Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/305232399?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Monday, May 13, 2013
Smoke forces evacuation of White House West Wing
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Reporters and photographers were evacuated from the West Wing of the White House early Saturday because of smoke from a faulty piece of equipment.
U.S. Secret Service spokesman Max Milien says that at about 7 a.m., smoke was seen coming out of a mechanical room closet on the first floor.
Journalists and others were evacuated out of -- quote "an abundance of caution" and the District of Columbia fire department was called. People were allowed back into the building about an hour later.
Officials say a transformer in the mechanical room overheated.
No injuries were reported and White House officials say President Barack Obama and his family were not affected by the incident.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/smoke-forces-evacuation-white-house-west-wing-125504568.html
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Sunday, May 12, 2013
Colon Cancer Among 'Least Prevented'
Karen Witkus took the prescription, folded it up and tucked it in her wallet. She didn't want to think about the colonoscopy it would procure.
"I heard horror stories about it," said Witkus, 55, imagining the probing test and the gut-cleansing preparation it required. "I kept delaying and before you know it, it had been in my wallet for three years."
A colonoscopy is a procedure in which doctors view the inside of the colon with a small camera to spot and remove pre-cancerous growths called polyps before they turn into deadly tumors. It's the most sensitive of three colon cancer screening tests recommended for men and women over 50, but nearly half of all eligible adults skip the tests altogether, according to a 2009 study.
As a result, colorectal cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, killing more than 50,000 Americans annually, according to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Up to 60 percent of those deaths are preventable through screening, the agency says.
Dr. David Johnson, chief of gastroenterology at Eastern Virginia Medical School and past president of the American College of Gastroenterology says reasons for the low screening rates vary.
"One reason is that the test may not be covered by the patient's insurance," he said, alluding to insurance plans that are unaffected by the Affordable Care Act, which mandates coverage of colorectal cancer screening. Only 29 states and the District of Columbia have mandated that insurance plans cover colorectal cancer screening tests. "Another reason is that patients simply never have the conversation with their doctor."
Then there are people like Witkus, who despite having a referral and insurance coverage forgo the test out of fear. A colonoscopy requires that patients drink a gallon of bad-tasting laxative to cleanse the bowel, making polyps more visible. Patients miss up to two days of work ? one for the pre-procedure doctor's visit and bowel prep and another for the procedure itself.
Although the benefits of a colonoscopy far outweigh the inconvenience and discomfort, doctors and researchers have nonetheless been searching for easier and more acceptable alternatives. One such test is currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Developed by Exact Sciences, the stool-based screen detects changes in DNA as well as traces of blood that signal the presence of pre-cancerous polyps or cancers of the colon.
"I believe we have a significant opportunity to play a role in winning the battle against colon cancer," said Exact Sciences president and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Conroy, citing results from a recent clinical trial that suggest the stool-based test can detect 65 percent of polyps measuring 2 centimeters or more. "Colon cancer is the most preventable yet least prevented cancer. ... There is a significant need for something different."
Johnson, who was involved in the trial, agrees.
"Anything that brings more people into the screening pool, I'm all for," he said. He hopes the new test will play a "sizable role in increasing the options for screening," but cautions, "the best screening test is still the colonoscopy."
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/dreaded-colonoscopy-search-substitute/story?id=19152926
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Galaxy S 4 mini surfaces again, strikes a few poses
Mum may still be the word at Samsung, but between user agent profiles, leaked details and the word of the Wall Street Journal, the arrival of the Galaxy S 4 mini seems imminent. Still, there's nothing like a leaked gallery of snapshots to stoke the fire -- and Weibo user PunkPanda is happy to provide. A series of new images shows the diminutive Galaxy sizing up to its full sized sibling and a stray cigarette. Rumor has it the handset will debut later this summer with a 4.3-inch display, a dual-core 1.6Ghz processor and an 8MP camera. No word on pricing, availability or market just yet, but check out the attached gallery for an early eyeful.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Source: PunkPanda (Weibo)
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/Rj1YWqOIEqo/
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The European Union in the world: The value of soft power
Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, spoke about EU foreign policy at the UCLA Faculty Center on May 6. The meeting was organized by the Center for European and Eurasian Studies and moderated by Terry McCarthy, president and CEO of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.
Posing a series of open questions, moderator Terry McCarthy led HR Catherine Ashton in a survey of major foreign policy issues, starting with how the EU ? with 27 countries ? could have a common foreign policy. Ashton responded by saying that she is asked the same question in Europe!
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The benefits of strong economic policies for the growing number of European Union inhabitants led member states to realize that they could use their influence to make their voice heard on common foreign policy positions, she said. ?It?s what I call the highest common factor, not the lowest common denominator,? remarked Ashton.
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The EU is now trying to embed firmly in European policy thinking that its member states can develop a strong common foreign policy, she said, noting that the 27 foreign ministers meet every month under her chairmanship. In these discussions, she clarified later, it is not so much the economic power of a member state that counts, as its expertise on a particular issue or region, because all members have a vote and can thus block a given policy.
