Samsung pens deal to buy 10-percent of Pantech for $47.6 million

The first- and third-largest South Korean handset manufacturers make deal to strengthen partnership

Samsung announced today that it is acquiring a 10-percent stake in rival handset maker Pantech, one that will set the worlds largest handset manufacturer back a mere $47.6 million. While known more for making lower-end and spec devices for carriers here in the states, Pantech is actually quite a large company and the number three seller of handsets in its native South Korea. But this deal is likely less about taking a position in a smaller rival company and more about furthering a partnership for handset components that has already been established.

Like many large companies, Samsung and Pantech alike make many of the components needed for handsets on their own to reduce costs. For everything else, they need to buy from an outside source and in this case, Samsung and Pantech already have a standing partnership in both semiconductors and display technologies that will grow with this new investment. If Samsung plans to continue buying and selling components with Pantech, a small investment like this makes sense for such a large company.

Source: Yonhap News Agency; Via: TNW

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/MMJRqWiE0BA/story01.htm

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Review: Star Trek Into Darkness (video) - Montreal Gazette

Star Trek Into Darkness

Rating: 3 out of 5

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Alice Eve, Anton Yelchin, Karl Urban, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller.

Directed by: J.J. Abrams

Duration: 133 min.

Parental guidance: violence.

Playing at: Angrignon, Banque Scotia, Brossard, Cavendish, Colossus, C?te des Neiges, Kirkland, Lacordaire, March? Central, Sources, Sph?retech, Taschereau cinemas

MONTREAL - Less than a week after Chris Hadfield and company ended their five- month sojourn in space by touching down safely on their home planet, the members of the Starship Enterprise are setting out on another tour of duty.

Picking up where the rebooted franchise left off in 2009, Star Trek Into Darkness is an action and quip-fuelled 3D barrage that has more to do with modern blockbuster entertainment norms than the cerebral dilemmas of Capt. James T. Kirk and his crew in the original TV series.

That's clear from the spectacular, albeit ? like much of this film ? overly digitized chase sequence that opens the proceedings. Think Indiana Jones and spear-throwing natives and you're beginning to get the picture. It's not the first and won't be the last time in his career that director J.J. Abrams pays homage to hero Steven Spielberg.

After saving a faraway planet and breaking all the rules in the process, the Enterprise is grounded, young Kirk (Chris Pine) demoted, and he and Spock (Zachary Quinto) separated. This can't last, obviously ? we have a movie to watch.

A terrorist attack throws the world into chaos, and before long, Kirk and Spock are reunited in interplanetary pursuit of dastardly bad guy Commander John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch, a.k.a. Sherlock Holmes for BBC viewers).

He's holed up on the abandoned Klingon home world of Kronos. Things get tense when Harrison is taken prisoner aboard the Enterprise. And that's about all we'll say about plot. Not that plot has much to do with anything here. There is one, but it's all over the place, much like the near-constant barrage of activity interspersed with in-jokes about characters we know all too well.

The mischievous fun of Abrams's 2009 Star Trek hinged on gently mocking the self-seriousness of a stale franchise. That jocular tone has become the default setting in this hyperactive followup. Wisecracks regarding Spock's extreme logic are a dime a dozen, while Kirk's hot head, McCoy's (Karl Urban) earnestness, Chekhov's (Anton Yelchin) franticness and Scotty's (Simon Pegg) colourful Scottish vernacular are thrown in free of charge.

Pegg earns himself increased screen time with a characteristically enthusiastic performance. But the women get short shrift: Zoe Saldana returns as communications officer, and Spock's frustrated love interest, Uhura; and Alice Eve is newcomer Dr. Carol Marcus (whom in Star Trek lore bears a child with Kirk); and that's about it ? this is a guy's movie.

The real revelation is Cumberbatch, who steals the show as the film's alluring yet evil antagonist. His true identity, revealed in the homestretch, will be a treat (and provide fodder for spirited debate) to hardcore Trekkies.

