Even modest fitness may extend lifespan | Health | Reuters

Health Reuters By Amy Norton

Fri Aug 21, 2009. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who stay even moderately fit as they age may live longer than those who are out-of-shape, a new study suggests.

The study, of nearly 4,400 healthy U.S. adults, found that the roughly 20 percent with the lowest physical fitness levels were twice as likely to die over the next nine years as the 20 percent with the next-lowest fitness levels.

That was with factors like obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes taken into account -- underscoring the importance of physical fitness itself, researchers report in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

"Our findings suggest that sedentary lifestyle, rather than differences in cardiovascular risk factors or age, may explain (the) two-fold higher mortality rates in the least-fit versus slightly more fit healthy individuals," lead researcher Dr. Sandra Mandic, of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, noted in an email to Reuters Health.

She pointed out that nearly two-thirds of the least-fit study participants were not getting the minimum recommended amount of exercise -- at least 30 minutes of moderate activity, like brisk walking, on five or more days a week.

"These results emphasize the importance of improving and maintaining high fitness levels by engaging in regular physical activity," Mandic said, "particularly in poorly fit individuals."

The study included 4,384 middle-aged and older adults whose fitness levels were assessed during exercise treadmill tests sometime between 1986 and 2006; they were then followed for an average of about nine years.

When Mandic's team separated the participants into five groups based on fitness levels, they found that one-quarter of the least-fit men and women had died during the study period, versus 13 percent of those who were slightly more in shape.

Among adults in the most-fit group, only 6 percent died during the follow-up period.

Overall, the five groups showed little difference in their reported exercise habits over their adult lives. Where they did differ was their activity levels in recent years.

"Since it is recent physical activity that offers protection," Mandic said, "it is important to maintain regular physical activity throughout life."

And since fitness is linked to longevity regardless of weight and health conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol, exercise is important for all, according to Mandic.

That, she said, includes people who are thin and in generally good health.

SOURCE: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, August 2009.

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

10 Windows XP services you should never disable...

Between the Lines ZDNet.com Posted by Larry Dignan @ 2:15 am

August 24th, 2009 10 Windows XP services you should never disable

There are dozens of guides out there that help you determine which services you can safely disable on your Windows XP desktop. Disabling unnecessary services can improve system performance and overall system security, as the system’s attack surface is reduced. However, these lists rarely indicate which services you should not disable. All of the services that run on a Window system serve a specific purpose and many of the services are critical to the proper and expected functioning of the desktop computing environment. In this article, you’ll learn about 10 critical Windows XP services you shouldn’t disable (and why).

Note: This article is also available as a PDF download. For a quick how-to video on the basics, see Disable and enable Windows XP services.

1: DNS Client
This service resolves and caches DNS names, allowing the system to communicate with canonical names rather than strictly by IP address. DNS is the reason that you can, in a Web browser, type http://www.techrepublic.com rather than having to remember that http://216.239.113.101 is the site’s IP address.

If you stop this service, you will disable your computer’s ability to resolve names to IP addresses, basically rendering Web browsing all but impossible.

2: Network Connections
The Network Connections service manages the network and dial-up connections for your computer, including network status notification and configuration. These days, a standalone, non-networked PC is just about as useful as an abacus — maybe less so. The Network Connections service is the element responsible for making sure that your computer can communicate with other computers and with the Internet.

If this service is disabled, network configuration is not possible. New network connections can’t be created and services that need network information will fail.

3: Plug and Play
The Plug and Play service (formerly known as the “Plug and Pray” service, due to its past unreliability), is kicked off whenever new hardware is added to the computer. This service detects the new hardware and attempts to automatically configure it for use with the computer. The Plug and Play service is often confused with the Universal Plug and Play service (uPNP), which is a way that the Windows XP computer can detect new network resources (as opposed to local hardware resources). The Plug and Play service is pretty critical as, without it, your system can become unstable and will not recognize new hardware. On the other hand, uPNP is not generally necessary and can be disabled without worry. Along with uPNP, disable the SSDP Discovery Service, as it goes hand-in-hand with uPNP.

Historical note: Way back in 2001, uPNP was implicated in some pretty serious security breaches, as described here.

If you disable Plug and Play, your computer will be unstable and incapable of detecting hardware changes.

