Reuters By Robert MacMillan
Thu Oct 2, 2008. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Playboy magazine is offering a new way to lose your shirt on Wall Street.
The adult entertainment magazine, long famous for its photo spreads of nude women and lessons in living the urbane life of the well-heeled bachelor, is launching a search for models to pose for its upcoming feature, "Women of Wall Street."
Playboy came up with the idea for the feature after the onset of the global financial crisis, which has vaporized fortunes and left Wall Street reeling. It is planned for the February 2009 edition of the monthly magazine and on its website.
"When the news gets bad, then maybe that's a chance to make people smile by coming up with something that puts a different twist on it," said Gary Cole, Playboy's photo editor.
Playboy and Playboy.com frequently run specials such as "Girls of Olive Garden" and "Women of Home Depot," but in the past it has garnered attention for big business news themes.
It published "Women of Enron" and "Women of WorldCom" after the companies' spectacular failures. The magazine ran a "Women of Wall Street" feature nearly 20 years ago.
Playboy is seeking current and former employees of the financial world, and is especially interested in those with more senior job experience.
"It would be more interesting to have someone who's a financial analyst," said Cole.
Models must work for a financial institution or have recently worked for one, and prove that they are at least 18 years old.
"How many attractive women do you ... think there are working on Wall Street and the affiliated companies?" Cole said when asked how much success he thought Playboy would have in finding candidates. "There has to be thousands and thousands."
Playboy likely will photograph about 20 women, he said, adding that compensation would depend partly on how many women apply.
"Whether you offer them $500 or $1,000 or $2,000 a piece, that's probably not going to change anybody's mind," he said. "The reason they do this is because they want the attention, the opportunity, the experience of doing it. It's not really for the money."
Playboy is soliciting applications at www.playboy.com/wallstreet
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Friday, October 03, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Trojan can grab extra personal banking data...
Computerworld Stephen Lawson (IDG News Service)
29/September/2008 A Trojan can add data entry fields to legitimate online banking sites and entice consumers to give up additional information.
As your business becomes more collaborative and global, the risks to your company’s trade secrets rise proportionally. Fortunately, there are new strategies to protect the data that allows you to compete
The call to Bob Bailey, an IT executive with a major US government contractor, came on an otherwise ordinary day in October 2003. "Why are you attacking us?" demanded the caller, an IT leader with a Silicon Valley manufacturer. He wanted to know why Bailey's company had launched a denial-of-service attack against his networkAdditional Resources
Executive Guides
A Trojan horse program now available to a growing number of fraudsters can add data entry fields to legitimate online banking sites and entice consumers to give up sensitive information such as bank card numbers and PINs (personal identification numbers).
The Limbo malware integrates itself into a Web browser using a technique called HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) injection, said Uri Rivner, head of new technologies at RSA Consumer Solutions, a division of EMC. Because it's so closely integrated in the browser, it can operate even while the user is at the real bank site and can actually change the layout of that site, he said.
"If phishing were a stock, I would invest in it
"Nothing tells you that something is wrong here, with one exception: You're being asked to provide some information that you were never asked to do before," Rivner said during a briefing for reporters and analysts earlier this week. "If you are convinced that you are now communicating with the bank, the fraudsters can get away with anything they like."
Limbo can get onto a user's computer through many paths, including both pop-up messages that ask you to download an add-on program and methods that are invisible to the user, he said. They sometimes get on to PCs in conjunction with other phishing attacks.
And like other malware programs, Limbo is becoming available to more fraudsters through an underground market that includes a complex supply chain and falling prices, according to Rivner. Limbo costs about US$350, down from about $1,000 a year ago and $5,000 two years ago, he said.
"The big trend here is that it's becoming affordable," Rivner said.
The online fraud marketplace consists of "harvesters" who collect user information and "cashout" operations that use the information to do whatever has to be done to translate that information into money. For example, harvesters may capture credit-card numbers and cashout operations may use those cards to buy products online, have them delivered to an address, and sell them on the black market, he said. The two classes of fraudsters typically meet and do business with each other in IRC chatrooms and dedicated Web forums, where the most successful fraudsters are the ones who develop a reputation for working reliably and honestly with other participants, Rivner said.
Now, some fraudsters are taking a SaaS (software-as-a-service) approach, selling malware, access to botnets and everything else a person needs to become a harvester of data on unsuspecting consumers, according to Rivner. Having paid the price for this service, the harvesters can then take the identities stolen with it and sell them at a profit. The ease of going into business with this model may dramatically increase the volume of online fraud, he said.
"If phishing were a stock, I would invest in it," Rivner said.
At RSA, the encryption giant that became EMC's security business through a US$2.1 billion acquisition in 2006, the target for combatting online banking fraud is the cashing-out step. The company sells software that looks at every transaction a customer makes and assesses the level of risk, Rivner said. It may look at the IP (Internet Protocol) address from which the site is being accessed, as well as that user's typical pattern of transactions. If the risk level is high, the bank can block the transaction and contact the customer directly, he said.
This approach is increasingly being used by banks because of the difficulty of tracking down and eradicating malware and phishing, Rivner said. There may be numerous Trojans on a customer's computer, but the bank isn't hurt by any of them until a fraudster tries to use them to divert money from an account, he said.
29/September/2008 A Trojan can add data entry fields to legitimate online banking sites and entice consumers to give up additional information.
As your business becomes more collaborative and global, the risks to your company’s trade secrets rise proportionally. Fortunately, there are new strategies to protect the data that allows you to compete
The call to Bob Bailey, an IT executive with a major US government contractor, came on an otherwise ordinary day in October 2003. "Why are you attacking us?" demanded the caller, an IT leader with a Silicon Valley manufacturer. He wanted to know why Bailey's company had launched a denial-of-service attack against his networkAdditional Resources
Executive Guides
A Trojan horse program now available to a growing number of fraudsters can add data entry fields to legitimate online banking sites and entice consumers to give up sensitive information such as bank card numbers and PINs (personal identification numbers).
The Limbo malware integrates itself into a Web browser using a technique called HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) injection, said Uri Rivner, head of new technologies at RSA Consumer Solutions, a division of EMC. Because it's so closely integrated in the browser, it can operate even while the user is at the real bank site and can actually change the layout of that site, he said.
"If phishing were a stock, I would invest in it
"Nothing tells you that something is wrong here, with one exception: You're being asked to provide some information that you were never asked to do before," Rivner said during a briefing for reporters and analysts earlier this week. "If you are convinced that you are now communicating with the bank, the fraudsters can get away with anything they like."
Limbo can get onto a user's computer through many paths, including both pop-up messages that ask you to download an add-on program and methods that are invisible to the user, he said. They sometimes get on to PCs in conjunction with other phishing attacks.
And like other malware programs, Limbo is becoming available to more fraudsters through an underground market that includes a complex supply chain and falling prices, according to Rivner. Limbo costs about US$350, down from about $1,000 a year ago and $5,000 two years ago, he said.
"The big trend here is that it's becoming affordable," Rivner said.
The online fraud marketplace consists of "harvesters" who collect user information and "cashout" operations that use the information to do whatever has to be done to translate that information into money. For example, harvesters may capture credit-card numbers and cashout operations may use those cards to buy products online, have them delivered to an address, and sell them on the black market, he said. The two classes of fraudsters typically meet and do business with each other in IRC chatrooms and dedicated Web forums, where the most successful fraudsters are the ones who develop a reputation for working reliably and honestly with other participants, Rivner said.
Now, some fraudsters are taking a SaaS (software-as-a-service) approach, selling malware, access to botnets and everything else a person needs to become a harvester of data on unsuspecting consumers, according to Rivner. Having paid the price for this service, the harvesters can then take the identities stolen with it and sell them at a profit. The ease of going into business with this model may dramatically increase the volume of online fraud, he said.
"If phishing were a stock, I would invest in it," Rivner said.
At RSA, the encryption giant that became EMC's security business through a US$2.1 billion acquisition in 2006, the target for combatting online banking fraud is the cashing-out step. The company sells software that looks at every transaction a customer makes and assesses the level of risk, Rivner said. It may look at the IP (Internet Protocol) address from which the site is being accessed, as well as that user's typical pattern of transactions. If the risk level is high, the bank can block the transaction and contact the customer directly, he said.
This approach is increasingly being used by banks because of the difficulty of tracking down and eradicating malware and phishing, Rivner said. There may be numerous Trojans on a customer's computer, but the bank isn't hurt by any of them until a fraudster tries to use them to divert money from an account, he said.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Twins who swapped roles charged with fraud...
Reuters
Fri Sep 26, 2008. ROME (Reuters) - An Italian woman who worked as a part-time judge as well as a lawyer was substituted by her identical twin sister in court so she would not lose out on legal fees when she had two simultaneous engagements.
The 54-year-old twins from northern Italy have now been charged with fraud and will go on trial in January, Italy's leading newspaper, Corriere della Sera, reported Friday on its website.
One of the twins, identified only as Gabriella, worked primarily as a lawyer but also as an honorary judge, a part-time, paid position that entails helping full-time judges when their case load is heavy.
When Gabriella was called to be a substitute judge she sent her sister twin Patrizia to stand in for her at an existing engagement as a defense lawyer elsewhere in the Milan area.
The problem was that sister Patrizia was not a lawyer like sister Gabriella but charged the clients anyway.
The clients discovered the sister act and are now suing both for damages. Prosecutors have charged both with fraud, the paper said.
(Editing by Jon Boyle)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserve
Fri Sep 26, 2008. ROME (Reuters) - An Italian woman who worked as a part-time judge as well as a lawyer was substituted by her identical twin sister in court so she would not lose out on legal fees when she had two simultaneous engagements.
The 54-year-old twins from northern Italy have now been charged with fraud and will go on trial in January, Italy's leading newspaper, Corriere della Sera, reported Friday on its website.
One of the twins, identified only as Gabriella, worked primarily as a lawyer but also as an honorary judge, a part-time, paid position that entails helping full-time judges when their case load is heavy.
When Gabriella was called to be a substitute judge she sent her sister twin Patrizia to stand in for her at an existing engagement as a defense lawyer elsewhere in the Milan area.
The problem was that sister Patrizia was not a lawyer like sister Gabriella but charged the clients anyway.
The clients discovered the sister act and are now suing both for damages. Prosecutors have charged both with fraud, the paper said.
(Editing by Jon Boyle)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserve
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Chocolate Helps Heart Stay Healthy...
Yahoo! News
LiveScience.com Tue Sep 23 2008. A small square of dark chocolate daily protects the heart from inflammation and subsequent heart disease, a new study of Italians suggests. Milk chocolate might not do the job.
However, this guilty pleasure has a limit.
Specifically, only 6.7 grams of chocolate per day (or 0.23 ounces) represents the ideal amount, according to results from the Moli-sani Project, one of the largest health studies ever conducted in Europe. For comparison, a standard-sized Hershey's kiss is about 4.5 grams (though they are not made of dark chocolate) and one Hershey's dark chocolate bar is about 41 grams (so a recommendation might be one of those weekly).
Chronic inflammation of tissues in the circulatory system is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, such as myocardial infarction or stroke. So doctors strive to keep patients' inflammation under control. One marker for inflammation in the blood is called C-reactive protein.
The researchers found a relationship between dark chocolate intake and levels of this protein in the blood of 4,849 subjects in good health and free of risk factors (such as high cholesterol or blood pressure, and other parameters). The findings are detailed in the latest issue of the Journal of Nutrition.
"We started from the hypothesis that high amounts of antioxidants contained in the cocoa seeds, in particular flavonoids and other kinds of polyphenols, might have beneficial effects on the inflammatory state," said Romina di Giuseppe, lead author of the study. "Our results have been absolutely encouraging: People having moderate amounts of dark chocolate regularly have significantly lower levels of C-reactive protein in their blood. In other words, their inflammatory state is considerably reduced."
The inflammation reduction that the researchers observed controlled for other confounding variables such as wine or produce intake.
Previous studies have found that chocolate might be good for you, though doctors usually warn that it is more important to focus on one's overall diet when it comes to health. One health study found that blood platelets among chocolate-lovers were less likely to clot together in dangerous clumps.
Other studies have found a host of diet and exercise changes that can help a person beat the odds of death. Clearly, no single change is a guarantee of long life.
With chocolate, moderation is key, the new study found.
"The best effect is obtained by consuming an average amount of 6.7 grams of chocolate per day, corresponding to a small square of chocolate twice or three times a week. Beyond these amounts the beneficial effect tends to disappear," di Giuseppe said.
The milk in milk chocolate interferes with polyphenols, so the team kept that out of the study.
"We consider this outcome as the beginning of a large series of data which will give us an innovative view on how [to achieve] prevention in everyday life, both against cardiovascular disease and tumors," said Licia Iacoviello, head of the Laboratory of Genetic and Environmental Epidemiology at the Catholic University of Campobasso and responsible for the Moli-sani Project.
The Moli-sani Project is funded by the Pfizer Foundation
LiveScience.com Tue Sep 23 2008. A small square of dark chocolate daily protects the heart from inflammation and subsequent heart disease, a new study of Italians suggests. Milk chocolate might not do the job.However, this guilty pleasure has a limit.
Specifically, only 6.7 grams of chocolate per day (or 0.23 ounces) represents the ideal amount, according to results from the Moli-sani Project, one of the largest health studies ever conducted in Europe. For comparison, a standard-sized Hershey's kiss is about 4.5 grams (though they are not made of dark chocolate) and one Hershey's dark chocolate bar is about 41 grams (so a recommendation might be one of those weekly).
Chronic inflammation of tissues in the circulatory system is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, such as myocardial infarction or stroke. So doctors strive to keep patients' inflammation under control. One marker for inflammation in the blood is called C-reactive protein.
The researchers found a relationship between dark chocolate intake and levels of this protein in the blood of 4,849 subjects in good health and free of risk factors (such as high cholesterol or blood pressure, and other parameters). The findings are detailed in the latest issue of the Journal of Nutrition.
"We started from the hypothesis that high amounts of antioxidants contained in the cocoa seeds, in particular flavonoids and other kinds of polyphenols, might have beneficial effects on the inflammatory state," said Romina di Giuseppe, lead author of the study. "Our results have been absolutely encouraging: People having moderate amounts of dark chocolate regularly have significantly lower levels of C-reactive protein in their blood. In other words, their inflammatory state is considerably reduced."
The inflammation reduction that the researchers observed controlled for other confounding variables such as wine or produce intake.
Previous studies have found that chocolate might be good for you, though doctors usually warn that it is more important to focus on one's overall diet when it comes to health. One health study found that blood platelets among chocolate-lovers were less likely to clot together in dangerous clumps.
Other studies have found a host of diet and exercise changes that can help a person beat the odds of death. Clearly, no single change is a guarantee of long life.
With chocolate, moderation is key, the new study found.
"The best effect is obtained by consuming an average amount of 6.7 grams of chocolate per day, corresponding to a small square of chocolate twice or three times a week. Beyond these amounts the beneficial effect tends to disappear," di Giuseppe said.
The milk in milk chocolate interferes with polyphenols, so the team kept that out of the study.
"We consider this outcome as the beginning of a large series of data which will give us an innovative view on how [to achieve] prevention in everyday life, both against cardiovascular disease and tumors," said Licia Iacoviello, head of the Laboratory of Genetic and Environmental Epidemiology at the Catholic University of Campobasso and responsible for the Moli-sani Project.
