Louisiana Dancing 

DanceMardigras is a national country and western and swing dance competition which will take place in New Orleans starting Thursday July 17 through July 20.  It will feature competition, social, classes and more.  Dancing has become a very important business and social opportunity in Louisiana.  

http://www.dancemardigras.com

http://www.dancemardigras.com/events.html

Also, join http://www.bayoubuzzdance.com which is a new Louisiana dance web site.

Workforce Development

Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Tim Barfield will join partner agency representatives and business and industry stakeholders at Baton Rouge Community College in Baton Rouge on Friday to discuss with the media workforce reform legislation and to announce initial plans to implement it.

The legislation transforms the Department of Labor into the Louisiana Workforce Commission to reflect its expanded mission to integrate workforce development programs from across state agencies into a single, demand-driven system that meets the needs of businesses and job seekers.

Jim Henderson, senior vice president for career and technical education with the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, Jim Patterson, vice president of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and executives with the Departments of Education and Corrections are scheduled to participate.

Loyola University

Loyola University New Orleans announced that Edward J. Kvet, D.M.E., dean of the College of Music and Fine Arts (CMFA), will become the provost and vice president of academic affairs for the university, effective August 1.

Kvet's appointment follows the announcement of current Academic Provost Walter Harris' retirement earlier this month. "I was looking for someone who could serve as provost for the next two to three years while we help our leadership settle in and rebuild enrollment. I received some excellent, thoughtful letters about issues and some very fine nominations. After giving it careful thought and consideration, I have asked Dean Ed Kvet to serve as provost during this important transition period for the university," said University President Kevin Wm. Wildes, S.J., Ph.D.

Sopranos

Emmy Award-winning actor, Joey Pantoliano, who suffers from mental depression, will join Louisiana mental health physicians and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) to release a new report on hundreds of new medicines for mental illnesses now being tested in human clinical trials or are awaiting FDA approval.

The report is being released in Louisiana to coincide with the establishment of the Louisiana Substance Abuse and Mental Health Caucus, a policy reform coalition started by Senator Cheryl Gray to organize the efforts of Louisiana advocacy and community-based health providers to promote mental wellness and reduce Louisiana’s growing suicide rate since the 2005 storms.

Joey Pantoliano, who suffers from mental depression, is one of the best known character actors in Hollywood, appearing in more than 100 movies and television shows.  But he is probably best known for his critically acclaimed and Emmy Award-winning performance as psychopathic mobster “Ralphie Cifaretto” on The Sopranos.  His lengthy movie credits include Risky Business, The Matrix, The Fugitive, U.S. Marshals, Bad Boys, Empire of the Sun, Running Scared and The Goonies, among others.

Physicians will discuss the impact of the mental health diseases on Louisiana communities and a PhRMA representative will highlight report findings.  Both physicians and patients will bring personal stories of battling mental health disease.

“Researchers are making exciting progress in the search for new cures and treatments for mental health disorders.  But these efforts are wasted if the medicines we develop aren’t accessible to patients who need them,” says PhRMA Senior Vice President Ken Johnson.

Help is available to patients in need through the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA), a program sponsored by America’s pharmaceutical research companies.  To date, the PPA has helped more than 5 million patients nationwide, including more than 119,000 people in Louisiana.  Since its launch in April 2005, the PPA bus tour has visited all 50 states and more than 2,000 cities.  The PPA bus has been to Louisiana seven times since the program was launched.

The event will be Thursday, July 24, 2008, at 2:00 p.m. in the Capitol Area Human Services District Office, 4615 Government Street, Building 2, Room 200A, Baton Rouge,

Consumer Prices

With record gas and higher food prices, the US has incurred a 5% annual jump in Consumer Price Index.  The jump is the highest in 17 years.