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Sunday, December 4, 2011

South African debuts AIDS film on World AIDS Day

This frame grab image supplied by Discovery Global Education Partnership shows a scene from the film "Inside Story: The Science of HIV/AIDS" illustrates how one couple can cross infect more people as the HIV virus gets transmitted through unprotected sex. The film, premiering on World AIDS Day, mixes action and animation and takes viewers inside a soccer players body, showing how he become infected with HIV and spreads the virus. (AP Photo/Discovery Global Education Partnership) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES

JOHANNESBURG (AP) ? A film opening on World AIDS Day Thursday that mixes live action and animation is taking viewers inside a soccer player's body, showing how he becomes infected with HIV and spreads the virus.

The cast and characters are Kenyan, Nigerian and South African ? which producers hope will help the movie travel across the continent hardest hit by the disease. The pull of soccer, which has a unique power to unite Africans, also should help.

Harriet Gavshon, a producer who worked on "Inside Story: The Science of HIV/AIDS," said the "toxic combination" of death and sex still makes it difficult for people to discuss AIDS.

"You have to constantly find new ways of trying to talk about it," she said.

The 90-minute film, aimed at viewers from their mid-teens and up, is a co-production of Johannesburg's Curious Pictures and an international development program sponsored by the U.S. reality and educational TV company Discovery.

Thursday's premiere at a Johannesburg multiplex will be followed by a U.S. debut in January in Washington and one in Nigeria later next year.

Aric Noboa, president of Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership, said they hope to broadcast the film and distribute DVDS, along with booklets to help guide community leaders in conducting post-film discussions.

Films, TV and radio shows, newspaper ads and billboards can get conversations started. But experts at loveLife, a group that has pioneered a range of programs to teach young South Africans about AIDS, say changing behavior requires keeping the dialogue going long enough for lifesaving messages to sink in.

It appears, though, that messages are getting across in South Africa, at least to young people targeted by projects like "Inside Story." Results released this week from a South African health ministry survey found that infections among 15- to 24-year-olds had dropped from 23.1 percent in 2001 to 21.8 percent in 2010.

But across all age groups, infections are creeping up, and this country of 50 million that has more people ? at least 5.5 million ? living with HIV than in any other country.

The focus on prevention may be becoming even more important. The cost of treatment is increasing as more people test and go on drugs, and efforts to find a cure or vaccine are advancing slowly and fitfully.

According to a U.N. report released on the eve of World AIDS Day, funding for HIV programs dropped from $15.9 billion in 2009 to $15 billion in 2010, well below the estimated $22 billion to $24 billion the U.N. says is needed in 2015 for a comprehensive global response. The report cited the global economic crisis and concerns about the sustainability of the AIDS response, given the increasing costs of treatment and prevention.

Last week, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria declared it had run out of money to pay for new health programs in the next two years. The fund currently pays for AIDS drugs for about half of the world's HIV patients in developing countries.

It took five years and $2 million ? raised from the U.S. and South African governments, the U.N. AIDS agency and other donors ? to put together "Inside Story."

Since 1997, Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership has been getting educational TV to impoverished communities. Noboa said "Inside Story" grew out of requests from teachers in Africa and elsewhere for more information about AIDS.

The problem is confounded in South Africa by years of misinformation from a president, Thabo Mbeki, who questioned the link between HIV and AIDS, and a health minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who promoted a "treatment" of beets and garlic.

"I think the issues that were part and parcel of the Mbeki era are still there, they still linger on," said Dr. Dave Spencer, a program director at Right to Care, which provides treatment for thousands of HIV-positive South Africans.

A doctor can prescribe AIDS medication and see a patient grow stronger and healthier. Campaigners trying to change the behavior that leads to infection can never be sure their message is getting across.

"It's so hard to know where exactly we are in the fight," said the director of "Inside Story," Rolie Nikiwe. "It's a frustrating fight, but it's one that needs to be fought."