The Moli-sani Project is funded by the Pfizer Foundation
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
500,000 Women die in pregnancy at childbirth....
Health Reuters By Stephanie Nebehay
GENEVA (Reuters) - More than half a million women still die each year in pregnancy and childbirth, often bleeding to death because no emergency obstetrical care is available, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
Despite modest progress, particularly in Asia, the global maternal mortality toll remains stubbornly stable due to a lack of financial resources and political will, it said.
More than 99 percent of the estimated 536,000 maternal deaths worldwide in 2005 occurred in developing countries, half of them in sub-Saharan Africa, it said in a report entitled "Progress for Children: A Report Card on Maternal Maternity".
"One of the critical bottlenecks has always been access to highly skilled health workers required to deliver emergency obstetrical care, particularly caesarian sections," Peter Salama UNICEF's chief of health, told a news briefing.
Around 50 million births in the developing world, or about 4 in 10 of all births worldwide, are not attended by trained personnel, according to the report.
Hemorrhaging is the leading cause of maternal death in Africa and Asia, causing one in three deaths, it said. Infections, hypertensive disorders, complications of abortion, obstructed labor or HIV/AIDS are other causes.
Such complications can be easily treated in a health system whose facilities are staffed with skilled personnel to handle emergencies around the clock, but disparities persist, it said.
"The lifetime risk of maternal death in the developing world as a whole is 1 in 76, compared with 1 in 8,000 in the industrialized world," UNICEF said.
The riskiest place to give birth is Niger, where the risk of dying in pregnancy or childbirth over the course of a woman's lifetime is one in seven, it said. In Sierra Leone it is 1 in 8.
But developing countries including Sri Lanka and Mozambique have succeeded in reducing maternal mortality rates, it said.
A combination of family planning, training skilled birth attendants, emergency obstetrical care and post-natal care is the key to reducing maternal mortality, according to the agency.
At the current average reduction rate of less than one per cent a year, the world will miss the goal of reducing maternal mortality rates by 75 percent between 1990 and 2015, to less than 150,000, one of the Millennium Development Goals, it said.
"The time is right. We now know exactly what to do for maternal mortality reduction to make this one of the next big issues in global health," Salama said.
Programs to combat three major epidemics -- HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria -- now receive the required international attention and billions in funding, he said.
"But maternal mortality and child mortality do not yet receive the attention that the scale of the problem deserves," he said. An additional $10 billion would be needed each year to combat both child and maternal mortality, according to Salama.
UNICEF said last week that more than 9 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2007, down slightly from a year before, but a huge gap remains between rich and poor countries.
(Editing by Jonathan Lynn and Richard Balmforth)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
GENEVA (Reuters) - More than half a million women still die each year in pregnancy and childbirth, often bleeding to death because no emergency obstetrical care is available, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.Despite modest progress, particularly in Asia, the global maternal mortality toll remains stubbornly stable due to a lack of financial resources and political will, it said.
More than 99 percent of the estimated 536,000 maternal deaths worldwide in 2005 occurred in developing countries, half of them in sub-Saharan Africa, it said in a report entitled "Progress for Children: A Report Card on Maternal Maternity".
"One of the critical bottlenecks has always been access to highly skilled health workers required to deliver emergency obstetrical care, particularly caesarian sections," Peter Salama UNICEF's chief of health, told a news briefing.
Around 50 million births in the developing world, or about 4 in 10 of all births worldwide, are not attended by trained personnel, according to the report.
Hemorrhaging is the leading cause of maternal death in Africa and Asia, causing one in three deaths, it said. Infections, hypertensive disorders, complications of abortion, obstructed labor or HIV/AIDS are other causes.
Such complications can be easily treated in a health system whose facilities are staffed with skilled personnel to handle emergencies around the clock, but disparities persist, it said.
"The lifetime risk of maternal death in the developing world as a whole is 1 in 76, compared with 1 in 8,000 in the industrialized world," UNICEF said.
The riskiest place to give birth is Niger, where the risk of dying in pregnancy or childbirth over the course of a woman's lifetime is one in seven, it said. In Sierra Leone it is 1 in 8.
But developing countries including Sri Lanka and Mozambique have succeeded in reducing maternal mortality rates, it said.
A combination of family planning, training skilled birth attendants, emergency obstetrical care and post-natal care is the key to reducing maternal mortality, according to the agency.
At the current average reduction rate of less than one per cent a year, the world will miss the goal of reducing maternal mortality rates by 75 percent between 1990 and 2015, to less than 150,000, one of the Millennium Development Goals, it said.
"The time is right. We now know exactly what to do for maternal mortality reduction to make this one of the next big issues in global health," Salama said.
Programs to combat three major epidemics -- HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria -- now receive the required international attention and billions in funding, he said.
"But maternal mortality and child mortality do not yet receive the attention that the scale of the problem deserves," he said. An additional $10 billion would be needed each year to combat both child and maternal mortality, according to Salama.
UNICEF said last week that more than 9 million children died before their fifth birthday in 2007, down slightly from a year before, but a huge gap remains between rich and poor countries.
(Editing by Jonathan Lynn and Richard Balmforth)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Friday, September 19, 2008
Storm over Spanish politician's brothel...
Reuters
18 September 2008. MADRID (Reuters) - A Spanish politician's public description of how he lost his virginity in a brothel has angered his female counterparts, who accused him of encouraging prostitution.
Miguel Angel Revilla, head of the government of the northern region of Cantabria, told a television interviewer earlier this week that he had paid the first time he had sex at the age of 18.
Female members of the regional parliament from the opposition conservative Popular Party were outraged. "As the head of the regional government, he should be an example for the young people of Cantabria," they said in a communique.
"Instead he encourages them to pay for their first sexual experience."
Thursday, Revilla, a member of a regional party, accused his critics of hypocrisy and said they were unable to find matters of substance on which to attack him.
"There are major problems which need to be addressed now, not what a poor 18-year-old did," said Revilla, who is now 65, adding: " Ninety-nine percent of Spanish men did it back then."
(Reporting by Jason Webb; editing by Robert Hart)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
18 September 2008. MADRID (Reuters) - A Spanish politician's public description of how he lost his virginity in a brothel has angered his female counterparts, who accused him of encouraging prostitution.
Miguel Angel Revilla, head of the government of the northern region of Cantabria, told a television interviewer earlier this week that he had paid the first time he had sex at the age of 18.
Female members of the regional parliament from the opposition conservative Popular Party were outraged. "As the head of the regional government, he should be an example for the young people of Cantabria," they said in a communique.
"Instead he encourages them to pay for their first sexual experience."
Thursday, Revilla, a member of a regional party, accused his critics of hypocrisy and said they were unable to find matters of substance on which to attack him.
"There are major problems which need to be addressed now, not what a poor 18-year-old did," said Revilla, who is now 65, adding: " Ninety-nine percent of Spanish men did it back then."
(Reporting by Jason Webb; editing by Robert Hart)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Officials call off controversial autism study...
Health Reuters By Will Dunham
Wed Sep 17, 2008. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Health officials have called off plans for a study examining a controversial type of treatment that some autism activists have touted as alternative medical therapy for children with the condition.
The National Institute of Mental Health, or NIMH, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, said in a statement on Wednesday that it has canceled a study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of a treatment called chelation.
Chelation (pronounced key-LAY-shun) is a type of therapy in which a man-made amino acid, called EDTA, is added to the blood, and it has been used to treat heavy metal poisoning.
Some autism activists have advocated it on the theory -- rejected by most scientists -- that autism is triggered by exposure to mercury, a heavy metal, from childhood vaccines.
Many studies and medical experts have dismissed the notion that mercury used in a vaccine preservative causes autism, but some parents of autistic children strongly believe it does.
Since 2001, with the exception of some influenza vaccines, the mercury-containing preservative has not been used in routinely recommended childhood vaccines, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"NIMH has decided that resources are better directed at this time to testing other potential therapies for autism spectrum disorders, and is not pursuing the additional review required to begin the study," the institute said.
The study was given initial permission to proceed in 2006, according to NIMH's statement.
"No subjects were recruited for this clinical trial," according to the statement.
"In February 2007, based on new scientific data, an NIH Institutional Review Board reassessed the risk-benefit ratio of the proposed study. The board determined that there was no clear evidence for direct benefit to the children who would participate in the chelation trial and that the study presents more than a minimal risk," it added.
The institute said the only way that the study could go forward would be through an additional governmental approval process, and it decided not to pursue this.
(Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Wed Sep 17, 2008. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Health officials have called off plans for a study examining a controversial type of treatment that some autism activists have touted as alternative medical therapy for children with the condition.
The National Institute of Mental Health, or NIMH, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, said in a statement on Wednesday that it has canceled a study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of a treatment called chelation.
Chelation (pronounced key-LAY-shun) is a type of therapy in which a man-made amino acid, called EDTA, is added to the blood, and it has been used to treat heavy metal poisoning.
Some autism activists have advocated it on the theory -- rejected by most scientists -- that autism is triggered by exposure to mercury, a heavy metal, from childhood vaccines.
Many studies and medical experts have dismissed the notion that mercury used in a vaccine preservative causes autism, but some parents of autistic children strongly believe it does.
Since 2001, with the exception of some influenza vaccines, the mercury-containing preservative has not been used in routinely recommended childhood vaccines, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"NIMH has decided that resources are better directed at this time to testing other potential therapies for autism spectrum disorders, and is not pursuing the additional review required to begin the study," the institute said.
The study was given initial permission to proceed in 2006, according to NIMH's statement.
"No subjects were recruited for this clinical trial," according to the statement.
"In February 2007, based on new scientific data, an NIH Institutional Review Board reassessed the risk-benefit ratio of the proposed study. The board determined that there was no clear evidence for direct benefit to the children who would participate in the chelation trial and that the study presents more than a minimal risk," it added.
The institute said the only way that the study could go forward would be through an additional governmental approval process, and it decided not to pursue this.
(Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Friday, September 12, 2008
Deaths make 2008 deadliest for US in Afghanistan...
Yahoo! News By JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press Writer
12 Sept. 2008. KABUL, Afghanistan - Insurgents killed two U.S. troops in Afghanistan on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks Thursday, making 2008 the deadliest year for American forces since U.S. troops invaded the country in 2001 for sheltering Osama bin Laden.
The deaths brought the number of troops who have died in Afghanistan this year to 113, according to an Associated Press tally, surpassing last year's record toll of 111.
Afghanistan was the launching pad for al-Qaida's terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. U.S. forces invaded in October 2001 in response and quickly drove the Taliban out of power.
Across Afghanistan, U.S. troops paused in silence Thursday to commemorate the 9/11 attacks. At a U.S. base in Kabul, members of the New York National Guard, many of whom served at the site of the World Trade Center after the towers came down, remembered the attack on their home state.
"For those of us who were there, served at Ground Zero, 9/11 is deeply personal," said Col. Brian K. Bale, the commander of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
Maj. Stephen Bousquet, 34, of Buffalo, N.Y., provided security at Ground Zero for three weeks after the attack. He now trains and mentors Afghan police, he said, "so American and coalition forces can leave one day."
Osama bin Laden, leader of the al-Qaida network, is believed to be in the lawless tribal belt on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. He had been sheltered by Taliban leader Mullah Omar before 9/11.
Taliban fighters folded in easy defeat in fall 2001 in what at first appeared to be a resounding U.S. victory. But militants that U.S. commanders once derided as ragtag amateurs have transformed into a fighting force advanced enough to mount massive conventional attacks. Suicide and roadside bombs have turned bigger and deadlier than ever.
The number of Arab, Chechen and Uzbek militants flowing into the Afghan-Pakistan region has increased this year, bringing with them command expertise the Taliban lacked.
U.S. death tolls have climbed sharply from the first years of the war. Only five American service members died in 2001. Thirty service members died in both 2002 and 2003; the toll climbed to 49 in 2004, then 93 in 2005 and 88 in 2006.
Last year 111 troops died, including one killed by a sniper while meeting with Pakistani officers in Pakistan. That mark was surpassed Thursday — with more than three months left in the year — reflecting both the increased number of American troops deployed to Afghanistan as well as the insurgency's increasing potency.
Top U.S. generals, European leaders and analysts say the blame lies to the east, in militant sanctuaries in neighboring Pakistan. As long as those areas remain havens where fighters arm, train, recruit and plot increasingly sophisticated ambushes, the Afghan war will continue to sour.
"What you have is a broad expansion on the front, and because of this you have expansion in areas of the Taliban. Even in areas where there is no substantial fighting, the presence of insurgents has increased," said Anthony Cordesman, a security expert with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"You have less cooperation from Pakistan, and there's political disarray," which creates a situation where there is little security and stability, Cordesman said. "You also have a weak government that is incapable of maintaining a significant presence in high threat areas."
Since the 2001 invasion, a total of 519 U.S. troops have died in the Afghan war, including those killed in border areas of Pakistan and in Uzbekistan, which was a staging area in 2001. An additional 65 more have died outside the Afghan region in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, according to the Defense Department.
The Pentagon says 117 U.S. service members died last year in Operation Enduring Freedom, but that includes six deaths outside the Afghan region: two in the Philippines, two in Ethiopia, one in Somalia and one in the Gulf.
The NATO-led force in Afghanistan said one soldier was killed Thursday in the east when insurgents attacked a compound. The separate U.S.-led coalition said a second service member died while conducting combat operations. No other details were released, but a Western military official told The Associated Press that both troops were American.
Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, the spokesman for Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense, noted the militants aren't just targeting U.S. forces. He said Afghan soldiers and police have also suffered a record number of casualties over the past year. Figures weren't immediately available.
President Bush announced this week that he was sending an Army brigade and a Marine battalion to Afghanistan in November to replace two that are scheduled to leave.
Some 33,000 U.S. troops are now stationed in the country, the highest level since 2001. Overall, more than 65,000 troops from 40 nations are deployed in Afghanistan.
U.S. commanders in Afghanistan say they need another 10,000 troops — even more than the deployment plan Bush announced. The commanders also urge more nonmilitary aid and say the Afghan government must perform better.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services Committee this week that, "I'm not convinced we're winning in Afghanistan. I'm convinced we can."
___
Associated Press reporters Amir Shah and Fisnik Abrashi in Kabul and Carley Petesch in New York contributed to this report
12 Sept. 2008. KABUL, Afghanistan - Insurgents killed two U.S. troops in Afghanistan on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks Thursday, making 2008 the deadliest year for American forces since U.S. troops invaded the country in 2001 for sheltering Osama bin Laden.
The deaths brought the number of troops who have died in Afghanistan this year to 113, according to an Associated Press tally, surpassing last year's record toll of 111.
Afghanistan was the launching pad for al-Qaida's terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. U.S. forces invaded in October 2001 in response and quickly drove the Taliban out of power.
Across Afghanistan, U.S. troops paused in silence Thursday to commemorate the 9/11 attacks. At a U.S. base in Kabul, members of the New York National Guard, many of whom served at the site of the World Trade Center after the towers came down, remembered the attack on their home state.
"For those of us who were there, served at Ground Zero, 9/11 is deeply personal," said Col. Brian K. Bale, the commander of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
Maj. Stephen Bousquet, 34, of Buffalo, N.Y., provided security at Ground Zero for three weeks after the attack. He now trains and mentors Afghan police, he said, "so American and coalition forces can leave one day."
Osama bin Laden, leader of the al-Qaida network, is believed to be in the lawless tribal belt on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. He had been sheltered by Taliban leader Mullah Omar before 9/11.
