Severe Antarctic weather slows Australian icebreaker bid to reach stranded ship

SYDNEY - Severe Antarctic weather was slowing an Australian icebreaker's bid to reach a Russian ship trapped in ice since Christmas eve with 74 people onboard, the Australian maritime rescue agency said on Monday.

The Aurora Australis was currently about 11 nautical miles (20 kms) from the stranded Russian ship Akademik Shokalskiy, said the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), which is co-ordinating the rescue.

"The area is currently experiencing snow showers, resulting in poor visibility. The Aurora Australis is travelling slowly due to the conditions to ensure the safety of all on board," AMSA said in a statement.

AMSA had earlier expected the Aurora Australis to arrive at the scene Sunday evening.

"It is unknown at this time if or when the Aurora Australis will arrive near the Akademik Shokalskiy due to weather and ice conditions," the agency said.

The Russian ship left New Zealand on Nov. 28 on a private expedition to commemorate the 100th anniversary of an Antarctic journey led by famed Australian explorer Douglas Mawson.

It is now trapped some 100 nautical miles (185 km) east of French Antarctic station Dumont D'Urville and about 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km) nautical miles south of Australia's southern island state of Tasmania.

The Akademik Shokalskiy's 74 passengers include scientists and tourists, many of them Australian, and what the Russian Foreign Ministry said were 22 Russian crew members.

Chris Turney, an Australian professor who helped organize the voyage on the Russian ship, posted photos of passengers on board, including one of a passenger and a penguin.

"Set up tent on top deck. All well. Aurora making good progress. Waiting game!" Turney said on his twitter on Monday morning.

Ice that has trapped the ship appeared to be cracking up, raising hopes for a rescue, Turney said earlier.

The Australian icebreaker was one of the three vessels sent to try and free the Russian ship.

A Chinese icebreaker, the Snow Dragon, has been halted by thick ice within sight of the ice-bound ship, while another French-flagged ship was no longer involved in the rescue.

The Chinese Snow Dragon would remain on standby until the Aurora Australis reaches the Russian ship, AMSA said earlier.

The Snow Dragon has a helicopter on board that can be used to rescue passengers if the Aurora Australis can not break through the ice, the agency said. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Israel hits back after rockets fired from Lebanon

MARJAYOUN - The Israeli military fired a barrage of shells into southern Lebanon in retaliation on Sunday after Katyusha-style rockets slammed into the Jewish state, officials said.

The exchange of fire hit uninhabited areas of both Israel and Lebanon without causing casualties or damage, officials on both sides said.

The Israeli government accused the powerful Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah of being responsible for the rocket fire and threatened an even tougher response to any further attacks.

The UN peacekeeping force in south Lebanon (UNIFIL) said two rockets fired from the El Khiam area had struck open ground near the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona.

The Israeli army responded with 32 rounds of artillery fire directed at the area from where the rockets originated, it said.

Tension has spiked on the border between the two countries since Lebanese troops gunned down an Israeli soldier driving near the frontier on December 16.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of being involved in the rocket fire.

"Hezbollah deploys thousands of rockets and missiles among the civilian population. So it is committing a double war crime under the patronage of the Lebanese government and its army, who do nothing," he said.

Netanyahu's defense minister warned Beirut that tougher reprisals could follow.

"We will not tolerate fire from Lebanon on our territory... We consider the Lebanese government and army responsible for this morning's fire," Moshe Yaalon said.

"The Israeli army responded by firing a large number of shells at the area from where the rockets were fired. If necessary, it will be even tougher," he added.

UNIFIL commander Major General Paolo Serra called on both sides to "exercise maximum restraint".

"This is a very serious incident... and is clearly directed at undermining stability in the area," he said.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon echoed the call for calm.

"The secretary general urges all actors to exercise maximum restraint and prevent further incidents with destabilizing and escalatory potential in the region," his spokesman said.

Lebanese troops and UNIFIL peacekeepers were carrying out patrols in the area after the exchange of fire, an AFP correspondent reported.

The Lebanese army said it had found four rocket launchers.

Israel's border with Lebanon has been largely quiet since the 2006 war with Hezbollah.

The last time a soldier was killed on the frontier was in August 2010, when two Lebanese soldiers and a journalist also died.

In August, four Israeli soldiers were wounded by an explosion some 400 meters (yards) inside Lebanese territory, in a blast claimed by Hezbollah.

