Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Exhibition: Filthy London show digs up the dirt...
Reuters By Michelle Martin LONDON (Reuters) Fri Mar 25, 2011 - Filth, fecal matter and grime in all its forms are the subject of a new exhibition in London. "Dirt: the Filthy Reality of Everyday Life" features around 200 exhibits ranging from vials of urine to air samples and a floor pattern made from dust found in homes, all of which are used to examine humanity's ambivalent relationship with dirt through the ages. "Dirt is everywhere and periodically we get very worried about it. But we have also discovered that we need bits of it and, guiltily, secretly, we are sometimes drawn to it," said Ken Arnold, Director of Public Program at the Wellcome Collection, where the exhibition is being held. The exhibition takes anthropologist Mary Douglas' view that dirt is "matter out of place" as a cue to investigate human attitudes toward cleanliness. Exhibits include a blue and white Delft Dutch chamber pot decorated with delicate depictions of country life, a sewer worker's iron pick which dates back to 1890 and five large grey blocks sculpted from human feces collected by Dalits -- scavengers who remove waste from India's sewers by hand. Other highlights include an 18th century book containing remedies for various ailments like scurvy, which it suggests should be treated using "cow stale" (urine); footage of bacteria found in dental plaque and a broom which lies inconspicuously in a corner but proves to be a masterpiece encrusted with diamonds and pearls on closer inspection. "I want people to leave with an expanded awareness of dirt," Kate Forde, curator of the exhibition, told Reuters. "Dirt is something that's in flux all of the time and it has also powered our economy," she said, noting that London's muck was taken beyond the city's walls to fertilize crops in the medieval ages, while over half of human waste is incinerated to create energy for London's homes and business nowadays. Serena Korda's "Laid to Rest" -- a stack of red bricks made from clay combined with dust given by members of the public -- is one exhibit which engages with the idea of using waste creatively, by evoking the idea that cities are built from dirt, Forde said. The bricks, which are engraved with the initials of the dust donors, are set to become a focal point in the exhibition -- choral incantations will be sung over them ahead of the burial that will return them to the earth from which they came. Creative solutions to the problem of dirt are also the subject of films and photographs in an exhibit about Staten Island's Fresh Kills, which was once the world's largest municipal landfill site but will be transformed into a public park by 2030. Another of the "Dirt" exhibition's six rooms packed with visitors is dedicated to a street in London where an outbreak of cholera killed 500 people in 10 days in 1854. The room includes a vial containing a human excretion known as "rice water" -- a cloudy whitish liquid secreted by cholera victims when the disease drained their bodies of nutrients, dehydrated them and caused their kidneys to fail. The sinister exhibit includes a 19th century etching of a man in a "cholera preventive costume" -- an outfit made from rubber, flannel, copper and a sandbag; a vial of vinegar suspended from the nose; flasks of water dangling from the legs; a hat containing a bowl of soup and brass soles constantly filled with warm water. "Dirt" also documents the Dutch devotion to cleaning in the 17th century, as depicted in Pieter de Hooch's paintings of women sweeping the streets and their homes, while medical equipment from a Glaswegian hospital in the 1860s is also on display. The exhibition is open until August 31. (Editing by Steve Addison)
Friday, March 25, 2011
Do vitamins stop cancer, heart attacks? ....
Reuters By Leigh Krietsch Boerner
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Wed Mar 23, 2011 - Will taking multivitamins protect you from dying of cancer or heart disease? The answer is no, according to new research.
In a study of more than 180,000 people, scientists saw the same number of deaths from cancer and heart disease among multivitamin-takers and those who did not take the supplements.
"People need to understand that just taking these multivitamins is not sufficient to prevent disease," said Jennifer Hsiang-Ling Lin, assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, who did not work on the study.
Multiple past studies have shown no link between multivitamins and reduced risk of cancer or heart disease. Other recent research couldn't prove that multivitamins protect against diabetes, either.
Some small studies in the past have shown that specific vitamins, not multivitamins, may be protective against heart disease or cancer later in life. However these studies looked at undernourished people, not generally healthy adults like the U.S. population, said co-author Song-Yi Park, assistant professor of epidemiology at University of Hawaii Cancer Center in Honolulu.
On its web site, the U.S. National Institutes of Health advise that doctors should prescribe multivitamins only "for patients who need extra vitamins, who cannot eat enough food to obtain the required vitamins, or who cannot receive the full benefit of the vitamins contained in the food they eat."
Past studies have mostly involved Caucasians, Lin said. The current one, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, included large numbers of Latino and Japanese-American people. This shows that the lack of association held up for different racial groups as well, she said.
The best way to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease, according to Lin? Exercise and eat a healthy diet.But more than half of U.S. adults choose to take multivitamins, according to Lin.
Many do because they think it will prevent chronic disease, said Ross Prentice, director of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center at the University of Washington in Seattle, who also did not work on the new study.