4: Print Spooler
Just about every computer out there needs to print at some point. If you want your computer to be able to print, don’t plan on disabling the Print Spooler service. It manages all printing activities for your system. You may think that lack of a printer makes it safe to disable the Print Spooler service. While that’s technically true, there’s really no point in doing so; after all, if you ever do decide to get a printer, you’ll need to remember to re-enable the service, and you might end up frustrating yourself.

When the Print Spooler service is not running, printing on the local machine is not possible.

5: Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
Windows is a pretty complex beast, and many of its underlying processes need to communicate with one another. The service that makes this possible is the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service. RPC allows processes to communicate with one another and across the network with each other. A ton of other critical services, including the Print Spooler and the Network Connections service, depend on the RPC service to function. If you want to see what bad things happen when you disable this service, look at the comments on this link.

Bad news. The system will not boot. Don’t disable this service.

6: Workstation
As is the case for many services, the Workstation service is responsible for handling connections to remote network resources. Specifically, this service provides network connections and communications capability for resources found using Microsoft Network services. Years ago, I would have said that disabling this service was a good idea, but that was before the rise of the home network and everything that goes along with it, including shared printers, remote Windows Media devices, Windows Home Server, and much more. Today, you don’t gain much by eliminating this service, but you lose a lot.

Disable the Workstation service and your computer will be unable to connect to remote Microsoft Network resources.

7: Network Location Awareness (NLA)
As was the case with the Workstation service, disabling the Network Location Awareness service might have made sense a few years ago — at least for a standalone, non-networked computer. With today’s WiFi-everywhere culture, mobility has become a primary driver. The Network Location Awareness service is responsible for collecting and storing network configuration and location information and notifying applications when this information changes. For example, as you make the move from the local coffee shop’s wireless network back home to your wired docking station, NLA makes sure that applications are aware of the change. Further, some other services depend on this service’s availability.

Your computer will not be able to fully connect to and use wireless networks. Problems abound!

8: DHCP Client
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a critical service that makes the task of getting computers on the network nearly effortless. Before the days of DHCP, poor network administrators had to manually assign network addresses to every computer. Over the years, DHCP has been extended to automatically assign all kinds of information to computers from a central configuration repository. DHCP allows the system to automatically obtain IP addressing information, WINS server information, routing information, and so forth; it’s required to update records in dynamic DNS systems, such as Microsoft’s Active Directory-integrated DNS service. This is one service that, if disabled, won’t necessarily cripple your computer but will make administration much more difficult.

Without the DHCP Client service, you’ll need to manually assign static IP addresses to every Windows XP system on your network. If you use DHCP to assign other parameters, such as WINS information, you’ll need to provide that information manually as well.

9: Cryptographic Services
Every month, Microsoft provides new fixes and updates on what has become known as “Patch Tuesday” because the updates are released on the first Tuesday of the month. Why do I bring this up? Well, one service supported by Cryptographic Services happens to be Automatic Updates. Further, Cryptographic Services provides three other management services: Catalog Database Service, which confirms the signatures of Windows files; Protected Root Service, which adds and removes Trusted Root Certification Authority certificates from this computer; and Key Service, which helps enroll this computer for certificates. Finally, Cryptographic Services also supports some elements of Task Manager.

Disable Cryptographic Services at your peril! Automatic Updates will not function and you will have problems with Task Manager as well as other security mechanisms.

10: Automatic Updates
Keeping your machine current with patches is pretty darn important, and that’s where Automatic Updates comes into play. When Automatic Updates is enabled, your computer stays current with new updates from Microsoft. When disabled, you have to manually get updates by visiting Microsoft’s update site.

New security updates will not be automatically installed to your computer.


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Stolen dogs found in Peru medical school lab...

Reuters By Madelyn Fairbanks

Fri Aug 21, 2009. LIMA (Reuters) - At least two stolen dogs were found in an operating room used for dissections at the medical school of South America's oldest university, but its dean denied relying on dognappers to collect specimens for classes.

The University of San Marcos does not have access to enough human cadavers for its students, so they sometimes cut open dogs instead.

Carmen Valverde's dog Tomas was stolen by two men while she was walking in the working-class Brena district of Lima, and a friend who works at the school's teaching hospital spotted him by chance in a surgery room where dogs are dissected.

Valverde donned a lab coat and snuck into the hospital to rescue Tomas. Video her friend shot a week ago, aired on local television, shows him sedated, splayed, and strapped to a stainless steel table -- just moments away from the knife.

