Japan ruling party questions plan to let Fukushima evacuees go home: media [ BeritaTerkini ]

TOKYO (Reuters) – A Japanese ruling party official has called into question a government plan to let people who fled from the Fukushima nuclear disaster go home, saying the government should identify areas that will never be habitable.

The Fukushima plant north of Tokyo was battered by an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, leading to meltdowns and explosions that sent plumes of radiation into the air and sea.

About 150,000 people were evacuated. A large area of surrounding land is off-limits because of radiation but the government is hoping to eventually allow everyone to go home.

But Shigeru Ishiba, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), said it was inevitable that some people would never go back.

“The time will definitely come that someone must say ‘they cannot live in this area but they would be compensated’,” Ishiba was quoted as saying in the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

The question of letting people go home is politically sensitive for the government and it would not want to have to tell thousands of residents that cannot go back.

The plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co, has been struggling to stop radiation leaks from the wrecked plant.

It is now preparing to remove 400 tonnes of highly irradiated spent fuel from a damaged reactor building, a very dangerous operation that has never been attempted before on this scale.

Ishiba also said authorities might have to relax limits for radiation exposure if anything was ever going to be done in terms of re-building the area.

“Unless we come up with answer as to what to do with a measure for decontamination, reconstruction of Fukushima won’t ever make progress,” Ishiba was quoted as saying.

(Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Robert Birsel)

• Disasters & Accidents
• Society & Culture
• Shigeru Ishiba

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Bank clients warned on bogus emails [ BeritaTerkini ]

Press Association – 

Almost one in two people receive bogus emails claiming to be from their bank, leaving thousands at risk of cyber-fraud, experts have warned.

According to a study by IT security company Kaspersky Lab, 47% of people have received bogus emails allegedly from a bank, and more than one in four (29%) have reported suspicious messages supposedly sent on behalf of an online store.

Nearly one in 10 had been automatically redirected at least once to a suspicious site asking them to enter their credit card details, and 5% said they had entered financial information on dubious sites.

The company surveyed 2,545 consumers across Europe in June on their attitudes and behaviours around IT Security.

Following the survey, Kaspersky and Barclays have warned people to be on their guard against such phishing attacks, which target important confidential financial data.

Kaspersky said the attacks often end in success, with about 4% of respondents reporting that they had lost money to cybercriminals.

David Emm, senior security researcher at Kaspersky Lab, said: “There are a huge number of threats to consumers who choose to bank online, but they shouldn’t let this outweigh the numerous benefits it offers.

“As long as people take a few simple precautions, and employ good sense, there is no reason not to bank online.”

Alex Grant, managing director, Fraud Prevention, Barclays said: “These sorts of emails are a huge issue for all banks and our customers.

“The frequency of these scams and the professionalism with which they are orchestrated is ever- increasing.

“As such, it is an ongoing challenge, one which Barclays takes very seriously, to try and ensure customers, and their money, remain safe.

“These scam emails could appear to have come from any bank and we would advise individuals to think carefully before opening and responding to emails.

“Barclays emails will always be personally addressed, they will never say ‘Dear Customer’ and they will also contain the last four digits of the customer’s account number.

“The documents included in the email will also be password protected with information that will only by known by the customer.

“If any Barclays customer is suspicious of any correspondence or contact they’ve received – letter, email, telephone or even in person – they should contact us immediately.”

Kaspersky said using “combined technologies” including anti-phishing and protection programmes, such as its Safe Money technology, would help defend against financial threats and ensure the best available protection for online banking and payments.

The company said measures people should take can include using security software; always looking for the padlock, https or unbroken key symbol in a browser before entering personal details;and always typing the web address themselves instead of following links to a bank login.

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Herbal remedy – Irish Independent [ BeritaTerkini ]

Great on the table, herbs can also brighten a bed, says Marie Staunton

Marie Staunton

– 02 November 2013

Herbs aren’t just for foodies, they are a valuable asset to any garden and most have really beautiful flowers that attract a diverse group of pollinators into your patch.

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You can, of course, integrate them into a flower border if space is tight, but having a specially constructed herb garden will give you plenty of scope to grow some beautiful- looking aromatics that can be used for all your culinary delights – and some could possibly even cure you of your ills.

Depending on the funds available, you can go the whole hog and construct a knot garden to house your collection of herbs, or take the easier option of a little herb wheel.

Space will dictate the size of your new project, but it won’t limit your artistic flair. Enjoy choosing herbs that you use on a regular basis and those that have bright and beautiful flowers.

Most Mediterranean herbs tend to prefer a well-drained soil. Herbs do not require manure or a lot of fertiliser, so there is no need to add it in when preparing a bed.

In fact, they tend to have more flavour if the soil isn’t overworked and over-fertilised. If you look at where they come from, it will give you a good idea of the conditions they would be used to in their home place.

Nearly all herbs need plenty of sunlight to thrive, so a sunny spot in the garden would be to their liking. If space is limited, then just grow your herbs in a pot outside your kitchen door for easy pickings.

I love my grub and cookery programmes are a bit of an addiction, especially Raymond Blanc’s series, which has inspired me to grow some not-so- ordinary herbs in my garden of late.

French tarragon is hard to get your hands on but, luckily for me, I know a gardener who knows a thing or two about cooking and he just happened to have some to share.

French tarragon has a very delicate aniseed flavour that is used a lot in French cookery, though my culinary efforts are far from delicate.

I’m more of a baker, which requires exact measurements and a lot of kneading but, thankfully, doesn’t rely too much on a finely tuned palate.

If you are planning to plant up a little herb patch, then you might consider having a bay tree in the shape of a lollipop at the centre, with various other herbs radiating off it like the spokes of a wheel.

Firstly, choose the herbs that you like to use on a regular basis and then add in those that will provide seasonal interest. Rosemary, calendula and hyssop are all useful herbs in terms of attracting bees and butterflies, but they also have medicinal uses. Then, add in a couple of herbs that can be used in the house to repel the flies like lavender and mint.

This year was, in north county Dublin, a particularly bad year for mosquitoes, so I planted a lot of tansy to help keep them at bay.

The very beautiful echinacea and delicate airiness of fennel will give your herb garden a bit of height without the bulk.

I use the dried fennel seeds for making a tea if I have an upset tummy and it seems to help.

That’s the great thing about growing your own herbs; most will double-job and look good into the bargain.

Nearly every OPW garden around the country has a herb garden and it would be worth your while having a look at one or two of them for a bit of inspiration.

It takes the hard work out of designing your own and you can see what works in terms of the height and spread of each plant.

Irish Independent

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Star Fragrance Rundown: The Olsen Twins’ New Scents, Jay Z’s ” Gold” Perfume Launch [ BeritaTerkini ]

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Nicole Adlman






| Übersetzt von Nicole Adlman

1. November 2013 – 15:08

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are adding a new feature to their growing lifestyle brand: fragrance.

The perfume duo, which the twins named Nirvana, will be associated with their Elizabeth and James line and sold exclusively at Sephora stores starting in January.

“We always knew we wanted to have a fragrance for this brand, because it’s very lifestyle,” Ashley told Women’s Wear Daily. “We felt that between the brand Elizabeth and James and Sephora that we were really speaking together directly to our customer. We felt that was a really good place to start exploring the world of fragrance and beauty.” 