___

AP Medical Writer Maria Cheng contributed to this report from London.

____

Donna Bryson can be reached on http://twitter.com/dbrysonAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2011-12-01-AF-South-Africa-AIDS-Movie/id-9e1f6952d43440a38a956178edf0788e

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Saturday, December 3, 2011

Obama, Clinton to announce energy saving program (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Enlisting former President Bill Clinton as a partner, President Barack Obama is announcing a $4 billion effort to increase the energy efficiency of government and private sector buildings, aiming for fuel savings and job creation at no cost to taxpayers.

The proposal, to be announced by Obama and Clinton on Friday, would upgrade buildings over the next two years with a goal of improving energy performance by 20 percent by 2020. The federal government would commit $2 billion to the effort and a coalition of corporations, labor unions, universities and local governments would undertake the other half.

The contractors who undertake the work would be paid with realized energy savings, thus requiring no up-front federal expenditure.

"Upgrading the energy efficiency of America's buildings is one of the fastest, easiest and cheapest ways to save money, cut down on harmful pollution and create good jobs right now," Obama said in a statement.

The president will make the announcement after touring a downtown Washington office building whose owners have agreed to make more energy efficient under Obama's plan.

The program, known as Energy Savings Performance Contracts, has been in place since the Clinton administration but has been little used. Obama's announcement is yet another in a string of White House initiatives designed to address the current weak economy without having to seek congressional approval.

Gene Sperling, director of the White House National Economic Council, said private economic analyses indicate that the $4 billion plan could generate about 50,000 jobs over two years.

The program builds on an initiative that Obama launched in February and that Clinton led through his Clinton Foundation to get the private sector to invest in greater energy efficiency. Clinton already had announced commitments of $500 million in energy efficiency projects in June.

The Obama administration helped finance private sector energy upgrades through its 2009 stimulus program. But that money has begun to run out, and advocates of the new initiative say they hope the effort fills the void.

Joining Obama and Clinton will be Thomas Donohue, the president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a long-time proponent of the Energy Saving Performance Contracts.

"We have been pushing the ESPC program for more than a decade because this holds tremendous potential," Donohue said in a statement. "Despite the benefits of ESPCs, the program has been grossly underutilized."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111202/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_energy_efficiency

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Obama cites progress towards payroll tax cut (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? President Barack Obama struck an optimistic note on Wednesday night that lawmakers in Congress could reach agreement to extend payroll tax cuts he said earlier were needed to avoid a "massive blow" to the economy.

At a fundraiser at a New York restaurant, the Democrat said Republican congressional leaders John Boehner and Mitch McConnell had indicated in the past few days they were open to the one-year extension that Obama wants to bolster the economy.

"It is possible that we see some additional progress over the next couple of weeks that can continue to help strengthen the economy and get us through what has been a very difficult period, not just for the United States but obviously for the world economy," Obama told the campaign event.

But he warned the U.S. economy faced "a lot of headwinds" and that "Europe is probably the biggest one."

"I spend an awful lot of time making transatlantic calls because if you look at what is happening in Europe, both to the banks and for countries like Italy that need to refinance their debt, that can have a profound impact on what happens here," he told the crowd of about 45, who paid $35,800 each to attend.

"I am cautiously hopeful that they end up recognizing that they do need to do the right thing and we are providing them as much assistance as we can to make sure that the situation is stabilized because it will have impact all around the world," he said.

Obama's upbeat tone on payroll taxes marked a pivot from his campaign-style rally earlier in the day in Scranton, Pennsylvania, a battleground state considered crucial to his re-election chances in the 2012 presidential election.

He told nearly 2,000 students and voters there he wanted to finance the payroll tax proposal by raising taxes on wealthier Americans, challenging Republicans to make a choice in a congressional vote he said could come as early as Friday.

