Reuters By Bill Rigby
SEATTLE (Reuters) Wed Dec 29, 2010 - Microsoft Corp co-founder Paul Allen relaunched a wide-ranging patent lawsuit against Apple Inc, Google Inc, Facebook and others with specific allegations that the companies are illegally using technology owned by his company.
Interval Licensing LLC, a small research company set up by Allen in 1992, originally filed a broad patent suit in federal court in Seattle in August, but Judge Marsha Pechman dismissed it on the grounds that it did not specify any actual products or devices. The revised suit was filed by Interval on Tuesday.
Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975, claims Interval was central to research and development of technology in the Internet arena in the 1990s, amassing more than 300 patents and providing research assistance to Google.
In the suit, Allen's company claims four of its patents -- chiefly related to the way Web data is sorted and presented -- have been infringed by a number of successful companies.
MULTIPLE CLAIMS
The first patent concerns the generation of data related to information being browsed. Interval claims Google uses this technology to match advertisements from third parties to content being displayed, while AOL's sites use it to suggest items related to news stories.
Interval claims Apple's iTunes service uses the technology to suggest music based on a user's searches, and that eBay Inc, Facebook, Netflix, Yahoo Inc and Office Depot's sites have also infringed the patent in the way they direct users to related content.
The second and third patents concern relaying information on a computer screen in a peripheral, unobtrusive manner, such as in an instant messaging box or overlay.
Interval claims its patent has been infringed by features in AOL's Instant Messenger, Apple's Dashboard, Google Talk and Gmail Notifier, Google's Android phone system and Yahoo Widgets.
The fourth patent concerns alerting Web browsers to new items of interest based on activity of other users. Interval claims AOL uses this technology on its shopping sites, while Apple's iTunes uses it to recommend music.
Interval claims eBay, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Office Depot, Staples Inc, Yahoo and Google's YouTube all have infringed the patent in the way they suggest content to users.
NO MICROSOFT
The suit makes no mention of Microsoft as a patent holder or infringer, even though Allen's former company offers products similar to some described in the suit. A spokesman for Allen declined to comment on the suit.
Allen, 57, is the world's 37th richest person, according to Forbes magazine. He resigned as a Microsoft executive in 1983. Since then, he has funded scientific and medical research through his Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and invested in many projects in his native Seattle and Pacific Northwest region.
Interval has asked the court for damages and a ban on products that use the disputed patents. It is unclear how seriously the court, or the companies he has targeted, will take Allen's legal charges.
To be continued at: Reuters By Bill Rigby
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Confessions of a Windows 7 pirate...
ZDNet By Ed Bott
March 3, 2010. In the interest of research, I’ve been digging into message boards and forums run by unabashed Windows enthusiasts who are intent on breaking Microsoft’s activation technology. I’ve had these forums bookmarked for years and stop in every once in a while just to see what’s new. This time I decided to drop by and actually try some of tools and utilities to see if I could become a pirate, too.
Unfortunately, I succeeded.
In this post, I’ll share my experiences, including close encounters with some very nasty malware and some analysis on how the latest showdown between Microsoft and the pirates is likely to play out.
You won’t find names or direct links here—although these guys seem like genuine enthusiasts, I have no intention of giving them any free publicity. But if you’re interested in tracking down the tools I tested you should have no trouble finding them using the clues available in screenshots and descriptions here.
If you do intend to try this stuff out for yourself, I recommend extreme caution. My hunt for utilities that bypass Windows 7 activation technologies led me to some very seedy corners of the Internet. First, I did what any red-blooded wannabe pirate would do and tried some Google searches. Of the first 10 hits, six were inactive or had been taken down. After downloading files from the remaining four sites, I submitted them to Virustotal.com, where three of the four samples came back positive for nasty, difficult-to-remove Windows 7 rootkits. Here’s one example: Open ZDNet By Ed Bott
And that experience is borne out by at least one real-world experience, which was reported, ironically, in the Talkback section of this blog. After I wrote about Microsoft’s most recent anti-piracy initiative last week, one commenter (a loud, proud Linux advocate) insisted that the update opened a secret back-channel, probably as part of a plot by Microsoft to covertly gain access to its customers’ PCs. A day or so later, after checking with his Windows-using friend, he returned with this sheepish admission:Refer ZDNet By Ed Bott
It turns out his iso was not a bona fide purchased copy [of Windows 7], but rather a cracked version off of the net. In all likelihood the iso was trojaned…
Indeed. Which is why I exercised extraordinary caution. For my hands-on tests, I used a fresh copy of Windows 7 Ultimate, installed without a product key. I then looked at two widely distributed tools that work in completely different ways.
Page 2: Disabling Windows activation completely A clever little tool called RemoveWAT not only disables Microsoft’s activation subsystem, it also installs the latest anti-piracy update from Microsoft and then disables it, too!
Page 3: Fooling Windows by tinkering with the BIOS Big PC makers get to install copies of Windows that don’t require activation. Naturally, pirates soon figured out how to make any PC look like it came from one of those big factories.
Page 4: Microsoft versus the pirates Pirates are clever and fast. Microsoft is highly motivated to keep its lucrative Windows revenue stream intact. Are customers going to get caught in the crossfire?
More details and screenshots begin on the next page refer: ZDNet By Ed Bott
March 3, 2010. In the interest of research, I’ve been digging into message boards and forums run by unabashed Windows enthusiasts who are intent on breaking Microsoft’s activation technology. I’ve had these forums bookmarked for years and stop in every once in a while just to see what’s new. This time I decided to drop by and actually try some of tools and utilities to see if I could become a pirate, too.
Unfortunately, I succeeded.
In this post, I’ll share my experiences, including close encounters with some very nasty malware and some analysis on how the latest showdown between Microsoft and the pirates is likely to play out.
You won’t find names or direct links here—although these guys seem like genuine enthusiasts, I have no intention of giving them any free publicity. But if you’re interested in tracking down the tools I tested you should have no trouble finding them using the clues available in screenshots and descriptions here.
If you do intend to try this stuff out for yourself, I recommend extreme caution. My hunt for utilities that bypass Windows 7 activation technologies led me to some very seedy corners of the Internet. First, I did what any red-blooded wannabe pirate would do and tried some Google searches. Of the first 10 hits, six were inactive or had been taken down. After downloading files from the remaining four sites, I submitted them to Virustotal.com, where three of the four samples came back positive for nasty, difficult-to-remove Windows 7 rootkits. Here’s one example: Open ZDNet By Ed Bott
And that experience is borne out by at least one real-world experience, which was reported, ironically, in the Talkback section of this blog. After I wrote about Microsoft’s most recent anti-piracy initiative last week, one commenter (a loud, proud Linux advocate) insisted that the update opened a secret back-channel, probably as part of a plot by Microsoft to covertly gain access to its customers’ PCs. A day or so later, after checking with his Windows-using friend, he returned with this sheepish admission:Refer ZDNet By Ed Bott
It turns out his iso was not a bona fide purchased copy [of Windows 7], but rather a cracked version off of the net. In all likelihood the iso was trojaned…
Indeed. Which is why I exercised extraordinary caution. For my hands-on tests, I used a fresh copy of Windows 7 Ultimate, installed without a product key. I then looked at two widely distributed tools that work in completely different ways.
Page 2: Disabling Windows activation completely A clever little tool called RemoveWAT not only disables Microsoft’s activation subsystem, it also installs the latest anti-piracy update from Microsoft and then disables it, too!
Page 3: Fooling Windows by tinkering with the BIOS Big PC makers get to install copies of Windows that don’t require activation. Naturally, pirates soon figured out how to make any PC look like it came from one of those big factories.
Page 4: Microsoft versus the pirates Pirates are clever and fast. Microsoft is highly motivated to keep its lucrative Windows revenue stream intact. Are customers going to get caught in the crossfire?
More details and screenshots begin on the next page refer: ZDNet By Ed Bott
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Is that really Kate? UK royal coin raises eyebrows...
Reuters
The commemorative coin to mark the engagement of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton is seen in this undated photograph released in London December 23, 2010.Credit: Reuters/The Royal Mint/Handout
LONDON (Reuters Life!)Thu Dec 23, 2010 - The design for an official commemorative coin to mark the engagement of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton was unveiled on Thursday, but not everyone might recognize the bride-to-be.
The depiction, based on photographs of the couple at a sporting event, bears some resemblance to William but less so his fiancee.
Royal watchers said she appears much fuller in the face on the coin than she is in real life.
"This coin is of historical importance -- to get it so wrong seems ridiculous," Editor-in-Chief of Majesty magazine, Ingrid Seward, was quoted on the Sky News website as saying.
The design was approved by the 28-year-old couple and by William's grandmother Queen Elizabeth.
The Royal Mint, which produced the collectors' item, said it had no intention of changing the design.
"It is quite a subjective issue," a spokesman for the Mint, based in Llantrisant, south Wales, told Reuters.
"It is always challenging to engrave profiles and features onto something as small as a coin, particularly the features of young people."
Prince William, second-in-line to the throne after his father Prince Charles, announced his engagement to his long-term girlfriend in November, and the couple will marry on April 29.
The coin depicts him in profile -- an allusion to his royal status -- with Middleton looking at him face-on in a more informal pose, the Mint said.
It bears her full name, Catherine.
She is likely to become one of the most photographed women in the world, just like William's mother, the late Princess Diana.
Production of the coin has yet to begin, and it is not clear how many will be struck, but orders have been taken.
The Royal Mint has created many commemorative medals and coins to mark special occasions, including the 2012 London Olympics as well as other royal events, but this is the first time it has created a commemorative royal engagement coin.
"The Royal Mint has been recording historical events for over 1,100 years and we're fortunate to be in a role that allows us to add to that legacy," Dave Knight, director of Commemorative Coin at the Royal Mint, said in a statement.
The coin comes in silver and gold, and its various models cost from 9.99 to 1,550 pounds ($2,400).
(Writing by Avril Ormsby; Editing by Steve Addison)
The commemorative coin to mark the engagement of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton is seen in this undated photograph released in London December 23, 2010.Credit: Reuters/The Royal Mint/HandoutLONDON (Reuters Life!)Thu Dec 23, 2010 - The design for an official commemorative coin to mark the engagement of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton was unveiled on Thursday, but not everyone might recognize the bride-to-be.
The depiction, based on photographs of the couple at a sporting event, bears some resemblance to William but less so his fiancee.
Royal watchers said she appears much fuller in the face on the coin than she is in real life.
"This coin is of historical importance -- to get it so wrong seems ridiculous," Editor-in-Chief of Majesty magazine, Ingrid Seward, was quoted on the Sky News website as saying.
The design was approved by the 28-year-old couple and by William's grandmother Queen Elizabeth.
The Royal Mint, which produced the collectors' item, said it had no intention of changing the design.
"It is quite a subjective issue," a spokesman for the Mint, based in Llantrisant, south Wales, told Reuters.
"It is always challenging to engrave profiles and features onto something as small as a coin, particularly the features of young people."
Prince William, second-in-line to the throne after his father Prince Charles, announced his engagement to his long-term girlfriend in November, and the couple will marry on April 29.
The coin depicts him in profile -- an allusion to his royal status -- with Middleton looking at him face-on in a more informal pose, the Mint said.
It bears her full name, Catherine.
She is likely to become one of the most photographed women in the world, just like William's mother, the late Princess Diana.
Production of the coin has yet to begin, and it is not clear how many will be struck, but orders have been taken.
The Royal Mint has created many commemorative medals and coins to mark special occasions, including the 2012 London Olympics as well as other royal events, but this is the first time it has created a commemorative royal engagement coin.
"The Royal Mint has been recording historical events for over 1,100 years and we're fortunate to be in a role that allows us to add to that legacy," Dave Knight, director of Commemorative Coin at the Royal Mint, said in a statement.
The coin comes in silver and gold, and its various models cost from 9.99 to 1,550 pounds ($2,400).
(Writing by Avril Ormsby; Editing by Steve Addison)
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Traffic tip for Santa: reflective reindeer collars | Reuters
Reuters
OSLO (Reuters) Tue Dec 21, 2010. Norwegian reindeer owners have a Christmas safety tip for Santa -- put reflectors on his fleet-footed animals so they won't get hit by cars.
About 2,000 reindeer have been fitted this month with reflective yellow collars or small antler tags to cut down on the car crashes that now kill 500 reindeer a year and pose a danger to motorists across Arctic Norway.
"It really works," Kristian Oevernes, the leader of the project at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, told Reuters of the project in Finnmark, where the sun does not rise in mid-winter.
A test drive on a snowmobile showed that marked reindeer were far more visible in the dark than others. Several people are injured every year in car accidents involving reindeer, and one recent accident in Finland was fatal.
"I guess so," Oevernes said, when asked if Santa might take up the safety tip.
"This is the first time it (reindeer marking) has happened on this scale."
Sami herders had tried small experiments to attach reflective tape to the animals but the glue failed in the cold. Finnish herders had also tried a reflective spray, but it reduced the fur's ability to keep out the chill.
About 200,000 reindeer live in Norway, mostly owned by Sami indigenous people who raise them for meat, skins and antlers, according to the International Center for Reindeer Husbandry.
If the new project is successful, supporters say, reindeer owners or vehicle
(Editing by Paul Casci
OSLO (Reuters) Tue Dec 21, 2010. Norwegian reindeer owners have a Christmas safety tip for Santa -- put reflectors on his fleet-footed animals so they won't get hit by cars.
About 2,000 reindeer have been fitted this month with reflective yellow collars or small antler tags to cut down on the car crashes that now kill 500 reindeer a year and pose a danger to motorists across Arctic Norway.
"It really works," Kristian Oevernes, the leader of the project at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, told Reuters of the project in Finnmark, where the sun does not rise in mid-winter.
A test drive on a snowmobile showed that marked reindeer were far more visible in the dark than others. Several people are injured every year in car accidents involving reindeer, and one recent accident in Finland was fatal.
"I guess so," Oevernes said, when asked if Santa might take up the safety tip.
"This is the first time it (reindeer marking) has happened on this scale."
Sami herders had tried small experiments to attach reflective tape to the animals but the glue failed in the cold. Finnish herders had also tried a reflective spray, but it reduced the fur's ability to keep out the chill.
About 200,000 reindeer live in Norway, mostly owned by Sami indigenous people who raise them for meat, skins and antlers, according to the International Center for Reindeer Husbandry.
If the new project is successful, supporters say, reindeer owners or vehicle
(Editing by Paul Casci
Squeaky-clean Singapore in toilet manners campaign...
Reuters
SINGAPORE Reuters Fri Dec 17, 2010. Squeaky-clean Singapore needs cleaner toilets and public awareness is one way to achieve this, a civic group said at the launch of the latest stage of its LOO campaign -- Let's Observe Ourselves.
But a survey by the Restroom Association (Singapore) (RAS) found that only some 500 of the island's public toilets overall were up to its standards of working facilities, lack of litter and odor, and the provision of basic amenities such as hand soap and toilet paper.
"For us, toilet etiquette reflects Singaporeans' culture. It tells people how civilized we are," RAS President Tan Puay Hoon told reporters on Thursday, when the association unveiled its 70-page report on public restrooms as part of a campaign to improve island-wide toilet cleanliness.
"We are a First World country and we want a gracious society to reflect that."
Under the RAS Happy Toilet Programme, toilets are rated from three to five stars. A four-star toilet should have a diaper changing station or urinal for children and a five-star should have eco-friendly features such as water-saving taps.
To call attention to its 3-year blueprint on public restroom and a public awareness program urging users to adopt proper restroom etiquette in the Heartlands area, site of many government-built apartment blocks, the RAS launched LOO@Heartlands -- the first coffee shop with a five-star toilet.
