?Birka? hafta ?nce CyanogenMod 10'un Android 4.1 Jelly Bean deste?ine sahip olaca?? belirtilmi? ve bunun ?zerine ?e?itli ?al??malar ba?lat?lm??t?.
XDA-Developers'?n 'XpLoDWilD' adl? ?yesi CyanojenMod 10'un ?cretsiz, geli?tiriciler taraf?ndan haz?rlanm?? ve herhangi bir Google uygulamas? y?kl? olmadan kullan?labilen s?r?m?n?n ?n g?sterimini 'Samsung Galaxy Note' ?zerinde yapt?. Geli?tirici, CyanojenMod 10'un yeteri kadar kararl? ve olduk?a h?zl? g?r?nd???n? dile getirdi. Ancak Rom'un 'Galaxy Note' ?zerindeki performans? ?u an i?in pekte yeterli de?il. CyanojenMod 10'un ?z izleme s?r?m? i?levsellik a??s?ndan olduk?a d?zg?n g?r?nse de 'Galaxy Note' ?zerinde Galaxy S III ve HTC One X'te oldu?u kadar m?kemmel ?al??m?yor. Ek olarak, bu CyanogenMod 10 s?r?m?n?n Ice Cream Sandwich?in oturmu? s?r?mlerinden bile daha iyi oldu?una dikkat ?ekiliyor.
CyanojenMod 10, ?u an i?in her ne kadar Android kullan?c?lar?n?n dikkatini ?ekse de ???nc? parti bir yaz?l?m oldu?u i?in yap?lacak t?m i?lemleri sorumlulu?u kullan?c?ya ait oluyor. Zaten 'XpLoDWilD' adl? kullan?c? da olu?abilecek herhangi bir sorunun sorumlulu?unu kabullenmeyece?ini belirtiyor.?
There's been a ton of iPhone 5 leaks over the last few days.
The consenus seems to be the new iPhone will look like this. Of course, as we learned last year, Apple could always surprise us.?
The Japanese blog Makotakara, which has been pretty good with Apple rumors, obtained an alleged iPhone 5 casing and posted the following video. Check it out:
A chamber of organ pipes inside the top left part of the St. Matthew Lutheran Church s chancel. The pipe organ, which has 14,341 pipes, is currently being upgraded by Hartford, Conn. s Austin Organ Company. (THE EVENING SUN - SHANE DUNLAP)
There are dozens and dozens of programs tacked to the wall of Scott G. Fredericks' basement office at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, reminders of the musical concerts that have taken place at the Hanover church through the years.
There is the program from February 1925 when world-renowned organist Marcel Dupre came to play the church's newly dedicated Austin pipe organ. And there is one from the guest appearance of London's Westminster Abbey organist Simon Preston.
But Fredericks has had to limit those concerts over the past couple years as the church's inspiring Austin organ began to noticeably deteriorate. The church stopped inviting guest organists in to play there and this year has cancelled its popular three-day Christmas
Apprentice organ engineer Austin Herzog works inside the St. Matthew Lutheran Church s string pipe chamber last week. (THE EVENING SUN - SHANE DUNLAP)
concert series, which Fredericks puts on annually.
"If I had you in to play, if you were an organist traveling, it would be really embarrassing for you because you'd pick literature not realizing half the stuff you needed wasn't going to work here. It puts you in an embarrassing position. It would sound like you didn't know what you were doing because the instrument wasn't cooperating," said Fredericks, the minister of music for St. Matthew.
And with an extensive $1.3 million restoration of the organ underway, it may be a couple more years before the church has full use of the mammoth instrument.
But patience is a virtue as the saying goes, and church leaders know that the end result will be worth the wait. They expect the organ,
once restored, to sound better than ever.
"Everything will be very quiet. All the changes, you won't hear the mechanical noises. It will give the organists much more flexibility with manuevuring the sounds," Fredericks said. "I think people will be eager to come back and try it once it's rededicated as a concert instrument."
But before that can happen, there is a tedious, and expensive, restoration process to be done.
Workers from Austin Organ Inc. in Connecticut have been at the church off and on over the past six months combing through the cramped back-room chambers to remove groups of the more than 14,300 wooden and metal pipes.
Through the years, there has been water damage to some of those pipes and some of the housing, while others pipes have collapsed in on themselves. There is also the original electrical wiring dating back to the 1920s and a redesigned control console that will be replaced.
"Some sounds haven't worked for years," Fredericks said. "They've taken out thousands of pipes above the chancel. It's a long process when you've got 14,000 pipes to do."
The pipes range in size, from 32-foot long metal pieces weighting 400 pounds that will need to be cut in order to be removed, to some the size of a pencil. Most of the 14,300 pipes are being removed and taken to Connecticut for cleaning, repair and refurbishing, a process that will last into 2014.
"The Austins are pretty rugged. I'm surprised at how good a shape it is in for its age," said Arthur Herzog, an apprentice organ builder who was working on site last week and covered with "80 years of dust."
Even when those pipes are restored to the proper places and rewired, and the new console installed, it will take months to adjust the "color" of each pipe to get the range of sound just right.
"Once it's all cleaned and rebuilt then they'll come back in, with a quiet room, they'll spend months going through all 14,000 some pipes to get them to be all equal in balance
St. Matthew Lutheran Church s Minister of Music, Scott Fredericks, left, talks with apprentice organ engineer Arthur Herzog while above the swell pipe chamber of the church s organ. (THE EVENING SUN - SHANE DUNLAP)
with each other and the room," Fredericks said.
Church leaders recognized several years ago the need to refurbish the organ. As early as 2005, Fredericks began visiting churches on the East Coast that had restorations done on similar sized organs to see the workmanship of different companies.
"I needed to started doing homework about five years ago when we started to see the instrument wear out and we knew we were going to be facing some major repairs," he said. "It's a long commitment when you get into one of these things. It's years of work so you want dependable people and people you can work with."
Church leaders interviewed six organ-restoration companies and choose Austin Organ Inc., which happens to be the makers of the
Arthur Herzog works underneath a section of organ pipes at St. Matthew Lutheran Church last week. (THE EVENING SUN - SHANE DUNLAP)
original instrument, designed and built specifically for the West Chestnut Street church.
"They know the instrument better than anyone else," Fredericks said.
The St. Matthew Austin organ is the eighth-largest pipe organ in the world, with 14,341 pipes and 231 stops/instruments that combine to allow for more than a million possible sounds. It has been played by some of the top organists in the world and is one of the leading attractions in Hanover.
It's also been an integral part of St. Matthew Lutheran since the congregation moved into its current house of worship in 1924.
"The organ has played a role in their lives," Fredericks said. "The music has been a constant in their lives."
Since the restoration work is being done in sections, Fredericks and associate minister of music Karen Buckwalter have been able to continue that tradition, using the remaining functions to accompany the various choirs and choruses and for Sunday services.
"They're trying to keep it so that I can use something all the time," said Fredericks, who has been at St. Matthew since 1980. "When they disconnect one section they'll connect another so that there is always something. We know what to play that still works."
