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Thursday, October 24, 2013

VP Biden: Country on cusp of mental health changes

AAA Oct. 23, 2013 9:08 PM ET
VP Biden: Country on cusp of mental health changes
By STEVE LeBLANCBy STEVE LeBLANC, Associated Press THE ASSOCIATED PRESS STATEMENT OF NEWS VALUES AND PRINCIPLES

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS STATEMENT OF NEWS VALUES AND PRINCIPLES

Vice President Joe Biden, left, addresses an audience during a forum on mental health policies that marks the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's signing of the Community Mental Health Act, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013, at the JFK Library and Museum in Boston. Former Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy looks on at right. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, left, addresses an audience during a forum on mental health policies that marks the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's signing of the Community Mental Health Act, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013, at the JFK Library and Museum in Boston. Former Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy looks on at right. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius addresses an audience during a forum on mental health policies that marks the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's signing of the Community Mental Health Act, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013, at the JFK Library and Museum in Boston. Former Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy looks on behind. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Vice President Joe Biden, left, smiles as he is introduced by former Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy, right, during a forum on mental health policies that marks the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's signing of the Community Mental Health Act, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013, at the JFK Library and Museum in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

BOSTON (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden says the country is on the cusp of what he called "remarkable changes" in the treatment of mental illness.

Speaking at a forum in Boston on Wednesday, Biden said that as a result of President Barack Obama's health care law, more people have access to care for mental illness. The law bars insurance companies from denying coverage due to preexisting conditions like bipolar disorder.

Biden was joined by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy. The event marked the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's signing of the Community Mental Health Act.

Sebelius said there's still work to be done to eliminate the stigma around mental illness. She said the stigma can be a barrier to treatment.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-10-23-Biden-Mental%20Health/id-be090a4de3df46bb96525024a02ccd42
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Internet address system expands with 4 suffixes

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The oversight agency for Internet addresses says it has added four domain name suffixes— the first of hundreds expected in the coming years in the online addressing system's largest expansion ever.

The first four are all in foreign languages to reflect a growing international population that still has to enter Latin characters for many websites. They represent Chinese for "game," Arabic for "network" and Cyrillic for "online" and "site."

People and businesses should be able to start registering names ending on those suffixes soon. The announcement Wednesday reflects the addition of those suffixes into the master database.

There are currently more than 300 suffixes, mostly codes assigned for specific countries. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has been taking bids for new ones in English and other languages.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-10-23-Internet%20Names/id-771ca498f6924c569f32fde74422d092
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Wednesday, October 23, 2013

What's the Deal With Creatine?

Creatine has been wildly popular since the 1990s. It's touted as a shortcut to gaining lean muscle mass, and packed into everything from supplement pills and powders to sports drinks. But how does it work, if at all? Is it even safe? Allow us to demystify this strange chemical beast.

Is the U.S. confirming it spied on German chancellor?

FILE - The March 5, 2013 file photo shows German Chancellor Angela Merkel presenting a tap-proof mobile phone of Blackberry at a booth of Secusmart during the opening round tour of the world's largest computer expo CeBIT in Hannover. German Chancellor Angela Merkel complained to President Barack Obama on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013 after learning that U.S. intelligence may have targeted her mobile phone, and said that would be “a serious breach of trust” if confirmed, her government said. (AP Photo/dpa, Julian Stratenschulte)

Reimagine the old George Washington myth in which the future president, as a lad, is confronted with the famously hatcheted cherry tree and asked about his role in it. Now imagine that Washington’s answer had been, “I am not currently chopping down and will not chop down that cherry tree.”

You see the problem, right?

That’s essentially what’s happening in a deepening trans-Atlantic feud over alleged American spying on allied world leaders.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel complained to President Barack Obama that U.S. intelligence tapped her mobile phone, with her government publicly calling the alleged behavior “a serious breach of trust” if true.

Obama responded on Wednesday with a telephone call to Merkel. And here’s the interesting part of the White House readout of that conversation:

“The President assured the Chancellor that the United States is not monitoring and will not monitor the communications of Chancellor Merkel,” the statement said.

“Is not”? “Will not”? They're a far cry from “has never.”

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/is-the-us-confirming-it-spied-on-german%E2%80%99s-chancellor--190255925.html
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Smooth Madagascar vote seen vital to restoring economy

Voters in Madagascar's presidential election on Friday desperately hope for an end to a five-year political crisis that has scared off investors and severely damaged the economy, but there is little optimism they will get their wish.

There are low expectations on the nickel and vanilla-producing Indian Ocean island for a conclusive result from the first vote since 39-year-old former disc jockey Andry Rajoelina seized power in a military-backed coup in March 2009.

"The election could put an end to a crisis that gets deeper every day," said university student Andry Rabezatovo. "But nothing is for certain. Getting out of this turmoil is a fragile process. The slightest upset could lead to further chaos."

There are no reliable opinion polls to indicate a favourite among the 33 candidates, none of whom are well known. Rajoelina and the wife of the president he toppled, Marc Ravalomanana, have been barred by court order from competing.

