AP source: Beckham will join French club PSG

FILE - In this Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012 file photo Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham, of England, acknowledges the fans as he leaves the field after the team's 3-1 win in the MLS Cup championship soccer match against the Houston Dynamo in Carson, Calif. According to reports Thursday Jan. 31, 2013, David Beckham is to join Paris Saint-Germain. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

FILE - In this Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012 file photo Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham, of England, acknowledges the fans as he leaves the field after the team's 3-1 win in the MLS Cup championship soccer match against the Houston Dynamo in Carson, Calif. According to reports Thursday Jan. 31, 2013, David Beckham is to join Paris Saint-Germain. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

FILE - In this Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012 file photo Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham, top center, of England, poses with his sons, from left, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz after the Galaxy's 3-1 win in the MLS Cup championship soccer match against the Houston Dynamo in Carson, Calif. David Beckham's eldest son just might be the next person in his family to play in the Premier League. Brooklyn Beckham, the oldest of Beckham's four children at 13, is having a trial with London club Chelsea and played in an under-14 game on Tuesday at the team's training base, people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

LONDON (AP) ? David Beckham will join Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday, opting for a move to France after mulling over lucrative offers from around the world since leaving the Los Angeles Galaxy.

The 37-year-old Beckham was to undergo a medical examination in the French capital before being officially presented as PSG's latest recruit, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not yet been completed.

PSG would only confirm that a new a player would be attending a news conference at 11 a.m. EST on Thursday.

PSG's Qatari-owners have invested more than $300 million in players since buying the club in 2011. But Beckham was available on a free transfer after he ended his six-year stint in the United States with a second MLS Cup title last month.

At PSG, Beckham will be hoping to win a league title in a fourth country, having already enjoyed success at Manchester United and Real Madrid in Europe before moving to Major League Soccer.

Beckham had been close to joining PSG last January, but rejected a deal worth about $12 million per year to stay in California for one more season.

Now, though, Beckham and his family have moved back to London, which is a short flight or train ride from Paris.

Beckham made 115 appearances for England, a record for a player other than a goalkeeper.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-31-SOC-Beckham-PSG/id-c985ac13c9034d64834206de6bf44580

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Google most important source of referral traffic for B2B sites

Google continues to be the single biggest source of referral traffic for B2B websites, despite the growth that has been seen in social media.

The 2012 B2B Marketing Benchmark report from Optify revealed Google is responsible for 36 per cent of traffic to B2B websites.?

In total, organic search contributes 41 per cent of traffic to B2B websites, significantly more than paid search, which accounts for just four per cent of traffic.

Google was found to be responsible for 90 per cent of organic search traffic, however the research revealed traffic from Bing recorded more page views per visit and better conversion rates than Google.

Organic search was also revealed as the second biggest source for leads at 26 per cent, behind direct traffic with 34 per cent.

With organic search forming such a major part of traffic to B2B websites, it's essential companies have a comprehensive SEO strategy in place which recognises the importance of high quality content in achieving a high search ranking.

B2B trends in social media

Optify's research also assessed the impact of social media on B2B websites. On average social media sites were found to contribute less than five per cent of traffic and leads.

Twitter is the strongest social network for generating leads, accounting for 82 per cent of social media leads and outperforming professional social network LinkedIn.

Email marketing was found to generate lower levels of traffic (0.8 per cent), but a higher proportion of leads. Email was found to deliver both high engagement rates and high conversion rates.

However, the importance of social media for brand building and word-of-mouth recommendations should not be overlooked.

Research from Nielsen found 77 per cent of people believe recommendations from friends and family when looking to try a new product or service, higher than the number who say searching for a product online or television advertising influenced their decision.?

Source: http://www.newsreach.co.uk/seo/google-most-important-source-of-referral-traffic-for-b2b-sites

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California Workers' Compensation Rates for 2013 | Momentous ...

By Shantih?Charlton, CIC, CISR

Shantih Charlton

A recent report from the Workers? Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) indicates that insurance company rates for 2013 are going up by 15% in an effort to protect insurance company solvency (i.e. their ability to pay claims). The ultimate loss and expense ratio was high for 2011 at 139% and the 2012 calendar year loss ratio is 79% for the first 9 months (4th Quarter results have not yet been released).?

In general, claims frequency is increasing, payrolls are decreasing, and underwriting profitability is decreasing.? With the higher rates and lower payrolls, employers are paying more in premium than they were before.? The higher premiums are compounded by higher experience modification factors (also known as the mod), which are increasing due to higher claims frequency. The mod factor is a number that represents whether a company?s workers? compensation losses are better or worse than average. The mod works as a credit or debit that is applied to your workers? compensation premium.

You can do the following to help to lower your experience modification factor and your premium:

• Implement a safety program
• Implement a return to work program
• Implement a driver training program
• Implement an active claims management program to manage outstanding reserves and focus on efficiently resolving open claims.
• Review your job descriptions against the class codes to make sure they are correct

If you are concerned about your workers? compensation premium in 2013, you should contact a qualified insurance broker who has the loss control experience to help you promote safety and control your workers? compensation premium.

Disclaimer: The above content is a general overview which is provided for discussion purposes only and is not in any way meant as providing recommendations or legal counsel. It is not intended to apply to each circumstance. Because the facts and circumstances of every matter differ and the terms, conditions, exclusions and limitations contained in insurance policies vary, you should review your policy carefully and seek any legal counsel that may be necessary or appropriate.? Momentous is not responsible for any losses or damage resulting from reliance on the information contained herein.?

Source: http://www.momentousins.com/blog/?p=1190

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Washington lawmakers renew push on abortion insurance bill

By Jonathan Kaminsky, Associated Press

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

OLYMPIA ? Democratic state lawmakers are renewing a push that fell short a year ago that would require Washington insurers to pay for abortions, in addition to the maternity care they?re already mandated to provide.

They are championing House Bill 1044, better known as the Reproductive Parity Act, which is meant to ensure that existing abortion coverage be preserved once new health insurance rules come into effect in 2014 under national health care reform.

?What we?re doing is ensuring that women in Washington state can continue to enjoy the full range of reproductive rights, so they can have the freedom of choice to make decisions with their families and their doctors,? said Rep. Eileen Cody, D-West Seattle, the bill?s sponsor.

Opponents said the measure is a waste of time because all insurers in the state already cover abortion.

?The bill is completely unnecessary,? said Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver. ?It was only introduced for political fodder.?

The bill will receive a public hearing on Thursday in the Health Care and Wellness Committee of the Democratic-controlled House, which passed a similar measure a year ago.

It stands in contrast to Senate Bill 5156, a Republican-sponsored bill to require minors to notify a parent before becoming eligible to receive an abortion. That measure, which originally included language threatening longstanding abortion protections in the state, will receive a hearing in the Senate?s Law and Justice Committee on Feb. 6.

Voicing a concern raised by opponents of the abortion insurance bill, Majority Leader Rodney Tom, D-Medina, said he feared it could run afoul of federal law prohibiting the use of federal Medicaid money to pay for abortions, possibly jeopardizing billions of federal health care dollars slated for the state.

Included in the bill is a clause nullifying any portion of it found to interfere with the state?s receipt of that federal money.

Last year?s version of the measure never made it to the Senate floor for a vote, failing to pass out of the gate-keeping Rules Committee and then falling short in a dramatic attempt to bring it to a floor vote during a Republican-led, budget-focused takeover of the Senate floor. This year, 13 of the 22 Rules Committee members belong to the Republican-dominated majority, several of whom said they would not vote for it to come to the floor under any circumstance.

Cody said the bill is needed because under looming federal health care reforms, insurance carriers will face red tape associated with covering abortion that may tempt them to drop it from their plans. She said she is unaware of any insurer contemplating doing so.

