Group of China Internet firms say to sue Baidu over copyright violations [ BeritaTerkini ]

Reuters – 

BEIJING (Reuters) – A group including Chinese Internet firms Tencent Holdings and Sohu.Com Inc as well as a top U.S. film industry body said on Wednesday it is seeking 300 million yuan ($ 49.2 million) in damages from China’s Baidu Inc and others for copyright violation.

The group, which also includes Youku Tudou Inc, Dalian Wanda Group and the Motion Picture Association of America, said in a statement that Baidu and others had been using an automated process to obtain content from the other companies.

Baidu was not immediately available for comment.

(Reporting by Paul Carsten and Beijing Newsroom; editing by Jonathan Standing)

//

Read more »

Travel Agents: Get Media Savvy! [ BeritaTerkini ]

In several columns in this space over the past few years, I’ve briefly pointed out the value of public relations as one valuable tool that can contribute to your business success. But public relations is so cost effective and brings so much credibility to you and your business, it’s worthy of its own, more in-depth column. Here are some ways you can leverage this valuable tool.

Understand what PR is: It’s not advertising. You can’t control if or when you’ll be quoted or if the journalist has any interest, even though your significant other thinks your concept is ground breaking. A journalist’s interest will be tied to a topic or a story, not to how great your travel agency is. So you need to have a realistic expectation of what PR will produce, because over time—and it does take time—it can be highly beneficial to you.

Know who you are dealing with: The New York Times aside, you will almost always find that the travel editor of a newspaper or magazine is also the editor for automobiles or something completely unrelated. That person likely has little to no formal “travel background,” though he or she likely has had some travel experience, even if it’s almost entirely their own vacations. Don’t just reach out to them or keep sending them press releases that have no relevance. Do your homework and be a regular reader or viewer. Know what they tend to report on and get to know their apparent interests and hot buttons. When you do contact them, tell them how you might be able to further extend what appears to be an interesting topic to them.

Invest in building relationships: Just as you are continuously in communication with your customers—you are doing that, right?—you need to be regularly in touch with your media contacts. You don’t need to have a story concept to touch base. Just touch base. Use alternating methods (email, in person, phone calls, etc.) unless the person has advised you they much prefer a single means of communications. At least occasionally, ask if you can stop by their office or 10 minutes or offer to meet at Starbucks. And when your 10 minutes is up, leave. If they want you to stay to chat more, they’ll tell you. If they’re busy and need to get to work, they’ll appreciate and respect the fact that you did what you said you would. And as with all interactions, be authentic.

Make sure it’s a collaborative process: In years past, “pitching” was the commonly used verb when approaching a reporter or editor with a story line. To me, the word has the connotation of trying to hard sell something to someone who may not have an interest or the need. Today’s savvy writers and reporters will appreciate your approaching them as someone who will work with them to extend or further develop a topic. Treat what you’re doing as a collaborative exercise that will benefit the reporter, not just you.

Get to the point quickly: Time is the ultimate commodity. When you speak to a reporter or editor, deliver a short, powerful, well-thought-out overview of your concept. Reporters tend to be intrigued (or not) very quickly and most will offer no pretenses of interest if you don’t hook them almost immediately. You’ll hear it in their voices or see it on their faces. Ask me how I know.

Be responsive to journalist’s needs: When you’re the one receiving the call or email, the writer or reporter is frequently under a very tight deadline. If you’re going to set yourself up as the expert, you’ll have to be responsive and that may mean dropping everything for three hours to get them what they need. It’s just the price of becoming a great contact for the media. This is arguably the single most important “rule.”

Deliver consistent and reliable information: Just like selling to the customer, you’re not going to “score” on every try, but it’s important to consistently be out there with relevant and interesting topics. Give the reporter an exclusive or do something that will make it more intriguing to him or her. But remember that sometimes the topic is just not that interesting to that reporter or their focus is elsewhere. Accept the “no thanks” graciously and thank them for considering your idea. Again, it takes time and effort to build relationships with the media, so don’t get discouraged. Effectively leveraging of public relations and media relationships takes time, energy, homework, relationship building, responsiveness and creativity, but the benefits can be huge. Go for it and make it work for you!

Jack Mannix, CTC, is head of his own consulting firm, Jack E. Mannix & Associates (www.jackemannix.com). He also serves as chairman of The Travel Institute. You can reach him by emailing jmannix@jackemannix.com. This column is adapted from one set to appear in the September 2013 issue of Agent@Home magazine.