Abrams wraps things up in open-ended fashion, leaving the door (and galaxy) wide open for further adventures of the Enterprise. Hopefully, the next instalment will see this new "next generation" match the director's ever-reliable entertainment value with a bit more substance.

tdunlevy@montrealgazette.com

Twitter: tchadunlevy

Source: http://www.montrealgazette.com/Review+Star+Trek+Into+Darkness+video/8395162/story.html

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Hillary Clinton Has The Most To Lose From Obama's Scandals

Conventional wisdom has long held that Hillary Clinton, if she runs for president, would be the clear frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in 2016. But after a trifecta of scandals buffeting President Obama ? fresh questions about the White House?s veracity on Benghazi, the IRS?s harassment of conservative non-profits and the Justice Department seizure ofAP telephone records ? Clinton's close connections with Obama could become politically problematic.

Some Republicans believe that revelations about the Benghazi operation could lead to unflattering details that cast questions about Clinton?s stewardship at the State Department. If there was any attempt to downplay the details of what transpired for political reasons, the blowback would be serious. But Clinton could have more to lose over the general tenor of scandal that?s lately suffused this administration. If the media focus shifts from Obama?s second-term legacy to second-term scandal, it would cast a cloud over those looking to capitalize on his coattails.

The last week has been rough for the president. As political analyst Stuart Rothenberg wrote Tuesday, a confident administration now looks ?out of touch and unresponsive.? He warns if the controversies worsen, ?many Americans will start to doubt his administration?s veracity and values.? The conservative narrative of the Obama White House as hyper-politicized and thin-skinned about its opposition is starting to resemble reality.? If that image begins to stick, it will be hard to shake off.

Clinton knows all too well about how scandal can intensify the public's desire for change, both when she ran her first presidential race against Obama in 2008, and at the conclusion of her husband?s second term. Public dissatisfaction with George W. Bush made Democratic party voters looking for someone disconnected from the decision to go to war with Iraq. Enter Obama. Nearly a decade earlier, then-Vice President Al Gore awkwardly tried to distance himself from his former boss in the wake of Bill Clinton?s sex scandal, despite voters? widespread approval of Clinton?s policies.?

Until this week, it seemed obvious that the next Democratic presidential nominee would be running on Obama?s legacy. He's maintained his popularity with the liberal base. His job approval numbers, despite troubles passing his agenda through Congress, have been decent, hovering around the 50 percent mark. He appeared content blaming legislative gridlock on a GOP-controlled House in the run-up to the 2014 midterms, even repeating that argument at a fundraiser in the midst of the feeding frenzy Monday. Immigration reform could become law, though it will be hard to summon the necessary goodwill with Republicans given what?s transpired.

The Clintons expected that voters would welcome the equivalent of a third Obama term. She accepted the job as Secretary of State after a grueling campaign against Obama, recognizing the benefits to her long-term interests. Bill Clinton tirelessly campaigned for Obama in 2012, probably expecting some chits to be repaid down the road. Before leaving, she sat down with the president on ?60 Minutes? receiving largely softball questions about her performance at State. Her own approval ratings, at least before the Benghazi hearings, were near all-time highs.

But by being so closely tied to Obama, she could reap some blowback if any of these scandals metastasize. If they do, Democratic voters may be looking for a fresher face, someone who has spent less time in Washington.

To be sure, if she ran, Clinton would enter a 2016 race with numerous advantages. There?s a sparse bench of national Democratic prospects behind her, with Maryland Gov. Martin O?Malley, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and New York Gov. Anthony Cuomo among those waiting in the wings.? Vice President Joe Biden, whose approval ratings have always trailed the president?s, would enter a race with similar baggage if Obama?s popularity turned for the worse.?

Outside the White House, many Democrats have been frustrated that the president?s political operation hasn?t spent enough time building up the party during his time in office, focused on his brand over the broader needs of Democrats. Obama-allied groups, like Organizing for Action, have taken up many of the responsibilities the Democratic National Committee normally handles. ?The historic nature of Obama?s presidency hasn?t brought a new wave of black Democratic officeholders to Congress, as Politico?s Jonathan Martin detailed, despite his coalition?s dependence on them.