Because federal money may not be spent on abortion, a prohibition dating to 1976, the insurers, under the federal reforms, will be required to collect two sets of premiums, one for abortion coverage and one for all other services.

Source: http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/jan/30/washington-lawmakers-renew-push-abortion-insurance/

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PFT: Club owner charged with assaulting Williams

Getty Images

We agree wholeheartedly with the opinions expressed by Peter King in his latest Monday Morning Quarterback and elsewhere regarding the merit (or more accurately lack thereof) of former Raiders receiver Tim Brown?s non-allegation allegation that former Raiders coach Bill Callahan ?sabotaged? a 10-year-old Super Bowl.? But some questions remain as the latest Super Bowl week commences.

First, will 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh be asked about the situation at one of his many media availabilities this week?? Harbaugh, who was a first-year offensive assistant with the Raiders in 2002, wasn?t asked about it on Sunday night when the team arrived.? And given the extent to which the story has faded in recent days, he may not be asked about it at all.

Second, did the Raiders? game plan change two days before the game?? Brown?s ludicrous opinion of sabotage comes from his belief, as a factual matter, that Callahan changed the game plan.? So did he?? There has been no definitive answer provided to that question.

Third, did the Raiders fail to change audibles and line calls?? It has been presumed for nearly a decade that the Raiders didn?t account for the fact that former Oakland coach Jon Gruden knew the code words that would be used at the line of scrimmage on offense.? But Peter King?s dismantling of the sabotage theory in the latest Monday Morning Quarterback extends to the notion that the Bucs knew what the Raiders were planning to do.? The game broadcast, however, contained strong evidence to the contrary.

Tampa Bay safety John Lynch wore a microphone, and he plainly can be heard telling former Bucs defensive backs coach Mike Tomlin after the Raiders fell behind 20-3 late in the first half, ?Mike, every play they?ve run, we ran in practice.? It?s unreal.?

Said Tomlin, ?I know.?

Whatever the reason, the Buccaneers? dominance was enough, we?re told, to prompt Raiders receiver Jerry Rice to rip the microphone he was wearing during the game from his pads and flush it down a toilet at halftime.

Fourth, given that King believes Brown?s assertion is ?utterly preposterous? and that King is one of the voters for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, will this mess keep Brown out for another year?? The voters will swear that they don?t consider anything other than what happens on the field, in accordance with the Hall of Fame?s bylaws.? But as we explained in our one-time-and-one-time-only PFT season preview magazine (which apparently made a cameo appearance several months ago in an episode of Mike & Molly on CBS), the human beings who cast the votes are influenced by the things that tend to influence the decisions made by human beings.

If it?s a close call between Brown and someone else as a given voter makes the excruciating descent from 15 modern-era finalists to up to five modern-era enshrinees, Brown?s assertions could be viewed, consciously or otherwise, as reflecting the kind of disrespect for and misunderstanding of the game that could be the factor pushing that person one way or the other.

There would be no hard proof of it, and none of the voters will risk their vote by proclaiming publicly that they sabotaged Brown?s candidacy in part because of his claim of sabotage.? But it definitely could, in a close case, be a factor ? and we?d never know that it was.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/28/night-club-owner-charged-with-assaulting-trent-williams/related

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Qatar poet appeal becomes test for Web crackdowns

DOHA, Qatar (AP) ? After morning prayers next Monday, Qatar's most prominent defense lawyer plans to gather his files, drive five minutes to the appeals court and try to convince a judge that a poet doesn't deserve to spend his life in prison for a Web-posted verse interpreted as defiance against the Gulf nation's ruler.

The attorney ? a former Qatari justice minister who later helped defend the toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein ? knows he has given himself an ambitious agenda.

He first seeks to prove the poet was convicted on an allegedly falsified confession. He is then setting his sights on trying to reform legal codes to give more room for free expression in Qatar, a hyper-rich nation with a rapidly expanding international profile.

And if that's not enough, he also is up against an overall mood from Gulf officials that's becoming decidedly unfriendly to the Web.

Arrests now occur regularly across the Western-backed Gulf states for Twitter posts and blogs ? even some poems ? considered threatening to the state or offensive to rulers increasingly on guard for perceived threats inspired by the Arab Spring uprisings. Earlier this month, two Kuwaitis received two-year prison sentences for Twitter messages considered offensive to the country's ruler. The United Arab Emirates last year imposed sweeping Internet laws that give authorities wide authority against posts construed as a challenge to the ruling system.

"Do we want this to be a region where any political opinion runs of risk of bringing a criminal charge?" said defense lawyer Najeeb al-Nauimi in an interview with The Associated Press in his Doha office. "The system has to reform itself. This is my mission."

The immediate test in Qatar, though, strikes at some of Gulf's most sensitive issues as leaders grope for ways to keep a lid on possible dissent.

The appeal seeks to overturn the most severe punishment from the Web crackdowns: the life sentence in late November against a well-known poet, Muhammad ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami, for a verse deemed as encouragement to fight the ruling system.

While each Gulf state has its own legal procedures and laws, the region is moving toward greater integrations of all policies. The poet's case will be closely followed ? by both authorities and activists ? as a message on how far officials can go in muzzling cyberspace.

"This sentence, in particular, sent a huge chill right across the region," said Rori Donaghy, a coordinator at the London-based Emirates Center for Human Rights. "All these crackdowns are meant to make everyone on the Internet think, 'Could I be next?'"

It also has presents a potential quandary for Qatar, which has tried to craft a reputation as a pragmatic power that has benefited from the Arab Spring by exerting its influence with opposition groups in places such Libya and Syria.

The case could put an uncomfortable spotlight on issues such as Qatar's proposed new media laws that ? like others emerging in the Gulf ? give authorities wide leeway for arrests. Qatar's pan-Arab network Al-Jazeera, meanwhile, has faced criticism for aggressive reporting about rights abuses outside the Gulf but giving scant attention to similar accusations at home.

"What it all shows is that the Gulf has done well with adopting and adapting many aspects of the West in commerce and technology," said Christopher Davidson, an expert on Gulf affairs at Britain's Durham University. "Where it stops is over anything that could challenge the political status quo. There, they fall back on the traditions of coming down fast and hard."

Qatari officials have declined to comment on the poet's conviction or appeal. Even the basis for the charges is difficult to pin down.

Al-Ajami, 37, has been jailed awaiting trial since November 2011. He was taken into custody months after an Internet video was posted of him reciting "Tunisian Jasmine," a poem lauding that country's popular uprising, which touched off the Arab Spring rebellions across the Middle East. In the poem, he said, "We are all Tunisia in the face of repressive" authorities, criticizing Arab governments that restrict freedoms. "Thieves," he called them.

But the actual charges appear to be built around an earlier online dispute in August 2010, before the Arab Spring, said attorney al-Nauimi.

In that instance, al-Ajami claims he was secretly recorded reciting a verse mocking another poet, who was believed close to high-level officials in Qatar. The audio of al-Ajami's poem, recited to a private group at Cairo University, was posted on the Web and became a brief sensation in Gulf literary circles.

In the verse, al-Ajami describes the other poet as an example of a flawed personality unfit to be a leader.

While seemingly tame, the traditions of Arabic poetry often include rich use of allegories and veiled references embedded with sharper meanings. This apparently caught the attention of Qatar's rulers. The case file against al-Ajami includes responses from three poets employed by the Culture Ministry concluding that the poem was an indirect call to challenge the state, said the defense attorney.

"Since when does the Ministry of Culture become the police?" asked al-Nauimi.

He said he tried to get other poets to offer counter-opinions, but "no one would do it."

"They are too scared," he said.

Al-Nauimi plans to undermine the state's case by claiming the prosecutor "cut and pasted" comments from al-Ajami's interrogation to make it appear he said the poem in public when instead it was given among a handful of friends in Cairo, where al-Ajami was studying literature.