The twins chose Nirvana because, as Ashley explained to WWD, “to us, this was really about a moment—and what’s that one word that’s going to define that one moment where you feel comfortable, sexy and at ease with yourself?”

Nirvana Black features notes of violet, sandalwood, and vanilla, while Nirvana White is a mesh of peony, muguet, and musk.

Elizabeth and James Nirvana eaux de parfum will be available in three sizes: 50 ml. for $ 75, 30 ml. for $ 55 and $ 22 for a rollerball applicator.

NEWS: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen learned everything they needed to know about fashion from Full House

Meanwhile, Jay Z is also taking the fragrance industry by storm: The rap mogul will launch his first men’s eau de toilette, “Gold Jay Z” on Black Friday at major department stores across the U.S. 

The men’s fragrance will be packaged in a gold-topped white bottle and coordinating box. The cap features engraved terms that inspired the cologne: “Power,” “Pride,” “Confidence,” “Strength,” “Success,” and “Courage.” 

What do you think of these new celeb fragrances?

NEWS: See more celebrity fragrances

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Julian Assange Opens M.I.A.’s New York Show [ BeritaTerkini ]

Julian Assange Opens M.I.A.’s New York Show

WikiLeaks founder Skypes with audience from exile at ‘Matangi’ tour kickoff

By

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange helped M.I.A. kick off her Matangi tour on Friday night. According to Consequence of Sound, the activist opened the show with a 10-minute chat over Skype, addressing the crowd at New York City’s Terminal 5 from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he is currently living in exile.

“It’s a great pleasure to speak to MIA and our fans,” he told the crowd. “I have become a fan of MIA because I think she is the most courageous woman working in western music, without exception.”

Stream M.I.A.’s New Album, ‘Matangi’

Assange used his big-screen soap box to talk about press freedom and privacy in the wake of the NSA. ”American journalists that are actually trying to do something really pretty significant – namely, stop the United States and other countries along with it turning into a military dictatorship slowly, inevitable, inexorably – they’re in exile now,” he said. “They’ve been pushed off to the four corners of the earth.” He went on to address the dark side of the interconnection between the devices and programs that so many people have come to rely on. ”In effect, the civilization we have all been developing together, this new internet civilization,” he said, “where we’re communicating our values to each other and we learn what we like and don’t like in the world and the right way to be and not be. . . . The military occupation of cyberspace is also the occupation of our primary communication space.”

This isn’t the first collaboration between the performer and the WikiLeaks founder. In April 2012, M.I.A. worked with Assange to create music for Assange’s television show, The World Tomorrow, which featured Assange conducting interviews while under house arrest in England. M.I.A. had also named her 2011 mixtape Vicki Leekx after Assange’s media organization. According to the Guardian, Assange even helped M.I.A. out with the rhyme scheme as she was writing the Matangi track “atTENTion.”

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New York City 1980s ‘Subway Vigilante’ arrested in marijuana bust [ BeritaTerkini ]

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Bernhard Goetz, who became known as New York City’s “Subway Vigilante” in the 1980s after he shot and wounded four black teenagers he considered threatening on a subway, was arrested on Friday after he attempted to sell marijuana to an undercover officer, police said.

Goetz, who is now 65, became a notorious figure during a period when New York City was plagued by high crime and persistent racial tension.

In the 1984 incident, one of the four teenagers wounded by Goetz was paralyzed. Goetz was found guilty of a gun charge but cleared of attempted murder, and he served 8-1/2 months in jail.

He was arrested on Friday near Union Square Park in New York City, police said.

(Reporting By Edith Honan; Editing by Greg McCune and Mohammad Zargham)

• Crime & Justice
• Society & Culture
• Bernhard Goetz
• New York City

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Pussy Riot Member Transferred to New Prison [ BeritaTerkini ]

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova’s family says she has disappeared after removal from penal colony

Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova has been transferred to a new prison, officials with Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service said on Saturday. The announcement came a day after the family of the imprisoned protestor said that she had disappeared following her sudden removal from the penal colony where she was being held.

Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service had released a statement on October 18th saying that it would grant Tolokonnikova’s request for a transfer from Penal Colony 14 in the region of Mordovia, where the 23-year-old has been serving out her two-year sentence for hooliganism after Pussy Riot’s “Punk Prayer” protest at a Moscow cathedral. Tolokonnikova had gone on a hunger strike to protest her treatment and claimed that officials at the prison had threatened her for speaking out. 

Inside the Pussy Riot Controversy: Photos From the Trial That Grabbed the World’s Attention

Andrei Tolokonnikov, Tolokonnikova’s father, told Buzzfeed on Friday that he and her husband have not been told where she is since October 21st, when she was moved from the Mordovia prison. “No one knows anything,” her father said. “There’s no proof she’s alive, we don’t know the state of her health. Is she sick? Has she been beaten?”

Tolokonnikova’s husband, Petya Verzilov, told Buzzfeed that she was last seen on October 24th by a fellow passenger on a train pulling into the city of Chelyabinsk in the Ural mountains. “We think they moved her to a big city to hide her,” Tolokonnikov said. “It seems they got sick of these protests.” Versilov added, “They want to cut her off from the outside world.”

Following her family’s claims that she had disappeared, the Federal Penitentiary Service explained that Tolokonnikova had been sent to a new prison, the Guardian reports. The service said that her family would be informed of her whereabouts within 10 days of her arrival, in accordance with regulations. 

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Pesticide-Sprayed Chinese Medicinal Herbs Associated With Long-Term Health … – Medical Daily [ BeritaTerkini ]

Archeological evidence confirms that the roots of traditional Chinese medicine can be traced back to millions of years ago. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been said to help with diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. The evidence supporting these claims are not conclusive enough for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to deem them completely safe nor effective, but herbal remedies have been a long standing staple in Chinese culture.

However, many of the herbs have had trace evidence of hazardous pesticides. An independent environmental group known as Greenpeace, issued a study finding that 65 samples of traditional Chinese herbal products from nine retail chains in nine different cities across China had traces of pesticides. 

“These herbs are of doubtful quality and not safe to consume,” said Jing Wang, a project leader from Greenpeace.

Their research found that 74 percent of the samples tested positive for pesticides, while 50 percent of the samples contained traces of three or more pesticides.

“Food safety incidents caused by pesticides are all too common now in China, including recent cases involving contaminated cowpeas, chives, and ginger,” according to the report by Greenpeace.

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A few known herbs tested were wolfberries, angelica, honeysuckle, Sanqi flowers, and chrysanthemum.

“Some of the pesticides found by Greenpeace are listed as ‘highly hazardous’ by the World Health Organization (WHO), while others had residue levels that would breach European food safety standards,” reported Radio Free Asia. According to Greenpeace, China uses more pesticides than any other country in the world

While there are few to no concrete studies linking these pesticides to certain diseases, many environmental groups believe that there are strong correlations. 

But the existing research is alarming. In 2004, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Agriculture Health Study reported increased childhood cancer risk associated with occupational exposure of the parents to pesticides. A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives linked parental use of pesticides with an increased risk of brain cancer in children. “Parental exposures may act before the child’s conception, during gestation, or after birth to increase the risk of cancer,” the study said.