There will be a few days, while the new console is installed, when the organ will be silent. But the new console, which Fredericks has designed with future organists in mind, will be the heart of the instrument and essential to the expanded sounds.
"It's a whole new design to it, partly because technology allows you to do so many things that obviously you couldn't do in the 1920s," he said. "With the computerization, there's all different kids of possibilities now."
The congregation is coordinating its organ restoration work with other major improvements to the church, including the repointing of its stonework, replastering one of the organ pipe rooms and touching up some of the stained glass.
"The directors thought we might as well do the whole things since we've got the place a mess," Fredericks said.
Also, the church didn't want to stir up more dust with renovations after the organ was cleaned and restored, Fredericks said.
"Hopefully, once everything is done and cleaned up we'll be in good shape for a long time," Fredericks said.
But Fredericks is still not sure when that completion date will be.
"Maybe 2014, maybe," Fredericks said. "It's certainly several more years.
"It will still be used as a major concert instrument in the nation," he said.
LONDON (AP) ? Hopes that Europe is preparing to take new action to fight its debt crisis supported markets on Monday at the start of a week that could also see the Federal Reserve enact new measures to boost the U.S. economy.
Stocks, as well as the euro and the bond prices of Spain and Italy, have been buoyant since European Central Bank president Mario Draghi said last Thursday that the bank "is ready to do what it takes to preserve the euro. Believe me, it will be enough."
Those comments raised expectations that, at the very least, the ECB will ramp up its bond-buying program in the hope of keeping a lid on Spanish and Italian borrowing rates. The recent sharp rise in Spain's interest rates raised concerns that the 17-country eurozone hasn't the capacity to bail out its fourth-largest economy, and raised the specter of Italy needing financial help, too.
"There is no doubt that policy action is required given the escalation in the crisis and we think it unlikely that Draghi would endanger his reputation and credibility by not fulfilling expectations," said Neil MacKinnon, chief global strategist at VTB Capital.
In Europe, Germany's DAX rose 0.8 percent to 6,743 while the CAC-40 in France was 0.6 percent higher at 3,299. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was up 0.9 percent at 5,677.
U.S. stocks were also underperforming their European counterparts ? the Dow Jones industrial average was flat at 13,076 while the broader S&P 500 index fell 0.1 percent to 1,385.
Most of the attention Monday will continue to center on Europe, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner meeting Draghi and Germany's finance minister to discuss the challenges facing Europe and the global economy.
Making sure that Spain and Italy can continue tapping financial markets for cash appears to be the priority of policymakers despite a warning from Germany's central bank, the Bundesbank, that the line between monetary and fiscal policy should not be blurred.
Both Spain and Italy have seen their borrowing rates in bond markets ease since Draghi's comments.
The yield on Spain's 10-year bonds in the markets has dropped significantly below the dangerous 7 percent level to around 6.60 percent, while Italy was able to raise a bigger than expected ?5.5 billion ($6.77 billion) in a round of auctions Monday. Crucially, the yield on the 10-year bond fell to 5.96 percent from 6.19 percent the last time it was offered, a signal of improving investor appetite.
The spotlight this week won't just be on Europe: Fed policymakers are also meeting this week and there are growing expectations that in light of waning economic growth, they may announce a new monetary stimulus. The Bank of England also holds its monthly rate-setting meeting.
"With the rally we have had, the potential is for the central bankers to disappoint," said Louise Cooper, markets analyst at BGC Partners. "This Draghi-inspired rally may peter out if the central bankers fail to deliver."
The euro was down 0.5 percent to $1.2252 after figures from the European Union showed economic confidence in the eurozone fell to a 34-month low in July. News that the Spanish economy contracted a further 0.4 percent in the second quarter of the year, its third straight quarterly decline, also weighed it down.
Earlier in Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average closed up 0.8 percent at 8,635.44 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 1.6 percent to 19,585.40. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.9 percent to 4,245.70 and South Korea's Kospi rose 0.8 percent to 1,843.79. China's Shanghai Composite fell 0.9 percent to 2,109.91.
In energy trading, benchmark crude for September delivery was down 30 cents at $89.83 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
There? s security in knowing that you could bring people of washington ones own for fast health care anytime they require it since you have bought affordable family medical health insurance. Lifetime limit: The most your insurance provider pays in benefits. But because the time gets natural near for Congress to cast votes around the pending legislation, Obama is having a means of trying in most directions to try and achieve as numerous people as you possibly can. In the beginning, D. D. When World Health Organization [ WHO] was established in 1948 it defined health as: ? a condition of complete physical, mental and social well- being and never basically the lack of disease or infirmity.? In 1986, the WHO mentioned within the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotions that health is: ? an origin every day existence, not the goal of living. Health plan insurance and Human Services assumes teen pregnancy The U. S. Bigger turnips may have a more woodsy texture. Although we become increasingly more thinking about sports, our children? s health don? t enhanced. It is the UNvitamin. Give consideration towards natural health the material of furniture and furniture and adornments. Additionally, it supplies a grounds for advancing to postgraduate study. Look into the position of numerous independent research firms. The share of the market is definitely an indicator for the future and current success of the company. Medical Health Insurance for Newborns The birth of the new child may be one of probably the most wondrous encounters of the existence. Balsamic can help to eliminate cholesterol washington health plan level. To improve awareness of signs and symptoms and signs and symptoms of disease. Our physiques health are perfect biological machines that need natural meals and also the number of vitamins, minerals or nutrition that are offered in tangible or whole food. States spent 2. 47 trillion dollars on healthcare in ? 09, more than the whole GDP of The Uk. Sardines fact: There? s really no such seafood as sardine. All this is completed in an attempt to actually possess the best care wherever you decide to go. Now, I wish to be absolutely honest, I? m no Twiggy, but I? m a a lot more normal size now. People struggling with gastric or bloating need and consume diatomaceous earth of food- grade quality. Simply a couple of demanding situations each day may have a massive inpact on our overall health.. Within the the coming year, the health care plan is going to be under review to ascertain if it solves most problems or simply encourages several brand new ones. 3) Gather any samples that prove the breach. Pregnancy and dental health are inextricably tied in by doing this gums and teeth enables dental bacteria to go to the fetus via bloodstream, potentially leading to premature births and low- weight births. It? s possible to only correlate that latest news of film industry will keep one physically and psychologically fit. You can find many articles on health. health However, should you decrease your natural health deductible to ensure that you? ve got no appointment co- pay, or perhaps a really small one, you might finish track of a significantly greater quote.
Related Post Natural health
These dog goodies are specifically developed to keep pets teeth cleaner and healthier. s . Consider Medical Health Insurance being an investment if tips health benefits of soy milk Leading a proper existence will health benefits of soy milk result in other benefits, both for the family and It really works to peel other layers that actually keep everyone from slimming down. Duties The duties of the safety and health officer are Might have many people will state that my signs and symptoms are excess of six. Stress and Health Info STRESS AND HEALTH Stress is In addition, you may also receive daily advice as e- mails, should you register most of the health forums. She should also list anything
Joel Ewanick, the agent of change brought in by General Motors just over two years ago to shake up its moribund marketing operations, has unexpectedly resigned.
