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Jamie Oliver forced McDonald’s to remove ammonium hydroxide from its burger

Kathryn R. Bown
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Jamie Oliver forced McDonald’s to remove ammonium hydroxide from its burger

McDonald’s have altered its burger’s ingredients after chef Jamie Oliver forced them to remove a processed food type that he labelled “pink slime”.

Chef Jamie Oliver, who is also a food activist, was shocked when he learned that ammonium hydroxide was being used by McDonald’s to convert fatty beef offcuts into a beef filler for its burgers in the USA.

The filler product made headlines after he denounced it on his show, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.

“Basically, we’re taking a product that would be sold at the cheapest form for dogs and after this process we can give it to humans,” said TV chef Jamie Oliver.

McDonald's have altered its burger’s ingredients after Jamie Oliver forced them to remove a processed food type that he labelled “pink slime”
McDonald's have altered its burger’s ingredients after Jamie Oliver forced them to remove a processed food type that he labelled “pink slime”

Jamie Oliver showed American audiences the raw “pink slime” produced in the ammonium hydroxide process used by producers named Beef Products Inc (BPI).

“Pink slime” has never been used in McDonald’s beef patties in the UK and Ireland which source their meat from farmers within the two countries.

Now after months of campaigning on his hit US television show McDonald’s have admitted defeat and the fast food giant has abandoned the beef filler from its burger patties.

US Department of Agriculture microbiologist Geral Zirnstein agreed with Jamie Oliver that ammonium hydroxide agent should be banned.

Geral Zirnstein said: “I do not consider the stuff to be ground beef and I consider allowing it in ground beef to be a form of fraudulent labelling.”

Jamie Oliver is pleased at the decision by McDonald’s stop using the ammonium hydroxide processes meat.

He said: “Why would any sensible human being want to put ammonia-filled meat into their children’s mouths?

“The great American public needs to urgently understand what their food industry is doing.”

McDonald’s denied its hand had been forced by Jamie Oliver’s campaign.

Todd Bacon, Senior Director of U.S. Quality Systems and Supply Chain with the fast food chain, said: “At McDonald’s food safety has been and will continue to be a top priority.

“The decision to remove BPI products from the McDonald’s system was not related to any particular event but rather to support our effort to align our global beef raw material standards.

“McDonald’s complies with all government requirements and food safety regulations.

“Furthermore, we have our own food safety measures and standards in place throughout the entire supply chain to ensure that we serve safe, high quality food to every customer, every time they visit our restaurants.”

Two other chains, Burger King and Taco Bell, have earlier bowed to pressure and removed ammonium hydroxide processed ingredients from their products.

[youtube wshlnRWnf30]

Morgellons disease: no infectious cause was found

Kathryn R. Bown
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Morgellons disease: no infectious cause was found

There is no scientific evidence that Morgellons disease is an infectious illness, a study published this week in the journal PLoS One has shown.

The half-million-dollar study performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was started because of the increasing reports of the symptoms and the intense public interest.

“We saw a growing number of people complaining about these unusual symptoms, and as a public health agency we felt the need to see what was going on. It was important to rule out an infectious cause because a lot of people were concerned about transmission,” said CDC spokesman Daniel Rutz.

The CDC “was receiving inquiries from a variety of sources, including the public, about this condition. It was clear that these people were suffering from something; the question was what might it be,” said Mark Eberhard, director of CDC’s Division of Parasitic Diseases.

In 2002 Mary Leitao, a stay-at-home-mom, has given the name Morgellons to a syndrome that includes skin symptoms (crawling, biting, and stinging sensations, formication) and signs such as finding fibers on or under the skin; and persistent skin lesions (rashes, sores). Generally,  physicians include Morgellons in a group of medical conditions called delusional parasitosis, and the disease is hardly considered an official diagnose. Similar conditions are called Ekbom’s syndrome or delusional infestation.

Around 3.2 million people, over 13 years old, at Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) were included in the study from 2006 to 2008. The scientists searched among the records of dermatology, psychiatry, infectious diseases, pediatric, and primary care clinic visits.

Among them, 115 patients (3.65%) had skin lesions or the feeling that “something is crawling on top of or under the skin,” they also reported fibers or other solid material coming through their skin.

They were predominantly medium age, white women (45-64 years). The majority of them (70%) reported the material emerging from their skin as fibers, and the rest described “specks, granules, dots, worms, sand, eggs, fuzz balls and larvae.”

The most frequent histopathologic abnormality (51% of biopsies) was solar elastosis. Actinic, or solar elastosis is caused by photoaging (excessive sun exposure), and consists in an accumulation of abnormal elastin in the skin and in the  eye.

The materials collected from intact skin were composed of superficial skin, cotton fibers, nylon, polyester, nail polish remains. Skin lesions appeared only in the body areas where the person could reach. Arthropods (insects, spiders) bites and rubbing or scratching seemed to cause them (chronic excoriations).

“These sores appear often to be the result of people picking at themselves, as they would if they had a chronic irritation that couldn’t be resolved any other way,” said Daniel Rutz.

 

Skin and Morgellons disease
Skin is a powerful and delicate organ. It protect us and it is exposed to many internal or external harmful factors. Morgellons is a skin disease that causes a negative impact on quality of life.

 

No parasites or mycobacteria were detected in the skin or blood samples taken from Morgellons disease sufferers.

“We were able to answer conclusively that they were not living entities,” said Mark Eberhard.

“They’re not alive. They’re pieces of cotton and other elements of clothing; common debris,” said Daniel Rutz, regarding the rumors that the fibers are insects, or even alien microchips.

Among the Morgellons disease sufferers there were a lot with other health problems. Chronic fatigue was reported in 70% of cases and 54% said their overall health was fair or poor. They had an excessive preoccupation with their health, or high levels of “somatic concerns“, one-third had a neuropsychiatric condition. The hair sample testing of half of the patients showed evidence of illicit drug use and 78% reported exposure to solvents. In the general population the percentage of illicit drug use is 8.9, according to a national survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The high usage in Morgellons disease cases may be caused by the attempts to alleviate the symptoms, said Mark Eberhard.

Although Morgellons disease is rare, this unexplained dermopathy causes a negative impact on quality of life. More research has to be done to clarify  the etiology and to find a treatment.

Nerve damage might transmit the itch sensation, according to Dr. Anne Louise Oaklander, neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

“This causes them to fire without appropriate cause, and it’s natural that people interpret this as a sensation of insects crawling on the skin… I think it’s wonderful that the syndrome is receiving careful and thoughtful research attention, which has been scarce in the past. And I hope other physicians and researchers are encouraged to take these symptoms seriously, as they’re very disabling,” Dr. Oaklander said.

“This is something that needs to be treated. It’s really important to discuss that there might be other ways to approach the disease. Until we can find an exact cause or a cure, it’s important that we try to improve their suffering,” said Jason Reichenberg, director of dermatology at the University of Texas Southwestern-Austin. He leads a session on Morgellons disease at a dermatology organization meeting in San Diego.

 

Morgellons disease pictures (video):

[youtube bmCf4f0RnSw]

 

Costa Concordia: ship owner Costa Cruises offers passengers compensation

Diane A. Wade
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Costa Concordia: ship owner Costa Cruises offers passengers compensation

Costa Cruises, the Italian company that owns the capsized cruise ship Costa Concordia has offered passengers 11,000 euros ($14,000; £9,000) each in compensation.

The deal comes after negotiations between Costa Cruises, and several Italian consumer groups.

Costa Cruises also promised to refund medical and transport expenses, as well as the cost of the cruise.

Costa Cruises, the Italian company that owns the capsized cruise ship Costa Concordia has offered passengers 11,000 euros ($14,000) each in compensation
Costa Cruises, the Italian company that owns the capsized cruise ship Costa Concordia has offered passengers 11,000 euros ($14,000) each in compensation

One consumer group, Codacons, has urged passengers not to accept the offer, Reuters news agency reports.

Will be back with further details.

Bag of cocaine found at the UN headquarters in New York

Diane A. Wade
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Bag of cocaine found at the UN headquarters in New York

New York Police announced that a bag containing 16 kg (35.5lb) of cocaine was found at the United Nations headquarters in the city last week.