Clinton, by virtue of her service to Obama, was uniquely-positioned to capitalize on those ties. After a brutal 2008 campaign, she spent her time in Foggy Bottom cultivating an apolitical image ? aided by some aggressive political handlers ? while benefiting from the president?s broad popularity. The unusual void of top-tier Democratic talent made a presidential run all the more enticing.

But with scandal lurking, all those advantages could end up being for naught. Clinton knows something about being embarrassed by a president. Her political hopes may be disappointed by another.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hillary-clinton-most-lose-obamas-scandals-054427859.html

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Male testosterone levels increase when victorious in competition against rivals, but not friends

May 14, 2013 ? Sporting events can bring a community together, such as when the Louisville Cardinals won the NCAA championship and University of Louisville campus was filled with camaraderie. They also can fuel bitter rivalries, such as the long-standing animosity between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. A new University of Missouri study has found that testosterone levels during group competition are modulated depending on the relationships among the competitors and may be related to the formation of alliances in warfare.

"One interesting thing about humans is that we are the only animal that competes in teams," said Mark Flinn, professor of anthropology at MU. "Our hormonal reactions while competing are part of how we evolved as a cooperative species. What we found in our study is that although male's testosterone levels increase when men are victorious against strangers or rivals, levels of the hormone tend to stay the same when competing against friends."

Flinn and his research team studied males from varying age groups on the island of Dominica while they played dominoes or cricket. Flinn found that when males competed against a group outside of their community, their testosterone levels rose during and after competition if they won, but diminished following a defeat. However, when males competed with their friends, their testosterone levels did not change in response to victory or defeat.

Competing in sport coalitions can raise testosterone levels in males, but males don't have to be competing in order to see a rise in testosterone. Flinn says that when watching a favorite sport team the viewer is a part of a coalition of fans in the community and can also get a rise in testosterone levels while watching games.

"For example, when MU plays the University of Kansas, males will probably have a huge increase of testosterone during the game and afterwards if their team is victorious," Flinn said. "At the same time we can create a coalition of fans while attending the game and bond together during the event."

Flinn suggests that coalitions may have had important effects on the evolution of human social psychology.

"The fascinating thing about humans is that whether we are watching or playing the sport, we have the ability to put interactions among the whole team in our heads," Flinn said. "That just shows how complex our social psychology is. For example, a hockey or basketball player can anticipate how his teammates are going to react when he passes to each one of them and predict the outcome. The ability for humans to be able to do that is pretty astonishing."

Members of Flinn's research team include Davide Ponzi, now a postdoctorate at the University of Chicago, and Michael Muehlenbein, associate professor of anthropology at Indiana University.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/r29l0hkM_e8/130514185338.htm

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Google I/O 2013 app updated with DashClock support, session feedback form

Making it even easier for attendees to find and interact with sessions

On the eve of Google I/O 2013 kicking off in San Francisco, Google has just updated the official I/O 2013 app with a few tweaks to make following the conference a little easier. There's now a session feedback form for attendees to let Google know how a session went after the fact, as well as improved Maps functionality to let you navigate the expanses of the Moscone Center and find those sessions. The update also upped the resolution of speaker photos, and added DashClock widget support -- presumably to let you keep tabs on upcoming events.

We'll be awake bright and early tomorrow morning to cover the three hour long marathon of a keynote starting at 9am PT, so be sure to set a reminder from that Google I/O app so you don't miss a minute. We'll see you there.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/oZY6rbH0RsM/story01.htm

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Was Commander Hadfield?s Performance of Space Oddity the Most Expensive Music Video Ever?

Commander Chris Hadfield's cover version of Space Oddity took the internet by storm yesterday, but it got a lot of people thinking: does it amount to the most expensive music video ever made?

Fortunately, Randall Munroe of XKCD fame has set his mind to the task of answering that question on his What If? site. Firstly, it's worth noting there's no easy way to calculate an answer?but he's given it a good go. First, consider the location of the shoot:

The ISS is expensive, but there have been music videos set against an even more expensive backdrop. At a cost of roughly $400 billion, the US Eisenhower Interstate Highway System is probably the most expensive peacetime public works project in the history of mankind. If we?re including the entire ISS in the cost of Commander Hadfield?s video, any video shot on the American highway system should get the cost of the highway system added to its total. By that measure, the commander?s video would lose to U2?s Last Night on Earth, which was filmed on a section of I-670 in Missouri, and therefore cost more than the ISS and the Moon landing program combined.