//

Read more »

Obama tech chief to testify in Congress about healthcare website [ BeritaTerkini ]

By Roberta Rampton | Reuters – 

By Roberta Rampton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A top White House technology adviser will testify at a congressional hearing on Wednesday about the troubled launch of the website at the heart of President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare reform despite the administration’s assertions that he was too busy.

The White House confirmed late on Tuesday that Todd Park, its chief technology officer, would comply with a subpoena to testify at a hearing of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives Oversight Committee.

The White House had asked to delay the hearing until December, saying that Park was too busy helping to fix the HealthCare.gov website, which Obama has vowed will be working smoothly for most people by the end of the month.

Technical problems with the website since its October 1 rollout have prevented many Americans from enrolling in the health exchanges set up under the 2010 healthcare law, also known as Obamacare.

“The partisan subpoena issued by House Republicans on Friday was an unfortunate and unnecessary step since we made clear several times that Todd Park is willing to testify,” said Rick Weiss, a spokesman for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

“It wasn’t a question of if, it was a question of when,” Weiss said.

Park was a successful healthcare IT developer before he joined the Obama administration, steering Athenahealth through a blockbuster IPO, and helping start another company, Castlight, which provides data on healthcare costs.

A sought-after speaker at IT conferences, Park is popular within the technology community. More than 1,200 allies signed a petition at lettoddwork.org calling on Darrell Issa, the Republican committee chairman, to postpone Park’s testimony.

“No matter what side of the aisle you sit on, Todd is one of the good guys. Let him do his job,” the petition said.

Park, 40, helped build the original HealthCare.gov website in 2010 when he was chief technology officer at the Department of Health and Human Services. At the time, the website provided information about public and private insurance programs, sorted by zip code.

Also slated to testify are Steven VanRoekel, the chief information officer at the White House budget office, Henry Chao, the deputy chief information officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Frank Baitman, chief information officer for HHS.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Eric Walsh and Paul Simao)

//

Read more »

An Asian food tour around Sydney after dark – audio slideshow [ BeritaTerkini ]

Sydney’s Haymarket throngs with late-night punters hungry for their next bite. Vicky Frost takes in the sights, sounds and tastes of the city’s Asian food hub with chef Dan Hong. On a Friday-night tour of some of Sydney’s Korean, Thai, Chinese and Malaysian restaurants, they drop in at the very simple and the very plush, new openings and much-loved favourites

//

Read more »

Killer whale proximity to trainer key to shows, SeaWorld tells court [ BeritaTerkini ]

By Lacey Johnson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Putting killer whales and their trainers together in close proximity is an important part of SeaWorld’s shows, the marine park operator said on Tuesday in asking a federal court to overturn an order to put more space between orcas and humans.

The case resulted from the February 2010 death of Dawn Brancheau, a 40-year-old marine life trainer at SeaWorld Entertainment Inc’s Orlando park, and a U.S. Labor Department safety order that came after that tragedy.

Brancheau drowned when a 12,000-pound (5,440-kg) bull killer whale, or orca, named Tilikum pulled her into a pool.

Close interaction between whales and humans is “the premise of SeaWorld’s entertainment,” the company’s attorney, Eugene Scalia, told a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The Labor Department order is like the “government came in and told the NFL (National Football League) that close contact on the football field would have to end” for safety reasons, said Scalia, son of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

Six months after Brancheau’s death, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said SeaWorld had exposed its trainers to a hazardous environment, violating the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s “general duty” clause.

OSHA, part of the Labor Department, ordered SeaWorld to make changes, including physically separating trainers and orcas during performances.

OSHA also fined SeaWorld $ 75,000 for three safety violations. An administrative law judge of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission reduced the fine last year to $ 12,000 after downgrading one of the violations.

GENERAL DUTY CLAUSE

The “general duty” clause says employers must keep workplaces free from recognized hazards. The clause “cannot be used to force a company to change the very product that it offers the public, and the business it is in,” SeaWorld wrote in an appellate brief.

The Labor Department defended its invoking of the clause, saying the safety hazards at SeaWorld could be prevented without threatening the company’s survival.

“The distinction is that the acts that SeaWorld claims are inherent to their business model are, in fact, not inherent to their business model,” said Department of Labor attorney Amy Tryon during the hearing at Georgetown University’s Law Center.

“We know that SeaWorld is able to make a reduction in risk to its employees because SeaWorld has done that.”

DEEP WATER LIMIT

Scalia said that SeaWorld had modified its shows following Brancheau’s death, and trainers were no longer allowed to enter deep water with killer whales.

“What is the nature of the product?” asked Judge Brett Kavanaugh during Tryon’s remarks. “That’s the concern I have about this case.”