"Are you going to cut taxes for middle class and those who are trying to get into the middle class or are you going to protect massive tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires?" he asked, striking a populist tone on a visit to the blue-collar town.

REPUBLICANS UNVEIL OWN PLAN

Republicans, who are seeking to blunt Democratic charges of favoring the rich over the middle class before next year's vote, rolled out their own plan to cover the cost of extending the payroll tax cuts.

Under the Republican plan unveiled on Wednesday, the tax cut extension would be funded mainly by reducing the number of federal workers and extending a pay freeze for them for three more years. The plan would achieve smaller savings by tightening some eligibility requirements on unemployment and food stamp benefits.

A summary of the Republican plan said millionaires and billionaires would be forced to pay higher premiums for the government-backed Medicare insurance program for the elderly.

Without congressional action by December 31, the payroll tax that workers pay would revert to 6.2 percent, up from the current, temporary 4.2 percent tax. On average, it would cost American families about $1,000.

Senate Democrats will press as early as this week for a bill that would cut the payroll tax further, to 3.1 percent and also drop it to that level for employers. It would make up for the lost revenue with a new 3.25 percent tax on income over $1 million a year, an idea Republicans strongly oppose.

Some economists have estimated that allowing the payroll tax cut to die would shave anywhere from 0.75 percentage point to 1.5 percentage points from economic growth.

Obama said in Pennsylvania that if Congress did not extend the payroll tax cuts, middle-class taxes would go up "at the worst possible time."

"It would be tough for you," he said. "It would also be a massive blow to the economy because we're not fully out of the recession yet." His re-election is expected to hinge on whether he can spur the economy and curb 9 percent unemployment.

Congressional approval could help avert an end-of-year battle following months of bitter partisan disputes that have fed public perceptions of political dysfunction in Washington.

(Additional reporting by Thomas Ferraro and Richard Cowan; Writing by Matt Spetalnick and Laura MacInnis; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111201/ts_nm/us_usa_taxes_obama

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Friday, December 2, 2011

Highlights from the Fed's latest economic survey (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The economy expanded at a slow to moderate pace in most areas of the country over the past two months, but hiring was weak, according to a Federal Reserve survey released Wednesday.

The survey, known as the Beige Book, is based on anecdotal information from the Fed's 12 regional banks. The report is based on information collected before Nov. 18.

Here are some highlights:

BOSTON (includes Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and part of Connecticut):

Businesses reported revenue increases but an uncertain outlook. Software and information technology service companies reported strong demand. Real estate markets remained weak.

NEW YORK (includes New York and parts of Connecticut and New Jersey):

The economy is still growing slowly. Manufacturers report business conditions are stable but they plan to add workers in coming months. Consumer spending is expanding at a moderate pace.

PHILADELPHIA (includes Delaware and parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey):

Business activity has returned to a path of slow overall growth. An early-season snowstorm caused widespread utility outages but boosted consumer demand for winter clothing.

CLEVELAND (includes Ohio, Kentucky and parts of Pennsylvania and West Virginia):

Business activity expanded at a modest pace. Retail sales picked up slightly. Auto dealers reported good sales for new and used vehicles.

RICHMOND (includes Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, D.C., and part of West Virginia):

Business activity was slightly improved. There were more upbeat reports from retail sales and tourism. Farmers reported good harvests.

ATLANTA (includes Georgia, Alabama, Florida and parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee):

The economy expanded at a modest pace. Most retailers noted sluggish growth in sales. Auto dealers reported robust sales. Tourism remained a bright spot.

CHICAGO (includes Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and parts of Illinois and Indiana):

The pace of activity moderated in October and early November. Business contacts remained cautiously optimistic. Consumer spending increased and manufacturing output increased while business spending held steady.

ST. LOUIS (Includes Missouri, Arkansas and Kentucky, and parts of Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee and Mississippi):

Economic activity slowed since the last survey. Manufacturing declined and retail sales were down slightly over year-ago levels. Housing continued to decline.