A bargain, then! But both the road and the ISS are used for things other than making videos?so what about cost compared to how much time the shoot took?

If you spread out the ISS?s price tag across all the astronaut-hours spent on board, you come up with about $7.5 million per person per day, or roughly $90 per second. That sounds like a lot, but at that rate, the five-and-a-half-minute video only runs about $30,000. Given that the video has probably done more for space industry than millions in public outreach, that?s a good deal.

And certainly not the most expensive music video ever made. Factor in that Chris Hadfield filmed the video himself, only earns in the region of $85 an hour, and is allowed some time off to relax while he's aboard the ISS, and the video seems like an absolute bargain. Check out the full What If? post for more detail?and to find out how much the guitar he played the song on cost to get into space. [What If?]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/was-commander-hadfield-s-performance-of-space-oddity-th-505329292

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TWC TV Android update with live TV streaming away from home now available

Just as promised, Time Warner Cable has delivered a new version of its TWC TV app for Android users that includes access to live TV streams of certain channels while away from home. That new feature is accompanied by several other tweaks, including TV mini guide filtering and expanded device support for devices running Android 2.2 and higher. Out of home streaming is still more limited than that provided by solutions like Slingbox or Cablevision's Optimum, and streaming over cellular connections are restricted to Verizon only (for now.) Despite the restrictions, the app is out now and will hopefully see them loosened in the future, subscribers can grab it now at the link below.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile

Comments

Source: Google Play

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/bJqCtMv7B6o/

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Routine screening for depression not recommended for adults with no apparent symptoms of depression

May 13, 2013 ? For adults with no apparent symptoms of depression, routine screening is not recommended in primary care settings because of the lack of high-quality evidence on the benefits and harms of screening for depression, according to new evidence-based guidelines from the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (CTFPHC) published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

These guidelines mark a change in approach from the task force's 2005 guidelines, which recommended screening adults in primary care settings where there were integrated staff-assisted systems to manage treatment.

"In the absence of a demonstrated benefit of screening, and in consideration of the potential harms, we recommend not routinely screening for depression in primary care settings, either in adults at average risk or in those with characteristics that may increase their risk of depression," writes Dr. Michael Joffres, chair of the CTFPHC's depression guideline writing group and member of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, with coauthors.

The recommendations do not apply to people with known depression, with a history of depression or who are receiving treatment for depression.

However, clinicians should be alert to the possibility of depression, especially in patients with characteristics that may increase their risk of depression, and should look for it when there are clinical clues, such as insomnia, low mood, anhedonia (inability to experience pleasure) and suicidal thoughts.

Guidelines in other countries differ slightly from the Canadian guidelines. The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends universal screening where supports exist to ensure follow-up treatment. In the United Kingdom, the National Institutes for Health and Clinical Excellence recommends a targeted approach, focusing on people with a history of depression rather than general screening.

These recommendations do not apply to people with known depression, with a history of depression or who are receiving treatment for depression.

"These recommendations do not apply to people with known depression, with a history of depression or who are receiving treatment for depression. Patients who present with symptoms or other clues to the presence of depression should be appropriately assessed for depression," explained Dr. Gabriela Lewin, member of the CTFPHC working group.

The task force calls for high-quality randomized controlled trials with an unscreened control group to understand the effect of screening, the potential harms of screening, such as false-positive diagnoses with subsequent unnecessary treatment, as well as the implications of earlier detection of depression through screening.

In a related commentary, Dr. Roger Bland, Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, and coauthor write, "There is no question, as the task force amply illustrates, that depression constitutes a major public health problem. Although milder cases may require only watchful waiting rather than treatment, about 15% of people with major depression go on to a chronic course, with much residual disability. Family physicians have been criticized for failing to recognize depression. However, studies have shown that many missed cases are those of milder depression, which often remits spontaneously, and that patients with milder forms of depression may experience adverse effects and other complications if the depression is treated."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/TI9bU8aq_y8/130513123335.htm

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U.S. judge blocks sale of basketball star Bryant's jersey, rings

By David Jones

NEWARK, New Jersey (Reuters) - A federal judge has temporarily blocked an auction house from selling basketball great Kobe Bryant's jerseys, championship rings and other memorabilia worth up to $1 million in a case stemming from a dispute between the Los Angeles Laker and his mother.