Al-Ajami has since expressed his loyalty to the emir, whose family has had friendly ties with al-Ajami's clan for decades. But he won't try to appease the rulers with an apology or writing a poem in their praise.

"We stand behind the emir and the system. No one can deny that," said al-Ajami's brother, Farhad, a law student in Dubai. "But we refuse to go directly to the emir to beg to drop the case. This is not right. He should not be in jail in the first place."

For al-Nauimi, it's also a chance to shoot for a higher goal in a career with bold forays.

Al-Nauimi, who served as Qatar's Justice Minister from 1995-1997, was part of Saddam's defense team in Baghdad and claims he broke the news to the deposed Iraqi leader that the tribunal would likely sentence him to hang. He also says he is ready to defend Syrian President Basher Assad if he ever faces trial.

He views the poet's case as an opportunity to try to roll back some of the hard-line codes on public expression in Qatar as an example to other countries in the region.

"(The emir) can pull the plug on this. I can just pick up the phone. I wouldn't advise that," said al-Nauimi. "I don't want to drop the case. The judiciary system has to correct itself."

"Look," he continued. "They say there is free speech except if it's against the ruler or his family or his relatives or the dignity of the state or the crown prince or his family or the dignity of the crown prince. What's left? A political person can just criticize himself. That's it."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/qatar-poet-appeal-becomes-test-crackdowns-063140619.html

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Parasites of Madagascar's lemurs expanding with climate change

Jan. 23, 2013 ? Rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns in Madagascar could fuel the spread of lemur parasites and the diseases they carry.

By combining data on six parasite species from ongoing surveys of lemur health with weather data and other environmental information for Madagascar as a whole, a team of Duke University researchers has created probability maps of likely parasite distributions throughout the island today.

Then, using climate projections for the year 2080, they estimate what parasite distributions might look like in the future.

"We can use these models to figure out where the risk of lemur-human disease transmission might be highest, and use that to better protect the future of lemur and human health," said lead author Meredith Barrett, who conducted the study while working as a graduate student at Duke.

Lemurs are native to the African island of Madagascar, where climate change isn't the only threat to their survival. More than 90 percent of the lemurs' forest habitat has already been cleared for logging, farming and grazing. Illegal hunting for bushmeat is also a problem.

A key part of saving these animals is ensuring that they stay healthy as environmental conditions in their island home continue to shift, Barrett said.

Average annual temperatures in Madagascar are predicted to rise by 1.1 to 2.6 degrees Celsius by 2080. Rainfall, drought and cyclone patterns are changing too.

In a study published in the January 2013 issue of the journal Biological Conservation, Barrett and colleagues examined what these changes could mean for lemur health by taking a cue from the parasites they carry.

The team focused on six species of mites, ticks and intestinal worms commonly known to infect lemurs. The parasites are identified in lemur fur and feces. Some species -- such as pinworms, whipworms and tapeworms -- cause diarrhea, dehydration and weight loss in human hosts. Others, particularly mites and ticks, can transmit diseases such as plague, typhus or scabies.

When the researchers compared their present-day maps with parasite distributions predicted for the future, they found that lemur parasites could expand their range by as much as 60 percent. Whipworms, for example, which are now largely confined to Madagascar's northeast and western coasts, may become widely distributed on the country's southeastern coast as well.

Anne Yoder, senior author on the study and Director of the Duke Lemur Center, said the research is particularly important now as lemurs have been identified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as the most endangered mammals on earth.

Warmer weather means that parasites could grow and reproduce more quickly, or spread to higher latitudes and elevations where once they were unable to survive. As lemur parasites become more prevalent, the diseases they carry could show up in new places. The spread could be harmful to lemur populations that have never encountered these pests before, and lack resistance to the diseases they carry.

Shifting parasite distributions could have ripple effects on people too. As human population growth in Madagascar drives people and their livestock into previously uninhabited areas, wildlife-human disease transmission becomes increasingly likely.

The authors hope their results will help researchers predict where disease hotspots are likely to occur, and prepare for them before they hit.

Meredith Barrett is now a postdoctoral scholar with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholars Program at the University of California at San Francisco and Berkeley. Jason Brown of Duke University and Randall Junge of the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium were also authors of this study.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Duke University.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Meredith A. Barrett, Jason L. Brown, Randall E. Junge, Anne D. Yoder. Climate change, predictive modeling and lemur health: Assessing impacts of changing climate on health and conservation in Madagascar. Biological Conservation, 2013; 157: 409 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2012.09.003

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/z9oo5-VWYqg/130123165038.htm

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Japan official: Let the elderly 'hurry up and die'

TOKYO - Taro Aso has never been one to hold his tongue. But Japan's 72 year-old deputy prime minister may have outdone himself with his latest gaffe.

At a government panel to discuss social security reforms, the former prime minister called the elderly who are unable to feed themselves "tube people," then proceeded to say the elderly should be allowed to "hurry up and die" to reduce the burden on a country tasked to pay for their medical expenses.

Adding his personal experience, Aso said he had already written a will, directing his family to let him "hurry up and die," refusing end-of-life care.

"Even if (doctors) said they could keep me alive, it would be unbearable," he said. "I would feel guilty, knowing that (treatment) was being paid for by the government."

Aso later argued that his comments were misinterpreted. He was speaking about his personal wishes, not those of all senior citizens.

The issue of elderly care remains a major challenge for Japan, the world's fastest aging country. Nearly a quarter of the population is 65 and older, with that number expected to spike to 40 percent in the next 50 years. Concerns about financial strains placed on social security and pension systems are so grave, lawmakers passed an unpopular tax hike bill last summer, agreeing to double the sales tax to 10 percent over the next three years.

Aso has a history of verbal blunders. He once compared an opposition party to the Nazis, and said he wanted Japan to become the kind of country "the richest Jews would want to live." In 2008, while still prime minister, Aso called the elderly a "feeble" group.

"Why should I have to pay taxes for people who just sit around and do nothing but eat and drink?" he said at the time.

He later apologized for his comments on national TV.

Also Read

Source: http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/top-japanese-official-urges-elderly-hurry-die-140528732--abc-news-topstories.html

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Steve Harvey to host Feb. 1 NAACP Image Awards

FILE - This May 12, 2012 file photo shows comedian Steve Harvey performing at Gospelfest in Newark, N.J. Harvey will host the NAACP Image Awards airing live on Feb. 1, 2013 on NBC. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes, file)

FILE - This May 12, 2012 file photo shows comedian Steve Harvey performing at Gospelfest in Newark, N.J. Harvey will host the NAACP Image Awards airing live on Feb. 1, 2013 on NBC. (AP Photo/Charles Sykes, file)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Steve Harvey is hosting next month's NAACP Image Awards.

The organization said Tuesday that presenters will include "Django Unchained" nominees Samuel L. Jackson and Jamie Foxx. Queen Latifah and Tony Goldwyn also will be among the presenters. Dennis Haysbert will be the announcer for the live broadcast.

Comedian-TV talk show host Harvey said he's honored to host the ceremony and promised "great things in store for the night."

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Image Awards honor diversity in the arts. Contenders for the top movie prize are "Flight," ''Django Unchained," ''Beasts of the Southern Wild," ''Red Tails" and "Tyler Perry's Good Deeds."

The 44th annual ceremony is scheduled to air Feb. 1 on NBC.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-01-22-TV-NAACP%20Image%20Awards/id-ce6135fa4271414cad7ba1765db09b43

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Evidence grows for narcolepsy link to GSK swine flu shot

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Emelie Olsson is plagued by hallucinations and nightmares. When she wakes up, she's often paralyzed, unable to breathe properly or call for help. During the day she can barely stay awake, and often misses school or having fun with friends. She is only 14, but at times she has wondered if her life is worth living.