Altogether, Park's team looked at the vitamin-popping habits of more than 82,000 men and nearly 100,000 women, who were an average of 60 years old. Then they tracked how many died, and the causes, over the next 11 years.
Overall, about six in 100 multivitamin users and non-users died from heart disease. Cancer claimed about five in 100 from both groups, and four in 100 died from other causes. In total, almost 29,000 people died in the 11 years of follow-up.
The multivitamins didn't seem to protect users from cancer in general, or from cancers of the lung, colon, rectum, prostate, or breast.
Each year in the U.S. about 616,000 people die from heart disease and about 560,000 die from cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
The researchers did not find that taking multivitamins hurts anyone, Lin noted.
However, they can be expensive. According to Consumer Reports, Americans spent almost $4.7 billion on multivitamins in 2008. Depending on the type, supplements range from $3 to $16 a month.
This study could not prove that multivitamins do or don't affect people's risks for heart disease and cancer. A large clinical trial -- one that can show cause and effect, if it exists -- is underway but the results aren't available yet.
SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology,
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Wed Mar 23, 2011 - Will taking multivitamins protect you from dying of cancer or heart disease? The answer is no, according to new research.
In a study of more than 180,000 people, scientists saw the same number of deaths from cancer and heart disease among multivitamin-takers and those who did not take the supplements.
"People need to understand that just taking these multivitamins is not sufficient to prevent disease," said Jennifer Hsiang-Ling Lin, assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, who did not work on the study.
Multiple past studies have shown no link between multivitamins and reduced risk of cancer or heart disease. Other recent research couldn't prove that multivitamins protect against diabetes, either.
Some small studies in the past have shown that specific vitamins, not multivitamins, may be protective against heart disease or cancer later in life. However these studies looked at undernourished people, not generally healthy adults like the U.S. population, said co-author Song-Yi Park, assistant professor of epidemiology at University of Hawaii Cancer Center in Honolulu.
On its web site, the U.S. National Institutes of Health advise that doctors should prescribe multivitamins only "for patients who need extra vitamins, who cannot eat enough food to obtain the required vitamins, or who cannot receive the full benefit of the vitamins contained in the food they eat."
Past studies have mostly involved Caucasians, Lin said. The current one, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, included large numbers of Latino and Japanese-American people. This shows that the lack of association held up for different racial groups as well, she said.
The best way to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease, according to Lin? Exercise and eat a healthy diet.But more than half of U.S. adults choose to take multivitamins, according to Lin.
Many do because they think it will prevent chronic disease, said Ross Prentice, director of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center at the University of Washington in Seattle, who also did not work on the new study.
Altogether, Park's team looked at the vitamin-popping habits of more than 82,000 men and nearly 100,000 women, who were an average of 60 years old. Then they tracked how many died, and the causes, over the next 11 years.
Overall, about six in 100 multivitamin users and non-users died from heart disease. Cancer claimed about five in 100 from both groups, and four in 100 died from other causes. In total, almost 29,000 people died in the 11 years of follow-up.
The multivitamins didn't seem to protect users from cancer in general, or from cancers of the lung, colon, rectum, prostate, or breast.
Each year in the U.S. about 616,000 people die from heart disease and about 560,000 die from cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
The researchers did not find that taking multivitamins hurts anyone, Lin noted.
However, they can be expensive. According to Consumer Reports, Americans spent almost $4.7 billion on multivitamins in 2008. Depending on the type, supplements range from $3 to $16 a month.
This study could not prove that multivitamins do or don't affect people's risks for heart disease and cancer. A large clinical trial -- one that can show cause and effect, if it exists -- is underway but the results aren't available yet.
SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology,
Four arrested in Air Cocaine investigation...
Reuters
BAMAKO (Reuters) Thu Mar 24, 2011 - Authorities in Mali have arrested four people after an aircraft loaded with 10 tonnes of cocaine crashed in the country in 2009, a source close to the probe said Thursday.
Malian authorities suspect the aircraft was part of a larger drugs trafficking network linked to Colombia.
French pilot Eric Vernay, whose company chartered the Boeing plane, was arrested last week. A CEO of a local company "Go Voyage," and two other people have been arrested since, also in connection with the so-called "Air Cocaine" probe.
"The investigation is progressing, due to good cooperation between security services of other countries, including Morocco. Four people are now under arrest, and are under investigation," the source told Reuters.
Authorities suspect a growing fleet of rogue aircraft are regularly crisscrossing the Atlantic Ocean with drugs from the cocaine-producing areas of South America, transiting through some of West Africa's most unstable countries into Europe.
(Reporting by Tiemoko Diallo; Writing by Bate Felix)
BAMAKO (Reuters) Thu Mar 24, 2011 - Authorities in Mali have arrested four people after an aircraft loaded with 10 tonnes of cocaine crashed in the country in 2009, a source close to the probe said Thursday.
Malian authorities suspect the aircraft was part of a larger drugs trafficking network linked to Colombia.