The RAS said it would also distribute packets of pocket tissues with restroom etiquette messages only to toilet visitors during peak hours at shops nearby.
"Singapore's effort in branding itself as one of the most liveable cities in Asia is exemplary," the association said in its report, which was submitted to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in September.
"Unfortunately, the cleanliness of our public restrooms has not been in tandem," the report added.
The RAS was founded in 1998 as a non-profit organization and says it is dedicated to promoting the cleanliness, design and functionality of public toilets in Singapore.
The LOO Campaign began in 2008. The RAS has also conducted the Happy Toilet School Education program and is a founding member of the World Toilet Organization and the Keep Singapore Beautiful Movement.
(Reporting by Nopporn Wong-Anan; Editing by Elaine Lies)
Oddly Enough
SINGAPORE Reuters Fri Dec 17, 2010. Squeaky-clean Singapore needs cleaner toilets and public awareness is one way to achieve this, a civic group said at the launch of the latest stage of its LOO campaign -- Let's Observe Ourselves.But a survey by the Restroom Association (Singapore) (RAS) found that only some 500 of the island's public toilets overall were up to its standards of working facilities, lack of litter and odor, and the provision of basic amenities such as hand soap and toilet paper.
"For us, toilet etiquette reflects Singaporeans' culture. It tells people how civilized we are," RAS President Tan Puay Hoon told reporters on Thursday, when the association unveiled its 70-page report on public restrooms as part of a campaign to improve island-wide toilet cleanliness.
"We are a First World country and we want a gracious society to reflect that."
Under the RAS Happy Toilet Programme, toilets are rated from three to five stars. A four-star toilet should have a diaper changing station or urinal for children and a five-star should have eco-friendly features such as water-saving taps.
To call attention to its 3-year blueprint on public restroom and a public awareness program urging users to adopt proper restroom etiquette in the Heartlands area, site of many government-built apartment blocks, the RAS launched LOO@Heartlands -- the first coffee shop with a five-star toilet.
The RAS said it would also distribute packets of pocket tissues with restroom etiquette messages only to toilet visitors during peak hours at shops nearby.
"Singapore's effort in branding itself as one of the most liveable cities in Asia is exemplary," the association said in its report, which was submitted to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in September.
"Unfortunately, the cleanliness of our public restrooms has not been in tandem," the report added.
The RAS was founded in 1998 as a non-profit organization and says it is dedicated to promoting the cleanliness, design and functionality of public toilets in Singapore.
The LOO Campaign began in 2008. The RAS has also conducted the Happy Toilet School Education program and is a founding member of the World Toilet Organization and the Keep Singapore Beautiful Movement.
(Reporting by Nopporn Wong-Anan; Editing by Elaine Lies)
Oddly Enough
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Gambling nun accused of embezzling $850,000...
Reuters
NEW YORK Mon Dec 13, 2010(Reuters) - A Catholic nun with a reputation for gambling trips to Atlantic City was accused of embezzling more than $850,000 from a college where she oversaw the school's finances, officials said on Friday.
Sister Marie Thornton, former vice president of finance at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, is charged with sending phony invoices to the school to pay off personal credit card bills and expenses, the U.S. Attorney's office said.
The thefts occurred between 1999 and 2009, when Thornton resigned from the Catholic college, court documents said. She entered a plea of not guilty to a federal embezzlement charge.
The college of some 5,000 students has come under fire from alumni and donors for never reporting the missing money to authorities and only mentioning the theft in its 2009 tax filing sent in February to the Internal Revenue Service.
Iona officials issued a statement saying the school has implemented new financial oversight controls and recovered most of the missing funds.
The nun had a reputation for visiting casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey, according to former Iona basketball coach Jeff Ruland.
The U.S. Attorney's office originally said the theft was more than $1.2 million but on Friday revised the amount to more than $850,000, saying it had originally miscalculated.
Thornton's lawyer Sam Talkin said: "We think the case will be resolved in a manner fair to all the parties involved."
(Reporting by Aman Ali; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Greg McCu
NEW YORK Mon Dec 13, 2010(Reuters) - A Catholic nun with a reputation for gambling trips to Atlantic City was accused of embezzling more than $850,000 from a college where she oversaw the school's finances, officials said on Friday.
Sister Marie Thornton, former vice president of finance at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, is charged with sending phony invoices to the school to pay off personal credit card bills and expenses, the U.S. Attorney's office said.
The thefts occurred between 1999 and 2009, when Thornton resigned from the Catholic college, court documents said. She entered a plea of not guilty to a federal embezzlement charge.
The college of some 5,000 students has come under fire from alumni and donors for never reporting the missing money to authorities and only mentioning the theft in its 2009 tax filing sent in February to the Internal Revenue Service.
Iona officials issued a statement saying the school has implemented new financial oversight controls and recovered most of the missing funds.
The nun had a reputation for visiting casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey, according to former Iona basketball coach Jeff Ruland.
The U.S. Attorney's office originally said the theft was more than $1.2 million but on Friday revised the amount to more than $850,000, saying it had originally miscalculated.
Thornton's lawyer Sam Talkin said: "We think the case will be resolved in a manner fair to all the parties involved."
(Reporting by Aman Ali; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Greg McCu
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Wisconsin woman accused of biting off husband's tongue...
Reuters
MILWAUKEE (Reuters) Tue Dec 7, 2010 - A Wisconsin woman bit off half her husband's tongue during a kiss and has been arrested, authorities said on Tuesday.
The bitten piece of the husband's tongue was recovered, and he was taken to a hospital following the incident late on Monday, Sheboygan, Wisconsin police said in a statement.
The woman, 57, told emergency workers she had "bit her husband's tongue off," police said in a statement. She had blood on her clothing, they said.
The 79-year-old victim said his wife bit his tongue while he was kissing her, police said.
The woman was singing Christmas carols and blowing a New Year's horn when police arrested her on charges of felony mayhem. She was being held pending formal charges by the District Attorney's Office.
The victim was transported to an area hospital where doctors were trying to reattach his tongue, police said. About half his tongue was bit off, they said.
The victim said his wife had been acting strangely in recent days, said the police in Sheboygan, roughly 50 miles north of Milwaukee.
(Reporting by John Rondy; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Greg McCune)
MILWAUKEE (Reuters) Tue Dec 7, 2010 - A Wisconsin woman bit off half her husband's tongue during a kiss and has been arrested, authorities said on Tuesday.
The bitten piece of the husband's tongue was recovered, and he was taken to a hospital following the incident late on Monday, Sheboygan, Wisconsin police said in a statement.
The woman, 57, told emergency workers she had "bit her husband's tongue off," police said in a statement. She had blood on her clothing, they said.
The 79-year-old victim said his wife bit his tongue while he was kissing her, police said.
The woman was singing Christmas carols and blowing a New Year's horn when police arrested her on charges of felony mayhem. She was being held pending formal charges by the District Attorney's Office.
The victim was transported to an area hospital where doctors were trying to reattach his tongue, police said. About half his tongue was bit off, they said.
The victim said his wife had been acting strangely in recent days, said the police in Sheboygan, roughly 50 miles north of Milwaukee.
(Reporting by John Rondy; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Greg McCune)
Cycling may have impact on sperm health...
Health study--Reuters
NEW YORK (Reuters)Thu Dec 9, 2010 - Most exercise appears to have little relationship to either the quality or quantity of sperm, but men who bike at least five hours a week have fewer and less active sperm than men who didn't exercise, a study said.
Research among competitive athletes has linked biking to genital or urinary problems and poor semen quality, said Lauren Wise at Boston University, who led the study published in "Fertility and Sterility."
"However, we were uncertain whether we would find an association among a sample of men engaged in more moderate levels of physical activity," she told Reuters Health, warning it is still too early to say regular biking caused the sperm problems.
Previous research has suggested that competitive athletes may have issues with their sperm. But the study looked at the relationship between sperm health and exercise in 2,200 average men attending fertility clinics.
Each man provided a semen sample and answered questions about their general health and physical activity.
After adjustment for the use of multivitamins, body weight, blood pressure, choice of underwear and other variables, the authors found that men who exercised regularly -- even vigorously -- were no more likely to have problems with the quality or quantity of their sperm than men who never exercised.
However, when Wise and her colleagues looked at specific types of exercise, they saw that men who said they spent at least five hours per week biking were twice as likely to have both a low sperm count and relatively poor sperm mobility.
Among men who did not get regular exercise, 23 percent had low sperm counts -- but so did more than 31 percent of those who biked at least five hours per week.
Nearly 40 percent of frequent bikers had low numbers of sperm with good motility, versus 27 percent of men who didn't exercise.
Trauma or temperature increases in the scrotum may explain the relationship between biking and semen health, Wise said.
She also noted that it was possible that the men included in the study may not be representative of the general population, since they were all attending a fertility clinic and therefore more likely to have problems with their sperm.
"More studies are needed to replicate our findings before they can be considered causal," she said.
(Reporting by Alison McCook at Reuters Health; editing by Elaine Lies)
NEW YORK (Reuters)Thu Dec 9, 2010 - Most exercise appears to have little relationship to either the quality or quantity of sperm, but men who bike at least five hours a week have fewer and less active sperm than men who didn't exercise, a study said.
Research among competitive athletes has linked biking to genital or urinary problems and poor semen quality, said Lauren Wise at Boston University, who led the study published in "Fertility and Sterility."
"However, we were uncertain whether we would find an association among a sample of men engaged in more moderate levels of physical activity," she told Reuters Health, warning it is still too early to say regular biking caused the sperm problems.
Previous research has suggested that competitive athletes may have issues with their sperm. But the study looked at the relationship between sperm health and exercise in 2,200 average men attending fertility clinics.
Each man provided a semen sample and answered questions about their general health and physical activity.
After adjustment for the use of multivitamins, body weight, blood pressure, choice of underwear and other variables, the authors found that men who exercised regularly -- even vigorously -- were no more likely to have problems with the quality or quantity of their sperm than men who never exercised.
However, when Wise and her colleagues looked at specific types of exercise, they saw that men who said they spent at least five hours per week biking were twice as likely to have both a low sperm count and relatively poor sperm mobility.
Among men who did not get regular exercise, 23 percent had low sperm counts -- but so did more than 31 percent of those who biked at least five hours per week.
Nearly 40 percent of frequent bikers had low numbers of sperm with good motility, versus 27 percent of men who didn't exercise.
Trauma or temperature increases in the scrotum may explain the relationship between biking and semen health, Wise said.
She also noted that it was possible that the men included in the study may not be representative of the general population, since they were all attending a fertility clinic and therefore more likely to have problems with their sperm.
"More studies are needed to replicate our findings before they can be considered causal," she said.
(Reporting by Alison McCook at Reuters Health; editing by Elaine Lies)
Friday, December 10, 2010
Older men want more sex, study finds | Reuters
Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tue Dec 7, 2010. The very oldest men are still interested in sex but illness and a lack of opportunity may be holding them back, Australian researchers reported on Monday.
The "male" hormone testosterone was clearly linked with how often a man over 75 had sex, and doctors need to do more studies to see if hormone replacement therapy might benefit older men, the researchers said.
Zoe Hyde of the University of Western Australia and colleagues surveyed more than 2,700 men aged 75 to 95 for their study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
They asked a range of questions about health, relationships and sexual activity.
"The older men were, the less likely they were to be sexually active, but sex remained at least somewhat important to one fifth of men aged 90 to 95 years, refuting the stereotype of the asexual older person," they wrote in their report.
"Of those who were sexually active, more than 40 percent were dissatisfied with the frequency of sexual activity, preferring sex more frequently."
More than 30 percent of the men reported some sort of sexual activity in the past year, but more than 48 percent said sex was important, suggesting many of the men wanted to have sex but could not.
Age was a factor but so were testosterone levels, the lack of an interested partner, and various diseases from diabetes to prostate cancer.
More than 40 percent of the men who had not had sex recently said they were not interested. (Reporting by Maggie Fox)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tue Dec 7, 2010. The very oldest men are still interested in sex but illness and a lack of opportunity may be holding them back, Australian researchers reported on Monday.The "male" hormone testosterone was clearly linked with how often a man over 75 had sex, and doctors need to do more studies to see if hormone replacement therapy might benefit older men, the researchers said.
Zoe Hyde of the University of Western Australia and colleagues surveyed more than 2,700 men aged 75 to 95 for their study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
They asked a range of questions about health, relationships and sexual activity.
"The older men were, the less likely they were to be sexually active, but sex remained at least somewhat important to one fifth of men aged 90 to 95 years, refuting the stereotype of the asexual older person," they wrote in their report.
"Of those who were sexually active, more than 40 percent were dissatisfied with the frequency of sexual activity, preferring sex more frequently."
More than 30 percent of the men reported some sort of sexual activity in the past year, but more than 48 percent said sex was important, suggesting many of the men wanted to have sex but could not.
Age was a factor but so were testosterone levels, the lack of an interested partner, and various diseases from diabetes to prostate cancer.
More than 40 percent of the men who had not had sex recently said they were not interested. (Reporting by Maggie Fox)
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Skimpy trunks' design causes Singapore blushes...
Reuters By Ian Ransom
GUANGZHOU, China (Reuters) - Thu Nov 25, 2010. The skimpy trunks sported by Singapore's men's water polo team at the Asian Games are causing red faces back home in the conservative city-state, with many embarrassed by their design.
The trunks display the Singaporean flag's white crescent moon on the front of the red briefs in what has been described as an inappropriate fashion.
The design -- lambasted by readers of Singapore's Straits Times newspaper as "disgusting," "nauseating" and "disgraceful" among other terms -- had not been approved by the country's Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts (Mica), which governs the use of the flag.
"We would have told them that their design is inappropriate, as we want elements of the flag to be treated with dignity," Singapore media quoted a Mica marketing official as saying.
Few Internet users had given the trunks the thumbs up, many seeing them an insult to the Southeast Asian nation's dignity.
"There are 1000s of ways to show patroitism (sic) but sadly regrettably the chap who designed these trunks choose to do it in this disgusting and disrespecting way," one post read on the Straits Times website (www.straitstimes.com).
The trunks had also left the water polo team red-faced but ultimately powerless to do anything about it.
"The competition rules state that the trunks must be presented at that start of competition and they must be used throughout the tournament," Jose Raymond, the Singapore delegation's head of public relations told Reuters.
"The team can't use other trunks."
Singapore will play a Kuwait team competing under the banner of the International Olympic Committee in a battle for fifth place Thursday at Guangzhou's Tianhe Natatorium.
Raymond said the team were "apologetic if they've offended anyone in any way... they meant the flag no disrespect."
Raymond also confirmed the trunks' design would be tweaked upon the team's return home, after local media quoted a Singapore swimming official saying the crescent moon was supposed to be placed "more toward the side."
"Mica has given the team permission to use the trunks and then have them redesigned when they get back," he said.
China will battle Kazakhstan for the men's gold later on Thursday.
(Editing by Ossian Shine)
GUANGZHOU, China (Reuters) - Thu Nov 25, 2010. The skimpy trunks sported by Singapore's men's water polo team at the Asian Games are causing red faces back home in the conservative city-state, with many embarrassed by their design.The trunks display the Singaporean flag's white crescent moon on the front of the red briefs in what has been described as an inappropriate fashion.
The design -- lambasted by readers of Singapore's Straits Times newspaper as "disgusting," "nauseating" and "disgraceful" among other terms -- had not been approved by the country's Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts (Mica), which governs the use of the flag.
"We would have told them that their design is inappropriate, as we want elements of the flag to be treated with dignity," Singapore media quoted a Mica marketing official as saying.
Few Internet users had given the trunks the thumbs up, many seeing them an insult to the Southeast Asian nation's dignity.