Emelie is one of around 800 children in Sweden and elsewhere in Europe who developed narcolepsy, an incurable sleep disorder, after being immunized with the Pandemrix H1N1 swine flu vaccine made by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline in 2009.

Finland, Norway, Ireland and France have seen spikes in narcolepsy cases, too, and people familiar with the results of a soon-to-be-published study in Britain have told Reuters it will show a similar pattern in children there.

Their fate, coping with an illness that all but destroys normal life, is developing into what the health official who coordinated Sweden's vaccination campaign calls a "medical tragedy" that will demand rising scientific and medical attention.

Europe's drugs regulator has ruled Pandemrix should no longer be used in people aged under 20. The chief medical officer at GSK's vaccines division, Norman Begg, says his firm views the issue extremely seriously and is "absolutely committed to getting to the bottom of this", but adds there is not yet enough data or evidence to suggest a causal link.

Others - including Emmanuel Mignot, one of the world's leading experts on narcolepsy, who is being funded by GSK to investigate further - agree more research is needed but say the evidence is already clearly pointing in one direction.

"There's no doubt in my mind whatsoever that Pandemrix increased the occurrence of narcolepsy onset in children in some countries - and probably in most countries," says Mignot, a specialist in the sleep disorder at Stanford University in the United States.

30 MILLION RECEIVED PANDEMRIX

In total, the GSK shot was given to more than 30 million people in 47 countries during the 2009-2010 H1N1 swine flu pandemic. Because it contains an adjuvant, or booster, it was not used in the United States because drug regulators there are wary of adjuvanted vaccines.

GSK says 795 people across Europe have reported developing narcolepsy since the vaccine's use began in 2009.

Questions about how the narcolepsy cases are linked to Pandemrix, what the triggers and biological mechanisms might have been, and whether there might be a genetic susceptibility are currently the subject of deep scientific investigation.

But experts on all sides are wary. Rare adverse reactions can swiftly develop into "vaccine scares" that spiral out of proportion and cast what one of Europe's top flu experts calls a "long shadow" over public confidence in vaccines that control potential killers like measles and polio.

"No-one wants to be the next Wakefield," said Mignot, referring to the now discredited British doctor Andrew Wakefield who sparked a decades-long backlash against the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot with false claims of links to autism.

With the narcolepsy studies, there is no suggestion that the findings are the work of one rogue doctor.

Independent teams of scientists have published peer-reviewed studies from Sweden, Finland and Ireland showing the risk of developing narcolepsy after the 2009-2010 immunization campaign was between seven and 13 times higher for children who had Pandemrix than for their unvaccinated peers.

"We really do want to get to the bottom of this. It's not in anyone's interests if there is a safety issue that needs to be addressed," said GSK's Begg.

LIFE CHANGED

Emelie's parents, Charles and Marie Olsson, say she was a top student who loved playing the piano, taking tennis lessons, creating art and having fun with friends. But her life started to change in early 2010, a few months after she had Pandemrix. In the spring of 2010, they noticed she was often tired, needing to sleep when she came home from school.

But it wasn't until May, when she began collapsing at school, that it became clear something serious was happening.

As well as the life-limiting bouts of daytime sleepiness, narcolepsy brings nightmares, hallucinations, sleep paralysis and episodes of cataplexy - when strong emotions trigger a sudden and dramatic loss of muscle strength.

In Emelie's case, having fun is the emotional trigger. "I can't laugh or joke about with my friends any more, because when I do I get cataplexies and collapse," she said in an interview at her home in the Swedish capital.

Narcolepsy is estimated to affect between 200 and 500 people per million and is a lifelong condition. It has no known cure and scientists don't really know what causes it. But they do know patients have a deficit of a brain neurotransmitter called orexin, also known as hypocretin, which regulates wakefulness.

Research has found that some people are born with a variant in a gene known as HLA that means they have low hypocretin, making them more susceptible to narcolepsy. Around 25 percent of Europeans are thought to have this genetic vulnerability.

When results of Emelie's hypocretin test came back in November last year, it showed she had 15 percent of the normal amount, typical of heavy narcolepsy with cataplexy.

The seriousness of her strange new illness has forced her to contemplate life far more than many other young teens: "In the beginning I didn't really want to live any more, but now I have learned to handle things better," she said.

TRIGGERS?

Scientists investigating these cases are looking in detail at Pandemrix's adjuvant, called AS03, for clues.

Some suggest AS03, or maybe its boosting effect, or even the H1N1 flu itself, may have triggered the onset of narcolepsy in those who have the susceptible HLA gene variant.

Angus Nicoll, a flu expert at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), says genes may well play a part, but don't tell the whole story.

"Yes, there's a genetic predisposition to this condition, but that alone cannot explain these cases," he said. "There was also something to do with receiving this specific vaccination. Whether it was the vaccine plus the genetic disposition alone or a third factor as well - like another infection - we simply do not know yet."

GSK is funding a study in Canada, where its adjuvanted vaccine Arepanrix, similar to Pandemrix, was used during the 2009-2010 pandemic. The study won't be completed until 2014, and some experts fear it may not shed much light since the vaccines were similar but not precisely the same.

It all leaves this investigation with far more questions than answers, and a lot more research ahead.

WAS IT WORTH IT?

In his glass-topped office building overlooking the Maria Magdalena church in Stockholm, Goran Stiernstedt, a doctor turned public health official, has spent many difficult hours going over what happened in his country during the swine flu pandemic, wondering if things should have been different.

"The big question is was it worth it? And retrospectively I have to say it was not," he told Reuters in an interview.

Being a wealthy country, Sweden was at the front of the queue for pandemic vaccines. It got Pandemrix from GSK almost as soon as it was available, and a nationwide campaign got uptake of the vaccine to 59 percent, meaning around 5 million people got the shot.

Stiernstedt, director for health and social care at the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, helped coordinate the vaccination campaign across Sweden's 21 regions.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the 2009-2010 pandemic killed 18,500 people, although a study last year said that total might be up to 15 times higher.

While estimates vary, Stiernstedt says Sweden's mass vaccination saved between 30 and 60 people from swine flu death. Yet since the pandemic ended, more than 200 cases of narcolepsy have been reported in Sweden.

With hindsight, this risk-benefit balance is unacceptable. "This is a medical tragedy," he said. "Hundreds of young people have had their lives almost destroyed."

PANDEMICS ARE EMERGENCIES

Yet the problem with risk-benefit analyses is that they often look radically different when the world is facing a pandemic with the potential to wipe out millions than they do when it has emerged relatively unscathed from one, like H1N1, which turned out to be much milder than first feared.

David Salisbury, the British government's director of immunization, says "therein lies the risk, and the difficulty, of working in public health" when a viral emergency hits.

"In the event of a severe pandemic, the risk of death is far higher than the risk of narcolepsy," he told Reuters. "If we spent longer developing and testing the vaccine on very large numbers of people and waited to see whether any of them developed narcolepsy, much of the population might be dead."

Pandemrix was authorized by European drug regulators using a so-called "mock-up procedure" that allows a vaccine to be authorized ahead of a possible pandemic using another flu strain. In Pandemrix's case, the substitute was H5N1 bird flu.

When the WHO declared a pandemic, GSK replaced the mock-up's strain with the pandemic-causing H1N1 strain to form Pandemrix.

GSK says the final H1N1 version was tested in trials involving around 3,600 patients, including children, adolescents, adults and the elderly, before it was rolled out.

The ECDC's Nicoll says early warning systems that give a more accurate analysis of a flu strain's threat are the best way to minimize risks of this kind of tragedy happening in future.

Salisbury agrees, and says progress towards a universal flu vaccine - one that wouldn't need last-minute changes made when a new strain emerged - would cuts risks further.

"Ideally, we would have a better vaccine that would work against all strains of influenza and we wouldn't need to worry about this ever again," he said. "But that's a long way off."

