed that Dykes held anti-government views, as described by multiple neighbors.

"He's against the government ? starting with Obama on down." He said the FBI, which was leading the standoff, had reason to believe that the bus driver's shooting was a hate crime.

"He doesn't like law enforcement or the government telling him what to do," Arrington said. "He's just a loner."

Authorities say the gunman boarded a stopped school bus Tuesday afternoon and demanded two boys between 6 and 8 years old. When the driver tried to block his way, the gunman shot him several times and took a 5-year-old boy off the bus.

"As far as we know there is no relation at all. He just wanted a child for a hostage situation," said Michael Senn, a pastor who helped comfort other traumatized children after the attack.

Dykes had been scheduled to appear in court Wednesday to face a charge of menacing some neighbors with a gun as they drove by his house weeks ago.

The bus driver, Charles Albert Poland Jr., 66, was hailed by locals as a hero who gave his life to protect the 21 students aboard the bus. Authorities say most of the students scrambled to the back of the bus when the gunman boarded.

Neighbors described a number of run-ins with Dykes in the time since he moved to this small town near the Georgia and Florida borders, in a region known for peanut farming. Dykes had been scheduled to appear in court to answer charges he shot at his neighbors in a dispute last month over a speed bump.

In that dispute, neighbor Claudia Davis said he yelled and fired shots at her, her son and her baby grandson over damage Dykes claimed their pickup truck did to a makeshift speed bump in the dirt road. No one was hurt.

Mike and Patricia Smith, who live across the street from Dykes and whose two children were on the bus, said their youngsters had a run-in with him about 10 months ago.

"My bulldogs got loose and went over there," Patricia Smith said. "The children went to get them. He threatened to shoot them if they came back."

Another neighbor, Ronda Wilbur, said Dykes beat her 120-pound dog with a lead pipe for coming onto his side of the dirt road. The dog died a week later.

"He said his only regret was he didn't beat him to death all the way," Wilbur said. "If a man can kill a dog, and beat it with a lead pipe and brag about it, it's nothing until it's going to be people."

Court records showed Dykes was arrested in Florida in 1995 for improper exhibition of a weapon, but the misdemeanor was dismissed. The circumstances of the arrest were not detailed in his criminal record. He was also arrested for marijuana possession in 2000.

___

Associated Press writers Jay Reeves, Melissa Nelson-Gabriel and Bob Johnson in Montgomery contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-01-31-School%20Bus%20Driver%20Shot/id-6839f0588f1f4b92a35b61c76790c8f3

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