French pilot Eric Vernay, whose company chartered the Boeing plane, was arrested last week. A CEO of a local company "Go Voyage," and two other people have been arrested since, also in connection with the so-called "Air Cocaine" probe.
"The investigation is progressing, due to good cooperation between security services of other countries, including Morocco. Four people are now under arrest, and are under investigation," the source told Reuters.
Authorities suspect a growing fleet of rogue aircraft are regularly crisscrossing the Atlantic Ocean with drugs from the cocaine-producing areas of South America, transiting through some of West Africa's most unstable countries into Europe.
(Reporting by Tiemoko Diallo; Writing by Bate Felix)
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Yes, sex can kill you, U.S. study shows...
TO ALL MY REGULAR AND IRREGULAR READERS
I wish to apologize for the very slow release of my articles of last few months. My wife Dixie and I, are about to move out of our current abode. We are recognizing the fact that over a long period, a very long period is more appropriate, TIME CATCHES UP WITH YOU!
We are down-sizing from 3 to 2 bedrooms. No more gardening, etc., thus no more sore backs.
Our new home is an apartment on the 17th floor with a great view across a bay, busy with boats, small and large, and many other things, too many to describe.
We are moving after 10 years, from the pleasant surroundings of Hope Island and its golf course, to the city of SOUTHPORT.
Of course I shall do my best to slip in an article 2 or more....
Peter Verstegen
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Reuters By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters) Tue Mar 22, 2011. Sudden bursts of moderate to intense physical activity -- such as jogging or having sex -- significantly increase the risk of having a heart attack, especially in people who do not get regular exercise, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
Doctors have long known that physical activity can cause serious heart problems, but the new study helps to quantify that risk, Dr. Issa Dahabreh of Tufts Medical Center in Boston, whose study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The team analyzed data from 14 studies looking at the link between exercise, sex and the risk of heart attacks or sudden cardiac death -- a lethal heart rhythm that causes the heart to stop circulating blood.
They found people are 3.5 times more likely to get a heart attack or have sudden cardiac death when they are exercising compared to when they are not.
And they are 2.7 times more likely to get a heart attack when they are having sex or immediately afterward compared with when they are not. (These findings do not apply to sudden cardiac death because there were no studies looking at the link between sex and cardiac death.)
Jessica Paulus, another Tufts researcher who worked on the study, said the risk is fairly high as such studies go. But the period of increased risk is brief.
"These elevated risks are only for a short period of time (1 to 2 hours) during and after the physical or sexual activity," Paulus said in a telephone interview.
Because of that, the risk to individuals over the course of a year is still quite small, she said.
"If you take 10,000 people, each individual session of physical or sexual activity per week can be associated with an increase of 1 to 2 cases of heart attack or sudden cardiac death per year," Paulus said.
She said it is important to balance the findings with other studies showing that regular physical activity reduces the risk of heart attacks and sudden cardiac death by 30 percent.
"What we really don't want to do is for the public to walk away from this and think exercise is bad," she said.
What it does mean is that people who do not exercise regularly need to start any exercise program slowly, gradually increasing the intensity of the workout over time.
(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
I wish to apologize for the very slow release of my articles of last few months. My wife Dixie and I, are about to move out of our current abode. We are recognizing the fact that over a long period, a very long period is more appropriate, TIME CATCHES UP WITH YOU!
We are down-sizing from 3 to 2 bedrooms. No more gardening, etc., thus no more sore backs.
Our new home is an apartment on the 17th floor with a great view across a bay, busy with boats, small and large, and many other things, too many to describe.
We are moving after 10 years, from the pleasant surroundings of Hope Island and its golf course, to the city of SOUTHPORT.
Of course I shall do my best to slip in an article 2 or more....
Peter Verstegen
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Reuters By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters) Tue Mar 22, 2011. Sudden bursts of moderate to intense physical activity -- such as jogging or having sex -- significantly increase the risk of having a heart attack, especially in people who do not get regular exercise, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
Doctors have long known that physical activity can cause serious heart problems, but the new study helps to quantify that risk, Dr. Issa Dahabreh of Tufts Medical Center in Boston, whose study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The team analyzed data from 14 studies looking at the link between exercise, sex and the risk of heart attacks or sudden cardiac death -- a lethal heart rhythm that causes the heart to stop circulating blood.
They found people are 3.5 times more likely to get a heart attack or have sudden cardiac death when they are exercising compared to when they are not.
And they are 2.7 times more likely to get a heart attack when they are having sex or immediately afterward compared with when they are not. (These findings do not apply to sudden cardiac death because there were no studies looking at the link between sex and cardiac death.)
Jessica Paulus, another Tufts researcher who worked on the study, said the risk is fairly high as such studies go. But the period of increased risk is brief.
"These elevated risks are only for a short period of time (1 to 2 hours) during and after the physical or sexual activity," Paulus said in a telephone interview.