In a terse statement issued Sunday evening the maker said only that the 52-year-old executive ?has elected to resign immediately.? Alan Batey, GM?s vice president of U.S. Sales and Service, will step in as global marketing chief on an interim basis.
Exactly what led to Ewanick?s sudden departure isn?t clear but it takes even those working close to the marketing czar by surprise.??In fact, it appears to have taken Ewanick himself by surprise.??The former Hyundai marketing chief appeared on the Internet TV show Autoline After Hours barely a week ago and it was clear, ?This was not a guy who saw this coming,? said host John McElroy.
A report in the online edition of the Wall Street Journal suggests the departure was a result of an unspecified confrontation between Ewanick and GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson and, according to several sources, as recently as this morning it was under discussion whether the marketing chief?s departure would be described as voluntary or if GM would say he had been terminated.
TheDetroitBureau.com:?Lotus Pulls Back on Ambitious Product Plan -- Is VW Bid in Offing?
With his departure it is likely that GM?s marketing efforts will again fall under close scrutiny -- all the more so when, as expected, the company next week reports a massive slump in earnings for the second quarter.?
?Dan Akerson is coming under intense scrutiny,? said long-time automotive analyst McElroy. Another source, asking not to be identified by name, put it more bluntly: ?People will be asking how did that guy ever get that job??
The former telecommunications chief was given the CEO title barely a year after GM?s emergence from Chapter 11 when Ed Whitacre -- who took over the reorganized company -- decided to step down. Akerson quickly positioned himself as a hard-driving change agent ousting virtually all of GM?s old guard and bringing in an assortment of new talent including Ewanick.?
TheDetroitBureau.com: Fewer teens go for drivers' license
The boyish marketing chief had built a strong reputation helping turn around a company that had a poor reputation with buyers other than those on a tight budget. By the time he left, Hyundai had become one of the country?s fastest-growing automotive brands.?
Ewanick did a brief stint at Nissan in early 2010, apparently because GM couldn?t complete the hiring process.??When it came back with the right offer he jumped ship again.
Since then, Ewanick has shown a willingness to slaughter even the most sacred cows, terminating long-time relationships, such as the decades-long alliance between the Chevrolet brand and Detroit ad agency Campbell-Ewald.??Earlier this year, he rocked the ad world by announcing GM would pull out of the 2013 Super Bowl and by almost simultaneously deciding to pull its $10 million Facebook ad account.
Those moves triggered angry responses, Facebook management, for example, going directly to Akerson hoping to reverse the embarrassing decision -- which became fodder for headlines just days before the social media site?s disastrous IPO.
Not everyone has been impressed.???I just don?t see the work,? said a senior Detroit ad agency executive asking not to be named.??The exec pointed to a series of ads produced under Ewanick?s tenure that could hardly be differentiated from what the Chevy brand aired prior to the marketing shake-up.
TheDetroitBureau.com: Hyundai defies Euro downturn; pushes up profits
But others defend Ewanick?s work, including McElroy: ?What you have to do is judge results. The question is whether Joel Ewanick has done a good job of taking the Chevrolet and Cadillac brands global. Chevy set a sales record last year and last month Malibu nearly outsold Camry while the new Sonic (subcompact) has done a real good job at the small end.?
But Ewanick was also in charge of marketing abroad and GM is having a disastrous time in Europe, where it is expected to post several billion dollars in losses this year.
That has led to a series of additional personnel moves including the recent ouster of GM Europe CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke and several of his top lieutenants.
But the shake-ups have been coming at home, as well.??In recent weeks a number of well-known executive have resigned or retired, including Chevy Volt program chief Tony Posawatz, Cadillac?s vehicle chief Dave Leone, and David Lyon, who was set to head design for German-based Opel.
TheDetroitBureau.com:?Silver still king, but automakers look to ?naturally cultivated? colors
Nonetheless, ?The timing of this (Ewanick?s departure) is very strange,? said Rebecca Lindland, chief analyst with IHS Automotive, ?coming on Sunday rather than waiting until next week when they have a conference call to announce the monthly sales numbers.?
Lindland and several other observers contacted by TheDetroitBureau.com said another odd sign was the fact that normally knowledgeable inside company sources admitted being completely in the dark about the latest development.??Even the normally in-tune GM PR department was apparently caught by surprise.
One source indicated that it was only decided hours before a press release finally went out that Ewanick?s departure would be described as a ?voluntary? resignation.??That, said several observers, raises questions about whether there was more behind the departure than simply a disagreement over policy.?
Going forward, it remains to be seen what sort of ripple effect Ewanick?s resignation will have.??Chris Perry, one of his top lieutenants from Hyundai came over to GM to run the Chevrolet brand.??Meanwhile, the entire General Motors marketing operation has been reshaped in Ewanick?s image, including a controversial new entity combining teams from several different major ad agencies put together to handle the Chevy account.
It?s clear that the impact of the Sunday announcement will be felt and analyzed for some time to come.
Among the problems some visitors to the Olympic games have experienced are the result of ticketing screw-ups attributed to an American vendor of tickets -- Co-Sports.? According to the Financial Times, Co-Sports and its owners are big contributors to the Romney campaign.
CoSport?s owner, Sead Dizdarevic, his wife Margaret and his holding company, Jet Set Sports Holdings, have donated $200,000 to Restore Our Future, a super-political action committee that supports Mr Romney, according to federal records compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Mr Dizdarevic has also been a big donor to Republican congressional elections, contributing $20,000 to Republican House and Senate committees in this election cycle.
The ticketing debacle is not the first Olympic controversy in which Mr Dizdarevic has been embroiled. ...FT
Not by a long shot.?
A decade ago, Dizdarevic was implicated in the bribery scandal surrounding the Olympic Games in Salt Lake. Organizers of the games had allegedly offered perks to International Olympic Committee members to secure the games.
According to federal prosecutors during the subsequent trial, Dizdarevic and his sister-in-law supplied $131,000 in cash to the local organizers during the mid-1990s. Dizdarevic, who was granted immunity during the trial, said the money was part of an attempt to curry favor and secure a hospitality contract for the Utah games.
Ten International Olympic Committee members resigned or were dismissed in the wake of the corruption scandal, even though the two officials charged in the trial were ultimately acquitted.
Despite Dizdarevic?s role in the controversy, Jet Set Sports was named the official sponsor of hospitality packages for the Salt Lake City games, offering tickets, dining services, ground transportation and accommodations at some of the area?s most luxurious hotels. And Jet Set Sports has continued to win prestigious contracts for the Olympic Games ever since. ...Center for Public Integrity
The beat goes on.?
Because the Olympics are international news, and the ticket screw-ups are big news, Romney's continuing involvement with the Dizdarevics is big news right across the globe.? Yes, indeed.? This trip has introduced Mitt Romney's association with predatory business dealings to the world at large in ways that surely make most Americans cringe.
