By Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – One part of the Obama administration’s technically flawed HealthCare.gov website is actually working as promised. Unfortunately, the company that built it does not intend to seek more government business. Working out of a garage a few blocks north of the White House, a 12-person software shop called Development Seed built a customer interface praised for its elegance and stability, a bright spot in the rollout of a website that has been an embarrassment for President Barack Obama. But chief executive Eric Gundersen said his company...
Obama administration was warned of Obamacare risks in March: report [ BeritaTerkini ]
By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Obama administration officials, including senior White House staff, were warned last spring of risks to the rollout of President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, including the danger of scant testing, according to a report released by congressional investigators. In a 14-part slide presentation, consulting firm McKinsey & Co said a compressed testing window could inhibit the administration’s ability to resolve problems with the website, HealthCare.gov, that could occur after the October 1 launch. It also found that the project lacked...
Check kids’ mobiles, parents warned [ BeritaTerkini ]
Press Association – Parents are putting their children at risk of sexual abuse by failing to carry out basic checks on their mobile phones, a report has warned. The study into child sexual exploitation found a lack of understanding among families that paedophiles often try to contact children through the mobile devices. Smartphones are now a “key tool” used by sex offenders targeting children, according to Pace (Parents Against Child Exploitation), which commissioned the study along with Virtual College’s Safeguarding Children e-academy. The report, Are Parents In The Picture?,...
Toronto council curbs Mayor Ford’s powers after chaotic debate [ BeritaTerkini ]
By Allison Martell and Cameron French TORONTO (Reuters) – Toronto’s City Council voted overwhelmingly at a raucous meeting on Monday to strip embattled Mayor Rob Ford of more of his authority in a move Ford denounced as a coup d’etat while promising political foes election battle next year to rival the Gulf War. Ford, who has been under fire for his drug use and drinking, as well as the way he has handled the accusations, vowed in an interview to give up alcohol and lose weight. Earlier at a tumultuous City Council meeting, members voted to slash Ford’s office budget and...
U.S. Senate votes to extend worldwide anti-AIDS program [ BeritaTerkini ]
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate passed legislation on Monday to extend for another five years a successful and popular program to combat AIDS worldwide started 10 years ago by former President George W. Bush. The 100-member Senate approved the measure by unanimous voice vote. It is expected to be considered – and passed – by the House of Representatives as soon as Tuesday before going to President Barack Obama for his signature. The bill features several provisions to increase oversight of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known...
U.S. Senate votes to extend worldwide anti-AIDS program [ BeritaTerkini ]
By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate passed legislation on Monday to extend for another five years a successful and popular program to combat AIDS worldwide started 10 years ago by former President George W. Bush. The 100-member Senate approved the measure by unanimous voice vote. It is expected to be considered – and passed – by the House of Representatives as soon as Tuesday before going to President Barack Obama for his signature. The bill features several provisions to increase oversight of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known...
Health law helpers finding more luck on HealthCare.gov [ BeritaTerkini ]
By Curtis Skinner NEW YORK (Reuters) – Healthcare workers assisting people to sign up for insurance on the HealthCare.gov marketplace on Monday told Reuters they had noticed improvement in the problem-plagued website. Seven organizations funded through the health reform law that assist applicants, from Kansas to Pennsylvania, said that they’d seen successes enrolling people from start to finish in recent days. Another group of the workers, often called navigators, said problems persisted unchanged. None offered numbers. “Saturday was the first day that I was actually...
Aaron Paul Seeks Revenge in ‘Need for Speed’ Trailer [ BeritaTerkini ]
Aaron Paul Seeks Revenge in ‘Need for Speed’ Trailer Action film will hit theaters on March 14th By If Need for Speed‘s new trailer is being honest with us, the upcoming action film will be a brew of “love, vengeance and motor oil – all swirling together.” So says Michael Keaton’s character in the teaser, which finds Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul navigating through high-speed car chases and craving sweet revenge. ‘Breaking Bad’ Cast Takes Over ‘Conan’ “I spent two years thinking about one moment,” says Paul’s character, Tobey, in a lengthy voiceover. “He set me up. He just left him there....