Because of that, the risk to individuals over the course of a year is still quite small, she said.
"If you take 10,000 people, each individual session of physical or sexual activity per week can be associated with an increase of 1 to 2 cases of heart attack or sudden cardiac death per year," Paulus said.
She said it is important to balance the findings with other studies showing that regular physical activity reduces the risk of heart attacks and sudden cardiac death by 30 percent.
"What we really don't want to do is for the public to walk away from this and think exercise is bad," she said.
What it does mean is that people who do not exercise regularly need to start any exercise program slowly, gradually increasing the intensity of the workout over time.
(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Patch Tuesday: Gaping security hole in Windows Media Player ...
ZDNet By Ryan Naraine.
March 8, 2011. Microsoft today warned that the Windows Media Player that ships with every copy of its Windows operating system contains a critical vulnerability that could allow remote code execution if a user is tricked into opening a video file.
Microsoft today warned that the Windows Media Player that ships with every copy of its Windows operating system contains a critical vulnerability that could allow remote code execution if a user is tricked into opening a video file.
The disclosure forms part of this month’s Patch Tuesday release where Microsoft shipped three bulletins with patches for security holes in Windows and Microsoft Office.
The most serious of the three bulletins is MS11-015 and Microsoft is urging all Windows users to apply this update immediately because of the severity and the likelihood of working attack code within 30 days.
This security update resolves one publicly disclosed vulnerability in DirectShow and one privately reported vulnerability in Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center. The more severe of these vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Microsoft Digital Video Recording (.dvr-ms) file. In all cases, a user cannot be forced to open the file; for an attack to be successful, a user must be convinced to do so.
The Windows Media update is rated “critical” for affected editions of Windows XP (including Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005); all supported editions of Windows Vista and Windows 7; and Windows Media Center TV Pack for Windows Vista.
The biggest problem exists in the way that Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center handle .dvr-ms files.
This vulnerability could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code if the attacker convinces a user to open a specially crafted .dvr-ms file. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.
For businesses using the Microsoft Groove workspace sharing product, pay special attention to MS11-016, which covers a remote code execution issue in Groove.
This security update resolves a publicly disclosed vulnerability in Microsoft Groove that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a legitimate Groove-related file that is located in the same network directory as a specially crafted library file.
The vulnerability exists in the way that Microsoft Groove 2007 handles the loading of DLL files. “An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system,” Microsoft warned.
This month’s Patch Tuesday batch also includes MS11-017, an “important” bulletin covering a code execution flaw in the Windows Remote Desktop Client.
The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user opens a legitimate Remote Desktop configuration (.rdp) file located in the same network folder as a specially crafted library file.
It’s important to note that there are several outstanding issues that were not patched this month.
.Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily e-mail newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.
(Ryan Naraine is a journalist and social media enthusiast specializing in Internet and computer security issues.)
March 8, 2011. Microsoft today warned that the Windows Media Player that ships with every copy of its Windows operating system contains a critical vulnerability that could allow remote code execution if a user is tricked into opening a video file.
Microsoft today warned that the Windows Media Player that ships with every copy of its Windows operating system contains a critical vulnerability that could allow remote code execution if a user is tricked into opening a video file.
The disclosure forms part of this month’s Patch Tuesday release where Microsoft shipped three bulletins with patches for security holes in Windows and Microsoft Office.
The most serious of the three bulletins is MS11-015 and Microsoft is urging all Windows users to apply this update immediately because of the severity and the likelihood of working attack code within 30 days.
This security update resolves one publicly disclosed vulnerability in DirectShow and one privately reported vulnerability in Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center. The more severe of these vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Microsoft Digital Video Recording (.dvr-ms) file. In all cases, a user cannot be forced to open the file; for an attack to be successful, a user must be convinced to do so.
The Windows Media update is rated “critical” for affected editions of Windows XP (including Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005); all supported editions of Windows Vista and Windows 7; and Windows Media Center TV Pack for Windows Vista.
The biggest problem exists in the way that Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center handle .dvr-ms files.
This vulnerability could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code if the attacker convinces a user to open a specially crafted .dvr-ms file. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.
For businesses using the Microsoft Groove workspace sharing product, pay special attention to MS11-016, which covers a remote code execution issue in Groove.
This security update resolves a publicly disclosed vulnerability in Microsoft Groove that could allow remote code execution if a user opens a legitimate Groove-related file that is located in the same network directory as a specially crafted library file.
The vulnerability exists in the way that Microsoft Groove 2007 handles the loading of DLL files. “An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system,” Microsoft warned.
This month’s Patch Tuesday batch also includes MS11-017, an “important” bulletin covering a code execution flaw in the Windows Remote Desktop Client.
The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user opens a legitimate Remote Desktop configuration (.rdp) file located in the same network folder as a specially crafted library file.
It’s important to note that there are several outstanding issues that were not patched this month.
.Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily e-mail newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.