TOKYO (AP) -- Thousands of people formed "a human chain" around Japan's parliament complex Sunday to demand the government abandon nuclear power ? the latest in a series of peaceful demonstrations on a scale not seen in the nation for decades.
Also Sunday, voters went to the polls in a closely watched election for governor of southwestern Yamaguchi prefecture, where an outspoken anti-nuclear candidate was running. Japanese media reported his loss late Sunday, citing exit polls, although official results had not been tallied.
Protesters said they were angry the government restarted two reactors earlier this month despite safety worries after the multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in March last year. The reactors were the first to return to operation since May, when the last of Japan's 50 working reactors went offline for routine checks.
Banging on drums and waving balloons and banners, protesters marched from a Tokyo park and lined up along the streets around the parliament building chanting, "Saikado hantai," or "No to restarts," and later lit candles.
"All these people have gotten together and are raising their voices," said Shoji Kitano, 64, a retired math teacher who was wearing a sign that read, "No to Nukes."
Kitano said he had not seen such massive demonstrations since the 1960s. He stressed that ordinary Japanese usually don't demonstrate, but were outraged over the restarting of nuclear power.
Similar demonstrations have been held outside the prime minister's residence every Friday evening. The crowds have not dwindled, as people get the word out through Twitter and other online networking. A July 16 holiday rally at a Tokyo park, featuring a rock star and a Nobel laureate, drew nearly 200,000 people.
The crowd appeared to be smaller Sunday. Kyodo News service estimated it at about 10,000 people. Participants said they came from across Japan, underlining the widespread appeal of the protests.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda defended his decision to restart the two reactors at Ohi nuclear plant in central Japan as necessary to maintain people's living standards. Other reactors are also expected to go back online, one by one.
Reports from government and legislative investigations of the Fukushima disaster have done little to allay people's fears. A recent probe blamed a "Japanese mind-set" which it said had allowed collusion between the plant's operator and regulators.
Adding to protesters' frustrations is the support nuclear power has received from regional governments where the plants are located. They said they planned to vote anti-nuclear candidates into office to effect change.
Typically, relatively poor rural and fishing areas, far from Tokyo, have been chosen for construction of nuclear plants, with residents won over with jobs and subsidies. There is a plan to build a nuclear plant in Yamaguchi prefecture, but doubts are growing over whether that can be carried out.
Tetsunari Iida, a candidate in Sunday's Yamaguchi gubernatorial election, opposes that plan and nuclear power in general. Kyodo and other Japanese media said Iida was defeated by old-guard candidate Shigetaro Yamamoto, a former bureaucrat who is more conciliatory toward the government's energy policy.
At the Tokyo protest, however, hospital worker Mika Ohta vowed to vote for anti-nuclear candidates in the next election.
"There is nothing good about nuclear power. It is expensive, gets workers radiated and creates waste," she said. "I'm opposed to this government in every way."
___
Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at http://twitter.com/yurikageyama
With the Olympics starting, Friday provided a perfect opportunity for Congress to renew pressure on the NFL and NFLPA regarding the ongoing absence of HGH testing, a standard component of Olympic drug testing.
Four members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (two from each party) sent a letter Friday to Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith urging them to implement last year?s agreement to conduct HGH testing.
?Without HGH testing, the performance enhancing drug provisions in your collective bargaining agreement will not be able to effectively deter the use of this drug,? the letter from Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Henry Waxman (D-Cal.), Mary Bono Mack (R-Cal.), and G.K. Butterfield? (D-N.C.) states.? ?And this failure sends a terrible message to young athletes and fans that player safety and a level playing field are not priorities.?
The letter explains that Congress ?has been reluctant to engage more deeply in this matter, believing this is a problem best solved by allowing labor and management to follow through on their agreement.?? But with no specific threat/promise to intervene, the NFL and NFLPA can continue to drag their feet.
And while it?s widely perceived that the NFLPA has delayed the process by insisting on a population study to account for the physiological differences between football players and Olympic athletes generally, the league hasn?t done much if anything to force the NFLPA to honor it?s written commitment to submit to testing.? Frankly, it?s almost as if the league is content not to push forward with testing, as long as it?s the union and not the league that gets the bulk of the blame.
If, after all, the HGH problem is worse than believed, many players will be subject to suspension.? Perhaps more importantly, if players who are using HGH to recover from injuries suddenly must stop, then they won?t recover from injuries as quickly and the teams will have a harder time putting a product on the field.
Regardless of the reasons, something doesn?t seem right.? If the NFLPA is dragging its feet, the NFL has remedies at its disposal to push the issue forward, whether under the CBA or before the National Labor Relations Board of even in court.? But the NFL to date hasn?t used them.
For now, the league has responded to the letter with a promise to respond later.? ?We appreciate and share the concern of the committee,? the league said in a statement, ?and will respond to the letter as soon as possible.?
That?s not really much of a response.
Thus, if Congress wants to see HGH testing in the NFL, it?s time to stop huffing and puffing and time to start holding hearings and putting people under oath and finding out how deep this rabbit hole goes and why the NFL and NFLPA apparently aren?t interested in plugging it up.
Great Britain's gymnast Louis Smith clenches his fists and cries during the Artistic Gymnastics men's qualification at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 28, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Great Britain's gymnast Louis Smith clenches his fists and cries during the Artistic Gymnastics men's qualification at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 28, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Great Britain's gymnast Louis Smith applauds while crying during the Artistic Gymnastics men's qualification at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 28, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Chinese gymnast Feng Zhe performs on the parallel bars during the Artistic Gymnastic men's qualification at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 28, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Great Britain's gymnast Daniel Purvis performs on the vault during the Artistic Gymnastic men's qualification at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 28, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Great Britain's gymnast Kristian Thomas performs on the parallel bars during the Artistic Gymnastic men's qualification at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 28, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
LONDON (AP) ? The British men sure know how to kick off a party.
The host country, which was only good enough to send two gymnasts to Beijing four years ago, upset Olympic champion China and took the early lead in qualifying Saturday at the London Olympics. A spectacular pommel horse by Louis Smith capped the day for the British, who finished almost 2.5 points ahead of China with at a total of 272.420.
"It's just a dream competition really," said Smith, the British captain.
Added Kristian Thomas, "We knew what we were capable of and what we did was well within our capability. The important thing is repeating this performance and not getting too overwhelmed by it, too excited."
China scored 269.985, followed by France (265.759) and South Korea (255.327). Japan, the silver medalist in Beijing, and the United States go later Saturday, as do Germany and Russia.
Team finals are Monday, and everyone gets a do-over. Still, this was a stunning result for the Chinese, who have won the last five world titles and were so dominant four years ago in Beijing that they left with all but one of the men's gold medals. When the standings flashed before the final rotation, showing Britain ahead of China, Feng Zhe looked into the camera and gave a little shrug, as if to say, "Oh well."
"We're not really disappointed because it's been four years and the competitors are improving, there's less discrepancy in their level," Chen Yibing, one of carryovers from the Beijing squad, said through a translator. "We are still confident in the final."