The All-Star guard has asked the courts to halt the sale of his belongings, which are in possession of his mother, Pamela Bryant, saying he had not been consulted and only learned of the sale in a press release issued by Goldin Auctions.

"Although Pamela Bryant maintained possession of certain of plaintiff's personal property for benefit of plaintiff, he never granted his mother ownership of that property, nor the right to co-sign such property for auction," an attorney for Bryant said in a May 6 complaint filed in a California court.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Guilford in Santa Ana, Calif., on May 8 issued a temporary restraining order blocking the sale until a scheduled May 13 hearing.

Goldin Auctions, which has filed a suit to have the June sale move forward, said Bryant's mother contacted the company in December with an offer to sell the items, including her son's Lower Merion High School jersey and six rings, one of which is his 2000 Lakers championship ring.

Bryant's mother allegedly told the auction house that the memorabilia had been in her possession for 15 years and that her son had told her five years ago the items belonged to her, according to court papers filed by Goldin Auctions.

The auction house said it wired a $450,000 advance to Bryant's parents, Pamela and Joseph.

The items were legally obtained, Goldin Auctions's lawyers said on Friday.

Pamela Bryant "provided certificates of authenticity and attested in a sworn affidavit to their lawful ownership," said attorney Jeffrey Cohen. "Goldin Auctions has already issued a substantial monetary advance for these items and is only interested in proceeding with its legal right to conduct its business without further interference.

A lawyer for Kobe Bryant, Mark Campbell, said in a statement that, "Mr. Bryant's personal property has ended up in the possession of someone who does not lawfully own it. We look forward to resolving this legal matter through the legal system."

(Editing by Paul Thomasch and Leslie Gevirtz)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-judge-blocks-sale-basketball-star-bryants-jersey-221819244.html

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Engineered spider toxin could be the future of anti-venom vaccines

May 9, 2013 ? New engineered spider protein could be the start of a new generation of anti-venom vaccines, potentially saving thousands of lives worldwide. The new protein, created from parts of a toxin from the reaper spider, is described today in the Elsevier journal Vaccine.

The researchers behind the study, from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil, say that the engineered protein may be a promising candidate for developing therapeutic serums or vaccines against other venoms.

Reaper spiders, or brown spiders, are a family of species found all over the world that produce harmful venoms. The toxic bite of these spiders causes skin around the bite to die, and can lead to more serious effects like kidney failure and haemorrhaging. These Loxosceles spiders are most prevalent in Brazil, where they cause almost 7,000 human accidents every year.

The new study describes an engineered protein made of three pieces of a venom toxin from the Loxosceles intermedia spider. The engineered protein is not itself toxic, and gives effective protection against the effects of the pure spider venom in animal models.

"In Brazil we see thousands of cases of people being bitten by Loxosceles spiders, and the bites can have very serious side-effects," said Dr. Ch?vez-Olortegui, corresponding author of the study. "Existing anti-venoms are made of the pure toxins and can be harmful to people who take them. We wanted to develop a new way of protecting people from the effects of these spider bites, without having to suffer from side-effects."

Current approaches to protecting against venom involve giving the venom to animals, and taking the resulting antibodies for the serum. These antibodies enable the human immune system to prepare to neutralize venom from bites. Although they are somewhat effective, the production of anti-venoms like these is problematic because animals are required to produce them, and these animals suffer from the effects of the venom.

The new protein is engineered in the lab, without the need for the venomous animals. It is made up of three proteins, so it can protect against more than one kind of toxin at a time. The protein is not harmful to the immunized animal that produces the antibodies. It is also more effective than existing approaches, and easier to produce than preparing crude venom from spiders.

"It's not easy taking venom from a spider, a snake or any other kind of venomous animal," said Ch?vez-Olortegui. "With our new method, we would be able to engineer the proteins in the lab without having to isolate whole toxins from venom. This makes the whole process much safer."

The researchers tested their new protein on rabbits: all immunized animals showed an immune response similar to the way they respond to the whole toxin. The engineered protein was effective for venom of the L. intermedia and L. gaucho sub-species, which have similar toxins. Immunized rabbits were protected from skin damage at the site of venom injection, and from haemorrhaging.

This engineered protein may be a promising candidate for therapeutic serum development or vaccination in the future.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/OpNKu9iX8QQ/130508213250.htm

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Samsung Galaxy S4: Get Connected With Group Play

The new Samsung Galaxy S4 allows you to share music, in a whole new way thanks to Group Play, just one of the new social features on the smart phone that is taking the market by storm.

The feature allows you to wirelessly share photos and documents, but most importantly it also allows you to blast music across devices like an integrated speaker system, and host multiplayer games ? perfect for the summer party season.

With social media, your life is connected, so why shouldn?t your phones be?

We are currently seeking Technology contributors on WhatCulture. To find out more about the perks of being a Technology contributor, click here.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/obsessedwithfilm/~3/nRd3YE1VbLQ/samsung-galaxy-s4-get-connected-with-group-play.php

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OpenSignal Launches WeatherSignal, Using Its Crowdsourcing Cell Phone Coverage Tech To Tackle Meteorology

OpenSignal, the UK startup that has made a name for itself with its Android and iOS apps that crowdsource cell phone coverage based on data picked up from users' devices, is branching out into another area that consumers love to obsess about: the weather. Today, the company is launching a new app for Android devices, WeatherSignal, which takes data gathered from different sensors, such as light meters and barometers, which come as part of a smartphone's hardware, to create real-time, crowdsourced pictures of what the weather is like on a hyperlocal scale.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/FsDKPaJ1As8/

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Tech Lobby Pushes for Tweaks to Immigration Bill - NYTimes.com

Lobbyists for the technology industry, having gained much of their wish list in the immigration bill drafted in the Senate, are now pushing to modify language they consider onerous.

The Senate bill, which is scheduled for markup in the Judiciary Committee on Thursday, would allow Silicon Valley companies to bring in many more foreign computer specialists on temporary work visas through a program known as H-1B. The bill also places restrictions on how companies can hire and fire employees, which the industry?s representatives in Washington are trying to massage.

For one, the industry is worried about a provision, inserted by some Senate Democrats, that would allow companies to hire a foreigner only if ?an equally qualified American? is not available. The draft allows the Department of Labor to scrutinize hiring decisions, which the industry calls undue interference.

The bill also contains language that compels companies to promise not to lay off American workers within three months of hiring foreign guest workers. Additionally, if a company like I.B.M. places a foreign worker at a client company?s site ? say, a bank ? for a short-term project, the bill also requires the bank to prove it did not displace an American worker in the process.

Lobbyists for Silicon Valley say those provisions are unworkable. They hope to persuade lawmakers to tweak the language to their advantage, even as they continue to aggressively lobby for the passage of the overall immigration package.

?These provisions are troubling, they are going to be hard to live with,? warned Scott Corley, president of Compete America, a coalition of Silicon Valley firms. ?But over all this is a good bill.?

Unveiled in April after weeks of bipartisan bargaining on Capitol Hill, the legislation would expand the annual availability of H-1B visas to 110,000, from the current 65,000, and include a provision to make more available during years of high labor demand. The current cap of 65,000 was filled in less than a week this year, signaling demand.

A recent study by the Brookings Institution showed that in 2010, the most recent year for which comparable statistics are available, about one in three of all H1-B visas approved went to those who studied here and were looking to stay on and work.

The bill draws a line in the sand between these technology firms and the mostly Indian companies that bring computer workers on H-1B visas for short-term jobs at United States companies. The bill is written so that it penalizes companies that have a large share of foreign guest workers among its United States work force. Those are mainly outsourcing firms, many based in India, and it eventually makes it impossible for them to bring in any more. It allows large American companies that have many more American workers to continue to import workers.