"There are 1000s of ways to show patroitism (sic) but sadly regrettably the chap who designed these trunks choose to do it in this disgusting and disrespecting way," one post read on the Straits Times website (www.straitstimes.com).
The trunks had also left the water polo team red-faced but ultimately powerless to do anything about it.
"The competition rules state that the trunks must be presented at that start of competition and they must be used throughout the tournament," Jose Raymond, the Singapore delegation's head of public relations told Reuters.
"The team can't use other trunks."
Singapore will play a Kuwait team competing under the banner of the International Olympic Committee in a battle for fifth place Thursday at Guangzhou's Tianhe Natatorium.
Raymond said the team were "apologetic if they've offended anyone in any way... they meant the flag no disrespect."
Raymond also confirmed the trunks' design would be tweaked upon the team's return home, after local media quoted a Singapore swimming official saying the crescent moon was supposed to be placed "more toward the side."
"Mica has given the team permission to use the trunks and then have them redesigned when they get back," he said.
China will battle Kazakhstan for the men's gold later on Thursday.
(Editing by Ossian Shine)
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Romantic partner may play role in reducing vulvovaginal pain...
Virtual Medical Centre
An investigation published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine has found that male partners who express greater support, attention and sympathy to women's chronic vulvovaginal pain may trigger more pain, but also increase sexual satisfaction in female partners.
Women who took part in the study, conducted by the University of Montreal and University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre, suffer from a condition called provoked vestibulodynia (PVD). A condition that affects 12 per cent of premenopausal women, PVD can impair sexual functioning as well as diminish sexual desire, arousal, sexual satisfaction, orgasmic capacity and frequency of intercourse.
PVD, for which there are no relevant visible findings or clinically identifiable neurologic disorder, is characterised by discomfort or a burning pain specific to the vestibule. The chronic and recurrent condition causes vulvovaginal pain that is triggered mainly through sexual contact, but also via tampon insertion and gynaecological examination.
"An overly concerned partner may lead a woman to avoid sexual intercourse or exacerbate her pain by increasing her anxiety, hyper-vigilance and negative thoughts about the pain, which can in turn increase her pain during intercourse," says lead author, Dr Natalie O. Rosen, a University of Montreal post-doctoral fellow in psychology. "If a man avoids sexual intercourse with a partner with PVD, then he may also reinforce her negative pain appraisals and that can lead to increased pain during intercourse."
At the same time, the researchers found that a more concerned attitude in partners was linked to greater sexual satisfaction in women with PVD. "It's likely that women interpret the attention from their partner as a greater sensitivity and understanding of her pain during sexual activity and that results in greater sexual satisfaction," says Rosen.
For couples affected by PVD, the key to decreasing pain and bolstering sexual satisfaction may be to shift the focus away from vaginal intercourse without avoiding sexual activity altogether. "Couples can focus on pleasurable sexual activities other than penetration, or on the emotional benefits of sexual activity such as intimacy and closeness," says Rosen.
As part of the study, 191 heterosexual couples affected by PVD completed questionnaires about the condition. Following their participation, couples received a 30-minute telephone psychological consultation about PVD.
"This study furthers our understanding of the importance of how couples communicate about PVD in predicting pain and sexual satisfaction in women," says Sophie Bergeron, a University of Montreal psychology professor. "The more the partner is overly concerned, from the perspective of the woman and her partner, the more her pain intensity may increase during intercourse. Results of our study can help in the development of targeted psychological interventions to assist couples in coping with PVD."
(Source: University of Montreal: Journal of Sexual Medicine) Article Date: 5th Oct. 2010
An investigation published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine has found that male partners who express greater support, attention and sympathy to women's chronic vulvovaginal pain may trigger more pain, but also increase sexual satisfaction in female partners.Women who took part in the study, conducted by the University of Montreal and University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre, suffer from a condition called provoked vestibulodynia (PVD). A condition that affects 12 per cent of premenopausal women, PVD can impair sexual functioning as well as diminish sexual desire, arousal, sexual satisfaction, orgasmic capacity and frequency of intercourse.
PVD, for which there are no relevant visible findings or clinically identifiable neurologic disorder, is characterised by discomfort or a burning pain specific to the vestibule. The chronic and recurrent condition causes vulvovaginal pain that is triggered mainly through sexual contact, but also via tampon insertion and gynaecological examination.
"An overly concerned partner may lead a woman to avoid sexual intercourse or exacerbate her pain by increasing her anxiety, hyper-vigilance and negative thoughts about the pain, which can in turn increase her pain during intercourse," says lead author, Dr Natalie O. Rosen, a University of Montreal post-doctoral fellow in psychology. "If a man avoids sexual intercourse with a partner with PVD, then he may also reinforce her negative pain appraisals and that can lead to increased pain during intercourse."
At the same time, the researchers found that a more concerned attitude in partners was linked to greater sexual satisfaction in women with PVD. "It's likely that women interpret the attention from their partner as a greater sensitivity and understanding of her pain during sexual activity and that results in greater sexual satisfaction," says Rosen.
For couples affected by PVD, the key to decreasing pain and bolstering sexual satisfaction may be to shift the focus away from vaginal intercourse without avoiding sexual activity altogether. "Couples can focus on pleasurable sexual activities other than penetration, or on the emotional benefits of sexual activity such as intimacy and closeness," says Rosen.
As part of the study, 191 heterosexual couples affected by PVD completed questionnaires about the condition. Following their participation, couples received a 30-minute telephone psychological consultation about PVD.
"This study furthers our understanding of the importance of how couples communicate about PVD in predicting pain and sexual satisfaction in women," says Sophie Bergeron, a University of Montreal psychology professor. "The more the partner is overly concerned, from the perspective of the woman and her partner, the more her pain intensity may increase during intercourse. Results of our study can help in the development of targeted psychological interventions to assist couples in coping with PVD."
(Source: University of Montreal: Journal of Sexual Medicine) Article Date: 5th Oct. 2010
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Google loses the dream, falls off the wave...
ZDNet Business - Insight By Renai LeMay
ZDNet November 2nd, 2010 (6 days ago)(Credit: Google)
Hunter S. Thompson wrote in the novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas that the 1960s in San Francisco was a very special time and place to be.
"There was a fantastic sense that whatever we were doing was right ... that we were winning," he wrote. "That sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean of military sense; we didn't need that. Our energy would simply prevail."
This is the sort of feeling you got when you walked around the offices of Google Australia in Pyrmont in the middle of this decade. There was an energy about the company. Flush with commercial and technical success from its main search product, and brandishing acclaimed new entries into the Googleverse like Gmail, Google Apps and YouTube, it seemed Google could do no wrong.
The search giant's flat structure and focus on technical prowess at all costs, and its extremely flexible staffing arrangements and reward structure — including the famous "20 per cent time" — meant that Australia's best and brightest were clamouring to get in the door.
But, as with that glorious era in San Francisco, all good things must come to an end. And so the term "Xoogler" was born.
"We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave," wrote Thompson in his book. "So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark — that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back."
The departures of Vale and Rasmussen from Google Australia's ranks are one small part of that wave rolling back inside Google, the company that comes very close to being a corporate utopia and failed.
To understand this statement, we need to examine the pair's personal histories within Google and what could have forced them to leave.
Vale could most easily be described as the soul of the search giant's Australian operation. When Google entered Australia in 2002, it was Vale that was the company's first employee, and it's not hard to see why. The executive's combination of commercial acumen, online knowledge (she was formerly the NSW sales manager for dotcom failure Looksmart) and her bright bubbly personality made her the perfect choice to launch what was essentially a start-up operation in Australia and build it from the ground up.
And build she did. Although Google has not disclosed its Australian revenues, they are rumoured to be close to $1 billion. And Vale was the one that laid the commercial foundations for that extraordinary growth over the past decade, step by painful step, in an era where search engine optimisation was a black art and targeted advertising meant advertising beauty products to housewives on daytime TV.
Vale was the executive who brought the new era of internet advertising to Australia, creating a whole eco-system around Google in the process.
When the time came for Google to appoint more senior leadership in the form of Asia-Pacific chief Richard Kimber in 2006 and then local managing director Karim Temsamani in 2007, Vale stepped back a bit from the helm of the company, eventually taking a more lightweight role as the local head of Google's bright and shiny new video toy YouTube.
As she did with Google Australia as a whole, Vale appears to have achieved remarkable success with the introduction of YouTube into the local commercial advertising and publishing market. When she first took on the role, the site had poor advertising integration with the Australian population. It's now common to see Australian pre-roll advertisements on the site. Vale can't take all the credit for that shift, but she can take some.
The departure of Rasmussen is also significant for the company.
The fact that the engineer was recruited personally by Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg should give onlookers some indication of the respect with which Rasmussen is held in the global Web 2.0 scene.
The driving force behind Google Maps, Rasmussen was the public face of the search giant's Australian engineering operation since his company was acquired by Google in 2004. And, like Vale, Rasmussen has been instrumental in growing Google in Australia. He has persuaded the company's chiefs in Mountain View to invest in Australian engineers and hiring technical talent, particularly in Sydney, in droves.
Like Vale, Rasmussen stepped back from that role a little in 2007, when Google appointed serial entrepreneur Alan Noble as the head of its engineering operations locally.
And, again, like his colleague, Rasmussen appears to have stepped back from higher level management duties to get his hands dirty. He was one of the chief driving forces behind Google's next-generation Wave product, which eventually failed: a fate he does not appear to be too happy about. However, the development of Wave still brought significant prestige to Australia because of Rasmussen's efforts.
Ultimately, if you were speaking to Google in Australia for most of the past decade, it meant you were speaking to either Vale or Rasmussen. It was common for the pair to attend press conferences together — Vale to present for the commercial side of the business, and Rasmussen to explain the expansion of the company's local engineering talent and products.
The Sydney Morning Herald is using a photo this week which perfectly illustrates the dynamic between the two. They are standing in what appears to be the kitchen of Google's Darling Harbour HQ, or maybe the Pyrmont office. They are laughing, Vale's stance open, Rasmussen more reserved, as many technical people are. There is a link there that is only built up between colleagues who have worked, and fought, together for several years.
That link remains. In fact, Vale said she had dined with Rasmussen just last week. Their professional relationship appears to have epitomised the classic marriage between the technical and the commercial, which is so fruitful when it works well and so disastrous when it tears apart.
Restless souls like Vale and Rasmussen joined Google Australia to start with because it was a start-up. The company offered them something that few other companies could — the chance to make a difference. As Google grew larger and that potential shrunk, both found their niche in an attempt to keep that dream alive.
But their departures signal that they've both had enough.
In short, Google is no longer a start-up. It is now a company like any other, and one with a sizable headcount: more than 400 in Australia and 25,000 globally. It is struggling to get new products to market, or even to keep up-to-date with its existing product set. Look at the poor adoption of Google Apps in corporate Australia, for example (because of its lack of local hosting), or the delays pushing its netbook operating system, Chrome OS, into irrelevance.
Because of this fact, the company is no longer attractive to entrepreneurial change agent types like Vale and Rasmussen. There is simply too much management inertia.
This can be seen in the pair's comments to the Sydney Morning Herald. "The energy there is just amazing, whereas it can be very challenging to be working in a company the size of Google," Rasmussen said of Facebook.
"I think Google has become more corporate over the years," Vale said, noting small companies were easier to shape. "As a company grows it becomes harder to do that ... things get slow."
How far back the wave has rolled, indeed — those comments would have been unimaginable just half a decade ago.
ZDNet November 2nd, 2010 (6 days ago)(Credit: Google)
Hunter S. Thompson wrote in the novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas that the 1960s in San Francisco was a very special time and place to be.
"There was a fantastic sense that whatever we were doing was right ... that we were winning," he wrote. "That sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean of military sense; we didn't need that. Our energy would simply prevail."
This is the sort of feeling you got when you walked around the offices of Google Australia in Pyrmont in the middle of this decade. There was an energy about the company. Flush with commercial and technical success from its main search product, and brandishing acclaimed new entries into the Googleverse like Gmail, Google Apps and YouTube, it seemed Google could do no wrong.
The search giant's flat structure and focus on technical prowess at all costs, and its extremely flexible staffing arrangements and reward structure — including the famous "20 per cent time" — meant that Australia's best and brightest were clamouring to get in the door.
But, as with that glorious era in San Francisco, all good things must come to an end. And so the term "Xoogler" was born.
"We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave," wrote Thompson in his book. "So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark — that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back."
The departures of Vale and Rasmussen from Google Australia's ranks are one small part of that wave rolling back inside Google, the company that comes very close to being a corporate utopia and failed.
To understand this statement, we need to examine the pair's personal histories within Google and what could have forced them to leave.
Vale could most easily be described as the soul of the search giant's Australian operation. When Google entered Australia in 2002, it was Vale that was the company's first employee, and it's not hard to see why. The executive's combination of commercial acumen, online knowledge (she was formerly the NSW sales manager for dotcom failure Looksmart) and her bright bubbly personality made her the perfect choice to launch what was essentially a start-up operation in Australia and build it from the ground up.
And build she did. Although Google has not disclosed its Australian revenues, they are rumoured to be close to $1 billion. And Vale was the one that laid the commercial foundations for that extraordinary growth over the past decade, step by painful step, in an era where search engine optimisation was a black art and targeted advertising meant advertising beauty products to housewives on daytime TV.
Vale was the executive who brought the new era of internet advertising to Australia, creating a whole eco-system around Google in the process.
When the time came for Google to appoint more senior leadership in the form of Asia-Pacific chief Richard Kimber in 2006 and then local managing director Karim Temsamani in 2007, Vale stepped back a bit from the helm of the company, eventually taking a more lightweight role as the local head of Google's bright and shiny new video toy YouTube.
As she did with Google Australia as a whole, Vale appears to have achieved remarkable success with the introduction of YouTube into the local commercial advertising and publishing market. When she first took on the role, the site had poor advertising integration with the Australian population. It's now common to see Australian pre-roll advertisements on the site. Vale can't take all the credit for that shift, but she can take some.
The departure of Rasmussen is also significant for the company.
The fact that the engineer was recruited personally by Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg should give onlookers some indication of the respect with which Rasmussen is held in the global Web 2.0 scene.
The driving force behind Google Maps, Rasmussen was the public face of the search giant's Australian engineering operation since his company was acquired by Google in 2004. And, like Vale, Rasmussen has been instrumental in growing Google in Australia. He has persuaded the company's chiefs in Mountain View to invest in Australian engineers and hiring technical talent, particularly in Sydney, in droves.
Like Vale, Rasmussen stepped back from that role a little in 2007, when Google appointed serial entrepreneur Alan Noble as the head of its engineering operations locally.
And, again, like his colleague, Rasmussen appears to have stepped back from higher level management duties to get his hands dirty. He was one of the chief driving forces behind Google's next-generation Wave product, which eventually failed: a fate he does not appear to be too happy about. However, the development of Wave still brought significant prestige to Australia because of Rasmussen's efforts.
Ultimately, if you were speaking to Google in Australia for most of the past decade, it meant you were speaking to either Vale or Rasmussen. It was common for the pair to attend press conferences together — Vale to present for the commercial side of the business, and Rasmussen to explain the expansion of the company's local engineering talent and products.
The Sydney Morning Herald is using a photo this week which perfectly illustrates the dynamic between the two. They are standing in what appears to be the kitchen of Google's Darling Harbour HQ, or maybe the Pyrmont office. They are laughing, Vale's stance open, Rasmussen more reserved, as many technical people are. There is a link there that is only built up between colleagues who have worked, and fought, together for several years.
