Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Nokia adds sight recognition to Here Maps for Windows Phone 8

Six months after promising to integrate sight recognition technology into its Here suite of apps, Nokia has finally updated Here Maps with LiveSight. The update is available today in the Windows Phone app store and requires Windows Phone 8. By tapping a button in HERE Maps, users can enter LiveSight mode, which will scan the surrounding area and pull up relevant information about nearby locations, like addresses, phone numbers and ratings. Lumia owners familiar with Nokia's City Lens app will recognize the virtual signs attached to buildings viewed through the camera display and the Here Maps version of LiveSight appears to have similar functionality -- including Here's strongest selling point, offline access. If you want to see LiveSight in action, you can watch Nokia's preview video after the break.

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Source: Nokia

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/21/nokia-adds-sight-recognition-to-here-maps/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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CETL Seminar: Complementary Expertise - HKU Teaching and ...

Abstract
Academics in all the world?s higher education institutions are facing the twin pressures of researching and teaching but nowhere is that more evident than in the research intensive universities. One way to ?kill two birds with one stone? is to do serious and publishable research about your own practice as a researcher who is passionate about teaching. By collaborating with a teacher who is passionate about researching, the best of both worlds can be brought to the table. Discipline-based education journals are slowly inching up the ranking tables ? which is a win-win situation for both parties. This seminar draws on personal experience for examples of how such collaborations can be brought to successful conclusions.

Date??? : June 5, 2013 (Wednesday)
Time??? : 12:45pm ? 2pm
Venue?? : Room 322, Run Run Shaw Building
Speaker : Dr Andrys Onsman

For details and online registration, please go to http://www.cetl.hku.hk/seminar130605.

For enquiries, please contact Mr William Yieu by email wyieu@hkucc.hku.hk .

Please click on the following link for a short biography of Dr Onsman:
http://www.cetl.hku.hk/Dr_Andrys_Onsman.pdf

Source: http://tl.hku.hk/2013/05/cetl-seminar-complementary-expertise-using-multi-disciplinary-collaborations-to-research-pedagogy-in-higher-education/

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Under Mayer: Boosting mobile, buying companies

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, and Tumblr Chief Executive David Karp speak during a news conference Monday, May 20, 2013, in New York. Yahoo edged up 31 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $26.83 after the Internet company said it was buying online blogging forum Tumblr for $1.1 billion. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, and Tumblr Chief Executive David Karp speak during a news conference Monday, May 20, 2013, in New York. Yahoo edged up 31 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $26.83 after the Internet company said it was buying online blogging forum Tumblr for $1.1 billion. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Yahoo CEO Marrissa Mayer speaks during a news conference Monday, May 20, 2013, in New York. Yahoo edged up 31 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $26.83 after the Internet company said it was buying online blogging forum Tumblr for $1.1 billion. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks during a news conference on Yahoo, Flickr and Tumblr Monday, May 20, 2013, in New York. Yahoo edged up 31 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $26.83 after the Internet company said it was buying online blogging forum Tumblr for $1.1 billion. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Yahoo Inc. lured Marissa Mayer from Google in July to become its fifth CEO in as many years. Her task: Help the Internet pioneer regain its stature after years in a financial funk. In her 10 months leading the company, she has overseen a redesign of Yahoo services and orchestrated several acquisitions, including a deal to buy online blogging forum Tumblr for $1.1 billion.

Here are some of the milestones on her watch:

? ALIBABA: In September, Yahoo completed a long-awaited, $7.6 billion deal for Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba to buy back half of Yahoo's 40 percent stake. Most of the proceeds will go to its shareholders, but Yahoo has an extra $1.3 billion to finance acquisitions or hire new talent. Some of that money is going to the Tumblr deal.

? MOBILE: Mayer has made mobile services one of her top priorities, as more people connect to the Internet on smartphones and tablet computers. During her tenure, Yahoo has created a new weather app for Apple's iPhone. It also has redesigned an email app for smartphones, as well as the app for its Flickr photo service on the iPhone and iPad. But in February, Mayer also said Yahoo will be better served with just 12 to 15 mobile applications, down from a "scattered" portfolio of as many as 75 different programs in recent years.

? WEB MAKEOVER: Yahoo unveiled a long-awaited redesign of its home page in February ? the first in four years. The new approach is meant to get people to visit more frequently and linger for longer periods of time. Yahoo said it has developed more sophisticated formulas to determine which topics are most likely to appeal to different people so the news feed can be fine-tuned to cater to different tastes.

? PERSONNEL: Ross Levinsohn, who was in charge of Yahoo's media and advertising services and served as interim CEO before Mayer's hiring, left the company. Software industry veteran Ken Goldman was named chief financial officer to replace cost-cutting specialist Tim Morse, who was hired in 2009. Alfred Amoroso stepped down as board chairman in April and plans to leave next month, which will make him the eighth director to leave since early 2012.

? STOCK PERFORMANCE: Mayer's efforts at Yahoo have been well-received on Wall Street, although most of the 70 percent surge in Yahoo's stock price under Mayer's leadership has been driven by the rising value of Yahoo's remaining 24 percent in Alibaba. Unlike Yahoo, Alibaba's growth has been accelerating. That success has been steadily increasing Alibaba's estimated market value during the past year. Analysts believe Yahoo may be able to make another $10 billion to $20 billion, before taxes, when it sells the rest of its Alibaba holdings.

? ACQUISITIONS: Yahoo has bought several startups primarily to obtain more engineering talent to build help build better mobile applications. It also bought London startup Summly, which makes a mobile application created by a teenage entrepreneur who sought an easier way to read news stories and other content on the smaller screens of smartphones.

Now, it is buying Tumblr in the most expensive acquisition since the Sunnyvale, Calif., company bought online search engine Overture a decade ago for $1.3 billion in cash and stock. Yahoo is paying mostly cash and expects to complete the deal by the end of the year. Mayer is betting Tumblr will provide Yahoo with a captivating hook to reel in more traffic and advertisers on smartphones and tablet computers. More than half of Tumblr's users connect through the mobile app and engage in an average of seven visits per day.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-05-20-Yahoo-Mayer%20Achievements/id-11fb32af02b84dc2a8b0318a12722ae5

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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

A Free Term Life Insurance Quote Is Just Easy To Obtain | Travel ...