Greenpeace in Asia hopes to stop the use of these harmful pesticides on these important Chinese herbs. Their focus is for green development in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea.

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The American Botanical Council Celebrates 25 Years of Herbal Medicine … – PR Newswire (press release) [ BeritaTerkini ]

American Botanical Council Logo. (PRNewsFoto/American Botanical Council)

Award-Winning Nonprofit with Passion for Plant-Based Medicine Has International Impact and Reputation

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 31, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – On November 1, the American Botanical Council (ABC) celebrates a quarter century of promoting the responsible, science-based use of herbal medicine. The independent nonprofit’s 25th anniversary is a major milestone for the Austin, Texas-based organization and speaks to its enduring message of informed, research-supported healing through nature — one that has resonated with thousands of members and supporters both locally and in many countries around the world.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100430/DC95601LOGO)

“I’ve been affiliated with and have supported ABC since its inception, because I believe in its mission,” said internationally renowned author and integrative medicine pioneer Andrew Weil, MD, the founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Dr. Weil, whose image has twice graced the cover of TIME Magazine, said, “As more health professionals are trained to use medicinal plants and other natural therapies, healthcare costs will decrease and health outcomes will improve. Education is required for this to happen, education of the sort that ABC has provided over the past 25 years and I’m sure will continue to provide.”

In the 1980s, when the modern herbal medicine movement was experiencing a revival and consumer awareness and exposure to natural medicine was slowly increasing, ABC Founder and Executive Director Mark Blumenthal saw the need for an authoritative, science-based source of information on botanical medicine to act as a touchstone for herbal education and quality for all aspects of the herbal industry including consumers. The Texan visionary, whose passion for herbal medicine earned him the nickname “Herbal Cowboy,” together with two internationally respected medicinal plant experts — the eminent ethnobotanist James A. Duke, PhD, and the late distinguished pharmacognosist Norman R. Farnsworth, PhD — established the educational nonprofit American Botanical Council in 1988.

“I think of Mark as the great herbal diplomat,” said Rosemary Gladstar, herbalist, prolific author, educator, and founder of the nonprofit conservation organization United Plant Savers. Gladstar, whom Blumenthal nicknamed the “Godmother of American Herbalism,” praised his efforts over the past 25 years as being “beautifully, seriously, and joyfully effective.”

As ABC celebrates its 25th anniversary in November 2013, the organization’s flagship publication — the quarterly, peer-reviewed journal HerbalGram — commemorates 30 years of herbal education with its 100th issue. Part scientific journal, part consumer magazine, HerbalGram has furthered ABC’s unique nonprofit educational mission by disseminating extensively researched, literature-supported, and expertly peer-reviewed information on botanical medicine.

“Under Mark Blumenthal’s steady editorial guidance, the information [in HerbalGram] has always been cutting-edge and in a word — reliable,” said author and medicinal plant expert Steven Foster, whose stunning botanical photography has adorned the magazine’s pages since its early years. “From history to new clinical studies, reporting on new regulatory and market developments to comprehensive reviews and covering the world’s herbs and the world of herbs, no publication has provided more to all interested stakeholders in every aspect of herbal medicine.”

In addition to HerbalGram, ABC boasts numerous other publications that provide dependable herbal medicine information for consumers, healthcare practitioners, researchers, educators, industry, the media, and more. The nonprofit’s most recent publication, the weekly online newsletter, “Herbal News & Events,” keeps ABC members and supporters abreast of events, conferences, and news items relevant to the herbal community. HerbalEGram, ABC’s monthly online periodical for members, also reaches a milestone this month, celebrating 10 years of publishing timely, original, in-house features and news articles.

Members of ABC can also access HerbMedPro™, a professional, continuously updated database of medicinal plant research articles searchable by herb name, condition, indication, and more. ABC provides free online access to HerbMed^®, a “sister” database featuring 20 to 30 herbs from HerbMedPro that are rotated on a regular basis. Making this unique resource free to the public increases the number of people who benefit from updated information on herbs, in accordance with ABC’s nonprofit educational mission.

Another notable resource is the organization’s HerbClip™ service, which for two decades has provided summaries and critical reviews of seminal articles on medicinal plant research and clinical trials, as well as information on regulation, marketing, conservation, and sustainability.

These services and many others — including a digitized version of The ABC Clinical Guide to Herbs; ABC’s Healthy Ingredients, a plant-based dietary supplements and cosmetics reference page; and the lauded, historical compilation of The Complete German Commission E Monographs — are all available online through ABC’s information-rich website, www.herbalgram.org.

ABC’s headquarters at the 160-year-old Case Mill Homestead in the heart of East Austin serves as an extension of the organization’s commitment to herbal education. Purchased in 1997, the property was renovated with the help of the nonprofit’s first capital campaign and updated with expansive medicinal plant gardens, a greenhouse, and annex that functions as home for ABC’s library and a community meeting space sometimes used by other Austin nonprofits. With guidance from ABC’s dedicated education department, the gardens are used as a tool for dietetic and pharmacy interns from local universities, who apply their research in hands-on medicine-making labs and presentations using herbs from the grounds. The Case Mill Homestead also functions as the idyllic setting of ABC’s annual HerbDay event, where community members gather to celebrate the healing properties of plants.

For the past three years, ABC also has been actively involved in establishing and directing a major international collaborative research project addressing the quality of herbal ingredients used in consumer products. In 2011, ABC joined forces with the nonprofit American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP) and the University of Mississippi’s National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR) to bring to light the accidental and intentional adulteration of botanical materials. To date, the ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Program is underwritten and/or endorsed by more than 100 natural product industry companies, independent analytical laboratories, nonprofit and professional organizations, trade associations, accredited natural medicine institutions, and more.

The American Botanical Council’s dedication and passion for providing reliable information on herbal medicine for the past 25 years has impacted thousands of individuals around the world, from eager-to-be-educated consumers to distinguished medicinal plant experts.

“Mark Blumenthal and the American Botanical Council have played a tremendous and important role in opening the eyes and minds of countless healthcare professionals to the importance of herbal medicines in healing, eco-conservation, traditional use, and even economics,” said Aviva Romm, MD, Yale-trained physician, herbalist, and award-winning author.

As an example of ABC’s global impact, Kerry Bone, one of the leading medicinal plant experts in Australia, wrote, “Congratulations to Mark and [the ABC] team for their tireless work over 25 years in representing and promoting botanical therapy as a rational and credible healthcare alternative.”

“We are deeply grateful to all of our members, donors, and other supporters who have made this milestone possible,” said Blumenthal. “From medicinal plant researchers, healthcare professionals, consumers, industry members, and many others, in the United States and 80 countries around the world, ABC’s success is a result of the strong ongoing support of people who value reliable, science-based information on the many positive health effects of herbs, spices, teas, phytomedicines, and other beneficial plants and fungi.”