(Ryan Naraine is a journalist and social media enthusiast specializing in Internet and computer security issues.)
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
University to investigate live sex demonstration...
Reuters
CHICAGO (Reuters) Fri Mar 4, 2011.The president of an American university said on Thursday he was launching an investigation into an on-campus presentation of a live sex act performed for students at an after class event.
President Morton Schapiro of Northwestern University, which is of Chicago in Evanston, said he was "troubled and disappointed" after hearing about the use of a sex toy on a naked woman by her fiancé in front of more than 100 students.
The demonstration was performed as part of an after-class event for a popular human sexuality course, at the prestigious private university, according to The Daily Northwestern.
The February 21 incident took place in a session which students were not required to attend and they were advised in advance of the explicit nature of the activity.
"I feel it represented extremely poor judgment on the part of our faculty member," Schapiro said in a statement. "I simply do not believe this was appropriate, necessary, or in keeping with Northwestern University's academic mission."
Schapiro said he has directed that the incident be fully investigated.
"Many members of the Northwestern community are disturbed by what took place on our campus," Schapiro said. "So am I."
Psychology Prof. J. Michael Bailey, who teaches the class, could not be reached for comment.
In an email to his students, published in The Daily Northwestern, he wrote that he organizes optional after-class events which feature speakers addressing interesting aspects of sexuality.
Bailey wrote that "some experiences are educational and interesting in non-traditional ways" and that student feedback has been "uniformly positive."
He wrote that it was "too early to say" if he had any regrets.
(Writing by Mary Wisniewski, Editing by Greg McCune)
CHICAGO (Reuters) Fri Mar 4, 2011.The president of an American university said on Thursday he was launching an investigation into an on-campus presentation of a live sex act performed for students at an after class event.
President Morton Schapiro of Northwestern University, which is of Chicago in Evanston, said he was "troubled and disappointed" after hearing about the use of a sex toy on a naked woman by her fiancé in front of more than 100 students.
The demonstration was performed as part of an after-class event for a popular human sexuality course, at the prestigious private university, according to The Daily Northwestern.
The February 21 incident took place in a session which students were not required to attend and they were advised in advance of the explicit nature of the activity.
"I feel it represented extremely poor judgment on the part of our faculty member," Schapiro said in a statement. "I simply do not believe this was appropriate, necessary, or in keeping with Northwestern University's academic mission."
Schapiro said he has directed that the incident be fully investigated.
"Many members of the Northwestern community are disturbed by what took place on our campus," Schapiro said. "So am I."
Psychology Prof. J. Michael Bailey, who teaches the class, could not be reached for comment.
In an email to his students, published in The Daily Northwestern, he wrote that he organizes optional after-class events which feature speakers addressing interesting aspects of sexuality.
Bailey wrote that "some experiences are educational and interesting in non-traditional ways" and that student feedback has been "uniformly positive."
He wrote that it was "too early to say" if he had any regrets.
(Writing by Mary Wisniewski, Editing by Greg McCune)
Friday, March 04, 2011
Man speeds with wife on hood of minivan?
Reuters
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) Thu Mar 3, 2011. A U.S. man high on methamphetamine drove with his wife on the hood of their minivan for more than 40 miles, hitting speeds of 100 mph, according to police.
The woman climbed onto the hood early on Saturday morning, outside the couple's home in Manteca, California, because she wanted to keep her husband from driving off, said the city's police spokesman, Rex Osborn.
But instead of stopping, Christopher Carroll, 36, sped away with his wife clinging to the hood, Osborn said.
Police said they would not identify the woman because she is the victim of domestic violence, but Osborn said she is in her 30s and a mother.
In Pleasanton, the woman rolled off the hood when Carroll slowed down, police said.
Carroll was arrested back at his Manteca home, and charged with attempted murder and domestic violence, Osborn said.
No charges were filed tied to Carroll's methamphetamine use, which the woman described, he said.
"Her big message is this meth has ruined her life, affected her husband's family, his children, just because of poor choices," Osborn said.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Peter Bohan)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) Thu Mar 3, 2011. A U.S. man high on methamphetamine drove with his wife on the hood of their minivan for more than 40 miles, hitting speeds of 100 mph, according to police.
The woman climbed onto the hood early on Saturday morning, outside the couple's home in Manteca, California, because she wanted to keep her husband from driving off, said the city's police spokesman, Rex Osborn.
But instead of stopping, Christopher Carroll, 36, sped away with his wife clinging to the hood, Osborn said.
Police said they would not identify the woman because she is the victim of domestic violence, but Osborn said she is in her 30s and a mother.
In Pleasanton, the woman rolled off the hood when Carroll slowed down, police said.
Carroll was arrested back at his Manteca home, and charged with attempted murder and domestic violence, Osborn said.
No charges were filed tied to Carroll's methamphetamine use, which the woman described, he said.
"Her big message is this meth has ruined her life, affected her husband's family, his children, just because of poor choices," Osborn said.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Peter Bohan)
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Internet Explorer gains Web browser market share from Firefox...