By searching online for life insurance, you will get a term life insurance offer without duty to purchase. To be able to get the free term life insurance price, you fill in the form on the appropriate page of the life insurance business site. You do have to make sure you provide honest answers to all or any the questions as a way to get the life insurance you need.

Once your request is received by the company for a totally free term life insurance quote, then a realtor will carefully review the program and mail a quote to you depending on the number of the death benefit and the term of the plan. You shouldn?t base the quote because every individual differs in his/her needs you receive on that of a friend or another relative. You do have to request free quotes from at least three companies, because you are looking for low cost term life insurance.

Term life insurance is only good for the life of the period. By the end of the term, you?ve the option to continue the policy, but you might not obtain it for the same free term life insurance estimate as you started with. It is because your actual age has certainly changed and your requirements in terms of a settlement also have changed. However, you still would like to get the very best prices possible for low cost term life insurance.

That you do not need to be in excellent health to obtain a free term life insurance quote. In fact, you may get low cost life insurance without also having a medical examination. You could possibly get a free of charge offer for term life insurance, even when you do have lethal diseases however it might not be the reduced cost term life insurance you?re hoping for. This is because you are in-a higher risk group because your chances of dying inside the period are much larger. Even though the rates are a little higher, you?re still making some thing for your family and to cover for your funeral.

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Source: http://www.irs-2011.de/a-free-term-life-insurance-quote-is-just-easy-to-obtain/

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NYPD to increase presence after bias killing

NEW YORK (AP) ? A spate of anti-gay attacks in New York City is prompting police to increase their presence in some gay-friendly neighborhoods heading into what's usually a time for celebration.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said Monday that the NYPD has pledged to station command vehicles in Greenwich Village, Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen through the end of June, which is Gay Pride Month.

The decision comes after a man walking with a companion was shot dead Saturday. Police say the gunman made homophobic remarks.

The killing happened in Greenwich Village, where the gay rights movement crystallized in the 1960s.

Several other gay bashings have been reported in Manhattan recently.

Quinn and Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott also say public schools will soon have assemblies or other discussions on bullying and hate crimes.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nypd-increase-presence-bias-killing-180717050.html

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AP PHOTOS: College commencements across nation

People sit in the rain and listen as President Barack Obama delivers the President Barack Obama gestures as he delivers the Morehouse College 129th commencement speech at Morehouse College Sunday, May 19, 2013, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

People sit in the rain and listen as President Barack Obama delivers the President Barack Obama gestures as he delivers the Morehouse College 129th commencement speech at Morehouse College Sunday, May 19, 2013, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Rutgers University President Robert L. Barchi gestures to students in the rain at Rutgers University's football stadium in Piscataway, N.J., Sunday, May 19, 2013, during graduation ceremonies. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

The Dalai Lama receives an honorary degree at Tulane University's 179th commencement ceremony at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on Saturday, May 18, 2013. He also delivered the commencement address. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

University of Minnesota, Rochester chancellor Stephen Lehmkuhle, left, watches as the first-ever class of undergrads poses for a photo outside the Mayo Civic Center, Saturday, May 18, 2013, in Rochester, Minn., before the start of the graduation ceremony. (AP Photo/The Star Tribune, David Joles) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES TV OUT.

Stephen Colbert delivers the 2013 Valedictory Address during the University of Virginia's 2013 Valedictory Exercises at John Paul Jones Arena, Saturday, May 18, 2013, in Charlottesville, Va. (AP Photo/The Daily Progress, Sabrina Schaeffer)

In a commencement address at Atlanta's historically black Morehouse College, President Obama said graduates should "find time to defend the powerless."

The president said his own success was due to "the special obligation I felt, as a black man like you, to help those who need it most, people who didn't have the opportunities that I had ? because there but for the grace of God, go I. I might have been in their shoes. I might have been in prison. I might have been unemployed."

In New Jersey, Rutgers University graduated the largest class in school history ? an estimated 14,302 students.

At New York's Hofstra University, students wore white ribbons at their graduation ceremony in honor of Andrea Rebello, one of their colleagues killed by a gunshot early Friday morning. A police officer accidentally killed 21-year-old Rebello as an armed intruder held her in a headlock.

Here are some images from college commencements across the nation:

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-05-19-AP-US-College%20Commencements-Photo%20Gallery/id-7dc2bbd4fea54cd1bc771c8a4f2d454a

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Talk of the Times: "Glory Road: An Exhibit of Railroad-Themed ...

This week, staff writer Patrice Wilding talks with Al Pierce about his upcoming display at Steamtown National Historic Site titled "Glory Road: An Exhibit of Railroad-Themed Posters and Photo Illustrations."

Residence: Waverly Twp.

Family: Wife, two children and one grandchild

Professional background: Career in motion picture post production in New York City; he also is a freelance graphic artist and photographer.

Q: Tell us about some of the pieces you created for the exhibit.

A: The exhibit will display images and text in the form of graphic designs/posters of the American railroad. It will include illustrations that showcase the Golden Age of rail travel and will contain terminology that has long been associated with the industry. Illustrations of historic steam engines, passenger cars and railroad workers are included in this exhibit.

Q: Describe the meaning behind the title "Glory Road."

A: The expression "Glory Road" was a sentimental term for early American railroads and was often used by both railroad workers and passengers. This exhibit title was selected because of my fondness of the images and visual observations of America's railroads of the past and how they appear today.

Q: What was your inspiration?

A: I have always had an affection for the railroads. As a young child, my family would travel each summer from New York City to Ohio on the railroads, and some of my earliest childhood memories were of these trips. What also excited me about this theme was the beauty of its tarnished industrial appearance and how its effect on American history is remembered from the remaining artifacts in the rail yards, parks and museums.

Q: How did you partner with Steamtown National Historic Site?

A: I originally approached Mark Brennan of the Steamtown National Historic Site with some of my railroad poster designs for him to look at. It was during that meeting that he offered me an exhibition of my work at Steamtown in the Changing Exhibits Gallery.

If you go

What: "Glory Road: An Exhibit of Railroad-Themed Posters and Photo Illustrations"

When: On display Monday, June 3, through Saturday, July 6; artist meet-and-greet on Sunday, June 9, 2 to 4 p.m.

Where: Changing Exhibits Gallery, Steamtown National Historic Site

Details: Admission to the exhibit is included in the park's daily entrance fee. For more information, call 340-5200 during regular business hours or visit www.nps.gov/stea.