Scalia said the ruling against SeaWorld should be dismissed because a previous judge relied on testimony from an unqualified expert witness with limited knowledge of whale behavior in captivity.

The appellate judges have yet to rule.

Two animal-rights groups – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Animal Legal Defense Fund – have filed with an amicus brief to support the Labor Department. The groups wrote in the brief that prolonged captivity has forced the orcas to behave aggressively.

Shares in SeaWorld were up 2.4 percent at $ 31.96 in mid-afternoon trading.

The case is SeaWorld of Florida v. Thomas E. Perez, No. 12-1375, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

(Editing by Ian Simpson, Kevin Drawbaugh and Andrew Hay)

• Society & Culture
• Animals
• SeaWorld
• Dawn Brancheau
• killer whales

//

Read more »

Factbox: U.S. heart disease statistics [ BeritaTerkini ]

(Reuters) – The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association on Tuesday announced new clinical practice guidelines aimed at cutting the risk of heart disease, the number one killer for both men and women in the United States. The following are heart disease statistics, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

* About 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year, or 1 in 4 deaths

* About 715,000 Americans have a heart attack each year with about 525,000 of them a first heart attack

* Coronary heart disease caused by clogged arteries is the most common form of heart disease, killing more than 385,000 people annually

* Coronary heart disease costs the United States $ 108.9 billion each year in health care services, medicines, and lost productivity.

* Health factors that increase the risk of heart disease include: high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, smoking, excessive alcohol use, lack of physical activity

(Reporting by Bill Berkrot; Editing by Leslie Gevirtz)

• Disease & Medical Conditions
• Heart & Vascular Disorders
• Coronary heart disease

//

Read more »

Heroin overdose, drug deal cases go before Supreme Court [ BeritaTerkini ]

By Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Supreme Court took on cases involving a heroin overdose and a drug deal gone wrong on Tuesday as the justices weighed what prosecutors needed to prove in order to convict defendants of certain federal offenses.

In both cases, the justices appeared unsure how to proceed as they considered the appeals of two criminal defendants, Marcus Burrage and Justus Rosemond.

Burrage was convicted in a federal court in Iowa of distributing heroin that led to the death of a drug user while Rosemond was convicted in a Utah federal court of aiding and abetting the use of a firearm during drug trafficking. Both convictions were upheld on appeal.

In each case, the defendants are appealing lengthy prison sentences. Burrage was sentenced to 20 years on the heroin death count, although he is serving it concurrently with his 20-year sentence for selling heroin. Rosemond’s conviction on the firearms count led to a 10-year prison term on top of the four-year term he received for other offenses.

In Burrage’s case, he argued that the government needed to show that the heroin that led to the death of Joshua Banka in Iowa in November 2009 was more than just one possible cause of death. At trial, experts said only that the heroin was a contributing factor to Banka’s death as he had also ingested other drugs at the time of his death, Burrage’s lawyers point out.

Several justices expressed concern about the latitude the government has in prosecuting cases under the law, which imposes a mandatory minimum 20-year sentence “if death or serious bodily injury” results from use of heroin sold by the defendant.

Justice Elena Kagan cited the expert testimony at trial, noting that there was no information on to what extent the heroin was a cause of death.

“They had no idea whether it contributed to the death,” she said.

DRUG DEAL

In the second case, Rosemond was convicted of four offenses relating to a shooting that took place in Tooele, Utah, in August 2007 during an unsuccessful drug deal.

Rosemond’s legal team says the government should have to show he took some action to encourage use of the firearm in order for him to be convicted of the aiding and abetting offense, one of four charges he faced. At trial, it was not clear whether it was Rosemond or his accomplice who was the shooter.

As in the Burrage case, some of the justices indicated sympathy for Rosemond’s plight. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said it seemed “a bit much” that Rosemond received a 10-year sentence merely for his involvement in an underlying crime that only merited a four-year sentence.

It is possible the court will send the case back to lower courts for further review due to concerns raised by some justices about the instructions that were given to the jury.

“I think there is a real problem with that,” Justice Anthony Kennedy said.

Rulings are expected by the end of June.

The cases are Burrage v. United States, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 12-7515 and Rosemond v. United States, 12-895.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Howard Goller)

• Crime & Justice
• Society & Culture

//

Read more »

Problem solving may aid mothers of kids with autism [ BeritaTerkini ]

By Andrew M. Seaman

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Soon after children are diagnosed with autism, their mothers may benefit from learning problem-solving skills to cope with the challenges to come, researchers say.

In a small U.S. trial, mothers who took part in the therapy were less likely to have symptoms of stress after three months, compared to parents who only got information on how to handle their children’s diagnosis.