The drugs were in a bag printed with a version of the UN symbol which arrived at the organization’s mailroom, setting off a security alert.

Spokesman Paul Browne said the bag seemed to have been delivered by accident.

There was no name or address on the shipment sent from Mexico City through Cincinnati, Paul Browne added.

New York Police announced that a bag containing 16 kg (35.5lb) of cocaine was found at the United Nations headquarters in the city last week
New York Police announced that a bag containing 16 kg (35.5lb) of cocaine was found at the United Nations headquarters in the city last week

The white bag raised suspicions when it was being scanned because a poor imitation of a UN logo had been stamped on it, apparently in an attempt to pass it off as official baggage.

Inside the bag, the drug was hidden in hollowed-out notebooks, UN undersecretary-general for safety and security, Gregory Starr, told reporters.

“In my humble opinion this was the work of narcotics traffickers that were trying to ship something into the United States and their plan must have gone wrong,” Gregory Starr was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.

UN spokesman Martin Nesirky told AP news agency that neither the UN nor anyone located at its headquarters was the intended recipient of the shipment.

The terrifying lives of the employees at Apple’s manufacturing centres in China

Nancy Clayson
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The terrifying lives of the employees at Apple’s manufacturing centres in China

Some of the employees at Apple’s manufacturing centres in China complain about working excessive overtime without a single day off during the week, living together in crowded dormitories and standing so long that their legs swell and they can hardly walk after a 24-hour shift.

Almost 140 workers at a supplier in China were injured two years ago using a poisonous chemical to clean iPhone screens – and two explosions last year killed four people while injuring more than 75.

Apple had allegedly been alerted to hazardous conditions inside the Chengdu plant in southwest China before the explosions at those plants, reported the New York Times.

“If Apple was warned and didn’t act, that’s reprehensible,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology work safety expert Nicholas Ashford told the New York Times.

“But what’s morally repugnant in one country is accepted business practices in another, and companies take advantage of that,” the former U.S. Labor Department advisor added.

Banners in the Chengdu plant gave a warning to the 120,000 staff: “Work hard on the job today or work hard to find a job tomorrow.” Workers who arrived late often had to write confession letters.

The newspaper’s report comes hot on the heels of Apple announcing whopping $13 billion profits on $46 billion sales in its last quarter – but the firm still wants its overseas factories to produce more.

Apple executives claim it has improved factories in recent years and issues a supplier code of conduct on labour and safety – but problems still exist, according to employment advocacy groups.

More than half of the suppliers audited by Apple have broken at least one part of its conduct code each year since 2007 and have even broken the law in some cases, according to company reports.

A Foxconn employee jumped or fell from a block of flats after losing an iPhone prototype in 2009 – and 18 other workers apparently tried to commit suicide in two years, reported the New York Times.

Suicide nets were installed to prevent workers from jumping to their deaths and Foxconn began providing better mental health treatment for its staff.

Li Mingqi worked for Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn Technology until last spring and helped manage the Chengdu plant which had the explosion. He is now suing Foxconn over his dismissal.

“Apple never cared about anything other than increasing product quality and decreasing production cost,” Li Mingqi told the New York Times.

“Workers’ welfare has nothing to do with their interests.”

The fatal Chengdu explosion came from an aluminium dust build up three weeks after the iPad came out. Despite Apple’s probe, seven months on there was a further, non-fatal, explosion in Shanghai.

A former Apple executive claimed that the company has had knowledge of labour abuses in some factories for four years
A former Apple executive claimed that the company has had knowledge of labour abuses in some factories for four years

 

A former Apple executive claimed that the company has had knowledge of labour abuses in some factories for four years – “and they’re still going on because the system works for us”.

Suppliers are only allowed the smallest margins on what they produce for Apple, and executives at the Cupertino company always ask them for details on part costs, worker numbers and salary sizes.

But workers at a factory of Apple partner Wintek went on strike after rumours that employees were exposed to toxins because they evaporated three times faster than alcohol when rubbing screens.

Apple’s late co-founder Steve Jobs, who died last October, said two years ago that the company is a worldwide leader in “understanding the working conditions in our supply chain”.

Steve Jobs said many of the factories have restaurants, cinemas, hospitals and swimming pools. While staff says they appreciate these facilities, the working conditions are still seen as relentless.

Foxconn said conditions are “anything but harsh”, just one in 20 workers assembly line workers must stand to do their jobs and the firm has a “very good safety record”, reported the New York Times.

The Mail on Sunday visited a Foxconn factory making iPods in Shenzhen, China, in 2006, and its reports on long hours, crowded accommodation and punishments shocked Apple executives.

“We’re trying really hard to make things better,” one former Apple executive told the New York Times.

“But most people would still be really disturbed if they saw where their iPhone comes from.”

Jennifer Aniston makes fun of Chelsea Handler on After Lately show

Lisa.Felice
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Jennifer Aniston makes fun of Chelsea Handler on After Lately show

Jennifer Aniston and Chelsea Handler have been known as being the best friends, with Jennifer saying: “I am madly in love with Chelsea Handler.”

What appears to be roses and champagne on the surface hides murkier depths, if a segment filmed for Chelsea Handler’s After Lately show is anything to go by.

In the show, Chelsea Handler, 36, proudly introduces her A-list friend Jennifer Aniston to her E! writing team and tells them that the former Friends star was tickled by a sketch they’re working on.

But when Chelsea Handler has to take a call, Jennifer Aniston asks the team: “Do you think that’s funny? That is so not funny.”

The Chelsea Lately writers agree that the humour is off but defend their star by telling her friend that she’s been very busy.

Then Jennifer Aniston really hits her stride, by asking sarcastically: “[Is she busy] gossiping about more successful people that are better-looking than her? Putting her name on another dumb book to make the world an even dumber place?”

Then Jennifer Aniston sardonically drawled: “<<Hi, I’m Chelsea. I really think that everything I say is funny>>. You know what I mean? It’s a shock that she really still has her own show.”

Before asking: “That little guy…?”

To which the team chime together: “Chewy,” referencing Chelsea Handler’s sidekick and comedy foil on the show.

In the After Lately show, Chelsea Handler proudly introduces her friend Jennifer Aniston to her E! writing team and tells them that she was tickled by a sketch they're working on
In the After Lately show, Chelsea Handler proudly introduces her friend Jennifer Aniston to her E! writing team and tells them that she was tickled by a sketch they're working on

But Jennifer Aniston lampoons Joan Rivers’s recent condemnation of Chelsea Handler, by saying: “No, the little one that she slept with to get the gig? He doesn’t even work for the network anymore.”

Jennifer Aniston went on to claim that Chelsea Handler is not the cleanest person, adding: “And then her hygiene… have you noticed this? Honestly, when we were in Cabo, she never showered! She would be like, <<What? I went in the pool>>. It’s gross!”

Of course, it’s all for fun and Jennifer Aniston, who was recently reported to be expecting her first child with boyfriend Justin Theroux, is still besotted with her gal pal.

Staff writer, Heather McDonald told US Weekly: “It was great having Jen Aniston on the show. She’s super sweet, has a really hot body, the good hair.

“Jen is also a good-friend to host Chelsea, as she had no problem doing her friend a favour and making an appearance.”

Reese Witherspoon was another actress who was given a good report by the writer after she made her second cameo on the show.

[youtube s3nEqRK3idA]

One World Trade Center towers the skyscrapers with 90 storeys and 20 more to be completed

Diane A. Wade
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One World Trade Center towers the skyscrapers with 90 storeys and 20 more to be completed

New pictures of The One World Trade Center show its frame stands at 90 storeys high, with 20 more yet to be completed.

The One World Trade Center, also known as Freedom Tower, already towers above the skyscrapers surrounding the site where almost 3,000 tragically lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

Workers had been adding a new floor a week up until last year, but in recent months work has slowed.

The Port Authority’s executive director, Patrick Foye, blamed rainy weather and high winds at the top of the building.