Source: http://thetimes-tribune.com/lifestyles/talk-of-the-times-glory-road-an-exhibit-of-railroad-themed-posters-and-photo-illustrations-1.1490936

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Monday, May 20, 2013

First long-term study reveals link between childhood ADHD and obesity

First long-term study reveals link between childhood ADHD and obesity [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 20-May-2013
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Contact: Allison Clair
allison.clair@nyumc.org
212-404-3753
NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine

A new study conducted by researchers at the Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center found men diagnosed as children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were twice as likely to be obese in a 33-year follow-up study compared to men who were not diagnosed with the condition. The study appears in the May 20 online edition of Pediatrics.

"Few studies have focused on long-term outcomes for patients diagnosed with ADHD in childhood. In this study, we wanted to assess the health outcomes of children diagnosed with ADHD, focusing on obesity rates and Body Mass Index," said lead author Francisco Xavier Castellanos, MD, Brooke and Daniel Neidich Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Study Center at NYU Langone. "Our results found that even when you control for other factors often associated with increased obesity rates such as socioeconomic status, men diagnosed with ADHD were at a significantly higher risk to suffer from high BMI and obesity as adults."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ADHD is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders, often diagnosed in childhood and lasting into adulthood. People with ADHD typically have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors and tend to be overly active. ADHD has an estimated worldwide prevalence of five percent, with men more likely to be diagnosed than women.

The prospective study included 207 white men diagnosed with ADHD at an average age of 8 and a comparison group of 178 men not diagnosed with childhood ADHD, who were matched for race, age, residence and social class. The average age at follow up was 41 years old. The study was designed to compare Body Mass Index (BMI) and obesity rates in grown men with and without childhood ADHD.

Results showed that, on average, men with childhood ADHD had significantly higher BMI (30.1 vs. 27.6) and obesity rates (41.1 percent vs. 21.6 percent) than men without childhood ADHD.

"The results of the study are concerning but not surprising to those who treat patients with ADHD. Lack of impulse control and poor planning skills are symptoms often associated with the condition and can lead to poor food choices and irregular eating habits," noted Dr. Castellanos. "This study emphasizes that children diagnosed with ADHD need to be monitored for long-term risk of obesity and taught healthy eating habits as they become teenagers and adults."

###

The research was supported by grants MH-18579 and T32 MH-067763 from the National Institute of Mental Health, grant DA-16979 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and grant PIOF-253103 from the European Commission.

Co-authors of the study include Salvatore Mannuzza, PhD (retired); Samuele Cortese, MD, PhD, of the Phyllis Green and Randolph Cowen Institute for Pediatric Neuroscience and Verona University, Italy; Erika Proal, PhD, of the Phyllis Green and Randolph Cowen Institute for Pediatric Neuroscience and Neuroingenia, Mexico; Rachel G. Klein, PhD, and Maria A. Ramos Olazagasti, PhD, of the Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center.

The Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center is a recognized leader in the treatment of child psychiatric disorders through scientific practice, research and education. The CSC offers a wide range of mental health services for children, adolescents, young adults and families and our experts specialize in the fields of child, adolescent and adult psychiatry, clinical psychology, neuropsychology, social work, pediatric neurology and education and academic achievement. The center recently moved to its new location at One Park Ave. in Manhattan, and has facilities in New Jersey and on Long Island. For more information, please visit the Child Study Center website or call (212) 263-6622.

About NYU Langone Medical Center

NYU Langone Medical Center, a world-class, patient-centered, integrated, academic medical center, is one of the nation's premier centers for excellence in clinical care, biomedical research and medical education. Located in the heart of Manhattan, NYU Langone is composed of four hospitals Tisch Hospital, its flagship acute care facility; the Hospital for Joint Diseases, one of only five hospitals in the nation dedicated to orthopaedics and rheumatology; Hassenfeld Pediatric Center, a comprehensive pediatric hospital supporting a full array of children's health services; and the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, the world's first university-affiliated facility devoted entirely to rehabilitation medicine plus NYU School of Medicine, which since 1841 has trained thousands of physicians and scientists who have helped to shape the course of medical history. The medical center's tri-fold mission to serve, teach and discover is achieved 365 days a year through the seamless integration of a culture devoted to excellence in patient care, education and research. For more information, go to http://www.NYULMC.org.


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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


First long-term study reveals link between childhood ADHD and obesity [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 20-May-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Allison Clair
allison.clair@nyumc.org
212-404-3753
NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine

A new study conducted by researchers at the Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center found men diagnosed as children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were twice as likely to be obese in a 33-year follow-up study compared to men who were not diagnosed with the condition. The study appears in the May 20 online edition of Pediatrics.

"Few studies have focused on long-term outcomes for patients diagnosed with ADHD in childhood. In this study, we wanted to assess the health outcomes of children diagnosed with ADHD, focusing on obesity rates and Body Mass Index," said lead author Francisco Xavier Castellanos, MD, Brooke and Daniel Neidich Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Study Center at NYU Langone. "Our results found that even when you control for other factors often associated with increased obesity rates such as socioeconomic status, men diagnosed with ADHD were at a significantly higher risk to suffer from high BMI and obesity as adults."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ADHD is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders, often diagnosed in childhood and lasting into adulthood. People with ADHD typically have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors and tend to be overly active. ADHD has an estimated worldwide prevalence of five percent, with men more likely to be diagnosed than women.

The prospective study included 207 white men diagnosed with ADHD at an average age of 8 and a comparison group of 178 men not diagnosed with childhood ADHD, who were matched for race, age, residence and social class. The average age at follow up was 41 years old. The study was designed to compare Body Mass Index (BMI) and obesity rates in grown men with and without childhood ADHD.

Results showed that, on average, men with childhood ADHD had significantly higher BMI (30.1 vs. 27.6) and obesity rates (41.1 percent vs. 21.6 percent) than men without childhood ADHD.

"The results of the study are concerning but not surprising to those who treat patients with ADHD. Lack of impulse control and poor planning skills are symptoms often associated with the condition and can lead to poor food choices and irregular eating habits," noted Dr. Castellanos. "This study emphasizes that children diagnosed with ADHD need to be monitored for long-term risk of obesity and taught healthy eating habits as they become teenagers and adults."