Taliban fighters folded in easy defeat in fall 2001 in what at first appeared to be a resounding U.S. victory. But militants that U.S. commanders once derided as ragtag amateurs have transformed into a fighting force advanced enough to mount massive conventional attacks. Suicide and roadside bombs have turned bigger and deadlier than ever.
The number of Arab, Chechen and Uzbek militants flowing into the Afghan-Pakistan region has increased this year, bringing with them command expertise the Taliban lacked.
U.S. death tolls have climbed sharply from the first years of the war. Only five American service members died in 2001. Thirty service members died in both 2002 and 2003; the toll climbed to 49 in 2004, then 93 in 2005 and 88 in 2006.
Last year 111 troops died, including one killed by a sniper while meeting with Pakistani officers in Pakistan. That mark was surpassed Thursday — with more than three months left in the year — reflecting both the increased number of American troops deployed to Afghanistan as well as the insurgency's increasing potency.
Top U.S. generals, European leaders and analysts say the blame lies to the east, in militant sanctuaries in neighboring Pakistan. As long as those areas remain havens where fighters arm, train, recruit and plot increasingly sophisticated ambushes, the Afghan war will continue to sour.
"What you have is a broad expansion on the front, and because of this you have expansion in areas of the Taliban. Even in areas where there is no substantial fighting, the presence of insurgents has increased," said Anthony Cordesman, a security expert with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"You have less cooperation from Pakistan, and there's political disarray," which creates a situation where there is little security and stability, Cordesman said. "You also have a weak government that is incapable of maintaining a significant presence in high threat areas."
Since the 2001 invasion, a total of 519 U.S. troops have died in the Afghan war, including those killed in border areas of Pakistan and in Uzbekistan, which was a staging area in 2001. An additional 65 more have died outside the Afghan region in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, according to the Defense Department.
The Pentagon says 117 U.S. service members died last year in Operation Enduring Freedom, but that includes six deaths outside the Afghan region: two in the Philippines, two in Ethiopia, one in Somalia and one in the Gulf.
The NATO-led force in Afghanistan said one soldier was killed Thursday in the east when insurgents attacked a compound. The separate U.S.-led coalition said a second service member died while conducting combat operations. No other details were released, but a Western military official told The Associated Press that both troops were American.
Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, the spokesman for Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense, noted the militants aren't just targeting U.S. forces. He said Afghan soldiers and police have also suffered a record number of casualties over the past year. Figures weren't immediately available.
President Bush announced this week that he was sending an Army brigade and a Marine battalion to Afghanistan in November to replace two that are scheduled to leave.
Some 33,000 U.S. troops are now stationed in the country, the highest level since 2001. Overall, more than 65,000 troops from 40 nations are deployed in Afghanistan.
U.S. commanders in Afghanistan say they need another 10,000 troops — even more than the deployment plan Bush announced. The commanders also urge more nonmilitary aid and say the Afghan government must perform better.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services Committee this week that, "I'm not convinced we're winning in Afghanistan. I'm convinced we can."
___
Associated Press reporters Amir Shah and Fisnik Abrashi in Kabul and Carley Petesch in New York contributed to this report
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Google Chrome: 3.8% browser share...
Software - ZDNet Australia Munir Kotadia, ZDNet.com.au
09 September 2008. Just a week after its launch, there are more ZDNet.com.au readers using Google Chrome than Apple's Safari browser. Meanwhile, Microsoft Internet Explorer now accounts for just 53 per cent of all browsers.
Browsers used by ZDNet.com.au readers today.
Google Chrome appears to be a hit, with 3.8 per cent of ZDNet.com.au readers already using the new browser. From internal statistics, it appears that Chrome users have either ditched Internet Explorer or Firefox 2.
Browsers used by ZDNet.com.au readers BC (before Chrome).
On 1 September (the day before Chrome's launch), Microsoft IE 7 enjoyed 35.1 per cent of the market while IE 6 accounted for 22.5 per cent, meaning the total IE market share stood at 57.6 per cent. Today, Microsoft's combined browser market share stands at 52.9 per cent with IE 7 at 33.1 per cent and IE 6 holding on to 19.8 per cent.
Firefox 3.0's market share has been boosted during the same period, from 26.5 per cent to 29.9 per cent. Firefox 2 however, has taken a hit, falling from 8.1 per cent to 6 per cent market share.
Your favourite browser is? Microsoft IE Mozilla Firefox Apple Safari Google Chrome Opera .
Interestingly, Apple's Safari Browser, which is built on the same WebKit framework as Google Chrome, has hardly been affected, moving down 0.2 per cent from 3.4 per cent share to 3.2 percent.
Chrome's rise has been meteoric, accounting for 2.5 per cent of browsers the day after it was launched and peaking at 4.5 per cent on Thursday — when the hype was at its peak — before dropping off again on Friday. Currently, Chrome's market share stands at 3.8 per cent.
All the above figures are based solely on the browsers used by ZDNet.com.au readers to access the site.
Have you downloaded Chrome? Will it be replacing your regular browser? How much market share can Chrome realistically own? Can IE bounce back?
09 September 2008. Just a week after its launch, there are more ZDNet.com.au readers using Google Chrome than Apple's Safari browser. Meanwhile, Microsoft Internet Explorer now accounts for just 53 per cent of all browsers.Browsers used by ZDNet.com.au readers today.
Google Chrome appears to be a hit, with 3.8 per cent of ZDNet.com.au readers already using the new browser. From internal statistics, it appears that Chrome users have either ditched Internet Explorer or Firefox 2.
Browsers used by ZDNet.com.au readers BC (before Chrome).
On 1 September (the day before Chrome's launch), Microsoft IE 7 enjoyed 35.1 per cent of the market while IE 6 accounted for 22.5 per cent, meaning the total IE market share stood at 57.6 per cent. Today, Microsoft's combined browser market share stands at 52.9 per cent with IE 7 at 33.1 per cent and IE 6 holding on to 19.8 per cent.
Firefox 3.0's market share has been boosted during the same period, from 26.5 per cent to 29.9 per cent. Firefox 2 however, has taken a hit, falling from 8.1 per cent to 6 per cent market share.
Your favourite browser is? Microsoft IE Mozilla Firefox Apple Safari Google Chrome Opera .
Interestingly, Apple's Safari Browser, which is built on the same WebKit framework as Google Chrome, has hardly been affected, moving down 0.2 per cent from 3.4 per cent share to 3.2 percent.
Chrome's rise has been meteoric, accounting for 2.5 per cent of browsers the day after it was launched and peaking at 4.5 per cent on Thursday — when the hype was at its peak — before dropping off again on Friday. Currently, Chrome's market share stands at 3.8 per cent.
All the above figures are based solely on the browsers used by ZDNet.com.au readers to access the site.
Have you downloaded Chrome? Will it be replacing your regular browser? How much market share can Chrome realistically own? Can IE bounce back?
Thursday, September 04, 2008
High blood calcium tied to lethal prostate cancer...
Health Reuters By Will Dunham
Wed Sep 3, 2008 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Men with elevated levels of calcium in their blood may have a much higher risk of getting fatal prostate cancer, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.
The findings indicate that a simple blood test may identify men at high risk for the most dangerous prostate tumors, and there already are drugs available that cut calcium levels in the bloodstream, the researchers said.
They tracked 2,814 men in a government health survey in which they gave blood samples that revealed calcium levels.
The men in the top third of blood calcium levels had 2.68 times the risk of developing fatal prostate cancer later in life compared to those in the bottom third, the study found.
"If serum calcium really does increase your risk for fatal prostate cancer, that's wonderfully exciting because serum calcium levels can be changed," Gary Schwartz of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, who helped lead the study, said in a telephone interview.
"One way to think of it is to think of the tremendous advances in the control of cardiovascular disease that occur from understanding that things like serum cholesterol predict heart attack," Schwartz added.
Doctors have struggled to find ways to predict if a man who gets prostate cancer will have a tumor that poses little danger, as is often the case, or one that is a killer.
Blood calcium was not very predictive of whether a man would get nonlethal prostate cancer, but was highly predictive of whether a man would get a fatal case, the researchers wrote in the American Association for Cancer Research's journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
The blood samples on average were given a decade before the cancer appeared, the researchers said.
A COMMON CANCER
Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in men worldwide, with about 780,000 men diagnosed per year, and the sixth mostly deadly form in men, with about 250,000 deaths per year, the American Cancer Society said.
Schwartz said it is unclear whether it is the actual calcium or blood levels of parathyroid hormone, which is supposed to keep calcium levels at normal levels in the bloodstream, that is raising the risk.
Either way, he said there are drugs that can lower them, including Fontus Pharmaceuticals Inc's Rocaltrol, also called calcitriol; Genzyme Corp's Hectorol (doxercalciferol); Abbott Laboratories' Zemplar (paricalcitol); and Amgen Inc's Sensipar (cinacalcet).
People treated for high blood calcium usually have chronic kidney disease, which is associated with low vitamin D levels. Low vitamin D levels elevate parathyroid hormone levels, Schwartz said.
Halcyon Skinner of the University of Wisconsin, who also worked on the study, said there is little relationship between calcium in the diet and blood calcium levels, so these men would not benefit from eating less food rich in calcium.
Previous research had suggested a role for calcium in prostate cancer. In laboratory studies, parathyroid hormone and calcium promote the growth of prostate cancer cells.
(Editing by Maggie Fox and David Wiessler)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Wed Sep 3, 2008 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Men with elevated levels of calcium in their blood may have a much higher risk of getting fatal prostate cancer, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.The findings indicate that a simple blood test may identify men at high risk for the most dangerous prostate tumors, and there already are drugs available that cut calcium levels in the bloodstream, the researchers said.
They tracked 2,814 men in a government health survey in which they gave blood samples that revealed calcium levels.
The men in the top third of blood calcium levels had 2.68 times the risk of developing fatal prostate cancer later in life compared to those in the bottom third, the study found.
"If serum calcium really does increase your risk for fatal prostate cancer, that's wonderfully exciting because serum calcium levels can be changed," Gary Schwartz of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, who helped lead the study, said in a telephone interview.
"One way to think of it is to think of the tremendous advances in the control of cardiovascular disease that occur from understanding that things like serum cholesterol predict heart attack," Schwartz added.
Doctors have struggled to find ways to predict if a man who gets prostate cancer will have a tumor that poses little danger, as is often the case, or one that is a killer.
Blood calcium was not very predictive of whether a man would get nonlethal prostate cancer, but was highly predictive of whether a man would get a fatal case, the researchers wrote in the American Association for Cancer Research's journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
The blood samples on average were given a decade before the cancer appeared, the researchers said.
A COMMON CANCER
Prostate cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in men worldwide, with about 780,000 men diagnosed per year, and the sixth mostly deadly form in men, with about 250,000 deaths per year, the American Cancer Society said.
Schwartz said it is unclear whether it is the actual calcium or blood levels of parathyroid hormone, which is supposed to keep calcium levels at normal levels in the bloodstream, that is raising the risk.
Either way, he said there are drugs that can lower them, including Fontus Pharmaceuticals Inc's Rocaltrol, also called calcitriol; Genzyme Corp's Hectorol (doxercalciferol); Abbott Laboratories' Zemplar (paricalcitol); and Amgen Inc's Sensipar (cinacalcet).
People treated for high blood calcium usually have chronic kidney disease, which is associated with low vitamin D levels. Low vitamin D levels elevate parathyroid hormone levels, Schwartz said.
Halcyon Skinner of the University of Wisconsin, who also worked on the study, said there is little relationship between calcium in the diet and blood calcium levels, so these men would not benefit from eating less food rich in calcium.
Previous research had suggested a role for calcium in prostate cancer. In laboratory studies, parathyroid hormone and calcium promote the growth of prostate cancer cells.
(Editing by Maggie Fox and David Wiessler)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Heart bypasses beat drug stents in study...
Health Reuters By Ben Hirschler
Mon Sep 1, 2008. MUNICH (Reuters) - Patients with difficult-to-treat clogged arteries are better off getting bypass surgery rather than drug stents, according to results of a major clinical study on Monday.
Both procedures proved equally safe but those patients receiving Boston Scientific's drug-coated Taxus stent were more likely to need a repeat procedure, researchers said.
The keenly awaited results of the so-called SYNTAX study by Dutch researchers were presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology.
"Despite the advent of drug-eluting stents, surgery comes out a winner," Douglas Weaver, president of the American College of Cardiology, said after the results were presented.
The one-year study found that 17.8 percent of patients receiving stents -- tiny wire-mesh tubes used to prop open clogged heart arteries -- either died, suffered a heart attack, had a stroke or needed a repeat procedure.
The figure was 12.1 percent for those undergoing surgery and receiving coronary artery bypass grafting, known as CABG.
Stenting was introduced in the 1990s and allows doctors to treat patients by inserting a catheter into the groin, resulting in very quick recovery times. CABG requires open-heart surgery.
Doctors in Munich said the results would be studied carefully but might not lead to a dramatic change in practice since many of the patients in the Dutch study would probably have received surgery anyway in normal clinical practice.
A more favorable result for stenting, however, could have encouraged further use of stenting over CABG.
Keith Dawkins, Associate Chief Medical Officer at Boston Scientific, said he believed the study was reassuring for the use of stents, despite not achieving its goal.
"The primary endpoint was missed. But it wasn't missed because of safety concerns; it was missed due to revascularization (reopening of arteries)," he said.
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Mon Sep 1, 2008. MUNICH (Reuters) - Patients with difficult-to-treat clogged arteries are better off getting bypass surgery rather than drug stents, according to results of a major clinical study on Monday.Both procedures proved equally safe but those patients receiving Boston Scientific's drug-coated Taxus stent were more likely to need a repeat procedure, researchers said.
The keenly awaited results of the so-called SYNTAX study by Dutch researchers were presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology.
"Despite the advent of drug-eluting stents, surgery comes out a winner," Douglas Weaver, president of the American College of Cardiology, said after the results were presented.
The one-year study found that 17.8 percent of patients receiving stents -- tiny wire-mesh tubes used to prop open clogged heart arteries -- either died, suffered a heart attack, had a stroke or needed a repeat procedure.
The figure was 12.1 percent for those undergoing surgery and receiving coronary artery bypass grafting, known as CABG.
Stenting was introduced in the 1990s and allows doctors to treat patients by inserting a catheter into the groin, resulting in very quick recovery times. CABG requires open-heart surgery.
Doctors in Munich said the results would be studied carefully but might not lead to a dramatic change in practice since many of the patients in the Dutch study would probably have received surgery anyway in normal clinical practice.
A more favorable result for stenting, however, could have encouraged further use of stenting over CABG.
Keith Dawkins, Associate Chief Medical Officer at Boston Scientific, said he believed the study was reassuring for the use of stents, despite not achieving its goal.
"The primary endpoint was missed. But it wasn't missed because of safety concerns; it was missed due to revascularization (reopening of arteries)," he said.
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Google set to introduce its own Web browser...
Technology Reuters
Mon Sep 1, 2008 SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc is set to introduce on Tuesday a new Web browser designed to more quickly handle video-rich applications, posing a challenge to browsers designed originally to handle text and graphics. Google...";
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc is set to introduce on Tuesday a new Web browser designed to more quickly handle video-rich applications, posing a challenge to browsers designed originally to handle text and graphics.