MINNEAPOLIS (includes Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin and Michigan):

The economy grew moderately with strong growth in the agriculture, energy and mining. There was modest to moderate growth in consumer spending, tourism and construction.

KANSAS CITY (includes Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and parts of Missouri and New Mexico):

Growth edged higher but still remained moderate. Consumer spending improved further and manufacturing rose modestly. High-tech and energy firms reported strong growth. Agricultural activity was mixed due to drought conditions.

DALLAS (includes Texas and parts of New Mexico and Louisiana):

The economy grew at a modest pace with growth in retail sales moderating. The energy industry continued to expand at a robust pace while agricultural conditions remained weak due to a severe drought.

SAN FRANCISCO (includes California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Hawaii and Alaska):

Growth continued at a moderate pace with modest gains in demand for business and consumer services. Price increases were limited and wage growth remained weak.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111130/ap_on_bi_ge/us_beige_book_regions

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Robin Williams Blows Your Siri Impression Out Of The Water

If you've already seen this, watch it again. Here's veteran comedian Robin Williams on the Ellen Show talking about "the new future" and bringing up the technology du jour, Siri. I mean just the fact that this is happening is absurd, but then, then ...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/GQOoyhIlVp0/

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Xbox 360 shatters its own sales records (Digital Trends)

Retailers and manufacturers around the world are likely breathing a sigh of relief before going off to count their new piles of cash that are hopefully being delivered in the form of gold coins that people can swim in, ala Scrooge McDuck. While that probably isn?t likely (or physically possible), there is no denying that the sales results from Black Friday and the beginning of the official holiday rush are impressive.

In general, the sales on Black Friday have been somewhat incredible, as retailers are posting figures that are nearly 25-percent higher than this time last year, and that is only an early estimate. Sales records are being shattered like an iPhone during a flight, as individual products are also posting record sales figures.

Amazon has reported that the Kindle Fire has quadrupled its sales, while Nintendo set records thanks to the timely release of Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Wii. Not to be outdone in the electronics field, Microsoft has also announced that it sold more Xbox 360s last week than in any other week in the console?s six year history.

During the week of Black Friday, Microsoft has confirmed that it moved 960,000 consoles in the U.S. alone, and 800,000 of those were sold within a 24-hour period. It is also reporting that 750,000 Kinect sensors were sold, both alone and as part of a bundle.

Microsoft is pushing the Xbox 360 and the Kinect hard this holiday season, and Kinect bundles can be found everywhere. There are also four times as many Kinect games out now as last year, plus a new Xbox dashboard is scheduled for December 6. By the end of the year, the console will also begin its imitation of a cable box, as multiple cable channels will be available through it (the packages will be dependent on the cable provider).

So far it is looking like the holiday season may help save an otherwise lackluster year for gaming. We just need to wait to see what the PlayStation sales look like. No pressure, Sony, no pressure.

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Use of opioid painkillers for abdominal pain has more than doubled

Public release date: 29-Nov-2011
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Contact: Alissa J. Cruz
media@gastro.org
301-272-1603
American Gastroenterological Association

Across U.S. outpatient clinics between 1997 and 2008, opioid prescriptions for chronic abdominal pain more than doubled, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

Chronic abdominal pain is a common symptom and a frequent reason for health-care visits. Because it is often incurable, clinicians often find it challenging to help their patients manage their abdominal pain over time.

"Opioid use for persistent abdominal pain highlights the growing challenges clinicians face trying to manage chronic illness without the time, infrastructure and incentives needed to take the integrated approach that experts suggest," said Spencer D. Dorn, MD, MPH, of the University of North Carolina and lead author of the study. "Writing a prescription for a pain killer may be the path of least resistance; doing so may satisfy the patient's demand for relief and mitigate the clinician's possible feelings of inadequacy."