ZDNet By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
Internet Explorer gains Web browser market share from Firefox
By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols March 2, 2011. But, at first glance it appears IE 6 (!) that gains the most, while Firefox loses the most. A closer look reveals the truth.
March 2, 2011. Rumor has it that by the time the South by SouthWest (SXSW) conference rolls around in a few weeks, all the major Web browsers-Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer (IE), Opera, and Safari–will have come out with new versions. So, why, is the oldest, and the most insecure of the lot, IE 6, making the single biggest browser version gain according to Net Applications‘ latest Web browser survey?
Well you can blame the CIA. No, seriously.
As Net Applications explained, “All of our global usage share reports are weighted based on C.I.A. data on how many Internet users per country there are. For example, we have more data on the U.S. than China so we weight the Chinese data proportionally higher according to the research provided by the C.I.A.”
In February, the C.I.A. released new data on how many Internet users per country there are. It shows a large increase in the global percentage of Chinese users and a decrease in the global percentage of users from the U.S., U.K, Germany, France and other developed countries.
These geographic shifts in Internet usage have a significant impact on the global usage share numbers starting in February. This adjustment corrects an increasing inaccuracy over time as population shifts occur and reflects reality more closely than unadjusted numbers.
The net result is that between January 2011, with the old way of counting, and February 2011, with the CIA-adjusted numbers, IE 6–the browser that even Microsoft wants to kill, kill, kill–gained .7%. Fortunately, for the sake of the sanity of all Web security gurus everywhere, IE 6 adjusted numbers still shows the bad browser from pre-history still dropping.
So, how did IE 6 even show a gain of any sort by any kind of measurement? The answer is in that “large increase in the global percentage of Chinese users.” In China, many, perhaps most, Windows users are using pirated copies of XP. Even though Microsoft has made it possible for pirate XP users to get IE 7 without proving they had legal copies with Windows Genuine Advantage, most such users don’t appear to have taken advantage of the offer.
Net Applications doesn’t have that much hard data from China, but it weights its Chinese data higher because it has a greater percentage of the world’s Internet users than other countries. So it is, Net Applications reports that “Firefox loses global share since many of the countries it is most popular in (Western European, in particular) now have a lower percentage of global Internet users. Internet Explorer gains as browser usage shifts to countries with higher percentages of Internet Explorer users.” Indeed in Europe, Firefox is still the number one browser.
That said, IE, for the first time in months, actually did show real gains. As Roger Capriotti, Microsoft’s director of Internet Explorer Product Marketing, wrote, “We saw share of both Internet Explorer 8 and 9 grow.” Specifically, “When adjusted using the older weighting, IE8 and 9 actually show even stronger growth on Windows: up 1.31% (versus 1.13% using the new February weighting) - or over three times Chrome’s 0.42% growth. We continue to measure our share progress relative to our addressable base, and in this case our addressable base is Windows.”
Even if you take into account Mac OS X, Linux and other users, IE did show smaller, but real, growth. This growth came at the expense of Firefox. I strongly suspect this was because of the growing popularity of IE 9, which is now at the release candidate stage; the continued rise of Chrome; and, it must be said, the continued delays in getting Firefox 4 out the door.
This spring and summer, after IE 9, which runs only on Windows 7, and Firefox 4 are rolled out and Chrome 9 has had a chance to establish itself, will tell the real story of which program will end up being the top Web browser for 2011 here, in Europe, and in China.
.Kick off your day with ZDNet By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols daily e-mail newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.
Internet Explorer gains Web browser market share from Firefox
By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols March 2, 2011. But, at first glance it appears IE 6 (!) that gains the most, while Firefox loses the most. A closer look reveals the truth.
March 2, 2011. Rumor has it that by the time the South by SouthWest (SXSW) conference rolls around in a few weeks, all the major Web browsers-Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer (IE), Opera, and Safari–will have come out with new versions. So, why, is the oldest, and the most insecure of the lot, IE 6, making the single biggest browser version gain according to Net Applications‘ latest Web browser survey?
Well you can blame the CIA. No, seriously.
As Net Applications explained, “All of our global usage share reports are weighted based on C.I.A. data on how many Internet users per country there are. For example, we have more data on the U.S. than China so we weight the Chinese data proportionally higher according to the research provided by the C.I.A.”
In February, the C.I.A. released new data on how many Internet users per country there are. It shows a large increase in the global percentage of Chinese users and a decrease in the global percentage of users from the U.S., U.K, Germany, France and other developed countries.
These geographic shifts in Internet usage have a significant impact on the global usage share numbers starting in February. This adjustment corrects an increasing inaccuracy over time as population shifts occur and reflects reality more closely than unadjusted numbers.