That link remains. In fact, Vale said she had dined with Rasmussen just last week. Their professional relationship appears to have epitomised the classic marriage between the technical and the commercial, which is so fruitful when it works well and so disastrous when it tears apart.
Restless souls like Vale and Rasmussen joined Google Australia to start with because it was a start-up. The company offered them something that few other companies could — the chance to make a difference. As Google grew larger and that potential shrunk, both found their niche in an attempt to keep that dream alive.
But their departures signal that they've both had enough.
In short, Google is no longer a start-up. It is now a company like any other, and one with a sizable headcount: more than 400 in Australia and 25,000 globally. It is struggling to get new products to market, or even to keep up-to-date with its existing product set. Look at the poor adoption of Google Apps in corporate Australia, for example (because of its lack of local hosting), or the delays pushing its netbook operating system, Chrome OS, into irrelevance.
Because of this fact, the company is no longer attractive to entrepreneurial change agent types like Vale and Rasmussen. There is simply too much management inertia.
This can be seen in the pair's comments to the Sydney Morning Herald. "The energy there is just amazing, whereas it can be very challenging to be working in a company the size of Google," Rasmussen said of Facebook.
"I think Google has become more corporate over the years," Vale said, noting small companies were easier to shape. "As a company grows it becomes harder to do that ... things get slow."
How far back the wave has rolled, indeed — those comments would have been unimaginable just half a decade ago.
Young asylum-seeker was disguised as old man...
Reuters By Allan Dowd
VANCOUVER (Reuters) Mon Nov 8, 2010. Canadian authorities were trying to determine on Friday how a man believed to be in his 20s was able to board a flight in Hong Kong to Vancouver having disguised himself as an elderly passenger.
The young man, who was arrested when he arrived in Canada, boarded an Air Canada flight on October 29 wearing a realistic silicon head and neck mask that made him appear elderly, according to media reports and photographs.
A spokesman for Canada's public safety minister confirmed the incident but declined further comment. The man requested asylum in Canada when he arrived, which prevents officials from disclosing his name or where he is from. He is now being held in custody.
The man was able to board the flight apparently without a passport or any other documents with a picture or date of birth. He carried the boarding pass of a U.S. citizen who was booked on the flight.
Although the young man is of Asian origin, the intricate disguise made him look like a very elderly Caucasian.
"It is believed that the subject and the actual United States citizen passenger, whose date of birth is 1955, performed a boarding pass swap," according to a Canadian Border Services Agency security alert obtained by CNN.
An Air Canada spokesman said the issue was under investigation by Canadian authorities, but said there are multiple identification checks for passengers in Hong Kong - including one by the Chinese government.
Transport Canada is investigating if screening regulations were broken. It is the responsibility of airlines to verify the identity of passengers who appear to be 18 years or older before they are allowed on the aircraft.
"That means air carriers are supposed to look at a passenger's entire face to determine if they appear to be over 18 and if so, compare their physical appearance with their travel documents," said John Babcock, a spokesman for Transport Minister Chuck Strahl.
The man went into the airplane toilet midway through the flight and removed his disguise, according to the CBSA alert which noted the impostor did not attempt to disguise the age of his hands.
A search of the man's luggage uncovered gloves and a "disguise kit," according to the alert.
(Reporting Allan Dowd; editing by Rob Wilson)
VANCOUVER (Reuters) Mon Nov 8, 2010. Canadian authorities were trying to determine on Friday how a man believed to be in his 20s was able to board a flight in Hong Kong to Vancouver having disguised himself as an elderly passenger.The young man, who was arrested when he arrived in Canada, boarded an Air Canada flight on October 29 wearing a realistic silicon head and neck mask that made him appear elderly, according to media reports and photographs.
A spokesman for Canada's public safety minister confirmed the incident but declined further comment. The man requested asylum in Canada when he arrived, which prevents officials from disclosing his name or where he is from. He is now being held in custody.
The man was able to board the flight apparently without a passport or any other documents with a picture or date of birth. He carried the boarding pass of a U.S. citizen who was booked on the flight.
Although the young man is of Asian origin, the intricate disguise made him look like a very elderly Caucasian.
"It is believed that the subject and the actual United States citizen passenger, whose date of birth is 1955, performed a boarding pass swap," according to a Canadian Border Services Agency security alert obtained by CNN.
An Air Canada spokesman said the issue was under investigation by Canadian authorities, but said there are multiple identification checks for passengers in Hong Kong - including one by the Chinese government.
Transport Canada is investigating if screening regulations were broken. It is the responsibility of airlines to verify the identity of passengers who appear to be 18 years or older before they are allowed on the aircraft.
"That means air carriers are supposed to look at a passenger's entire face to determine if they appear to be over 18 and if so, compare their physical appearance with their travel documents," said John Babcock, a spokesman for Transport Minister Chuck Strahl.
The man went into the airplane toilet midway through the flight and removed his disguise, according to the CBSA alert which noted the impostor did not attempt to disguise the age of his hands.
A search of the man's luggage uncovered gloves and a "disguise kit," according to the alert.
(Reporting Allan Dowd; editing by Rob Wilson)
Do you hate waiting? Get in line...
Reuters
LONDON Reuters Fri Nov 5, 2010. - A nation renowned for the art of queuing may be losing its patience, a survey has shown, with the average British adult able to stand in line for only 10 minutes and 42 seconds before tempers start to fray.
The most loathed lines were in supermarkets, followed by the Post Office and airport check-in and security.
Older respondents over 55 became restless in a queue nearly three minutes before younger people but those aged under 35 were more likely to take their frustration out on those around them.
Two thirds of respondents said "faffing," or dawdling, by those in front of them was the thing they hated most.
Most Brits would rather avoid queues entirely, with eight in 10 adults instead choosing to pay their bills online, according to the survey by the Payments Council, the body for setting payment strategy in Britain.
The online poll of 2,006 adults found that one in five people do their shopping at night to avoid the lines.
"Our research shows that more of us are waking up to the fact that you can skip the queue altogether, saving time and money, by using 'queue dodging tactics' like internet shopping, online banking and paying bills electronically," said a council spokeswoman.
(Reporting by Anna Yukhananov; Editing by Steve Addison)
LONDON Reuters Fri Nov 5, 2010. - A nation renowned for the art of queuing may be losing its patience, a survey has shown, with the average British adult able to stand in line for only 10 minutes and 42 seconds before tempers start to fray.
The most loathed lines were in supermarkets, followed by the Post Office and airport check-in and security.
Older respondents over 55 became restless in a queue nearly three minutes before younger people but those aged under 35 were more likely to take their frustration out on those around them.
Two thirds of respondents said "faffing," or dawdling, by those in front of them was the thing they hated most.
Most Brits would rather avoid queues entirely, with eight in 10 adults instead choosing to pay their bills online, according to the survey by the Payments Council, the body for setting payment strategy in Britain.
The online poll of 2,006 adults found that one in five people do their shopping at night to avoid the lines.
"Our research shows that more of us are waking up to the fact that you can skip the queue altogether, saving time and money, by using 'queue dodging tactics' like internet shopping, online banking and paying bills electronically," said a council spokeswoman.
(Reporting by Anna Yukhananov; Editing by Steve Addison)
Monday, November 08, 2010
Google scares Aussie banks - Business - News
Google scares Aussie banks (Credit: Darren Pauli/ZDNet Australia)
November 8th, 2010. Get Your Favourite Apps on the New Android™-Powered HTC Desire Phone www.telstra.com.au AboutGoogle could be the biggest threat to the big four banks because of the trust online users place in it and its ability to engage with customers, according to banking executives.
Managers from Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, GM Bank, Rabobank and Spain-based Bankinter chaired a panel discussion where they were challenged by members of the financial sector on their apparent slack innovation efforts.
RaboDirect general manager Greg McAweeney told an audience from the finance sector in Sydney last week that companies such as Google and PayPal are more responsive and trusted than banks.
"If Google got up and said we are going to offer a savings account, for me, that would be very difficult and confronting," McAweeney said.
"They are a non-traditional bank yet they have great reach, access, distribution and trust — they probably have more trust than most of the banks.
"Innovation will come from that side of our industry."
Panellists cited emerging technology with an emphasis on online applications as a means for the credit unions to challenge the position of incumbent banks.
Commonwealth Bank executive general manager Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said that an online-only upstart bank may challenge the position of banks by appealing to young customers and reacting faster to trends.
"There could be an interesting play to be made in a completely virtual bank that is appealing to a different generation customer who is comfortable with a new form of interaction — a virtualising of services and new ways of managing and accessing money," Rosmarin said.
But Westpac chief technology officer Sarv Girn said innovation is not about gadgets.
"Banks can think all they want about whether they are innovative or not: at the end of the day it's what the customer thinks and it doesn't have to be the latest whizz-bang technology, iPhone or iPad," Girn said.
He said that the lion's share of innovation at Westpac is dedicated to security and resilience. The bank has tipped millions into improving IT security and redundancy around its internet banking and ATM networks, which has led to a 90 per cent reduction in critical security problems.
McAweeney said that a lack of cooperation between banks is preventing some of the best innovations such as centralised account aggregation across rival financial institutions.
"Online and token-based security can make the experience a bit clunky. I might want to see all of my accounts, but if I have a token with each it doesn't lend to the best customer experience."
Rosmarin said that privacy demands and a lack of publicity has grounded account aggregation.
According to CSC Australia director of banking Simon Millet, banks are not natural innovators.
"[Barack Obama] is famous for using the phrase 'lipstick on a pig'. I think we need to be conscious when, in reality, what is going on is a lot of creativity but not a lot of innovation," Millet said.
"Very little money is spent on [research and development], but it is the individuals in the banks that bring value."
November 8th, 2010. Get Your Favourite Apps on the New Android™-Powered HTC Desire Phone www.telstra.com.au AboutGoogle could be the biggest threat to the big four banks because of the trust online users place in it and its ability to engage with customers, according to banking executives.
Managers from Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, GM Bank, Rabobank and Spain-based Bankinter chaired a panel discussion where they were challenged by members of the financial sector on their apparent slack innovation efforts.
RaboDirect general manager Greg McAweeney told an audience from the finance sector in Sydney last week that companies such as Google and PayPal are more responsive and trusted than banks.
"If Google got up and said we are going to offer a savings account, for me, that would be very difficult and confronting," McAweeney said.
"They are a non-traditional bank yet they have great reach, access, distribution and trust — they probably have more trust than most of the banks.
"Innovation will come from that side of our industry."
Panellists cited emerging technology with an emphasis on online applications as a means for the credit unions to challenge the position of incumbent banks.
Commonwealth Bank executive general manager Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said that an online-only upstart bank may challenge the position of banks by appealing to young customers and reacting faster to trends.
"There could be an interesting play to be made in a completely virtual bank that is appealing to a different generation customer who is comfortable with a new form of interaction — a virtualising of services and new ways of managing and accessing money," Rosmarin said.
But Westpac chief technology officer Sarv Girn said innovation is not about gadgets.
"Banks can think all they want about whether they are innovative or not: at the end of the day it's what the customer thinks and it doesn't have to be the latest whizz-bang technology, iPhone or iPad," Girn said.
He said that the lion's share of innovation at Westpac is dedicated to security and resilience. The bank has tipped millions into improving IT security and redundancy around its internet banking and ATM networks, which has led to a 90 per cent reduction in critical security problems.
McAweeney said that a lack of cooperation between banks is preventing some of the best innovations such as centralised account aggregation across rival financial institutions.
"Online and token-based security can make the experience a bit clunky. I might want to see all of my accounts, but if I have a token with each it doesn't lend to the best customer experience."
Rosmarin said that privacy demands and a lack of publicity has grounded account aggregation.
According to CSC Australia director of banking Simon Millet, banks are not natural innovators.
"[Barack Obama] is famous for using the phrase 'lipstick on a pig'. I think we need to be conscious when, in reality, what is going on is a lot of creativity but not a lot of innovation," Millet said.
"Very little money is spent on [research and development], but it is the individuals in the banks that bring value."
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Google gaining on booming smartphone market...
Reuters By Tarmo Virki, European Technology Correspondent
HELSINKI (Reuters) Mon Nov 1, 2010. - Google's Android software platform rose to No. 2 spot globally on the booming smartphone market in the third quarter, research firm Canalys said on Monday.
Nokia's Symbian continued to lead the market with a 37 percent share, while Android had 17 percent of the market. It has surpassed Research In Motion, Apple and Microsoft this year.
Growing popularity of Android phones -- made by companies including Motorola Inc, HTC Corp and Samsung Electronics -- puts Google in a good position as handsets look set to surpass computers for browsing the Web.
Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said in September he expects mobile searches to generate most of the firm's revenue eventually, but it could take a long time, despite growing at a rapid clip.
Android software, offered free to cellphone vendors, has experienced dramatic growth since coming to market two years ago. Last quarter it saw a 14-fold growth from very low levels a year ago, Canalys said.
Helped by the surge of Android phones, cheaper smartphones are becoming increasingly the growth engine of the overall smartphone market, the researcher said.
"We are seeing more volume going into the mid- and lower-tier. We have reached a tipping point, smartphones are no longer the high-tier product," said analyst Pete Cunningham.
"Operators are looking to push smartphones into prepay market as these phones are generating a lot of data traffic revenues," Cunningham said.
This opens a new, large market for smartphones which have been sold on many developed markets mostly with monthly contracts.
HELSINKI (Reuters) Mon Nov 1, 2010. - Google's Android software platform rose to No. 2 spot globally on the booming smartphone market in the third quarter, research firm Canalys said on Monday.
Nokia's Symbian continued to lead the market with a 37 percent share, while Android had 17 percent of the market. It has surpassed Research In Motion, Apple and Microsoft this year.
Growing popularity of Android phones -- made by companies including Motorola Inc, HTC Corp and Samsung Electronics -- puts Google in a good position as handsets look set to surpass computers for browsing the Web.
Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said in September he expects mobile searches to generate most of the firm's revenue eventually, but it could take a long time, despite growing at a rapid clip.
Android software, offered free to cellphone vendors, has experienced dramatic growth since coming to market two years ago. Last quarter it saw a 14-fold growth from very low levels a year ago, Canalys said.
Helped by the surge of Android phones, cheaper smartphones are becoming increasingly the growth engine of the overall smartphone market, the researcher said.
"We are seeing more volume going into the mid- and lower-tier. We have reached a tipping point, smartphones are no longer the high-tier product," said analyst Pete Cunningham.
"Operators are looking to push smartphones into prepay market as these phones are generating a lot of data traffic revenues," Cunningham said.
This opens a new, large market for smartphones which have been sold on many developed markets mostly with monthly contracts.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Arizona executes killer by lethal injection...
Reuters
PHOENIX Wed Oct 27, 2010 12:34pm EDT(Reuters) - Arizona executed a convicted murderer by lethal injection Tuesday in a case that stirred controversy after it emerged that one of the drugs being used to end the inmate's life was obtained in Britain.
Jeffrey Landrigan, convicted of the murder of Chester Dean Dyer in 1989, was pronounced dead at 10:26 p.m. local time (0526 GMT on Wednesday) at a state prison in Florence, southeast of Phoenix, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Corrections said.
The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution, which had been due to take place Tuesday morning.
A federal judge previously granted a stay and asked to know where the dose of sodium thiopental came from. The drug is used to render a condemned prisoner unconscious.
Arizona has no stock of the drug. The state's attorney general, Terry Goddard, sparked controversy Monday when he said it had been imported from Britain, although he declined to name the supplier.
Britain outlawed the death penalty, and has not carried out an execution since 1964.
A columnist at The Guardian newspaper had questioned whether it was criminal for a British firm to profit from the supply of drugs used in an execution.