After local newspapers published the story, other people missing dogs rushed to the hospital's door and one owner found her dog Chico.

"The University of San Marcos still hasn't apologized for what it has done," Valverde told Reuters Thursday.

Ricardo Rubios, dean of the medical school, acknowledged that stolen dogs had wound up in the surgery room, but said the school only uses strays for classes.

"I assure you we would have returned the dog. All our experimental surgeries are done to dogs that don't have owners," Rubios told Reuters.

Romila Briones, a member of ASPPA, a Peruvian animal rights group, said the law does not protect strays.

"In Europe, they don't kill animals for education, they use dummies. Unfortunately, animals are just property in the eyes of the law here, like furniture," Briones said.

(Additional reporting by Carlos Valdez; editing by Terry Wade and Mohammad Zargham)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

Millions face shrinking Social Security payments...

Yahoo! News By Associated Press Writer Stephen Ohlemacher.

Sun Aug 23,2009. WASHINGTON – Millions of older people face shrinking Social Security checks next year, the first time in a generation that payments would not rise. The trustees who oversee Social Security are projecting there won't be a cost of living adjustment (COLA) for the next two years. That hasn't happened since automatic increases were adopted in 1975.

By law, Social Security benefits cannot go down. Nevertheless, monthly payments would drop for millions of people in the Medicare prescription drug program because the premiums, which often are deducted from Social Security payments, are scheduled to go up slightly.

"I will promise you, they count on that COLA," said Barbara Kennelly, a former Democratic congresswoman from Connecticut who now heads the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. "To some people, it might not be a big deal. But to seniors, especially with their health care costs, it is a big deal."

Cost of living adjustments are pegged to inflation, which has been negative this year, largely because energy prices are below 2008 levels.

Advocates say older people still face higher prices because they spend a disproportionate amount of their income on health care, where costs rise faster than inflation. Many also have suffered from declining home values and shrinking stock portfolios just as they are relying on those assets for income.

"For many elderly, they don't feel that inflation is low because their expenses are still going up," said David Certner, legislative policy director for AARP. "Anyone who has savings and investments has seen some serious losses."

About 50 million retired and disabled Americans receive Social Security benefits. The average monthly benefit for retirees is $1,153 this year. All beneficiaries received a 5.8 percent increase in January, the largest since 1982.

More than 32 million people are in the Medicare prescription drug program. Average monthly premiums are set to go from $28 this year to $30 next year, though they vary by plan. About 6 million people in the program have premiums deducted from their monthly Social Security payments, according to the Social Security Administration.

Millions of people with Medicare Part B coverage for doctors' visits also have their premiums deducted from Social Security payments. Part B premiums are expected to rise as well. But under the law, the increase cannot be larger than the increase in Social Security benefits for most recipients.

There is no such hold-harmless provision for drug premiums.

Kennelly's group wants Congress to increase Social Security benefits next year, even though the formula doesn't call for it. She would like to see either a 1 percent increase in monthly payments or a one-time payment of $150.

The cost of a one-time payment, a little less than $8 billion, could be covered by increasing the amount of income subjected to Social Security taxes, Kennelly said. Workers only pay Social Security taxes on the first $106,800 of income, a limit that rises each year with the average national wage.

But the limit only increases if monthly benefits increase.

Critics argue that Social Security recipients shouldn't get an increase when inflation is negative. They note that recipients got a big increase in January — after energy prices had started to fall. They also note that Social Security recipients received one-time $250 payments in the spring as part of the government's economic stimulus package.

Consumer prices are down from 2008 levels, giving Social Security recipients more purchasing power, even if their benefits stay the same, said Andrew G. Biggs, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington think tank.

"Seniors may perceive that they are being hurt because there is no COLA, but they are in fact not getting hurt," Biggs said. "Congress has to be able to tell people they are not getting everything they want."

Social Security is also facing long-term financial problems. The retirement program is projected to start paying out more money than it receives in 2016. Without changes, the retirement fund will be depleted in 2037, according to the Social Security trustees' annual report this year.

President Barack Obama has said he would like tackle Social Security next year, after Congress finishes work on health care, climate change and new financial regulations.

Lawmakers are preoccupied by health care, making it difficult to address other tough issues. Advocates for older people hope their efforts will get a boost in October, when the Social Security Administration officially announces that there will not be an increase in benefits next year.