The researchers concluded that the dramatic nationwide rise in opioid use to treat chronic abdominal pain is concerning for several reasons. First, using opioids to treat non-cancer chronic pain is supported by very limited evidence. Second, opioids are frequently misused and sometimes abused. Finally, when used over long periods of time, opioids may trigger other gastrointestinal symptoms, such as constipation, nausea and vomiting, and may even paradoxically worsen abdominal pain.

The researchers speculate that the growth in opioid use has likely been driven by numerous factors, including a tendency to generalize recommendations for the use of opioids in treating pain, campaigns to recognize pain as the "fifth vital sign," and widespread direct-to-consumer advertising, which, in the case of OxyContin, was considered misleading and illegal.
###
About the AGA Institute

The American Gastroenterological Association is the trusted voice of the GI community. Founded in 1897, the AGA has grown to include 17,000 members from around the globe who are involved in all aspects of the science, practice and advancement of gastroenterology. The AGA Institute administers the practice, research and educational programs of the organization. www.gastro.org.
About Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology

The mission of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology is to provide readers with a broad spectrum of themes in clinical gastroenterology and hepatology. This monthly peer-reviewed journal includes original articles as well as scholarly reviews, with the goal that all articles published will be immediately relevant to the practice of gastroenterology and hepatology. For more information, visit www.cghjournal.org.

Become an AGA fan on Facebook.
Join our LinkedIn group.
Follow us on Twitter @AmerGastroAssn.
Check out our videos on YouTube.

[ | E-mail | Share ]
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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.

Use of opioid painkillers for abdominal pain has more than doubled Public release date: 29-Nov-2011
[ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Alissa J. Cruz
media@gastro.org
301-272-1603
American Gastroenterological Association

Across U.S. outpatient clinics between 1997 and 2008, opioid prescriptions for chronic abdominal pain more than doubled, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

Chronic abdominal pain is a common symptom and a frequent reason for health-care visits. Because it is often incurable, clinicians often find it challenging to help their patients manage their abdominal pain over time.

"Opioid use for persistent abdominal pain highlights the growing challenges clinicians face trying to manage chronic illness without the time, infrastructure and incentives needed to take the integrated approach that experts suggest," said Spencer D. Dorn, MD, MPH, of the University of North Carolina and lead author of the study. "Writing a prescription for a pain killer may be the path of least resistance; doing so may satisfy the patient's demand for relief and mitigate the clinician's possible feelings of inadequacy."

The researchers concluded that the dramatic nationwide rise in opioid use to treat chronic abdominal pain is concerning for several reasons. First, using opioids to treat non-cancer chronic pain is supported by very limited evidence. Second, opioids are frequently misused and sometimes abused. Finally, when used over long periods of time, opioids may trigger other gastrointestinal symptoms, such as constipation, nausea and vomiting, and may even paradoxically worsen abdominal pain.

The researchers speculate that the growth in opioid use has likely been driven by numerous factors, including a tendency to generalize recommendations for the use of opioids in treating pain, campaigns to recognize pain as the "fifth vital sign," and widespread direct-to-consumer advertising, which, in the case of OxyContin, was considered misleading and illegal.
###
About the AGA Institute

The American Gastroenterological Association is the trusted voice of the GI community. Founded in 1897, the AGA has grown to include 17,000 members from around the globe who are involved in all aspects of the science, practice and advancement of gastroenterology. The AGA Institute administers the practice, research and educational programs of the organization. www.gastro.org.
About Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology

The mission of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology is to provide readers with a broad spectrum of themes in clinical gastroenterology and hepatology. This monthly peer-reviewed journal includes original articles as well as scholarly reviews, with the goal that all articles published will be immediately relevant to the practice of gastroenterology and hepatology. For more information, visit www.cghjournal.org.

Become an AGA fan on Facebook.
Join our LinkedIn group.
Follow us on Twitter @AmerGastroAssn.
Check out our videos on YouTube.

[ | 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.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-11/aga-uoo112911.php
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