Google officials confirmed news of long-rumored plans to offer its own Web browsing software, entitled Google Chrome, in a company blog post after it mistakenly mailed details of the project to a Google-watching blog, called Blogoscoped.com.
The company statement calls the move "a fresh take on the browser" and said it will be introducing a public trial of the Web browser for Microsoft Corp Windows users on Tuesday. Details can be found at tinyurl.com/gchrome/.
The Internet search leader is also working on versions for Apple Macintosh users and for Linux devices, Google said.
The launch of Chrome coincides with the recent introduction by arch-rival Microsoft of its Internet Explorer 8 last month. Internet Explorer has roughly three-quarters of the browser market, followed by Mozilla's Firefox and Apple's Safari.
Google said its engineers had borrowed from a variety of other open-source projects, including Apple Inc's WebKit and the Mozilla Firefox open-source browser. As a result, Google plans to make all of Chrome software code open to other developers to enhance and expand, the company said.
"We realized that the Web had evolved from mainly simple text pages to rich, interactive applications and that we needed to completely rethink the browser," Google Vice President of Product Management Sindar Pichai and Engineering Director Linus Upson said in a jointly authored blog post.
BUILT FOR SPEED
They said Google Chrome promises to load pages faster and more securely, but it also includes a new engine for loading interactive JavaScript code, dubbed V8, that is designed to run the next generation of not-yet-invented Web applications.
"What we really needed was not just a browser, but also a modern platform for web pages and applications, and that's what we set out to build," Pichai and Upson wrote.
A Google spokesman declined to comment beyond the blog post.
"The browser landscape is highly competitive," Dean Hachamovitch, general manager of Microsoft's Internet Explorer, said in a statement.
"People will choose Internet Explorer 8 for the way it puts the services they want right at their fingertips, respects their personal choices about how they want to browse and, more than any other browsing technology, (it) puts them in control of their personal data online," Hachamovitch said.
GOING 'INCOGNITO'
Google confirmed that it had prematurely mailed a copy of a comic book. Blogoscope's writer, Philipp Lenssen, scanned and published the 38-page comic here
Chrome organizes information into tabbed pages. Web programs can be launched in their own dedicated windows. It also offers a variety of features to make the browser more stable and secure, according to the comic book guide.
Among Chrome's features is a special privacy mode that lets users create an "incognito" window where "nothing that occurs in that window is ever logged on your computer." This is a read-only feature with access to one's bookmarks of favorite sites.
Once available for testing on Tuesday, the browser can be downloaded at http://www.google.com/chrome/
(Additional reporting by Daisuke Wakabayashi in Seattle, Paritosh Bansal and Nick Zieminski in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Jan Paschal)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
addImpression("3098091_Share Links");
Mon Sep 1, 2008 SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc is set to introduce on Tuesday a new Web browser designed to more quickly handle video-rich applications, posing a challenge to browsers designed originally to handle text and graphics. Google...";SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc is set to introduce on Tuesday a new Web browser designed to more quickly handle video-rich applications, posing a challenge to browsers designed originally to handle text and graphics.
Google officials confirmed news of long-rumored plans to offer its own Web browsing software, entitled Google Chrome, in a company blog post after it mistakenly mailed details of the project to a Google-watching blog, called Blogoscoped.com.
The company statement calls the move "a fresh take on the browser" and said it will be introducing a public trial of the Web browser for Microsoft Corp Windows users on Tuesday. Details can be found at tinyurl.com/gchrome/.
The Internet search leader is also working on versions for Apple Macintosh users and for Linux devices, Google said.
The launch of Chrome coincides with the recent introduction by arch-rival Microsoft of its Internet Explorer 8 last month. Internet Explorer has roughly three-quarters of the browser market, followed by Mozilla's Firefox and Apple's Safari.
Google said its engineers had borrowed from a variety of other open-source projects, including Apple Inc's WebKit and the Mozilla Firefox open-source browser. As a result, Google plans to make all of Chrome software code open to other developers to enhance and expand, the company said.
"We realized that the Web had evolved from mainly simple text pages to rich, interactive applications and that we needed to completely rethink the browser," Google Vice President of Product Management Sindar Pichai and Engineering Director Linus Upson said in a jointly authored blog post.
BUILT FOR SPEED
They said Google Chrome promises to load pages faster and more securely, but it also includes a new engine for loading interactive JavaScript code, dubbed V8, that is designed to run the next generation of not-yet-invented Web applications.
"What we really needed was not just a browser, but also a modern platform for web pages and applications, and that's what we set out to build," Pichai and Upson wrote.
A Google spokesman declined to comment beyond the blog post.
"The browser landscape is highly competitive," Dean Hachamovitch, general manager of Microsoft's Internet Explorer, said in a statement.
"People will choose Internet Explorer 8 for the way it puts the services they want right at their fingertips, respects their personal choices about how they want to browse and, more than any other browsing technology, (it) puts them in control of their personal data online," Hachamovitch said.
GOING 'INCOGNITO'
Google confirmed that it had prematurely mailed a copy of a comic book. Blogoscope's writer, Philipp Lenssen, scanned and published the 38-page comic here
Chrome organizes information into tabbed pages. Web programs can be launched in their own dedicated windows. It also offers a variety of features to make the browser more stable and secure, according to the comic book guide.
Among Chrome's features is a special privacy mode that lets users create an "incognito" window where "nothing that occurs in that window is ever logged on your computer." This is a read-only feature with access to one's bookmarks of favorite sites.
Once available for testing on Tuesday, the browser can be downloaded at http://www.google.com/chrome/
(Additional reporting by Daisuke Wakabayashi in Seattle, Paritosh Bansal and Nick Zieminski in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Jan Paschal)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
addImpression("3098091_Share Links");
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Internet Explorer 8 beta 2 Browser reviews...
CNET Reviews Reviewed by: Robert Vamosi
CNET editors' take
Released on: 08/27/2008
With the public release of its second beta, Microsoft said it intends for the Internet Explorer 8 browser to be more customer-oriented than previous versions of its browser.
Our initial impression of Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 is positive: we think Microsoft has not only caught up with Opera, Safari, and Firefox, but in some cases even surpasses these other browsers with its innovative new features. IE8 offers people several enhancements like color-coded tabs, increased privacy options, and greater security features baked right in. Most of the new features require systems to be running Windows Vista SP1 or Windows XP SP3. The final version of Internet Explorer 8 is expected in November 2008.
The user interface hasn't changed much since Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1, except to add a Security pull-down menu between Page and Tools on the main toolbar. In addition to blocking phishing sites, IE8 now highlights the main domain of any Web site you visit. Thus, if something other than eBay.com is highlighted, chances are you are on the wrong Web site. Perhaps the most anticipated addition is Internet Explorer's new antimalware protection. Opera 9.5 and Firefox 3 both recently added antimalware protection. Safari has so far not announced plans for similar protection. Using mostly its own antimalware technology, Microsoft will block emerging threats by masking the entire IE 8 browser screen with a warning to users. The addition of malware protection to the existing antiphishing protection will be rebranded as the Microsoft SmartScreen filter.
In another feature, known as InPrivate, Microsoft allows the browser to suspend caching functions while you surf. Some scenarios for using InPrivate might be when you're using someone else's computer, when you need to buy a gift for a loved one without ruining the surprise, or when you're at an Internet kiosk and don't want the next person to know which Web site you visited. While you can currently clear the browser cache with a mouse click, it's an all-or-nothing action. InPrivate temporarily suspends the automatic caching functions, allowing you to keep the rest of your browsing history intact.
IE8 also contains a cross-site scripting filter, one of the first in a mainstream browser. Cross-site scripting allows an attacker to execute script on a user's browser without them knowing. When the IE8 filter finds a Web page with a cross-site scripting request, it changes the content on the page with a notice. Users are not presented with an option; IE simply blocks the malicious script from executing and displays the rest of the page.
IE 8 Beta 1 has already introduced several changes when handling ActiveX components. Components will be installed per user, which eliminates the need for everyone to have administrator privileges. In addition, you must acknowledge or opt-in for the component to run, eliminating drive-by downloads. Components will be per site and will only be available from the site of origin. Finally, site developers can request killbits, code that identifies a particular ActiveX control, from Microsoft which can be sent via Windows Update to terminate risky or outdated components. Killbits look for a specific identifier; if the identifier is missing or marked bad, an application will not run within Internet Explorer until the developer issues an updated version of the application.
Getting back to the customer experience, there's an underlying assumption by Microsoft that everyone wants new tabs. For instance, opening a bookmark means automatically opening a new tab. To re-open a closed tab, you need first to open a blank tab; same if you want to restore a previous session within IE8.
Fortunately, IE8 has included a new color-coded tab system that interrelates tabs. If you are on one page and click a link to open another tab, the two will appear side by side and share a color. This may work for casual users, but for a power user who needs 10 to 15 tabs open with tools and sites frequently visited, the proliferation of new tabs becomes unwieldy--whether or not they are grouped and associated by color.
IE8 provides what Microsoft calls an "accelerator." Here's how it works: highlight any word or phrase on a Web page and the browser will prompt you with a blue arrow icon. Now, use that icon to associate that word or phrase with a Web 2.0 service, such as Google maps to conveniently find an address. You can customize the options. Your accelerated item will appear in a new tab that is color-coded and adjacent to the original reference tab.
All this is good news for loyal Internet Explorer fans, but loyal Firefox fans still retain the customization edge--for every new feature in IE8, there will undoubtedly be another Firefox extension produced soon enough. If anything, IE8 will serve notice to the other browsers that the sleepy giant has awakened. The browser wars have reignited.
CNET editors' take
Released on: 08/27/2008
With the public release of its second beta, Microsoft said it intends for the Internet Explorer 8 browser to be more customer-oriented than previous versions of its browser.
Our initial impression of Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 is positive: we think Microsoft has not only caught up with Opera, Safari, and Firefox, but in some cases even surpasses these other browsers with its innovative new features. IE8 offers people several enhancements like color-coded tabs, increased privacy options, and greater security features baked right in. Most of the new features require systems to be running Windows Vista SP1 or Windows XP SP3. The final version of Internet Explorer 8 is expected in November 2008.
The user interface hasn't changed much since Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1, except to add a Security pull-down menu between Page and Tools on the main toolbar. In addition to blocking phishing sites, IE8 now highlights the main domain of any Web site you visit. Thus, if something other than eBay.com is highlighted, chances are you are on the wrong Web site. Perhaps the most anticipated addition is Internet Explorer's new antimalware protection. Opera 9.5 and Firefox 3 both recently added antimalware protection. Safari has so far not announced plans for similar protection. Using mostly its own antimalware technology, Microsoft will block emerging threats by masking the entire IE 8 browser screen with a warning to users. The addition of malware protection to the existing antiphishing protection will be rebranded as the Microsoft SmartScreen filter.
In another feature, known as InPrivate, Microsoft allows the browser to suspend caching functions while you surf. Some scenarios for using InPrivate might be when you're using someone else's computer, when you need to buy a gift for a loved one without ruining the surprise, or when you're at an Internet kiosk and don't want the next person to know which Web site you visited. While you can currently clear the browser cache with a mouse click, it's an all-or-nothing action. InPrivate temporarily suspends the automatic caching functions, allowing you to keep the rest of your browsing history intact.
IE8 also contains a cross-site scripting filter, one of the first in a mainstream browser. Cross-site scripting allows an attacker to execute script on a user's browser without them knowing. When the IE8 filter finds a Web page with a cross-site scripting request, it changes the content on the page with a notice. Users are not presented with an option; IE simply blocks the malicious script from executing and displays the rest of the page.
IE 8 Beta 1 has already introduced several changes when handling ActiveX components. Components will be installed per user, which eliminates the need for everyone to have administrator privileges. In addition, you must acknowledge or opt-in for the component to run, eliminating drive-by downloads. Components will be per site and will only be available from the site of origin. Finally, site developers can request killbits, code that identifies a particular ActiveX control, from Microsoft which can be sent via Windows Update to terminate risky or outdated components. Killbits look for a specific identifier; if the identifier is missing or marked bad, an application will not run within Internet Explorer until the developer issues an updated version of the application.
Getting back to the customer experience, there's an underlying assumption by Microsoft that everyone wants new tabs. For instance, opening a bookmark means automatically opening a new tab. To re-open a closed tab, you need first to open a blank tab; same if you want to restore a previous session within IE8.
Fortunately, IE8 has included a new color-coded tab system that interrelates tabs. If you are on one page and click a link to open another tab, the two will appear side by side and share a color. This may work for casual users, but for a power user who needs 10 to 15 tabs open with tools and sites frequently visited, the proliferation of new tabs becomes unwieldy--whether or not they are grouped and associated by color.
IE8 provides what Microsoft calls an "accelerator." Here's how it works: highlight any word or phrase on a Web page and the browser will prompt you with a blue arrow icon. Now, use that icon to associate that word or phrase with a Web 2.0 service, such as Google maps to conveniently find an address. You can customize the options. Your accelerated item will appear in a new tab that is color-coded and adjacent to the original reference tab.
All this is good news for loyal Internet Explorer fans, but loyal Firefox fans still retain the customization edge--for every new feature in IE8, there will undoubtedly be another Firefox extension produced soon enough. If anything, IE8 will serve notice to the other browsers that the sleepy giant has awakened. The browser wars have reignited.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Prostate cancer risk increased in obese men: study...
Health Reuters By Michelle Rizzo
Fri Aug 22, 2008. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, especially long-term use, appears to raise the risk of prostate cancer among obese men, according to findings of a new study.
"Given the epidemic of obesity in the U.S. and the frequent use of statins, the positive association we observed raises substantial concern as to the safety of these widely prescribed agents," Dr. Janet L. Stanford of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and colleagues wrote in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
In a population-based, case-control study, the researchers matched 1,001 men with prostate cancer diagnosed between 2002 and 2005 with 942 age-matched cancer-free controls from King County, Washington.
No overall association was observed between the risk of prostate cancer and the current or past use of statin treatment. Duration of statin use was also not associated with prostate cancer risk.
"We also found no evidence that use of a statin was associated with risk of developing more aggressive subtypes of prostate caner," Stanford said in an interview with Reuters Health. "Overall we found no support for the current hypothesis that statin use may reduce risk of prostate cancer."
However, the results do suggest a significant increase in the risk of developing prostate cancer associated with current statin use and with longer durations of use among obese men (defined as a body mass index of 30 greater).
"Among obese men," Stanford told Reuters Health, "current use of a statin was associated with a 50 percent increase in risk of prostate cancer; and use for 5 or more years was associated with an 80 percent increase in risk of the disease; both of these risk estimates were statistically significant."
These findings warrant further investigation, she said.
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Fri Aug 22, 2008. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, especially long-term use, appears to raise the risk of prostate cancer among obese men, according to findings of a new study.
"Given the epidemic of obesity in the U.S. and the frequent use of statins, the positive association we observed raises substantial concern as to the safety of these widely prescribed agents," Dr. Janet L. Stanford of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and colleagues wrote in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
In a population-based, case-control study, the researchers matched 1,001 men with prostate cancer diagnosed between 2002 and 2005 with 942 age-matched cancer-free controls from King County, Washington.
No overall association was observed between the risk of prostate cancer and the current or past use of statin treatment. Duration of statin use was also not associated with prostate cancer risk.
"We also found no evidence that use of a statin was associated with risk of developing more aggressive subtypes of prostate caner," Stanford said in an interview with Reuters Health. "Overall we found no support for the current hypothesis that statin use may reduce risk of prostate cancer."