"I think a lot of seniors do not know what's coming down the pike, and I believe that when they hear that, they're going to be upset," said Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who is working on a proposal for one-time payments for Social Security recipients.

"It is my view that seniors are going to need help this year, and it would not be acceptable for Congress to simply turn its back," he said.

Putpockets give a little extra cash...

Reuters

Wed Aug 19, 2009 LONDON (Reuters) - Visitors to London always have to be on the look out for pickpockets, but now there's another, more positive phenomenon on the loose -- putpockets.

Aware that people are suffering in the economic crisis, 20 former pickpockets have turned over a new leaf and are now trawling London's tourist sites slipping money back into unsuspecting pockets.

Anything from 5 pounds ($8) to 20 pound notes is being surreptitiously deposited in unguarded pockets or open handbags in Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden and other busy spots.

The initiative, which runs until the end of August in London before being rolled out countrywide, is being funded by a broadbrand provider, which says it wants to brighten up people's lives in unusual ways.

"It feels good to give something back for a change -- and Britons certainly need it in the current economic climate," said Chris Fitch, a former pickpocket who now heads TalkTalk's putpocketing initiative.

"Every time I put money back in someone's pocket, I feel less guilty about the fact I spent many years taking it out."

London's police have been briefed about the plan, which will see at least 100,000 pounds given away.

(Reporting by Luke Baker; Editing by Kate Kelland)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

Swiss seek Pope's blessing to stop glacier melting...

Reuters

Thu Aug 6, 2009. ZURICH (Reuters) - After centuries of praying for a local glacier to stop growing, Swiss villagers are now seeking an audience with Pope Benedict to get his blessing for prayers against the global warming that is causing it to recede.

In 1678, the inhabitants of the Alpine villages of Fieschertal and Fiesch made a formal vow to live virtuously and to pray against the growth of the Aletsch glacier, Europe's longest, which had caused a lake to flood into their homes.

To reinforce their prayers, they started holding an annual procession in 1862, when the glacier reached its longest during the mini-Ice Age Europe suffered in the mid-19th century.

But the villages now want to seek permission from Pope Benedict to change their vow as the glacier is melting fast due to climate change and have requested an audience with him.

"The residents of Fiesch and Fischertal hope that this will happen in September or October and are optimistic that the Holy Father will decide in their favor as he has repeatedly spoken out about climate change," they said in a statement.

Switzerland's glaciers shrank by 12 percent over the past decade, melting at their fastest rate due to rising temperatures and lighter snowfalls, a recent study showed.

Glaciers are a key source of water for hydro-electric plants in Switzerland as well as an important tourist attraction.

Researchers are predicting that the temperatures in the Swiss Alps will rise by 1.8 degrees Celsius in winter and by 2.7 degrees Celsius in the summer by 2050.

(Reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Jon Boyle)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reser

Telstra admits denying rivals access to copper network - Computerworld

Computerworld By Daniel Bishton

ACCC action alledges misleading and deceptive conduct

06 August, 2009 11:51 .Telstra has admitted to allegations of misleading and deceptive conduct by denying rivals access to its copper network.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) alleged that Telstra denied competitors access to seven of its telephone exchanges by claiming there was insufficient capacity on its main distribution frames.

Telstra has admitted to an undisclosed number of the allegations, each of which holds a maximum penalty of $10 million under the Telecommunications Act.

The ACCC brought proceedings against Telstra in March, claiming 30 breaches of its standard obligations under the Trade Practices Act. The obligations state that Telstra must allow other carriers access to their Unconditioned Local Loop and Local Line services.

The Melbourne Federal Court has accepted evidence from Australian ISPs in support of the ACCC’s allegations at a directions hearing.

In May, the ACCC rejected Telstra’s December 2007 attempt to deny competitors access to its copper infrastructure and then extended its determination for a further five years in July.

The date for the next directions hearing has been set for October 2.

Protesters back woman in trousers case...

Reuters By Andrew Heavens

Tue Aug 4, 2009. KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Police used teargas to disperse protesters rallying in support of a Sudanese woman facing 40 lashes for wearing trousers in public Tuesday, a case that has become a public test of Sudan's indecency laws.

Lubna Hussein, a former journalist and U.N. press officer, was arrested with 12 other women during a party at a Khartoum restaurant in July and charged with being indecently dressed.