###

The research was supported by grants MH-18579 and T32 MH-067763 from the National Institute of Mental Health, grant DA-16979 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and grant PIOF-253103 from the European Commission.

Co-authors of the study include Salvatore Mannuzza, PhD (retired); Samuele Cortese, MD, PhD, of the Phyllis Green and Randolph Cowen Institute for Pediatric Neuroscience and Verona University, Italy; Erika Proal, PhD, of the Phyllis Green and Randolph Cowen Institute for Pediatric Neuroscience and Neuroingenia, Mexico; Rachel G. Klein, PhD, and Maria A. Ramos Olazagasti, PhD, of the Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center.

The Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center is a recognized leader in the treatment of child psychiatric disorders through scientific practice, research and education. The CSC offers a wide range of mental health services for children, adolescents, young adults and families and our experts specialize in the fields of child, adolescent and adult psychiatry, clinical psychology, neuropsychology, social work, pediatric neurology and education and academic achievement. The center recently moved to its new location at One Park Ave. in Manhattan, and has facilities in New Jersey and on Long Island. For more information, please visit the Child Study Center website or call (212) 263-6622.

About NYU Langone Medical Center

NYU Langone Medical Center, a world-class, patient-centered, integrated, academic medical center, is one of the nation's premier centers for excellence in clinical care, biomedical research and medical education. Located in the heart of Manhattan, NYU Langone is composed of four hospitals Tisch Hospital, its flagship acute care facility; the Hospital for Joint Diseases, one of only five hospitals in the nation dedicated to orthopaedics and rheumatology; Hassenfeld Pediatric Center, a comprehensive pediatric hospital supporting a full array of children's health services; and the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, the world's first university-affiliated facility devoted entirely to rehabilitation medicine plus NYU School of Medicine, which since 1841 has trained thousands of physicians and scientists who have helped to shape the course of medical history. The medical center's tri-fold mission to serve, teach and discover is achieved 365 days a year through the seamless integration of a culture devoted to excellence in patient care, education and research. For more information, go to http://www.NYULMC.org.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/nlmc-fls052013.php

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Sunday, May 19, 2013

Sudan to sell stakes in four sugar plants-state media

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan, struggling with economic crisis and a budget deficit, plans to sell stakes in four state-owned sugar plants to attract partners, the official news agency SUNA said.

The African country has been trying to boost its sugar output to offset the loss of most oil production, the main export product, to South Sudan after partition in 2011. Oil used to be the biggest source of state income and foreign currency.

The state-owned Sudanese Sugar Co is looking for partners in its Guneid, Halfa, Sennar and Assalaya plants, its director Bakr Mahjub told SUNA on Saturday, adding that the state would not completely withdraw from the firm.

He gave no details and could not be immediately reached for comment. The sugar firm is owned by the central bank and finance ministry, according to its website.

The Guneid plant plans to increase its production to 115,000 tonnes annually from 60,000 tonnes under a 2010-2015 expansion plan, SUNA said. The Halfa factory would raise its output to 115,000 tonnes from 75,000 tonnes.

Sudan has been trying to improve the efficiency of the Sudanese Sugar Co, which is much smaller the country's main firm, the Kenana Sugar Company, which is owned by the governments of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Sudan.

Kenana plans to more double its sugar output to 1 million tonnes by 2015, it said last month.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sudan-sell-stakes-four-sugar-plants-state-media-140059819.html

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Dell Project Ophelia USB Android stick to ship in July, priced at $100

Dell Ophelia USB Android stick to ship in July, priced at $100

We know that "where for are thou?" was in search of a different Shakespearean character, but if you had the same question for (Dell's) Ophelia, then the answer is July. The Android pendrive / USB computer we saw back at CES may be one of many, but distinctive thanks to its mainstream PC-maker origins. We're still lacking a lot of the specifics, other than that there's WiFi, Bluetooth, Wyse PocketCloud integration, plus, of course, HDMI and Android 4.something. There will likely be a few enterprise-friendly features too (administration tools, remote wiping) reports PC World. As usual, developers will get their hands on them first, with -- interestingly -- some cable and telecoms companies potentially stocking it too -- though no specifics at this time. So, the $100 Dell might not be the portable you'd love for this price, but maybe the USB PC finally crossing over?

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Source: PC World

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/QmJ-1cEIMTk/

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Karzai seeks Indian military aid amid Pakistan row

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Afghan President Hamid Karzai will seek increased military aid from India during a three-day visit starting Monday and will discuss recent cross-border clashes with Pakistan, India's archrival, an aide said.

The comments follow a weekend report by the Times of India that said Afghanistan's ambassador to India had said the country needs India's help with "equipment and weapons to fight." The Press Trust of India later quoted a spokesman for India's foreign ministry as saying the country is ready to meet any such request.

"Yes, we will ask for assistance for the strengthening of our security forces," Karzai spokesman Aimal Faizi said in a briefing Saturday ahead of the trip. He did not comment on the Indian reports.

Karzai's visit could irk Pakistan, especially if any arms deal materializes. Pakistan considers Afghanistan its own backyard and suspects rival India of seeking greater influence there as a strategy to hem in the country from both sides. Pakistan and India have fought three wars since they were divided into two countries when they gained independence from Britain in 1947.

Afghanistan and India signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2011 that has included Indian military training of Afghan security forces. Faizi indicated Saturday that Karzai would seek to expand that cooperation. "Whatever our Afghan security forces would need for assistance and help, India would help us," he said.

Afghan analyst Wadir Safi, a political science professor at Kabul University, says the timing of Karzai's India trip is likely related to recent border skirmishes with Pakistan. Each side has been accusing the other of firing across the mountainous border region for months, including a skirmish earlier this month that killed an Afghan border policeman. Both countries have also accused each other of providing shelter for insurgents fighting on the other side of the border.

Afghan accusations that Pakistan is allegedly trying to torpedo efforts to start peace talks with the Taliban have also contributed to deteriorating relations. Pakistan is considered crucial to nudging Taliban leaders, many of which are in hiding in Pakistan, to the table ? a key goal of the United States and its allies ahead of the final pullout of foreign combat forces by the end of next year.

Karzai has long been deeply suspicious of the motives of Pakistan's government and military, which backed the Taliban regime before it was toppled in the 2001 U.S.-led intervention and has since seemed unable or unwilling to go after militant leaders taking refuge inside its borders. The killing of al-Qaida chief, Osama bin Laden, in Pakistan only strengthened Afghan wariness of his neighbor.