Patrick Foye spoke to reporters following a panel discussion on infrastructure at Fordham University on Monday.

The authority also says it is having trouble finding space for the trailers that move upward with the workers.

New pictures of The One World Trade Center show its frame stands at 90 storeys high, with 20 more yet to be completed
New pictures of The One World Trade Center show its frame stands at 90 storeys high, with 20 more yet to be completed

As the tower narrows, there is less space on each floor, and transferring the trailers upward takes more time.

DCM Erectors, the New York-based company that is laying the steel, has also had financial problems, Patrick Foye confirmed Monday.

Patrick Foye said the authority has had to step in and pay some of the company’s bills. Steel deliveries have continued, he said.

“They have made arrangements with their financing sources,” Patrick Foye said. “The thing that’s important to us is they continue to fabricate steel and deliver it, and we continue to install it.”

DCM did not immediately return a telephone call from the Associated Press seeking comment.

Patrick Foye said that One World Trade Center is 60% leased and that the authority is still aiming for a completion date in the fourth quarter of 2013.

The structure will top out at 1,368ft foot height, taller than same size as the old WTC. However, the new building will have a 408ft spire, taking it to 1,776ft.

Facebook’s Timeline app will become mandatory for all users in 7 days

Nancy Clayson
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Facebook’s Timeline app will become mandatory for all users in 7 days

Facebook’s Timeline, which exposes people’s entire history on the site, will become mandatory for all users.

Timeline has been voluntary up until now.

From now, users will simply be notified that they are being “updated” via an announcement at the top of their home page, which users click on to activate Timeline.

As with voluntary switches to Timeline, those who are “updated” will have just seven days to select which photos, posts and life events they want to advertise to the world.

Via its official blog, Facebook announced: “Last year we introduced timeline, a new kind of profile that lets you highlight the photos, posts and life events that help you tell your story.

“Over the next few weeks, everyone will get timeline. When you get timeline, you’ll have 7 days to preview what’s there now.

“This gives you a chance to add or hide whatever you want before anyone else sees it.”

Timeline has been criticized for showing off pictures and posts that people might have wanted to forget.

The new look also pairs with “timeline apps”, such as Spotify, which post every time people listen to a song, or eat a recipe or visit somewhere.

“You can learn more about these new features by taking the quick tour available at the top of your timeline,” says Facebook.

“If you want to get timeline now, go to the Introducing Timeline page and click. Get Timeline. Or you can wait until you see an announcement at the top of your home page.”

Mark Zuckerberg described timeline as letting you “tell the whole story of your life on a single page”.

The redesigned pages have a more magazine-like photo-heavy feel, with a large “cover photo” at the top of the page.

On the right of the page there will be a timeline that breaks down all posts from a person’s time on Facebook and allows viewers to jump back to people’s earliest posts with a break down month-by-month.

Facebook’s Timeline will bring to your pages a more magazine-like photo-heavy feel, with a large “cover photo” at the top of the page
Facebook’s Timeline will bring to your pages a more magazine-like photo-heavy feel, with a large “cover photo” at the top of the page

Some were puzzled by the abrupt roll-out of the change, which is one of the biggest changes to Facebook – all the more so when paired with the new Timeline apps, such as Spotify, which posts a continuous stream of all songs listened to your Timeline.

A user listening to Spotify on a smartphone, for instance, will default to posting every song to their Timeline for all to see. As with all Timeline features, there are various opt-outs, but they can be fiddly to find and use.

Likewise, e-book readers such as Kobo and video services such as Netflix can post every book and film people consume to Timeline.

Many sites published guides to how to “hide” controversial content. Twitter users had mixed reactions.

Reactions included, “I dont want a timeline on my facebook – why do you force me to have one?” and “I hate Facebook timeline design with a vengeance. More frippery and less function. Why are they forcing it on us?”

Many were shocked by how rapidly timeline had become compulsory.

Tech site Mashable said: “Facebook must know that putting a ticking clock in front of users is bound to make very few of them happy, yet here it is, stop watch in hand. Here’s my theory.”

“Timeline apps aren’t very effective without it. Conducting most of your day-to-day activities, like watching movies, sharing content, reading news, eating out, and more – that’s new. None of this has quite the same impact without Timeline.”

So far, Facebook has announced a few dozen Timeline apps.

Many sites recommend vetting apps carefully to see what they will post, and creating lists of friends to “share” certain updates with, rather than bombarding your whole friends list.

Tech site CNET warns: “Once you install an app and authorize it to post stories on your profile and News Feed, it’ll never ask for your permission again.”

“If you love to cook, you can add the Foodily app to your timeline and share your latest dishes. If your friends have added the Foodily app, you can discover new recipes with each other, as you’ll see their updates in the ticker and their timeline, and possibly News Feed.”

Facebook says that more Timeline apps, covering more interests will launch soon.

“Our vision for Timeline and our vision for the application platform is whatever you love and whatever story you want to tell, you can add that to your Timeline,” said Carl Sjogreen, Facebook’s product management director.

Facebook Timeline with Apps and Ticker.

“Our message to developers is <<start your engines>>,” said Carl Sjogreen.

FBI plans an app to combine information from Twitter, Facebook and Google Maps

Nancy Clayson
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Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking to develop an early-warning system based on material “scraped” from social networks.

FBI says the application should provide information about possible domestic and global threats superimposed onto maps “using mash-up technology”.

FBI has asked contractors to suggest possible solutions including the estimated cost.

Privacy campaigners say they are concerned that the move could have implications for free speech.

The FBI’s Strategic Information and Operations Center (SOIC) posted its “Social Media Application” market research request onto the web on 19 January, and it was subsequently flagged up by New Scientist magazine.

The document says: “Social media has become a primary source of intelligence because it has become the premier first response to key events and the primal alert to possible developing situations.”

The FBI says the application should collect “open source” information and have the ability to:

• Provide an automated search and scrape capability of social networks including Facebook and Twitter.

• Allow users to create new keyword searches.

• Display different levels of threats as alerts on maps, possibly using colour coding to distinguish priority. Google Maps 3D and Yahoo Maps are listed among the “preferred” mapping options.

• Plot a wide range of domestic and global terror data.

• Immediately translate foreign language tweets into English.

It also says the information would be used to help it to predict the likely actions of “bad actors”, detect instances of people deliberately misleading law enforcement officers and spot the vulnerabilities of suspect groups.

The FBI issued the request three weeks after the US Department of Homeland Security released a separate report into the privacy implications of monitoring social media websites.

It justified the principle of using information that users have provided and not opted to make private.

“Information posted to social media websites is publicly accessible and voluntarily generated. Thus the opportunity not to provide information exists prior to the informational post by the user,” it says.

It noted that the department’s National Operations Center had a policy in place to edit out any gathered information which fell outside of the categories relevant to its investigations.

It listed websites that the centre planned to monitor. They include YouTube, the photo service Flickr, and Itstrending.com – a site which shows popular shared items on Facebook.

It also highlighted words it looked out for. These include “gangs”, “small pox”, “leak”, “recall” and “2600” – an apparent reference to the hacking-focused magazine.

Australia: PM Julia Gillard rescued after becoming trapped in a restaurant by angry protesters

Diane A. Wade
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Australia: PM Julia Gillard rescued after becoming trapped in a restaurant by angry protesters

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and leader of the opposition Tony Abbott had to be rescued after becoming trapped in a restaurant by angry protesters, local media reports.

Riot police formed a shield around the prime minister as they helped her force a path through the protesters who surrounded a restaurant where she was attending an awards ceremony to mark Australia Day.

About 50 police escorted PM Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott from Canberra’s Lobby restaurant after it was surrounded by some 200 supporters of the city’s Aboriginal Tent Embassy.

Julia Gillard stumbled after losing a shoe in the scuffle, but was caught by her personal security guard and managed to get into a waiting car.

About 50 police escorted PM Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott from Canberra's Lobby restaurant after it was surrounded by some 200 supporters of the city's Aboriginal Tent Embassy
About 50 police escorted PM Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott from Canberra's Lobby restaurant after it was surrounded by some 200 supporters of the city's Aboriginal Tent Embassy

Tony Abbott had reportedly angered them by suggesting it was time for the camp – marking its 40th year – to come down.