About the American Botanical Council

Founded in 1988, the American Botanical Council is a leading international nonprofit organization addressing research and educational issues regarding herbs, teas, medicinal plants, essential oils, and other beneficial plant-derived materials. ABC’s members include academic researchers and educators; libraries; health professionals and medical institutions; government agencies; members of the herb, dietary supplement, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries; journalists; consumers; and others in more than 81 countries. The organization occupies a historic 2.5-acre site in Austin, Texas, where it publishes the peer-reviewed quarterly journal HerbalGram, the monthly e-publication HerbalEGram, the weekly e-newsletter Herbal News & Events, HerbClips (summaries of scientific and clinical publications), reference books, and other educational materials. ABC also hosts HerbMedPro, a powerful herbal database, covering scientific and clinical publications on more than 250 herbs. ABC also co-produces the “Herbal Insights” segment for Healing Quest, a television series on PBS. For more quotes related to ABC’s 25^th anniversary, please visit http://abc.herbalgram.org/25years.

ABC is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code. Information: Contact ABC at P.O. Box 144345, Austin, TX 78714-4345, Phone: 512-926-4900. Website: www.herbalgram.org. Contact: Public Relations.

SOURCE American Botanical Council

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Folmsbee: Herbal supplements mislabeled and dangerous – Daily Northwestern [ BeritaTerkini ]

The Daily Northwestern > Opinion > Columns > Folmsbee: Herbal supplements mislabeled and dangerous

Folmsbee: Herbal supplements mislabeled and dangerous

Sai Folmsbee, Columnist
October 30, 2013

Since its inception, the Food and Drug Administration has approved thousands of drugs for medical use. And for clinicians, learning the names, types and dosages of all of these drugs, as well as the new ones entering the market, can be overwhelming. But medical school training ignores another widely used type of medication: herbal supplements. These are universally available in supermarkets around the country, with millions turning to them for a variety of ailments, from cold remedies to pain relief. But a new study has shown that most are fraudulent — filled with substitute ingredients, contaminants and fillers. But more importantly, due to a lack of government regulation, many of these false remedies persist despite a lack any scientific support for their efficacy.

This month, the scientific journal BMC Medicine published a study investigating the authenticity of 44 different herbal supplements from 12 different companies. Using DNA analysis, they found that 83 percent substituted another plant species instead of the one labeled, and 33 percent had contaminants or filler plant additives. Shockingly, only two of the companies had products with correct contents as advertised. Based on these data, if anyone were to purchase an herbal supplement, there is a good chance it may be either mostly filler or even a different plant derivative entirely.

How could this happen? It originates from the way supplements are regulated in the United States. Although they are purchased for their purported health effects, they are not considered drugs; the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act mandated that they be regulated as food products. Therefore, the FDA does not test them for safety and efficacy, and none of their health claims are ever validated. Companies that produce supplements are not allowed to advertise the treatment of any specific disease, but that does not stop them from making outrageous and vague claims such as “boosting the immune system” without any evidence or repercussions. In many ways, these companies have free reign to make whatever claims they wish.

Regardless of their contents, these supplements  likely do not have much of an effect. Herbal supplements are not based in science or evidence and are instead falsely rooted in an appeal to ancient wisdom. Many plants do have true pharmacological properties, and if any effect is found, the active ingredient is purified, tested and manufactured into a reliable drug for mainstream medicine. Herbal supplements simply represent those medications left behind by scientific investigation, where the data showed no use for their application. For example, repeated studies have shown that gingko biloba does not improve memory, and that Echinacea does not treat the common cold. But the modern mythology behind these herbal supplements continues, despite clear evidence to the contrary. If any of these supplements worked, they would have been quickly folded into the standard of care utilized by mainstream medicine.

Although the effectiveness of herbal supplements may be limited, they still pose a substantial risk to individuals requiring real medical care. Many may view these herbal supplements as true alternatives to science-based medicine, which can prevent those suffering from severe disease from starting useful therapies that have been rigorously tested by scientific investigation. There is nothing more heartbreaking than witnessing a cancer patient forgo potentially lifesaving treatment for an unproven, unregulated herb. Furthermore, these herbs have chemical and pharmacological properties of their own, and there have been many reports of herbal supplements causing direct harm to patients. They have the potential to interact with other drugs, leading to catastrophic consequences, including organ transplant rejection, cardiovascular collapse and even death. These supplements, which are readily available without prescription, supervision or regulation, are neither efficacious nor safe.

Herbal supplements are the vestigial organ of the modern healthcare system. They are a relic from a time before the integration of science and medicine. But despite the lack of evidence to support their use, they persist with a pardon from true governmental oversight. They are not even internally consistent, with new data showing that most supplements either use the wrong herb or are made with filler material, an error in fundamental consumer safety. Their danger is masked by their banality, with their generic labels and ubiquitous presence in every pharmacy. Only by witnessing the limitations and risks of herbal supplements can we begin to appreciate the only trustworthy metric in medicine: science.

Sai Folmsbee is a Feinberg graduate student. He can be reached at sai@fsm.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this column, send a letter to the editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com.

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Obamacare website to be down again for maintenance late Saturday [ BeritaTerkini ]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The glitch-ridden website used to sign up for insurance under President Barack Obama’s healthcare law will be down for “extended maintenance” overnight on Saturday, the Department of Health and Human Services said.

The website has been plagued by technology problems and has not worked reliably since its launch on October 1, embarrassing the administration and providing ammunition for Republicans seeking to roll back the law known as Obamacare.

The application, enrollment tools, and “data hub” will not be available from about 9 p.m. ET on Saturday (0100 Sunday GMT) until 9 a.m. ET (1400 GMT) on Sunday, a spokeswoman for the department said in a statement, telling consumers they can call a toll-free call center to apply for insurance in the meantime.

“The HealthCare.gov tech team is performing extended maintenance this weekend to improve network infrastructure and make enhancements to the online application and enrollment tools,” said Joanne Peters, the spokeswoman.

The administration has said it will fix the site by the end of this month. The government hopes that about 7 million people enroll for insurance by the end of March under the law passed in Obama’s first term to expand access to health insurance and require that people have coverage or pay a fine.

The administration said it expects early enrollment numbers to be low, in part because of the website’s problems. Documents released this week by a U.S. House of Representatives committee showed only 248 Americans had signed up in the first three days the site was running.

The administration has said it will not release enrollment statistics until mid-November.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Vicki Allen)

• Technology & Electronics
• Barack Obama

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U.S. aligns beef rules with global mad cow standards [ BeritaTerkini ]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States on Friday issued new import rules for cattle and beef that will comply with international standards for the prevention of mad cow disease, saying the step could ultimately boost U.S. beef exports.

The European Union said the U.S. move would bring a welcome re-opening of a market closed to its beef since January 1998.

Lawmakers and industry groups also welcomed the news, saying it would help the United States regain access to markets that have been closed for decades.

World trade in beef was jolted in the 1980s by the discovery of mad cow disease, a fatal brain-wasting disease in cattle, formally known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Many nations restricted imports, some of which remain in place, out of fear of a human version of the illness.

“Making these changes will further demonstrate to our trading partners our commitment to international standards and sound science, and we are hopeful it will help open new markets and remove remaining restrictions on U.S. products,” said USDA chief veterinarian John Clifford.

As an example of the new revisions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said boneless beef could be imported because research has shown the meat poses a negligible risk of mad cow disease. Until now, imports were restricted from most nations that had reported a case of the disease.

The USDA said the new revisions, which will be published in coming days and take effect 90 days afterward, would not weaken U.S. safeguards.