Sodium thiopental, an anesthetic, is the first of a sequence of three drugs administered in lethal injection that paralyze breathing and stop the heart.
Lawyers for Landrigan argued the drug might not meet U.S. drug standards if it was obtained abroad, and risked causing serious pain and suffering in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
Landrigan, 50, was sentenced to death in 1990 for strangling Dyer, who was found dead by a co-worker on December 15, 1989, after he failed to show up for work.
He was the 24th person executed in Arizona since the state resumed capital punishment in 1992. There are 132 inmates on the state's death row.
(Reporting by Tim Gaynor; Additional reporting by David Schwartz; Editing by Peter Cooney)
PHOENIX Wed Oct 27, 2010 12:34pm EDT(Reuters) - Arizona executed a convicted murderer by lethal injection Tuesday in a case that stirred controversy after it emerged that one of the drugs being used to end the inmate's life was obtained in Britain.
Jeffrey Landrigan, convicted of the murder of Chester Dean Dyer in 1989, was pronounced dead at 10:26 p.m. local time (0526 GMT on Wednesday) at a state prison in Florence, southeast of Phoenix, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Corrections said.
The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution, which had been due to take place Tuesday morning.
A federal judge previously granted a stay and asked to know where the dose of sodium thiopental came from. The drug is used to render a condemned prisoner unconscious.
Arizona has no stock of the drug. The state's attorney general, Terry Goddard, sparked controversy Monday when he said it had been imported from Britain, although he declined to name the supplier.
Britain outlawed the death penalty, and has not carried out an execution since 1964.
A columnist at The Guardian newspaper had questioned whether it was criminal for a British firm to profit from the supply of drugs used in an execution.
Sodium thiopental, an anesthetic, is the first of a sequence of three drugs administered in lethal injection that paralyze breathing and stop the heart.
Lawyers for Landrigan argued the drug might not meet U.S. drug standards if it was obtained abroad, and risked causing serious pain and suffering in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
Landrigan, 50, was sentenced to death in 1990 for strangling Dyer, who was found dead by a co-worker on December 15, 1989, after he failed to show up for work.
He was the 24th person executed in Arizona since the state resumed capital punishment in 1992. There are 132 inmates on the state's death row.
(Reporting by Tim Gaynor; Additional reporting by David Schwartz; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Low-dose aspirin lowers colon cancer risk: UK study...
Reuters
WASHINGTON Thu Oct 21, 2010. (Reuters) - Low doses of aspirin taken to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes can also lower the risk of colon cancer, British researchers reported on Thursday.
They found that aspirin reduced the number of cases of colorectal cancer by a quarter and cut colon cancer deaths by a third.
They said their findings may tip the balance in favor of using aspirin to prevent colon cancer, which is the second most common form of cancer in developed countries after lung cancer.
But their findings, published in the Lancet medical journal, are unlikely to settle a matter that doctors consider controversial.
Many studies have shown that people who take high doses of aspirin are less likely to develop colon cancer and the little growths called polyps that can develop into cancer.
But aspirin itself can be dangerous to many people, causing sometimes deadly bleeding in the stomach and intestines.
Other studies have found that a related painkiller, ibuprofen, can also reduce colon cancer rates among people who take it regularly over the long term.
Peter Rothwell of John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and colleagues looked at four big studies of 14,000 people, half of them taking low-dose aspirin for heart disease. These lower doses of aspirin are considered much safer.
Over about 18 years, they reported, 2.8 percent of the volunteers developed colon cancer. Aspirin reduced the 20-year risk of colon cancer by 24 percent and lowered the risk that a patient would die from colon cancer by 35 percent, they said.
"This interesting study would incite clinicians to turn to primary prevention of colorectal cancer by aspirin at least in high risk-populations. Specific guidelines for aspirin chemoprevention would be the next logical step," Dr. Robert Benamouzig and Dr. Bernard Uzzan of Avicenne Hospital in Bobigny, France, wrote in a commentary.
In many developed countries like the United States and Britain, doctors recommend getting regular cancer checks using instruments that can examine the colon from the inside.
Britain's National Health Service often opts for a procedure called a sigmoidoscopy, while U.S. experts call for a more comprehensive screening called a colonoscopy.
Both procedures can detect the pre-cancerous growths called polyps so doctors can remove them before they form a tumor, but patients are reluctant to get these uncomfortable and embarrassing tests. Some experts are hoping using cheap drugs like aspirin may be a way to prevent colon cancer in the population.
WASHINGTON Thu Oct 21, 2010. (Reuters) - Low doses of aspirin taken to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes can also lower the risk of colon cancer, British researchers reported on Thursday.
They found that aspirin reduced the number of cases of colorectal cancer by a quarter and cut colon cancer deaths by a third.
They said their findings may tip the balance in favor of using aspirin to prevent colon cancer, which is the second most common form of cancer in developed countries after lung cancer.
But their findings, published in the Lancet medical journal, are unlikely to settle a matter that doctors consider controversial.
Many studies have shown that people who take high doses of aspirin are less likely to develop colon cancer and the little growths called polyps that can develop into cancer.
But aspirin itself can be dangerous to many people, causing sometimes deadly bleeding in the stomach and intestines.
Other studies have found that a related painkiller, ibuprofen, can also reduce colon cancer rates among people who take it regularly over the long term.
Peter Rothwell of John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and colleagues looked at four big studies of 14,000 people, half of them taking low-dose aspirin for heart disease. These lower doses of aspirin are considered much safer.
Over about 18 years, they reported, 2.8 percent of the volunteers developed colon cancer. Aspirin reduced the 20-year risk of colon cancer by 24 percent and lowered the risk that a patient would die from colon cancer by 35 percent, they said.
"This interesting study would incite clinicians to turn to primary prevention of colorectal cancer by aspirin at least in high risk-populations. Specific guidelines for aspirin chemoprevention would be the next logical step," Dr. Robert Benamouzig and Dr. Bernard Uzzan of Avicenne Hospital in Bobigny, France, wrote in a commentary.
In many developed countries like the United States and Britain, doctors recommend getting regular cancer checks using instruments that can examine the colon from the inside.
Britain's National Health Service often opts for a procedure called a sigmoidoscopy, while U.S. experts call for a more comprehensive screening called a colonoscopy.
Both procedures can detect the pre-cancerous growths called polyps so doctors can remove them before they form a tumor, but patients are reluctant to get these uncomfortable and embarrassing tests. Some experts are hoping using cheap drugs like aspirin may be a way to prevent colon cancer in the population.
Anatomist sells body parts online...
ReutersBy Michelle Martin
BERLIN Fri Oct 22, 2010. (Reuters) - Gunther von Hagens, a German anatomist famous for his controversial Body World exhibition displaying plastinated bodies, is now selling human and animal body parts -- even as jewelry -- online.
The move has provoked strong condemnation from German churches which accuse him of degrading human dignity.
A whole body from www.plastination-products.com costs about 70,000 euros ($97,400), torsos start at 55,644 euros and heads come in at around 22,000 euros each -- excluding postage and packaging.
For those on a tighter budget, transparent body slices are available from 115 euros each.
But these real body parts -- which have undergone plastination, a process which replaces water and fat with plastic for preservation purposes -- are not available to everyone.
Only "qualified users" who can provide written proof that they intend to use the parts for research, teaching or medical purposes can place an order.
Interested parties who do not fall into this category can buy reproductions of the real body parts -- so-called "Anatomy Glass," which the shop's website describes as "high resolution acrylic glass prints of the original body slices."
Jewelry crafted from animal corpses, including necklaces made from horse slices, wristbands made from giraffe tails and earrings made from bull penises, is also available to the general public.
The online shop has outraged leading members of Germany's religious community. In a joint statement, Protestant regional bishop Ulrich Fischer and Catholic archbishop Robert Zollitsch condemned the online body shop, which they said was "breaking a taboo."
Zollitsch said "human dignity is sacrosanct -- even after death -- so the human body shouldn't be degraded and made into an object of spectacle, or a stock of spare parts."
They said that "Germany must not be allowed to become a hub of the corpse trade."
Von Hagens, 65, is no stranger to controversy. A public autopsy he performed in front of a live audience in 2002 was televised and caused a public outrage, as did his 2004 tour through Germany with his Body Worlds exhibitions.
(Editing by Steve Addison)
BERLIN Fri Oct 22, 2010. (Reuters) - Gunther von Hagens, a German anatomist famous for his controversial Body World exhibition displaying plastinated bodies, is now selling human and animal body parts -- even as jewelry -- online.The move has provoked strong condemnation from German churches which accuse him of degrading human dignity.
A whole body from www.plastination-products.com costs about 70,000 euros ($97,400), torsos start at 55,644 euros and heads come in at around 22,000 euros each -- excluding postage and packaging.
For those on a tighter budget, transparent body slices are available from 115 euros each.
But these real body parts -- which have undergone plastination, a process which replaces water and fat with plastic for preservation purposes -- are not available to everyone.
Only "qualified users" who can provide written proof that they intend to use the parts for research, teaching or medical purposes can place an order.
Interested parties who do not fall into this category can buy reproductions of the real body parts -- so-called "Anatomy Glass," which the shop's website describes as "high resolution acrylic glass prints of the original body slices."
Jewelry crafted from animal corpses, including necklaces made from horse slices, wristbands made from giraffe tails and earrings made from bull penises, is also available to the general public.
The online shop has outraged leading members of Germany's religious community. In a joint statement, Protestant regional bishop Ulrich Fischer and Catholic archbishop Robert Zollitsch condemned the online body shop, which they said was "breaking a taboo."
Zollitsch said "human dignity is sacrosanct -- even after death -- so the human body shouldn't be degraded and made into an object of spectacle, or a stock of spare parts."
They said that "Germany must not be allowed to become a hub of the corpse trade."
Von Hagens, 65, is no stranger to controversy. A public autopsy he performed in front of a live audience in 2002 was televised and caused a public outrage, as did his 2004 tour through Germany with his Body Worlds exhibitions.
(Editing by Steve Addison)
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Olympic sprinter champ LaShawn Merritt banned for male enhancement...
News - FOX Sports on MSN
Oct 20, 2010 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed Tuesday that U.S. sprinter LaShawn Merritt will not be able to defend his Olympic 400m title at the London Games after testing positive to a banned substance found in a penis-enlargement product he was using.
Looking for more sports scoop? You can count on Brooks to dish it up.
Merritt has been handed a 21-month suspension backdated to October 28 last year after testing positive for a banned substance.
And while the drugs were contained in the male enhancement product used by the athlete rather than taken to boost performance, the IOC rules say he must sit out the next Olympic Games.
"The [IOC] rule states very clearly that any athlete sanctioned for six months or more will be banned from participation in the next edition of the Games," IOC director of communications Mark Adams said.
The American Arbitration Association, which handed down the ban, claims the IOC ruling goes against the World Anti-Doping Agency code and therefore cannot enforce an Olympics suspension on Merritt.
Oct 20, 2010 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed Tuesday that U.S. sprinter LaShawn Merritt will not be able to defend his Olympic 400m title at the London Games after testing positive to a banned substance found in a penis-enlargement product he was using.
Looking for more sports scoop? You can count on Brooks to dish it up.
Merritt has been handed a 21-month suspension backdated to October 28 last year after testing positive for a banned substance.
And while the drugs were contained in the male enhancement product used by the athlete rather than taken to boost performance, the IOC rules say he must sit out the next Olympic Games.
"The [IOC] rule states very clearly that any athlete sanctioned for six months or more will be banned from participation in the next edition of the Games," IOC director of communications Mark Adams said.
The American Arbitration Association, which handed down the ban, claims the IOC ruling goes against the World Anti-Doping Agency code and therefore cannot enforce an Olympics suspension on Merritt.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Hotel eyes record with $671,000 per night plan...
Reuters
TOKYO Wed Oct 13, 2010.(Reuters) - Want an exclusive venue for your next party? The Mandarin Oriental Tokyo hotel may have the answer: use of the entire hotel, including nine restaurants and all spas and rooms -- for a cool $671,000 a night.
The luxury hotel in central Tokyo began selling the plan a week ago as "something splashy" to commemorate its opening five years ago, said hotel spokeswoman Chie Hayakawa. It intends to apply for recognition from Guinness World Records once a reservation is finalized.
"When the hotel opened we had an exclusive party like this -- black tie, cocktail dresses. There was music and drinks and food from the restaurants, and it was all quite grand," said Hayakawa, who took part.
"We thought it would be fun to offer the same experience to an exclusive group of guests."
Under the plan, the entire hotel -- 178 guest rooms, all nine restaurants and all spas -- would be reserved from 3:00 in the afternoon to noon the next day. It would include a cocktail reception for 500 people.
The price tag is 55 million yen ($671,800).
Hayakawa said the hotel has already received a number of inquiries, mainly from companies, though individuals would be welcome as well.
"The only thing is, you have to pick a date where there are no reservations already," she added. "It's not as if you could just request it for later this week."
(Writing by Elaine Lies; editing by Steve Addison)
TOKYO Wed Oct 13, 2010.(Reuters) - Want an exclusive venue for your next party? The Mandarin Oriental Tokyo hotel may have the answer: use of the entire hotel, including nine restaurants and all spas and rooms -- for a cool $671,000 a night.The luxury hotel in central Tokyo began selling the plan a week ago as "something splashy" to commemorate its opening five years ago, said hotel spokeswoman Chie Hayakawa. It intends to apply for recognition from Guinness World Records once a reservation is finalized.
"When the hotel opened we had an exclusive party like this -- black tie, cocktail dresses. There was music and drinks and food from the restaurants, and it was all quite grand," said Hayakawa, who took part.
"We thought it would be fun to offer the same experience to an exclusive group of guests."
Under the plan, the entire hotel -- 178 guest rooms, all nine restaurants and all spas -- would be reserved from 3:00 in the afternoon to noon the next day. It would include a cocktail reception for 500 people.
The price tag is 55 million yen ($671,800).
Hayakawa said the hotel has already received a number of inquiries, mainly from companies, though individuals would be welcome as well.
"The only thing is, you have to pick a date where there are no reservations already," she added. "It's not as if you could just request it for later this week."
(Writing by Elaine Lies; editing by Steve Addison)
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Armless pianist plays with toes to win China's Got Talent...
Reuters
BEIJING (Reuters)Tue Oct 12, 2010 - An armless pianist who plays with his toes has won the first series of China's version of the internationally popular television talent show, "China's Got Talent."
Liu Wei, 23, who lost both his arms aged 10 when he was electrocuted during a game of hide-and-seek, defeated 7-year-old standup comedian Zhang Fengxi at the final on Sunday at the Shanghai Stadium, the Shanghai Daily reported.
The pianist, from Beijing, who taught himself to play the piano at age 18, impressed the audience with his performance of "You're Beautiful," singing and using his feet to play the piano.
He also reported won over the judges by commenting: "At least I have a pair of perfect legs."
Cai Xiuqing, 23, a college student from Shantou in Guangdong province, won third place for singing "Boundless Oceans Vast Skies," a hit for Hong Kong rock back Beyond.
At the award ceremony, Liu was invited by Taiwan singer Jolin Tsai to be a guest performer on her world tour which gives him the chance to perform in Las Vegas for three months.
The award ceremony also featured winners and finalists from the popular "Got Talent" series in Britain and the United States including British singer Paul Potts and dance group Diversity.
British music mogul Simon Cowell, best known as the former acerbic judge on "American Idol," developed the TV format of "Got Talent" in Britain, the United States and Europe. He has become one of the most powerful entrepreneurs in reality TV.
The British version of the show catapulted the dowdy, Scottish singer Susan Boyle to international stardom last year.
The Chinese version of the TV talent show made its debut in May and has steadily risen in popularity, with the semifinal on Sept 26 ranking the top programme nationally by ratings.