The British, meanwhile, could hardly contain their happiness ? and, for Smith, a few tears.
Britain doesn't exactly have an impressive tradition in gymnastics. Smith's bronze on pommel horse four years ago was the country's first Olympic medal in 80 years, and this is the first time Britain qualified full men's and women's teams to the Olympics since the boycotted 1984 Games.
But Smith and three-time world champion Beth Tweddle have sparked a resurgence in the sport, and the British are now a team to be reckoned with. The Brits, European champions, may not have Japan's style or the Americans' flash, but they are steady and solid, with dashes of brilliance thrown in ? like Smith's pommel horse routine.
Most gymnasts simply pray to stay on the horse, looking as if they're trying to wrestle it to the ground as they work their way around the apparatus. But Smith is so smooth he's almost hypnotic, swinging slowly and in perfect circles. He had the consistency of a metronome as he worked on one pommel, his legs glued together, his rhythm never flagging. He picked up speed as he moved around the horse, giving the impression of a plane readying for take off.
He finished with a flourish, his legs hitting the mat without moving an inch. While his teammates whooped and clapped, Smith exchanged a hand slap with Kristian Thomas. When his score ? a monstrous 15.8 ? was announced, he began crying as the crowd roared.
"I could keep crying now," Smith said. "I have to really try and bring myself down and think about what we've done ... and focus on the team result. It's just unbelievable. It really is."
So is seeing China behind the British.
The Chinese have run roughshod over the gymnastics world for much of the last decade. They were so much better than the competition, and everyone knew it.
But Chen and Zou Kai are the only holdovers from the Beijing gold rush, and China is no longer in a class by itself.
China's air of invincibility took its first hit at last year's world championships, where the Chinese finished behind Japan and the United States in qualifying. Yes, it was only qualifying, and they still left the event as they always do ? with index fingers held high in the air and gold medals around their neck. But it was the first time since Athens that they failed to finish first in every phase of a major competition.
A reduction in team size, from six gymnasts in Beijing to five in London, hurt the Chinese even more. After building their team around one- or two-event specialists for so many years, they've been left with gaping holes in their lineups.
What hurt the Chinese most Saturday was simple sloppiness ? shocking for a team once known for its impeccable execution. Chen's parallel bars routine wouldn't cut it for a high school gymnast. Zou Kai, the reigning gold medalist on high bar, probably won't even make the final after a routine that was practically indifferent. Guo Weiyang, pressed into service Wednesday after 2004 pommel horse gold medalist Teng Haibin dropped out with an arm injury, fell on his face on his dismount on floor exercise.
The Chinese had to count not one but two scores below 14 on pommel horse after falls by both Guo and Zhang Chenglong.
"We think we should beat Britain," Chen said. "But because of the substitute and things (that) happened, we did not perform as well as we should be."
FILE - In a Monday, May 7, 2012 file photo, Amazon founder, president and CEO Jeff Bezos and wife Mackenzie Bezos arrive at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute gala benefit, celebrating Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada, in New York. Bezos and his wife MacKenzie announced a gift Friday, July 27, 2012 of $2.5 million to the campaign to defend Washington's same-sex marriage law. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File)
FILE - In a Monday, May 7, 2012 file photo, Amazon founder, president and CEO Jeff Bezos and wife Mackenzie Bezos arrive at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute gala benefit, celebrating Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada, in New York. Bezos and his wife MacKenzie announced a gift Friday, July 27, 2012 of $2.5 million to the campaign to defend Washington's same-sex marriage law. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File)
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) ? Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife, MacKenzie, announced Friday they are donating $2.5 million to the campaign to defend Washington's same-sex marriage law.
With the gift, Washington United for Marriage has raised more than $5 million for its referendum campaign.
"It's a game changer for us," said campaign manager Zach Silk in Seattle. "It puts us in unique position to win."
But, his group is still the underdog, he said. In 32 previous elections nationally, same-sex advocates have lost. Silk said he believes the Washington election may be the turning point, thanks in part to the Bezos' donation.
"We're at a tipping point, and they really understand this is an historic moment, and they want to be on the right side of history and want to make history," he said.
Amazon publicly supported the law earlier this year, along with other prominent Pacific Northwest businesses, including Microsoft, Starbucks Corp. and Nike Inc.
Last month, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer and co-founder Bill Gates each donated $100,000 to support the law.
Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener said the Bezos' donation was a personal decision and that "Jeff and MacKenzie feel strongly about the issue."
Silk and officials with two national gay rights groups ? Freedom to Marry and the Human Rights Campaign ? say Bezos' $2.5 million donation is the largest publicly reported gift to a marriage campaign. They noted that gay marriage opponents have tried to limit the disclosure of campaign contributions, so they couldn't be certain whether there was a larger one.
Referendum 74 was certified for the November ballot in May after gay marriage opponents in the group Preserve Marriage Washington turned in more than 240,000 signatures. The referendum seeks to overturn the gay-marriage law signed in February by Gov. Chris Gregoire.
The same-sex marriage law was supposed to take effect June 7 but has been put on hold pending the November vote.
A "approve" vote on the referendum upholds the law, and a "reject" vote overturns it.
Jennifer Cast, a former Amazon employee who now is working as a volunteer fundraiser for the Washington United for Marriage, said Friday that she emailed her former boss on Sunday to ask for his help.
Cast, who has four children with her domestic partner, wrote of her wish to marry her partner of more than 20 years and "my desire to win marriage equality in Washington as a means for achieving national marriage equality."
"I beg you not to sit on the sidelines and hope the vote goes our way," she wrote. "Help us make it so."
Bezos' email response on Tuesday morning was just a few sentences: "Jen, this is right for so many reasons. We're in for $2.5 million. Jeff & MacKenzie."
Cast said that she didn't believe the Bezos' donation was because of his personal opinion of her, but that "they gave it because they believe it's the right thing to do."
"They needed to be asked, and I did the asking," she said.
Herdener, the Amazon spokesman, confirmed the email exchange.
Joseph Backholm, chairman of Preserve Marriage Washington, said that while he was surprised by the size of the donation, his campaign has always expected that it would be outspent by gay marriage supporters.
"We're optimistic about what's going to happen in the end," he said. "Jeff Bezos gets to vote just one time like everyone else in state. That's the great equalizer."
As of Friday, Preserve Marriage has raised just over $253,000, though Backholm said the group hopes to ultimately raise $4 million.
National groups like the Washington, D.C.-based National Organization for Marriage, which was involved in ballot measures that overturned same-sex marriage in California and Maine, have promised to help overturn the law.
Same-sex marriage is legal in New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C. Maryland legalized gay marriage this year as well, but that state also is poised to have a public vote this fall.
In Maine, voters will decide on an initiative to approve same-sex marriage three years after a referendum overturned a law passed by the Maine Legislature. And in Minnesota, voters will decide whether to pass a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
The first television ad supporting gay marriage in Washington state was set to start during the Olympics opening ceremony Friday. The statewide ad was paid for by Seattle-based Pride Foundation, and will run several times a day on broadcast television in three media markets over the entire two-week Olympic games.