Earlier this month, Hezbollah said one of its top leaders was killed near Beirut and blamed Israel for his murder, a charge denied by Israel, which warned against any retaliation.

UN peacekeepers were deployed along the border following the 34-day war in 2006 which killed some 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers. — Agence France-Presse

source: gmanetwork.com

12-year-old cancer patient designs crystal panel for NYC’s New Year’s Eve Ball

NEW YORK — Electricians working atop a New York City skyscraper on Friday installed the last of the 2,688 crystal triangles that give the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball its shimmer, including a panel dreamt up by Coraliz, a 12-year-old former cancer patient at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Each year, the intricate Waterford crystals that make up the skin of the huge orb are replaced with new pieces of glass.

This year's design features a kaleidoscopic pattern that will refract light in a splash of 16 million colors as the ball drops down a flagpole at the stroke of midnight. The ball is lit from within by 32,256 powerful diodes.


It takes Waterford craftsmen about a year to make the crystals used in the ball, Curtis said.

Bolting them onto the ball's metal frame takes two weeks. — Associated Press

source: gmanetwork.com

Android trojan steals banking data, targets Korean users

A new Android Trojan that steals banking data is making the rounds online and is presently targeting Korean users, a security vendor reported this week.

MalwareBytes said the Trojan disguises itself as the Google Play Store app, then replace legitimate banking apps and capture user data.

"This particular one disguises itself as the Google Play Store app and will run as a service in the background to monitor events. This enables it to capture incoming SMS, monitor installed apps and communicate with a remote server," it said in a blog post.

It added this appears to be the latest variant of Android banking Trojans that previously targeted European and Brazilian banks.

MalwareBytes said malware authors appear to be expanding into other markets, "since Android is very popular worldwide."

An investigation showed the Trojan will contain the exact Package Name and look very similar to the legitimate app, "but contains malicious code with no banking functionality."

It will "capture the infected users banking information and other useful data that will generate revenue for them," it added.

MalwareBytes advised users to "stick to reputable markets for your apps and be wary of downloading apps from file shares, especially if one is available in the Play Store." — KDM, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

23 killed in fire on train in southern India – minister

NEW DELHI — A fire on an overnight train killed at least 23 people Saturday in southern India as it ripped through a carriage packed with sleeping passengers, officials said.

Railways Minister Mallikarjun Kharge told AFP that the blaze was believed to have been caused by a faulty air-conditioning system on one of the coaches which caught fire around 3:30am as it travelled from Bangalore to Nanded.

Television reports said that some of the passengers had leapt out of the carriage in a bid to save themselves but others were overcome by the thick fumes. Two of those who died were children, the reports added.

The tragedy comes little over a year after another train in the same state of Andhra Pradesh killed 32 people and once again shines the spotlight on the Indian rail network's woeful safety record.

"Twenty-three people have died and we have eight injured," Kharge confirmed to AFP, five of whom were being treated in a nearby hospital.

He said that a team of investigators who had been sent to the site of the disaster, around an hour outside the city of Nanded, had reported that the fire was "because of an electrical short circuit".

A more detailed report would be compiled later, he added.

"An inquiry has been instituted under the chairmanship of the railway board," said Kharge.

The local police chief confirmed to AFP that there had been fatalities and that rescue operations were under way but would not give a number of the dead.

Speaking to The Hindu newspaper from the scene of the fire, a local police inspector said that the driver had stopped the train when he saw flames around an hour from its destination.

"The fire is being doused. The bodies will be brought out once the smoke subsides a little," Railway Police Inspector Sai Prassad, who was overseeing the rescue effort, told the newspaper's website.

"We are expecting at least 23 casualties although the exact figure can be given only after the rescue operation is over," he added.

A total of 67 people were traveling in the carriage, said the minister.

The carriage had been completely gutted by the fire and adjacent coaches also bore scorch marks, video footage from the scene showed.

In a statement on his official Twitter account, Prime Minister Manmohan Sigh expressed his "shock and grief at the loss of life in the train accident in Andhra Pradesh".

"PM directs railway and state government authorities to extend all possible help to the victims in rescue and relief operations," the statement added.

The railways ministry has set up a special hotline for families to see if relatives have been caught up in the tragedy and an initial compensation package has been unveiled worth around 500,000 rupees ($8,000) per family.