The net result is that between January 2011, with the old way of counting, and February 2011, with the CIA-adjusted numbers, IE 6–the browser that even Microsoft wants to kill, kill, kill–gained .7%. Fortunately, for the sake of the sanity of all Web security gurus everywhere, IE 6 adjusted numbers still shows the bad browser from pre-history still dropping.
So, how did IE 6 even show a gain of any sort by any kind of measurement? The answer is in that “large increase in the global percentage of Chinese users.” In China, many, perhaps most, Windows users are using pirated copies of XP. Even though Microsoft has made it possible for pirate XP users to get IE 7 without proving they had legal copies with Windows Genuine Advantage, most such users don’t appear to have taken advantage of the offer.
Net Applications doesn’t have that much hard data from China, but it weights its Chinese data higher because it has a greater percentage of the world’s Internet users than other countries. So it is, Net Applications reports that “Firefox loses global share since many of the countries it is most popular in (Western European, in particular) now have a lower percentage of global Internet users. Internet Explorer gains as browser usage shifts to countries with higher percentages of Internet Explorer users.” Indeed in Europe, Firefox is still the number one browser.
That said, IE, for the first time in months, actually did show real gains. As Roger Capriotti, Microsoft’s director of Internet Explorer Product Marketing, wrote, “We saw share of both Internet Explorer 8 and 9 grow.” Specifically, “When adjusted using the older weighting, IE8 and 9 actually show even stronger growth on Windows: up 1.31% (versus 1.13% using the new February weighting) - or over three times Chrome’s 0.42% growth. We continue to measure our share progress relative to our addressable base, and in this case our addressable base is Windows.”
Even if you take into account Mac OS X, Linux and other users, IE did show smaller, but real, growth. This growth came at the expense of Firefox. I strongly suspect this was because of the growing popularity of IE 9, which is now at the release candidate stage; the continued rise of Chrome; and, it must be said, the continued delays in getting Firefox 4 out the door.
This spring and summer, after IE 9, which runs only on Windows 7, and Firefox 4 are rolled out and Chrome 9 has had a chance to establish itself, will tell the real story of which program will end up being the top Web browser for 2011 here, in Europe, and in China.
.Kick off your day with ZDNet By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols daily e-mail newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Half of men may have HPV infections: study | Reuters
Reuters By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters) Tue Mar 1, 2011 - Half of men in the general population may be infected with human papillomavirus or HPV, the human wart virus that causes cervical and other cancers, strengthening the case for vaccinating boys against HPV, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
U.S. vaccine advisers have been weighing whether boys and young men should be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus, as they already recommend for girls and young women, but some worry the vaccine is too costly to justify its use.
HPV infection is best known as the primary cause of cervical cancer, the second most common cancer in women worldwide. But various strains of HPV also cause anal, penile, head and neck cancers. Vaccinating men and boys would prevent some of these cancers.
Anna Giuliano of the H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida, and colleagues studied infection rates among more than 1,100 men aged 18 to 70 in the United States, Brazil and Mexico to get a snapshot of the natural progression of HPV infection in men.
"We found that there is a high proportion of men who have genital HPV infections. At enrollment, it was 50 percent," said Giuliano, whose study appears online in the journal Lancet.
The team also found that the rate at which men acquire new HPV infections is very similar to women.
And they found that about 6 percent of men per year will get a new HPV 16 infection, the strain that is known for causing cervical cancer in women and other cancers in men.
"It must surely strengthen the argument for vaccination of men, both for their own protection, and that of their partners."
In December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Merck's Gardasil HPV vaccine for prevention of anal cancers in both men and women, based on studies showing Gardasil was effective in men who have sex with men, a group that has a higher incidence of anal cancer.
Anal cancer is one of the less common types of cancer, with an estimated 5,300 new U.S. cases diagnosed each year, but the incidence is increasing. (Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Vaccines made by Merck & Co and GlaxoSmithKline both offer protection against this strain of HPV.
"The biology seems to be very similar (to women)," Giuliano said in a telephone interview.
"What is different is men seem to have high prevalence of genital HPV infections throughout their lifespans."
She said it appears that women are better able to clear an HPV infection, especially as they age, but men do not appear to have this same ability.
Vaccine experts said the study builds momentum for widespread HPV vaccination among boys.
Currently, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends Gardasil vaccinations for girls and women between the ages of 11 and 26. Gardasil had sales of more than $1 billion last year.
And while doctors are free to use the vaccine in boys and men ages 9 through 26, U.S. health officials so far have declined to recommend routine vaccination for males.
"This study highlights the high incidence of HPV infection in men, which emphasizes their role in transmission of HPV to women," Dr. Anne Szarewski of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine in London said in a statement.
"It must surely strengthen the argument for vaccination of men, both for their own protection, and that of their partners."
In December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Merck's Gardasil HPV vaccine for prevention of anal cancers in both men and women, based on studies showing Gardasil was effective in men who have sex with men, a group that has a higher incidence of anal cancer.