"Maybe at this moment, Karzai wants to show to the neighbor (Pakistan) that if they don't take part in bringing peace in Afghanistan, then he can increase relations with other countries with whom Pakistan has longtime disagreements," Safi said.

Safi warned, however, that any increased military cooperation with India would likely only contribute to tensions. "Of course, it will anger Pakistan," he said.

Aside from regional strategic rivalries, Karzai is expected to discuss economic issues and will visit an engineering university where he will receive an honorary degree, Faizi said.

India has invested more than $2 billion in Afghan infrastructure, including highways and hospitals and rural electricity projects. New Delhi is hoping to gain some influence in the country after 2014, when Afghan forces become responsible for the entire country's security.

Karzai, who earned his college degree in India, has visited New Delhi more than a half dozen times in the past few years, most recently in November 2012.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/karzai-seeks-indian-military-aid-amid-pakistan-row-103234707.html

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Preakness 2013 preview: Orb hopes inside track will lead to victory

The field for Saturday's 138th running of the Preakness Stakes is set to take aim at Kentucky Derby winner Orb, as he attempts to become the first thoroughbred in 35 years to capture the Triple Crown, consisting of victories in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes.

Nine horses will go to the post at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore shortly after 6 p.m. Eastern time for the mile and 3/16 race. Orb will have the No. 1 post position along the track's inside rail as trainer Shug McGaughey attempts to win his first Preakness, though he wouldn't have selected that spot to start from.

"Obviously, if I was going to pick it out, I wouldn?t have picked the ?1.? But with only nine horses in there to run a mile and three-sixteenths, with a rider like Joel (Rosario), he?s going to figure out what to do. He?ll have him in the right spot," McGaughey told reporters after Wednesday's post position draw.

RECOMMENDED: Triple Crown quiz: Test your knowledge of thoroughbred horse racing's 'Big Three'

Veteran trainer and five-time Preakness winner D. Wayne Lukas will have three horses in the race. Oxbow, who finished sixth in the Derby, and Will Take Charge, who finished eighth, will start from the sixth and seventh post positions, respectively. Lukas's third horse is Titletown Five, who will run out of the No. 3 post position. Titletown is owned in part by NFL Hall of Famers Paul Hornung and Willie Davis.

?I was satisfied all the way around with my three horses, especially Oxbow. It?s a small field with a good run to the turn. I don?t think it?s very significant, except maybe for Orb. Oxbow for a change got a decent post position, so that?s going to help there. I like what happened there very much," Lukas commented after the post position draw.

Another five-time winner, trainer Bob Baffert is in the field with Governor Charlie, who will start from the eighth spot. Governor Charlie was in the mix to run in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago, but suffered an injury and was not entered in the race.

Baffert says his horse is healthy now and ready to compete over the mile and three-sixteenths distance.

"It?s a different group of horses he?s running with and it?s a classic, but he?s bred to run that far," Baffert told the New York Daily News.

Other Kentucky Derby horses that are in the Preakness include Mylute and Goldencents. Saturday's Preakness Stakes will be broadcast by NBC.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/preakness-2013-preview-orb-hopes-inside-track-lead-140004422.html

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Saturday, May 18, 2013

Bomb strikes Sunni area in Baghdad, killing 7

BAGHDAD (AP) ? Iraqi officials say a bomb has exploded in a commericial area in a mainly Sunni neighborhood in western Baghdad, killing at least seven people and wounding 20.

The attack raises Friday's overall death toll to at least 58. That makes it the deadliest day in about two months as a spike in violence has raised fears the country could be on the path to a new round of sectarian bloodshed.

The officials gave the casualty figures on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

Tensions have been intensifying since Sunnis began protesting what they say is mistreatment at the hands of the Shiite-led government, including random detentions and neglect. The protests, which began in December, have largely been peaceful, but the number of attacks rose sharply after a deadly security crackdown on a Sunni protest camp in the country's north on April 23.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Twin explosions ripped through a crowd of Sunni worshippers outside Baghdad on Friday, an attack which, combined with a second deadly bombing at a Sunni funeral to the south of the capital, deepened fears Iraq may be headed toward a new round of sectarian conflict.

In the first attack, police said a bomb detonated just as the congregation was leaving Friday prayer services at a mosque in Baqouba, a former Sunni insurgent stronghold 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad. Another explosion went off shortly afterward as people gathered to help the wounded, leaving a total of at least 40 dead and 56 wounded. After the explosions, bloodied bodies lay strewn across the road outside the mosque.

The violence was the latest to hit a Sunni Muslim house of worship, a trend that has been on the rise. About 30 mosques were attacked between mid-April to mid-May, killing at least 65 Sunni worshippers.

Later in the day, a second bombing hit a Sunni funeral, killing seven and wounding 11, police said. Friday's attacks came after two days of violence mainly in Shiite areas that left 50 dead.

Two medical officials confirmed the casualties. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief reporters.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Iraqis attended the Friday funeral in a southern city of two Shiite fighters killed in Syria. Several such funerals have been held in recent months, the latest sign that that conflict has taken on a sectarian regional dimension.

In oil-rich Basra, mourners carried the coffin of Mohammed Aboud, whom they say was killed by sniper fire near the shrine of Sayida Zeinab outside the Syrian capital Damascus five days earlier.

They said Aboud went to Iran two months ago before flying to Syria in order to join a group of fighters protecting that country's Shiite shrines against attacks launched by the rebel Free Syrian Army.

For months, Iraqi Shiite fighters have trickled into Syria, where mostly Sunni rebels are fighting a regime dominated by a Shiite offshoot sect. Their relatives say the fighters are drawn by a sense of religious duty to protect the Sayida Zeinab shrine, which marks what is believed to be the grave of the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad. Iraq remains officially neutral in the Syrian conflict.

____

With reporting from Nabil al-Jurani in Basra

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/bomb-strikes-sunni-area-baghdad-killing-7-181222579.html

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Apple neglects to secure streaming album previews

Periodically, albums become available for live streaming on iTunes prior to their official release date. The hope is that not only do consumers get a chance to hear the album before buying it, but also that by offering a free and legal way to listen to the album before it?s available, there will be less motivation for eager fans to pirate leaked albums. With unreleased albums from Daft Punk and The National currently streaming on iTunes, 9to5Mac has discovered that the streams are being left completely unprotected, offering an easy way for pirates to get high-quality cuts of the albums before they?re officially released.