“I think what this offers is an evidence-based intervention that really focuses on skill building and that does not seem to be widely available at this point,” Emily Feinberg said. She is the study’s lead author from Boston University.

Previous studies have found that mothers of children with autism report high levels of psychological stress, symptoms of depression and isolation, Feinberg and her colleagues write in JAMA Pediatrics.

Typically, children diagnosed with autism get a tailored plan for services, such as speech and language therapy or social skills training. But the help offered to families rarely includes mental health services for parents, the researchers point out.

To see whether a skills therapy could help mothers stave off stress and depression, Feinberg’s team recruited mothers and their newly diagnosed children from an autism clinic and six other community programs that serve low-income families in and around Boston.

Of the 122 mothers included in the trial, 59 were randomly assigned to receive the problem-solving skills therapy and the other 63 got the usual care prescribed in their child’s individualized treatment plan.

The skills therapy consisted of six sessions doing workbook-guided exercises with an educator. The workbook activities helped the mothers identify problems and work toward resolutions.

For example, a mother who said she felt lonely would be guided to identify an objective, solvable problem – such as wanting to spend time with friends, but not having anyone to watch her child while she goes out.

She would then set goals to resolve that problem, such as asking her sister to watch her child while she has an evening out.

The hope, according to Feinberg, is that mothers could take the problem-solving skills they gain to overcome future obstacles that could cause stress.

About 80 percent of mothers in the therapy group completed all six sessions over two months.

Three months after enrolling in the study, about 29 percent of mothers in the usual-care group reported a concerning level of stress symptoms, according to the researchers. That compared to 4 percent in the therapy group.

The researchers also found a small reduction in worse-than-normal symptoms of depression among mothers in the therapy group. A larger study, however, might have been able to detect a significant difference, Feinberg said.

She also said that another, forthcoming analysis of her group’s study will look at whether the skills mothers learned have a lasting effect by reevaluating the women nine months after they first enrolled in the study.

Annette Estes, director of the University of Washington Autism Center in Seattle, said the new study’s findings are consistent with a paper she and her colleagues recently published.

“Obviously, the child with autism should be the primary focus, but family has to be part of the interventions as well,” she said. “The impact on them really needs to be addressed.”

Feinberg said the therapy tested in the new study is not currently available, but there may be support groups or traditional mental health programs available.

“The struggle is having access to those types of programs in communities that are in lower resource areas or areas that don’t have academic centers,” Estes, who was not involved in the new study, said.

Feinberg also said people should keep in mind that the therapy tested in the new study is not meant to directly improve outcomes for children with autism.

“It’s important to know that this is not a substitute in any way for treatment for the child,” she said.

Instead, the hope would be that the therapy could lead to fewer stressed parents who are better prepared to engage and follow the recommended care for their children.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/16Z0Y3S JAMA Pediatrics, online November 11, 2013.

//

Read more »

British composer John Tavener dies aged 69 [ BeritaTerkini ]

LONDON (Reuters) – John Tavener, one of Britain’s most celebrated composers whose music was played at the funeral of Princess Diana, died at his home in southwest England on Tuesday at age 69, his publisher said.

Tavener studied at the Royal Academy of Music and spent five decades composing. He was best known for the classical chart-topper “The Protecting Veil” and for his “Song for Athene” that was played at Diana’s funeral in 1997.

He recorded on the Apple label and much of his work was inspired by his spirituality after joining the Russian Orthodox Church.

But Tavener was plagued by poor health for much of his life. He suffered a stroke in his mid-30s and in 1990 was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome, a genetic condition that can cause heart defects. He had a major heart attack in 2007.

James Rushton, managing director of Tavener’s publisher Chester Music, described him as a man of strong beliefs and huge personal warmth, loyalty and humour.

“John Tavener was one of the unique and most inspired voices in music of the last fifty years,” Rushton said in a statement.

“His large body of work – dramatic, immediate, haunting, remaining long in the memory of all who have heard it, and always identifiably his – is one of the most significant contributions to classical music in our times.”

Tavener was knighted in 2000 for services to music.

He is survived by his wife and three children.

(Reporting By Shadi Bushra, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith/Mark Heinrich)

• Death & Funeral
• Music
• John Tavener
• Royal Academy of Music
• classical music

//

Read more »

Belgacom buys 4G mobile licence for £101 million [ BeritaTerkini ]

Reuters – 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Belgian telecoms company Belgacom said on Tuesday it bought one of the three Belgian licences to operate super-fast 4G mobile services for 120 million euros (101 million pounds).