“This effort is crucial to breaking down other countries’ unfounded trade barriers, and re-opening trade markets that are closed to U.S. beef,” said Debbie Stabenow, chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Stabenow said Mexico employed a non-scientific limit on U.S. cattle exports by refusing to allow entry of animals over 30 months of age. She said U.S. producers lose an estimated $ 100 million a year because of the limit.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said the new rules were “great news for the U.S. cattle industry and integral to our efforts to further expand international trade.”

In a fact sheet, USDA said the changes “could convince other countries to remove any remaining restrictions on U.S. cattle and cattle products.” The rules bring USDA in line with the guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health, known by its French acronym of OIE.

On May 29, the OIE gave the United States its safest classification for mad cow, negligible risk.

U.S. officials have struggled for more than a decade to open markets that were restricted following discovery of the first U.S. case of the disease.

The United States is among the world’s largest importer and exporter of beef. Roughly 10 percent of U.S. beef is exported, while imports make up nearly 10 percent of the U.S. supply. Imports tend to be ground beef and lower-cost cuts of beef while the exports are high-value cuts.

Still, a small ranchers’ group, R-CALF, said USDA said it doubted the safety of beef from Europe and called for retention of a country-of-origin meat-labeling law currently under attack in Congress.

The United States uses three interlocking safeguards against mad cow. Feed for cattle and other ruminants cannot contain “rendered” parts of ruminants. USDA runs a surveillance and testing program for mad cow. And meatpackers are required to remove from carcasses brains, spinal cords, nervous tissue and other materials that could be infected.

Mad cow, with an incubation period of years, is primarily a disease of older cattle.

(Reporting by Charles Abbott, editing by Ros Krasny and Diane Craft)

• Health
• Politics & Government
• mad cow disease
• United States
• international standards

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M.I.A. Kicks Off ‘Matangi’ Tour with Thunderous NYC Show [ BeritaTerkini ]

Technical difficulties couldn’t stop the rapper from tearing through her set at Terminal 5

“Guns go off when I enter the building,” sings M.I.A. on “Y.A.L.A.,” a cut off her forthcoming record Matangi, and she certainly knows how to make an entrance. Last night at Manhattan’s Terminal 5, following an opening set by Harlem-bred DJ Venus X (who also provided the backing beats throughout M.I.A.’s performance), the rapper born Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam took the stage in a gold shirt, platinum pants, and aviator shades to rotating spotlights and the deafening roar of helicopter blades. Despite some technical difficulties, the show was a thunderous kickoff for the Matangi tour, showcasing a mashup of new songs and the crowd-pleasing best of M.I.A.’s nearly ten-year career.

Illuminated by giant, blinking snowflake-shaped fixtures and LED-lit displays in Sinhala, the written language native to Sri Lanka, M.I.A. launched into a set as wildly unpredictable as herself. Alongside dancers decked out in clothing from her new Versace line, she mimed shooting at the crowd during Matangi‘s title track, veered into the aggressive horns from  Kala‘s “XR2,” circled back around to her new album for the YOLO-parodying “Y.A.L.A.” (“If we only live once, why we keep doing the same shit?” she asks), and then backtracked to Arular for “Pull Up the People” and a rendition of Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band-sampling “Sunshowers.” Venus X interspersed those tracks with familiar M.I.A. lines – the drop-top beats from “Galang” and “Bamboo Banga,” for example – prompting one audience member to note that all her songs sound the same.

M.I.A performs at Terminal 5 on November 1st, 2013 in New York City.

Ebru Yildiz

Stream M.I.A.’s New Album, ‘Matangi’

When M.I.A. segued into the full version of “Bamboo Banga,” however, she started fiddling with her microphone, and shortly thereafter it cut out completely. For the next several minutes, she mouthed silently along with the formidable rhythms filling the space, seemingly unaware that we couldn’t hear her – or at least trying to put on a good show until the problem was fixed. Eventually her mic sputtered back to life and she pulled some audience members onto the stage before leading the rest in a sing-along of the anthemic “Ya, ya, heeeyyyy!” chorus of “Galang.” Then, in perhaps her most surprising move of the night, M.I.A. bent over, placed her hands on the monitors, and twerked. 

The second half of her set got off to a slightly smoother start with “Boyz,” which saw M.I.A. remove her pants to reveal sequined shorts underneath; after a brief interlude, she returned wearing a red jersey with MATANGI on the back and a pink scarf. This time she seemed more comfortable with the material, which included a rewarding buildup to her smash hit “Paper Planes,” crisp and commanding in the hands of Venus X, and a stealthily bombastic “Bad Girls.” The closing song, the Weeknd’s “Lonely Star”-sampling slow jam “Sexodus,” functioned as a comedown of sorts. Bathed in blue lights, M.I.A. brought it home with the sound of helicopters once again, leaving her fans with another question before calling it a night: “You keep on telling me you want to have it all/ Tell me what for?” 

M.I.A. performs at Terminal 5 on November 1st, 2013 in New York City.

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Inside Tips On How To Get On David Letterman’s The Late Show’s “Stupid Pet Tricks”! [ BeritaTerkini ]

Stupid Pet Tricks are an institution on David Letterman's The Late Show on CBS. Letterman has been doing this segment for 20 years, and the key to get on the show is to have a dog or cat who does "something we've never seen before!" says Brian Teta, the Stupid Pet Tricks Coordinator. "But with this criteria, finding that new pet trick becomes more challenging each year," he adds.

To find the new star of the segment, Brian Teta, has an email account where pet owners can write to describe this special trick their pet can perform. He also holds 25 to 30 live Stupid Pet Tricks auditions per year around the country. Once, he even auditioned dogs right there at the stadium when the Major League Baseball parks held "Dog Days" events.

Your pet's trick needs to be something surprising, unusual, or amazing!

When asked again what the Late Show is exactly looking for, Teta told us: "Given the unexpectedness of my other segments and my own humor, your pet's trick needs to be something surprising, unusual, or amazing." The trick doesn't necessarily have to be stupid though, it should even be rather smart. What works best is a basic dog trick, but taken to the next level. "Any dog can fetch, but if your dog can fetch a tissue when you sneeze, then you might be worthy of Stupid Pet Tricks," explains Teta.

Cats are less present than dogs on the show, probably they are a lot more difficult to train than dogs,. Only Grumble landed the segment in 1994 for his ability to say "yum yum" while eating. However felines are encouraged to audition and they actually have a better shot at getting on the show according to Teta. "Cat tricks are far more unusual than dog tricks," he says, "if a cat were to catch a ball in her mouth, for example, she may be considered for Stupid Pet Tricks!"

Every four to five months, Teta takes his ten favorite videos to Letterman's executive producers and three to four pets are selected. They are then flown to New York and have one rehearsal before the actual taping. "David Letterman doesn't meet the parents or their pets to keep thing spontaneous," Teta tells us. "He doesn't even know the trick, until the moment the pet steps out on stage!"

Most of the pets who appear on this segment don't launch into a show biz career but Buddy, a Golden Retriever who shot hoops on the show, got a role in the film Air Bud. And Odie, the Pug who can swoon, "I love you" became an Internet superstar. On the other hand, some pets are already renowned before they get on Stupid Pet Tricks. Jesse, the most well trained Jack Russell of all time, had already a tremendous amount of views on YouTube when he appeared on the late show set!