With traffic sniffing tools (such as Charles Proxy or HTTP Scoop) anybody can monitor their traffic while streaming the album which will show the URL of the M4P media file being streamed. Using this URL, users can easily save the album to their computer for future listening. While it?s true somebody could also just record the stream from their computer as they listen to it, it would lose some of the quality. Downloading the stream directly offers a crisp 256kbps AAC recording. It?s also true that rather than ending up with individual tracks that a listener can easily navigate through, you?re stuck with a single file that contains the whole album. You could split the album up into separate tracks yourself, but at that point it would be less effort for most people to just go pirate the album elsewhere. In fact, an illegal download of Daft Punk?s Random Access Memory currently available on a popular torrent site appears to have come from the iTunes M4P stream.

Admittedly, even if the streams were protected, piracy would still be happening. There are some people who just don?t want to pay for music. However, Apple?s handing these albums to pirates on a silver platter by offering up an unprotected, high-quality streams like this ahead of their release dates. Ironically, Apple has documentation available for developers that covers how to encrypt HTTP audio and video streams to protect from this sort of thing.

Source: 9to5Mac

    


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/KvTtJaoawLo/story01.htm

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96% War Witch

All Critics (48) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (2)

Canadian writer-director Kim Nguyen spent nearly a decade researching this docudrama about child soldiers in Africa, and the film feels as authoritative as a first-hand account.

A haunting take on unspeakably grim subject matter, shot on location in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A powerful and upsetting portrait of a young girl compelled into unimaginably horrific circumstances.

Nguyen, astonishingly, manages to wring something vaguely like a happy ending from this tragic story.

War Witch is most effective not when we are looking in on Komona but when we are inside her head.

The powerful things we expect from "War Witch" are as advertised, but what we don't expect is even better.

... driven by a remarkably natural, unaffected performance by Mwanza. And Nguyen, despite relying a little too heavily on the initial voice-over for exposition, is a confident and sensitive intelligence behind the camera.

You're likely to ponder its images, its insights into a very foreign (for most of us) location and the tragic situation of Komona (and others like her) for a long time to come.

Is it accurate depiction of Africa's child soldiers? I don't know, thank God. But it feels authentic to its very core, and that makes it as hard to forget as it is to ignore.

Brutal without turning exploitative, the result is harrowing and heartbreaking.

Nguyen creates a mesmerizing tone through his camerawork, editing, sound and the infusion of African folk imagery and ritual, but it's Mwanza's performance as Komona that makes "War Witch" feel so miraculous.

Nguyen reportedly worked on "War Witch" for a decade, and it shows in both the immediacy and authenticity of his tale, and the meticulous craft with which it's told.

Made with extremely clear-eyed restraint from harangues, sentiment, message-mongering, or anything else that would cheapen its central character's suffering and fight.

War Witch features a standout performance by Rachel Mwanza, but the supernatural visions don't really suit the film's tone and mood.

Nguyen's compassion and commitment to the issue is admirable, and at its best, War Witch is devastating.

War Witch is remarkable for the fact that it never strays into sentimentality or sensationalism.

...a love story between youngsters who are forced to become adults all too early in their lives.

This is a straight ahead essay on warfare at its worst and the survival of the human spirit at its best.

An astonishing drama set in Africa that vividly depicts the courage and resiliency of a 12-year-old girl whose spiritual gifts enable her to survive.

It is astonishing that film that contains such violence can have such a serene tone. The source of the serenity is the measured, calm narration by Komona (voice of Diane Umawahoro) that is the telling of her story to her unborn child

An exquisitely made film in direct contrast to the ugliness of its subject matter

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/war_witch/

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Friday, May 17, 2013

Don?t you know the crime rate?s going up up up up up? (Balloon Juice)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/306521800?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Acting IRS Head Who Took the Fall This Week Has Few Answers for Congress

Acting IRS commissioner Steven Miller is testifying in front of the House Ways and Means Committee this morning. It's one of the Congress' first opportunities to grill the agency on its use of politically loaded differentiation in assessing applicants' non-profit status.

RELATED: Which House Committee is Investigating Which D.C. 'Scandal': A Scorecard

It's an unenviable position for Miller. On Wednesday, Obama announced that Miller would be dismissed from his position ??a position that Miller assumed only just last November, well after the IRS had stopped its practice of putting Tea Party groups under increased scrutiny. (Miller will be replaced by Daniel Werfel in June.) Not that he's without blame: Miller was asked last year about the then-unconfirmed allegations by Congress ? prior to assuming his current role ? and didn't indicate that the practice had occurred. For his testimony today, committee chairman Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan swore Miller in, to reinforce the need for accurate testimony.

RELATED: Boehner's Pizza Party to Avert American Bankruptcy

Camp began the hearing by setting the stakes. The problem, he said, wasn't the IRS' use of terms like "Tea Party" and "Patriot" to filter which groups seeking tax-exempt status should receive additional scrutiny. The problem, instead, is that the IRS is "too large" and "too obstrusive." The tax system, he continued, "is rotten at the core, and it must be ripped out so we can start fresh." The chairman justified that claim by explaining that his goal was to examine five different aspects of the IRS' behavior. The Tea Party scrutiny was foremost, but there were other incidents: a White House official discussing the tax status of a company, harassment of donors to conservative groups, the Huffington Post accessing a donor list to the National Organization for Marriage, and a leak of applications for tax-exempt status to ProPublica.

RELATED: Congressman Somehow Worked 9/11 Into a Birth Control Mandate Protest

Rep. Sander Levin, the ranking Democrat, echoed Camp's concerns ? with a caveat. The IRS "completely failed the American people," he agreed, but "if this hearing becomes essentially a bootstrap to continue the campaign of 2012 and to prepare for 2014, we will be making a very serious mistake and not meeting our obligation to the American people." After Levin, Treasury's Inspector General for Tax Adminstration J. Russell George (left, above) quickly walked through his office's findings on the scrutiny of Tea Party (and other group) applicants.

RELATED: Obama Talks Turkey About the IRS, Syria, Benghazi, the AP Leaks

Then it was Miller's turn. He began his brief comments (lamenting he'd only had two days to prepare) with an apology. "Partisanship or even the perception of partisanship has no place at the IRS," he said. But: "I do not believe that partisanship motivated" the filtering. "Foolish mistakes were made by people looking to be more efficient."