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Ashton differentiated between dealing with an acute situation and the ability of a common policy to tackle such a situation. ?We saw [this] in Libya and we see it in Syria,? she remarked. ?The challenge sometimes leads us away from foreign policy and diplomacy into having to think about military action, as we saw in Libya. And we will continue to worry about the contexts for [such action].??
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?The value of Europe,? commented Ashton, ?is that we don?t have an army. We are a strong economic block ? a soft power ? [and we] can leverage that power to try and deal with issues, especially in our neighborhood.??
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Ashton was confident of the future of both the euro and the EU itself, as well as the continued membership of the United Kingdom in the body. Noting that the EU worked closely with a number of non-member states, she said that she spoke more often with Turkey than any other such state. Personally, she said, she would like to see Turkey become an EU member.?
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Reflecting on the economic recession, she related, ?I think one of the most extraordinary things has been that, despite the real economic challenges, the European Union has stuck together. The 27 heads of state have met regularly to deal with this [economic crisis] and have done so effectively.?
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In her view, the EU?s work in addressing these problems has become a model for other countries seeking to work together to bring stronger economic cohesion to areas of the world, such as creating a single market.?
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Ashton noted that the idea of an EU-U.S. trade agreement had been ?bubbling? on both sides of the Atlantic for some time. Despite massive existing trade and investment, she said the two sides could do a great deal more on tariffs and non-tariff barriers, such as rules that prevent the two sides from recognizing one another?s standards.
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She identified the scoping exercise conducted by U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht (through the High Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth) as a key step towards negotiations. She said the exercise had proven the potential impact of an agreement on investments, services and straightforward trade to leaders in the White House and Brussels. The two sides are now hoping to conclude an agreement in the next 18 months.?
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Asked about Syria, Ashton pointed out that the EU was the biggest donor of aid to humanitarian efforts related to the civil war, with roughly half a billion euros going to support Syrians still in Syria and refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.?
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The EU, she added, continues to work very hard at finding the elusive political situation that will ultimately be needed. Beyond the traumatization of the populace, she noted that rebuilding the country will alone be a massive task.?
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Ashton argued that Russia had a crucial role to play in resolving the Syrian crisis and urged it to use its influence to good effect, holding out hope that another U.N.-led effort to craft some kind of political consensus among the international community might be fruitful.?
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With respect to Iran, the responsibilities of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy include leading negotiations on its nuclear program on behalf of the Security Council. In her next meeting with the Iranian side, Ashton is planning a new, two-day agenda that will include plenary sessions and bilateral sessions between the expert teams of the two sides, giving both time to reflect on what is said. Her chief goal in this meeting will be to build confidence on both sides, although she conceded that their respective proposals remained far apart.?
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With respect to the Far East, Ashton said there was enormous potential for greater European investment in China. Currently, she said, Europe invests more in Switzerland than in China. Politically, Chinese support for EU initiatives, such as those with Iran, is both welcome and a good example of how the international community can work well together, she remarked.?
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Ashton also pointed out that the EU and China are cooperating militarily on two projects: fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia and working on crisis management of potential natural disasters.?
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There are a number of ?big? relationships in the world that the EU needs to nurture for different reasons, said the speaker, with the EU-U.S. relationship the strongest and most consistent among them. Although China has a bit of difficulty with the closeness of this relationship, she argued that there was no need to exploit it in a negative sense.?
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The EU and the United States have an especially strong relationship due to common values, concluded Ashton, including a respect for freedom, human rights and the rule of law. The EU, she said, ?puts these values at the heart of what we do ? it?s who we are. I call it the silver thread of EU foreign policy.??
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This event was cosponsored by the Burkle Center for International Relations, the UCLA International Institute, and the Delegation of the European Union to the United States.?
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*Ambassador Jo?o Vale de Almeida is the Head of Delegation of the European Union to the United States; Ambassador Rudi Veestraeten is Consul General of Belgium in Los Angeles and Representative of the EU in Southern California for 2013; Cindy Fan is Interim Vice Provost for International Studies at UCLA; Daniel Treisman is Professor of Political Science at UCLA.
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Published: Tuesday, May 07, 2013
Source: http://www.international.ucla.edu/euro/article.asp?parentid=131775
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Saturday, May 11, 2013
Lenovo K900 Gets Delayed to May 20 in India
Chinese mobile phone maker Lenovo has reportedly delayed the launch of its Intel Clover Trail+ based Lenovo K900 smartphone in India, now aiming at making it available for purchase in the country on May 20.
The initial launch date was May 10.
The initial launch date was May 10.
The info comes from NDTV Gadgets, yet an official announcement on the phone?s arrival in the country has yet to be made. Previously, the smartphone was expected to arrive in the country in April, but Lenovo delayed it to May.
Lenovo K900 arrives on shelves with a large 5.5-inch touchscreen display on the front, a 2GHz dual-core Intel Atom Z2580 processor inside, and 2GB of RAM for additional performance capabilities.
Additionally, the device sports 16GB of internal storage, a 13-megapixel photo snapper on the back, with Sony's Exmor BSI sensor, and a 2-megapixel front camera for making video calls. Lenovo K900 runs under Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.
Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Lenovo-K900-Gets-Delayed-to-May-20-in-India-352116.shtml
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