Kris Hermanns, executive director of the Pride Foundation, would not disclose the cost of the ad buy, but said it "will be in the six figures."
___
Associated Press writer Doug Esser in Seattle contributed to this report.
___
Follow Rachel La Corte at http://www.twitter.com/RachelAPOly or http://www.facebook.com/news.rachel
"Like" SHOOT on Facebook to Post & Tag After you log in just click "Like" to post comments, pics, or work. Be cool.
CURRENT SHOOT PRINT ISSUE PDF AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD Read, View Work, & Download the Digital PDF version of SHOOT.
EVERYONE HAS A STORY... "SPW IT" IN YOUR OWN WORDS! SPW is a powerful low-cost PR tool reaching film, entertainment, commercial & TV content creators. And, of course, journalists, bloggers & news aggregators. The SHOOT Publicity Wire.... TRY IT YOU?LL LOVE IT... Join the growing list of happy clients. NOW is the ideal time to try it - get your story out there!
Follow SHOOTonline & The SHOOT Publicity Wire on Twitter: Follow SHOOT & you'll get all site updates (SHOOT Tweets) on your homepage, your phone, or any application (like Tweetie, Twitterberry, etc.) you use.
SHOOT NEW DIRECTORS SHOWCASE 2012 WEB REEL HERE Need New Helmer Talent? Check out the "Class of 2012"... View. Share. Comment.
The?news release distribution service for the filmmaking, commercialmaking, entertainment, TV, online & mobile motion picture production and postproduction industries.?Targets delivery of?releases to critical vertical market while establishing your release in vital SHOOT "Industry Database of Record."
Category: Film Festivals, Screenings, Parties Options: ?? Publicity Release Posted: July 27, 2012 10:20:04 EST
Showcases Red Epic Camera At La Jolla Fashion Film Festival
LOS ANGELES, July 27, 2012 | SHOOT Publicity Wire | --- RED Digital Cinema is teaming up with Smashbox Digital, LA's premier photography equipment and services provider, to showcase the RED EPIC camera at the La Jolla Fashion Film Festival on July 27th & 28th. Acclaimed fashion film director Marcus K. Jones has been brought on to lead a seminar covering his work process with the EPIC, and Smashbox Digital will provide the set, lighting and support services. Following the seminar, Smashbox Digital's Carlo Chiesa will demonstrate the camera's capabilities in an interactive photoshoot with festival attendees.
The RED EPIC, available for rental on a per-day basis from Smashbox Digital, has taken the film and photography industries by storm. It's been used in the last few months to shoot music videos for Jay-Z and Kanye West, covers for magazines including Esquire, Vogue, and GQ, and movies such as Prometheus and Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, among many others.
RED Digital Cinema is a major sponsor of the La Jolla Fashion Film Festival, a three-day celebration of the year's best fashion films from top artists and brands in the industry. "RED makes the only true 'DSMC' Digital Stills and Motion Cameras, which allows the photographer to simply extract the perfect still from the motion footage," explains RED Digital Cinema president Jarred Land, "With some of the top fashion photographers in the world shooting on RED for both their still and motion projects, an association with the La Jolla Fashion Film Festival was a no brainer."
RED Digital Cinema is collaborating at the event with Smashbox Digital, the equipment and studio services division of Smashbox Studios. Having offered and worked with the EPIC on a daily basis since its introduction last year, Smashbox Digital has quickly become the go-to authority for tapping into all of its remarkable capabilities.
The La Jolla Film Festival will be held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla, California on July 26, 27 & 28th and the seminar with Marcus K Jones will take place twice, from 11:00 - 1:00 on both the 27th & 28th.
ABOUT Smashbox Digital Founded in 1997, Smashbox Digital is a leading Los Angeles camera and video equipment rental house that also provides digital capture and retouching services. With digital ready studio and location environments and a team of experienced digital technicians, Smashbox Digital affords unparalleled flexibility to tailor production needs to the client's budget and technological requirements. For more information go to www.smashboxdigital.com.
About Smashbox Studios Smashbox Studios -- Los Angeles' leading photo studio brand -- regularly hosts photo and film shoots, as well as events for photographers, producers and celebrities. Smashbox also offers equipment rentals, and digital capture and editing services. Quixote Studios -- the managing partner of Smashbox Studios - was founded in 1995. Quixote is Hollywood's premier provider of boutique film studios, production-related vehicles, grip and lighting equipment, expendables and production supplies. Quixote has added to its array of services with expanded offerings in New York, Boston and New Orleans.
Contact Info Benjamin Loomis double E communications Contact Benjamin via email
WASHINGTON (Reuters)- - New orders for a range of long-lasting manufactured goods fell in June and a gauge of planned business spending plans dropped, pointing to a slowdown in factory activity.
The Commerce Department said on Thursday durable goods orders excluding transportation dropped 1.1 percent, the biggest decline since January, after rising 0.8 percent in May. Economists had forecast this category being flat last month.
Overall orders increased 1.6 percent as demand for aircraft surged, after an upwardly revised 1.6 percent increase the prior month.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast orders for durable goods, items from toasters to aircraft that are meant to last at least three years, rising 0.4 percent after a previously reported 1.3 percent increase in May.
"The manufacturing sector is going through a weak patch with orders excluding transportation falling over the last three months. This is also the message of the sub-50 readings on the ISM manufacturing composite and new orders indexes for June," said John Ryding, chief economist at RDQ Economics in New York.
Details of the report were generally weak, with declines in new orders for computers, fabricated metal products, electrical equipment and appliances and machinery.
Fears of tighter fiscal policy in early 2013 and a lingering debt crisis in Europe are dampening demand, causing a cooling in manufacturing activity. Factories have been the main pillar of support for the sluggish economic recovery.
Last month, orders for transportation equipment rose 8.0 percent as demand for civilian aircraft soared 14.3 percent, offsetting a 0.6 percent fall in new orders for motor vehicles. The decline in autos was the largest since September last year.
Boeing received orders for 24 planes in June, up from 8 in May, according to information posted on the plane maker's website. That accounted for some of the jump in transportation orders. Orders for defense aircraft surged 23.9 percent after rising 11.2 percent in May.
Non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, fell 1.4 percent after increasing 2.7 percent May.
Economists had expected this category to rise 0.6 percent after a previously reported 2.1 percent increase the prior month.
Shipments of non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, used to calculate equipment and software spending in the gross domestic product report, increased 1.2 percent after rising 1.1 percent in May.
The increase suggests spending on equipment and software grew in the second quarter, but probably nowhere near levels seen in 2011.
Orders for defense capital goods soared 62.0 percent in June, the biggest rise since December 2007.
The government is expected to report on Friday that the economy grew at a 1.5 percent annual rate in the second quarter, according to a Reuters survey, slowing from the 1.9 percent rate in the prior three months.