Anal cancer is one of the less common types of cancer, with an estimated 5,300 new U.S. cases diagnosed each year, but the incidence is increasing. (Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
CHICAGO (Reuters) Tue Mar 1, 2011 - Half of men in the general population may be infected with human papillomavirus or HPV, the human wart virus that causes cervical and other cancers, strengthening the case for vaccinating boys against HPV, U.S. researchers said on Monday.U.S. vaccine advisers have been weighing whether boys and young men should be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus, as they already recommend for girls and young women, but some worry the vaccine is too costly to justify its use.
HPV infection is best known as the primary cause of cervical cancer, the second most common cancer in women worldwide. But various strains of HPV also cause anal, penile, head and neck cancers. Vaccinating men and boys would prevent some of these cancers.
Anna Giuliano of the H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida, and colleagues studied infection rates among more than 1,100 men aged 18 to 70 in the United States, Brazil and Mexico to get a snapshot of the natural progression of HPV infection in men.
"We found that there is a high proportion of men who have genital HPV infections. At enrollment, it was 50 percent," said Giuliano, whose study appears online in the journal Lancet.
The team also found that the rate at which men acquire new HPV infections is very similar to women.
And they found that about 6 percent of men per year will get a new HPV 16 infection, the strain that is known for causing cervical cancer in women and other cancers in men.
"It must surely strengthen the argument for vaccination of men, both for their own protection, and that of their partners."
In December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Merck's Gardasil HPV vaccine for prevention of anal cancers in both men and women, based on studies showing Gardasil was effective in men who have sex with men, a group that has a higher incidence of anal cancer.
Anal cancer is one of the less common types of cancer, with an estimated 5,300 new U.S. cases diagnosed each year, but the incidence is increasing. (Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Vaccines made by Merck & Co and GlaxoSmithKline both offer protection against this strain of HPV.
"The biology seems to be very similar (to women)," Giuliano said in a telephone interview.
"What is different is men seem to have high prevalence of genital HPV infections throughout their lifespans."
She said it appears that women are better able to clear an HPV infection, especially as they age, but men do not appear to have this same ability.
Vaccine experts said the study builds momentum for widespread HPV vaccination among boys.
Currently, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends Gardasil vaccinations for girls and women between the ages of 11 and 26. Gardasil had sales of more than $1 billion last year.
And while doctors are free to use the vaccine in boys and men ages 9 through 26, U.S. health officials so far have declined to recommend routine vaccination for males.
"This study highlights the high incidence of HPV infection in men, which emphasizes their role in transmission of HPV to women," Dr. Anne Szarewski of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine in London said in a statement.
"It must surely strengthen the argument for vaccination of men, both for their own protection, and that of their partners."
In December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Merck's Gardasil HPV vaccine for prevention of anal cancers in both men and women, based on studies showing Gardasil was effective in men who have sex with men, a group that has a higher incidence of anal cancer.
Anal cancer is one of the less common types of cancer, with an estimated 5,300 new U.S. cases diagnosed each year, but the incidence is increasing. (Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
CNET | Download Dispatch - Windows...
CNET Download Dispatch
March 1 0011. What's your favorite free antivirus app? Plus, Windows 7 SP1 Jasmine France Senior associate editor
Microsoft made Windows 7's first service pack available to consumers last week. The service pack doesn't bring any new whiz-bang features for consumers, but it includes two important back-end additions that promise to improve performance in Windows 7's server counterpart, Windows Server 2008 R2. Also included in SP1 are a number of fixes for bugs and security holes, which may be useful for those who don't use the auto-update feature.
On the security side, with Avast 6 fresh out of the gate and CNET's opinion on record, it's time to ask you which of the many free security suites available is your favorite. The big three on Download.com are AVG, Avast, and Avira, although it will be interesting to see if the download counts are reflected in popularity. We aimed to have all the major players represented. Vote now in our poll and tell us your favorite.
And for the Firefox fans out there, it looks as though Firefox 4 may be in its last beta. The company hopes beta 12 will be its last for the browser's next generation, according to an updated roadmap.
March 1 0011. What's your favorite free antivirus app? Plus, Windows 7 SP1 Jasmine France Senior associate editor
Microsoft made Windows 7's first service pack available to consumers last week. The service pack doesn't bring any new whiz-bang features for consumers, but it includes two important back-end additions that promise to improve performance in Windows 7's server counterpart, Windows Server 2008 R2. Also included in SP1 are a number of fixes for bugs and security holes, which may be useful for those who don't use the auto-update feature.
On the security side, with Avast 6 fresh out of the gate and CNET's opinion on record, it's time to ask you which of the many free security suites available is your favorite. The big three on Download.com are AVG, Avast, and Avira, although it will be interesting to see if the download counts are reflected in popularity. We aimed to have all the major players represented. Vote now in our poll and tell us your favorite.
And for the Firefox fans out there, it looks as though Firefox 4 may be in its last beta. The company hopes beta 12 will be its last for the browser's next generation, according to an updated roadmap.
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