With scientists facing years of investigation and research, Emelie just wants to make the best of her life.

She reluctantly accepts that to do so, she needs a cocktail of drugs to try to control the narcolepsy symptoms. The stimulant Ritalin and the sleeping pill Sobril are prescribed for Emelie's daytime sleepiness and night terrors. Then there's Prozac to try to stabilize her and limit her cataplexies.

"That's one of the things that makes me feel most uncomfortable," she explains. "Before I got this condition I didn't take any pills, and now I have to take lots - maybe for the rest of my life. It's not good to take so many medicines, especially when you know they have side effects."

(This story has been corrected to insert full name in first paragraph)

(Reporting by Kate Kelland; Editing by Will Waterman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/insight-evidence-grows-narcolepsy-gsk-swine-flu-shot-070212916--finance.html

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life with jack: Friendships After the NICU

Everything, and I mean everything, changes after the NICU experience. I've heard so much about how having a premature baby affects marriage. Even the NICU social worker brought it up. I've seen the divorce statistics. It's a grim reality that painful, life altering events, painfully alter relationships.

And one thing I've found out? These relationship challenges don't stop at marriage. No. All relationships are affected.

Let's chat a bit about friendships after the NICU. Not every situation is the same, but the more I get to know other preemie moms, and the more time I spend on the opposite side of the NICU, I'm convinced that friendships can be the lifeblood of recovery from such brutal, life-altering events. The more healthy, life-giving relationships you have in your life, the stronger you will be for your preemie. But friendships can also be a source of pain - reminding you that everything has changed and that you will never be the same.

The very minute Jack was born, I was no longer me. I was no longer the Jessi of carefree years, of small, inconsequential problems. When Jack made his early appearance, I didn't care about the same things anymore. How could I? We were on a life and death journey. Our dreams were crushed. This was my new reality. The preemie mom reality.

And in this preemie mom reality, I've had friendships start, friendships remain, and I've had friendships fail.

The other morning I was thinking through the various types of friendships I've had surrounding our time in the NICU and since. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it's a start. Hopefully you will find this list helpful and maybe it will bring some clarity to your particular situations.

1) After the NICU, some friends can't handle it and don't know how to relate anymore. Maybe more correctly "some can't handle you anymore." Maybe this friend knew you when you were carefree. Your whole relationship existed in that realm. Never too deep, but a fun, surfacy friendship. After the NICU, when you need to be serious, when you need your friend to understand, they can't handle it. They don't know how to relate to this new you. It is too much for them. They are not emotionally ready to go there with you. My advice? Say a cordial goodbye, and move on. There may come a time when this relationship can be rekindled, but you don't have the time or energy right now.

2) After the NICU, some friends are negative influences on your life. These are the ones I call the "Debbie Downers". At the moment when you need all the positive, hopeful energy you can get, the negative just starts spewing out. This could be in the form of always producing drama. Of incessant complaining. Of constantly asking for your advice about their problems and never asking you about yours. (This is not the time to take on a project!). Sometimes, the negative manifests itself in jealousy. I wish it wasn't true. But yes, some will get jealous of all the attention surrounding you and your preemie. Without writing paragraphs on how psychologically sick and twisted this is, how insecure it is, I'll just tell you now - let go of the negative in your life. Personally, the one that drove me absolutely nuts and got under my skin? Complaining. I would think - how dare someone complain about their life when my child may die? If you have a friend in your life who is always complaining around you and causing drama, I would say goodbye, and move on. Likewise, if you have mutual friends who continue to give passes to these drama makers, who refuse to see why this is detrimental to your journey, let them go as well. Clean up the negative. You don't have enough time or energy to devote to this. Use your time and energy to give your preemie his best shot at life.

3) After the NICU, some friends are insensitive to your issues. These are the types that never put themselves in your shoes. Maybe they don't have an empathetic bone in their body. Or maybe they are too self-absorbed to see how fragile you really are. They may say and do things that unintentionally hurt you. Sometimes, you need to be completely honest with this sort of friend and let them know how their behavior is affecting you. If they truly want to be in your life, then they will listen. There are genuine people out there who just need a little nudge to start being that steady friend you desire. But insensitivity is too much on an already raw wound. If a friend continues in that insensitivity, say goodbye, and move on.

4) After the NICU, some friends just won't "get it". Many times, this friend needs a Preemie 101 course to get on board. They just need a little education about everything you are going through. Unless you tell them, how will they know? Although this can seem inconvenient (why can't they just understand?), it is worth the effort if you want to save your friendship. And, this is a good chance to see if this friend is intimidated by your new life. You need to know if they can handle this new you. Chances are, you will have to explain RSV isolation over and over again. This just comes with the territory. You will need to let them know that you may not be able to hang out as much (not that you don't want to!). You will have to put in the extra effort to keep your friends in the loop.

5) After the NICU, some friends step it up, learn about the new you, and walk you through it. These are the friends who have been there from the start and are still with you. Hold these ones close. They are your life-long friends who will be there through thick and thin. They are the ones who give you grace for your short fuse, your stress, and your worry. In fact, they worry right along with you, but they will appear very strong for you because they know you need the strength. They will encourage you and find practical ways they can help. They will get you out of the house and plan fun and creative things for you to do together. They are the ones who show up on your doorstep with a cup of coffee, knowing they won't be asked inside. Please don't take these friends for granted. Let them know how thankful you are for all they do.

6) After the NICU, and over time, some friends quit asking, thinking you have it all together. This is the forgetful friend. It can feel very isolating. By all appearances, this friend doesn't seem to mention prematurity anymore. ?They don't ask you how your child is doing or how you are doing. Like it just went away. They think that the more time you are away from it, the less important it really is. Now, all of us preemie mamas know just how far from the truth this is. Years later, we are still dealing with it. And on top of that, there are the new realities as our kids enter preschool, get new diagnosis', and the like. Reminding the forgetful friend is sometimes all that is needed. I am a firm believer that honesty is the best policy. Just do it gently.

7) After the NICU, some find their kindred spirits... online. Whether RSV isolation pushes us to it, or we can't find local support, the internet is a God-send to preemie parents. Don't shy away from getting to know another preemie parent online. Beyond chatting, messaging, and Skyping, send them a gift on their birthday or their child's birthday. Dream about ways you can eventually meet in person. If you are struggling to find someone who "gets it", who knows what you are going through, this online friend is where it's at.

8) After the NICU, some friendships happen because of similar (but different) circumstances. If you cannot find fellow preemie parents in your area, broaden your search. Just because someone doesn't have a preemie, doesn't mean they can't speak to a specific issue or get the reality of raising a special needs child. This year in particular, I have connected with a couple ladies who are dealing with their own unique set of circumstances, but who understand the highs and the lows of the special needs journey. I have really appreciated my time with them. Getting together for coffee, just to talk through my emotions, has been great. These friendships may have never happened if not for Jack's early birth. And I am thankful for the opportunity to meet new and amazing moms.

9) Your part, after the NICU - Yes, the preemie experience can be very isolating and lonely. In all the hustle of the NICU journey - of bringing your baby home and learning how this new life works - don't neglect your friends. Although you cannot devote as much time and energy, let your friends know you still care about them. Write them a letter, give them a call, send them a text. Make the time to see them, no matter how much of a sacrifice it is and even if it's not very frequent. Ask them about their children, even if it is painful to hear about typically developing kids. If these friends are going to be a part of your life, they will understand your crazy schedule, your moods, and the hurt underneath.

10) Your part, after the NICU - Hopefully by watching and learning how to do friendships after the NICU, you will get the opportunity to be the friend that "gets it." The friend who is there in a positive way, once crisis enters someone's life. Yes, the roles will be reversed. Hopefully you will know ways in which you can be a positive, helpful person in their life. You will know what not to say. You will be sensitive to their situation and you will remember that no matter how many years pass, you will still ask them how they are doing. Hopefully you will be the one who delivers a coffee, a bouquet of flowers, or a hot meal. Hopefully you will be the one who is a shoulder to cry on and the person to have fun with. Pay it forward, preemie mamas.

