Internet companies in the U.S. are demanding that the surveillance practices of the U.S. should be reformed to enhance privacy protections and provide "appropriate oversight and accountability mechanisms."
In a letter on Thursday to the chairman and members of the Committee on the Judiciary, a copy of which was provided by an industry source, Facebook, AOL, Apple, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo said they welcomed a debate about how to protect both national security and privacy interests and applauded the sponsors of the USA Freedom Act, a legislation aimed to end bulk data collection by the National Security Agency, for their contribution to the discussion.
The companies had until now focused on asking the government for permission to reveal information on users' data requests by the NSA, which are covered under "gag orders" that prohibit recipients of orders from discussing them in public.
Google and Microsoft, for example, filed motions before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to be allowed to provide aggregate statistics on orders and directives that were received under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and related regulations, which the government has so far refused.
Yahoo asked the court to allow it to make public documents from a 2008 dispute over a data request that would show that the company had resisted the order. The Internet companies are attempting to counter disclosures by former NSA contractor, Edward Snowden, that the government had real-time access to content on the servers of the Internet companies under a surveillance program called Prism, which these companies deny.
The stakes for the companies were raised this week after The Washington Post reported that NSA has secretly broken into the main communications links that connect Yahoo and Google data centers around the world, giving it the ability to collect metadata and actual content from hundreds of millions of user accounts, many of them belonging to Americans.
In the letter, the Internet companies wrote that transparency will help to counter "erroneous reports that we permit intelligence agencies 'direct access' to our companies' servers or that we are participants in a bulk Internet records collection program." The companies said that they have consistently stated that they only respond to legal demands for customer and user information that are targeted and specific.
"Allowing companies to be transparent about the number and nature of requests will help the public better understand the facts about the government's authority to compel technology companies to disclose user data and how technology companies respond to the targeted legal demands we receive," according to the letter.
But transparency is only a first step for the Internet companies, who are now also asking for reform of government surveillance practices. "We urge the Administration to work with Congress in addressing these critical reforms that would provide much needed transparency and help rebuild the trust of Internet users around the world," according to the letter, which was addressed, among others to Patrick J. Leahy, chairman of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, who is one of the sponsors of the USA Freedom Act.
John Ribeiro covers outsourcing and general technology breaking news from India for The IDG News Service. Follow John on Twitter at @Johnribeiro. John's e-mail address is john_ribeiro@idg.com
John Ribeiro, IDG News Service , IDG News Service
John Ribeiro covers outsourcing and general technology breaking news from India for The IDG News Service. More by John Ribeiro, IDG News Service
Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto speaks during the unveiling of Mexico's strategy to combat diabetes and obesity in Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto speaks during the unveiling of Mexico's strategy to combat diabetes and obesity in Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto speaks during the unveiling of Mexico's strategy to combat diabetes and obesity in Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Brian Smith, president of Coca Cola Company Latin America, speaks during the unveiling of Mexico's strategy to combat diabetes and obesity in Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto, left, speaks with Brian Smith, president of Coca Cola Company Latin America, during the unveiling of Mexico's strategy to combat diabetes and obesity in Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's congress approved a new tax on junk food Thursday as the government announced a campaign to fight obesity in a country with one of the world's highest rates of overweight people. The move came a little over a day after legislators agreed to put a tax on soft drinks.
President Enrique Pena Nieto announced a plan to award products that meet standards for having lower calories or higher fiber content a "seal of nutritional quality," which he said would give industry an incentive to re-formulate products. He also announced plans for educational, health-monitoring and sports programs.
Earlier in the day, Mexico's Senate approved an 8 percent tax on high-calorie foods, defined as those having more than 275 calories per 100 grams. The House of Deputies then approved the levy, which the Senate set higher than the originally proposed 5 percent.