However, the results do suggest a significant increase in the risk of developing prostate cancer associated with current statin use and with longer durations of use among obese men (defined as a body mass index of 30 greater).
"Among obese men," Stanford told Reuters Health, "current use of a statin was associated with a 50 percent increase in risk of prostate cancer; and use for 5 or more years was associated with an 80 percent increase in risk of the disease; both of these risk estimates were statistically significant."
These findings warrant further investigation, she said.
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Olympics set the stage for emerging Web tech fight | Technology | Reuters
Technology Reuters By Daisuke Wakabayashi
Mon Aug 25, 2008.SEATTLE (Reuters) - As the world's best athletes compete in Beijing, the summer Olympic games are setting the stage for a battle between Microsoft Corp and Adobe Systems Inc over the Internet's next big competition.
Microsoft's Silverlight technology and rival Adobe's Flash format are currently locked in a race over who delivers the world's online video, but the ultimate prize may be who powers the next generation of Web software.
Using Silverlight, the NBC site offers a glimpse of what is possible with future Web applications because viewers are able to watch up to four videos at once or follow the action with an online commentary that runs alongside the video.
More than 40 million U.S. viewers have gone to NBC's Olympics site to watch some of the 2,200 hours of live footage from the Beijing games. All those viewers need is a Silverlight player on their browser if they do not have one already.
By building up Silverlight's user base, the world's largest software maker is looking to win over developers who see Web platforms such as Silverlight and Flash as a new way to deliver powerful Web-linked programs incorporating rich graphics.
Currently, those platforms are mainly reserved for multimedia applications such as Google Inc's popular YouTube site, which runs on Adobe's Flash technology.
"It's quickly becoming a very popular way to build next generation applications. There's a lot of interest in capturing the hearts and minds of developers," said Jeffrey Hammond, an analyst at Forrester Research. "It'll be a big business."
Microsoft, which said nearly half the visitors to NBC's site did not have Silverlight, plans to expand its reach to close the gap on Flash, which is already running on most of the world's Web-connected computers and powers over 80 percent of the video on the Internet.
For Microsoft, keeping outside developers loyal is especially important at a time when there is a major shift in how people buy software.
After years of selling licenses for software that runs on a computer's hard drive, Microsoft is facing a new batch of competitors providing software free as a service through the Web browser in exchange for online advertising.
Taking advantage of Flash, Silverlight and other more simple Web-coding technologies such as AJAX, a new breed of interactive Web software -- known as rich Internet applications (RIAs) -- has emerged.
Like other Web applications, RIAs are cheaper to deploy and maintain than traditional software, but they differ from more simple Web programs by employing rich graphics, running faster and creating a seamless experience that does not require the application to constantly reload or refresh.
For example, a financial institution may use Flash or Silverlight to build a program to instantly chart stock prices or receive a steady stream of stock prices that do not require a trader to repeatedly hit refresh on his browser.
But those applications have yet to gain momentum with large corporate technology customers.
ADOBE VS. MICROSOFT
Gartner analyst Ray Valdes said 90 percent of the top global 1,000 companies have yet to deploy any sort of RIA, while 90 percent of the top 100 consumer Web sites have already done so using the nonproprietary and more simple AJAX format.
That opportunity has Microsoft eyeing current leader Adobe for business that extends beyond Silverlight and into the sale of design tools along with server and database software to enable these new applications.
"We have a large and established customer base. There is no doubt in our minds that Microsoft is going after this space very aggressively, but we feel very strong and confident," said Jennifer Taylor, director of Flash product development.
Historically, Adobe's developer tools have focused mainly on design and creating for the Web. Now, it plans to extend that to more traditional software development with Flex, a system to help developers create and deploy applications.
Adobe plans to take the next step with tools called Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR), which allow programs to run on the Web or offline on a computer's desktop.
On the other hand, Microsoft is approaching Silverlight from the opposite direction. It plans to take advantage of its legions of outside developers experienced in writing for its ubiquitous Windows operating system.
The next version of Silverlight, being tested now and due later this year, will support Microsoft's .NET framework -- tools used by developers to create desktop applications that work on Windows.
"This is a logical extension of the investment that we've had in the development space for decades," said Brian Goldfarb, group product manager for Microsoft's developer division.
Microsoft introduced its first version of Silverlight a year ago, but Gartner's Valdes said the second version is the first real form of Silverlight since the inclusion of .NET support turns the technology into "very different animal."
(Editing by Andre Grenon)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Mon Aug 25, 2008.SEATTLE (Reuters) - As the world's best athletes compete in Beijing, the summer Olympic games are setting the stage for a battle between Microsoft Corp and Adobe Systems Inc over the Internet's next big competition.Microsoft's Silverlight technology and rival Adobe's Flash format are currently locked in a race over who delivers the world's online video, but the ultimate prize may be who powers the next generation of Web software.
Using Silverlight, the NBC site offers a glimpse of what is possible with future Web applications because viewers are able to watch up to four videos at once or follow the action with an online commentary that runs alongside the video.
More than 40 million U.S. viewers have gone to NBC's Olympics site to watch some of the 2,200 hours of live footage from the Beijing games. All those viewers need is a Silverlight player on their browser if they do not have one already.
By building up Silverlight's user base, the world's largest software maker is looking to win over developers who see Web platforms such as Silverlight and Flash as a new way to deliver powerful Web-linked programs incorporating rich graphics.
Currently, those platforms are mainly reserved for multimedia applications such as Google Inc's popular YouTube site, which runs on Adobe's Flash technology.
"It's quickly becoming a very popular way to build next generation applications. There's a lot of interest in capturing the hearts and minds of developers," said Jeffrey Hammond, an analyst at Forrester Research. "It'll be a big business."
Microsoft, which said nearly half the visitors to NBC's site did not have Silverlight, plans to expand its reach to close the gap on Flash, which is already running on most of the world's Web-connected computers and powers over 80 percent of the video on the Internet.
For Microsoft, keeping outside developers loyal is especially important at a time when there is a major shift in how people buy software.
After years of selling licenses for software that runs on a computer's hard drive, Microsoft is facing a new batch of competitors providing software free as a service through the Web browser in exchange for online advertising.
Taking advantage of Flash, Silverlight and other more simple Web-coding technologies such as AJAX, a new breed of interactive Web software -- known as rich Internet applications (RIAs) -- has emerged.
Like other Web applications, RIAs are cheaper to deploy and maintain than traditional software, but they differ from more simple Web programs by employing rich graphics, running faster and creating a seamless experience that does not require the application to constantly reload or refresh.
For example, a financial institution may use Flash or Silverlight to build a program to instantly chart stock prices or receive a steady stream of stock prices that do not require a trader to repeatedly hit refresh on his browser.
But those applications have yet to gain momentum with large corporate technology customers.
ADOBE VS. MICROSOFT
Gartner analyst Ray Valdes said 90 percent of the top global 1,000 companies have yet to deploy any sort of RIA, while 90 percent of the top 100 consumer Web sites have already done so using the nonproprietary and more simple AJAX format.
That opportunity has Microsoft eyeing current leader Adobe for business that extends beyond Silverlight and into the sale of design tools along with server and database software to enable these new applications.
"We have a large and established customer base. There is no doubt in our minds that Microsoft is going after this space very aggressively, but we feel very strong and confident," said Jennifer Taylor, director of Flash product development.
Historically, Adobe's developer tools have focused mainly on design and creating for the Web. Now, it plans to extend that to more traditional software development with Flex, a system to help developers create and deploy applications.
Adobe plans to take the next step with tools called Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR), which allow programs to run on the Web or offline on a computer's desktop.
On the other hand, Microsoft is approaching Silverlight from the opposite direction. It plans to take advantage of its legions of outside developers experienced in writing for its ubiquitous Windows operating system.
The next version of Silverlight, being tested now and due later this year, will support Microsoft's .NET framework -- tools used by developers to create desktop applications that work on Windows.
"This is a logical extension of the investment that we've had in the development space for decades," said Brian Goldfarb, group product manager for Microsoft's developer division.
Microsoft introduced its first version of Silverlight a year ago, but Gartner's Valdes said the second version is the first real form of Silverlight since the inclusion of .NET support turns the technology into "very different animal."
(Editing by Andre Grenon)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Tunnels show Hitler's megalomaniac vision...
Reuters Madeline Chambers
Mon Aug 25, 2008. BERLIN (Reuters) - Three vast tunnels were opened under central Berlin this month, giving a glimpse of Adolf Hitler's megalomaniac vision of a new architectural centre for the capital of Nazi Germany.
The 16-metre (50-foot) deep tunnels were constructed in 1938 as part of an underground transport network beneath a series of bombastic buildings designed by Nazi architect Albert Speer, including the biggest domed hall the world had ever seen.
The overground plans, never completed because of World War Two, included boulevards, squares and huge buildings, such as an arch dwarfing the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and the 290-metre high Great Hall, with room for 180,000 people.
Hitler called the concept, a symbol of the power of the Third Reich, "Berlin -- the capital of the world" but in recent times it has come to be known as "Germania."
The tunnels, between 90 and 220 meters long lying beneath the Tiergarten park, would have accommodated roads and a railway line.
"The tunnels -- which are in surprisingly good condition -- were part of Speer's grand plans, what we now call 'Germania'," historian Dietmar Arnold, head of the Berlin Underground Association and bunker tour guide, told Reuters.
Last week, Arnold -- who runs an exhibition of Hitler's plans -- took journalists on a rare visit into the dank tunnels.
They are closed to the public most of the time because of safety concerns, but visits can be arranged.
"The acoustics are incredible," said Arnold, who likes singing a note and hearing it reverberate around him.
After the war, British forces in divided Berlin closed the tunnels. They were rediscovered in 1969 but have remained shut. In 1990, a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, they were handed to the city of Berlin.
The Berlin Underground Association, set up in 1997, has seen a surge in interest in tours of Berlin's remaining bunkers.
Although most were destroyed, some of the maze of 1,000 World War Two bunkers are intact and serve as a reminder of the city's violent history.
Propaganda posters and escape instructions on the walls convey a sense of the past. In one bunker, suitcases, helmets, and uniforms from various sites are on show.
"Interest is constantly growing -- we have about 150,000 visitors a year to the bunkers," said Arnold. "That is partly why we want the bunkers to be protected -- they are an important part of the history of Berlin."
By the end of the war, Germany's most heavily bombed city could protect up to 800,000 people in its bunkers.
(Editing by Andrew Dobbie)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Mon Aug 25, 2008. BERLIN (Reuters) - Three vast tunnels were opened under central Berlin this month, giving a glimpse of Adolf Hitler's megalomaniac vision of a new architectural centre for the capital of Nazi Germany.The 16-metre (50-foot) deep tunnels were constructed in 1938 as part of an underground transport network beneath a series of bombastic buildings designed by Nazi architect Albert Speer, including the biggest domed hall the world had ever seen.
The overground plans, never completed because of World War Two, included boulevards, squares and huge buildings, such as an arch dwarfing the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and the 290-metre high Great Hall, with room for 180,000 people.
Hitler called the concept, a symbol of the power of the Third Reich, "Berlin -- the capital of the world" but in recent times it has come to be known as "Germania."
The tunnels, between 90 and 220 meters long lying beneath the Tiergarten park, would have accommodated roads and a railway line.
"The tunnels -- which are in surprisingly good condition -- were part of Speer's grand plans, what we now call 'Germania'," historian Dietmar Arnold, head of the Berlin Underground Association and bunker tour guide, told Reuters.
Last week, Arnold -- who runs an exhibition of Hitler's plans -- took journalists on a rare visit into the dank tunnels.
They are closed to the public most of the time because of safety concerns, but visits can be arranged.
"The acoustics are incredible," said Arnold, who likes singing a note and hearing it reverberate around him.
After the war, British forces in divided Berlin closed the tunnels. They were rediscovered in 1969 but have remained shut. In 1990, a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, they were handed to the city of Berlin.
The Berlin Underground Association, set up in 1997, has seen a surge in interest in tours of Berlin's remaining bunkers.
Although most were destroyed, some of the maze of 1,000 World War Two bunkers are intact and serve as a reminder of the city's violent history.
Propaganda posters and escape instructions on the walls convey a sense of the past. In one bunker, suitcases, helmets, and uniforms from various sites are on show.
"Interest is constantly growing -- we have about 150,000 visitors a year to the bunkers," said Arnold. "That is partly why we want the bunkers to be protected -- they are an important part of the history of Berlin."
By the end of the war, Germany's most heavily bombed city could protect up to 800,000 people in its bunkers.
(Editing by Andrew Dobbie)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Country ordered to pay damages for sailor's suicide....
Reuters
Mon Aug 25, 2008. TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japanese government will have to pay damages to the parents of a sailor who hanged himself after being repeatedly insulted by his superior, in the first such court ruling involving a civil servant, media said.
The Fukuoka High Court in southern Japan ordered 3.5 million yen ($32,000) be paid to the parents of the petty officer third class, a court spokesman said, declining to give further details.
Kyodo news agency said the court recognized that the sailor's suicide had been caused by depression, a result of stress accumulated from insults such as: "You are not qualified as a petty officer third class" and "Are you dumb?"
The sailor had been 21 when he committed suicide aboard a destroyer in 1999, it said.
A lower court had ruled in the government's favor, saying the remarks from the sailor's superior had fallen within the scope of training, Kyodo added.
"It is disappointing that the court did not understand the state's claim," an official at the defense ministry quoted Vice Defence Minister Kohei Masuda as telling a news conference.
"We will closely study the decision and deal with it appropriately."
Japan's defense ministry has been hit by a string of scandals in recent years, including cases of bribery and security leaks.
Cases of bullying in companies and in schools have also made headlines in recent years.
($1=110.11 Yen)
(Reporting by Chisa Fujioka and Yoko Kubota; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Mon Aug 25, 2008. TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japanese government will have to pay damages to the parents of a sailor who hanged himself after being repeatedly insulted by his superior, in the first such court ruling involving a civil servant, media said.The Fukuoka High Court in southern Japan ordered 3.5 million yen ($32,000) be paid to the parents of the petty officer third class, a court spokesman said, declining to give further details.
Kyodo news agency said the court recognized that the sailor's suicide had been caused by depression, a result of stress accumulated from insults such as: "You are not qualified as a petty officer third class" and "Are you dumb?"
The sailor had been 21 when he committed suicide aboard a destroyer in 1999, it said.
A lower court had ruled in the government's favor, saying the remarks from the sailor's superior had fallen within the scope of training, Kyodo added.
"It is disappointing that the court did not understand the state's claim," an official at the defense ministry quoted Vice Defence Minister Kohei Masuda as telling a news conference.
"We will closely study the decision and deal with it appropriately."
Japan's defense ministry has been hit by a string of scandals in recent years, including cases of bribery and security leaks.
Cases of bullying in companies and in schools have also made headlines in recent years.
($1=110.11 Yen)
(Reporting by Chisa Fujioka and Yoko Kubota; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Cigarettes in movies seen to cause teen smoking...
Health Reuters By Julie Steenhuysen
A model smokes backstage before the start of the Jenni Kayne fall fashion show during New York Fashion Week February 7, 2007. Image by:REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Thu Aug 21, 2008. CHICAGO (Reuters) - Tobacco promotions and depictions of smoking in movies cause teenagers to start smoking, according to a sweeping report on tobacco in the media released on Thursday.