RELATED: Boehner's Lifelong Quest for an 'Honest Conversation'

Camp began questioning Miller. He walked through the five incidents outlined in his opening statement. Miller had a few "I don't recalls," and explained that learned about several ??the White House official, the Huffington Post and ProPublica leaks ? through articles in the news. The last two, he said, were "inadvertent and there have been disciplines." Camp: "But you didn't inform Congress?" Miller: "They were in the press, sir." When Camp pressed him to explain his failure to be forthcoming during his prior testimony, Miller stated flatly, "I always answer questions truthfully, Mr. Camp."

Other committee member than asked questions. Rep. Sam Johnson of Texas pressed Miller on his previous testimony, unsuccessfully. Rep. Kevin Brady, also of Texas, described a resident of his district who, he says, was investigated by the FBI and asked numerous questions after filing for tax-exempt status. Brady then asked, "The broader question here: Is this still America? Is this Administration so drunk with power" that it would harass citizens in this way? Miller's response: I can't talk about a specific case. Brady followed up. Can you assure the committee that none of the IRS' information was shared with other agencies? It would be a violation of the law, Miller replied, and he would be "shocked ... shocked" if it had.

There was a subtext to the hearing today. As we've noted before, critique of the IRS behavior has been expanded to include attacks on the agency's role in administering Obamacare. (During the House's 37th effort to curtail the Affordable Care Act last night, the link between the IRS' behavior and the healthcare policy was used as an argument to support the vote.) One small piece of news won't help sever that link: the person who was in charge of the tax-exempt organizations section of the IRS during the time of the questionable screening, Sarah Hall Ingram, is now leading the section that administers Obamacare.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/acting-irs-head-took-fall-week-few-answers-140448146.html

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Turkey?s Erdogan Visits the U.S.: Four Problems That Won?t Be Solved

As domestic scandals clouded Washington, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived for a U.S. visit enveloped in his own fog. The Turkish premier has been one of the most outspoken international statesmen on the need for intervention in the brutal Syrian civil war raging on his country?s border. The main agenda of his American sojourn was to seek reinforcement from an Obama administration that has watched the conflict warily. At a joint press conference May 16 in the White House?s Rose Garden, Erdogan and Obama stood in the rain and reaffirmed their shared wish that Syrian President Bashar Assad be removed from power. But much went unspoken. As Erdogan?s visit concludes, here are four geopolitical conundrums that underlie his country?s relationship with Washington.

Syria:

Erdogan?s clamor for action on the issue of Syria was given tragic reinforcement last weekend when two car bombs ripped through the Turkish town of Reyhanli, on the Syrian border. Some 50 people died and dozens more were injured in an attack Turkish authorities blame on agents of the Assad regime. Turkey now houses nearly 400,000 Syrian refugees fleeing the war and has lost 19 of its own nationals in isolated clashes with Syrian forces. Turkey is a member of NATO, whose founding treaty stipulates collective action if a member state comes under attack. Erdogan gestures to both those obligations, as well as the heavy burden his country is shouldering now by housing so many Syrian refugees, when underscoring the need for greater international involvement in Syria. This would include the long-sought arming of the Free Syrian Army by the West.

But Obama made no mention of weapons in his promises of aid. Despite being one of the rebellion?s earliest cheerleaders, Erdogan and his government appears to have only limited sway over the opposition, which has seen an influx of radical jihadist fighters swell its ranks of fighters on the ground. The focus now falls on a planned U.N. conference to be held this June in Geneva, with diplomatic prodding from the U.S. and Russia hopefully bringing both the Syrian opposition and officials from the regime as well as regional stakeholders to the table. Russia?s insistence this week that Iran be present at the talks illustrates the complexity of the Syrian imbroglio, a conflict which no outside power can settle on its own terms.

Mideast Peace:

In Washington, Erdogan reiterated his desire to visit the Palestinian territory of Gaza this summer, which is administered by the Islamist organization Hamas and weathered a devastating Israeli bombing campaign last year. In 2010, a number of Turkish nationals were slain when Israeli security forces confronted an activist flotilla of ships carrying supplies to Gaza. Relations between Turkey and Israel plummeted thereafter, but this March, Netanyahu made the dramatic gesture (almost certainly a result of U.S. insistence) of phoning Erdogan and apologizing for the incident. Israel and Turkey both have a common interest in settling Syria?s chaos and crisis, but the closeness of old looks unlikely to return. So, too, do prospects of a negotiated peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Iraq?s Oil

This March, Erdogan?s government signed a landmark ceasefire with the Kurdistan Workers? Party (PKK), a guerrilla group deemed ?terrorist? by the U.S. State Department that for three decades was locked in a violent struggle with the Turkish state. Some 40,000 deaths later, the PKK now seems willing to give up its call for an independent Kurdish state and accept existing Turkish borders. As the process for a negotiated peace moves along, Ankara also tightened its links to the autonomous government of Iraqi Kurdistan, most recently announcing this week a deal to develop oil fields in northern Iraq without approval from Iraq?s federal government. The move has been branded ?illegal? by Baghdad and criticized by the Obama Administration. It comes at an especially tense moment in Iraq with Sunni-Shiite sectarian enmities blowing up once more and a dangerous chasm opening up between the regional Kurdish government and that of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad.

Erdogan?s Loss of Prestige

When Erdogan sat down with TIME editors in New York in 2011, he was buoyed by the winds of history. Erdogan basked in the events of the Arab Spring, styled in the foreign media as a neo-Ottoman Sultan influencing affairs in the Arab world. Authoritarian regimes were giving way to democracies that many assumed would emerge in the image of Erdogan?s Turkey: moderately Islamist, prosperous, stable. He was feted as a hero in Tripoli, Cairo and other Arab capitals. No country seemed more regionally relevant in the Middle East than Erdogan?s Turkey. Two years later and Turkey?s vaunted soft power looks more soft than powerful. The Arab Spring has soured and the Syrian war has turned a region?s optimism into despair; Erdogan, too, cuts a smaller, humbler figure on the world stage. His overwhelming support for the Syrian opposition is not mirrored by the majority of the Turkish public and his reliance on other foreign powers to push the diplomatic envelope has resulted in something of a loss of face. Steven Cook of the Council of Foreign Relations sums it up:

Here we are, heading to Geneva or some other anodyne place for a peace conference under the auspices of Washington and Moscow. At best, Prime Minister Erdogan and [his political lieutenants] will emerge from this episode with egg on their faces but with enough of their position intact to help implement whatever solution (if one materializes) the big powers coerce out of the players in Syria?s tragedy.? At worst, it will reveal once again the hollowness of their aspirations and dependence on great power patrons.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/turkey-erdogan-visits-u-four-problems-won-t-232945827.html

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Thursday, May 16, 2013

New cancer tools allow patients to reconsider chemo

By Deena Beasley

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After decades of using one-size-fits-all therapies to combat cancer, doctors are using new tools to help decide when their patients can skip chemotherapy or other harsh treatments.