Jesse the Jack Russel increased his fame on the Late Show!

"The best way to audition is to email us a description of your pet's trick at lateshowtricks@cbs.com," says Teta. "If we like it and it's interesting enough, you will be asked to send a video of the trick."

To your cameras then!

For the Best the Pet Lifestyle and Animal Welfare has to offer follow Wendy Diamond on Facebook, Twitter, and right here at AnimalFair.com!

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Tags: air bud, amazing tricks, audition, brian teta, Buddy, cats, CBS, dogs, funny, Golden Retriever, lateshowtricks@cbs.com, Odie Pug, Stupid Pet Tricks Coordinator, The Late Show with David Letterman, Tips On How To Get On David Letterman's The Late Shows "Stupid Pet Tricks"!', training

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Symphony Animal Foundation plays their part in helping animals! [ BeritaTerkini ]

The Symphony Animal Foundation Has Some Unusual Fundraising Tactics

Laraine Russo Harper is just your typical animal lover: she has eight dogs and a miniature horse, all of which were rescues. Her small town of Pahrump, NV, had lots of animals roaming through the desert plains, and while it was great to allow her animals to roam freely with plenty of room, it also broke her heart to see so many people abandon pets and farm animals in the desert once they could no longer take care of them. With only a small animal shelter in town, there just simply weren't enough resources to extend a home to every abandoned animal. The stray dogs and cats had a small chance of finding a home at the shelter, but other abandoned animals were turned away. "There are a lot of different breed rescues. But there is no rescue where you can take an animal that is abandoned or people can't hang onto them for whatever reason," Harper said.

Harper decided to make a change in Pahremp: she made plans to open the first no- kill shelter in the area, and it was to be open to all animals, not just cats and dogs. The Symphony Animal Foundation, named after two of her St. Bernards, Beethoven and Mozart, opened its doors in 2008, and has been expanding rapidly ever since. The no- kill animal sanctuary opened its doors as a way to support the local animal shelter, taking in larger animals that the shelter would have had to turn away; hopefully, the arrangement will decrease last year's number of euthanized animals from 1,900 to zero. The foundation also hopes to make long- term changes in the community through education for new or potential pet parents: "It's so important to get the right dog with the right family so they don't end up back in the shelter," Harper said.

The Symphony Animal Foundation has been getting some help with making ends meet: Nye County, the county in which Pahremp is located, has leased two acres of land to Harper for the very charitable rate of $ 1 per year. The organization also had a booth in the annual Pahrump Fair and Festival.

The most unusual source of funding for the unique foundation? Laraine Russo Harper decided that she would donate ALL of the profits from her book to the organization. That the animal lover would invest in her charity is no surprise, but the content of the book may come as a surprise: Harper's book, "Legal Tender", details her experience working as a madam for a legal brothel for six years! Luckily for all of the homeless animals in Pahremp and the volunteers at the foundation, the book has been a huge success, beginning to sell through its second edition of 5,000 copies.

Only in Nevada, folks.

For more information on animal welfare and pet tips check out Premier Pet Lifestyle Expert and Animal Rescue Advocate Wendy Diamond at www.wendydiamond.com and www.animalfair.com

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Tags: af cares, animal, Animal Fair Magazine, animalfair.com, animals, celebrity and pets, charity, dog, dogs, Laraine Russo Harper, Pahrump, pet, pets, rescue, Symphony Animal Foundation. Laraine Russo Harper, wendy diamond

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E! Online (DE) – Trends [ BeritaTerkini ]

http://de.eonline.com/uberblog/trends/index.html
Fashion, Beauty, Livingde-de10Wed, 30 Oct 2013 07:03:00 GMTWed, 30 Oct 2013 07:03:00 GMT12060http://de.eonline.com/uberblog/trends/index.html
http://images.eonline.com/static/uberblog/images/feeds_logo.gif© 2013 E! Entertainment Television, Inc. All rights reserved., http://de.eonline.com/about/copyright/index.jsp<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013928//rs_300x300-131028093025-600.Kate-Middleton-shopping-sneakers-102813.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge" align="left" hspace="5″ />Wer hätte gedacht, dass Kate Middleton Sneakers trägt?

Wir haben sie zwar schon in Wedges und Sebago Slipper gesehen, doch offenbar schlüpft die Herzogin von Cambridge…<br clear="all" /> Wed, 30 Oct 2013 07:03:00 GMTb475392<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013925//rs_300x300-131025102527-600.best-looks-of-the-week.ls.102513_copy.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="Best Looks of the Week" align="left" hspace="5″ />Diese Woche waren bei unseren prominenten Fashionistas entweder gewagte Herbstfarben oder Weißtöne angesagt.

Hier unsere Lieblings-Looks der Woche:

Reese Witherspoon…<br clear="all" /> Mon, 28 Oct 2013 08:09:00 GMTb474423<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013923//rs_300x300-131023080941-600.Kate-Middleton-Prince-george.jl.102313_copy.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="Prince George, Prince William, Kate Middleton" align="left" hspace="5″ />Obwohl wir uns sicher sind, dass sie das nicht beabsichtigt hatte, gelang es Kate Middleton mal wieder alle Aufmerksamkeit auf sich zu lenken (Sorry Prinz George!).

Während der…<br clear="all" /> Wed, 23 Oct 2013 17:57:11 GMTb473352<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013922//rs_300x300-131022090346-600.Heidi-Klum-Bangs-jmd-102213.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="Heidi Klum" align="left" hspace="5″ />Mit Heidi Klum ist nur schwer Schritt zu halten. Doch zum Glück bekommen Fans der vielbeschäftigten vierfachen Mom via Instagram einen kleinen Einblick in ihr hektisches Leben und ihrem…<br clear="all" />Wed, 23 Oct 2013 09:59:00 GMTb472931<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013819//rs_300x300-130919123821-600.pattinsonhouse.cm.91913.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Home, House" align="left" hspace="5″ />Robert Pattinsons Liebesnest, das er einst mit Kristen Stewart bewohnte, könnte schon bald einen neuen Besitzer haben.

Der Schauspieler will die 6,7 Millionen-Villa in Los…<br clear="all" /> Wed, 23 Oct 2013 08:14:00 GMTb472702<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013914//rs_300x300-131014121513-600.hats-trend.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="Hats, Katie Holmes, Kourtney Kardashian, Kristin Cavallari" align="left" hspace="5″ />Diesen Herbst sind Hüte angesagt!

In den letzten Wochen haben wir bereits einige Prominente mit breitkrempigen Kopfbedeckungen gesehen. Vom klassischen schwarzen zu bunten…<br clear="all" /> Tue, 22 Oct 2013 09:23:00 GMTb470830<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013915//rs_300x300-131015102239-600.marant.cm.101513.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="Isabel Marant x H&M Lookbook" align="left" hspace="5″ />Wenn ihr euch auch schon auf die neue Kollektion von Isabel Marant für H&M freut, die am 14. November in die Läden kommt, dann haben wir hier ein interessantes Video…<br clear="all" />Thu, 17 Oct 2013 10:49:00 GMTb470667<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013911//rs_300x300-131011130706-600.Heidi-Klum-Ankle-Bootie.jl.101113.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="Heidi Klum" align="left" hspace="5″ />Heidi Klum hat sich offensichtlich in ein ganzes bestimmtes Paar Booties verliebt!