I could write about this for days. I still may have a few posts about friendship in the works. Just to add things I've forgotten or to clarify. I am by no means an expert in relationships. And yeah, these are my opinions (be gentle with me please!). I haven't always been the perfect example of a friend, but I try. And now that I've been through this, I feel my understanding of the true essence of friendship - of being there for someone when they face a life-altering crisis - has only been deepened and broadened because of having Jack. That little sweetie continues to teach me life's greatest lessons, if I am open to it.

Source: http://www.lifewithjack.com/2013/01/friendships-after-nicu.html

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Jackie's Real Estate Corner: Prime properties becoming 'land banks'

MEAFORD, ONT.?An investment company with corporate headquarters in Singapore is buying up prime parcels of cottage/ski country real estate and turning them into ?land banks? for foreign investors.

A2A Capital Management Inc., which also has offices in Malaysia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Texas and Toronto, has purchased nine properties for development in Ontario. They include four in the Collingwood region, two close to the Lake Huron shoreline, two in Middlesex County close to London, Ont., and one in the Niagara region.
The business model, called the ?Land Enhancement Series,? is buy ?raw land? at the pre-development stage and, in turn, sell segments of the property to raise capital to put together a development plan, apply for re-zoning, put in services, such as water and sewer, and road access. Investors get their money out when the property is developed.

A2A targets Asian investors, but says on its website that anyone of legal age can invest, except for Canadian residents. According to A2A, Canadians are not allowed to invest as, under Canadian law, such land purchases are considered ?securities? in which only accredited or qualified investors can invest.
The largest project is Meaford Highlands Resort, which is slated for more than 1,000 homes, a 60-room hotel, a wellness centre, spa and golf academy. The 380-acre parcel is located about a 15-minute drive from Blue Mountain ski resort, 20 minutes from Collingwood.
Billed as ?a healthy lifestyle community dedicated to wellness,?

Meaford Highlands Resort promises to promote ?physical activity, psychological well-being and healthier lifestyles? for its residents.
According to documents at the Grey County land registry office, about 1,000 investors have shelled out amounts ranging from $10,000 to $200,000 for a stake in Meaford Highlands Resort, raising more than $17 million.

At a recent public meeting on the project, Meaford Chamber of Commerce President Shirley Keaveney said that she is excited about the project as it ?signifies growth and will offer the community much-needed amenities.?
?It means jobs,? says Keaveney, adding that she had come to ?listen and learn? about Meaford Highlands Resort, which she hopes will add a much-needed tax base to the municipality of about 11,000 residents,
Keaveny also noted that A2A executives have already become involved in the Meaford community, attending community events and fundraisers, and have made a donation to the fund to build a medical clinic in the town.
Meaford Highlands Resort is designed to promote healthy living with narrow streets to promote walking and cycling and plenty of biking and hiking trails, parks and about 132 acres of open space.
The homes will be a mix of villas, condominiums, detached homes and townhomes. According to a report filed with Grey County by Watson & Associates Economists, Meaford Highlands Resort will appeal to the baby boomer generation seeking recreational-based communities for retirement and semi retirement. The projection is that homes at Meaford Highlands Resort will range from $220,000 to $330,000.
?We will be offering homes that will be affordable, but not cheap,? said Jeff Peterson ,Vice President of Land Acquisition & Development at A2A, during a brief interview following the public meeting.
Peterson says that while million-dollar plus homes have been a hot segment of the real estate market in the Blue Mountain area, there is a pent-up demand for homes under $500,000 in the region. He also hopes the project will appeal to young families.

?I?ve looked at land across North America and when I saw this piece of land I knew that it was a very special place,? said Peterson, who previously worked in land development in Las Vegas, Nevada..

Source: http://jackiegoodlet.blogspot.com/2013/01/prime-properties-becoming-land-banks.html

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'Mama' tops box office with $32.1 million

NEW YORK (AP) ? Arnold Schwarzenegger's post-governorship comeback fizzled at the box office, as his "The Last Stand" earned just $7.2 million over the three-day holiday weekend.

Instead, the Jessica Chastain horror film "Mama" surpassed expectations with a chart-topping $32.1 million opening from Friday through Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In its second week of wide release, the Osama bin Laden hunt thriller "Zero Dark Thirty" slid to the second spot with $18.6 million, meaning Chastain-led films held the top two spots.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com are:

1. "Mama," Universal, $32,147,815, 2,647 locations, $12,145 average, $32,147,815, one week.

2. "Zero Dark Thirty," Sony, $18,600,381, 2,946 locations, $6,314 average, $56,945,138, five weeks.

3. "Silver Linings Playbook," Weinstein Co., $12,740,379, 2,523 locations, $5,050 average, $56,699,649, 10 weeks.

4. "Gangster Squad," Warner Bros., $10,128,178, 3,103 locations, $3,264 average, $33,238,238, two weeks.

5. "A Haunted House," Open Road Films, $9,472,030, 2,160 locations, $4,385 average, $31,085,207, two weeks.

6. "Broken City," Fox, $9,459,459, 2,620 locations, $3,610 average, $9,459,459, one week.

7. "Django Unchained," Weinstein Co., $9,216,113, 2,516 locations, $3,663 average, $139,334,848, four weeks.

8. "Les Miserables," Universal, $9,013,605, 2,579 locations, $3,495 average, $131,571,625, four weeks.

9. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," Warner Bros., $7,623,310, 2,323 locations, $3,282 average, $288,613,051, six weeks.

10. "The Last Stand," Lionsgate, $7,213,327, 2,913 locations, $2,476 average, $7,213,327, one week.

11. "Lincoln," Disney, $6,678,228, 2,174 locations, $3,072 average, $161,814,307, 11 weeks.

12. "Parental Guidance," Fox, $5,632,836, 2,337 locations, $2,410 average, $67,657,990, four weeks.

13. "Life of Pi," Fox, $4,207,186, 1,256 locations, $3,350 average, $100,044,491, nine weeks.

14. "The Impossible," Summit, $3,012,182, 886 locations, $3,400 average, $10,728,747, five weeks.

15. "Argo," Warner Bros., $2,717,033, 756 locations, $3,594 average, $115,238,587, 15 weeks.

16. "Jack Reacher," Paramount, $2,685,905, 1,707 locations, $1,573 average, $76,863,238, five weeks.

17. "This Is 40," Universal, $2,297,685, 1,232 locations, $1,865 average, $65,178,685, five weeks.

18. "Wreck-It Ralph," Disney, $2,050,610, 1,312 locations, $1,563 average, $181,557,914, 12 weeks.

19. "Texas Chainsaw 3D," Lionsgate, $1,429,933, 1,474 locations, $970 average, $33,622,871, three weeks.

20. "Skyfall," Sony, $1,143,895, 507 locations, $2,256 average, $301,030,969, 11 weeks.

___

Online:

http://www.hollywood.com

___

Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mama-tops-box-office-32-1-million-225353576.html

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Close to half of kids late receiving vaccines: study

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - More and more babies and toddlers aren't getting their recommended vaccines on time, a new study suggests.

Of more than 300,000 U.S. kids born between 2004 and 2008, almost half were "undervaccinated" at some point before their second birthday - in some cases because parents chose to forgo shots recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Researchers said that trend is cause for concern because if enough kids skip their vaccines, whole schools or communities may be at higher risk for preventable infections such as whooping cough and measles.

"When that happens, it can create this critical mass of susceptible individuals," said Saad Omer, from the Emory Vaccine Center in Atlanta.

"For some vaccinated kids, their risk of getting the disease also goes up," Omer, who wasn't involved in the new study, told Reuters Health.