The pair had been at a ceremony for the inaugural National Emergency Medals.

The honours – presented as the country marked Australia Day – were introduced to recognize those who served their communities during events such as the 2009 bushfires in Victoria and the floods in Queensland in 2010 and 2011.

Australia’s newspapers reported that riot police were called to the restaurant at about 14:30 local time as protesters gathered outside, with people banging on the glass yelling “shame” and “racist”.

Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott were reportedly forced to wait 20 minutes before police escorted them through a side door.

Chaos ensued as a bodyguard grabbed Julia Gillard by the shoulders and shoved her into a waiting car.

The prime minister appeared to have stumbled in the process and was missing a shoe. Protesters continued to bang on the car’s roof and the bonnet as it sped off.

Supporters had gathered for a three-day Corroborree for Sovereignty to mark the 40th anniversary of the tent embassy.

Media reports suggested some had been angered by Tony Abbott’s suggestion in a TV interview that it was “time to move on” from the camp in light of current plans to recognize indigenous people in the country’s constitution.

The tent embassy was established in 1972 by four men as a protest against the prime minister of the time’s refusal to acknowledge indigenous land rights.

[youtube GoJGXSLZxfQ]

3-D object has been cloaked from all angles

James J. Williams
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3-D object has been cloaked from all angles

Researchers from Austin, Texas, have “cloaked” a 3-D object, making it invisible from all angles, for the first time.

However, the demonstration works only for waves in the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

The demonstration uses a shell of what are known as plasmonic materials; they present a “photo negative” of the object being cloaked, effectively cancelling it out.

The idea, outlined in New Journal of Physics, could find first application in high-resolution microscopes.

Most of the high-profile invisibility cloaking efforts have focused on the engineering of “metamaterials” – modifying materials to have properties that cannot be found in nature.

The modifications allow metamaterials to guide and channel light in unusual ways – specifically, to make the light rays arrive as if they had not passed over or been reflected by a cloaked object.

3-D object cloaking demonstration works only for waves in the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum
3-D object cloaking demonstration works only for waves in the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum

Previous efforts that have made three-dimensional objects disappear have relied upon a “carpet cloak” idea, in which the object to be cloaked is overlaid with a “carpet” of metamaterial that bends light so as to make the object invisible.

Andrea Alu and colleagues at the University of Texas at Austin have pulled off the trick in “free space”, making an 18 cm-long cylinder invisible to incoming microwave light.

Light of all types can be described in terms of electric and magnetic fields, and what gives an object its appearance is the way its constituent atoms absorb, transmit or reflect those fields.

Prior metamaterial approaches sidestep these effects simply by channeling light around an object, using carefully designed structures that bounce light in prescribed way, like a pinball machine.

By contrast, plasmonic materials can be designed to have effects on the fields that are precisely opposed to those of the object.

“What we do is different; we realize a shell that scatters [light] by itself, but the interesting point is that if you combine the shell with the object inside, the two counter out and the object becomes completely invisible,” said Prof. Andrea Alu.

The plasmonic material shell is, in essence, a photo-negative of the object being cloaked.

As a result, the cloak has to be tailored to work for a given object. If one were to swap different objects within the same cloak, they would not be as effectively hidden.

But the success with the cylinder suggests further work with different wavelengths of light is worth pursuing: “It’s a real object standing in our lab, and it basically disappears,” said Prof. Andrea Alu said.

However, the idea is unlikely to work at the visible light part of the spectrum.

Prof. Andrea Alu explained that the approach could be applied to the tips of scanning microscopes – the most high-resolution microscopes science has – to yield an improved view of even smaller wavelengths of light.

Ortwin Hess, professor of metamaterials at Imperial College London, said the work was a “very nice verification that this approach works”.

“There are some limits on where these things can be applied, but nevertheless it’s really, really interesting and fundamental indeed,” he said.

Prof. Ortwin Hess explained that for future applications, plasmonic materials could be combined with the structured metamaterials idea already in development elsewhere. Light can be channelled where it needs to go, or its effects undone, as need be.

Cloaking in visible light, hiding more complex shapes and materials – that is, a cloak of Harry Potter qualities – remains distant, but Prof. Andrea Alu pointed out that the steps in the meantime will be put to use.

“There is still a lot of work to do,” he said.

“Our goal was just to show this plasmonic technique can reduce scattering from an object in free space.

“But if I had to bet in five years what kind of cloaking technique might be used for applications, for practical purposes, then I would say plasmonic cloaking is a good bet.”

Brazil: two high-rise buildings have collapsed in Rio de Janeiro

Diane A. Wade
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Brazil: two high-rise buildings have collapsed in Rio de Janeiro

Streets in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, have been filled with masonry and cars have been covered with debris after two buildings – one nearly 20 storeys high – have collapsed in the city.

According to officials, up to 11 people are believed to be inside the buildings and five people have been rescued.

The cause of the collapse remains unclear, but witnesses spoke of an explosion and a strong smell of gas.

City Mayor Eduardo Paes said that they were focusing on rescue efforts before looking into the incident’s cause.

Rescue workers were able to pull a cleaner from inside one of the elevators in the rubble after he managed to call a friend on his mobile phone.

Streets in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, have been filled with masonry and cars have been covered with debris after two buildings - one nearly 20 storeys high - have collapsed in the city
Streets in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, have been filled with masonry and cars have been covered with debris after two buildings - one nearly 20 storeys high - have collapsed in the city

The buildings – located near the Municipal Theatre and the headquarters of oil giant Petrobras – crushed a four-storey construction site on their way down.

The area surrounding the buildings is now covered in rubble, with several cars partially covered by debris.

Dozens of emergency workers are at the scene and police have cordoned off the area.

Electricity to the street has been cut off for safety reasons.

One witness, who identified himself as Gilbert, told Reuters news agency: “It was like an earthquake. First some pieces of the buildings started to fall down. People started to run. And then it all fell down at once.”

The incident comes a little over three months after a suspected gas explosion at a restaurant in the city left three people dead.

Concerns have been raised about the state of Rio de Janeiro’s infrastructure as Brazil prepares to host football’s World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games two years later.

[youtube AAvhrmZ0aQM]

Jean-Claude Mas, PIP breast implant owner, has been arrested in southern France

Kathryn R. Bown
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Jean-Claude Mas, PIP breast implant owner, has been arrested in southern France

French Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) founder Jean-Claude Mas has been arrested at his home in Six-Fours-les-Plages, southern France, according to police.

In 2010, France banned PIP breast implants made with low-grade industrial silicone, amid fears they could rupture and leak.

Up to 400,000 women in 65 countries are believed to have been given implants.

Jean-Claude Mas, 72, remains at his home while police search it – as required by French law.

PIP owner is believed to have been detained as part of a judicial investigation started in December into manslaughter and involuntary injuries.

A second PIP executive, former chief financial officer Claude Couty, has also been arrested

Jean-Claude Mas has been under investigation since he revealed in a police interview last year that PIP ordered employees to hide the unauthorized silicone when inspectors visited its factory.

He told police that PIP had deceived European safety inspectors for 13 years.

But Jean-Claude Mas has insisted they posed no threat to health and attacked the French authorities for offering to pay for their removal because it put women through a “surgery risk”.

Jean-Claude Mas has been under investigation since he revealed in a police interview last year that PIP ordered employees to hide the unauthorized silicone when inspectors visited its factory
Jean-Claude Mas has been under investigation since he revealed in a police interview last year that PIP ordered employees to hide the unauthorized silicone when inspectors visited its factory

PIP owner also said he had “nothing” to say to women facing surgery for their removal and that victims had only filed complaints “to make money”.

Excerpts from Jean-Claude Mas’s interview have been re-examined by a French magistrate.

In France, 30,000 women have been advised to remove the implants and 2,700 have filed complaints against Jean-Claude Mas.

Women in 65 countries – mainly in Latin America and elsewhere in Europe – have received implants made by the company, which closed down in March 2010.