The show's director Jin Lei told the newspaper that the success of the show ensured it would continue next year.
"China has so much untapped grassroots talent and we believe the show will maintain its nationwide vitality and popularity for three or five years," said Jin.
(Writing by Belinda Goldsmith, Editing by Ben Blanchard)
BEIJING (Reuters)Tue Oct 12, 2010 - An armless pianist who plays with his toes has won the first series of China's version of the internationally popular television talent show, "China's Got Talent."
Liu Wei, 23, who lost both his arms aged 10 when he was electrocuted during a game of hide-and-seek, defeated 7-year-old standup comedian Zhang Fengxi at the final on Sunday at the Shanghai Stadium, the Shanghai Daily reported.
The pianist, from Beijing, who taught himself to play the piano at age 18, impressed the audience with his performance of "You're Beautiful," singing and using his feet to play the piano.
He also reported won over the judges by commenting: "At least I have a pair of perfect legs."
Cai Xiuqing, 23, a college student from Shantou in Guangdong province, won third place for singing "Boundless Oceans Vast Skies," a hit for Hong Kong rock back Beyond.
At the award ceremony, Liu was invited by Taiwan singer Jolin Tsai to be a guest performer on her world tour which gives him the chance to perform in Las Vegas for three months.
The award ceremony also featured winners and finalists from the popular "Got Talent" series in Britain and the United States including British singer Paul Potts and dance group Diversity.
British music mogul Simon Cowell, best known as the former acerbic judge on "American Idol," developed the TV format of "Got Talent" in Britain, the United States and Europe. He has become one of the most powerful entrepreneurs in reality TV.
The British version of the show catapulted the dowdy, Scottish singer Susan Boyle to international stardom last year.
The Chinese version of the TV talent show made its debut in May and has steadily risen in popularity, with the semifinal on Sept 26 ranking the top programme nationally by ratings.
The show's director Jin Lei told the newspaper that the success of the show ensured it would continue next year.
"China has so much untapped grassroots talent and we believe the show will maintain its nationwide vitality and popularity for three or five years," said Jin.
(Writing by Belinda Goldsmith, Editing by Ben Blanchard)
Friday, October 01, 2010
Gym culture not working out for the French...
Reuters By Lionel Laurent
PARIS (Reuters)Tue Sep 28, 2010 - The French may love to look good but few are willing to work up a sweat over it.
Despite increasing awareness of the benefits of healthy eating and physical exercise, going to the gym in France is still a niche activity that has yet to capture the mainstream.
France's generous healthcare system, its cultural preference for outdoor sports and its lack of affordable good-quality clubs are seen as reasons behind the country's low rate of gymgoers, even relative to laid-back neighbors Spain or Italy.
"It appears to me that more people are sitting in cafes smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee than working out ... the French don't see fitness as a lifestyle," says American-born fitness consultant Fred Hoffman, who has lived in Paris for 21 years.
Only 5.4 percent of French people belonged to a health club in 2008, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, compared with 9.5 percent for Italy, 11.9 percent for the United Kingdom and 16.6 percent for Spain.
The figure doesn't include France's numerous community fitness groups, or "associations," which are entitled to government subsidies and tempt many consumers with cheap prices despite their often unsophisticated facilities.
Even taking into account this potential numbers gap, mass-market chains Club Med Gym and Fitness First say the $2 billion French market is a particularly tough slog. Property and staff are costly while competition from other sports is fierce.
"Football, tennis and cycling, those are the top three activities of the French," says Nadege Gaillard, marketing director for Club Med Gym, a Paris-focused brand that has not opened a single new club in nearly a decade. It is due to open a new venue in Paris in 2011.
Although rival Fitness First has had more luck opening clubs in and out of Paris, it is feeling the heat from the growth of no-frills centers that are stealing customers from pricier venues in a stagnating market.
"No services, no staff, that's what's growing ... It's a lot simpler just to open a shoebox and throw in some machines," says Michel Parada, who heads Fitness First's French operations.
NO SWEAT
Working out also has an image problem in France, where few celebrities seem keen to publicly endorse the mucky business of sweating and straining on a cardio machine.
Even the sight of President Nicolas Sarkozy in running shoes jogging after his election in 2007 proved too much for some.
"I would rather see the president in his suit than in his sweat," said philosopher Alain Finkielkraut at the time.
Consumers seem to prefer the aesthetic appeal of creams and cosmetics that claim to have slimming properties, according to Christophe Anandson of the IHRSA fitness club association.
"The credulity of the French isn't favoring the growth of the fitness market," he said.
For those who can afford it, there is also designer gym "L'Usine," a chain of three discreetly chic clubs in Paris and Geneva, which is said to boast singer Lenny Kravitz and actress Melanie Laurent as clients.
L'Usine co-founder Patrick Rizzo says the club's high prices, luxury layout and upscale equipment serve a "niche" and manage to rise above the troubles of the mass market in France.
But even he thinks there is a limit to luxury gym growth in Paris and is eyeing possible expansion in Italy or the U.S.
Some industry figures believe the French market will have a brighter future once the government does more to promote working out as a health measure that could potentially save the healthcare system a lot of time and money.
Gyms could also do more to respond to French consumer tastes, says consultant Hoffman. He does not think low-cost gyms will be able to hold on to a broad client base, as most French consumers are not experts and need assistance to work out.
Just as Starbucks and McDonald's have had to fit their menu to France's cultural preferences, clubs could change as well.
"You've got to get into the French psyche...Maybe a cafe, or a little area for food," Hoffman says.
"But (the problem) is bigger than that. I don't think it can come from the clubs alone. It's getting people more aware of their wellbeing."
(Editing by Steve Addison)
PARIS (Reuters)Tue Sep 28, 2010 - The French may love to look good but few are willing to work up a sweat over it.Despite increasing awareness of the benefits of healthy eating and physical exercise, going to the gym in France is still a niche activity that has yet to capture the mainstream.
France's generous healthcare system, its cultural preference for outdoor sports and its lack of affordable good-quality clubs are seen as reasons behind the country's low rate of gymgoers, even relative to laid-back neighbors Spain or Italy.
"It appears to me that more people are sitting in cafes smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee than working out ... the French don't see fitness as a lifestyle," says American-born fitness consultant Fred Hoffman, who has lived in Paris for 21 years.
Only 5.4 percent of French people belonged to a health club in 2008, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, compared with 9.5 percent for Italy, 11.9 percent for the United Kingdom and 16.6 percent for Spain.
The figure doesn't include France's numerous community fitness groups, or "associations," which are entitled to government subsidies and tempt many consumers with cheap prices despite their often unsophisticated facilities.
Even taking into account this potential numbers gap, mass-market chains Club Med Gym and Fitness First say the $2 billion French market is a particularly tough slog. Property and staff are costly while competition from other sports is fierce.
"Football, tennis and cycling, those are the top three activities of the French," says Nadege Gaillard, marketing director for Club Med Gym, a Paris-focused brand that has not opened a single new club in nearly a decade. It is due to open a new venue in Paris in 2011.
Although rival Fitness First has had more luck opening clubs in and out of Paris, it is feeling the heat from the growth of no-frills centers that are stealing customers from pricier venues in a stagnating market.
"No services, no staff, that's what's growing ... It's a lot simpler just to open a shoebox and throw in some machines," says Michel Parada, who heads Fitness First's French operations.
NO SWEAT
Working out also has an image problem in France, where few celebrities seem keen to publicly endorse the mucky business of sweating and straining on a cardio machine.
Even the sight of President Nicolas Sarkozy in running shoes jogging after his election in 2007 proved too much for some.
"I would rather see the president in his suit than in his sweat," said philosopher Alain Finkielkraut at the time.
Consumers seem to prefer the aesthetic appeal of creams and cosmetics that claim to have slimming properties, according to Christophe Anandson of the IHRSA fitness club association.
"The credulity of the French isn't favoring the growth of the fitness market," he said.
For those who can afford it, there is also designer gym "L'Usine," a chain of three discreetly chic clubs in Paris and Geneva, which is said to boast singer Lenny Kravitz and actress Melanie Laurent as clients.
L'Usine co-founder Patrick Rizzo says the club's high prices, luxury layout and upscale equipment serve a "niche" and manage to rise above the troubles of the mass market in France.
But even he thinks there is a limit to luxury gym growth in Paris and is eyeing possible expansion in Italy or the U.S.
Some industry figures believe the French market will have a brighter future once the government does more to promote working out as a health measure that could potentially save the healthcare system a lot of time and money.
Gyms could also do more to respond to French consumer tastes, says consultant Hoffman. He does not think low-cost gyms will be able to hold on to a broad client base, as most French consumers are not experts and need assistance to work out.
Just as Starbucks and McDonald's have had to fit their menu to France's cultural preferences, clubs could change as well.
"You've got to get into the French psyche...Maybe a cafe, or a little area for food," Hoffman says.
"But (the problem) is bigger than that. I don't think it can come from the clubs alone. It's getting people more aware of their wellbeing."
(Editing by Steve Addison)
Man beats odds to win lottery twice
Reuters
ST. LOUIS (Reuters) Wed Sep 29, 2010 - For a Missouri man, luck comes in pairs. Against odds of 1 in 1.36 million Ernest Pullen clinched his first million-dollar win in June when he scratched off the "100 Million Dollar Blockbuster" prize on a lottery ticket.
The 57-year-old Bonne Terre, Mo man did it again this month, against even bigger odds, and doubled that prize by winning $2 million on a "Mega MONOPOLY" scratchers ticket he purchased on September 17, according to officials with the Missouri Lottery.
"That was his second time winning," said Misty Eye, store manager of the Miller's Quick Shop that sold Pullen the prize-winner. "He acted like it was no big deal."
Pullen could not be reached for comment, but lottery officials said he told them he had had a dream that he won the lottery and considers himself "a lucky guy."
Pullen opted to take a lump sum cash payment worth $1.3 million before taxes after his latest win.
He plans to use some of the money to fix up his house.
(Reporting by Carey Gillam, editing by Greg McCune and Patricia Reaney)
ST. LOUIS (Reuters) Wed Sep 29, 2010 - For a Missouri man, luck comes in pairs. Against odds of 1 in 1.36 million Ernest Pullen clinched his first million-dollar win in June when he scratched off the "100 Million Dollar Blockbuster" prize on a lottery ticket.
The 57-year-old Bonne Terre, Mo man did it again this month, against even bigger odds, and doubled that prize by winning $2 million on a "Mega MONOPOLY" scratchers ticket he purchased on September 17, according to officials with the Missouri Lottery.
"That was his second time winning," said Misty Eye, store manager of the Miller's Quick Shop that sold Pullen the prize-winner. "He acted like it was no big deal."
Pullen could not be reached for comment, but lottery officials said he told them he had had a dream that he won the lottery and considers himself "a lucky guy."
Pullen opted to take a lump sum cash payment worth $1.3 million before taxes after his latest win.
He plans to use some of the money to fix up his house.
(Reporting by Carey Gillam, editing by Greg McCune and Patricia Reaney)
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Skip sunbathing, use tanning lotion, doctors say...
Reuters By Frederik Joelving
Tue Sep 21, 2010. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Armed with a fake tan, government-funded researchers have found they can get women to cut back on sunbathing.
The message is an old one, despite the new looks: too much of the sun's ultraviolet radiation will turn your skin into a crinkly patch of leather and up your cancer risk.
And there is room for improvement. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most of the skin cancers diagnosed every year in the U.S. -- more than one million -- are sun-related. The deadliest kind, melanoma, kills about 8,700 people each year.
So U.S. researchers tested whether offering sunbathing women free samples of tanning lotion and sunscreen could heighten awareness of the harms.
They set up a tent on a beach and invited 250 women in. Half of them got free cosmetics samples unrelated to skin health, while research assistants -- self-tanned, but without financial ties to manufacturers -- handed out sunless tanners along with a bit of skin cancer education to the others.
"Many people find a tanned appearance to be physically attractive and combating that with a health message is difficult," Sherry Pagoto, of the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worchester, told Reuters Health by e-mail.
"Instead of trying to talk people out of wanting to be tan, we decided to encourage them to use sunless tanning as a healthier alternative."
And the ruse worked -- at least to some degree. After two months, the women given sunless tanners reported a 33 percent decrease in sunbathing, compared to 10 percent in the control group.
They also got fewer sun burns and wore more protective clothing, although those effects had vanished when they were contacted one year later.
Pagoto's findings appear in the Archives of Dermatology. She said the active ingredient in tanning lotions -- called dihydroxyacetone -- has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration since 1973, with no harms reported.
While prices vary widely, some tanning lotions cost less than $10.
However, the FDA has not green-lighted the ingredients in tanning pills, which may in fact be harmful, according to the American Cancer Society.
Dr. June Robinson, a dermatologist who wrote an editorial on the findings, told Reuters Health tanning lotions had improved considerably over in recent years.
"I feel comfortable recommending them," said Robinson, who added she has no industry ties. "What many people do at this time of year is think about indoor tanning. Instead try to pick up a sunless tanner."
Robinson, of Northwestern University in Chicago, said she was more reluctant to recommend the sprays, which might be inhaled.
Using sunless tanners is not a foolproof recipe for fewer sunburns, however.
According to a new survey, also published in the Archives of Dermatology, about one in 10 U.S. adolescents say they use tanning products. But that doesn't mean they use more sunscreen or limit their UV exposure. In fact, teens who use sunless tanners also spend more time in tanning beds and tend to get more sunburns.
"People who really want to be tan should strongly consider using sunless tanning instead of tanning booths or sunbathing," said Pagoto. "Melanoma, the deadly form of skin cancer, is the #2 cancer diagnosed in young women, and it is highly associated with (ultraviolet radiation) exposure via the sun or tanning booths."
SOURCE: link.reuters.com/hag64p and link.reuters.com/jag64p Archives of Dermatology, online September 20, 2010.
Tue Sep 21, 2010. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Armed with a fake tan, government-funded researchers have found they can get women to cut back on sunbathing.The message is an old one, despite the new looks: too much of the sun's ultraviolet radiation will turn your skin into a crinkly patch of leather and up your cancer risk.
And there is room for improvement. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most of the skin cancers diagnosed every year in the U.S. -- more than one million -- are sun-related. The deadliest kind, melanoma, kills about 8,700 people each year.
So U.S. researchers tested whether offering sunbathing women free samples of tanning lotion and sunscreen could heighten awareness of the harms.
They set up a tent on a beach and invited 250 women in. Half of them got free cosmetics samples unrelated to skin health, while research assistants -- self-tanned, but without financial ties to manufacturers -- handed out sunless tanners along with a bit of skin cancer education to the others.
"Many people find a tanned appearance to be physically attractive and combating that with a health message is difficult," Sherry Pagoto, of the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worchester, told Reuters Health by e-mail.
"Instead of trying to talk people out of wanting to be tan, we decided to encourage them to use sunless tanning as a healthier alternative."
And the ruse worked -- at least to some degree. After two months, the women given sunless tanners reported a 33 percent decrease in sunbathing, compared to 10 percent in the control group.
They also got fewer sun burns and wore more protective clothing, although those effects had vanished when they were contacted one year later.
Pagoto's findings appear in the Archives of Dermatology. She said the active ingredient in tanning lotions -- called dihydroxyacetone -- has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration since 1973, with no harms reported.
While prices vary widely, some tanning lotions cost less than $10.
However, the FDA has not green-lighted the ingredients in tanning pills, which may in fact be harmful, according to the American Cancer Society.
Dr. June Robinson, a dermatologist who wrote an editorial on the findings, told Reuters Health tanning lotions had improved considerably over in recent years.