Das Multitalent trug die samtigen kurzen Booties von Sarah Flint schon bei verschiedenen…<br clear="all" /> Wed, 16 Oct 2013 09:23:00 GMTb469546<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013914//rs_300x300-131014162531-600.barrys.cm.101413.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Barry's Bootcamp" align="left" hspace="5″ />Kim Kardashian und Kanye West gingen gemeinsam zum Workout.

Das Paar war beim beliebten Barry's Bootcamp für eine Session.

Auch optisch waren sie auf…<br clear="all" /> Tue, 15 Oct 2013 17:53:20 GMTb470179<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013810//rs_300x300-130910134015-600.Kardashian-Humphries-Ring.ms.091013.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="Kim Kardashian, Kris Humphries, Wedding, Ring" align="left" hspace="5″ />Nun ist es offiziell, Kris Humphries versteigert den massiven Verlobungsring, den er seinerzeit Kim Kardashian an den Finger steckte.

Vor einem Monat gab es bereits Gerüchte,…<br clear="all" /> Mon, 14 Oct 2013 19:30:59 GMTb469561<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013911//rs_300x300-131011102934-600.rosie-reese.cm.101113.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="Leather Skirt Trend" align="left" hspace="5″ />Neben dem Punk-Look und den stets beliebten Jeans sind Lederröcke diesen Herbst ein absolutes Muss!

Im Gegensatz zum Vorjahr sind jedoch nicht Bleistiftröcke, sondern…<br clear="all" /> Mon, 14 Oct 2013 08:02:00 GMTb469453<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013910//rs_300x300-131010121522-600.bullock.cm.101013.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="Sandra Bullock" align="left" hspace="5″ />Es ist an der Zeit, Sandra Bullocks fantastischen Auftritte auf den roten Teppichen dieser Welt zu huldigen.

Wir sind natürlich schon lange ein Fan von ihr, aber das…<br clear="all" /> Fri, 11 Oct 2013 18:39:29 GMTb469138<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/201399//rs_300x300-131009145417-600.Miley-No-Pants.jl.100913.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="Miley Cyrus" align="left" hspace="5″ />Gleich drei junge Starlets ließen sich in letzter Zeit unten ohne in der Öffentlichkeit blicken.

Miley Cyrus erschien am Dienstagabend wie so oft in letzter Zeit in einem…<br clear="all" /> Fri, 11 Oct 2013 08:34:00 GMTb468893<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013722//rs_300x300-130822152926-600.punk.ls.82213.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="Punk Grunge Trend" align="left" hspace="5″ />Seid ihr bereit für den coolsten Trend der Herbst-Saison?

Zu den wohl angesagtesten Trends gehört der Punk-Look, der uns zurzeit überall begegnet, angefangen von…<br clear="all" /> Thu, 10 Oct 2013 12:21:00 GMTb467869<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/201398//rs_300x300-131008093914-300-10813-scarlettjohansson-matthewmcconaughey.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="Scarlett Johansson, Matthew McConaughey" align="left" hspace="5″ />Sechs Monate, nachdem Scarlett Johansson und Matthew McConaughey bei einem Fotoshooting für die Kampagne in Malibu gesehen wurden, ist die Anzeige nun endlich zu…<br clear="all" />Thu, 10 Oct 2013 11:43:00 GMTb468148<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/201398//rs_300x300-131008120106-600.kruger.cm.10813.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="C Magazine, Diane Kruger" align="left" hspace="5″ />Joshua Jackson kann sich wirklich sehr glücklich schätzen!

In einer Fotostrecke im C-Magazin trägt sie einen seitlich geflochtenen Zopf und gleich mehrere…<br clear="all" /> Thu, 10 Oct 2013 09:09:00 GMTb468139<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/201394//rs_300x300-131004104030-600.best-dressed.mh.100413.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="Best Dressed of the Week" align="left" hspace="5″ />Die bestgekleideten Fashionistas beeindruckten uns diese Woche in très chic Ensembles auf der Pariser Fashion Week und anderen Red-Carpet-Events.

Olivia Palermo war total…<br clear="all" /> Mon, 07 Oct 2013 07:17:00 GMTb467069<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/201391//rs_300x300-131001101528-600.Pink-Coats-jmd-100113.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="Eva Mendez, Kim Kardashian, Lea Michele" align="left" hspace="5″ />Die modischen Aussichten dieses Herbsts sind für die Promis ganz eindeutig rosig!

Rosa scheint die Mantel-Farbe der Saison zu sein. In den vergangenen Wochen wurden immer mehr…<br clear="all" /> Thu, 03 Oct 2013 07:03:00 GMTb465917<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013827//rs_300x300-130927093625-600.Paris-Fashion-Week-Topless-Protest.jl.092713.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="Model Punches Protestor, Nina Ricci, Femen " align="left" hspace="5″ />Die Dinge sind etwas aus der Reihe geraten, während einer Nina-Ricci-Modenschau auf der Pariser Fashion Week. Das Model Hollie-May Saker behauptet nämlich, eine barbusige Aktivistin die…<br clear="all" />Sat, 28 Sep 2013 08:07:00 GMTb464326<img src="http://images.eonline.com/resize/66/66/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013823//rs_300x300-130923184702-600.Diane-Kruger-MetOpera.jmd.092313.jpg" height="66″ width="66″ border="0″ alt="Diane Kruger " align="left" hspace="5″ />Während sich die Fernsehstars in Hollywood von den Emmy-Awards und dazugehörigen Partys erholten, bereiteten sich die Promis an der amerikanischen Ostküste auf ein anderes…<br clear="all" />Wed, 25 Sep 2013 07:49:00 GMTb462607

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China to end use of prisoners’ organs for transplants in mid-2014 [ BeritaTerkini ]

By Li Hui and Ben Blanchard

HANGZHOU, China (Reuters) – China, the only country that still systematically takes organs from executed prisoners for use in transplant operations, plans to end the controversial practice by the middle of next year, a senior official said on Saturday.

By mid-2014, all hospitals licensed for organ transplants will be required to stop using organs from executed prisoners and only use those voluntarily donated and allocated through a fledging national system, said Huang Jiefu, a former deputy health minister who heads the organ transplant reform.

The supply of human organs falls far short of demand in China due in part to a traditional belief that bodies should be buried or cremated intact. An estimated 300,000 patients are wait-listed every year for organ transplants, and only about one in 30 ultimately receives a transplant.

That shortage has driven a trade in illegal organ trafficking, and in 2007 the government banned transplants from living donors, except spouses, blood relatives and step- or adopted family members.

Huang, an Australian-trained transplant surgeon, admitted the problem of an organ black market was not something China would be able to easily resolve.

“The illegal trade of human organs will be inevitable in Chinese society in the years to come. The huge demand for organs is one of the causes. As long as there’s a gap between supply and demand, illegal organ trafficking won’t disappear, but the government will continue to crack down on it,” he told Reuters.

INTERNATIONAL CRITICISM

Beijing said in August it would begin to phase out the practice of using executed prisoners’ organs this month. Huang did not give an exact date for a ban on their use.