The 20-year licence for 800 Megahertz (MHz) spectrum will supplement the 4G service Belgacom has provided since November 2012 via the existing 1.8 Gigahertz (GHz) band and through the acquisition in 2011 of a 15-year 4G licence for 2.6 GHz.

Belgium’s telecom regulator said at the start of October that the country’s three main operators – Belgacom, Mobistar and KPN’s BASE – had bid for mobile spectrum in an auction held this month.

The asking price was 120 million euros.

A similar auction in the Netherlands in December 2012 opened the door for Swedish group Tele 2 to enter the market as the country’s fourth mobile operator and raised 3.8 billion euros.

Fourth generation services enable ultra-fast mobile data traffic, allowing users for example to watch television on smartphones, tablets or laptops at a quality similar to that of a fixed line.

Belgacom said it aimed to extend its 4G network to reach half of Belgium’s 11 million population by the end of the year.

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; editing by Robin Emmott)

//

Read more »

Dendreon to cut more jobs as cancer vaccine sales drop again [ BeritaTerkini ]

(Reuters) – Biotechnology company Dendreon Corp said it would reduce annual costs by $ 125 million and cut about 150 jobs in a new round of restructuring, as it struggles to boost sales of its flagship cancer vaccine.

The company is watched closely due to the immense potential of cancer vaccines, but sales of Provenge have never really taken off because of limited manufacturing capacity and uncertainty over reimbursements.

Dendreon’s net product revenue, reflecting Provenge sales, fell 13 percent to $ 68 million in the third quarter ended September 30.

“It appears clearly that competition continues to affect the sales of Provenge …” Wedbush Securities Inc analyst David Nierengarten said.

The current restructuring is not radical enough to address concerns about weak sales, he said, adding that the current restructuring effort is just “too little and too late.”

High cost and the emergence of easier-to-use rival drugs such as Medivation Inc’s Xtandi and Johnson & Johnson’s Zytiga have hurt sales of Provenge.

Dendreon had cut 600 jobs and closed its New Jersey manufacturing facility in a restructuring in July last year to save about $ 150 million annually.

The company, in its post-earnings conference call on Tuesday, refused to say whether it would shut more plants.

The benefits of the latest restructuring, which would lower expenses by 20 percent, were expected from the first quarter of 2014, the drugmaker said.

Dendreon said it would have about 820 employees at the end of the restructuring, down from more than 2,000 at its peak.

The company will record a restructuring charge of about $ 7.5 million in the current quarter and the first quarter of 2014.

Dendreon’s net loss narrowed to $ 67.2 million, or 44 cents per share, in the third quarter from $ 154.9 million, or $ 1.04 per share, a year earlier.

Analysts on average had expected a loss of 42 cents per share on revenue of $ 76.3 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Dendreon shares rose 3 percent to $ 2.58 on Tuesday on the Nasdaq.

(Reporting by Esha Dey and Adithya Venkatesan in Bangalore; Editing by Savio D’Souza and Kirti Pandey)

• Finance
• Investment & Company Information
• Dendreon

//

Read more »

World’s first mobile hydrogen fuel cell charger, Upp, unveiled [ BeritaTerkini ]

By Luke Edwards | Pocket-lint – 

Hydrogen fuel cells could be the future of power. They use hyrdogen mixed with oxygen to produce energy with a by-product of water. In the case of Intelligent Energy’s Upp it uses a replaceable hydrogen cell to charge mobiles, smartphones, tablets or whatever needs power, delivered at the same speed as a wall charger.

Initially the Upp will launch in Africa as a means of providing sustainable, eco-friendly power. One hydrogen cell will provide five full charges of a mobile phone (25Wh capacity per cell). And the only by-product produced is water vapour. A USB ytpe A socket means it will charge most USB devices with a 5V, 5W, 1000mA output.

The Upp also comes with an accompanying iPhone and Android app which can provide predictive usage statistics as well as user profile information to enable better management of fuel levels. The Upp itself has an Intelligent Auto Shutoff feature that conserves energy and protects the battery of what it’s charging.

“We are delighted to launch Upp, which represents a new category of energy device, and are excited about the transformational implications for the portable electronics market and the consumer,” said Henri Winand, CEO of Intelligent Energy. “With the growing demand for portable devices, mobile and cloud services, consumers want the energy independence to keep their devices connected and powered-up all the time.

“Upp is evidence that fuel cells are not just rocket science; the Upp fuel cell personal energy device has the power to extend your everyday life experiences and untether you from the wall socket, while making sure you stay connected.”

Upp will roll out in December. Pricing and international availability have not yet been announced.