"I feel comfortable recommending them," said Robinson, who added she has no industry ties. "What many people do at this time of year is think about indoor tanning. Instead try to pick up a sunless tanner."
Robinson, of Northwestern University in Chicago, said she was more reluctant to recommend the sprays, which might be inhaled.
Using sunless tanners is not a foolproof recipe for fewer sunburns, however.
According to a new survey, also published in the Archives of Dermatology, about one in 10 U.S. adolescents say they use tanning products. But that doesn't mean they use more sunscreen or limit their UV exposure. In fact, teens who use sunless tanners also spend more time in tanning beds and tend to get more sunburns.
"People who really want to be tan should strongly consider using sunless tanning instead of tanning booths or sunbathing," said Pagoto. "Melanoma, the deadly form of skin cancer, is the #2 cancer diagnosed in young women, and it is highly associated with (ultraviolet radiation) exposure via the sun or tanning booths."
SOURCE: link.reuters.com/hag64p and link.reuters.com/jag64p Archives of Dermatology, online September 20, 2010.
German restaurant in hot water over giant schnitzels | Reuters
Reuters
BERLIN Wed Sep 22, 2010. (Reuters) - A German restaurant operator has run into trouble with local tax authorities because he makes larger-than-average schnitzels -- or veal cutlets -- for his customers in a working class section of Saxony.
Gerhard Kaltscheuer said his giant schnitzels are popular in the town of Hammerbruecke and he sells about 70 dishes per day. He said tax officials told him they believe he sells 200 portions daily based on the amount of raw material he purchases.
"If I served the customers smaller portions at the normal price like that, I wouldn't have any customers because that wouldn't fill them up," Kaltscheuer told Reuters. He said he makes his portions large because his customers are laborers.
Kaltscheuer said he is protesting a demand from the tax authorities to pay more tax based on a higher number of food sales. His story has been reported widely in the German media and there was a rally on his behalf on Monday.
A spokesman for the tax office, asked about Kaltscheuer's case, said that he was not able to discuss it
(Writing by Michelle Martin; editing by Paul Casciato)
BERLIN Wed Sep 22, 2010. (Reuters) - A German restaurant operator has run into trouble with local tax authorities because he makes larger-than-average schnitzels -- or veal cutlets -- for his customers in a working class section of Saxony.
Gerhard Kaltscheuer said his giant schnitzels are popular in the town of Hammerbruecke and he sells about 70 dishes per day. He said tax officials told him they believe he sells 200 portions daily based on the amount of raw material he purchases.
"If I served the customers smaller portions at the normal price like that, I wouldn't have any customers because that wouldn't fill them up," Kaltscheuer told Reuters. He said he makes his portions large because his customers are laborers.
Kaltscheuer said he is protesting a demand from the tax authorities to pay more tax based on a higher number of food sales. His story has been reported widely in the German media and there was a rally on his behalf on Monday.
A spokesman for the tax office, asked about Kaltscheuer's case, said that he was not able to discuss it
(Writing by Michelle Martin; editing by Paul Casciato)
Robbers nabbed trying to drill into bank from above...
Reuters
Wed TIRANA (Reuters)Sep 22, 2010. Two would-be Albanian bank robbers were arrested Wednesday as they tried to drill a passageway into a bank vault from a shop they had rented above it, police officials said.
In an aborted heist echoing the plot of the Woody Allen film "Small Time Crooks," the two men were caught after the noise from their drilling between the upper floor shop and the bank vault alerted the authorities.
"We moved in when they were in the last stages of finishing the tunnel," Tirana police chief Tonin Vocaj told reporters.
Armed robberies at small, lightly protected branches of 16 commercial banks have risen over the last few years in Albania, a small and impoverished Adriatic nation of 3.2 million.
(Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Wed TIRANA (Reuters)Sep 22, 2010. Two would-be Albanian bank robbers were arrested Wednesday as they tried to drill a passageway into a bank vault from a shop they had rented above it, police officials said.In an aborted heist echoing the plot of the Woody Allen film "Small Time Crooks," the two men were caught after the noise from their drilling between the upper floor shop and the bank vault alerted the authorities.
"We moved in when they were in the last stages of finishing the tunnel," Tirana police chief Tonin Vocaj told reporters.
Armed robberies at small, lightly protected branches of 16 commercial banks have risen over the last few years in Albania, a small and impoverished Adriatic nation of 3.2 million.
(Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Father of 55 children arrested in suspected benefits scam...
Reuters
PARIS (Reuters)Fri Sep 10, 2010. A Paris man who registered 55 children by 55 different mothers faces up to 10 years in jail and fines for suspected paternity fraud and for helping to obtain residency under false pretences, police said on Friday.
The 54 year-old of African origin, who authorities did not identify, was arrested in his two-room flat in Paris during a police raid which yielded documents showing more than 50 people were registered as living at that address.
Police suspect the man was involved in a social benefits scam which could have been costing the state over 1 million euros ($1.27 million) annually in claims by the mothers.
"At the moment 42 women have been identified and each claim that the man is the biological father of their child," Paris police said in a statement.
Authorities said the man claimed he met the women at bars, night spots and occasionally during visits to their home countries, including Senegal, Cameroon and Mali.
For a fee of 150 to 200 euros, he registered the children and their mothers with French authorities, enabling them to obtain residency permits and claim social benefits.
Some of the mothers told authorities they had received up to about 7,500 euros on various monthly allowances.
"Investigations are on-going and an investigating magistrate will decide whether DNA tests have to be administered to determine the children's paternity," a police spokesman said.
(Reporting by Bate Felix, editing by Paul Casciato)
PARIS (Reuters)Fri Sep 10, 2010. A Paris man who registered 55 children by 55 different mothers faces up to 10 years in jail and fines for suspected paternity fraud and for helping to obtain residency under false pretences, police said on Friday.The 54 year-old of African origin, who authorities did not identify, was arrested in his two-room flat in Paris during a police raid which yielded documents showing more than 50 people were registered as living at that address.
Police suspect the man was involved in a social benefits scam which could have been costing the state over 1 million euros ($1.27 million) annually in claims by the mothers.
"At the moment 42 women have been identified and each claim that the man is the biological father of their child," Paris police said in a statement.
Authorities said the man claimed he met the women at bars, night spots and occasionally during visits to their home countries, including Senegal, Cameroon and Mali.
For a fee of 150 to 200 euros, he registered the children and their mothers with French authorities, enabling them to obtain residency permits and claim social benefits.
Some of the mothers told authorities they had received up to about 7,500 euros on various monthly allowances.
"Investigations are on-going and an investigating magistrate will decide whether DNA tests have to be administered to determine the children's paternity," a police spokesman said.
(Reporting by Bate Felix, editing by Paul Casciato)
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Study backs prostate screening for high risk men...
Reuters By Kate Kelland
LONDON Thu Sep 9, 2010.(Reuters) - Men who have a certain genetic variations that put them at higher risk of prostate cancer may benefit from regular screening for the disease, a study by British scientists found Friday.
The findings suggest that by narrowing the focus of prostate cancer screening to those whose genes put them at most risk, doctors would catch more cancers early as well as reducing the potential for costly and damaging overdiagnosis.
"Although these are early results, it appears that (prostate cancer) screening is reasonably accurate at predicting potentially aggressive prostate cancer among men at higher risk of the disease due to a genetic predisposition," said Ros Eeles, who led a research team from Britain's Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and Royal Marsden hospital.
The study found that the predictive value of screening these men -- expressed as the number of cancers detected relative to the number of tissue samples taken -- was 48 percent, far higher than the 24 percent achieved in population-wide screening.
Screening for prostate cancer is controversial because the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests used cannot differentiate between men with aggressive cancer and men who would never have symptoms or need treatment, and this can lead to overdiagnosis.
A study in the United States last year found that routine prostate cancer screening had resulted in more than a million being diagnosed with tumors who might otherwise have suffered no ill effects from them.
The ICR-led study is aiming to find out whether screening men who have genetic variants that increase their prostate cancer risk could lead to earlier diagnosis. It aims to screen 1,700 men for five years, but results from the first 300 men were published in the British Journal of Urology International.
Genetic factors that increase prostate cancer risk include inheritable variations in genes known as BRCA1 and BRCA2.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide and kills 254,000 men a year. U.S. doctors routinely recommend PSA screening in men over 50 on the assumption that early diagnosis and treatment is better than doing nothing.
But fears about overdiagnosis, which can lead to treatments such as surgery, radiation or hormone therapy that can cause serious side-effects such as impotence and incontinence, have so far dissuaded many European countries from nationwide screening.
The men in this study -- 205 with confirmed BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations and 95 who had tested negative for the mutations -- were all offered annual PSA blood testing, and 24 who had raised PSA levels were given a follow-up biopsy.
Eeles said the findings added to the increasing evidence that BRCA gene variation carriers develop more aggressive disease and supported the idea that men with genetic risks should be routinely screened for prostate cancer.
(Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
LONDON Thu Sep 9, 2010.(Reuters) - Men who have a certain genetic variations that put them at higher risk of prostate cancer may benefit from regular screening for the disease, a study by British scientists found Friday.
The findings suggest that by narrowing the focus of prostate cancer screening to those whose genes put them at most risk, doctors would catch more cancers early as well as reducing the potential for costly and damaging overdiagnosis.
"Although these are early results, it appears that (prostate cancer) screening is reasonably accurate at predicting potentially aggressive prostate cancer among men at higher risk of the disease due to a genetic predisposition," said Ros Eeles, who led a research team from Britain's Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and Royal Marsden hospital.
The study found that the predictive value of screening these men -- expressed as the number of cancers detected relative to the number of tissue samples taken -- was 48 percent, far higher than the 24 percent achieved in population-wide screening.
Screening for prostate cancer is controversial because the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests used cannot differentiate between men with aggressive cancer and men who would never have symptoms or need treatment, and this can lead to overdiagnosis.
A study in the United States last year found that routine prostate cancer screening had resulted in more than a million being diagnosed with tumors who might otherwise have suffered no ill effects from them.
The ICR-led study is aiming to find out whether screening men who have genetic variants that increase their prostate cancer risk could lead to earlier diagnosis. It aims to screen 1,700 men for five years, but results from the first 300 men were published in the British Journal of Urology International.
Genetic factors that increase prostate cancer risk include inheritable variations in genes known as BRCA1 and BRCA2.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide and kills 254,000 men a year. U.S. doctors routinely recommend PSA screening in men over 50 on the assumption that early diagnosis and treatment is better than doing nothing.
But fears about overdiagnosis, which can lead to treatments such as surgery, radiation or hormone therapy that can cause serious side-effects such as impotence and incontinence, have so far dissuaded many European countries from nationwide screening.
The men in this study -- 205 with confirmed BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations and 95 who had tested negative for the mutations -- were all offered annual PSA blood testing, and 24 who had raised PSA levels were given a follow-up biopsy.
Eeles said the findings added to the increasing evidence that BRCA gene variation carriers develop more aggressive disease and supported the idea that men with genetic risks should be routinely screened for prostate cancer.
(Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
Friday, September 10, 2010
B vitamins found to slow progression of dementia...
Reuters By Kate Kelland
LONDON Thu Sep 9, 2010. (Reuters) - Daily tablets of large doses of B vitamins can halve the rate of brain shrinkage in elderly people with memory problems and may slow their progression toward dementia, data from a British trial showed on Wednesday,
Scientists from Oxford University said their two-year clinical trial was the largest to date into the effect of B vitamins on so-called "mild cognitive impairment" -- a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
Experts commenting on the findings said they were important and called for larger, longer full-scale clinical trials to see if the safety and effectiveness of B vitamins in the prevention of neurodegenerative conditions could be confirmed.
"This is a very dramatic and striking result. It's much more than we could have predicted," said David Smith of Oxford's department of pharmacology, who co-led the trial.
"It is our hope that this simple and safe treatment will delay development of Alzheimer's in many people who suffer from mild memory problems."
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) affects around 16 percent of people aged over 70 worldwide and is characterized by slight problems with memory loss, language or other mental functions.
MCI does not usually interfere with daily life, but around 50 percent of people diagnosed with it go on to develop the far more severe Alzheimer's disease within five years. Alzheimer's is a mind-wasting disease for which there are few treatments and no cure, and which affects 26 million people around the world.
Smith and colleagues conducted a two-year trial with 168 volunteers with MCI who were given either a vitamin pill containing very high doses of folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, or a placebo dummy pill.
These B vitamins are known to control levels of an amino acid called homocysteine in the blood, and high blood levels of homocysteine are linked to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
Helga Refsum, who also worked on the trial, stressed that vitamins were given in extremely high doses.
"This is a drug, not a vitamin intervention," she said.
The pills, called "TrioBe Plus" contained around 300 times the recommended daily intake of B12, four times daily advised folate levels and 15 times the recommended amount of B6.
Brain scans were taken at the beginning and the end of the trial to monitor the rate of brain shrinkage, or atrophy.
The results, published in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) One journal, showed that on average the brains of those taking the vitamin treatment shrank at a rate of 0.76 percent a year, while those taking the dummy pill had an average brain shrinkage of 1.08 percent.
People who had the highest levels of homocysteine at the start of the trial benefited the most from the treatment, with their brains shrinking at half the rate of those on the placebo.
Although the trial was not designed to measure cognitive ability, the researchers found those people who had lowest rates of shrinkage had the highest scores in mental tests.
Commenting on the study, Paul Matthews, a professor of clinical neurology at Imperial College London said that although the vitamins used are generally safe and inexpensive, the study "should not drive an immediate change in clinical practice"
"Instead, it sets out important questions for further study and gives new confidence that effective treatments modifying the course of some dementias may be in sight," he said.
(Editing by Angus MacSwan)
LONDON Thu Sep 9, 2010. (Reuters) - Daily tablets of large doses of B vitamins can halve the rate of brain shrinkage in elderly people with memory problems and may slow their progression toward dementia, data from a British trial showed on Wednesday,Scientists from Oxford University said their two-year clinical trial was the largest to date into the effect of B vitamins on so-called "mild cognitive impairment" -- a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
Experts commenting on the findings said they were important and called for larger, longer full-scale clinical trials to see if the safety and effectiveness of B vitamins in the prevention of neurodegenerative conditions could be confirmed.
"This is a very dramatic and striking result. It's much more than we could have predicted," said David Smith of Oxford's department of pharmacology, who co-led the trial.
"It is our hope that this simple and safe treatment will delay development of Alzheimer's in many people who suffer from mild memory problems."
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) affects around 16 percent of people aged over 70 worldwide and is characterized by slight problems with memory loss, language or other mental functions.
MCI does not usually interfere with daily life, but around 50 percent of people diagnosed with it go on to develop the far more severe Alzheimer's disease within five years. Alzheimer's is a mind-wasting disease for which there are few treatments and no cure, and which affects 26 million people around the world.
Smith and colleagues conducted a two-year trial with 168 volunteers with MCI who were given either a vitamin pill containing very high doses of folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, or a placebo dummy pill.
These B vitamins are known to control levels of an amino acid called homocysteine in the blood, and high blood levels of homocysteine are linked to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
Helga Refsum, who also worked on the trial, stressed that vitamins were given in extremely high doses.
"This is a drug, not a vitamin intervention," she said.
The pills, called "TrioBe Plus" contained around 300 times the recommended daily intake of B12, four times daily advised folate levels and 15 times the recommended amount of B6.
Brain scans were taken at the beginning and the end of the trial to monitor the rate of brain shrinkage, or atrophy.
The results, published in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) One journal, showed that on average the brains of those taking the vitamin treatment shrank at a rate of 0.76 percent a year, while those taking the dummy pill had an average brain shrinkage of 1.08 percent.