The report by the National Cancer Institute found the tobacco industry spent more than $13 billion on smoking-related advertising and promotion in 2005. These efforts boosted overall tobacco use, contradicting industry claims that they are intended to build brand loyalty.
"This is the first government report to present definitive conclusions that, number one, tobacco advertising and promotion are causally related to increased tobacco use in the population," said Dr. Ronald Davis, senior scientific editor of the report and past president of the American Medical Association.
"And, number two, (it shows) that depictions of smoking in movies is causally related to youth smoking initiation," Davis told a news conference.
The report, which examined more than 1,000 scientific studies on how the media influences tobacco use, comes at a time when efforts to keep young Americans from picking up cigarettes have stalled.
Tobacco use remains the single-largest cause of preventable death in the United States, accounting for more than 400,000 premature deaths each year.
Smoking is down from 42 percent of U.S. adults in 1965 to 21 percent in 2006. Still, more than 4,000 young people smoke their first cigarette each day, and another 1,000 become regular smokers. Nearly 90 percent of adult smokers began smoking while in their teens.
SMOKING IN MOVIES
The report found that even brief exposure to advertising influences adolescent attitudes. Three-quarters or more of hit movies depict cigarette smoking, and specific brands can be identified in about one third.
Last month, six major movie studios -- Viacom Inc's Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, News Corp's Twentieth Century Fox, General Electric Co's Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Co and Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros -- said they would place anti-smoking public service announcements on DVDs of all movies with youth ratings that depict smoking.
The campaign, brokered by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, a non-profit industry group, does not include youth-rated movies (PG-13 or below) in theaters.
But the report found mass media campaigns aimed at reducing smoking do work, especially when combined with other tobacco-control strategies. Health experts at the news conference called for much more money for such media efforts.
They said 1969 legislation banning smoking advertising in broadcast media and other curbs have led tobacco companies to shift marketing tactics. Price discount promotions, which accounted for 75 percent of total tobacco marketing expenditures in 2005, have proved to be highly effective.
"Any promotional technique that lowers the price the kids see when they go to buy a pack of cigarettes is extremely important," Davis said. "Partial advertising bans don't work."
Dr. Janet Collins, who directs chronic disease prevention and health promotion at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, endorsed the report's findings.
"The report speaks clearly to what amounts to an assault on the nation's health," Collins said.
The report comes just ahead of a Senate vote to give the Food and Drug Administration oversight of tobacco regulation. The measure passed the U.S. House of Representatives last month by a wide margin.
(Editing by Maggie Fox and Todd Eastham)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
A model smokes backstage before the start of the Jenni Kayne fall fashion show during New York Fashion Week February 7, 2007. Image by:REUTERS/Lucas JacksonThu Aug 21, 2008. CHICAGO (Reuters) - Tobacco promotions and depictions of smoking in movies cause teenagers to start smoking, according to a sweeping report on tobacco in the media released on Thursday.
The report by the National Cancer Institute found the tobacco industry spent more than $13 billion on smoking-related advertising and promotion in 2005. These efforts boosted overall tobacco use, contradicting industry claims that they are intended to build brand loyalty.
"This is the first government report to present definitive conclusions that, number one, tobacco advertising and promotion are causally related to increased tobacco use in the population," said Dr. Ronald Davis, senior scientific editor of the report and past president of the American Medical Association.
"And, number two, (it shows) that depictions of smoking in movies is causally related to youth smoking initiation," Davis told a news conference.
The report, which examined more than 1,000 scientific studies on how the media influences tobacco use, comes at a time when efforts to keep young Americans from picking up cigarettes have stalled.
Tobacco use remains the single-largest cause of preventable death in the United States, accounting for more than 400,000 premature deaths each year.
Smoking is down from 42 percent of U.S. adults in 1965 to 21 percent in 2006. Still, more than 4,000 young people smoke their first cigarette each day, and another 1,000 become regular smokers. Nearly 90 percent of adult smokers began smoking while in their teens.
SMOKING IN MOVIES
The report found that even brief exposure to advertising influences adolescent attitudes. Three-quarters or more of hit movies depict cigarette smoking, and specific brands can be identified in about one third.
Last month, six major movie studios -- Viacom Inc's Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, News Corp's Twentieth Century Fox, General Electric Co's Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Co and Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros -- said they would place anti-smoking public service announcements on DVDs of all movies with youth ratings that depict smoking.
The campaign, brokered by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, a non-profit industry group, does not include youth-rated movies (PG-13 or below) in theaters.
But the report found mass media campaigns aimed at reducing smoking do work, especially when combined with other tobacco-control strategies. Health experts at the news conference called for much more money for such media efforts.
They said 1969 legislation banning smoking advertising in broadcast media and other curbs have led tobacco companies to shift marketing tactics. Price discount promotions, which accounted for 75 percent of total tobacco marketing expenditures in 2005, have proved to be highly effective.
"Any promotional technique that lowers the price the kids see when they go to buy a pack of cigarettes is extremely important," Davis said. "Partial advertising bans don't work."
Dr. Janet Collins, who directs chronic disease prevention and health promotion at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, endorsed the report's findings.
"The report speaks clearly to what amounts to an assault on the nation's health," Collins said.
The report comes just ahead of a Senate vote to give the Food and Drug Administration oversight of tobacco regulation. The measure passed the U.S. House of Representatives last month by a wide margin.
(Editing by Maggie Fox and Todd Eastham)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Friday, August 22, 2008
Symantec buy creates Aussie millionaires...
News - Software - ZDNet Australia Renai LeMay, ZDNet.com.au
19 August 2008 11:17 AM The Australian founders of PC Tools are likely to be laughing all the way to the bank this morning after the locally based firm was acquired overnight by giant global rival Symantec.
PC Tools chief executive Simon Clausen and partner Peter McKow founded PC Tools back in 1998 as a website, with News Limited newspapers reporting the pair eschewed venture capital to fund their operations off the back of their credit cards.
As late as April 2007, Clausen told News Limited, the firm was on track to report revenues of greater than $50 million. At that stage the founders didn't have any plans to sell the venture.
However, acquisitive global security giant Symantec, which has its headquarters in the US, last night announced it had bought the firm for an undisclosed amount. It's likely, given PC Tools' reported revenues, that both Clausen and McKow have enjoyed a multi-million-dollar pay day, although no details are currently available.
PC Tools employs 200 staff worldwide, most of which are in Sydney and Melbourne, while Symantec has more than 700 employees across Australia and New Zealand.
"Part of the reason Symantec is acquiring PC Tools is because of the knowledge and experience possessed by PC Tools employees," a Symantec spokesperson said in a statement this afternoon.
"Therefore, we are very interested in retaining PC Tools employees after the acquisition and the plan is that PC Tools will continue with business as usual with no immediate changes."
This morning a Sydney spokesman for PC Tools declined to answer questions on the sale, punting all enquiries back to Symantec.
In a statement issued globally, Symantec said the deal was expected to close by the end of 2008 and was subject to closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
Clausen would continue to lead PC Tools as a separate operation within Symantec's consumer business unit, Symantec said, reporting to Symantec's group president of consumer products Janice Chaffin.
"PC Tools will continue to offer their products under the PC Tools brand and service its customers through its existing partners and channels," Symantec said.
Are you a PC Tools employee? Tip off ZDNet.com.au on the quiet as to what's going on at the company today. We'll keep you anonymous.
19 August 2008 11:17 AM The Australian founders of PC Tools are likely to be laughing all the way to the bank this morning after the locally based firm was acquired overnight by giant global rival Symantec.
PC Tools chief executive Simon Clausen and partner Peter McKow founded PC Tools back in 1998 as a website, with News Limited newspapers reporting the pair eschewed venture capital to fund their operations off the back of their credit cards.
As late as April 2007, Clausen told News Limited, the firm was on track to report revenues of greater than $50 million. At that stage the founders didn't have any plans to sell the venture.
However, acquisitive global security giant Symantec, which has its headquarters in the US, last night announced it had bought the firm for an undisclosed amount. It's likely, given PC Tools' reported revenues, that both Clausen and McKow have enjoyed a multi-million-dollar pay day, although no details are currently available.
PC Tools employs 200 staff worldwide, most of which are in Sydney and Melbourne, while Symantec has more than 700 employees across Australia and New Zealand.
"Part of the reason Symantec is acquiring PC Tools is because of the knowledge and experience possessed by PC Tools employees," a Symantec spokesperson said in a statement this afternoon.
"Therefore, we are very interested in retaining PC Tools employees after the acquisition and the plan is that PC Tools will continue with business as usual with no immediate changes."
This morning a Sydney spokesman for PC Tools declined to answer questions on the sale, punting all enquiries back to Symantec.
In a statement issued globally, Symantec said the deal was expected to close by the end of 2008 and was subject to closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
Clausen would continue to lead PC Tools as a separate operation within Symantec's consumer business unit, Symantec said, reporting to Symantec's group president of consumer products Janice Chaffin.
"PC Tools will continue to offer their products under the PC Tools brand and service its customers through its existing partners and channels," Symantec said.
Are you a PC Tools employee? Tip off ZDNet.com.au on the quiet as to what's going on at the company today. We'll keep you anonymous.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
New porn channel lets Canadians strut their stuff...
Reuters
Mon Aug 18, 2008 TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadians who may have become tired of being passed over as porn stars will have a new, home-grown outlet to showcase their erotic talents.
Federal regulators have granted Alberta-based Real Productions approval to launch a new digital pornography channel, which promises to serve up at least 50 percent domestic content.
The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approved the Category 2 pay-television service on Wednesday, allowing Northern Peaks to become "Canada's first adult video channel offering significant Canadian adult content."
"I think as Canadians there is a bit of a tiredness in seeing all American stuff," Shaun Donnelly, president of Real Productions, said during an interview on Friday.
"There is always that thrill for something that is local and you get the sense that these are people you can meet at the supermarket."
The CRTC only required 15 percent Canadian content, but Northern Peaks agreed to provide "not less than 50 percent of the broadcast day and not less than 50 percent of the evening broadcast period to Canadian programming," according to the license.
"We want to be Canada's adult channel and I think to do that, 15 percent wouldn't cut it," Donnelly said.
Real Productions boasts the largest collection of Canadian adult-themed content in the country with more than 200 film titles and 75 television episodes in its library.
The regulator stipulated the license will only be issued once Real Productions enters into an agreement with at least one licensed distributor.
Donnelly, who has also produced television programs for Playboy TV in the U.S. and Granada Television in Britain, said all five major Canadian cable and satellite carriers have expressed interest in hosting the channel and are reviewing the proposal.
"I've been in touch with the cable companies throughout the process and went ahead with it based on the interest we had," he said
Northern Peaks will be restricted to certain types of programming including long-form documentaries, dramatic series, feature films, game shows, mini-series, sitcoms and made-for-TV movies.
The CRTC received no interventions in connection with the application, which was initially launched in October 2007.
(Reporting by Ashleigh Patterson; editing by Rob Wilson)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Mon Aug 18, 2008 TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadians who may have become tired of being passed over as porn stars will have a new, home-grown outlet to showcase their erotic talents.
Federal regulators have granted Alberta-based Real Productions approval to launch a new digital pornography channel, which promises to serve up at least 50 percent domestic content.
The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approved the Category 2 pay-television service on Wednesday, allowing Northern Peaks to become "Canada's first adult video channel offering significant Canadian adult content."
"I think as Canadians there is a bit of a tiredness in seeing all American stuff," Shaun Donnelly, president of Real Productions, said during an interview on Friday.
"There is always that thrill for something that is local and you get the sense that these are people you can meet at the supermarket."
The CRTC only required 15 percent Canadian content, but Northern Peaks agreed to provide "not less than 50 percent of the broadcast day and not less than 50 percent of the evening broadcast period to Canadian programming," according to the license.
"We want to be Canada's adult channel and I think to do that, 15 percent wouldn't cut it," Donnelly said.
Real Productions boasts the largest collection of Canadian adult-themed content in the country with more than 200 film titles and 75 television episodes in its library.
The regulator stipulated the license will only be issued once Real Productions enters into an agreement with at least one licensed distributor.
Donnelly, who has also produced television programs for Playboy TV in the U.S. and Granada Television in Britain, said all five major Canadian cable and satellite carriers have expressed interest in hosting the channel and are reviewing the proposal.
"I've been in touch with the cable companies throughout the process and went ahead with it based on the interest we had," he said
Northern Peaks will be restricted to certain types of programming including long-form documentaries, dramatic series, feature films, game shows, mini-series, sitcoms and made-for-TV movies.
The CRTC received no interventions in connection with the application, which was initially launched in October 2007.
(Reporting by Ashleigh Patterson; editing by Rob Wilson)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Blow-up church looks to lure beachgoers...
Reuters
Wed Aug 6, 2008. ROME (Reuters) - Catholic nuns and priests in Italy are following their flocks to the beach this summer, establishing an inflatable church and a beach-convent in the sands to lure sunbathers.
The 30-metre (98 ft) long blow-up church -- staffed by priests ready to take confession -- will debut on Saturday on the Adriatic coast in the Molise region, an organizer said.
"There will be four or five people singing, with music about God," said Chiara Facci with Catholic group Sentinelli del Mattino. Night time activities, which will not include Mass, will run from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
The first attempt to inaugurate the inflatable church last month on the holiday island of Sardinia failed after strong winds forced organizers to relocate, she said.
Big cities like Rome and Milan empty in August, when Italians head to the beach for summer holidays, leaving streets empty and many businesses closed. Churches are hardly immune, and also see their congregations thin.
On the Mediterranean coast, nuns from a convent near the southern Italian city of Naples have relocated to beach cabins to join holidaymakers saying the rosary. An adjoining altar was set up under two tents.
"The concept of a beach-convent is something that is appreciated by vacationers and the nuns themselves," priest Antonio Rungi, who helped spearheaded the initiative, told Italian news agency ANSA.
(Reporting by Olivia Scarlett and Phil Stewart, editing by Mary Gabriel)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Wed Aug 6, 2008. ROME (Reuters) - Catholic nuns and priests in Italy are following their flocks to the beach this summer, establishing an inflatable church and a beach-convent in the sands to lure sunbathers.
The 30-metre (98 ft) long blow-up church -- staffed by priests ready to take confession -- will debut on Saturday on the Adriatic coast in the Molise region, an organizer said.
"There will be four or five people singing, with music about God," said Chiara Facci with Catholic group Sentinelli del Mattino. Night time activities, which will not include Mass, will run from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
The first attempt to inaugurate the inflatable church last month on the holiday island of Sardinia failed after strong winds forced organizers to relocate, she said.
Big cities like Rome and Milan empty in August, when Italians head to the beach for summer holidays, leaving streets empty and many businesses closed. Churches are hardly immune, and also see their congregations thin.
On the Mediterranean coast, nuns from a convent near the southern Italian city of Naples have relocated to beach cabins to join holidaymakers saying the rosary. An adjoining altar was set up under two tents.
"The concept of a beach-convent is something that is appreciated by vacationers and the nuns themselves," priest Antonio Rungi, who helped spearheaded the initiative, told Italian news agency ANSA.
(Reporting by Olivia Scarlett and Phil Stewart, editing by Mary Gabriel)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
British athletes bare all for advertising campaign....
Reuters
Tue Aug 5, 2008. LONDON (Reuters) - Some of Britain's top athletes have decided to bare all ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
Triple jumper Phillips Idowu, cyclist Rebecca Romero and swimmer Gregor Tait have all been photographed taking part in their individual sports stark naked as part of an advertising campaign for a sports drink.