Health officials in Germany, the Czech Republic and Venezuela have advised women to have them removed.

The medical advice in the UK, where 40,000 are affected, is that there is no need for all the implants to be removed, only those causing problems such as pain or tenderness.

In England, the NHS will only replace them in exceptional circumstances, and the NHS in Wales said it would only do so when it was deemed medically necessary.

Women in Northern Ireland who received PIP implants for health reasons will have them replaced, but the NHS will only remove, not replace, those inserted for cosmetic reasons.

Scotland’s Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said concerned women who had them fitted privately would be offered advice and the option of removal if necessary. There are no records of PIP implants being used by the NHS.

The international police agency Interpol has said Jean-Claude Mas is wanted in Costa Rica over a drunk driving charge.

It said the “red notice” over an alleged incident in June 2010 was “totally unconnected” to PIP.

Demi Moore allegedly collapsed after taking laughing gas, US reports claim

Lisa.Felice
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0
Demi Moore allegedly collapsed after taking laughing gas, US reports claim

Reports claim that Demi Moore collapsed after taking nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, while at her LA home.

Demi Moore, 49, allegedly inhaled the laughing gas out of a canister commonly used in whipping cream cans. She allegedly collapsed after having a bad reaction, according to TMZ.

A source told TMZ Demi Moore started to show symptoms of a seizure after ingesting large amounts of the substance.

“Whip-it” is the street name for nitrous oxide contained in a small metal canister and usually used for recharging whipping cream cans in restaurants.

According to TMZ, a female friend who was with the actress while she was inhaling gas told hospital staff she became distressed when Demi Moore had a reaction and was rendered semi-unconscious.

The “whip-it” charger is sold separately and users inhale it from the canister to receive a “quick high”.

It is typically used by young teenagers and is popular because it can easily be bought over the counter from the supermarket.

Prescription medication is also said to have played a part in her hospitalization and that her consistent use was one of the causes of her marriage collapse.

“It was a sticking point for Ashton,” a source told People magazine. “He wanted her to take care of herself and get a hold of things, and she wouldn’t.

“Her family and friends have been really worried.”

Demi Moore has become frighteningly thin since her split with Ashton Kutcher
Demi Moore has become frighteningly thin since her split with Ashton Kutcher

Insiders have also told People magazine that Demi Moore was troubled and not looking after herself long before Monday night’s hospital dash.

They say the problems began as she endured her break-up with Ashton Kutcher.

“Really, it was over the last year her friends saw a change,” a source told the magazine. “She wasn’t sleeping as well, didn’t seem to be eating and looked really gaunt.”

Demi Moore was rushed to hospital on Monday night.

The actress, who has appeared increasingly frail in recent weeks, was taken to hospital by ambulance following a call to 911 just before 11:00 pm.

Shortly after being admitted to hospital, website Radar claimed Demi Moore was being treated for anorexia, among other substance abuse issues.

The news emerged as Ashton Kutcher, 33, from whom she is estranged, was pictured enjoying a beer as he partied with friends at a Bruno Mars gig in Brazil.

Ashton Kutcher has been in the South American country for its fashion week.

Demi Moore has become frighteningly thin since her split with Ashton Kutcher, and a source close to the actress described what happened to her.

A source told Radar: “She collapsed after having an epileptic seizure… she has not taken care of her health at all lately and has lost a ton of weight.”

“Demi is in getting treated for anorexia, as well as other issues that caused her seizure,” the source added.

In the weeks before her hospitalization, Demi Moore was spotted letting loose on a wild night out with her daughter Rumer, 23.

On the night of January 11 she joined her eldest child at Hollywood hot spot Beacher’s Madhouse where sources tell Us Weekly magazine she was “table dancing while three guys sat there watching”.

At least one onlooker claims Demi Moore appeared intoxicated, although others only saw her drinking Red Bull.

Representatives for Demi Moore refused to directly comment on the substance abuse allegations. But her spokesperson said the actress is seeking “professional assistance” after the stresses of recent months.

Starbursting activity in the early Universe lead to biggest galaxies

James J. Williams
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Starbursting activity in the early Universe lead to biggest galaxies

A new research suggests that frenetic star-forming activity in the early Universe is linked to the most massive galaxies in today’s cosmos.

This “starbursting” activity when the Universe was just a few billion years old appears to have been clamped off by the growth of super massive black holes.

An international team gathered hints of the mysterious “dark matter” in early galaxies to confirm the link.

The findings appear in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Being able to see objects at great distances in the cosmos allows astronomers to look into the past, at light that departed when the Universe was young.

A new research suggests that frenetic star-forming activity in the early Universe is linked to the most massive galaxies in today's cosmos
A new research suggests that frenetic star-forming activity in the early Universe is linked to the most massive galaxies in today's cosmos

Using the 12-metre Atacama Pathfinder Experiment telescope in Chile, an international team led by Ryan Hickox of Dartmouth College studied the way distant galaxies from the early Universe grouped together.

Galaxies are understood to be surrounded by “haloes” of a mysterious material called dark matter, which clearly exerts a force but has never been detected. The team’s experiments measured the effects of this gravitational force on the galaxy clusters.

With these measured dark matter haloes, and the help of a computer model that describes how the galaxies and their haloes should evolve, the team showed that the frenetic “starbursting” galaxies develop into the enormous elliptical galaxies we see more nearby.

“This is the first time that we’ve been able to show this clear link between the most energetic starbursting galaxies in the early Universe, and the most massive galaxies in the present day,” said Dr. Ryan Hickox.

However, these bouts of star formation appear to only last about 100 million years, seeming to come to an abrupt halt.

The team’s new work adds weight to the idea that the starburst feeds material into the super massive black holes at their centers.

These in turn emit powerful blasts of energy as they consume the stars, blowing away the very clouds of gas that could otherwise have coalesced into even more stars.

Titanic alike scene in pictures of Costa Concordia moments after cruise ship ran aground

Diane A. Wade
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Titanic alike scene in pictures of Costa Concordia moments after cruise ship ran aground

Dramatic pictures, released this evening, show the aftermath of the Costa Concordia disaster as like a scene from the Titanic.

Lifeboats can be seen spilling from the sides of the ship into the gloomy waters off the island of Giglio as Costa Concordia cruise liner sinks into the sea.

Passengers can be clearly seen on the stardboard side waiting to climb aboard those lifeboats which haven’t already been deployed.

Holidaymakers, who moments earlier had been enjoying dinner on the luxury vessel, can also be seen making their way around the heavily-banking prow of the ship.

And the whole dramatic scene is lit up like a Hollywood movie by the many lights on the cruise ship, which would soon plunge into darkness as it sank into the water, claiming at least 16 lives.

Today, search efforts aboard the doomed liner continued, but an official overseeing the operation acknowledged for the first time that it would take a miracle to find any more survivors.

Like a Titanic scene, lifeboats can be seen spilling from the sides of the ship into the gloomy waters off the island of Giglio as Costa Concordia cruise liner sinks into the sea
Like a Titanic scene, lifeboats can be seen spilling from the sides of the ship into the gloomy waters off the island of Giglio as Costa Concordia cruise liner sinks into the sea

Franco Gabrielli, head of Italy’s national civil protection agency, said rescuers would keep searching the ship, which is half-submerged in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the island, until every reachable area is inspected.

“Finding someone alive today belongs in the realm of miracles,” Franco Gabrielli said.

“But since none of us, at least inside, wants to give up on that possibility, we will continue.”

Operations today saw search teams set off more explosions on the submerged third floor deck to allow easier access for divers.

Seventeen people are still unaccounted for, but the last person to be found alive was on January 15 when a senior crew member was discovered less than 36 hours after the grounding.

Costa Concordia ran aground after Captain Francesco Schettino veered from his approved course and gashed the ship’s hull on a reef, forcing the panicked evacuation of the 4,200 passengers and crew.

On Wednesday, the chief executive of Costa Crociere SpA, Pier Luigi Foschi, insisted that Francesco Schettino didn’t have approval to change the ship’s routing and was going far too fast to be so close to shore.