As part of a tax overhaul that received final legislative approval Thursday, both houses already agreed to a one-peso (8-cent) per-liter tax on soft drinks, a move that was hotly opposed by major bottlers. Mexico has one of the world's highest yearly soda consumptions, with Mexicans drinking on average 163 liters (43 gallons) of soft drinks annually.
Just under one-third of adult Mexicans are obese, slightly more than the nearly 32 percent of U.S. citizens in that category, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says. Both trail such countries as Egypt at 35 percent, Kuwait at 43 percent and the Micronesian island of Nauru at 71 percent.
"Never before has any civilization faced an epidemic that didn't involve an infectious disease," said Enrique Ruelas, president of Mexico's National Institute of Medicine. "Today, this situation is not only unprecedented, but a threat to the nation's future."
None of Mexico's major snack food companies responded to requests for comment about the proposed taxes.
Coca-Cola's Latin American Group president, Brian Smith, said the company was developing more low-calorie or no-calorie drinks, and said it was interested in keeping communities healthy.
"Our operations simply won't be sustainable if these communities aren't healthy," Smith said at the presentation of the government's announcement of the anti-obesity programs.
Consumer activist Alejandro Calvillo, leader of the Consumer Power group, noted the soft drink industry lobbied heavily in recent weeks trying to block the new taxes and called the tax vote an important step.
"It is a victory over all this lobbying," Calvillo said. "This puts Mexico in the vanguard of policy, at least on the Latin American level."
Results of the FREEDOM sub study reported at TCT 2013
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
31-Oct-2013
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Contact: Judy Romero jromero@crf.org Cardiovascular Research Foundation
Study examines the impact of insulin treatment status in diabetic patients with multivessel coronary artery disease
SAN FRANCISCO, CA October 31, 2013 According to a recent study of diabetic patients who underwent revascularization for multi-vessel coronary artery disease (CAD), patients treated with insulin experienced more major adverse cardiovascular events after revascularization than those not treated with insulin.
The findings of a sub group analysis of the FREEDOM trial were presented today at the 25th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine.
The global prevalence of adult diabetes mellitus currently exceeds 6.4 percent (285 million) and is projected to increase to 7.7 percent (439 million) by 2030. In the United States, 26 percent of diabetics are treated with insulin; these patients comprise both patients with Type I diabetes as well as more advanced Type II diabetes. Insulin-treated patients are at increased risk for cardiovascular events after PCI and also have a higher risk of wound infection and mortality after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG).
Results of the overall FREEDOM trial, which were first reported last year in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) reduces mortality and myocardial infarction rates compared to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), though it increases the chance of stroke. This FREEDOM sub group analysis examined the association of clinical outcomes after revascularization by insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (ITDM) status and the respective effect of CABG vs. PCI using first generation drug-eluting stents (PCI/DES). The primary endpoint was a composite of major adverse cardiac events including death, stroke and myocardial infarction analyzed using the logrank test and Cox regression to assess the interaction of treatment received and ITDM status.
A total of 1,850 diabetic patients with multi-vessel disease were randomized 1:1 to either CABG (894 patients) or PCI/DES (956 patients). Baseline and procedure characteristics were largely similar among the groups. A total of 602 patients (32.5 percent) had ITDM (PCI n=325, 34 percent; CABG n=277, 31 percent).
The estimated percentage of patients with a major adverse coronary event after five years was higher in the ITDM group compared to the non ITDM group (29 percent vs. 19 percent, respectively). Regardless of insulin treatment status, the estimated percentage of patients with major adverse coronary events after five years was higher among those that underwent PCI/DES (32 percent in the ITDM group and 25 percent in the non-ITDM group) compared to CABG (24 percent in the ITDM group and 16 percent in the non-ITDM group), although stroke rates were higher among CABG patients. In the ITDM group, the stroke rate was 7.5 for those who underwent CABG compared to 3.7 in those who had PCI/DES. In the non ITDM group, the stroke rate was 4.3 vs. 1.7 respectively.