A peaceful and credible vote in Madagascar, one of the world's largest islands but poorest countries, would be a key step towards unblocking aid and luring back foreign companies.

But Friday's poll is unlikely to produce an outright winner, prolonging uncertainty until a second round in December. Even initial results are likely to come in slowly and the electoral commission has until November 8 to announce a provisional count.

Many of the 7.8 million eligible voters worry the results could be disputed. Diplomats are anxiously watching the military, still led by a general who rallied troops behind Rajoelina in 2009.

On the decaying streets of Antananarivo, capital of the former French colony, campaign posters plaster some walls, the occasional van drives around decked in colours of a presidential hopeful and newspapers are filled with electoral promises.

But disenchantment with politics runs deep.

"We've lost all confidence in our politicians," said a 51-year-old store manager who gave her name as Josianne.

Her boutique selling luxury bags by Longchamp and Givenchy for as much as $2,000 underlines the yawning rich-poor divide. Nine out of 10 Malagasy live on less than $2 a day, the World Bank says, more than 15 percentage points worse than pre-crisis levels.

Antananarivo's residents complain of a surge in crime and drug addiction. Aid cuts by disenchanted donors have deprived the government of cash and power outages are increasingly common while many roads are crumbling.

Beyond the capital, life can be even tougher, with many of the 22 million population of the island off the African coast struggling as subsistence farmers facing a constant struggle with cyclones and locusts.

FINANCIAL STRAITS

Madagascar's prospects looked different in 2008. The economy was growing at more than 7 percent a year after Ravalomanana invited foreign firms such as Canada's Sherritt International and Rio Tinto to exploit large mineral reserves that include nickel, cobalt, chrome, gold and oil.

But Rajoelina, then the capital's mayor, accused Ravalomanana of running the country like a personal fiefdom. Protests erupted in early 2009 and the army stepped in. Ravalomanana fled to South Africa where he remains.

The economy contracted more than 4 percent in 2009. The World Bank forecasts 3.3 percent growth this year but says income per capita has fallen back to 2001 levels.

"(Madagascar's) finances are in a very difficult situation right now," Haleh Bridi, the World Bank's representative said.

That has not stopped candidates criss-crossing the island, which is slightly smaller than Texas, with promises of free primary education, tax cuts and new foreign investment.

For now, most state schools are broke and many parents can't afford the requested top-up fees, so children stay home.

The economic suffering has been exacerbated by a seemingly perpetual political crisis. A deal brokered by regional states to ensure neither Rajoelina nor Ravalomanana ran fell apart when the latter's wife tried to stand, prompting Rajoelina to say he would run too.

A court finally barred them both.

Friday's election date was set after several delays because of the political squabbling.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/smooth-madagascar-vote-seen-vital-restoring-economy-144423730.html
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LinkedIn Hits 38% Of Unique Visits From Mobile, Up From 8% In Q1 2011

LinkedIn is making the shift to mobile. It now sees 38 percent of unique visits from mobile, which is up from 8 percent in the first quarter of 2011, and users who access via mobile are 2.5x as active as desktop-only users. At an event in San Francisco this morning, CEO Jeff Weiner said LinkedIn will release a slew of new mobile apps.

These new apps include an iPad redesign, but most excitingly, a new experience called Intro. It leans on LinkedIn’s acquisition Rapportive to integrate professional info from LinkedIn profiles directly into you Apple Mail app on your iPhone or iPad. Intro can show the LinkedIn profile photo, company, and job title of the people who you email with, and let you connect with them on LinkedIn.

Weiner expects LinkedIn to have its “mobile moment” with more than 50 percent of visits from mobile next year.

Some countries have already had that moment. Singapore is over 50 percent, and Australia is fast approaching at 45 percent.

For reference, YouTube announced that 40 percent of usage now comes from mobile, while Twitter sees 70 percent of ad revenue from mobile and Facebook sees 41 percent of ad revenue from mobile. It’s important to note that LinkedIn isn’t saying 38 percent of traffic is from mobile, as web users may spend more time per session browsing its professional graph.

Screen Shot 2013-10-23 at 17.37.31

The company now has 3 million businesses and over a quarter-billion professionals with LinkedIn profiles. Though its profiles for schools and universities only launched six weeks ago, there are now 1,500 education outlet profiles on LinkedIn.

Those are just the first steps. “Our vision today is to develop the world’s first economic graph…[which will] map the global economy and and every economic opportunity in the world, either part-time or full-time,” Weiner says.

LinkedIn doesn’t just want to know where you’ve worked. It wants to know what’s the next job opening you’ll fill.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/uU5bGB6Z8ZI/
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Galaxy Gear compatibility comes to the Samsung Galaxy S4, S3, Note 2 and more

If you wanted live out your Inspector Gadget fantasies, but lacked the Galaxy Note 3 needed to take full advantage of the possibilities, we've got good news. Samsung's bringing compatibility for its Galaxy Gear to the previously-mentioned Galaxy S4 as well as the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II ...

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/RCzubZ6f1LI/
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