That's because no vaccine protects recipients perfectly from infection. So public health officials rely, in addition, on so-called "herd immunity" to keep vaccine-preventable diseases from spreading.

For their report, Jason Glanz from Kaiser Permanente Colorado in Denver and his colleagues analyzed data from eight managed care organizations, including immunization records for about 323,000 kids.

During the study period, the number of kids who were late on at least one vaccine - including their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) and diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP) shots - rose from 42 percent to more than 54 percent. Babies born toward the end of the study were late on their vaccines for more days, on average, than those born earlier.

Just over one in eight kids went undervaccinated due to parents' choices. For the rest, it wasn't clear why they were late with their shots. Some could have bounced in and out of insurance coverage, Glanz suggested, or were sick during their well-child visits, so doctors postponed vaccines.

Undervaccinated kids also tended to have fewer doctors' appointments and emergency room visits than those who got their shots on time, according to findings published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.

That could be because their parents more often turn to alternative or complementary medicine when it's an option, Omer said.

Recent studies have shown many parents are asking to delay or skip certain vaccines, often citing safety concerns such as a link between vaccines and autism - a theory which scientists now agree holds no water (see Reuters Health story of Nov 28, 2011 here: http://reut.rs/tvpjVf).

"We don't really know if these 'alternative schedules' as they're called are as safe, less safe or more safe than the current schedule," Glanz told Reuters Health.

"What we're worried about is if (undervaccination) becomes more and more common, is it possible this places children at an increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases? It's possible that some of these diseases that we worked so hard to eliminate come back," he said.

Glanz said any parents who are considering an alternative vaccination schedule should talk with their child's doctor first - and be especially careful about what they read online.

"We don't have any evidence that there are any safety concerns with the current recommended schedule, and right now the best way to protect your child from infection is to get your child vaccinated on time," he said.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/P7ryPx JAMA Pediatrics, online January 21, 2013.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/close-half-kids-receiving-vaccines-study-213824598.html

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A guide to what Godmoding is!

This is something I whipped up as a guide for a friend. It pretty effectively sums up what does and does not constitute godmoding. I put it together in half an hour using the Twine hypertext engine.

To use this little gizmo: Take an action. Answer either yes or no in the first question. Answer either yes or no in the second question. Continue until you receive one of three grades.

OKAY! This is not godmoding.
GODMODING! This IS godmoding.
POINTLESS! This is wasting space.

Have fun and improve! *waves g'bye*

That image guy.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/yLgu0IZw_is/viewtopic.php

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The Best Guide On How To Be Successful In Internet Marketing

Posted by Heinlein Joseph on Jan 21, 2013 in Internet Marketing |

A collection of tips on how to begin internet marketing, makes the perfect starting point for a beginner to emerge and hopefully begin marketing their own website much smoother. Below is just such a collection that will hopefully assist the eager novice into eventually becoming a pro, when it comes to internet marketing.

Tailor your internet marketing to target your specific audience. Websites such as Google or Facebook will allow you to customize who sees your ads. By tailoring your internet ads to each demographic, you can easily market your products in ways that will grab customers? attention and bring them to your business.

There are many great benefits to internet marketing and that is why you shouldn?t overlook this option. The most important aspect of marketing through the internet is that it has a very large market penetration. This means that it is easily shown to a large number of potential consumers easily.

If you want to get more advertising for your site you can offer visitors a discount for items you are selling in exchange for them placing links to your site on their page. That way they will be motivated enough by the discounts and get you free advertising and you will get more traffic.

Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, create and utilize a variety of banner ads that are distinctive from one another. You might also consider a rotating banner, which is a tool that periodically cycles through a series of different banners. This is a good option for ad space on your own website or ads placed on others? sites.

If you are short of time, use paid advertising. Investing in paid advertising, such as text links, banners, and pop-up windows, can increase the amount of relevant traffic to your website and subsequently, the number of orders placed. The most popular online advertising company is Google AdWords, and they offer ad campaigns to suit any budget.

Use the word fast in your marketing to get people off their feet and to your order pages. The psychology of marketing is a must now for all internet marketers. Using the word fast in your ad copy excites people. The more excited they are, the more orders you will get.

Because so many people market online nowadays, your job is to be unique. Don?t just have a simple banner with simple text and dull colors. Have something flashy, catchy and unique. Most people online, tune out advertisements simply because they see hundreds of similar ones every day. Make your ad stand out and you?ll likely get a click.

Take advantage of your relationship with other respected online companies and retailers by offering free advertising space. This is an excellent option because it allows your business to benefit from the respectability and favorable reputation of the other party. Furthermore, other advertisers may see that you have partnered with a very credible company and will want to advertise on your site as well.

If you are marketing a product online, trying mixing up your sale phrases. For example, saying they should ?invest in this product? makes the item seem like an investment in their future rather than money they are spending now. You can complement this approach by including testimonials from other customers about how much they?ve earned from your product.

As you can see from this article, marketing online can greatly help your business? bottom line. With an ever growing population of people using the Internet, marketing online becomes more and more important. If you can follow the proper procedures outlined in this article you will be well on your way to marketing and advertising successfully online.

For more information we advice you to look on Best seo services and Ppc services

Tags: Internet Marketing

Source: http://www.candam-marketing.com/WP/13238/the-best-guide-on-how-to-be-successful-in-internet-marketing-6/

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Official: 25 more bodies found at Algerian plant

In this image made from video, a group of people believed to be hostages kneel in the sand with their hands in the air at an unknown location in Algeria. Algerian de-mining teams were scouring a gas refinery on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013 that was the scene of a bloody four-day standoff, searching for explosive traps left by the Islamist militants who took dozens of foreigners hostage. The siege left at least 23 captives dead, and the American government warned that there were credible threats of more kidnapping attempts on Westerners. (AP Photo/Ennahar TV) ALGERIA OUT, TV OUT

In this image made from video, a group of people believed to be hostages kneel in the sand with their hands in the air at an unknown location in Algeria. Algerian de-mining teams were scouring a gas refinery on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013 that was the scene of a bloody four-day standoff, searching for explosive traps left by the Islamist militants who took dozens of foreigners hostage. The siege left at least 23 captives dead, and the American government warned that there were credible threats of more kidnapping attempts on Westerners. (AP Photo/Ennahar TV) ALGERIA OUT, TV OUT

In this image made from video, a group of people believed to be hostages kneel in the sand with their hands in the air at an unknown location in Algeria. An Algerian security official says de-mining squads searching for explosives found "numerous" bodies Sunday, Jan. 20, 2012 at a gas refinery where Islamic militants took dozens of foreign workers hostage. (AP Photo/Ennahar TV) ALGERIA OUT, TV OUT

Algerian special police unit officers guard the entrance of an hospital located near the gas plant where hostages have been kidnapped by Islamic militants, in Ain Amenas, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. Algeria's special forces stormed the natural gas complex in the middle of the Sahara desert in a final assault Saturday, killing 11 militants, but not before they in turn killed seven hostages, the state news agency reported.(AP Photo/Anis Belghoul)

Norway's Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg is embraced by Executive Vice President in Statoil, Margrethe Oevrum, Saturday Jan. 19, 2013, after his visit at the drop-in center in Bergen for relatives of the Statoil-employees taken hostage in Algeria. In a bloody finale on Saturday, Algerian special forces stormed a natural gas complex in the Sahara desert to end a four-day standoff with Islamic extremists that left at least 19 hostages and 29 militants dead. With few details emerging from the remote site, it was unclear whether anyone was rescued in the final operation. (AP Photo / Anette Karlsen, NTB scanpix) NORWAY OUT

Two British hostages Peter, left, and Alan, right, (no family name available), are seen after being released, in a street of Ain Amenas, near the gas plant where they have been kidnapped by Islamic militants, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. Algeria's special forces stormed the natural gas complex in the middle of the Sahara desert in a final assault Saturday, killing 11 militants, but not before they in turn killed seven hostages, the state news agency reported.(AP Photo/Anis Belghoul)

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) ? The death toll from the bloody terrorist siege at a natural gas plant in the Sahara climbed to at least 81 on Sunday as Algerian forces searching the complex for explosives found dozens more bodies, many so badly disfigured they could not immediately be identified, a security official said.