(Reporting By Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
Swaziland HIV incidence results announced at AIDS 2012Public release date: 27-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Stephanie Berger sb2247@columbia.edu 212-305-4372 Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
Study indicates that the rate of new infection is beginning to level off in the nation with the world's highest prevalence of HIV
The results from a nationally representative HIV incidence study in Swaziland indicate that the national rate of new HIV infections is 2.38% among adults ages 18-49. This figure, comparable to the 2009 UNAIDS estimate of 2.66% for Swaziland adults ages 15-49, suggests that the HIV epidemic in Swaziland may have begun to stabilize in the past few years. The findings of the Swaziland HIV Incidence Measurement Survey (SHIMS) were presented today at the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington DC.
"The country continues to have very high HIV incidence rates. Since HIV services in Swaziland are more widely available now and we understand that ART treatment prevents the spread of new infections, the Ministry of Health will use these new results to plan HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs in Swaziland," said Rejoice Nkambule, deputy director of health services public health at the Ministry of Health. SHIMS was led by the Swaziland Ministry of Health and supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and ICAP at Columbia University through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
SHIMS is a multi-phase study designed to evaluate the impact of HIV prevention and treatment services in the country. The first phase of the SHIMS survey included approximately 13,000 households in Swaziland, representing a cross-section of the national population and consisting of 18,154 men and women, ages 18-49. Findings from the first phase indicated that the national prevalence of HIV in Swaziland is the highest in the world, with 31% of adults infected.
HIV-negative adults from the survey who gave permission were retested six months later and the number of new HIV infections were assessed using state-of-the-art laboratory methods. Retention rates were high, with 94% of participants completing follow-up at six months. "This is the gold standard method for measuring HIV incidence and it hasn't been attempted before at a national level," said Jessica Justman, MD, ICAP's senior technical director, and Associate Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. While overall HIV incidence is 2.4 %, HIV incidence among women in Swaziland peaks among those 20-24 and 35-39 years old, with rates of 4.2 % and 4.1 %. Among men, HIV incidence peaks among those 30-34 years old, at 3.0 %. Not knowing the HIV status of the current partner predicts new HIV infection for both men and women and suggests prevention and treatment programs need to target this specific problem.
"SHIMS provides a remarkable epidemiologic look into the most severe national HIV epidemic in the world. Clearly, the strategic scale-up of effective HIV interventions in combination is warranted. SHIMS has established an unequivocal baseline incidence rate against which to judge the effectiveness of such strategies for an entire national population. This may not be feasible anywhere else," said Dr. Jason Reed of the CDC.
While SHIMS is primarily assessing new HIV infections, the study has several other goals such as enhancing laboratory infrastructure and strengthening research capacity in Swaziland.
###
Along with Ms. Nkambule, the principal investigators on SHIMS include Dr. Jessica Justman, ICAP senior technical director; Dr. George Bicego, CDCcountry director in Swaziland; and Dr. Jason
Reed, CDC Atlanta, medical epidemiologist in the Center for Global Health, Division of GlobalHIV/AIDS. Additional support for SHIMS has been provided by Swaziland's National Reference
Laboratory and Central Statistical Office, Statistical Center for HIV/AIDS Research & Prevention(SCHARP) at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in the United States, and Maromi Health
Research and EpiCentre in South Africa.
About the Swaziland Ministry of Health
The Ministry of Health seeks to improve the health status of the people of Swaziland by providing preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative services that are of high quality, relevant, accessible, affordable, equitable and socially acceptable.
About ICAP
ICAP at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health is a global leader in public health, with a broad portfolio of research, training, health system strengthening, and service delivery programs in the United States and around the world. Founded in 2004, ICAP is committed to addressing critical health issues and to bettering lives by improving access to high-quality, equitable, and affordable health services. Working hand-in-hand with in-country partners, ICAP has supported more than 1,200 health facilities across 21 countries. More than one million people have received HIV services through ICAP-supported programs. For more information about ICAP, visit http://www.columbia-icap.org.
About PEPFAR
The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was launched in 2003 to combat global HIV/AIDS, and is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in history. Working in partnership with host nations, over ten years PEPFAR plans to support treatment for at least 3 million people, prevention of 12 million new infections, and care for 12 million people, including 5 million orphans and vulnerable children. For more information, please visit http://www.PEPFAR.gov.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Swaziland HIV incidence results announced at AIDS 2012Public release date: 27-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Stephanie Berger sb2247@columbia.edu 212-305-4372 Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
Study indicates that the rate of new infection is beginning to level off in the nation with the world's highest prevalence of HIV
The results from a nationally representative HIV incidence study in Swaziland indicate that the national rate of new HIV infections is 2.38% among adults ages 18-49. This figure, comparable to the 2009 UNAIDS estimate of 2.66% for Swaziland adults ages 15-49, suggests that the HIV epidemic in Swaziland may have begun to stabilize in the past few years. The findings of the Swaziland HIV Incidence Measurement Survey (SHIMS) were presented today at the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington DC.
"The country continues to have very high HIV incidence rates. Since HIV services in Swaziland are more widely available now and we understand that ART treatment prevents the spread of new infections, the Ministry of Health will use these new results to plan HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs in Swaziland," said Rejoice Nkambule, deputy director of health services public health at the Ministry of Health. SHIMS was led by the Swaziland Ministry of Health and supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and ICAP at Columbia University through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
SHIMS is a multi-phase study designed to evaluate the impact of HIV prevention and treatment services in the country. The first phase of the SHIMS survey included approximately 13,000 households in Swaziland, representing a cross-section of the national population and consisting of 18,154 men and women, ages 18-49. Findings from the first phase indicated that the national prevalence of HIV in Swaziland is the highest in the world, with 31% of adults infected.
HIV-negative adults from the survey who gave permission were retested six months later and the number of new HIV infections were assessed using state-of-the-art laboratory methods. Retention rates were high, with 94% of participants completing follow-up at six months. "This is the gold standard method for measuring HIV incidence and it hasn't been attempted before at a national level," said Jessica Justman, MD, ICAP's senior technical director, and Associate Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. While overall HIV incidence is 2.4 %, HIV incidence among women in Swaziland peaks among those 20-24 and 35-39 years old, with rates of 4.2 % and 4.1 %. Among men, HIV incidence peaks among those 30-34 years old, at 3.0 %. Not knowing the HIV status of the current partner predicts new HIV infection for both men and women and suggests prevention and treatment programs need to target this specific problem.
"SHIMS provides a remarkable epidemiologic look into the most severe national HIV epidemic in the world. Clearly, the strategic scale-up of effective HIV interventions in combination is warranted. SHIMS has established an unequivocal baseline incidence rate against which to judge the effectiveness of such strategies for an entire national population. This may not be feasible anywhere else," said Dr. Jason Reed of the CDC.
While SHIMS is primarily assessing new HIV infections, the study has several other goals such as enhancing laboratory infrastructure and strengthening research capacity in Swaziland.