An approach to oncology that has been in place for decades is beginning to yield to an arsenal of long-term clinical studies, genetic tests and novel drugs that target cancer cells and their infrastructure.

"What is happening is a combination of new technology and more-targeted cancer drugs," said Dr Sandra Swain, medical director of the Cancer Institute at Washington Hospital Center and president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). "We've tried the approach of big, nonspecific treatments ... We have found that throwing chemo at patients has not (necessarily) cured them."

Traditional chemotherapy drugs work by interfering with the entire body's system of cell replication, causing harsh side effects like fatigue and hair loss.

Since the completion of the human genome project in 2003, scientists have made progress in unlocking the genetic basis of a range of diseases, including cancer. That has paved the way for genetic testing as well as drugs that block specific pathways that cancer cells use to grow and reproduce.

Such targeted cancer drugs, which sometimes preclude the need for chemotherapy, are being sold by companies ranging from Pfizer Inc, the world's largest drugmaker, to Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc, which early this year launched its first drug, to treat leukemia.

At the same time, large-scale studies that look at whether some types of patients are better off with less treatment are giving doctors more confidence to hold off on using traditional cancer drugs.

Laurie Levin, now 64, was successfully treated in her 20s for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but faced a dilemma after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 since the earlier radiation and chemotherapy had already raised her risk of developing heart problems or leukemia.

A $4,000 genetic test showed that her breast cancer was unlikely to return, providing the confidence to undergo a lumpectomy and avoid chemotherapy.

"It was like someone handed me my life back when I got those results," she said.

Use of the Oncotype DX test, which analyzes genes involved in tumor recurrence, has cut the use of chemotherapy in U.S. breast cancer patients by 20 percent over the past eight years, according to its maker, Genomic Health Inc. The company recently launched a similar test designed to measure whether men with prostate cancer need to undergo surgery or radiation.

Tests and studies can clarify treatment, but costs remain on the upswing because the newest drugs are very expensive, with monthly price tags often in the thousands of dollars. By 2016 annual global sales of cancer drugs will nearly triple, to $88 billion from a decade earlier, according to IMS Health.

'RIGHT-SIZING TREATMENT'

The "less is more" approach to cancer will be one highlight of ASCO's annual meeting in Chicago that begins at the end of this month. On Wednesday, ASCO released thousands of abstracts on new clinical trials of cancer treatments.

One large, long-term study found that most men diagnosed with early-stage seminoma, a common type of testicular cancer, did fine with no treatment following surgery to remove the tumors.

Cure rates for the disease have always been quite high. Several European countries, including Denmark where the study was conducted, monitor seminoma patients for any relapse before further treatment. In the United States, about half of early-stage patients are still given radiation or chemotherapy, according to ASCO.

"Opting for surveillance spares patients, most of whom are young men, from the harmful side effects of chemotherapy and radiation without diminishing their chances for a long and healthy life," said ASCO's incoming president, Dr Clifford Hudis, in a statement.

Physicians say it is difficult to quantify in statistics, but there is growing recognition that less is more in terms of potentially toxic cancer treatments. The approach is especially important for young patients who will have many years ahead of them after beating an initial bout of cancer.

"We are right-sizing treatment," said Dr. James Mohler, chair of the department of urology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York. He pointed to recent national guidelines calling for "active surveillance" of older men diagnosed with slower-growing prostate cancer.

A study presented earlier this year at an ASCO meeting in Florida found similar survival rates for men with high-risk prostate cancer who received radiation and either 18 or 36 months of hormone therapy. The findings suggest the therapy, which causes significant side effects, could be given for less than the current standard of 24 to 36 months.

Another recent study out of the Duke Cancer Institute in Durham, North Carolina, found that survival odds for women with early-stage breast cancer who underwent breast-preserving surgery such as lumpectomy were as good as, or even better than, the odds for women who had mastectomies.

"We are going to see reevaluations of very successful therapies to determine whether or not we can achieve the same results using less treatment," said Dr Armand Keating, director of the hematology division at the University of Toronto and president of the American Society of Hematology.

The first-ever study showing that a type of leukemia could be cured without using chemotherapy was released in December. The Italian-German study found that a combination of a derivative of vitamin A, known as ATRA, and arsenic trioxide, a newer drug, worked as well as ATRA and chemotherapy in patients newly diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL).

"APL used to be one of the most dreaded strains of cancer, but with ATRA and chemo the results are very gratifying," Keating said. "Now we have two agents that are not chemo agents ... That to me is a milestone. I can't see any reason why this wouldn't become the standard of care."

A recent trial conducted in France found that omitting standard chemotherapy, which has been linked to heart damage, from the initial treatment of a type of childhood leukemia did not reduce survival outcomes.

"The nice thing is you have omitted a potentially toxic agent that contributes to morbidity and maybe mortality down the road," Keating said.

The priciest therapies are designed to take advantage of genetic mutations associated with cancer cells, some of them found only in a small percentage of patients.

A new drug for melanoma, BRAF inhibitor Zelboraf from Roche Holding AG, is designed to work by targeting a specific genetic mutation found in about half of all melanomas. Patients are first tested to see if they have it.

Pfizer's lung-cancer drug Xalkori, which targets a mutation in the ALK gene, works in about 4 percent of lung cancer patients. It also has been effective as a treatment for a rare but aggressive type of childhood lymphoma.

"We've been really trying for years to be more precise about who needs treatment ... Now we are more able to achieve it," said Swain.

(Reporting by Deena Beasley; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Prudence Crowther)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cancer-tools-allow-patients-reconsider-chemo-225455688.html

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