"In patients with diabetes and multi-vessel coronary artery disease there are more major adverse cardiovascular events in patients treated with insulin than in those not treated with insulin," said study investigator George Dangas, MD, PhD. Dr. Dangas is Professor of Medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Director of Cardiovascular Innovation at the Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute of the Mount Sinai Medical Center.
"However, the differences in clinical outcomes between CABG and PCI/DES were maintained regardless of the presence or absence of insulin treatment," Dr. Dangas said.
###
The FREEDOM trial was funded by NHLBI, NIH. Dr. Dangas reported no disclosures.
About CRF and TCT
The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) is an independent, academically focused nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the survival and quality of life for people with cardiovascular disease through research and education. Since its inception in 1991, CRF has played a major role in realizing dramatic improvements in the lives of countless numbers of patients by establishing the safe use of new technologies and therapies in interventional cardiovascular medicine. CRF is the sponsor of the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine. For more information, visit http://www.crf.org and http://www.tctconference.com.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Results of the FREEDOM sub study reported at TCT 2013
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
31-Oct-2013
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]
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Contact: Judy Romero jromero@crf.org Cardiovascular Research Foundation
Study examines the impact of insulin treatment status in diabetic patients with multivessel coronary artery disease
SAN FRANCISCO, CA October 31, 2013 According to a recent study of diabetic patients who underwent revascularization for multi-vessel coronary artery disease (CAD), patients treated with insulin experienced more major adverse cardiovascular events after revascularization than those not treated with insulin.
The findings of a sub group analysis of the FREEDOM trial were presented today at the 25th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine.
The global prevalence of adult diabetes mellitus currently exceeds 6.4 percent (285 million) and is projected to increase to 7.7 percent (439 million) by 2030. In the United States, 26 percent of diabetics are treated with insulin; these patients comprise both patients with Type I diabetes as well as more advanced Type II diabetes. Insulin-treated patients are at increased risk for cardiovascular events after PCI and also have a higher risk of wound infection and mortality after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG).
Results of the overall FREEDOM trial, which were first reported last year in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) reduces mortality and myocardial infarction rates compared to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), though it increases the chance of stroke. This FREEDOM sub group analysis examined the association of clinical outcomes after revascularization by insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (ITDM) status and the respective effect of CABG vs. PCI using first generation drug-eluting stents (PCI/DES). The primary endpoint was a composite of major adverse cardiac events including death, stroke and myocardial infarction analyzed using the logrank test and Cox regression to assess the interaction of treatment received and ITDM status.
A total of 1,850 diabetic patients with multi-vessel disease were randomized 1:1 to either CABG (894 patients) or PCI/DES (956 patients). Baseline and procedure characteristics were largely similar among the groups. A total of 602 patients (32.5 percent) had ITDM (PCI n=325, 34 percent; CABG n=277, 31 percent).
The estimated percentage of patients with a major adverse coronary event after five years was higher in the ITDM group compared to the non ITDM group (29 percent vs. 19 percent, respectively). Regardless of insulin treatment status, the estimated percentage of patients with major adverse coronary events after five years was higher among those that underwent PCI/DES (32 percent in the ITDM group and 25 percent in the non-ITDM group) compared to CABG (24 percent in the ITDM group and 16 percent in the non-ITDM group), although stroke rates were higher among CABG patients. In the ITDM group, the stroke rate was 7.5 for those who underwent CABG compared to 3.7 in those who had PCI/DES. In the non ITDM group, the stroke rate was 4.3 vs. 1.7 respectively.
"In patients with diabetes and multi-vessel coronary artery disease there are more major adverse cardiovascular events in patients treated with insulin than in those not treated with insulin," said study investigator George Dangas, MD, PhD. Dr. Dangas is Professor of Medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Director of Cardiovascular Innovation at the Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute of the Mount Sinai Medical Center.
"However, the differences in clinical outcomes between CABG and PCI/DES were maintained regardless of the presence or absence of insulin treatment," Dr. Dangas said.