"Everyone is used to seeing athletes in competition or winning, but we wanted to give people the chance to see the real make-up of an athlete and their muscle and power," said Cathryn Sleight, marketing director for Coca-Cola Great Britain, which launched the Powerade campaign.
Idowu said the photo shoot was "definitely one of the more unusual shoots I've taken part in, but also one of the most enjoyable."
(Reporting by Kate Kelland; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Tue Aug 5, 2008. LONDON (Reuters) - Some of Britain's top athletes have decided to bare all ahead of the Beijing Olympics.Triple jumper Phillips Idowu, cyclist Rebecca Romero and swimmer Gregor Tait have all been photographed taking part in their individual sports stark naked as part of an advertising campaign for a sports drink.
"Everyone is used to seeing athletes in competition or winning, but we wanted to give people the chance to see the real make-up of an athlete and their muscle and power," said Cathryn Sleight, marketing director for Coca-Cola Great Britain, which launched the Powerade campaign.
Idowu said the photo shoot was "definitely one of the more unusual shoots I've taken part in, but also one of the most enjoyable."(Reporting by Kate Kelland; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Would you give the Feds your computers?...
Education IT ZDNet.com Posted by Christopher Dawson
August 4th, 2008 The Frederick News Post reported Sunday that FBI agents seized two computers from one of the Frederick County, Maryland, public libraries this weekend.
Darrell Batson, director of Frederick County Public Libraries, said two FBI employees came to the downtown Frederick library either Wednesday or Thursday. The agents removed two public computers from the library’s second floor. They told him they were taking the units back to their office in Washington, D.C., Batson said.
While this isn’t terribly remarkable, especially given that Frederick County is home to all sorts of government types on whom the FBI would gladly keep a watchful eye, usually such a seizure is accompanied by a warrant. According to Batson,
This was the third time in his 10 years with FCPL that the FBI has come to the library seeking records, Batson said. It was the first time they came without a court order.
The library’s procedure for such requests usually requires a court order, however after the agent described the case and the situation, he was persuaded to give them access, Batson said.
This isn’t meant to be a judgment of Batson by any means; however, I don’t know if I would have done the same thing. In a public institution like a library or a school, the government certainly has some purview, but we also have a responsibility to protect the privacy of our students and teachers (or patrons, in the case of a library). Without at least a warrant and/or some serious legal advice from district counsel, I don’t have a good feeling that I would be doing my job if I simply handed over machines to the Feds.
What do you think?
Would you release computers to the FBI without a warrant?
Yes I would, especially if they convinced me of a time-sensitive need
No - a warrant is an easy thing to get quickly if the need arises; my first responsibility is to my users
Open Education IT ZDNet.com to answer "Yes" or :No" and to see the results.
Loading …Christopher Dawson is the technology director for the Athol-Royalston School District in northern Massachusetts. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
August 4th, 2008 The Frederick News Post reported Sunday that FBI agents seized two computers from one of the Frederick County, Maryland, public libraries this weekend.
Darrell Batson, director of Frederick County Public Libraries, said two FBI employees came to the downtown Frederick library either Wednesday or Thursday. The agents removed two public computers from the library’s second floor. They told him they were taking the units back to their office in Washington, D.C., Batson said.
While this isn’t terribly remarkable, especially given that Frederick County is home to all sorts of government types on whom the FBI would gladly keep a watchful eye, usually such a seizure is accompanied by a warrant. According to Batson,
This was the third time in his 10 years with FCPL that the FBI has come to the library seeking records, Batson said. It was the first time they came without a court order.
The library’s procedure for such requests usually requires a court order, however after the agent described the case and the situation, he was persuaded to give them access, Batson said.
This isn’t meant to be a judgment of Batson by any means; however, I don’t know if I would have done the same thing. In a public institution like a library or a school, the government certainly has some purview, but we also have a responsibility to protect the privacy of our students and teachers (or patrons, in the case of a library). Without at least a warrant and/or some serious legal advice from district counsel, I don’t have a good feeling that I would be doing my job if I simply handed over machines to the Feds.
What do you think?
Would you release computers to the FBI without a warrant?
Yes I would, especially if they convinced me of a time-sensitive need
No - a warrant is an easy thing to get quickly if the need arises; my first responsibility is to my users
Open Education IT ZDNet.com to answer "Yes" or :No" and to see the results.
Loading …Christopher Dawson is the technology director for the Athol-Royalston School District in northern Massachusetts. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
Friday, August 01, 2008
Windows XP: The facts about the future...
Windows XP:the future
The future of Windows XP. Last year you told us you weren't quite ready to say goodbye to Windows XP. We listened. That's why we delayed our plan to stop selling it until June 30, 2008.
We love that you love Windows XP. We've seen it on our website, in e-mails, and through independent online petition drives. Our engineers work hard to build innovative software that empowers our customers. It's nice when you tell us we've made a difference.
But our commitment to innovation sometimes means making tough choices. This is one of them.
After careful consultation with our customers and industry partners, we've decided to proceed with our plan to phase out Windows XP in June. It'll be a long goodbye. We plan to provide support for Windows XP until 2014.
We know there have been lots of questions—and some confusion—about our plans. Some key things you should know:
Did you know?
Windows Vista now supports 77,000 printers, cameras, speakers and other devices.
Over 2,700 software programs are now certified to work on Windows Vista, including 98 of the top 100 consumer applications.
62% of small business said Windows Vista saves them time, and 70% said that it makes them more productive, according to an independent survey.
More than 140 million copies of Windows Vista have already sold, making it the fastest selling operating system in Microsoft history.
71% of Windows Vista customers liked it better than their last operating system.
People who are familiar with Windows Vista are two to three times more likely to have a favorable impression.
Top questions we hear about Windows XP
Why do you have to stop selling Windows XP?
Microsoft was founded on a commitment to innovate and to provide our customers with the best software. That's part of our corporate DNA, and occasionally it means tough decisions.
We don't make them lightly.
The lifespan of every Microsoft product is carefully mapped from launch to retirement. Windows XP is no exception. We do this to ensure you always get the most out of your PC experience. (Read about Windows lifecycle policy.)
We've spent more than a year consulting with our customers and industry partners to ensure that we're doing the right thing. We understand that not everyone may agree with our decision—just as not everyone was happy to see Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME retire (OK, perhaps not ME).
But we think the time is right.
We also want to underscore that we're not, as some people have asserted, "pulling the plug" on our popular operating system. Let us be clear: Although Windows XP won't be sold in stores, Microsoft and its partners will continue to offer technical support for Windows XP for months and years to come. In fact, Microsoft plans to support Windows XP until 2014.
We're proud of Windows XP, a product that has empowered and entertained hundreds of millions of people in the last eight years. But technology doesn't stand still. And neither can we.
What'll happen to Windows XP after June 30? I'm confused.
In industry speak, this is called "end-of-sales." On June 30, Microsoft will stop distributing Windows XP as a stand-alone product that you can buy shrink-wrapped in the store. We'll also stop sending it to Dell, HP, Lenovo and all the other major PC manufacturers to sell on their PCs.
That said, Windows XP isn't going to disappear overnight.
You may still see copies of the software—or computers pre-loaded with it—for months, as stores and PC makers work through their inventory. Also, smaller local PC makers—known in the industry as "system builders"—can continue to sell PCs with Windows XP until January 2009.
Finally, Microsoft recently announced that computers with limited hardware capabilities—devices sometimes called Netbooks or ultra-low cost PCs (ULCPC)—can carry Windows XP Home until June 2010. (Read about the ULCPC program on Microsoft Presspass.)
I've heard I can get Windows XP for my small business past the June 30th deadline through something called "downgrade rights." What are those exactly?
If your business relies on Windows XP, there's still a way to get it.
When you buy Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate, you're automatically entitled to move back to Windows XP Professional via what we call "downgrade rights."
We've been working closely with our industry partners to develop new programs for small business customers interested in exercising these rights.
If you're interested in learning more about downgrade rights, contact your favorite PC maker.
My business relies on Windows XP. What'll happen after June 30 if I have technical problems?
We understand some of our customers aren't ready to upgrade their PCs to Windows Vista.
Although Windows XP will disappear from stores, we'll continue to offer Extended Support for the operating system for six more years, until April 2014.
Your PC maker can also provide technical support for your PC. Please contact them for more information.
For more details, see the Microsoft Support Lifecycle.
I've heard about two types of Windows XP support—"mainstream" and "extended." What's the difference?
Mainstream support delivers complimentary as well as paid support, free security updates and bug fixes to all Windows customers who purchase a retail copy of Windows XP (i.e. a shrink-wrapped, not pre-installed, copy). Mainstream support for Windows XP will continue through April 2009.
Extended support delivers free security updates to all Windows customers. Customers can also pay for support on a per-incident basis. Extended support for Windows XP will continue until April 2014. New bug fixes require the Extended Hotfix Support program.
Read the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy FAQ.
The future of Windows XP. Last year you told us you weren't quite ready to say goodbye to Windows XP. We listened. That's why we delayed our plan to stop selling it until June 30, 2008.
We love that you love Windows XP. We've seen it on our website, in e-mails, and through independent online petition drives. Our engineers work hard to build innovative software that empowers our customers. It's nice when you tell us we've made a difference.
But our commitment to innovation sometimes means making tough choices. This is one of them.
After careful consultation with our customers and industry partners, we've decided to proceed with our plan to phase out Windows XP in June. It'll be a long goodbye. We plan to provide support for Windows XP until 2014.
We know there have been lots of questions—and some confusion—about our plans. Some key things you should know:
Did you know?
Windows Vista now supports 77,000 printers, cameras, speakers and other devices.
Over 2,700 software programs are now certified to work on Windows Vista, including 98 of the top 100 consumer applications.
62% of small business said Windows Vista saves them time, and 70% said that it makes them more productive, according to an independent survey.
More than 140 million copies of Windows Vista have already sold, making it the fastest selling operating system in Microsoft history.
71% of Windows Vista customers liked it better than their last operating system.
People who are familiar with Windows Vista are two to three times more likely to have a favorable impression.
Top questions we hear about Windows XP
Why do you have to stop selling Windows XP?
Microsoft was founded on a commitment to innovate and to provide our customers with the best software. That's part of our corporate DNA, and occasionally it means tough decisions.
We don't make them lightly.
The lifespan of every Microsoft product is carefully mapped from launch to retirement. Windows XP is no exception. We do this to ensure you always get the most out of your PC experience. (Read about Windows lifecycle policy.)
We've spent more than a year consulting with our customers and industry partners to ensure that we're doing the right thing. We understand that not everyone may agree with our decision—just as not everyone was happy to see Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME retire (OK, perhaps not ME).
But we think the time is right.
We also want to underscore that we're not, as some people have asserted, "pulling the plug" on our popular operating system. Let us be clear: Although Windows XP won't be sold in stores, Microsoft and its partners will continue to offer technical support for Windows XP for months and years to come. In fact, Microsoft plans to support Windows XP until 2014.
We're proud of Windows XP, a product that has empowered and entertained hundreds of millions of people in the last eight years. But technology doesn't stand still. And neither can we.
What'll happen to Windows XP after June 30? I'm confused.
In industry speak, this is called "end-of-sales." On June 30, Microsoft will stop distributing Windows XP as a stand-alone product that you can buy shrink-wrapped in the store. We'll also stop sending it to Dell, HP, Lenovo and all the other major PC manufacturers to sell on their PCs.
That said, Windows XP isn't going to disappear overnight.
You may still see copies of the software—or computers pre-loaded with it—for months, as stores and PC makers work through their inventory. Also, smaller local PC makers—known in the industry as "system builders"—can continue to sell PCs with Windows XP until January 2009.
Finally, Microsoft recently announced that computers with limited hardware capabilities—devices sometimes called Netbooks or ultra-low cost PCs (ULCPC)—can carry Windows XP Home until June 2010. (Read about the ULCPC program on Microsoft Presspass.)
I've heard I can get Windows XP for my small business past the June 30th deadline through something called "downgrade rights." What are those exactly?
If your business relies on Windows XP, there's still a way to get it.
When you buy Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate, you're automatically entitled to move back to Windows XP Professional via what we call "downgrade rights."
We've been working closely with our industry partners to develop new programs for small business customers interested in exercising these rights.
If you're interested in learning more about downgrade rights, contact your favorite PC maker.
My business relies on Windows XP. What'll happen after June 30 if I have technical problems?
We understand some of our customers aren't ready to upgrade their PCs to Windows Vista.
Although Windows XP will disappear from stores, we'll continue to offer Extended Support for the operating system for six more years, until April 2014.
Your PC maker can also provide technical support for your PC. Please contact them for more information.
For more details, see the Microsoft Support Lifecycle.
I've heard about two types of Windows XP support—"mainstream" and "extended." What's the difference?
Mainstream support delivers complimentary as well as paid support, free security updates and bug fixes to all Windows customers who purchase a retail copy of Windows XP (i.e. a shrink-wrapped, not pre-installed, copy). Mainstream support for Windows XP will continue through April 2009.
Extended support delivers free security updates to all Windows customers. Customers can also pay for support on a per-incident basis. Extended support for Windows XP will continue until April 2014. New bug fixes require the Extended Hotfix Support program.
Read the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy FAQ.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Peru wants jail for nude woman using flag as saddle...
Reuters
Thu Jul 24, 2008. LIMA (Reuters) - A naked model photographed using Peru's flag as a saddle while mounted on a horse will face charges that could put her in jail for up to four years for offending patriotic symbols, the country's defense minister said on Wednesday.
The suggestive shot of Leysi Suarez, whose main job is dancing for the band Alma Bella, or Beautiful Soul, was splashed on the cover of DFarandula magazine and has caused a political uproar as Peru prepares to celebrate the 187th anniversary of its independence from Spain on Monday.
"These are patriotic symbols that demand total respect, and using them improperly requires punishment," Defense Minister Antero Flores told reporters. "This is an offense."
Flores has ordered a public prosecutor to take up the case and file charges.
Suarez said it was patriotic to pose for the photo.
"I haven't committed a crime. I love Peru and show it with my body and soul," the dancer said on RPP radio.
Mario Amoretti, a well-known lawyer, said it depends in part on how Peru's red-and-white flag was used.
"It's one thing to cover your body with the flag, but quite another thing to be naked and using it as a horse's saddle," he said.
The photos were republished on the Web site of Peru's El Comercio newspaper: here
(Reporting by Marco Aquino and Terry Wade; Editing by Eric Beech)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Thu Jul 24, 2008. LIMA (Reuters) - A naked model photographed using Peru's flag as a saddle while mounted on a horse will face charges that could put her in jail for up to four years for offending patriotic symbols, the country's defense minister said on Wednesday.
The suggestive shot of Leysi Suarez, whose main job is dancing for the band Alma Bella, or Beautiful Soul, was splashed on the cover of DFarandula magazine and has caused a political uproar as Peru prepares to celebrate the 187th anniversary of its independence from Spain on Monday.
"These are patriotic symbols that demand total respect, and using them improperly requires punishment," Defense Minister Antero Flores told reporters. "This is an offense."
Flores has ordered a public prosecutor to take up the case and file charges.
Suarez said it was patriotic to pose for the photo.
"I haven't committed a crime. I love Peru and show it with my body and soul," the dancer said on RPP radio.
Mario Amoretti, a well-known lawyer, said it depends in part on how Peru's red-and-white flag was used.