Broken Bells to Take ‘Disco’ on the Road in 2014 [ BeritaTerkini ]
James Mercer and Danger Mouse will launch tour in February Weeks after sharing news of their new studio album, After the Disco, Broken Bells (a/k/a James Mercer and Danger Mouse) have announced a 10-date tour. It will kick off in February. The 15 Greatest Stoner Songs: Broken Bells, ‘Vaporize’ The band’s first show will be in Minneapolis, Minnesota on February 28th. They’ll travel across the East Coast and Canada before closing with a gig in New Orleans on March 12th. Accompanying the band on their brief trek will be Brooklyn dream-pop outfit Au Revoir Simone. Ticket presales will be...
Weight loss may help steady irregular heartbeat [ BeritaTerkini ]
By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – People with an irregular heart rhythm could see an improvement in symptoms if they lose weight in addition to managing their other heart risks, says a new study. Researchers found that people who lost more than 30 pounds and kept their other health conditions in check saw greater improvements in atrial fibrillation symptoms than those who just managed their other health conditions without trying to lose weight. “Risk factor management is a crucial component of managing atrial fibrillation,” Dr. Prashanthan Sanders, the study’s...
Fewer U.S. Workers Testing Positive For Drugs: Report [ BeritaTerkini ]
Kirby Hamilton via Getty Images Fewer American workers, on a whole, are testing positive for drug use, according to a new report from Quest Diagnostics. However, positive tests for specific drugs, including opiates and amphetamines, are actually increasing, according to the report. The findings are based on 125 million urine drug tests conducted across the United States by Quest Diagnostics between 1988 and 2012. The researchers found that positive drug tests declined 74 percent over the last 25 years, going from 13.6 percent in 1988 to 3.5 percent in 2012. However, positive...
Princeton considers unapproved meningitis vaccine [ BeritaTerkini ]
PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) — Princeton University officials are weighing whether to give students a meningitis vaccine that hasn’t been approved in the U.S. to stop the spread of the sometimes deadly disease. An announcement was expected Monday, a Princeton spokesman said. Since March, seven cases of meningitis have been confirmed on the New Jersey campus with six students and a visitor diagnosed, the most recent last week. None of the cases has been fatal. Last week, the federal Food and Drug Administration approved importing the vaccine, Bexsero, for possible use at the Ivy...
The Statin Insanity [ BeritaTerkini ]
The medical student was confused. “Well, that’s not good.” He was seeing, in black and white, the benefits and harms of statin medicines. After years of systematic inculcation about the power of cholesterol reduction, this was the first time he had seen the numbers. “I don’t get it. I thought cholesterol was the big player in heart attacks.” Not really. Three-quarters of people having a first heart attack, for instance, have normal cholesterol levels. “Seriously?” Indeed. In fact, 50 years ago during the Framingham Heart Study, researchers first suggested that cholesterol may be...
Angel Haze on ‘Dirty Gold’ and Her Hippie Aspirations [ BeritaTerkini ]
‘I’ve always wanted to make the music that you’d go into a coffee shop and hear,’ she says Angel Haze first broke onto the scene last year, with her excellent mixtape Classick, which included an unabashedly raw and honest cover of Eminem‘s “Cleanin’ Out My Closet.” Haze’s version detailed the harrowing story of her repeated rape and abuse when she was a child and a few weeks ago, she opened up further with a cover of Macklemore’s “Same Love” where she laments about her struggles with family over her own sexuality. This January, however, she’ll stop with the mixtapes and cover songs...
Oregon health exchange represents biggest woe [ BeritaTerkini ]
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — With all the problems facing the rollout of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, nowhere is the situation worse or more surprising than in Oregon, a progressive state that has enthusiastically embraced the federal law but has so far failed to enroll a single person in coverage through the state’s insurance exchange. Despite grand ambitions, an early start, millions of dollars from the federal government and a tech-savvy population, Oregon’s online enrollment system still isn’t ready more than a month after it was supposed to go live. The state...