© copyright Pocket-lint 2013

//

Read more »

U.S. Catholic bishops name Louisville archbishop conference head [ BeritaTerkini ]

BALTIMORE (Reuters) – U.S. Catholic bishops on Tuesday elected Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, as president of their leadership conference.

The election of Kurtz to a three-year-term comes as Catholic bishops worldwide are being given new direction by Pope Francis, who has emphasized greater humility and more concern for the poor. The bishops oversee 69 million American Catholics, or about one-quarter of the U.S. population.

(Reporting by Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)

• Religion & Beliefs
• Society & Culture

//

Read more »

Supplements may not guard against cancer, heart disease [ BeritaTerkini ]

By Andrew M. Seaman

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – There is little evidence that vitamin and mineral supplements protect people from cancer and heart problems, according to a new analysis.

Based on those findings, a U.S. government-back panel issued draft recommendations that echo its previous conclusion: it cannot recommend for or against taking vitamins and minerals to prevent those conditions.

“At this point in time the science is not sufficient for us to estimate how much benefit or harm there is from taking vitamin or multivitamin supplements to prevent cancer or heart disease,” Dr. Michael LeFevre said.

LeFevre is co-vice chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), which issues recommendations to help guide doctors and health systems. The USPSTF sponsored the new analysis.

The panel’s draft statement also says neither beta-carotene nor vitamin E should be taken to prevent heart disease or cancer.

Previously, beta-carotene was found to further increase the risk of lung cancer among people who are already at an increased risk.

Approximately 600,000 people die of heart disease in the U.S. every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another 580,000 die of cancer, the American Cancer Society says.

Cancer and heart disease share a number of risk factors including inflammation, researchers wrote in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Animal and lab studies have suggested supplements may guard against some of those risk factors.

It’s estimated that Americans spend about $ 12 billion each year on supplements.

For the new analysis, Dr. Stephen Fortmann and his colleagues from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon, analyzed studies that examined vitamin and mineral use to prevent cancer and heart disease.

After searching online medical research databases for studies published between January 2005 and January 2013, the researchers included data from 26 studies.

Those studies examined the effects of multivitamins or specific vitamins and minerals taken together or alone.

The studies included anywhere from 128 to over 72,000 participants with average ages between 22 and 77. The average age for most studies was greater than 50, however.

Participants were not taking supplements for any known nutritional deficiencies, such as low vitamin D levels.

The researchers found there was no difference in deaths between people taking multivitamins and people taking placebo pills or nothing. Also, there was no effect of multivitamins on fatal or non-fatal heart disease.

Two trials did show a small reduction in new cancers over a 10-year period, but only in men.

Fortmann and his colleagues concluded there is no consistent evidence that supplements – multivitamins or otherwise – affect the risk of heart disease, cancer or death among adults.

That, they write, is consistent with earlier findings. But they caution that there are few quality studies on supplements other than vitamin E and beta-carotene.

After reviewing six trials on each, the researchers found vitamin E did not have any benefits. Beta-carotene increased the risk of lung cancer among smokers.

“The main message is that there’s not much evidence of a long term health benefit to taking most of the vitamins that people are taking,” Fortmann told Reuters Health.

“But one has to qualify that comment, because we only looked at evidence through heart disease, cancer and deaths and it’s hard to show an effect on those things.”

Steve Mister, president and CEO of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) said most people don’t take vitamins or minerals to protect against heart disease or cancer.

“We have both government data and our own consumer study that we do every year,” Mister said. “Primarily, they take these vitamins or multivitamins because they know they’re not eating the diet that they should … They help to fill in those gaps.”

CRN is a Washington, D.C.-based trade group that represents dietary supplement manufacturers and ingredient suppliers.

“We tell consumers to talk with a healthcare provider and recognize that a multivitamin is part of a healthy lifestyle,” Mister, who was not involved with the new analysis, told Reuters Health. “It’s not a silver bullet that’s going to save you from all the things that you do.”

Fortmann emphasized that message and said people shouldn’t take supplements as an excuse for having a poor diet.

“If you’re taking a vitamin, you shouldn’t be too confident that it’s preventing any heart disease or cancer,” he said.

LeFevre, who is also a professor at the University of Missouri in Columbia, said the findings don’t mean nutrition doesn’t matter.

“Good nutrition is important and probably important for heart disease and cancer,” he told Reuters Health.

LeFevre added that the new statement also does not affect the panel’s recommendation that older adults who are at high risk of falls should have physical therapy and take vitamin D supplements to reduce their chance of injury (see Reuters Health story of May 30, 2012 here: http://reut.rs/V1ARom).

The USPSTF’s draft recommendations will be posted online for public comment (here: http://bit.ly/ZKptK6) until December 9.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/Ms1ZbQ Annals of Internal Medicine, online November 11, 2013.