Algerian special forces stormed the facility on Saturday to end the four-day siege of the remote desert refinery, and the government said then that 32 militants and 23 hostages were killed, but that the death toll was likely to rise.

The militants came from six countries, were armed to cause maximum destruction and mined the Ain Amenas refinery, which the Algerian state oil company runs along with BP and Norway's Statoil, said Algerian Communications Minister Mohamed Said. The militants "had decided to succeed in the operation as planned, to blow up the gas complex and kill all the hostages," he said in a state radio interview.

With few details emerging from the remote site of the gas plant in eastern Algeria, it was unclear whether anyone was rescued in the final operation, but the number of hostages killed Saturday ? seven ? was how many the militants had said that morning they still had.

The Algerian security official said the 25 bodies found by bombs squads on Sunday were so badly disfigured that it was difficult to tell whether they were hostages or attackers. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation and said those casualties were not official yet.

The squads were bombing the plant in the Sahara Desert to defuse mines they said were planted throughout the vast site, not far from the Libyan border.

In addition to the bodies found at the site Sunday, a wounded Romanian who had been evacuated and brought home died, raised the overall death toll to at least 81.

The Masked Brigade, founded by Algerian militant Moktar Belmoktar, claimed responsibility for the attack. Belmoktar claimed the attack in the name of al-Qaida, according to the text from a video the Mauritania-based Internet site, Sahara Media, said it had obtained. The site sometimes carries messages of jihadists.

"We at al-Qaida are responsible for this operation that we bless," Sahara Media quoted the video as saying. The video was dated Jan. 17, a day after the attack began. Belmoktar recently created his own group in a schism with associated in al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, but his statement appears to show his link with the terror group's motherhouse and put the stamp of global jihad on the action by a special commando unit, "Those Who Sign in Blood."

The American government has warned that there are credible threats of more kidnapping attempts on Westerners in this North African nation which shares a long border with Mali where a French intervention is underway to end a threat by Islamist militants holding the country's vast north.

The kidnappers focused on the foreign workers, largely leaving alone the hundreds of Algerian workers who were briefly held hostage before being released or escaping.

"Now, of course, people will ask questions about the Algerian response to these events, but I would just say that the responsibility for these deaths lies squarely with the terrorists who launched a vicious and cowardly attack," British Prime Minister David Cameron said Sunday. Three Britons were killed and another three believed dead, along with a foreign resident of Britain.

The siege at Ain Amenas transfixed the world after radical Islamists linked to al-Qaida stormed the complex where hundreds of people from around the world work, on Wednesday, then held them hostage surrounded by the Algerian military and its attack helicopters for four tense days that were punctuated with gun battles and dramatic tales of escape.

Algeria's response to the crisis was typical of its history in confronting terrorists, favoring military action over negotiation, which caused an international outcry from countries worried about their citizens. Algerian military forces twice assaulted the two areas where the hostages were being held with minimal apparent mediation ? first on Thursday, then on Saturday.

"To avoid a bloody turn of events in response to the extreme danger of the situation, the army's special forces launched an intervention with efficiency and professionalism to neutralize the terrorist groups that were first trying to flee with the hostages and then blow up the gas facilities," Algeria's Interior Ministry said in a statement about the standoff.

An audio recording of Algerian security forces speaking with the head of the kidnappers, Abdel Rahman al-Nigiri, indicates that the hostage-takers were trying to organize a prisoner swap with authorities.

"You see our demands are so easy, so easy if you want to negotiate with us," al-Nigiri said in the recording broadcast by Algerian television. "We want the prisoners you have, the comrades who were arrested and imprisoned 15 years ago. We want 100 of them."

People familiar with al-Nigiri confirmed that the voice in the recording was his.

In another phone message, al-Nigiri described how half the militants had been killed by the Algerian army on Thursday and that he was ready to blow up the remaining hostages if security forces attacked again.

SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors videos from radicals, posted one showing al-Nigiri with what appears to be an explosive belt strapped around his waist, dating from Jan. 17, after the start of the attack.

Algeria's prisons are filled with militants from the long battle with Islamist extremists that began in the 1990s.

David Plouffe, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, said Sunday that al-Qaida and al-Qaida-affiliated groups remain a threat in northern Africa and other parts of the world, and that the U.S. is determined to help other countries destroy these networks. Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Plouffe said the tragedy in Algeria shows once again "that all across the globe countries are threatened by terrorists who will use civilians to try and advance their twisted and sick agenda."

The U.S. State Department issued a travel warning Saturday night for Americans in or traveling to Algeria, citing credible threats of the kidnapping of Western nationals. The department also authorized the departure from Algeria of staff members' families if they choose to leave.

Immediately after the assault, French President Francois Hollande gave his backing to Algeria's tough tactics, saying they were "the most adapted response to the crisis."

"There could be no negotiations" with terrorists, the French media quoted him as saying in the central French city of Tulle.

Hollande said the hostages were "shamefully murdered" by their captors, and he linked the event to France's military operation against al-Qaida-backed rebels in neighboring Mali. "If there was any need to justify our action against terrorism, we would have here, again, an additional argument," he said.

On Sunday, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he was "appalled" at the idea that blame would be laid on Algerian authorities instead of the jihadist captors.

"The terrorists ... they're the ones to blame," Fabius said on France's iTele TV channel. He said Algerian officials were in touch with the French during the crisis. "But they didn't have to tell us: 'Here is what we will do.'"

In the final assault, the remaining band of militants killed seven hostages before 11 of them were in turn cut down by the special forces, Algeria's state news agency said. The military launched its Saturday assault to prevent a fire started by the extremists from engulfing the complex and blowing it up, the report added.

A total of 685 Algerian and 107 foreigner workers were freed over the course of the four-day standoff, the Interior Ministry statement said, adding that the group of militants that attacked the remote Saharan natural gas complex consisted of 32 men of various nationalities, including three Algerians and explosives experts. The military also said it confiscated heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, missiles and grenades attached to suicide belts.

Algeria has fought its own Islamist rebellion since the 1990s, elements of which later declared allegiance to al-Qaida and then set up new groups in the poorly patrolled wastes of the Sahara along the borders of Niger, Mali, Algeria and Libya, where they flourished.

The standoff has put the spotlight on al-Qaida-linked groups that roam these remote areas, threatening vital infrastructure and energy interests. The militants initially said their operation was intended to stop a French attack on Islamist militants in neighboring Mali ? though they later said it was two months in the planning, long before the French intervention.

The militants, who came from a Mali-based al-Qaida splinter group run by an Algerian, attacked the plant Wednesday morning. Armed with heavy machine guns and rocket launchers in four-wheel drive vehicles, they fell on a pair of buses taking foreign workers to the airport. The buses' military escort drove off the attackers in a blaze of gunfire that sent bullets zinging over the heads of crouching workers. A Briton and an Algerian ? probably a security guard ? were killed.

The militants then turned to the vast gas complex, divided between the workers' living quarters and the refinery itself, and seized hostages, the Algerian government said. The gas flowing to the site was cut off.

The accounts of hostages who escaped the standoff showed they faced dangers from both the kidnappers and the military. The militants focused on the foreign workers from the outset, largely leaving alone the hundreds of Algerian workers who were briefly held hostage before being released or escaping.

___

Elaine Ganley and Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-01-20-Algeria-Kidnapping/id-9f004c7ec4e64880bda212ef597595d2

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