Oregon health exchange represents biggest woe [ BeritaTerkini ]
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — With all the problems facing the rollout of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, nowhere is the situation worse or more surprising than in Oregon, a progressive state that has enthusiastically embraced the federal law but has so far failed to enroll a single person in coverage through the state’s insurance exchange. Despite grand ambitions, an early start, millions of dollars from the federal government and a tech-savvy population, Oregon’s online enrollment system still isn’t ready more than a month after it was supposed to go live. The state...
Toronto council may further restrict embattled mayor’s powers [ BeritaTerkini ]
TORONTO (Reuters) – The Toronto city council may further curb the powers of embattled Mayor Rob Ford on Monday, slashing his office budget and offering his staff a chance to transfer to new jobs. Ford, who has admitted to smoking crack cocaine, buying illegal drugs and driving after consuming alcohol, has issued a string of emotional apologies but refused to resign. He plans to stand for re-election next year, and told Fox News on Sunday that he hopes to run for prime minister one day. Under provincial law, the council cannot remove Ford from office or strip him of some...
Free unlimited broadband for a year? Tesco has it in time for Christmas [ BeritaTerkini ]
By Luke Edwards | Pocket-lint – Nothing is ever free, not really. And this is no exception – but it’s still impressive. Tesco is offering a year’s free broadband, with no limits on data, if you sign-up for a Tesco Home phone line for £14.90 a month. This 14Mb line will be available in only limited numbers – it’s described as a “get it before it’s gone” offer. It’s actually scheduled to run until 1 December but might prove too popular to last that long. READ: Tesco offers unlimited broadband for just £2 a month Splashing out on a phone line might seem a bit of a waste...
What The Twin Cities Can Teach Us About Living Well [ BeritaTerkini ]
Our Living Well, On Location series explores cities and countries from around the world. How do other people pursue health and happiness? We’re going coast to coast, country to country to find out. When most people think of Minneapolis, they think of snow. Minneapolitans are not ones to brag, so those who haven’t spent time in the area would be surprised to know that Minneaplis and twin city, St. Paul, are perennial winners on nationwide surveys of health, happiness, fitness and well-being. How do they do it? The twin cities are the most active metropolitan area in the country ...
Google, Microsoft tighten online searches to combat child porn [ BeritaTerkini ]
Reuters – LONDON (Reuters) – Google and Microsoft unveiled measures to block online searches for child sex abuse images on Monday as part of a bid by British authorities to crackdown on Internet paedophiles. The companies said as many as 100,000 search terms will now fail to produce results and trigger warnings that child abuse imagery is illegal while offering advice on where to get help. The world’s two largest search engine operators’ move was a rare display of unity ahead of an Internet safety summit on Monday hosted by Prime Minister David Cameron. Cameron welcomed the...
Police deploy in Paris after gunman attacks newspaper [ BeritaTerkini ]
PARIS (Reuters) – An assailant opened fire at the central Paris office of left-wing daily newspaper Liberation on Monday, seriously injuring one person before fleeing, police and staff at the newspaper said. The wounded person was hit in the chest, a police official said, adding that the motive of the attacker, who was armed with a hunting rifle, was unclear. “He walked in, fired twice and left,” Liberation’s editorial manager, Fabrice Rousselot, told reporters. Deputy editor-in-chief Fabrice Tassel said in a tweet that the young male victim, — a photograhper’s assistant...
Police deploy in Paris after gunman attacks newspaper [ BeritaTerkini ]
PARIS (Reuters) – An assailant opened fire at the central Paris office of left-wing daily newspaper Liberation on Monday, seriously injuring one person before fleeing, police and staff at the newspaper said. The wounded person was hit in the chest, a police official said, adding that the motive of the attacker, who was armed with a hunting rifle, was unclear. “He walked in, fired twice and left,” Liberation’s editorial manager, Fabrice Rousselot, told reporters. Deputy editor-in-chief Fabrice Tassel said in a tweet that the young male victim, — a photograhper’s assistant...