"It's one thing to cover your body with the flag, but quite another thing to be naked and using it as a horse's saddle," he said.
The photos were republished on the Web site of Peru's El Comercio newspaper: here
(Reporting by Marco Aquino and Terry Wade; Editing by Eric Beech)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Stripper arrested for subway pole dances....
Reuters
Fri Jul 11, 2008. SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A stripper who danced on the poles of Santiago subway trains to challenge the prudishness of Chilean society was arrested on Thursday during one of her lightning performances.
Monserrat Morilles, 26, surprised subway riders all week stripping to skimpy underwear, but she refused tips.
She said she was protesting a lack of tolerance in Chile, one of Latin America's most conservative societies where the first generation since the Pinochet dictatorship is reaching adulthood.
"This is just a beginning. We are starting an idea here that will grow and be developed further," she told Reuters as police and subway guards surrounded her.
The professional pole dancer worked quickly all week to avoid arrest, getting on at one station, finding a subway car with no children on it and stripping in time to exit at the next station.
Chilean media dubbed her "La Diosa del Metro" or Subway Goddess. She called her performances "happy minutes."
"Chile is still a pretty timid country," said her manager Gustavo Pradenas. "People aren't very extroverted and we want to take aim at that and make Chile a happier country."
(Reporting by Pav Jordan; Editing by Anthony Boadle)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Fri Jul 11, 2008. SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A stripper who danced on the poles of Santiago subway trains to challenge the prudishness of Chilean society was arrested on Thursday during one of her lightning performances.Monserrat Morilles, 26, surprised subway riders all week stripping to skimpy underwear, but she refused tips.
She said she was protesting a lack of tolerance in Chile, one of Latin America's most conservative societies where the first generation since the Pinochet dictatorship is reaching adulthood.
"This is just a beginning. We are starting an idea here that will grow and be developed further," she told Reuters as police and subway guards surrounded her.
The professional pole dancer worked quickly all week to avoid arrest, getting on at one station, finding a subway car with no children on it and stripping in time to exit at the next station.
Chilean media dubbed her "La Diosa del Metro" or Subway Goddess. She called her performances "happy minutes."
"Chile is still a pretty timid country," said her manager Gustavo Pradenas. "People aren't very extroverted and we want to take aim at that and make Chile a happier country."
(Reporting by Pav Jordan; Editing by Anthony Boadle)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Stripper arrested for subway pole dances....
Reuters
Fri Jul 11, 2008. SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A stripper who danced on the poles of Santiago subway trains to challenge the prudishness of Chilean society was arrested on Thursday during one of her lightning performances.
Monserrat Morilles, 26, surprised subway riders all week stripping to skimpy underwear, but she refused tips.
She said she was protesting a lack of tolerance in Chile, one of Latin America's most conservative societies where the first generation since the Pinochet dictatorship is reaching adulthood.
"This is just a beginning. We are starting an idea here that will grow and be developed further," she told Reuters as police and subway guards surrounded her.
The professional pole dancer worked quickly all week to avoid arrest, getting on at one station, finding a subway car with no children on it and stripping in time to exit at the next station.
Chilean media dubbed her "La Diosa del Metro" or Subway Goddess. She called her performances "happy minutes."
"Chile is still a pretty timid country," said her manager Gustavo Pradenas. "People aren't very extroverted and we want to take aim at that and make Chile a happier country."
(Reporting by Pav Jordan; Editing by Anthony Boadle)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Fri Jul 11, 2008. SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A stripper who danced on the poles of Santiago subway trains to challenge the prudishness of Chilean society was arrested on Thursday during one of her lightning performances.
Monserrat Morilles, 26, surprised subway riders all week stripping to skimpy underwear, but she refused tips.
She said she was protesting a lack of tolerance in Chile, one of Latin America's most conservative societies where the first generation since the Pinochet dictatorship is reaching adulthood.
"This is just a beginning. We are starting an idea here that will grow and be developed further," she told Reuters as police and subway guards surrounded her.
The professional pole dancer worked quickly all week to avoid arrest, getting on at one station, finding a subway car with no children on it and stripping in time to exit at the next station.
Chilean media dubbed her "La Diosa del Metro" or Subway Goddess. She called her performances "happy minutes."
"Chile is still a pretty timid country," said her manager Gustavo Pradenas. "People aren't very extroverted and we want to take aim at that and make Chile a happier country."
(Reporting by Pav Jordan; Editing by Anthony Boadle)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Doctors pull screws, nails from metal-eating man...
Reuters
Fri Jul 11, 2008 LIMA (Reuters) - Doctors in a coastal town in northwestern Peru have rescued the innards of a 38-year-old man by removing 17 metal objects -- among them nails, a watch clasp and a knife -- that he ate.
Luis Zarate was taken to the regional hospital of Trujillo earlier this week by his family after complaining of sharp stomach pains. Doctors took X-rays of his chest that showed his insides littered with screws.
"There were 17 strange objects found at the level of his stomach and colon," said Dr. Julio Acevedo, one of the surgeons who operated on Zarate.
The black-and-white scans showed Zarate's skeleton interlaced with things like bolts, barbed-wire and pens.
"The objects had caused the stomach to expand," said Acevedo.
Doctors said Zarate was mentally ill but it was not clear why he ate the metal.
(Reporting by Carlos Valdez; Writing by Dana Ford; Editing by Terry Wade and John O'Callaghan)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Fri Jul 11, 2008 LIMA (Reuters) - Doctors in a coastal town in northwestern Peru have rescued the innards of a 38-year-old man by removing 17 metal objects -- among them nails, a watch clasp and a knife -- that he ate.
Luis Zarate was taken to the regional hospital of Trujillo earlier this week by his family after complaining of sharp stomach pains. Doctors took X-rays of his chest that showed his insides littered with screws.
"There were 17 strange objects found at the level of his stomach and colon," said Dr. Julio Acevedo, one of the surgeons who operated on Zarate.
The black-and-white scans showed Zarate's skeleton interlaced with things like bolts, barbed-wire and pens.
"The objects had caused the stomach to expand," said Acevedo.
Doctors said Zarate was mentally ill but it was not clear why he ate the metal.
(Reporting by Carlos Valdez; Writing by Dana Ford; Editing by Terry Wade and John O'Callaghan)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Friday, July 11, 2008
Ex-lawmaker in bribery scandal poses nude...
Reuters
Thu Jul 10, 2008. BOGOTA (Reuters) - A disgraced ex-lawmaker who threw Colombian politics into turmoil by saying President Alvaro Uribe's re-election was tainted by corruption added body to the scandal on Tuesday by appearing naked on the cover of a magazine.
Yidis Medina was found guilty last month of taking illegal favors from government officials in return for voting for the constitutional amendment that permitted the 2006 re-election.
Monthly men's magazine SoHo showed a curvaceous Medina posing nude while in jail, her hands covering her breasts in one shot as she looks peacefully into the distance. The 12-page photo spread is titled "Body of Crime."
In the accompanying interview, Medina doesn't explain why she posed for the magazine but says she is ready to leave politics behind. "What I want is to get out of political life, which has brought me so many unwelcome things," she said.
Medina was sentenced to nearly four years of house arrest but will remain in prison while she is investigated as part of a separate kidnapping case.
She says she went public with her tale of corruption after the government failed to deliver favors -- including being able to name her friends to local commissions in her home province -- that it had promised in exchange for her vote.
The case ignited a political firestorm in which Uribe angrily called for a rerun of the 2006 vote.
(Reporting by Hugh Bronstein; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Thu Jul 10, 2008. BOGOTA (Reuters) - A disgraced ex-lawmaker who threw Colombian politics into turmoil by saying President Alvaro Uribe's re-election was tainted by corruption added body to the scandal on Tuesday by appearing naked on the cover of a magazine.
Yidis Medina was found guilty last month of taking illegal favors from government officials in return for voting for the constitutional amendment that permitted the 2006 re-election.
Monthly men's magazine SoHo showed a curvaceous Medina posing nude while in jail, her hands covering her breasts in one shot as she looks peacefully into the distance. The 12-page photo spread is titled "Body of Crime."
In the accompanying interview, Medina doesn't explain why she posed for the magazine but says she is ready to leave politics behind. "What I want is to get out of political life, which has brought me so many unwelcome things," she said.
Medina was sentenced to nearly four years of house arrest but will remain in prison while she is investigated as part of a separate kidnapping case.
She says she went public with her tale of corruption after the government failed to deliver favors -- including being able to name her friends to local commissions in her home province -- that it had promised in exchange for her vote.
The case ignited a political firestorm in which Uribe angrily called for a rerun of the 2006 vote.
(Reporting by Hugh Bronstein; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Friday, July 04, 2008
Green tea protects against heart disease: study...
Health Reuters By Michael Kahn
Wed Jul 2, 2008 LONDON (Reuters) - A few cups of green tea each day may help prevent heart disease, Greek researchers said on Wednesday.
A study published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation showed further evidence of the potential health benefits from a brew already linked to a reduced risk of a range of cancers and other conditions.
The study showed that green tea improves blood flow and the ability of arteries to relax, said Charalambos Vlachopoulos, a cardiologist at the Athens Medical School in Greece who worked on the study.
Other studies have shown that black tea also has benefits for cardiovascular health.
The Greek team said they believed green tea might be even better because it had higher quantities of beneficial compounds called flavonoids -- some of which are lost in the oxidation process that black tea undergoes.
Flavonoids are also found in cocoa, tomatoes and grapes.
"A couple of cups a day would probably be a good dose for people," Vlachopoulos said. "This is the first study to show these effects for green tea."
The researchers gave 14 healthy volunteers either green tea, diluted caffeine or hot water on three separate occasions and then measured the function of endothelial cells lining the circulatory system.
These cells help relax arteries and ease blood flow.
"What is important is these effects are evident fairly rapidly, within 30 minutes," Vlachopoulos said.
The measurements taken 30, 90 and 120 minutes following consumption showed an almost immediate benefit among people who had drunk green tea, he said.
Heart disease is the world's leading cause of death. It is caused by fatty deposits that harden and block arteries, high blood pressure which damages blood vessels, and other factors.
While the researchers looked only at a short-term impact, Vlachopolous said the team's not-yet-published studies suggest the protection is long lasting.
"Green tea is consumed less in the Western world than black tea, but it could be more beneficial because of the way it seems to improve (circulatory) function," he said.
(Editing by Bate Felix)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Wed Jul 2, 2008 LONDON (Reuters) - A few cups of green tea each day may help prevent heart disease, Greek researchers said on Wednesday.A study published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation showed further evidence of the potential health benefits from a brew already linked to a reduced risk of a range of cancers and other conditions.
The study showed that green tea improves blood flow and the ability of arteries to relax, said Charalambos Vlachopoulos, a cardiologist at the Athens Medical School in Greece who worked on the study.
Other studies have shown that black tea also has benefits for cardiovascular health.
The Greek team said they believed green tea might be even better because it had higher quantities of beneficial compounds called flavonoids -- some of which are lost in the oxidation process that black tea undergoes.
Flavonoids are also found in cocoa, tomatoes and grapes.
"A couple of cups a day would probably be a good dose for people," Vlachopoulos said. "This is the first study to show these effects for green tea."
The researchers gave 14 healthy volunteers either green tea, diluted caffeine or hot water on three separate occasions and then measured the function of endothelial cells lining the circulatory system.
These cells help relax arteries and ease blood flow.
"What is important is these effects are evident fairly rapidly, within 30 minutes," Vlachopoulos said.
The measurements taken 30, 90 and 120 minutes following consumption showed an almost immediate benefit among people who had drunk green tea, he said.
Heart disease is the world's leading cause of death. It is caused by fatty deposits that harden and block arteries, high blood pressure which damages blood vessels, and other factors.
While the researchers looked only at a short-term impact, Vlachopolous said the team's not-yet-published studies suggest the protection is long lasting.
"Green tea is consumed less in the Western world than black tea, but it could be more beneficial because of the way it seems to improve (circulatory) function," he said.
(Editing by Bate Felix)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Truck crash stirs up 12 million angry bees...
Reuters
Tue July 1, 2008. OTTAWA (Reuters) - How do you deal with millions of upset bees? Very carefully.
A truck containing 330 crates of bees, about 12 million of them altogether, overturned on a major highway near the town of St Leonard, New Brunswick, in Eastern Canada on Monday, setting free thousands of irritated stinging insects. Police sealed off the vehicle and called for expert help with the millions that were left inside.
"Trying to unload 12 million agitated bees out of the back of a truck would not be a good situation," said Derek Strong, a local spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
A team of beekeepers arrived and poured smoke into the truck to calm down the bees, which will be moved later in the day. Police said there was no general danger to the public.
"If there's anyone in St Leonard who is allergic to bees, we're recommending they leave town for a couple of hours," Strong told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Peter Galloway)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Tue July 1, 2008. OTTAWA (Reuters) - How do you deal with millions of upset bees? Very carefully.A truck containing 330 crates of bees, about 12 million of them altogether, overturned on a major highway near the town of St Leonard, New Brunswick, in Eastern Canada on Monday, setting free thousands of irritated stinging insects. Police sealed off the vehicle and called for expert help with the millions that were left inside.
"Trying to unload 12 million agitated bees out of the back of a truck would not be a good situation," said Derek Strong, a local spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
A team of beekeepers arrived and poured smoke into the truck to calm down the bees, which will be moved later in the day. Police said there was no general danger to the public.
"If there's anyone in St Leonard who is allergic to bees, we're recommending they leave town for a couple of hours," Strong told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Peter Galloway)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
No skimpy outfits on bar staff...
Reuters
Wed Jul 2, 2008. BEIJING (Reuters) - China's government has told discos, karaoke bars and other entertainment venues to install windows in private rooms and ensure staff dress modestly from Oct 1 as part of an effort to crack down on prostitution and drugs.
According to rules released on the Ministry of Public Security's website (https://www.mps.gov.cn), entertainment venues must install transparent partitions between rooms that ensure "the whole environment of the consumer's entertainment area in the room can be seen."
"When open for business, the transparent part of rooms and windows to rooms at singing and dancing entertainment venues must not be obstructed," the rules say.
Discos, karaoke nightclubs and other bars in China frequently have private rooms for hire, and are a favorite places for businessmen to entertain guests, sometimes with prostitutes, which is illegal in China.
Staff clothing is also covered in the new rules. "Staff members should dress tastefully, and not be too exposing."
Other rules demand closed circuit television cameras be installed and security guards placed at discos.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard, editing by Miral Fahmy)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Wed Jul 2, 2008. BEIJING (Reuters) - China's government has told discos, karaoke bars and other entertainment venues to install windows in private rooms and ensure staff dress modestly from Oct 1 as part of an effort to crack down on prostitution and drugs.According to rules released on the Ministry of Public Security's website (https://www.mps.gov.cn), entertainment venues must install transparent partitions between rooms that ensure "the whole environment of the consumer's entertainment area in the room can be seen."
"When open for business, the transparent part of rooms and windows to rooms at singing and dancing entertainment venues must not be obstructed," the rules say.
Discos, karaoke nightclubs and other bars in China frequently have private rooms for hire, and are a favorite places for businessmen to entertain guests, sometimes with prostitutes, which is illegal in China.
Staff clothing is also covered in the new rules. "Staff members should dress tastefully, and not be too exposing."
Other rules demand closed circuit television cameras be installed and security guards placed at discos.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard, editing by Miral Fahmy)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
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