Women's groups have complained that the law gives no clear definition of indecent dress, leaving the decision of whether to arrest a woman up to individual police officers.

Dozens of men and ululating women gathered outside a Khartoum court room where Hussein appeared Tuesday, carrying banners with the message "No return to the dark ages" and "Lubna's case is a case for all Sudanese women."

Speaking after the hearing, Hussein said the judge had adjourned her case until September 7.

"They want to check with the U.N. whether I have immunity from prosecution. I don't know why they are doing this because I have already resigned from the United Nations. I think they just want to delay the case," she told Reuters.

Hussein said she resigned from her U.N. job last week to give up any legal immunity so that she could pursue the case to prove her innocence and challenge the decency law.

Journalists were allowed into the downtown court building, but a line of police prevented them from entering the room where the case was heard.

Hussein went on to greet her supporters, gathered on a traffic island, then led them on a march, blocking a busy road.

In a rare and short unauthorized rally, they flashed V-for- Victory signs and received supportive hoots from passing cars.

Armed riot police advanced toward the crowd, beating their shields with batons. Officers later fired teargas canisters into the air, forcing the crowd to disperse.

"We are against this law. It is against women, against Islam and against human rights," said Zainab Badradin, one of the women in the crowd.

"I want to send a message to the government to stop harassing women," said Nusayba Abdel Mahmoud, 20, who came to the rally wearing jeans. "This is what I wear. It is normal."

Indecency cases are not uncommon in Sudan, where there is a large cultural gap between the mostly Muslim and Arab-oriented north and the mainly Christian south.

Hussein has attracted attention by publicizing her case, posing for photos in her loose green trousers and inviting journalists to campaign against dress codes sporadically imposed in the capital.

"Her main argument is that her clothes are decent and that she did not break the law," defense lawyer Nabil Adib Abdalla told Reuters shortly before the hearing.

"Failing that, we will ask for a stay of the proceedings to challenge the trial in the constitutional court ... We are saying the law is so widely drafted that it contravenes her basic right, her right to a fair trial," he added.

Hussein told reporters 10 of the women arrested with her pleaded guilty and were whipped the day afterwards.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon last week said he was "deeply concerned" by the case.

(Additional reporting by Khaled Abdel Aziz; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

Kiss warning issued for rock festival due to flu | Oddly Enough | Reuters

Reuters

Fri Jul 31, 2009. BERLIN (Reuters) - Fans attending one of the world's biggest heavy metal festivals in Germany were asked on Thursday to avoid "hugging, kissing on the cheek, and shaking hands" lest they spread the H1N1 influenza. On its website, the health ministry of Germany's northern Schleswig-Holstein region optimistically advised revelers to restrain from any such sociable behavior so as to minimize the infection risk at the Wacken Open Air festival, which runs until August 1.

It also recommended fans did not share bottles of beer.

"We know that kissing and what have you can't be ruled out," said ministry spokesman Oliver Breuer. "They're just tips."

Stalwart rockers Motorhead, Anthrax and Napalm Death are among the bands due to perform at the three-day festival, which organizers expect to attract about 75,000 fans.

More than 430 people worldwide have died from the flu and more than 94,000 people have been, or are, infected.

(Reporting by Dave Graham; Editing by Matthew Jones)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

Kiss warning issued for rock festival due to flu...

Reuters

Underweight team told to eat at least 15 eggs a day ...

Reuters

Fri Jul 31, 2009.CHENNAI, India (Reuters) - India's unfancied rugby sevens side must bulk up if they hope to make an impact at next year's Commonwealth Games, eating seven meals and at least 15 eggs a day, the country's South African coach said on Friday.

"I have told them (his players) they must eat at least 15 eggs a day, six for breakfast and the remaining nine any time, any how, during the day," the country's South African coach Norman Laker told the Telegraph newspaper on Friday.

"The players have three meals a day and that's not enough. In South Africa, elite rugby players have seven meals a day."

India is rated a lowly 83rd out of the 95 teams in the International Rugby Board rankings which are currently headed by South Africa.

"Indian players weigh 72-77 kg on an average whereas the international players weigh between 88 and 100 kg. That is the weight difference you have to make up," Laker said ahead of the team's departure to South Africa for a training stint.

India is hosting the Commonwealth Games in October 2010.

(Reporting by Sanjay Rajan; Editing by Nigel Hunt.

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved.