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Do Americans overpay for cellular service?
Six consumer-oriented organizations answered a forceful "yes" in a July federal filing with the Federal Communications Commission. Backing their assertions is an international study concluding Americans pay the world's highest cell phone rates. And a U.S. senator is examining whether text messaging is priced out of line.
The cellular industry is vigorously refuting assertions it's anticompetitive, in pricing or other respects.
"It's not business as usual for the cellular industry," said Charles Golvin, a principal analyst for Forrester Research. "A number of vocal inquiries are being raised these days about many issues: handset exclusivity, phone applications, messaging prices and pricing in general."
Paul Orchard, 33, a self-described "cellular power-user" living in Seattle, said he sees American cellular service as reasonably priced overall, but limited.
"I've researched it thoroughly, and even though good prices can be found, some aspects of our service aren't as good as elsewhere in the world," he said. "Most countries charge only for outgoing calls, not incoming calls, and some allow minutes to be bought and sold by individuals. Our service is less flexible, which makes it not as good a deal."
So far, dueling statistics yield no clear answer on whether Americans pay too much for their beloved cellular service, though an upcoming FCC inquiry may provide insight.
Costliest service?
U.S. residents pay the world's highest rate — about $53.30 per month — for a "medium-use package" including 780 minutes of outgoing voice calls, 600 text messages and eight multi-media messages per year, says an August report by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
In contrast, Finns, Swedes and the Dutch pay $11 to $12 per month for the same plan, according to the report, which covers 26 countries.
Americans also pay the most — about $22.50 a month — for what the group termed a "low-use package" including 360 minutes of outgoing voice calls, 396 text messages and eight multimedia messages per year. That compares with $4.16 a month in the least expensive country, Denmark, with Finland, Sweden and Norway just slightly more expensive.
But the OECD's data is misleading, said the Cellular Telephone Industry Association, the official voice of the cellular-service companies.
Not an accurate reflection
For one thing, Americans use far more minutes than those in other countries: an annual average of 9,600 minutes, according to the OECD. It also said the average U.S. wireless consumer sends or receives more than 400 text messages each month.
"What the OECD did doesn't even remotely reflect the state of pricing here," said CTIA vice president Chris Guttman-McCabe. "They picked a customer who doesn't exist in the U.S., and then gave him a plan that makes no sense for him."
The OECD used a single AT&T plan, offering a 450-minute-per-month bucket, for its study.
"We don't know why they chose that and ignored lower-priced packages," he said.
The more appropriate comparison, he said, would have been something like T-Mobile's "Pay As You Go" offering of $100 per year for a monthly cap of 1,000 minutes, text messages at 10 cents each and multimedia messages at 25 cents each.
At about $13.25 per month, that plan would rank the U.S. among those countries with the lowest cellular-service costs. And, he said, prepaid plans such as BoostMobile's would easily have competed with the lowest-cost OECD offerings.
Both plans were available in 2008 when the OECD made its study, and both offer totals close to or below the least expensive plans in the other OECD countries.
In any case, the CTIA said, the proper way to view cellular costs is by minute, not in bundles. By that measure, the U.S. is among the cheapest in the world.
June figures from Bank of America/Merrill Lynch show Americans on average pay 5 cents per minute for cellular service, compared with an international high of 28 cents per minute in Switzerland.
The U.S. figure is tied for cheapest with Colombia and Russia but is more expensive than nine other countries, including Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Ukraine.
Other studies vary in their findings about Americans' happiness with their cellular service costs.
A first-quarter 2009 survey by the University of Michigan showed satisfaction grew from the prior year, up 1.5 percent to 69 points out of 100 — a new all-time high for the category.
Cost of service and perceived value were part of the satisfaction measure. The survey, referred to as the American Customer Satisfaction Index, included 25,000 subjects and had a 1 percent margin of error.
But a late 2008 study of 51,700 callers by Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports, showed cost was the top complaint about cellular service for 14 percent of respondents.
FCC may focus on cellular
The FCC, charged with regulating the cellular industry, is expected to weigh in on cell-service costs in its annual report to Congress, due in January. The agency, reconstituted by the Obama administration, appears to be taking a special interest in that industry, several observers said.
In July, six consumer-oriented organizations — the Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, Free Press, the Media Access Project, the New America Foundation and Public Knowledge — told the FCC that the industry is overcharging.
In a 30-page filing, the organizations dinged providers for charging customers for both sending and receiving calls and text messages, unlike in most other countries. Most countries charge only the calling party.
The groups also criticized carriers for charging high rates for messages not bought as part of a plan, alleging that arrangement drives consumers to buy more expensive plans than they need and resulting in "pure profit" for the carriers.
The CTIA refuted all those allegations in writing, asserting that "U.S. consumers pay the least per minute of use of any OECD country."
The commission has prepared reports to Congress for 13 years in a row, and to some extent, the wrangling between consumer organizations and the cellular industry is mere background noise — advocacy as usual between natural antagonists.
This time may be different
But this year may be different. The commission is staffed with all new members and has been headed since late June by chairman Julius Genachowski. Those changes could make it more receptive to anticompetitive complaints than it was during the Bush administration, some say.
"Genachowski is definitely pro consumer," said Tim Doyle, senior industry analyst with news and data service SNL Kagan. "He also has some pretty serious business experience, so I think he'll approach it from a balanced perspective. It's fair to say he's interested in knowing whether Americans are paying too much, and I think the industry is worried with him, because he's an unknown quantity."
Pricing is more of an issue now than in years past because there's been so much consolidation in the industry lately, said Joel Kelsey, a policy analyst with Consumers Union. As the market consolidates, price competition tends to diminish, Kelsey said.
In recent years, AT&T Wireless and Cingular merged to form AT&T, which then acquired Dobson Communications and Edge Wireless. T-Mobile bought SunCom. Verizon bought Rural Cellular, SureWest, West Virginia Wireless and, most significantly, Alltel.
Text messaging costs
In June, Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., convened a hearing of the Judiciary Committee's Antitrust Subcommittee to examine rising text message prices and the state of competition in the cellular industry.
He said the nation's four leading carriers all doubled per-message prices between 2006 and 2008, to 20 cents per message. Yet, he said, the carriers' cost to deliver each message — about 0.3 cents — hadn't increased.
In a letter after the hearing, Kohl called on the Justice Department's antitrust division to "take all actions necessary to ensure that the market remain (sic) open to competition." Noting that no evidence pointed to collusion among cellular carriers, he still asked the FCC to examine "parallel pricing and parallel conduct from providers."
So far, neither agency had taken any action in response to the hearing or the letter.
Meanwhile, the CTIA remains confident Americans are satisfied with the pricing of their cellular service.
"In a debate over wireless prices, I'm perfectly comfortable that the overwhelming majority of Americans would think they're pretty well positioned compared to the rest of the world," said Guttman-McCabe of CTIA.
© 2013 msnbc.com. Reprints


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BOSTON -- Ninety-one percent of Americans say they "feel well" and 76 percent "consider themselves healthy," according to a survey by Health Dialog Services Corp., a provider of health care analytics and decision support.
Two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, according to many health reports, a number that many survey respondents seemed to be aware of as 52 percent of them say that obesity is the most widespread health problem in the United States. Despite this, 12 percent of respondents say they do not exercise at all and 20 percent say they exercise for 30 minutes to an hour per week. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services recommends that adults get a minimum of 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 1 hour and 15 minutes worth of vigorous-intensity exercise per week.
The survey, commissioned by United Kingdom health care services provider Bupa, was conducted as part of Bupa Health Pulse 2010, a global study of health attitudes and behaviors of more than 12,000 individuals across 12 countries.
Of the 12 countries surveyed, Americans were the most sedentary on a daily basis, with one out of every 10 saying they sit for 12 or more hours each day.
"Americans need a wake-up call," said Jan Maurer, MD, vice president and medical director at Health Dialog. "People need to realize that lifestyle factors are actually life-and-death factors. With over 50 percent of U.S. health care costs attributable to chronic disease, we literally cannot afford to continue living as we are. Americans must take a good look in the mirror and realize that the 'they' are actually 'we.'"
Globally, heart disease is the biggest killer, and diabetes is the fastest-growing chronic condition. Medical evidence has shown that obesity is a precursor to both.
"Chronic disease is the leading cause of death and disability globally, representing 60 percent of all deaths. What's concerning is that many of these diseases are preventable," said Julien Forder, senior research fellow, the London School of Economics, which published the study. "We know from research that exercise is one of the most effective lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your risk of developing long-term conditions."
He said that 30 percent of cardiovascular disease and 27 percent of diabetes could be avoided if Americans started to exercise.

subset: commoncrawl


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You've gotta think this is a positive thing. I've posted in another thread that I've heard other NHL goalies (Quick and Smith, for example) rave about how their own goalie coach has helped change their game and make them better, and we've never heard squat about Meloche. I think he was a "country club" member from the earlier days that finally was squeezed out.
So far, so good (albeit small).
Here is the link:
Mentions that he is EXPECTED to resign this week, but will more than likely take a job as a scout. Also mentions Mike Bales from WBS as a possible replacement.
Interesting quote:
Mike Bales, 40, is the leading candidate to replace Meloche. Bales has spent the past two seasons as goaltending coach at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the Penguins' AHL affiliate. He has worked closely with player-development coach Bill Guerin, who over the past year has emerged as a leading voice among Shero's hockey operations staff.


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john_nye not sure I'll be able to get one shipped to Iceland anyway (for a sensible price at least, plus import duty). I wonder if they'd donate one to your testing lab?
john_nye not sure I'll be able to get one shipped to Iceland anyway (for a sensible price at least, plus import duty). I wonder if they'd donate one to your testing lab?
Geeksphone apparently shipping Keon and Peak Firefox OS devices from next week! #excited
Their site is down for maintenance… that's a good thing right?
Jovian Salak I'll see if I can get it up this evening. Got lots of emails, code and postcards to sort as well though!
Jovian Salak just go for the cheapest one. Looking forward to seeing your photos! I did a nice panorama from the office roof a couple of days ago, and have made a fancy way of showing it on the web
12924 #steps today
Walked along a nice bit of beach-ish area near my flat. Realised that whilst I'm fairly experienced at creating UIs where the creation of sound is the end result (musical instruments), I've never really given much thought to the use of sound in other UIs.
The house lights across the bay twinkle a lot — perhaps because of the heat. It's cold outside here, but inside all the buildings is really toasty, thanks to ubiquitous geothermal power.
briansuda hope the trip went well :) If you're bored, you could always play some bingo ;) little-printer-test.herokuapp.com/sample/ Let me know if you figure out what the icons are, I'm not quite sure yet (stick man? flower? who knows?)
8665 #steps today
Water is the driver of nature.
Proportion is not only to be found in figures and measurements, but also in sound, weight, time and position, and in whatever power which exists.
Small rooms or dwellings help the mind to concentrate itself; large rooms are a source of distraction.
#davinci Thoughts on Art and Life
Note that I skipped a whole tonne of Da Vinci's longer notes, which can be summarised as: "painting is great, poetry is rubbish, music and sculpture are somewhere in between".
The water you touch in a river is that last of that which has gone, and the first of that which is coming: so it is with time present.
A natural action is accomplished in the briefest manner.
Man discourtheth greatly, and his discourse is for the greater part empty and false; the discourse of animals is small, but useful and true: slender certainty is better than portentous falsehood.
Avoid the precepts of those thinkers whose reasoning is not confirmed by experience.
There is nothing which deceives us as much as out own judgement.
All our knowledge is the offspring of our perceptions.
He who in reasoning cites authority is making use of his memory rather than of his intellect.
Truth was the only daughter of time.
Just as food eaten without appetite is a tedious nourishment, so does study without zeal damage the memory by not assimilating what it absorbs.


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Fox News And GOP Team Up For IRS Hearing
A June 4 hearing before the House Ways and Means Committee that focused on interviews with alleged victims of IRS targeting was used by Fox News as an opportunity to hype the witnesses and their allegations of unfair targeting.
The hearing was the second of at least three this week, with the first coming on June 3 and a third to come on June 6. It featured several witnesses who have either appeared frequently on Fox or who represent groups that have made appearances on the network
As The Washington Post's Dana Milbank reported following the June 3 hearing, Fox News' promotion of the flurry of hearings has become a pattern:
A third House committee joined the stampede to examine the IRS on Monday, and its chairman did exactly what you would expect somebody to do before launching a fair and impartial investigation: He went on Fox News Channel and implicated the White House.
Asked by Fox's Bill Hemmer what he hoped to learn at Monday afternoon's hearing, Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) offered this bit of pre-hearing analysis:
"Of course, the enemies list out of the White House that IRS was engaged in shutting down or trying to shut down the conservative political viewpoint across the country -- an enemies list that rivals that of another president some time ago."
On the June 4 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, Kevin Kookogey, founder and president of Linchpins of Liberty, a group that describes itself as an "American leadership-development enterprise designed to challenge the imagination of the rising generation," appeared in an exclusive interview to preview that day's hearing.
Later in the day, America's Newsroom co-host Bill Hemmer interviewed the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI), to preview the hearing. Hemmer asked Camp if Obama administration knew about the IRS' targeting of conservative groups, to which Camp replied, "We just don't know at this point."
Then, in the midst of Fox's wall-to-wall coverage on the hearing, America's Newsroom co-host Martha MacCallum described hearing witness and Wetumpka Tea Party President Becky Gerritson's "fervent appeal" and informed viewers that Gerritson would be a guest on the show the following day.
On June 3, Fox News' America Live hosted National Organization for Marriage's Brian Brown, allowing him to revive his organization's claim that the IRS stole and leaked their Form 990 to the Human Rights Campaign last year. NOM was also represented at the June 4 hearing, with Dr. John Eastman, the organization's chairman, appearing to make the same accusation that Brown had made just a day earlier on Fox News.


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The perfect Ivory 130 gsm Invitation sized envelope, just right for an RSVP, or that small greetings or thank you card.
Dimensions: 83 x 112mm
Ideal Tip:- A lotto ticket folded fits quite nicely inside this envelope, give one to each guest at a wedding and all have a chance of winning the lottery the evening of your wedding day !!
The product images on the screen are representative, and the colour may differ from the actual product. If you wish to place an order, we recommend you request a physical sample.


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PrimoChill has expanding the SpectraX color and texture line of parts with the FlexSX soft tubing compression fittings. Taking your system to the next level is an art form driven by color and textures. Now these amazing colors are available for enthusiasts that prefer flexible tubing.
Like the RSX fitting line, PrimoChill continues to launch parts based on our signature principles. A fitting built for functionality complimented by its distinct aesthetics. Not all fittings are created equal and the FlexSX is another example of this.
Compression caps created in a multiple step process that achieves corrosion resistance with an uncompromised finish.
SpectraX powder coated caps for unprecedented color correctness and long term consistency
A continuous industry leader in style and function within the water cooling community.
Quick and simple installation with minimization of leakage or cross threading..
These fittings are designed to work with the tubing below.
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PrimoChill is a PC hardware company focused on the continual development and evolution of the watercooling industry. It was founded by the curiosity and love of watercooling and has since evolved into one of the industry leaders through the passion and dedication of its team. Family founded, PrimoChill's roots started with a humble beginning.
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Was this just the pucker you were looking for? How did the crowds react? Did you leave it as is or mess around? Do tell!
40 thoughts on "Tuesday Chatter"
I made it as is. I loved the middle of the loaf but the outstide of mine was really dark, not sure what happened. So I wasn't thrilled the crust — I expected more of a cakey softer crust. But the middle was divine!
I changed it up – added more zest, juice fo one lemon, plus a lemon glaze! It was super lemony, which is how we like it! It is a good question though, how much zest IS "zest of 3 large lemons". Mine weren't LARGE, probably more on the small side, so maybe I didn't really add much extra after all!
I also used an old metal loaf pan I "borrowed" from my mother one time! Teehee!
Liked it, but wouldn't it be good toasted with some blueberry compote?? Mmmm…
I made the same additions you did. My lemons seemed kind of small so added the zest of a fourth lemon. I also added in some juice (Hey, I had four skinless lemons) and made glaze. I'm glad I did.
Hey friends! In case you still have some cooking energy left after all our TWD recipes, some friends and I have started a new cooking group! Inspired by TWD we've decided to cook our way through Grace Young's "Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge". We're calling it Wok Wednesdays, and we'd love to see some familiar TWD faces! Plus we all could probably use a healthy stir-fry after our baking adventures…I know I've been putting on a few extra pounds!
LOL. One reason I'm glad this is a twice-monthly rather than weekly baking group!
Two questions for all of you food scientists out there…
1) What does cake flour do for this recipe? What would be the difference if all purpose flour was used?
2) Why doesn't this loaf need a measured amount of salt?
The cake flour makes a lighter cake than if you used all-purpose flour. I'm sure AP flour would work, but the consistency would tend more towards the thickness of a pound cake whereas this Lemon Loaf Cake has a crumb more similar to that of a traditional layer cake.
You can actually measure a pinch of salt! A pinch is usually defined as 1/8 tsp, so you can use half of your 1/4 tsp measuring spoon. When it comes in such a small amount though exact measurements aren't necessary, especially in a recipe like this where the salt is just more of a balance to the sugar rather than being an important flavor component.
I rubbed the zest into the sugar–such a heavenly aroma! I also added the juice of one lemon. I wish I would have added more salt.
I made 3 mini loaves and drizzled them with a lemon glaze. We deemed them delicious. Next time I think I will serve them with a fresh blueberry sauce and whipped cream.
I'm glad I'm reading this while my cake is in the oven. I'm definitely going to do the glaze and wish I had some blueberries for a compote, sounds delicious that way. Also I can't wait to read the results of the one injected with lemon curd. I'm usually a by the book person so maybe you will all inspire me to think outside the box.
After reading the comments on the last post.. I decided to add a tbsp of lemon juice to the batter apart from the zest.. and then once baked.. i drizzled over a lemon sugar drizzle!! That was good… made the cake fresh and lemony!!
Super easy, not much mess or clean-up. I thought this might go into the permanent rotation, but probably not.
I might have over-cooked it a wee bit, but I found it too firm and tough. My 8-year old son described it as "bouncy". I was VERY careful not to over mix.
Not enough lemon flavor for my taste, though if I had made a glaze it would have been perfect.
We did the taste-test of how was it right away after cooling, and after curing for a day. I say this one needs to sit and rest a day! It was tastier the next day, but still a little eggy in flavor.
I'd love to do the shortbread.
This one was disappointing for us and it looks like for lots of other people, too. I read the reviews before making it and knew it may not turn out great. Don't regret making it but won't do it again! I'm so curious about how this turned out for whoever decided to put it in book (not sure if that would be Dorie or the people that made the show).


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If you are in search of a unique homesick gift, a remembrance gift for an amazing trip you took, or you just LOVE your home state, our state scented candles are what you have been looking for! EVERYONE LOVES "Hello You" personalized candles. We start by using 8 oz of Eco-friendly, American grown soy wax and combine it with the perfect blend of the finest fragrance oils to create a truly unique candle experience. Our candles are hand poured in our studio in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA and shipped within days of pouring. But what makes us so special? You can create a truly unique, heartfelt gift by adding your own personal message to the back of the candle!
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*8 oz candle measures 3.75 inches tall and 2.75 inches in diameter
*Gift box measures 4x4 inches square
*Burn time of approximately 40 hours


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Borax Crystal Ornaments
A little late for the holiday season, but better late than never. One of the standards my students have to learn is the repeating pattern of the crystaline lattice. With a little bit of time before break (and after a unit test), my students were able to make some Borax crystal holiday ornaments (and they took their ornaments home). The video shows the making of process, which my students did. After they return from break, we will go into the nitty gritty science part of the crystal formation.


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We are seeking two certified registered nurse anesthetists for ongoing locum tenens coverage in Michigan. Multiple shift options are available during the week; weekend and call shifts are assigned every 6-8 weeks. The standard case load typically includes a mix of general surgery, ENT, ortho, urology, OB/GYN, basic peds and regionals.
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From the Dean of Students
2018-2019 student guide
On behalf of the Office of the Dean of Students (DOS), I would like to welcome you to Boston College. Your decision to attend a Jesuit, Catholic University will provide you with many opportunities to grow intellectually, personally, socially, and spiritually. I invite you to make the most out of your Boston College education by partaking of the many resources that are available to develop your leadership skills and to engage with faculty and administrators, as we are looking forward to participating in your growth and development.
As we begin a new academic year, I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the Student Guide (available online at www.bc.edu/studentguide). It outlines your rights and responsibilities as a student and the community standards for which you will be held accountable. If you have questions or concerns about any of the information provided in the guide, feel free to stop by the Office of the Dean of Students, Maloney 448 or contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com. We are a great resource for students, particularly as we address a variety of issues including students in crisis or distress, off campus student life, civility and respect, inclusion, disability, gender and sexuality, diversity, and student behavior.
I hope you will embrace all the richness of our diverse community. Best of luck in all of your endeavors here at Boston College.
Sincerely yours,
Tom Mogan, Ph.D.
Associate Vice President / Dean of Students
Tom Mogan, Ph.D.
Associate Vice President /
Dean of Students


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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Park Geun-hye's honeymoon was over before it even began.
Only a month on the job, Park has stumbled repeatedly in the face of bitter opposition to policy proposals and her choices for top government posts.
Half a dozen Cabinet appointees have quit under clouds. The latest is Han Man-soo, who withdrew his nomination for antitrust chief Monday amid allegations he stashed millions of dollars overseas to avoid taxes. Other claims that have brought down Park appointees include real estate speculation, a sex-for-influence scandal, bribery and links to an arms broker.
"A couple of flops would've been acceptable, but having a total of six failures in the first few months means that the problem lies with her style," said Lee Cheol-hee, head of the Dumon Political Strategy Institute think tank. "She seems to think she can just hand down a list of people she prefers, without thinking hard about whether those people's credentials and ethical records fit the jobs they will be handling."
Critics also complain that she's still short on specifics about how to deal with pressing issues including an increasingly belligerent North Korea and serious domestic anxiety about fewer stable jobs, heavy household debt and a wide income gap. Compounding her trouble was a long deadlock that ended just last week over her ambitious proposal to overhaul government structure.
"Because the launch of the new government has been delayed by one month, we should work harder to fulfill our vision," Park said Monday.
Presidential spokeswoman Lee Mi-yeon defended Park's candidates as fresh and different choices, highlighting nominee Jeong H. Kim, a Korean American who was the former head of Bell Labs in the United States, for head of a new science and technology ministry.
Kim resigned earlier this month, citing political wrangling over the responsibilities of the science and technology ministry. Opponents questioned Kim's links to the Central Intelligence Agency as an external advisory board member for four years until 2011.
"The president has chosen people based on their expertise and competence, and she has acquainted herself with them through various activities," Park's spokeswoman said. Lee said the failed appointments have to do with each nominee's credentials rather than with Park's style. Lee also said many key appointments have now been made and the government believes it has turned a corner.
The troubles of the country's first female president have a lot to do with the fiercely divided political and social landscape in this still relatively young and rambunctious democracy. She also carries the heavy historical baggage of being the daughter of a dictator whose legacy still divides South Koreans.
The 61-year-old president, who was elected in December and inaugurated Feb. 25, has long faced claims of being aloof and an "imperial" decision-maker. The genesis of this criticism comes from her upbringing.
She is the eldest child of late President Park Chung-hee, who led South Korea for 18 years in the 1960s and '70s and is both denounced for human rights abuses and praised as a strong leader. She grew up in the Blue House and served as her father's first lady for the last five years of his rule, after her mother was killed in 1974 by an assassin who said he was sent by North Korea.
"When her father ruled, no one questioned the president's picks," Lee, the analyst, said. "But things have changed since. ... It's like Park is driving a car with a navigator system that has only decades-old maps."
Even Park's own ruling Saenuri Party has been critical. A spokesman called for a better system of screening appointees, and said whoever vetted the failed candidates should be held responsible.
Park spent much of her first month in office negotiating with opposition lawmakers over an ambitious government reorganization plan that aims to focus on science and economic growth. An agreement was reached only last week, more than 50 days after Park's party floated the proposal.
Her economic team met for the first time since her inauguration only on Monday, and critics said there was little other than promises of major policy goals and specific plans in coming days and weeks. Her economic policies include buzzwords like "economic democratization" and "creative economy."
"These are slogans more rhetorical than real, and few seem to know exactly what they mean, let alone how to realize them," the Korea Times said in an editorial Wednesday.
Park has made some progress, including an announcement this week of the start of a $1.35 billion fund to provide debt relief for more than half a million people unable to repay loans. The fund, however, is less than one-tenth the size of the one she promised during her campaign.
Despite North Korean threats that have followed new U.N. sanctions over Pyongyang's recent nuclear test, Park has pressed forward with a vow to create trust and renew dialogue after five years of tension and animosity under her hard-line predecessor. She approved a shipment of anti-tuberculosis medicine to North Korea last week.
Things, however, may get worse if political gridlock and bickering continues.
Park faces an opposition with a strengthened veto power, and the possibility of organized resistance to her foreign policy initiatives by prominent liberal groups, Park Ihn-hwi, a professor at Ewha Womans University in South Korea, wrote on the Council on Foreign Relations' website.
Some also see growing cynicism with Park among young South Koreans, many of whom voted for her liberal opponent.
"If a political issue emerges to turn apathy into opposition, there is a real possibility that street demonstrations similar to those that occurred in the early days of the Lee Myung-bak administration could further hamper Park's ability to get things done," Scott Snyder, an analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations, said in a blog posting Wednesday.
Lee, Park's conservative predecessor, saw tens of thousands take to the streets in 2008 to protest what opponents called a hasty government decision to allow U.S. beef imports to resume.


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text: 02 Jun 2014 10:30 Etihad Airways' Flight EY073 was met with the customary water cannon welcome as it touched down on schedule at Zürich Airport yesterday morning, marking the start of the airline's new daily non-stop service between Zürich and Abu Dhabi. The new Etihad Airways service builds upon the airline's existing daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Geneva launched on 5 June 2004, bringing to 14 the number of flights linking Zürich and Geneva to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, each week.The new Zürich - Abu Dhabi route is served by an Airbus A330-300 aircraft configured with 8 seats in First Class, 32 in Business Class and 191 in Economy Class. Get in touch with us. Contact us Let us know what you think Send feedback Join our community Etihad Facebook Watch our latest videos Etihad YouTube Follow us Etihad Airways


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[Note: Sorry there was no recap last week; I had technical troubles, and wasn't close to my PVR. (Lesson learned, I'm taking it everywhere with me from now on.) So, of course, a ton of things happened, including Shamar leaving the game for medical reasons, and then the rest of the Fans realized that they couldn't get rid of Eddie or Reynold if they wanted a chance of winning, well, anything. So then they voted out Laura instead.]
This week, it seems Brandon's Crazy will go from whispering in his ear to taking full control of his body. And I don't think even the editing monkeys could have pulled one over on us this time ... so let's get into this episode, shall we?
Back at the Fans camp after Tribal Council, Sherry is feeling bad about getting rid of Laura both from a personal and a gameplay standpoint. Reynold doesn't regret using the Idol, since the last two times he trusted what his tribemates said, he lost out.
At the Favorites camp, it seems that Brandon is going off on a tangent, and Malcolm looks really uncomfortable. He's missing his family, and feels bad about leaving them this long. Umm, hasn't he done this before? Doesn't he know exactly what he was getting himself into? He misses his family so much, in fact, that he volunteers to go home at the next tribal council. Then he volunteers the factoid that he was going to burn the shelter down and pee in the rice. This is all said so gleefully that it seems that the Crazy is now in full control.
And it's the next morning, and Brandon is still talking. Must be fun to be on that tribe. But, after a night's sleep, it seems he was a little hasty in wanting to leave, so he's going to tough it out. Maybe you shouldn't have let the rest of the tribe know how unhinged you are.
Reward Challenge time! It's an endurance challenge, and the prize is a BBQ feast. I'm not even starving on a tropical island and that spread looks pretty good. Two people from each tribe are holding ropes that hold up nets. The rest of the people are filling those nets with coconuts. Last person holding up the net wins.
Philip and Brandon are holding for the Favorites, and Michael and Matt are holding for the Fans. Brandon and Matt are out first, and it comes down to a struggle between Philip and Michael. It looks like the Favorites are better at getting the coconuts in the nets, and Michael is out first, although it looks like Philip wouldn't have been too far behind.
Back at the Fans camp, there is a whole bunch of disappointed people. It was really close, though. Sherry is pissed that she got rid of Laura and they still lost, but does she not realize that she was totally the dead weight during that challenge? I don't think she got a single coconut in the net.
Matt is looking for the Idol, and so is Reynold. Well, pretty much the whole tribe is looking for it, and I don't blame them. But, of course, Reynold finds it again. He decides to not tell anyone he has it, well, except for Eddie.
There's a BBQ going on at the Favorites camp, and Brandon seems to be the person manning the grill. Brandon is mad because he feels like Philip is taking credit for the challenge win ... which ... he did. He lasted the longest, and he won the challenge for the tribe. Malcolm and Corinne and the rest getting coconuts in the fans nest was important too, but I think Brandon's feeling bad that he was the first to let go.
So of course, Brandon and Philip start arguing, which it pretty much the pot and the kettle getting into it. I find their conversations really hard to handle, but it seems like they make up to each other's faces, while trashing the other in confessional.
It has been raining for about two days, and Matt's feet look really nasty. Like been submerged in water for about a month nasty. So everyone is wet and miserable. Michael seems to be the only to try and keep his spirits up.
At the Favorites camp, they are also wet, but not so miserable. I think they have a better shelter, plus all the extra food has to help.
Ooh, and Brandon's yelling in the confessional with total Crazy Eyes, so I don't think this is going to go well. The rest of the tribe is also noticing his visible deterioration, and Philip is considering throwing the challenge just so they can get rid of Brandon. Andrea tries to talk to Brandon about the rest of the way the tribe, namely Philip, is feeling, because she doesn't realize that you don't engage the Crazy. You try not to make eye contact and mind your own business.
Philip, being not a little crazy himself, tries to talk to Brandon. But he mostly just talks down to Brandon, which sets him off. Brandon makes the ultimate insult of calling 'Stealth 'r' Us' stupid, and Philip counters with "Well, then they'll vote me off." Which, snap. Philip may be crazy, but he's only the second-craziest person on his tribe.
So Brandon decides to be the "Author of his Fate" and make everyone hate him, so he dumps out all the rice and beans and then tries to goad Philip into a physical fight while the rest of the tribe tries to salvage some of the rice.
The Favorites, stunned by Brandon's actions and not really wanting to be any where around him anymore, are now contemplating forfeiting the Immunity Challenge in order to get Brandon away from them.
Immunity Challenge time! Not knowing the situation on the Favorites side, Reynold makes a little speech about how it must be nice to have all the tarps and chairs and food to help them get through the bad weather. Dude, I bet any one of them would trade places with you if it meant getting away from Brandon right now.
And speaking of Brandon, he asks Jeff's permission to address the other tribe. Here we go. He implores them to get rid of Philip if they get the chance. Reynold asks where Brandon is planning on going. Corinne takes the opportunity to announce that the Favorites are forfeiting the challenge, and makes a very nice speech that boils down to they want to get rid of Brandon and his Crazy. Now.
And now Brandon loses his mind, yelling, and calling Philip out, and announcing that Philip is not in charge of the game, because Brandon is taking himself out. I believe this is the Survivor equivalent of taking his ball and going home when no one wants to play with him.
I think Brandon's main problem (besides the Crazy) is this: Philip is a little crazy, and a little annoying, but most people who are not Crazy and have some kind of people skills know that the best thing to do is to nod and mostly ignore him. Since Brandon and his Crazy can't let things go, and Philip is crazy enough not to let things go either, we have this situation now.
The entire time I've been writing the above paragraph, Brandon and Philip have been yelling at each other. Jeff is practically encouraging Brandon to let the Crazy loose, because, hey, Survivor ratings aren't what they used to be. It gets to the point that Jeff has to physically restrain Brandon while he makes Crazy Eyes at Philip.
Jeff awards Immunity to the Fans, and announces that they are having Tribal Council right now. He's probably worried about what will happen if he lets Brandon go back to camp. So, no torches, no paper, everyone just announcing their votes when asked. Brandon votes for Philip. Everyone else votes for Brandon. And Brandon and his Crazy are leaving before he hurts someone. As much as I make fun of him, it gets to the point where it's uncomfortable, because he really does seem to have some serious anger issues.
Whew! That was stressful. (Well, as stressful as reality TV game shows get, anyway.)
Next week: Philip and Corinne plan to take out each other, but there's a 'change' coming, which means it's time to merge.
Credits: Brandon continues to be as delusional as ever. Sigh.


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How 'Piracy' Helped Establish The Dominance Of Nigerian Films
from the it's-just-a-form-of-distribution deptEarlier this year, we wrote about Kevin Kelly's fascinating look at the movie industries of India, Nigeria and China, which represent the three largest film industries in the world. Yes, all three are larger than the US. And all three are places known for extremely widespread "piracy." Given that Hollywood insists that "piracy" kills the movie industry, it certainly seemed worth noting that these three countries had hugely thriving movie industries despite (or perhaps because of) widespread infringement.
The Economist has an article looking much more closely at the Nigerian movie industry, known as Nollywood, which produces an astounding 50 new movies every week. Now, some will immediately point out -- correctly -- that these are much lower budget than our traditional Hollywood picture, but apparently, many of the movies have pretty good plots and acting -- and they seem to be doing pretty well across all of Africa (not just Nigeria). In fact, the report notes that the infringement may be a big part of why Nigerian films are so successful:
The merchants curse the pirates, but in a way they are a blessing. Pirate gangs were probably Nollywood's first exporters. They knew how to cross tricky borders and distribute goods across a disparate continent where vast tracts of land are inaccessible. Sometimes they filled empty bags with films when returning from an arms delivery. Often they used films to bribe bored guards at remote borders. The pirates created the pan-African market Mr Akudinobi now feeds.Once again, this is really a recognition of a point that has been many times around here: copyright infringement is often just a more efficient distribution system -- and if you can figure out how to use that distribution mechanism to your own benefit, you can be much better off. In fact, it sounds like many are doing that, and the massive success of Nigerian movies have opened up all sorts of new opportunities for movie makers:
African diasporas in the West pay good money to see films from home. BSkyB, a British satellite broadcaster, and Odeon, a cinema chain, both show Nollywood classics. Consumer-goods companies offer sponsorship deals.That wouldn't be possible if the movies weren't getting so much attention. On top of that, for those who will continue to claim that the quality of these movies must suck, it appears that the quality is likely to improve. That's because with so much competition, moviemakers are looking to stand out from the crowd, and one way to do that is to improve your product. In other words, just as we've said for years, you've got a situation where competition is leading to innovation and higher quality, even in the absence of copyright protections... Funny, then, that some still insist that without copyright (or without strong copyright enforcement), no movie industry could exist.


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Neil Young Has Brain Aneurysm
The 59-year-old rocker underwent a procedure to treat it Tuesday night at a New York hospital, where he was expected to remain for a few more days, publicist Bob Merlis told The Associated Press.
Dr. Pierre Gobin, who performed the procedure with another doctor, said: "Mr. Young had a dangerous brain aneurysm and was treated successfully by the minimally invasive neuroradiology team here. He is now resting comfortably ... but we strongly recommend that he not travel for several days."
Young had been expected to perform Sunday at the Juno Awards — the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys.
"I'm really disappointed that I won't be able to make it to Winnipeg for the Junos as I had hoped. I grew up there and was really looking forward to the show as well as spending some time with my old friends and family," Young said. "Thanks to my doctors, I'm feeling a lot better now so I hope I can get a rain check."
The aneurysm was discovered when Young's vision became blurry after attending the March 14 induction ceremonies for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Merlis said. An examination by a neurologist detected the aneurysm and the procedure was scheduled.
The veteran rocker is expected to resume normal activities soon. But for now, Merlis said, "He's got to take it easy."


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Opposite Of EECB Gets Delayed Lenovo Laptop Order Expedited, Plus $5000 Loaner
When the Lenovo laptop Rick ordered for his college-bound daughter was super-duper delayed in arriving and he hadn't heard anything from the company, he did the opposite of an EECB (executive email carpet bomb). Instead of blasting his complaint to every single executive he could find, he wrote a well-crafted letter laser-targeted at a single individual, the SVP of operations. The result? An email from the Chief of Staff in the CEO's office. His order was expedited, and, in the meantime, they got a $5000 "Reserve Edition" leather-wrapped laptop as a loaner. Here's his letter that got him the fix:
Rick's letter to Lenovo:
As the Senior Vice President for Operations, I want to bring to your attention an operations business practice which I believe is bad for your customers and is leaving Lenovo with a negative public opinion.
First, a little background…
My daughter will be starting her freshman year at Portland (Oregon) State University in the last week of September. Since she will be a commuting student, I was looking for a small and lightweight laptop for her to carry daily. I have been following "netbook" development activities of several companies, including Lenovo. As soon as I learned the IdeaPad S10 was available to order, I placed an order via Lenovo.com (Order #
) on August 19.
I knew I could count on a Lenovo product; for eight years, a previous employer provided me with a series of ThinkPads which served my flawlessly.
A few days after I placed my order, I was able to log-on to my account. I saw my order had an estimated ship date of 09/16/08. Though this was four weeks away, it would arrive before my daughter started her studies.
As September 19th approached, I started checking the ship date more-and-more often; it never changed. With less than one week until September 19, I started getting worried. Using Google, I found a number of message boards with commentary from customers who had ordered S10s, had their estimated ship date come-and-go, and had heard nothing from Lenovo. Some people have called Lenovo, only to be told there would be a two month delay in shipping any S10s!
Today, I too called Lenovo. I was told there was a 50-day slip in shipping. This is very, VERY disappointing on two points:
* The huge amount of time between ordering and shipping
* Lenovo has made no effort to update its customers
On a personal level, this means my daughter will not have her S10 until mid-November — too late for the start of her first term.
This also means I need to reevaluate my decision to order a Lenovo S10 and either buy a larger laptop or to consider a Dell Mini-9, Asus Eee, or MSI Wind.
I'd much rather buy the S10….
I urge you to look into error in your processes which had led to the second bullet above.
Rick S.
Sherwood, OR
Rick's letter to us after he sent out the first one and heard back from Lenovo:
The next morning, I received an email from the Chief of Staff in the CEO's office! He again apologized for the issue and looked into my order. Over the next week, we exchanged several emails but the bottom line is that unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to ship the S10 any sooner than October 14. He then offered to ship me a loaner laptop – a Lenovo "Reserve Edition". I discovered this is a $5000 limited edition leather-wrapped laptop! While a bit worried about handing-off this über-laptop to my daughter, I accepted this generous olive branch. I was then handed-off to a woman in the "Office of Bill Amelio, President & CEO", who arranged for the Reserve Edition laptop to be shipped overnight. She even included the labeling for Lenovo to pay the cost of the eventual return to Lenovo.
It's going to be difficult to return this sweet notebook in a few weeks and downgrade to the S10. I must commend Lenovo for their handling of my concern. As I told the Chief of staff, "This is analogous to loaning a Maybach when having a Hyundai serviced."
To other Consumerists, I offer this advice: If you have a problem with a product or service, reach out, be polite, and take the time to craft a well-written letter. Your efforts may be rewarded.
Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.


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Posted by Editoress on 08/15/09
The 51st annual Tour di Via Italia cycling Races will take place Sunday September 6, 2009.
The start/finish Line will be on Erie Street in the heart of Little Italy. Please go to the Tour di Via Italia site for further information on race categories, times, registration and more. A new "enthusiast" category has been added. One day Race licences can be purchased for this event.
Pre-register at: www.ontariocycling.org
The late afternoon Pro Race will be the highlight of the day.
For those coming from Michigan, Ohio or other Anerican States, we remind you that passports will be required at the border.
Join us for fun and excitement. The restaurants will be open on Erie Street/Via Italia.
Press release
|Return to Canadian Cyclist homepage | Back to Top


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Wirelessly charging your iPhone would be pretty great, but not with the dumb cases that inductive charging requires. That's why this mod from Tanveer is so great. A regular iPhone that charges when you set it down. The future!
Here's what you'll need, according to Tanveer, in addition to some serious soldering skills:
a steady hand
soldering tools
a spare charger port assembly
very thing gauge wire
a spare back cover
a wireless charger circuit (probably homemade from parts)
It's a pretty involved hack that will obviously void your warranty. You not only have to solder tiny wire to tiny pins, but you've got to add 1mm of give to an iPhone back panel. It takes some serious work, but for a 1mm-thicker iPhone that you don't have to plug in to charge? Kind of worth it. [tanv28 via Cult of Mac]


text: The Geo-Wiki Project is a global network of volunteers who wish to help improve the quality of global land cover maps. Since large differences occur between existing global land cover maps, current ecosystem and land-use science lacks crucial accurate data (e.g. to determine the potential of additional agricultural land available to grow crops in Africa). Volunteers are asked to review hotspot maps of global land cover disagreement and determine, based on what they actually see in Google Earth and their local knowledge, if the land cover maps are correct or incorrect. Their input is recorded in a database, along with uploaded photos, to be used in the future for the creation of a new and improved global land cover map.


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Rotorua - Spa of the South Pacific
Whatever the time of the year, there's no better relaxation option than a spa treatment.
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No longer solely seen as an indulgence, Rotorua's myriad spa options are within easy reach of everyone whether a simple soak in a natural bush-lined thermal stream or a full day at a luxuriously-appointed spa complex.
Rotorua's geothermal water, mineral enriched muds, Maori massage and even indigenous herbs play a special role in local spa culture. A mud wrap, bath or mask exfoliates and enriches the skin to leave it feeling silky smooth. An Aix spa massage under running geothermal water is another unique treat as is Rotorua volcanic stone therapy. Those keen for a spa experience with a Maori twist can try traditional Miri Miri massage or even a herbal sauna using indigenous kawa kawa leaves.
The history of spa is long-established in Rotorua. In European terms it stretches back to the 1878 when an Irish priest bathed in the acidic waters of a spring in (what is now) Government Gardens. Attracted by tales of therapeutic benefits, Father Mahoney was carried from Tauranga seeking relief from his arthritic pain. Able to return home on foot, he declared himself cured.
Generations of Te Arawa Maori had bathed in Te Pupunitanga, which was renamed the Priest's Bath after Father Mahoney's visit. They recognised the relaxation benefits of the geothermal water, but also believed in its healing powers. The natural geothermal activity at Tikitere was also a magnet for olden day Maori. For centuries warriors returning from battle bathed there to salve their wounds. Today it's international and domestic visitors who flock to the same site, now known as Hell's Gate and Wai Ora Spa, to relieve 21st Century stresses and strains.
Spa culture's influence in Rotorua is reflected in the fact that thefirst building of the new Government township of Rotorua was the Pavilion Bath House, opened on the site of the Priest's Bath in 1882.The present day Polynesian Spa stands on the site of the former Duchess Bath (opened in 1901) and the former Ward Baths (opened in 1930). The multi-award winning Polynesian Spa has been named among the world's top 10 thermal, medical and natural spas six times in the past decade by Conde Nast Travel magazine's European readers; each time it has been the only spa outside of Europe the receive such an accolade.
The Victorian and Edwardian pre-occupation for 'taking the waters spread to New Zealand, and the 'Great Spa of the South Pacific' was opened in Rotorua in 1908. The magnificent Bath House remains today (now home to the Rotorua Museum), but the therapeutic geothermal spa treatments it was famous for were transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital back in the 1960s. Renamed QE Health, the facility is renowned for its treatment of chronic musculoskeletal conditions like arthritis through the benefits of balneotherapy (mineralised water healing). It also welcomes casual visitors seeking spa treatments.
- Spend the day at Careem Wellness Day Spa on the shores of Lake Okareka
- Benefit from a traditional Miri Miri massage that begins and ends with a karakia (prayer)
- Visit the Te Manaroa Spring at Waikite Valley Thermal Pools. Gushing 1800 litres of boiling (98°C) water per minute, it is the largest single source of natural boiling water in New Zealand
- Find simple pleasure in soaking in natural thermal stream's like Kerosene Creek
- Sail or kayak to Manupirua Hot Springs outdoor thermal pools only accessible by watercraft
- Swim in naturally warm water at Hot Water Beach (where hot thermal water enters the lake)


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As San Diego endures a skid that's reached 11 losses in their last 13 games, the roster moves have started. Some of the movement is because guys are starting to get healthy, but some of it is due to poor play.
The Padres had been carrying 13 pitchers and 12 bench players but decided to shift the mix back in favor of the hitters last Friday. Prized prospect Yasmani Grandal, who it turned out was the main guy San Diego targeted to get back when they sent Mat Latos to Cincinnati (per AJ Hinch's Friday radio interview with Darren Smith), was called up before Friday's game. Grandal, the #2 rated prospect in the San Diego system (which is a bit of a misnomer; Yonder Alonso was ranked #1 but he's spent the entire year playing 1B for the Padres, so he's no longer a prospect) and the #40 ranked prospect by Fangraphs' Mark Hulet, could be the kind of impact bat San Diego so desperately needs.
Well he still could be. We have no idea yet, since he was up for only 2 games. Grandal was sent back down to AAA before Sunday's game in favor of Mark Kotsay. Grandal did get into one game, as we talked about in our last post, so at least his trip to SD wasn't completely for naught. He's got #12 if you keep track of those things.
As Grandal came up, someone had to move out. Turns out that someone was Jeff Suppan. Soup pitched pretty darn well in his first 3 games with the club, throwing 5 shut out innings in his first start and allowing only 1 run in his second. Really he pitched good enough to win in his third, played in that noted band-box of Philadelphia's Citizens Bank park; he might have left the game tied at 2 if not for Chase Headley's throwing error in the third inning.
His last 3 starts, well, they were pretty bad. The Angels hung 4 on him in 5 innings enroute to a 7-2 loss. Staked to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of the last game in STL, he couldn't hold the lead for 3 outs. Beltran's HR in the fifth ultimately chased him before the inning ended. He was staked to 1-0 and 4-3 leads in his final start, in Chicago against the Cubs, but left the game after 5 tied 6-6.
Soup has to keep the ball down to be successful, and has to not only get the low strike, but get those pitches that barely clip the bottom of the knee called strikes too. He never could overwhelm hitters with power, and now at 37 truly has to rely on guile and control to compete. He struggled to do that his last 3 games. Although he didn't walk anyone in Chicago he walked 9 in his two outings before that. Suppan was a stop-gap guy and the gap just simply swallowed him. The upcoming Padres schedule has enough off-days that the club doesn't need a fifth starter until 9 June. By then maybe another former Cardinal - names bandied about recently are Kip Wells and Jason Marquis - will step into the #5 slot.
Suppan still wants to pitch but this might be the end of the line for him in the majors. It's hard to imagine him getting another shot at this level. At least the Padres decided to DFA the man; there's a chance he could return to AAA Tuscon if he clears waivers, but that will play out over the next week or so.
To close the thought on roster moves - Sunday the Padres activated Logan Forsythe as well as Kotsay; to make room they placed Andy Parrino on the 15-day DL. Forsythe was on-track to make the club out of spring training until suffering the broken foot that cost him 2 months.
The roster moves will continue to come. Players will continue to get healthy (we should see the return of Huston Street this week). But also, as San Diego appears to be headed to another All-Star break with one of the three worst records in the NL (third time in the last 4 years), the evaluation period for next may start early. I'm sure there are players in AAA (and maybe AA) the team would like to take a long look at.
Update: Gaslamp Ball is reporting Huston Street will be activated today, with Matt Palmar DFA'd. No official press release yet from the Padres.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Yasmani Yo-Yo and no more Soup for You
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text:
Welcome to Tenders.Net - Local Government
The Northern Territory Local Government Tender Portal allows you to search through and access public Tenders, Expressions of Interest and Requests for Information issued by Local Government in Northern Territory.
There is no charge to search for tenders or access extra features like electronic documents, electronic tender boxes, amendment/addendum systems, tender forums, supplier consortium help etc. the entire service is completely FREE to use.
If you are a Northern Territory Council wanting to set up your own tendering system linked to this site please click here
This system is powered by Tenders.Net who invented online tendering and run the largest tendering system in Australia. To access more public Tenders, Expressions of Interest & Requests for Information from Australia free of charge visit: www.tenders.net.au


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Secondary Leukemia after breast cancer treatment
Dear OncoLink "Ask The Experts,"
My Mom has been recently diagnosed w/ AML and I was wondering if there was any information on "therapy related AML". Her bone marrow biopsy showed that her leukemia was caused by chemotherapy she had in 2/95 for breast cancer.
Thank you for your time.
Selina M. Luger, MD, Director of the Leukemia Program and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, responds:
Unfortunately, therapy that we use for the treatment of breast cancer as well as other cancers has been associated with later development of leukemia, or cancer of the bone marrow. Although one can never be absolutely certain that the leukemia is caused by the breast cancer treatment, there are certain things that are suggestive. Certain types of chemotherapy cause leukemia to occur anywhere from 18 months to 3 years after the treatment, others don't cause leukemia for up to 5-7 years. Sometimes when we look at the DNA or chromosomes in the leukemia cells, there are changes that suggest that the leukemia came from the prior therapy. This information might be helpful to your mother's doctors when they decide what therapies to use to treat her, but that is generally guided by other factors, such as your mother's age, what her other chemotherapy was, her general health, etc.


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Performance 2000: Productivity, Employment, and Income in the World's Economies
- Authors:
Publication Date:
March 2001
U.S. productivity growth in 2000 continues to outpace the rest of the world, while Europe, although making progress on employment growth, continues to experience decelerating productivity growth. Most emerging markets have shown strong productivity gains and improve employment. Even though some European countries match the level of productivity in the United States, higher labor force participation is more important to U.S. per capita income advantage. As these findings show, differences in productivity performance are partly linked to higher investment in technology-intensive industries, in particular, information and communications technologies.