“Using executed prisoners’ organs for transplants does not meet with the ethical standards universally accepted, and has always received criticism from the international community,” Huang told a meeting of health and hospital officials in the eastern city of Hangzhou. “China’s organ transplant reform is the government’s political commitment to the people, and the world.”

“There has never been a law that regulates the use of prisoners’ organs. Enforcement of the policy has many loopholes, and there have been a lot of scandals that tarnish the image of the Chinese government,” Huang said.

Courts, which oversee executions, have been told they are no longer allowed to offer organs to hospitals, Huang later told Reuters, noting a trend in China anyway for fewer executions. “China has meted out fewer and fewer death sentences, so reliance on death-row inmates’ donations will become a dead end. So we must rely on voluntary donations,” he said.

China does not publish the numbers of people it executes, though the World Coalition Against The Death Penalty estimates it was about 4,000 last year.

VOLUNTEER PROGRAMMES

To cut back on its dependency on prisoners’ organs, China has launched pilot volunteer organ donor programs in 25 provinces and municipalities since February, with the aim of creating a nationwide voluntary scheme by the end of this year.

The number of transplants using donated organs has jumped to more than 900 cases in the first seven months of this year from 245 in 2011, but is still less than half the number of organs from death-row inmates, according to data provided by Huang.

Rights groups say many organs are taken from prisoners without their consent or their family’s knowledge, something the government denies.

A decrease in organ supply will also put more pressure on China’s nascent donation system.

A transplant surgeon at Saturday’s meeting from the nearby city of Nanjing, who asked to be identified by his last name, Li, said it was likely the new rules would limit the number of transplants they were able to carry out.

“There might be a temporary shortage of organs. If so, we will just have to do fewer transplants. There’s nothing we can do about that. Other countries haven’t solved that problem either,” he said.

(Ben Blanchard reported from Beijing; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)

• Health
• organ transplants
• China

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Restaurant: Gujarati Rasoi, London N16 [ BeritaTerkini ]

Gujarati Rasoi – ‘they don’t so much have an open kitchen as a kitchen with a few tables huddled around it.’ Photograph: Linda Nylind for the Guardian

What a gorgeous thing this is. We’re sharing it, but I’ve stopped being polite and am shamefully grabbing as much as I can. There’s crunch from shards of fried puri and wisps of sev, sweetness from date, tamarind and jewels of pomegranate, the odd strident nip of coriander. A different kind of texture comes from mealy black chickpeas and the whole thing is held together by the soothing balm of yoghurt. It’s papri (or papdi or papadi) chaat, a popular Indian street food snack; I’ve had it many times before, but I can’t remember ever feeling like fighting over it.

1. 
   
   

   Gujarati Rasoi
   

2. 10c Bradbury Street,

3. London

4. N16 8JN

5. 020-8616 7914

1. Open dinner Weds-Sat, 6-10.30pm; Sat brunch noon-3pm. About £25 a head for three courses, plus drinks and service.

   Food 7/10
   Atmosphere 6/10
   Value for money8/10
   

It’s typical of the food at this tiny East End restaurant run by Urvesh Parvais with his mother, Lalita Patel: all vivacity and freshness. They started out selling their family recipes handed down over the generations at London’s foodie markets, but have now graduated to an actual restaurant, too. If you can call it that: they don’t so much have an open kitchen as a kitchen with a few tables huddled around it, so you can watch as spices are tempered in seething oil and chaats are assembled moments before serving. The methi na thepla – little flatbreads honking with leafy fenugreek that lives in my pores for days – are slapped out and hit the fryer minutes before they’re delivered to us by the beauteous Polly.

We have butteta vhada: potato formed into little balls in a gram flour coating, the seemingly pedestrian ingredients made thrilling by the addition of ginger and chilli, and a sultry tomato and curry leaf chutney. And a slightly fermented-tasting and porridgey chickpea khumni ne sev (often served at breakfast, unsurprisingly), which is far more engaging than its appearance would suggest.

I like these starters, or snacks, and the side dishes better than main courses, which can venture into amorphous brown stew territory. I’m thinking particularly of an aubergine, potato and pea number that looks like the kind of thing you resort to when using up the last of the veg box. But the red aduki bean dahl, oh lordy. It’s glorious: buttery, rich, each spice making its presence felt without shouting, slightly sweetened with jaggery. It’s a thing of humble but absolute luxury.

Every week there’s a different menu. You might find athanu: slices of fresh mango spiked with tingling spices into a kind of instant chutney. Or one of their insanely good bhujias: onion or broccoli, fried till crisp, the batter aerated with a fizz of bicarb. Or mhutia: crunchy wafers laced with ajwain (carom) seeds, like poppadoms with attitude.

The dishes’ names and ingredients are lyrical and thrillingly alien – vaal, farari chevro, ohndwo – and half the time you’ve no idea what they are; but you do know you’re going to be fighting over the last scraps. The prevalence of Jainism in Gujarat means that the state is mostly vegetarian (Rasoi is totally so, although it’s not the full satvika, avoiding onion and garlic, for which I’m eternally grateful). But rarely have I missed meat less. And, surprisingly for such a tiny outfit, they’re licensed, offering unusual, Indian-spiced cocktails and pleasing organic Sicilian wines decanted into stoppered bottles. Afterwards, even though we’ve scarfed virtually the whole menu, we feel energised and frisky, up for hitting Dalston’s moody cocktail establishments. Yah boo sucks to post-curry torpor.

To say that Gujarati Rasoi is no frills is restrained understatement. Decor runs to chipboard and concrete with a few flourishes of ornate fabric bunting for levity. If you sit too near the kitchen (and, even with their recent colonisation of the next-door space, it’s hard not to), you can fry every bit as thoroughly as the thepla. But you get the very real sense that you’re enjoying the hospitality of talented Gujarati home cooks, without needing to be invited into actual Gujarati homes. Which is a privilege I’m happy to cross town for.

• Gujarati Rasoi 10c Bradbury Street, London N16, 020-8616 7914. Open dinner

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Wed-Sat, 6-10.30pm; Sat brunch noon-3pm. About £25 a head for three courses, plus drinks and service.

Food 7/10
Atmosphere 5/10
Value for money 8/10

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Obama says ‘concerned’ about Los Angeles airport shooting [ BeritaTerkini ]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Friday that he is concerned about a shooting at the Los Angeles International Airport on Friday that killed one person and wounded at least six other people.

“We’re concerned about it, but I’ll let law enforcement folks talk about it directly,” Obama told reporters in the Oval Office after meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

(Reporting by Steve Holland and Roberta Rampton; editing by Jackie Frank)

• Politics & Government
• Barack Obama

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https://news.google.com/news/feeds?q=herbal [ BeritaTerkini ]

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This week’s events: out and about [ BeritaTerkini ]

A jamboree of vegan-based madness with speed dating, film screenings and food stalls.

Central Methodist Hall

Seventeen hours of mortality-based frolics with talks and screenings of horror classics such as Ealing’s Dead Of Night.

The Bluecoat

The Italian booze brand provide some cultural titbits and a screening of Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty.

41 Portland Place, W1

The Shoreditch creative hub launches its new book with a typically trendy shindig of talks, films, etc.

Red Gallery, EC2

The city is visited by authors including Chuck “Fight Club” Palahniuk.

Various venues

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