People who had the highest levels of homocysteine at the start of the trial benefited the most from the treatment, with their brains shrinking at half the rate of those on the placebo.
Although the trial was not designed to measure cognitive ability, the researchers found those people who had lowest rates of shrinkage had the highest scores in mental tests.
Commenting on the study, Paul Matthews, a professor of clinical neurology at Imperial College London said that although the vitamins used are generally safe and inexpensive, the study "should not drive an immediate change in clinical practice"
"Instead, it sets out important questions for further study and gives new confidence that effective treatments modifying the course of some dementias may be in sight," he said.
(Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Mystery eye problem at dairy show caused by cow urine...
Reuters
SYDNEY Wed Sep 8, 2010. (Reuters) - The cause of a mystery eye ailment that struck about 50 visitors to a dairy pavilion at an agricultural show in Australia has been traced -- to cow urine.
The Royal Adelaide Show had to close its dairy cattle pavilion after an rising number of people reported sore eyes when visiting the judging marquee.
Officials from the South Australia (SA) Health Department were called in to investigate and found the cause of the outbreak was stagnant cow urine.
Show spokeswoman Michelle Hocking told local reporters that a recent spell of wet weather may have created conditions within the pavilion where ammonia from cow urine was released.
About 30 people were treated on site by volunteers from the first aid group St. John Ambulance but about 20 went to the emergency department of the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
"From our institutional memory we can't recall an incident of this nature before," Peter Jackson from the St. John Ambulance told Reuters.
(Reporting by Pauline Askin, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)
SYDNEY Wed Sep 8, 2010. (Reuters) - The cause of a mystery eye ailment that struck about 50 visitors to a dairy pavilion at an agricultural show in Australia has been traced -- to cow urine.
The Royal Adelaide Show had to close its dairy cattle pavilion after an rising number of people reported sore eyes when visiting the judging marquee.
Officials from the South Australia (SA) Health Department were called in to investigate and found the cause of the outbreak was stagnant cow urine.
Show spokeswoman Michelle Hocking told local reporters that a recent spell of wet weather may have created conditions within the pavilion where ammonia from cow urine was released.
About 30 people were treated on site by volunteers from the first aid group St. John Ambulance but about 20 went to the emergency department of the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
"From our institutional memory we can't recall an incident of this nature before," Peter Jackson from the St. John Ambulance told Reuters.
(Reporting by Pauline Askin, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)
Circus forced to stop live fish regurgitation act....
Reuters
SYDNEY Wed Sep 8, 2010.(Reuters) - A Russian circus has been forced to cancel an act in which a woman swallows a live fish and regurgitates it after Australian officials deemed it cruel.
The New South Wales (NSW) Department of Industry and Investment put a stop to the act by the Great Moscow Circus which is performing in Sydney after receiving complaints from the public.
Officials said the trick was in breach of the Animals Protection Act.
"Circuses operating in NSW must comply with prescribed standards for the welfare of animals," said a statement from the department.
The decision was welcomed by animal rights campaigners.
"Scientific research shows fish are capable of suffering and are therefore protected under the NSW Prevention of Cruelty to Animals act," Animals Australia executive director Glenys Oogjes said in a statement.
"Far from educational, this was an inhumane and foolish act which reflected badly on the Moscow Circus."
Greg Hall, general manager of the Great Moscow Circus, said the ban came as a surprise.
"The act has been only going for four or five weeks and we haven't had any complaints until today," Hall told Reuters.
But he said live fish would not longer be used in the act.
"The other fish are now living in showbiz retirement, off site!"
(Reporting by Pauline Askin, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)
SYDNEY Wed Sep 8, 2010.(Reuters) - A Russian circus has been forced to cancel an act in which a woman swallows a live fish and regurgitates it after Australian officials deemed it cruel.The New South Wales (NSW) Department of Industry and Investment put a stop to the act by the Great Moscow Circus which is performing in Sydney after receiving complaints from the public.
Officials said the trick was in breach of the Animals Protection Act.
"Circuses operating in NSW must comply with prescribed standards for the welfare of animals," said a statement from the department.
The decision was welcomed by animal rights campaigners.
"Scientific research shows fish are capable of suffering and are therefore protected under the NSW Prevention of Cruelty to Animals act," Animals Australia executive director Glenys Oogjes said in a statement.
"Far from educational, this was an inhumane and foolish act which reflected badly on the Moscow Circus."
Greg Hall, general manager of the Great Moscow Circus, said the ban came as a surprise.
"The act has been only going for four or five weeks and we haven't had any complaints until today," Hall told Reuters.
But he said live fish would not longer be used in the act.
"The other fish are now living in showbiz retirement, off site!"
(Reporting by Pauline Askin, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)
Friday, September 03, 2010
Dutch colleges angry over sex job ads for freshmen...
Reuters
AMSTERDAM Wed Sep 1, 2010. (Reuters) - A number of Dutch colleges are considering legal action against the publisher of a move-in guide for new freshmen, after the company included an ad recruiting students for jobs as online sex workers.
The "Student Information Guide 2010-2011," which was handed out in recent weeks, included an ad offering the chance to earn money by engaging in sexual activities in front of webcams.
Leiden University said in a statement on its website that it had nothing to do with the guide, produced by Mediadam BV, and that it had filed a complaint with the company and was considering further action.
Dutch news agency ANP reported on Tuesday that at least two other colleges have made complaints with Mediadam and are considering their options.
A Mediadam director told ANP the company acknowledged it had made an error and that it had never stopped to think the guide could potentially be distributed to minors.
(Reporting by Ben Berkowitz, editing by Paul Casciato)
AMSTERDAM Wed Sep 1, 2010. (Reuters) - A number of Dutch colleges are considering legal action against the publisher of a move-in guide for new freshmen, after the company included an ad recruiting students for jobs as online sex workers.
The "Student Information Guide 2010-2011," which was handed out in recent weeks, included an ad offering the chance to earn money by engaging in sexual activities in front of webcams.
Leiden University said in a statement on its website that it had nothing to do with the guide, produced by Mediadam BV, and that it had filed a complaint with the company and was considering further action.
Dutch news agency ANP reported on Tuesday that at least two other colleges have made complaints with Mediadam and are considering their options.
A Mediadam director told ANP the company acknowledged it had made an error and that it had never stopped to think the guide could potentially be distributed to minors.
(Reporting by Ben Berkowitz, editing by Paul Casciato)
Long-lived Dutch might be bad news for insurers...
Reuters By Ben Berkowitz
AMSTERDAM Tue Aug 31, 2010. (Reuters) - The Dutch are set to live longer -- good news for them but bad news for insurers that are expected to suffer from higher capital requirements and tighter profit margins as a result.
The Dutch Actuarial Society's latest table of prognoses estimate average lifespans will be three years longer in coming decades. Men will live to an average age of 85.9 years, while women will live to 87.6, the society said.
That was 3.4 years and 3.3 years longer, respectively, than it forecast in its 2005 model. The society's tables are used by Dutch insurers when designing insurance contracts.
SNS Securities said the changes would increase risks for insurers on annuities, term life insurance and health insurance contracts. It would also force insurers to hold more capital to cover future obligations.
"Due to the upward adjustments of the life expectancy table we believe that the margins as well as operational result of the insurance companies are affected," analyst Maarten Altena said.
He said the new estimate would extend insurers' liabilities by 5-7 percent, depending on their customer profiles.
Concerns about the impact of greater longevity are not exclusive to the Netherlands. Britain's Pension Protection Fund, which backstops failed corporate pensions, said last week it would build its funding buffer up to deal with concerns about the impact of longer lives.
IMPLICATIONS NEXT YEAR
SNS's Altena forecast the largest implications for the main listed insurers -- Aegon, ING and Delta Lloyd -- but said he did not expect detailed reactions from them until early next year once they had analyzed the impact.
Shares in all three fell on Tuesday, although their declines were mostly in line with the European insurance sector.
Aegon declined to comment. A Delta Lloyd spokesman referred to a cautionary statement the company made in its half-year results on the prospect of mortality assumption changes:
"Delta Lloyd Group considers the probability that the effect of updated mortality assumptions having a negative effect on the results to be higher than the probability of a positive effect. This effect could potentially be material."
An ING spokesman said the company had already noted a trend of increasing life expectancy as well.
"ING uses mortality rates for its calculations and therefore we obviously pay close attention to developments in this area, like the recently published mortality rates by the (actuarial society), he said.
The government office Statistics Netherlands currently estimates the life expectancy for Dutch men at 78 years and women at 82 years. That is an improvement of seven years for men and eight years for women from half a century ago.
(Editing by Michael Shields)
AMSTERDAM Tue Aug 31, 2010. (Reuters) - The Dutch are set to live longer -- good news for them but bad news for insurers that are expected to suffer from higher capital requirements and tighter profit margins as a result.
The Dutch Actuarial Society's latest table of prognoses estimate average lifespans will be three years longer in coming decades. Men will live to an average age of 85.9 years, while women will live to 87.6, the society said.
That was 3.4 years and 3.3 years longer, respectively, than it forecast in its 2005 model. The society's tables are used by Dutch insurers when designing insurance contracts.
SNS Securities said the changes would increase risks for insurers on annuities, term life insurance and health insurance contracts. It would also force insurers to hold more capital to cover future obligations.
"Due to the upward adjustments of the life expectancy table we believe that the margins as well as operational result of the insurance companies are affected," analyst Maarten Altena said.
He said the new estimate would extend insurers' liabilities by 5-7 percent, depending on their customer profiles.
Concerns about the impact of greater longevity are not exclusive to the Netherlands. Britain's Pension Protection Fund, which backstops failed corporate pensions, said last week it would build its funding buffer up to deal with concerns about the impact of longer lives.
IMPLICATIONS NEXT YEAR
SNS's Altena forecast the largest implications for the main listed insurers -- Aegon, ING and Delta Lloyd -- but said he did not expect detailed reactions from them until early next year once they had analyzed the impact.
Shares in all three fell on Tuesday, although their declines were mostly in line with the European insurance sector.
Aegon declined to comment. A Delta Lloyd spokesman referred to a cautionary statement the company made in its half-year results on the prospect of mortality assumption changes:
"Delta Lloyd Group considers the probability that the effect of updated mortality assumptions having a negative effect on the results to be higher than the probability of a positive effect. This effect could potentially be material."
An ING spokesman said the company had already noted a trend of increasing life expectancy as well.
"ING uses mortality rates for its calculations and therefore we obviously pay close attention to developments in this area, like the recently published mortality rates by the (actuarial society), he said.
The government office Statistics Netherlands currently estimates the life expectancy for Dutch men at 78 years and women at 82 years. That is an improvement of seven years for men and eight years for women from half a century ago.
(Editing by Michael Shields)
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
We're about to crash, passengers told in error...
Reuters
A British Airways airplane comes in to land at Heathrow Airport in west London July 30, 2010. Credit: Reuters/Luke MacGregor
LONDON (Reuters) Fri Aug 27, 2010.- British Airways apologized to passengers after an emergency message warning they were about to crash into the sea was played by mistake.
About 275 passengers were on the London Heathrow to Hong Kong flight on Tuesday evening when the automated message went out. The plane was flying over the North Sea at the time.
Cabin crew quickly realized the error and moved to reassure the terrified passengers.
"We all thought we were going to die," Michelle Lord, 32, of Preston, northern England, told The Sun newspaper.
Another passenger was reported saying: "I can't think of anything worse than being told your plane's about to crash."
A spokesman for British Airways said an investigation was under way to discover whether it was human error or a computer glitch.
"We apologize to passengers on board the flight for causing them undue distress," he added in a statement.
"Our cabin crew immediately made an announcement following the message advising customers that it was an error and that the flight would continue as normal."
(Writing by Avril Ormsby; Editing by Steve Addison)
A British Airways airplane comes in to land at Heathrow Airport in west London July 30, 2010. Credit: Reuters/Luke MacGregorLONDON (Reuters) Fri Aug 27, 2010.- British Airways apologized to passengers after an emergency message warning they were about to crash into the sea was played by mistake.
About 275 passengers were on the London Heathrow to Hong Kong flight on Tuesday evening when the automated message went out. The plane was flying over the North Sea at the time.
Cabin crew quickly realized the error and moved to reassure the terrified passengers.
"We all thought we were going to die," Michelle Lord, 32, of Preston, northern England, told The Sun newspaper.
Another passenger was reported saying: "I can't think of anything worse than being told your plane's about to crash."
A spokesman for British Airways said an investigation was under way to discover whether it was human error or a computer glitch.
"We apologize to passengers on board the flight for causing them undue distress," he added in a statement.
"Our cabin crew immediately made an announcement following the message advising customers that it was an error and that the flight would continue as normal."
(Writing by Avril Ormsby; Editing by Steve Addison)
Friday, August 27, 2010
Police guard home of woman who put cat in bin | Reuters
Reuters
LONDON Wed Aug 25, 2010 (Reuters) - The home of a woman filmed picking up a cat and throwing it into a rubbish bin is under police guard in Britain after her actions sparked outrage from animal lovers and even death threats.
Mary Bale, 45, told the Sun newspaper on Wednesday: "I really don't see what everyone is getting so excited about -- it's just a cat."
"I don't know what came over me, but I suddenly thought it would be funny to put it in the wheelie bin, which was right beside me."
The cat's owner, Darryl Mann, had installed security cameras outside his house after vandals damaged his car so consulted the CCTV footage after his tabby Lola went missing for 15 hours and was finally found crying for help inside the bin.
On the footage, Mann and his wife Stephanie saw a middle-aged woman leaning down to stroke Lola in the street -- then picking up the tabby by the scruff of her neck and dumping her into the bin, slamming the lid closed.
The couple put the footage onto the video sharing website YouTube and set up a Facebook site called "Help Find The Woman Who Put My Cat In The Bin."
"I don't know how anyone could, you know, go to bed and sleep at night knowing that they've just locked a cat in a wheelie bin," Mann told Reuters Television.
The footage sparked outrage from animal lovers across Britain and prompted an investigation by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).
Mann said Lola survived the ordeal in good shape.
"She's fine. She's very tired obviously with everything that's being going on, but other than that she's fine," Mann told reporters at his home in Coventry, 95 miles northwest of London.
(Reporting by Reuters Television, Editing by Steve Addison)
LONDON Wed Aug 25, 2010 (Reuters) - The home of a woman filmed picking up a cat and throwing it into a rubbish bin is under police guard in Britain after her actions sparked outrage from animal lovers and even death threats.
Mary Bale, 45, told the Sun newspaper on Wednesday: "I really don't see what everyone is getting so excited about -- it's just a cat."
"I don't know what came over me, but I suddenly thought it would be funny to put it in the wheelie bin, which was right beside me."
The cat's owner, Darryl Mann, had installed security cameras outside his house after vandals damaged his car so consulted the CCTV footage after his tabby Lola went missing for 15 hours and was finally found crying for help inside the bin.
On the footage, Mann and his wife Stephanie saw a middle-aged woman leaning down to stroke Lola in the street -- then picking up the tabby by the scruff of her neck and dumping her into the bin, slamming the lid closed.
The couple put the footage onto the video sharing website YouTube and set up a Facebook site called "Help Find The Woman Who Put My Cat In The Bin."
"I don't know how anyone could, you know, go to bed and sleep at night knowing that they've just locked a cat in a wheelie bin," Mann told Reuters Television.
The footage sparked outrage from animal lovers across Britain and prompted an investigation by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).
Mann said Lola survived the ordeal in good shape.
"She's fine. She's very tired obviously with everything that's being going on, but other than that she's fine," Mann told reporters at his home in Coventry, 95 miles northwest of London.
(Reporting by Reuters Television, Editing by Steve Addison)
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