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How banks can mitigate the risk of a network breach as BYOD policies become commonplace.
By Ankur Chadda
Analyst firm Ovum predicts Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is "here to stay," noting that nearly 70% of employees use their tablets or phones to access corporate data, with 15.4% of them doing so without IT's knowledge and nearly 21% in spite of established policy. IT at banking institutions should accept that BYOD is not simply a passing fad or an issue with just a handful of uncooperative employees. While there is certainly a strong demand for BYOD and banking industry firms are gradually accepting it, these companies are not always testing their networks to find the potential security problems that can come with BYOD.
BYOD does bring significant benefits, not just risks. It reduces equipment costs, can improve productivity and response times, and encourages employees to be more engaged with their work. According to research from audit, tax, and advisory firm Grant Thornton, more than 90% of senior executives and directors at the nation's largest banks mark cyber security as their top concern. Given this concern, IT management should be doing more to protect their networks through testing.
Considerable risks
According to data from Longitude Research, the costs of loss of customer trust resulting from a cyber-attack on a bank are nearly double the amount of any monetary damages incurred. Banks are naturally seen as bedrocks of security, so a breach becomes a branding nightmare and a legitimate cause for customer concern. An attack that shuts down a bank's network can be crippling, with cost-per-minute downtimes reaching into the millions of dollars. Even if the network is simply slowed by malicious traffic, the effects can be very detrimental to banking and finance firms.
Enforcement challenges
Instituting a complete ban on BYOD is not likely to succeed, because the work/life barrier has shifted, and people will simply find workarounds in order to use their own devices. Remote wiping is obviously not okay when it comes to personal devices. IT staff also does not have enough time to check everyone's devices (especially in bank branches where there might not be on-site IT). Employees might also engage in "jail breaking" their devices so they can effectively hide their activities and work around corporate policy. Even with stringent protocols in place, employees will still use their devices, or services such as DropBox or iCloud to store documents.
Holes open quickly
With BYOD, breaches can happen quickly. Consider that an infected personal phone or tablet can jump defenses that might protect your corporate WAN link, but are easily defeated as soon as the device logs onto the corporate Wi-Fi. IF IT does have good control of BYOD policy enforcement, they can still be thwarted by just one user that doesn't perform a manual update or patch to an application, thereby opening up a security hole.
Testing is vital
Considering the risks and many avenues of potential breaches, proactive monitoring of the risks is crucial to protecting the network. A bank's various network security components should be tested with large volumes of realistic traffic in order to best simulate breach attempts and needle-in-a-haystack scenarios. Advanced test solutions can produce traffic that represents millions of users and many different types of applications, which is vital given the increasing number of BYOD users.
Testing should be comprehensive and include the latest applications and updated malware definitions to ensure the latest threats are accounted for. Brute-force login attempts are on the rise, and DDoS attacks are increasing in both volume and severity, so testing needs to be robust in order to find these and other attack methods. Continuous testing should be in place to provide visibility to IT, with repeatable test scenarios running frequently so attacks are found as they happen, not days too late.
Banks should develop BYOD policies that allow employees to be productive and mobile while ensuring the network and customer data remains secure. Well-constructed policies and in-depth training should complement proactive network testing which can find security holes before they are exploited.
Ankur Chadda is a product marketing manager at Spirent Communications covering the security and applications market.
Click here for original article.


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Bill to revamp Energy Department loan program could penalize employees.
The Republican-controlled House passed a bill to tighten oversight of a major Energy Department loan guarantee program in the wake of the politically controversial 2011 bankruptcy of the California-based solar energy panel maker Solyndra that cost taxpayers more than $500 million.
The bill introduced by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., would reorganize the program to restrict eligibility for future guarantees to projects that submitted applications before Dec. 31, 2011. It would require the Treasury secretary to review those guarantees and oblige Energy to consult with the Treasury Department on any changes in the terms and conditions of a loan guarantee. The bill also would impose administrative sanctions and civil penalties of $10,000 to $50,000 on federal officials who violate the requirements of the program.
On Friday, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said the program was "rife with mismanagement" and that people involved violated law. "Department officials illegally altered the terms of Solyndra's loan agreement to advantage individuals who were invested in the company and political supporters of the president," he said. "Passing the No More Solyndras Act holds the administration and DOE officials accountable and provides greater transparency to prevent future failures like Solyndra."
The House vote on Thursday was 245-161.


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Dell has unveiled four new Precision workstations that have been designed for maximum upgrade flexibility. The Precision T range workstations take nVidia Quadro graphics cards and run on Intel Xeon E5-2600 processors, but differ from other workstations in the extent to which the user can reconfigure their hardware. A 'split chassis' system allows hard drives, power supply, optical drives and graphics cards to be swapped at will.
The Precision workstations range from a 'single socket' Precision T1650 reduced-height tower that can take four hard drives and a nVidia Quadro card to the mighty T7600, which can accommodate up to eight hard drives and as much as 512GB of quad-channel memory.
While all except the T1650 model in the new Precison range can take a pair of nVidia Quadra 6000 graphics cards, the top end T7600 also takes a pair of Tesla C2075 companion processors and a power supply unit rated at 1300 Watts to deal with the additional heat generated by the 600 Watt cards.
Dell and nVidia worked closely on both the development of the graphics card company's Maximus technology – which allow a workstation to simultaneously render a scene while the user works on other editing or computational tasks – and on the new Precision models that make use of it.
Engineering company Parametric Solutions Inc, one of the clients Dell asked to test the T7600 ahead of its launch, reported that using the workstation they were able to perform CAD/CAM and other computational tasks in parallel and that the achieved modelling speeds took up to a quarter of the time as on their other workstations.
Adam Watkins, graphics supervisor at Pixomondo, which produced the 3D video effects for Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning Hugo animation, said Dell Precision workstations were crucial to his company's ability to deliver the fully composited scenes just a day after they had been shot.
As well as hot-swappable hard disks, memory and graphics cards, the Precision workstations have interchangeable power supply units. This means that if a user needs to install a more powerful graphics card due to a particularly GPU-intensive rendering task, they can also swap the power supply for a more powerful one to ensure optimum system cooling and overall efficiency.
In order to make so many components hot-swappable, Dell has designed a new interior layout that can accommodate multiple hard drives and a combination of solid state drives and hard disks. The top of the range Dell Precision T7600 model has a removable top cover that allows a rack mount-like set of swappable hard drives to be replaced in seconds. Other models in the range also have hot-swappable hard drives but front-facing ones rather than top-loading. Up to four 3.5in hard drives or eight 2.5in drives can be fitted.
Such vast quantities of storage are needed in industries such as studio animation and rendering which generate terabytes of footage. Fast data transfers are also critical. The hot-swappable drive setup allows graphics professionals to download high-definition video that had just been shot to a workstation for editing and processing.
To ensure none of the footage is lost, Dell has developed a BIOS-based solution it terms 'reliable memory technology (RTM)' that monitors any bad memory sectors, tags it and remembers that portion for next time. It then avoids using that part of the memory. Should a particular memory sector be flagged up in this way seven times, the user will get a message advising them to inform an IT administrator that a new DIMM may be needed. In this way, Dell hopes to minimise downtime for designers. Any loss of focus and flow can interrupt creativity as well as productivity.
Dell designed the new Precision workstations with the help of current customers, tailoring the chassis design to their stated needs. Kirk Schell, vice president of Computing Products, Dell, said the easy customisation, chassis design and memory checking were the result of "hundreds of customer conversations".
Don Maynard, Dell's senior product manager for Precision workstations, told Digital Arts that handles were the number one requested feature of the new range of workstations. The company spent between three and four years developing the new chassis, while the Precision workstation range itself is now in its fourth iteration.
Three of the four new Dell Precision workstations, the T3600 , T5600 and T7600, will go onsale worldwide in May, with the entrylevel T1650 also planned for launch in May but likely to be a week or two after its stablemates. Dell cites pricing of between $1099 and $2399.