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Source: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/06/tech-lobby-pushes-for-tweaks-to-immigration-bill/

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The Sims 4 headed to Mac, PC in 2014

Electronic Arts announced Monday that The Sims 4 is currently in development and will be released in 2014. It's coming to both OS X and Windows.

The Sims turns 13 this year. The game, originally developed by Maxis, took the SimCity concept and moved it inside the house: players affect the behavior and interaction of individual simulated people called Sims. It's been an extraordinarily popular franchise, generating a number of spinoffs, three major releases and seemingly countless add-on packs that extend gameplay. EA claims The Sims is the most successful simulation game ever, with more than 150 million copies sold worldwide.

EA is cagey about what to expect in the new version, though the company said the game will include "new and intuitive tools" with sharing abilities. If you're concerned about a repeat of EA's rocky release of recently rebooted SimCity game and its requirement for a persistent online connection in order to work, the company notes that The Sims 4 is a "single-player offline experience."

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/iIUNm2wm69k/story01.htm

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FDA wants cancer warnings on tanning beds

FILE - This Dec. 9, 2011 file photo shows an open tanning booth at Amazing Tans in Sacramento, Calif. The FDA announced Monday, May 6, 2013, it wants all tanning beds to carry language warning people under the age of 18 about the risks of indoor tanning. The agency would also require manufacturers to submit their beds for federal review before marketing them. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

FILE - This Dec. 9, 2011 file photo shows an open tanning booth at Amazing Tans in Sacramento, Calif. The FDA announced Monday, May 6, 2013, it wants all tanning beds to carry language warning people under the age of 18 about the risks of indoor tanning. The agency would also require manufacturers to submit their beds for federal review before marketing them. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Indoor tanning beds would carry new warnings about the risk of cancer and be subject to more stringent federal oversight, under a proposal unveiled Monday by the Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA wants all tanning beds to carry language warning people under the age of 18 about the risks of indoor tanning. The agency would also require manufacturers to meet certain safety and performance requirements before marketing their devices.

The government action is aimed at curbing cases of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, which have been on the rise for about 30 years. This year an estimated 76,690 people will be diagnosed with the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

Recent studies have shown that the risk of melanoma is 75 percent higher in people who have been exposed to ultraviolet radiation from indoor tanning. While most cases are diagnosed in people in their 40s and 50s, the disease is linked to sun exposure at a young age.

Medical groups like the American Academy of Dermatology have been urging the U.S. government to take action on tanning beds for years, citing increases in the number of cases of skin cancer among women in their teens and twenties. Dermatologists say indoor tanning advertisements directly appeal to teenagers' desire to be attractive.

Currently the machines are classified as low-risk devices, in the same group as bandages and tongue depressors. By increasing their classification to moderate-risk, or class II, devices the FDA proposal could limit the levels of radiation the devices emit and make other changes to their design.

"The FDA's proposed changes will help address some of the risks associated with sunlamp products and provide consumers with clear and consistent information," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in a statement.

The agency said it will take comments on its proposal for 90 days.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-05-06-Tanning%20Beds-FDA/id-9cffbfbfd9894286bc3b21c5ff7d554d

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Study: Adults minimize steroid use as problem

NEW YORK (AP) ? A study finds that American adults rank steroid use among adolescents as less of a problem than alcohol, bullying, marijuana and sexually transmitted diseases.

The study was co-commissioned by baseball's Hall of Fame and released Thursday.

Those polled ranked cocaine and eating disorders as bigger problems. While 97 percent of the respondents believe steroids cause negative health effects, just 19 percent think steroid use is a big problem among high school students.

Hall President Jeff Idelson says the study shows that steroids and performance-enhancing substances "remain a mystery to the American public."

The survey of 1,002 adults by was conducted by The Gallup Organization and commissioned by the Hall, the Taylor Hooton Foundation and the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society.

"The American people haven't connected the dots between steroid use and our children," said Neil Romano, former director of the White House office of drug abuse policy and an organizer of the study.

Added Don Hooton, whose son Taylor died from steroid use: "What has Congress done? Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/study-adults-minimize-steroid-problem-160312703.html

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