• Health
• Nutrition
• lung cancer
• cancer

//

Read more »

Netflix arrives on Virgin Media Tivo: Free for six months if you start Premiere or VIP Collection [ BeritaTerkini ]

By Luke Edwards | Pocket-lint – 

In its bid to take over the world Netflix has made its way onto yet another box for your tele. This time it’s Virgin Media’s turn. But the big V is content with just adding Netflix, it wants to give it away free for six months.

For those people wishing to sign-up to Virgin’s Premiere or VIP Collection services they will get a six-month Netflix subscription included. All other Tivo customers will get their first month for free. Premiere is current £40 for the first six months then £63 after that on an 18-month contract. VIP is £65 for the first six months then £115.49 on an 18-month contract. Existing customers can also get the six-months free by signing up to either of these higher tier contracts.

Since Netflix is watched streaming over the internet this is ideal for Virgin customers who can get up to 120MB broadband meaning full HD with 5.1 surround streamed seamlessly. After the initial free time Netflix will cost £6 per month.

So if you’re a Virgin Media user and already have Netflix this will offer you a new way to watch. It will most likely be a straight forward option and, if nothing else it’ll give your console a well deserved rest.

© copyright Pocket-lint 2013

//

Read more »

South Africa’s PIC fears foreign control of Adcock: source [ BeritaTerkini ]

By Tiisetso Motsoeneng

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s state pension fund is opposing the takeover of drugs firm Adcock Ingram by Chile’s CFR Pharmaceutical because of concerns about foreign control and the share component of the deal, a source familiar with the fund’s thinking said on Tuesday.

The state-owned Public Investment Corporation (PIC), Adcock’s largest shareholder with a 14 percent direct stake, has only given vague reasons for its rejection of the $ 1.3 billion deal, saying it was not in its “best interest”.

However, the source, who asked not be identified because the matter is private, said the PIC was concerned about a South African company falling into foreign hands, citing uncertainty about the type of management CFR would bring.

“If we think management can’t take this company forward, let’s change the management, not ownership,” the source said.

CFR threatened this week to pull out if it does not win support from the PIC, whose objections are symptomatic of the ambivalence in Pretoria towards foreign investment and ownership in Africa’s biggest economy. .

Although South Africa desperately needs foreign capital and expertise, Pretoria has a history of sinking cross-border deals if they are seen to threaten initiatives designed to raise the living standards of the black majority.

Last year, it rejected a $ 385 million bid by South Korea’s KT Corp for a stake in fixed-line operator Telkom, and in 2011 its labour and local supplier demands almost scuppered Wal-Mart’s $ 2.4 billion takeover of retailer Massmart.

Santiago-based CFR said in September it would pay 12.6 billion rand in cash and shares for South Africa’s second-largest drug maker, which also supplies equipment to public hospitals and HIV/AIDS antiretroviral drugs.

The deal amounts to as much as 47.29 rand in cash per Adcock share and up to 15.44 new CFR shares per Adcock share.

However, the source said the PIC also objected to the share component of the deal.

“CFR’s shares are way overvalued. I believe we are being short-changed here,” the source added.

Adcock has underperformed operationally and in the stock market, with some shareholders blaming management for failing to keep up with larger rival Aspen Pharmacare, which has made an aggressive push into overseas markets.

• Finance
• Investment & Company Information
• South Africa

//

Read more »

Jennifer Lawrence ist wieder blond [ BeritaTerkini ]

von






Cinya Burton






| Übersetzt von Elke Bernd

6. November 2013 – 00:41

Jennifer Lawrence scheint sich als Blondine ganz eindeutig wohler zu fühlen.

Für die Dreharbeiten der nächsten beiden „Hunger Games”-Streifen musste die Schauspielerin sich die Haare braun färben lassen, doch sobald diese abgedreht waren, kehrte sie wieder zu ihrer natürlichen Haarfarbe zurück.

So wurde die Beauty, die zurzeit eine Drehpause einlegt, um ihr „Catching Fire”-Sequel zu promoten, am 4. November mit goldblonden Haaren unter ihrer grauen Mütze am Los Angeles Airport gesichtet. Die Strickmütze passte bestens zu ihrem grauen T-Shirt und ihren schwarz-grauen Sneakers. Der Rest ihres Outfits bestand aus einer schwarzen Skinny Jeans, gleichfarbigen Tasche und Lederjacke.