But he defended the practice of so-called “tourist navigation”, whereby enormous cruise ships steer close to shore to give passengers a look at the sites. Luigi Foschi said it was part of the “cruise product” that passengers demand and that cruise lines are forced to offer to stay competitive.

“It’s something that enriches the cruise product,” Luigi Foschi told a parliamentary committee.

“There are many components of the cruise product, and we have to do them like everyone else because we are in a global competition.”

Costa is owned by Miami-based Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise company.

Luigi Foschi stressed that such deviations from charted routes are supposed to follow strict protocols that ensure safety: ports are informed, the company is informed, and certainly no ship of the Costa Concordia’s size would be charging 200-300 yards (meters) off shore at 16 knots.

“For anyone who knows that zone, that ship with those characteristics shouldn’t have been there,” Luigi Foschi said.

Francesco Schettino is under house arrest, facing accusations of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning a ship before all passengers were evacuated.

On Wednesday, Francesco Schettino’s lawyer filed a motion challenging the house arrest, saying the captain wasn’t a flight risk and asserting that there was no risk that he would repeat the crime since no cruise line would hire him, the ANSA news agency reported.

Potential way to prevent death from metastatic melanoma: Photoacoustics identifies cancer cells when they spread into the blood stream

Kathryn R. Bown
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0
Potential way to prevent death from metastatic melanoma: Photoacoustics identifies cancer cells when they spread into the blood stream

A team of researchers from University of Missouri Columbia has developed a method to detect melanoma cells when they start to spread into the blood stream and before they develop into tumors.

It is extremely important to identify the cell into the blood stream before they start to grow into a tumor. This may make the difference between curable an incurable melanoma.

Using photoacoustics, or laser-induced ultrasounds, cancer cells can be detected with higher efficiency than using current methods.

According to John Viator photoacoustics can identify metastasis before a tumor can be detected with MRIs or CT scans. The method is more sensitive and less expensive because the action can be performed on equipment that is more simplistic than the methods used to diagnose melanoma (MRIs or CT scans).

“Currently, metastatic disease, the phase of cancer where it is spreading throughout the body, is detected by performing body scans, looking for macroscopic tumors that are greater than a few millimeters in size. This method is a new paradigm where we detect cancer’s spread in the bloodstream by detecting single cells in blood samples. The ability to detect metastatic disease when it is still at the single cell level may allow treatment to be done in much lower doses, so that chemotherapy can be performed in such a way that is much easier on the patient,” said by John Viator, associate professor of biological engineering and associate professor of biomedical engineering and dermatology, who is leading the team.

Photoacoustics are being produced commercially for various cancer studies and clinical trials to receive the United States Food and Drug Administration’s approval.

 

Detecting melanoma cells when they start to spread into the blood stream, might be a way to improve treatment and prevention.
Detecting melanoma cells when they start to spread into the blood stream, might be a way to improve treatment and prevention.

 

“We hope one day to use this method as a general screening tool for everyone, just like women have to get mammograms. After a certain age, it would be part of your routine physical. If you’re predisposed to metastatic melanoma and if the disease is ‘caught early’ by our detection system before the patient shows symptoms, then the chances of survival can be up to 90 percent,” said biological engineering graduate Ben Goldschmidt.

He has worked with the MU researchers team on designing a disposable flow cell for a melanoma detection system to make the device to be used commercially.

Melanoma is a malignant tumor developed from cells that produce the dark pigment (melanin), called melanocytes.

Melanin induces the color of the skin. Melanocytes are found mostly in skin, but they are also presents in other parts of the body, including the bowel and the eye (uveal melanoma). Melanoma can develop in any part of the body that contains melanocytes.

Melanoma is occurs less frequent than other skin cancer, but is more severe and causes the most of the deaths from skin cancer. The disease can start from a mole that is scratched very often, or cut or too exposed to the ultraviolet radiation. Melanoma can become metastatic and spread rapidly into other organs, and the treatment is difficult.

This year around 76,250 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed and about 9,180 from this cancer will occur, according to the estimations made by the National Cancer Institute.

 

Thorpe Park: rollercoaster The Swarm needs urgent redesign after dummies return from test run with limbs snapped off

Diane A. Wade
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Thorpe Park: rollercoaster The Swarm needs urgent redesign after dummies return from test run with limbs snapped off

Officials at Thorpe Park in Surrey, UK, needed to take “drastic measures” after a number of dummies sent on $30 million ride The Swarm came back with limbs missing.

The affected dummies were left “visibly damaged” after being exposed to some of the “extreme <<near miss>> spots”.

The bosses at Thorpe Park said the dummies had experienced a “terrifyingly close call” on a test run on the ride, which opens in less than two months.

The missing limbs could, of course, be the latest sophisticated stunt by a PR team which has devised a string of headline-grabbing “events”.

These include a contest where the public was asked to donate urine to create a “signature stench” for its horror maze SAW Alive and a ban on rollercoaster riders putting their hands in the air due to body odour.

The park even sought the help of a paranormal expert after a late-night Ouija board séance at the park was blamed for a series of spooky incidents. Six members of staff were suspended over the incident.

Officials at Thorpe Park in Surrey, UK, needed to take “drastic measures” after a number of dummies sent on $30 million ride The Swarm came back with limbs missing
Officials at Thorpe Park in Surrey, UK, needed to take “drastic measures” after a number of dummies sent on $30 million ride The Swarm came back with limbs missing

 

Thorpe Park, however, claims the dummies lost their limbs in the pursuit of pushing The Swarm to the “absolute limit” because customers wanted the most extreme experience possible.

Mike Vallis, divisional director at the theme park said he was now 100% satisfied the ride met safety standards.

On the ride’s website it boasts: “The Swarm takes you on a death defying flight through apocalyptic devastation. Picking you up and ripping through the sky on a mission of total annihilation, you’ll feel totally vulnerable as you hurtle through near misses and twisted inversions.”

It adds: “Experience the unique head first, inverted drop from 127 ft as you are flung into this merciless flight for your life.”

The Swarm is on its own island and takes thrill-seekers past a life-size church, and wreckages of a plane and helicopter, at speeds of up to 100 kph.

But the dummies were apparently damaged when the ride took them too close to the church, which measures 23m x 17m x 9m.

An emergency response team was called in to work on the ride ahead of the opening in March.

Thorpe Park insisted despite the “costly operation”, which only took a week to carry out, officials are now satisfied that the ride fully complies with health and safety requirements.

Experts adapting the new ride have remodeled the church to avoid any nasty accidents when the ride officially opens on March 15.

Mike Vallis said: “We have been planning for The Swarm for almost two years now, and we’ve pushed the boundaries to the absolute limit because <<extreme>> is what our thrill-seeking customers demand.

“The ride-testing phase is absolutely crucial in ensuring extreme fun doesn’t compromise safety, and we work with the very best teams in the world to ensure we reach the gold standard in safety.

“So if that means re-modeling a church it’s taken us a year to build, then so be it.

“To lift the lid on what goes on behind-the-scenes of building a monster roller-coaster such as The Swarm is quite unprecedented.

“We want people to understand the level of planning, precision and care that goes into creating their ultimate thrill-seeking experience.”

[youtube XzTCakQDk4s]

[youtube IMPju71rMpc]

 

LA adult filmmakers slapped by condom law

Lisa.Felice
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1

Actors in adult movies in Los Angeles will be required to use condoms while filming, under a new law signed by the city mayor.

The new regulation, also known as “condom law”, has been welcomed by health officials but pornography industry leaders say it could force them to abandon the city.

LA’s San Fernando Valley is considered the capital of the multibillion-dollar US adult film industry.

It is not yet clear how the new law will be enforced.

The Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation welcomed the move saying it was crucial in protecting adult film actors from HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

The foundation, which has campaigned for the measure for six years, said it would now seek similar condom requirement elsewhere in the US.

“The city of Los Angeles has done the right thing. They’ve done the right thing for the performers,” said foundation president Michael Weinstein.

Michael Weinstein said his group would also be vigilant in keeping track of where porn producers might move to.

Several of the industry’s biggest adult filmmakers have said they might consider moving just outside city boundaries.