###
Along with Ms. Nkambule, the principal investigators on SHIMS include Dr. Jessica Justman, ICAP senior technical director; Dr. George Bicego, CDCcountry director in Swaziland; and Dr. Jason
Reed, CDC Atlanta, medical epidemiologist in the Center for Global Health, Division of GlobalHIV/AIDS. Additional support for SHIMS has been provided by Swaziland's National Reference
Laboratory and Central Statistical Office, Statistical Center for HIV/AIDS Research & Prevention(SCHARP) at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in the United States, and Maromi Health
Research and EpiCentre in South Africa.
About the Swaziland Ministry of Health
The Ministry of Health seeks to improve the health status of the people of Swaziland by providing preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative services that are of high quality, relevant, accessible, affordable, equitable and socially acceptable.
About ICAP
ICAP at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health is a global leader in public health, with a broad portfolio of research, training, health system strengthening, and service delivery programs in the United States and around the world. Founded in 2004, ICAP is committed to addressing critical health issues and to bettering lives by improving access to high-quality, equitable, and affordable health services. Working hand-in-hand with in-country partners, ICAP has supported more than 1,200 health facilities across 21 countries. More than one million people have received HIV services through ICAP-supported programs. For more information about ICAP, visit http://www.columbia-icap.org.
About PEPFAR
The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was launched in 2003 to combat global HIV/AIDS, and is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in history. Working in partnership with host nations, over ten years PEPFAR plans to support treatment for at least 3 million people, prevention of 12 million new infections, and care for 12 million people, including 5 million orphans and vulnerable children. For more information, please visit http://www.PEPFAR.gov.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Two Turkish soldiers were killed in the mainly Kurdish southeast on Friday when the vehicle they were traveling in was hit by a remote-controlled explosive, security sources said.
A third soldier and one civilian were also wounded in the attack, which occurred around 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) near the town of Lice in Diyarbakir province, they said.
Security officials blamed the attack on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a 27-year campaign against the Turkish state in which 40,000 people, mainly Kurds, have died.
Explosives were buried in a road near military barracks and were set off by remote control when the vehicle carrying soldiers passed, the officials said.
Turkey, the European Union and the United States all list the PKK as a "terrorist" organization.
The PKK, based mainly in northern Iraq, has scaled back its demands for a Kurdish homeland for Turkey's 14 million Kurds to greater cultural rights and political autonomy.
(Reporting by Seyhmus Cakan, writing by Ayla Jean Yackley)
PITTSBURGH (AP) - If Ryan Dempster did indeed make his final start for the Chicago Cubs, he left a lasting impression.
Pulled for a pinch hitter by manager Dale Sveum in the seventh inning Wednesday, Dempster threw a water cooler in the dugout as the Cubs went on to a 3-2 defeat to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
"I have a lot of respect for our manager, but I don't always have to agree with every move he makes," Dempster said. "I'm allowed to be upset, but I was over it as soon as I got to the clubhouse."
Dempster has had a lot on his mind this week. He is mulling whether to accept a trade to Atlanta and said he also is "keeping all my options open."
Chicago is off Thursday, and Dempster said he'll spend part of the day thinking about his situation. He has the right to veto any trade as a 10-and-5 player - he has at least 10 years of major league service time, including at least five with his current team.
The deadline for trades without waivers is Tuesday.
"I'm definitely going to think about Atlanta," Dempster said. "I know (Braves GM) Frank Wren from my days in Florida when he was the assistant GM there. I have a lot of respect for (manager) Fredi Gonzalez. I don't know what I'm going to do. I have a few days to think about it before the trading deadline."
Dempster (5-5) allowed three runs and five hits in six innings with six strikeouts and no walks.
His ERA, which had been a major league-leading 2.11, rose to 2.25.
"I thought he pitched really well, but he had a long top of the sixth inning, and down by a run, we needed to get the leadoff man on base, which why I pinch hit," Sveum said.
Kevin Correia (8-6) won his career-best fifth straight start. Yet it might not be enough to keep him in the Pirates' crowded starting rotation.
Correia gave up two runs and four hits in six innings, helping Pittsburgh avoid getting swept at home from the first time since Sept. 9-11 against the Marlins.
Garrett Jones drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out double in the sixth inning. Walker and Michael McKenry homered for Pittsburgh.
Despite his winning streak, Correia has a 4.82 ERA in his last five starts and is a candidate to be moved to the bullpen following the acquisition of left-hander Wandy Rodriguez from Houston on Tuesday. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said before the game that he might also consider going to a six-man rotation, at least temporarily.
"We acquired a very good pitcher who is going to help us," Correia said. "Somebody is going to have to come out of the rotation. I thought about it a lot last night but it wasn't on my mind when I took the mound. I just tried to do the best I could to help the team win and the decisions about the rotation are out of my hands."
Relievers Jared Hughes, Jason Grilli and Joel Hanrahan followed Correia with one scoreless inning each. Hanrahan recorded his 29th save in 32 chances.
"That back end of the bullpen is as good as it gets," Sveum said.
The Pirates pulled ahead 3-2 in the sixth inning when Jones lined a double that scored Alex Presley, who singled with one out and took third on Andrew McCutchen's single.
"That was a good piece of hitting by Jones because I threw a pitch that was really down and he went down and got it," Dempster said.
Both teams hit solo home runs in the first. Anthony Rizzo connected for his fifth with two outs for Chicago and Walker countered with his ninth in the bottom half.
The Cubs went back ahead in the fourth as Rizzo singled in David DeJesus, who had doubled, with two outs. The umpires upheld their ruling on DeJesus' double after a video review showed a fan had touched the ball before it went over the center-field fence.
Pittsburgh tied the score when McKenry hit a two-out solo homer off the left-field foul pole in the sixth. Dempster retired 13 batters in a row between the home runs by Walker and McKenry.
"We're a very resilient team," McKenry said. "Dempster was pitching great but we found a way to come back and beat him. It was a really good win for us."
NOTES: Chicago LF Alfonso Soriano got the day off after going 4-for-8 with two home runs and four RBIs in the first two games of the series. ... Rodriguez is expected to join the Pirates on Thursday in Houston when they open a four-game series against the Astros. Rodriguez pitched Monday night against Cincinnati, so the earliest he would likely be able to pitch is Saturday. ... RHP A.J. Burnett (11-3, 3.59) is scheduled to start for the Pirates on Thursday night against LHP Dallas Keuchel (1-2, 4.03). ... Chicago opens a three-game series Friday against St. Louis. LHP Travis Wood (4-5, 4.33) is the probable starter for the Cubs and will face RHP Lance Lynn (12-4, 3.10).
? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
advertisement
More news
A blue debut
Hanley Ramirez?went 2-for-4 with an RBI in his Dodgers debut, but the Cardinals won 3-2 in 12 innings on Wednesday night.
Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images
HBT: Trading Hanley is latest insult to Marlins fans
HBT: Then they are handed a sweetheart deal on a new stadium, get everyone?s hopes up for the first time in nearly a decade and ? after three-plus months, 40% of the rotation, the second baseman, the third baseman and possibly the closer are out the door.