###
The FREEDOM trial was funded by NHLBI, NIH. Dr. Dangas reported no disclosures.
About CRF and TCT
The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) is an independent, academically focused nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the survival and quality of life for people with cardiovascular disease through research and education. Since its inception in 1991, CRF has played a major role in realizing dramatic improvements in the lives of countless numbers of patients by establishing the safe use of new technologies and therapies in interventional cardiovascular medicine. CRF is the sponsor of the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine. For more information, visit http://www.crf.org and http://www.tctconference.com.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
‘How to Make It in America’ actor Victor Rasuk has been cast in “Fifty Shades of Grey” as Jose Rodriguez, the rival of Christian Grey whom Jamie Dornan will portray. His is the last of the principal roles to be cast in the big screen version of E.L. James’ erotic novel. Find out about this latest development in the making of the movie so feverishly awaited by so many fans! With each new casting announcement, the reality looms closer of plunking down money to have the “Fifty Shades of Grey” silver screen experience in the theater as billionaire tycoon Christian Grey enacts his S&M fantasies with the willing Anastasia Steel, portrayed respectively by 31-year-old ‘Once Upon Time’ actor Jamie Dornan (after the exit of ‘Sons of Anarchy’ actor Charlie Hunnam) and 24-year-old actress Dakota Johnson. Deadline was the first to report that the 29-year-old actor Victor Rasuk will portray aspiring photographer Jose Rodriguez, a classmate and friend of Anastasia who aspires to be much more than mere friend. This is very much to the distaste of the dominant Christian Grey for whom the word ‘rival’ is not in the dictionary. Anastasia is his and his alone. He’s a principle owner; [...]Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RightCelebrity/~3/NMieAvM9wxI/ Similar Articles: boston red soxCelia CruzricinCameron Bayfox sports
The latest update for the brand new "Fifty Shades" flick just hit the web today (October 31): "Being Flynn" big shot Victor Rasuk is scheduled to play Jose, an aspiring photographer and classmate of Anastasia’s in the smash hit story.
The 29-year-old will play the part of the man who competes against tormented billionaire Christian Grey, wanting to be nothing less than the love interest of Anatasia (Dakota Johnson).
In related news, Victor is also working on a brand new remake of the cult classic hit, "Godzilla," directed by visual effects artist Gareth Edwards, and set for release on May 16th of 2014.
You all know the looks of the iconic big green lizard, and according to the current synopsis, "A giant radioactive monster called Godzilla appears to wreak destruction on mankind."
Runtastic, an Austrian running startup with an aim of hitting the Polars and Nikes of the world where it counts, has released something it’s calling “Story Running,” essentially an app that tracks your run and replays an audio story that becomes more exciting as you approach the high points of an interval run.
There have been a few of these already, most notably Zombies Run! and, unless you’re ensconced in a long audiobook, they do add a bit of aural pleasure to the long slog of keeping you out of an early grave. There are a number of genres, including “Fantasy,” “Adventure” and “Travel.”
Runtastic also announced the Libra scale, a BMI, bone mass, muscle mass, and BMR/AMR calculating scale that connects to an iOS device to track your weight and important statistics. It costs 129 euro and will be available in November.
CHICAGO (AP) — Forget about the neck stiffness that almost postponed Derrick Rose's homecoming. Forget about all those missed shots, too.
Rose made the only play that mattered Thursday night, and it was just like old times for the Chicago Bulls.
Rose connected on a baseline floater with 5.7 seconds left to lift Chicago to an 82-81 victory over the New York Knicks in his first home game since he injured his left knee 18 months ago.
"That's what builds your resume," Rose said. "Leaves a mark on your legacy."
The 2011 NBA MVP had 18 points on 7-of-23 shooting and committed four turnovers. But there was no doubt who was getting the ball after Tyson Chandler went 1 for 2 at the line to give New York an 81-80 lead with 10.8 seconds remaining.