They insist that adult films featuring condoms are not as popular and that some actors prefer not to use them.

“Condom law” was signed by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday.

The city council has now asked the police, city attorney’s office and workplace safety officials to figure out how they enforce the rule, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Industry experts estimate as many as 90% of all pornographic films produced in the US are made in Los Angeles.

In 2011, pornographic film productions across the US were temporarily shut down after an adult film performer tested positive for HIV.

Jay Leno sued over Golden Temple of Amritsar jibe

Diane A. Wade
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0
Jay Leno sued over Golden Temple of Amritsar jibe

Jay Leno has been sued for what it calls “racist” comments on the Sikh shrine, the Golden Temple of Amritsar.

Indian-American Randeep Dhillon says Jay Leno “hurt the sentiments of all Sikh people in addition to the plaintiff”.

A recent Jay Leno skit showed the shrine as the summer home of Republican candidate Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney has faced questions over his wealth and Sikhs are angry the temple was shown as a place for the rich.

Jay Leno has been sued for what it calls "racist" comments on the Sikh shrine, the Golden Temple of Amritsar
Jay Leno has been sued for what it calls "racist" comments on the Sikh shrine, the Golden Temple of Amritsar

An Indian minister called Jay Leno’s comments “objectionable” and said “freedom does not mean hurting the sentiments of others”.

But US state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the US Constitution strictly protected freedom of speech.

Randeep Dhillon filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, seeking unspecified damages.

Jay Leno’s joke “clearly exposes plaintiff, other Sikhs and their religion to hatred, contempt, ridicule and obloquy because it falsely portrays the holiest place in the Sikh religion as a vacation resort owned by a non-Sikh”, Randeep Dhillon said in his petition.

Earlier, a US Sikh group launched an online petition over Jay Leno’s comment, also accusing the comedian of making previous derogatory remarks about Sikhs.

Some Sikhs also demanded action against the NBC channel for airing the “racist and derogatory” depiction of the Golden Temple.

Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi joined the protest, saying: “It is quite unfortunate and quite objectionable that such a comment has been made after showing the Golden Temple.”

Victoria Nuland said: “I hope [Leno will] be appreciative if we make the point that his comments are constitutionally protected in the United States under free speech and, frankly, they appeared to be satirical in nature.”

She said the US had “absolute respect” for all Indians, including Sikhs, and that “President Barack Obama was the first president to celebrate the birthday of the religion’s founder, Guru Nanak, at the White House.”

Jay Leno has not yet commented on the matter.

Somalia: hostages Jessica Buchanan and Poul Thisted freed in US Navy Seals raid

Roy Siemens
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Somalia: hostages Jessica Buchanan and Poul Thisted freed in US Navy Seals raid

Two foreign aid workers, American Jessica Buchanan and Danish Poul Thisted, kidnapped in Somalia three months ago, have been freed in a rare US Navy Seals raid there.

US officials have confirmed that elite US Navy Seals were dropped into Somalia to carry out the overnight operation which resulted in a shoot-out.

A number of the captors were killed, according to local officals. However the two hostages were freed unharmed, a Danish humanitarian group says.

Jessica Buchanan, 32, and Poul Thisted, 60, were seized on 25 October.

American Jessica Buchanan and Danish Poul Thisted, kidnapped in Somalia three months ago, have been freed in a rare US Navy Seals raid there
American Jessica Buchanan and Danish Poul Thisted, kidnapped in Somalia three months ago, have been freed in a rare US Navy Seals raid there

Jessica Buchanan and Poul Thisted had been working for the Danish Demining Group when they were abducted by gunmen near the north-central town of Galkayo, hundreds of kilometres from the capital Mogadishu.

At the time of the raid they were being kept about 40 km east of the town of Adado and 100 km south of Galkayo – in a semi-autonomous area controlled by a local administration opposed to the Islamist al-Shabab militants but which has no official links to the transitional government in the capital, Mogadishu.

US officials said the captors were not al-Shabab, “these were criminals”.

Other remaining hostages in Somalia include a UK tourist and two Spanish medics who were abducted in neighboring Kenya.

An US official has said the Seals parachuted from a plane into an area near the compound where the two hostages were being held near Adado.

Shots were fired as the team approached the compound, but there were no US casualties, say US officials.

Local officials said that eight or nine of the captors were killed.

The rescue team was on the ground for about an hour and the raid was over by 03:00 (24:00 GMT).

Afterwards, the two freed hostages and the Seals left the area by helicopter for the nearby tiny Horn of Africa state of Djibouti, where the US has a military presence.

The Danish Refugee Council, which had been involved in efforts to free them via mediation, said they were unharmed and “at a safe location”.

Denmark’s foreign minister has suggested that a rescue had become a pressing issue because one of the hostages had a “very serious” disease, although no further details were given.

The first hint of the successful operation appeared to come from US President Barack Obama himself – as he prepared to give the State of the Union address, he turned to his Defence Secretary Leon Panetta and said “Good job tonight.”

The aid workers have been taken to Camp Lemonnier, in Djibouti, which “serves as a key location from which US and coalition forces operate in the Horn of Africa” according to its website.

About 2,500 personnel – including civilians and defence contractors – are based there as well as armour, fighters and drones.

Correspondents say that following the killing in 1993 of 19 US soldiers and the wounding of 70 others in Mogadishu, there is no appetite for full-scale US ground operations in Somalia.

LA Police shot dead man in hail of bullets in the parking lot of Carl’s Jr. restaurant

Diane A. Wade
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0
LA Police shot dead man in hail of bullets in the parking lot of Carl’s Jr. restaurant

LAPD gunned down a man who was preparing to swing a metal pipe at them in the parking lot of a Carl’s Jr. fast food restaurant.

The entire shooting – 10 shots in all – was captured on video by two teens with a cell phone camera, who watched as the man walked out of the Carl’s Jr. about 9:30 a.m. Monday and apparently refused officers’ commands to surrender.

The dead man’s name is unknown and the names of the officers involved in the shooting have not been released.

The man appears to be casually walking out of the burger joint after smashing windows at the restaurant.

Officers approach and shoot him in the face with a Taser stun gun.

The man pulls the electric probes and wires out, takes a step then turns toward one of the officers and swings the metal bar.

That’s when one officer, holding a pistol in one hand and the leash of a police dog in the other, opens fire, shooting five times.

The man stumbles backwards and spins. He is still on his feet with his back to the shooter when a second officer fires five more times.

He was taken to the hospital, where he died, police say.

One officer, holding a pistol in one hand and the leash of a police dog in the other, opens fire, shooting five times
One officer, holding a pistol in one hand and the leash of a police dog in the other, opens fire, shooting five times

The cameramen, who react with shock at what they see, apparently set up in their car to film the man’s encounter with officers after they saw him causing a disturbance in the restaurant.

“Dude they shot him so many times!” one of the onlookers says.

Before the video surfaced, police claimed the man had swung the pipe at officers. However, the footage does not show he actually took a swing.

Rather, it appears the man gripped the pipe like a baseball bat and was preparing to hit out with it.

The target of the man’s fury, the officer with the Taser, appearing to be fumbling in his pocket for a cartridge to reload the stun gun.

He backed up quickly to avoid the man’s swing.

Police were originally called to the restaurant on reports that a man was trying to break in. When they arrived, they spotted several people running from the restaurant.

The video shows police hide beside the door so the man will not see him until he walks outside.

“Get your cameras out, they’re gonna drop him right here,” one of the teens behind the camera says as the man steps out the door.

After the shooting, one of the teens comments: “They could have done something f**** different than f****** shoot him, use a baton or something.”

The video quickly became viral after the teens uploaded it to YouTube. It had more than 2600,000 views since it was uploaded Monday.

[youtube bY5ioBvrYIg]

Francesco Schettino’s wife Oggi interview: “My husband is not a monster”

Diane A. Wade
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0
Francesco Schettino’s wife Oggi interview: “My husband is not a monster”

Fabiola Russo, the wife of Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino has defended her husband in the Italian magazine Oggi interview, claiming: “He is not a monster.”