„Catching Fire”: neue Fotos vom „Tribute von Panem”-Sequel

Da die Oscar-Preisträgerin schon eine ganze Weile nicht mehr in der Öffentlichkeit gesichtet wurde -  sie hatte ja bereits in der Vergangenheit betont, dass sie großen Wert auf ihre Privatsphäre lege – ist unklar, wann die Verwandlung zur Blondine stattfand.

Doch ihre Fans dürfen sich freuen, denn sie werden schon bald einen besseren Blick auf ihr Haar-Make-over werfen können. In den kommenden Wochen werden „Catching Fire”-Premieren rund um den Globus stattfinden und wir bezweifeln, dass sie dann mit dieser Wintermütze auf dem Red Carpet erscheinen wird.

Frühe Model-Fotos von Jennifer Lawrence

//

Read more »

iPad mini with Retina display now available to order from Apple Store, 1-3 days delivery [ BeritaTerkini ]

By Rik Henderson | Pocket-lint – 

In a surprise move to many, Apple has quietly released the iPad mini with Retina display. It is now available on the online Apple Store and, in the UK, it will be dispatched within one to 3 days.

There has been no fanfare and we haven’t even had a press release on its availability from Apple yet here at Pocket-lint, but go to the store and you will see it is available to buy. The 16GB and 32GB Wi-Fi-only models are both available with the one to three day turnaround, all others state that they will take between five and 10 days to ship.

READ: iPad mini with Retina display pictures and hands-on

Some had been suggesting that the delay and Apple’s constant “later in November” release date was down to burn-in issues with some of the 7.9-inch Retina display panels, but the fact that Apple is now listing the new tablets – and before the much-rumoured release date of 21 November – gives an indication that this was never a problem for the company.

The iPad mini with Retina display starts at £319 for the 16GB Wi-Fi-only model and rises to £659 for the 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular version. All are now available at store.apple.com. We expect them to fly out the door, so don’t dally if you absolutely must have one.

READ: iPad Air vs iPad mini with Retina display: The choice is harder than you think

We’ve asked Apple for an official comment and are awaiting a response. 

© copyright Pocket-lint 2013

//

Read more »

Banks test systems with ‘war game’ [ BeritaTerkini ]

Press Association – 

Britain’s banks and financial firms are taking part in a major cyber “war game” exercise today to test their defences against the mounting threat of online attack.

The simulation – dubbed Waking Shark II – is set to be one of the largest of its kind in the world, involving teams of staff from d ozens of banks and other City institutions and overseen by officials from the Bank of England, the Treasury and Financial Conduct Authority.

Details of the exercise have been kept under wraps, but it is expected to concentrate on how banks cope with a sustained attack, in particular focusing on investment banking systems, such as clearing and risk management tools.

Credit Suisse is understood to have designed a scenario that will mimic a real-time threat, with firms hit by a barrage of announcements and attacks on computer systems, also involving social media.

It is thought the test will be co-ordinated from one room, with staff from financial firms interacting with each other, Government officials and regulators as the crisis unfolds.

But teams of staff across the offices of financial firms are also expected to take part as the exercise plays out.

It comes amid growing fears over internet attacks and the ability of the UK banking system to protect itself.

The Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) warned recently that there were a number of “potential vulnerabilities” in the system and called on financial institutions – including the Bank – to draw up plans for protection as a priority.

The UK’s banking sector is particularly at risk due to old and complex IT systems, as well as a high degree of interconnectedness and its reliance on centralised infrastructure, such as payment systems and clearing houses.

The last cyber threat exercise – the original Operation Waking Shark – is thought to have taken place in 2011 under the watch of the former Financial Services Authority, testing responses to an attack at a time of increased demand, then using the London Olympics as a scenario.

Andrew Wingfield, partner at law firm King & Wood Mallesons SJ Berwin, welcomed a “proactive” test on the resilience of bank security infrastructure.

He said the risk of online attacks was increasing as customers move from traditional banking services to technology, data, communications and social media services.

//

Read more »

GlaxoSmithKline heart drug misses goal in major study [ BeritaTerkini ]

LONDON (Reuters) – An experimental drug from GlaxoSmithKline, designed to fight heart disease in a new way, failed to meet its main goal in the first of two big late-stage clinical studies, the company said on Tuesday.

Darapladib did, however, produce greater reductions in serious coronary events in some of the pre-defined secondary endpoints that GSK said required further analysis.

The once-daily pill, which is designed to prevent heart attacks and strokes by fighting clogged arteries in a completely different way from cholesterol-lowering drugs, has been viewed by analysts as a high-risk project.

(Reporting by Ben Hirschler)

• Health
• Pharmaceuticals & Drug Trials
• GlaxoSmithKline
• experimental drug
• heart attacks

//

Read more »