Rose, who was a game-time decision for Chicago's home opener due to an achy neck, got the ball on the wing, drove to the baseline and lofted a well-placed floater over the 7-foot Chandler and Raymond Felton for the go-ahead basket, drawing a standing ovation from the delirious crowd of 22,022.
"I was right there. He just made a big-time play," Chandler said. "I don't know if he saw the basket to be honest with you."
New York had one last chance but Carmelo Anthony missed a long jumper. Anthony then stood with his hands on his hips as the Bulls celebrated.
"I got the look I wanted," Anthony said.
Chicago had just two field goals in the final period — both by Rose — and committed six turnovers in the last 12 minutes. But it still managed to equal a franchise record with its sixth consecutive win in home openers.
Luol Deng had 17 points and Carlos Boozer finished with 14 as the Bulls beat the Knicks for the sixth straight time.
"It's tough when you go into a game and you don't know who you have," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "That's all part of it. It's the start of the season. As long as we are putting everything into each and every day and strive for improvement, it will work out."
New York coach Mike Woodson opted for a bigger look against Chicago, inserting 7-foot Andrea Bargnani into the starting lineup and using guard Pablo Prigioni as a reserve. But the Bulls still enjoyed a 46-24 advantage in points in the paint and a 48-42 rebounding edge, led by Joakim Noah's 15 boards.
"We competed tonight. It says a lot for our club," Woodson said. "Now I just need to do a better job getting us through down the stretch."
Amar'e Stoudemire made his season debut for the Knicks and had five points in 11 minutes. The power forward, who turns 31 on Nov. 16, is coming off minor knee surgery over the summer and looked as if the years of health problems had robbed him of much of his athleticism.
"Very pleased with how I felt tonight, as far as my body," he said. "Just going to continue to keep building and keep getting better."
New York trailed 76-66 with 7:53 remaining, but rookie Tim Hardaway Jr. made a 3-pointer to spark a 12-0 run for the Knicks. Felton connected from long range, Iman Shumpert had a dunk and Anthony closed out the spurt with a turnaround jumper that put New York in front with 4:10 remaining.
The last part of the game mostly consisted of turnovers and missed shots, but Chicago managed to survive behind Rose.
"He showed a lot of toughness," Thibodeau said. "It was a struggle early on in the game. He found his way at the start of the third, that got him a little lift."
Jimmy Butler finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago, which lost 107-95 at NBA champion Miami in its season opener on Tuesday night.
Anthony led New York with 22 points on 8-of-24 shooting. Chandler had 19 rebounds, but the Knicks were unable to open the season with consecutive victories on consecutive nights. They were coming off a 90-83 victory against Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Wearing strips of black tape on either side of his achy neck, Rose received a thunderous ovation from the sellout crowd when he was the last player introduced during the pregame festivities. He showed no outward emotion as he ran out of the tunnel with fans waving glowing red sticks in celebration of the return of the Chicago native.
After Rose got on the court, chants of "M-V-P! M-V-P!" rang out from the seats at the United Center.
It was Rose's first real game at the Bulls' longtime home since he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in the first game of the 2012 playoffs against Philadelphia. What followed was a long and arduous rehabilitation process that raised questions about Rose's toughness when he was unable to return last season.
That whole "Will he or won't he play" episode was long forgotten when he took the court against the Knicks, taking a quick moment to blow a kiss toward the luxury boxes before tipoff.
The speedy point guard was just 2 for 11 from the field in the first half, but Deng had 12 points to help Chicago to a 43-38 lead at the break.
"I'm not going to continue missing shots that I'm missing," Rose said, pointing to what he thinks will be even better days ahead. "I work too hard."
NOTES: Chicago improved to 27-21 in home openers, including a 12-8 record at the United Center. ... Hardaway provided a spark as a reserve, finishing with 10 points.
___
Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap
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