Fabiola Russo spoke out as calls increased for prosecutors to widen their probe into the Costa Concordia luxury liner disaster, in which 16 people have been confirmed dead and another 16 people still are missing.

In an interview with glossy Italian weekly Oggi, Fabiola Russo said there was a witch-hunt against her husband – who is under investigation for multiple manslaughter, abandoning ship and causing a ship wreck.

Francesco Schettino is currently under house arrest following the disaster which happened earlier this month, after he recklessly steered his 114,000 tons ship, carrying more than 4,000 passengers and crew, on to rocks close to the island of Giglio in a “sail by” salute to impress a crew member.

Fabiola Russo, 48, who lives with Francesco Schettino and their 17-year-old daughter in Meta di Sorrento near Naples, said: “My husband is not a monster. He was always the go to guy for the crew.

“I am the wife of a seaman, so I am used to doing things on my own. I tackle situations and I resolve them.

“This is a witch hunt, everyone is out to get my husband. The media has made out he is to blame.

“He loves ships, he knows all about them and has never stopped studying them, to learn what they are capable of and what their limits are.

“He didn’t stop at just sailing ships. That’s why for his crew he was always the go to man, a maestro. He is decisive, stable and lucid, he analyses situations, understands them and then acts.

“At times Francesco seems arrogant because he puts himself above the people he is speaking to and often tells them to shut up.

“He wasn’t in charge of the Concordia by chance, he knows how to do his job but sometimes even those who know how to do their job can make mistakes – that’s if he did make a mistake.”

Fabiola Russo, the wife of Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino has defended her husband in the Italian magazine Oggi interview
Fabiola Russo, the wife of Costa Concordia captain Francesco Schettino has defended her husband in the Italian magazine Oggi interview

Extracts from the interview were also posted on Oggi’s website along with a gallery of photographs provided by Fabiola Russo among them a series of pictures showing her husband giving a safety demonstration when he was a captain with Renaissance cruise lines in 2000.

Other pictures showed Francesco Schettino at a desk in his cabin on another ship, or where was sat on a lifeboat of a tanker while working for American petrol giants Sunoco.

Amazingly Fabiola Russo also revealed how they had once been fined for sailing too close to the shore in their sailing boat and added: “What we really like is canoeing and to row together you need to be in harmony and my husband and I are.”

It comes as Beniamino Deidda, prosecutor general of Tuscany, the Italian region Giglio is in, called for attention in the investigation to also focus on the Concordia’s owners Costa Cruises.

Beniamino Deiddo said: “For the time being the main focus of attention is the captain, who it has been shown was tragically inadequate but who chose him?

“The lifeboats did not lower properly, the crew didn’t know what to do, they were unprepared in dealing with an emergency, wrong orders were given such as being told to return to cabins.

“The confusion that has emerged shows that there was an incredible lack of attention to safety procedures. Safety should have been rehearsed beforehand.

“You cannot blame all of this carelessness on the conduct of the captain. That’s why this investigation cannot exclude others.”

Yesterday the death toll of Costa Concordia ship disaster rose to 16 as the body of a woman was found on deck three of the vessel after a hole had once again been blown into the side of the ship.

The victim was found with a life jacket and her body was taken to a mortuary on the mainland.

Cold smoked salmon product destroyed after Listeria had been detected

Kathryn R. Bown
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Cold smoked salmon product destroyed after Listeria had been detected

Mill Stream Corp. of Hancock, Maine, has destroyed its cold smoked salmon products after Listeria monocytogenes had been found in the manufacturing facility and on processing equipment.

The action was taken voluntarily under the supervision of the FDA. Mill Stream Corp. is a Maine food processing and storage company. Cold smoked salmon needs no cooking, being a ready-to-eat product and the presence of Listeria monocytogenes implies a high risk for public health.

 

Cold smoked salmon is a ready-to-eat food and has to be destroyed if Listeria monocytogenes is found.
Cold smoked salmon is a ready-to-eat food and has to be destroyed if Listeria monocytogenes is found.

 

The FDA has detected Listeria bacteria during an inspection in December 2011 and has ordered an administrative detention of the cold smoked salmon.

“FDA will not hesitate to take immediate steps to protect the public’s health. We will aggressively use our enforcement tools to prevent potentially adulterated food from reaching the public,” said Dara A. Corrigan, the FDA’s Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs.

The FDA acts under the administrative detention authority for foods as amended as part of the FDA Food Safety and Modernization Act. When an investigator has a reason to believe that the food is adulterated or misbranded, the FDA may order the detention of food. A detention order may remain in place for up to 30 days.

No illnesses connected to Mill Stream’s cold smoked salmon products have been reported. Illnesses or adverse events related to use of these products should be reported to the FDA at http://www.foodsafety.gov/report/index.html.

Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can cause listeriosis. The disease is rare, but severe and one can become ill by eating food contaminated with the bacteria.

In healthy persons only short-term symptoms (high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea) may occur. In elders, in persons with an weak immune systems (such AIDS), or in persons suffering from cancer, or other chronic medical conditions Listeriosis can be fatal. Listeriosis can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth and serious illness or death in newborn babies. The mother herself rarely becomes seriously ill.

 

Demi Moore rushed to hospital to be treated for exhaustion

Lisa.Felice
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Demi Moore rushed to hospital to be treated for exhaustion

Demi Moore was rushed to hospital last night where is being treated for “exhaustion”.

Demi Moore, 49, who has appeared increasingly frail in recent weeks, was taken to a health facility by ambulance just before 11:00 p.m. last night.

The actress was with a female friend when she began shaking, it has been reported.

According to E! news, Demi Moore was “acting like she was suffering from a seizure”.

A spokesperson for the star said: “Because of the stresses in her life right now, Demi has chosen to seek professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her overall health.

“She looks forward to getting well and is grateful for the support of her family and friends.”

Demi Moore, 49, who has appeared increasingly frail in recent weeks, was taken to a health facility by ambulance just before 11 pm last night
Demi Moore, 49, who has appeared increasingly frail in recent weeks, was taken to a health facility by ambulance just before 11 pm last night

However, TMZ are reporting that Demi Moore is being treated for substance abuse.

Representatives for the star refused to comment on the allegations.

According to TMZ, a 911 call was placed at 10:45pm last night which resulted in an ambulance taking the star to hospital.

TMZ also reports that Demi Moore will now no longer be appearing in the film about porn star Linda Lovelace.

Demi Moore’s frail and gaunt and appearance in recent weeks has caused considerable concern.

The mother-of-three, who announced she was divorcing husband Ashton Kutcher last November, has lost a considerable amount of weight over the past four months.

Demi Moore last appeared in public on January 14 at the Cinema For Peace event at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Her frail appearance shocked fans, although she appears to have been loosing weight steadily since claims emerged Ashton Kutcher had cheated on her with 22-year-old Sara Leal.

Demi Moore, who looked a shadow of her former self, wore a slim fitting black dress which showed just how much weight she had lost from her usually toned physique.

On November 17, 2011, Demi Moore announced that she was filing for divorce from Ashton Kutcher after six years of marriage.

In a statement Demi Moore said: “It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have decided to end my six-year marriage to Ashton.

“As a woman, a mother and a wife there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life.”

While Demi Moore is seeking treatment, Ashton Kutcher is currently in Sao Paulo where he has been attending the Fashion Week.

Yesterday Ashton Kutcher shared a snap of himself joking around pretending to surf on a street during a spot of rain.

Ashton Kutcher is also said to have moved on following the breakdown of his marriage to Demi Moore.

The actor is now reportedly dating screenwriter Lorene Scafaria, who, at 33, is his own age.

The pair spent Christmas together in Europe.

Earlier this month, Demi Moore was seen in a parking lot with a 26-year-old actor and personal trainer Blake Corl-Baietti.

Her reps refused to comment on speculation that the actress was in a relationship with the younger man.

Demi Moore recently opened up about her fears and heartache in an interview with US Harper’s Bazaar.

She admitted: “What scares me is that I’m going to ultimately find out at the end of my life that I’m really not lovable, that I’m not worthy of being loved.

“That there’s something fundamentally wrong with me.”

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