India's accident-prone rail network is still the main form of long-distance travel in the huge country despite fierce competition from private airlines.

Thirty-two people were also killed in Andhra Pradesh in July last year on an express train carrying sleeping passengers to the southern city of Chennai.

India's worst rail accident was in 1981 when a train plunged into a river in the eastern state of Bihar, killing an estimated 800 people. — Agence France-Presse

source: gmanetwork.com

How to cure hangover? Eat fruits, vegetables, dietician says

Does drinking coffee or eating fatty food cure a hangover?

A dietician, in a "Balitanghali" report, said that these cures were myths. The best way to cure a hangover was to detoxify by eating fruits and vegetables.



"Pwede tayong mag-take ng high fiber fruits and vegetables, i-juice for cleansing at ma-detoxify," said Cecil Torres, a registered nurse and dietician.

Torres said that drinking coffee would only cause dehydration, and thus worsen the effects of a hangover (headache, nausea and body pain).

Eating fatty food, meanwhile, would only increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, constipation and diarrhea.

"One bottle of beer is 100 calories, para ka na ring kumain ng kalahating tasa ng kanin. Same with wine and hard drinks," Torres said.

Drinking a good amount of water and sleeping for six to eight hours were also among the effective ways to treat a hangover, she added.

But the best and smartest way to avoid a hangover? "Drink moderately," the dietician said. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab/DVM, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

Snowden warns of loss of privacy in Christmas message

LONDON - Former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, who revealed details of electronic surveillance by American and British spy services, warned of the dangers posed by a loss of privacy in a message broadcast to Britain on Christmas Day.

In a two-minute video recorded in Moscow, where Snowden has been granted temporary asylum, he spoke of concerns over surveillance in an age of huge technological advancement.

"We have sensors in our pockets that track us everywhere we go. Think about what this means for the privacy of the average person."

"A child born today will grow up with no conception of privacy at all," said Snowden. "They'll never know what it means to have a private moment to themselves, an unrecorded, unanalyzed thought. And that's a problem because privacy matters, privacy is what allows us to determine who we are and who we want to be."

The "Alternative Christmas Message", broadcast annually on Britain's Channel 4 television since 1993, mimics the format of the yearly address to the nation by Queen Elizabeth.

Previous participants have included then President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2008 and popular cartoon characters Marge and Lisa Simpson in 2004.

On Tuesday, Snowden - who disclosed thousands of confidential documents - said in an interview published in the Washington Post that he had achieved what he set out to do.

"For me, in terms of personal satisfaction, the mission's already accomplished," he said.

Snowden left his NSA post in Hawaii in May and went public with his first revelations from Hong Kong a few weeks later.

In June, he left for Russia and stayed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport for nearly six weeks until the Kremlin granted him temporary one-year asylum.

The United States has revoked his passport and demanded he be sent home to face charges for stealing secrets.

Earlier this month there were signs of thawing attitudes when Richard Ledgett - a top NSA official who leads a task force at the agency responding to the leaks - left open the option for Snowden to return to the United States in an amnesty.

"It's worth having a conversation about," he told CBS.

"I would need assurances that the remainder of the data could be secured and my bar for those assurances would be very high," Ledgett said. Senior officials in the Obama administration remain opposed to such a move.

Last week a White House-appointed panel proposed curbs on some key NSA surveillance operations, recommending limits on a program to collect records of billions of telephone calls, and new tests before Washington spies on foreign leaders.

"The conversation occurring today will determine the amount of trust we can place both in the technology that surrounds us and the government that regulates it," Snowden said in the Christmas address.

"Together we can find a better balance, end mass surveillance and remind the government that if it really wants to know how we feel, asking is always cheaper than spying." — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Many with diabetes unaware of vision loss – US researchers

NEW YORK - Less than half of people with diabetes-related eye disease in the US have been told about it, which means they're also missing out on treatment that could save their sight, researchers say.

In US surveys of adults with diabetic macular edema—a condition that can ultimately lead to blindness—just 45 percent of respondents said they had been informed by their doctor that diabetes had affected their eyes. Nearly 30 percent already had vision loss in the affected eye.

It's important to catch the signs of diabetic macular edema (DME) early because it can be treated, Dr. Neil M. Bressler said. He led the study at the Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Hospital in Baltimore.

Diabetes commonly causes DME, which is a thickening of the eye's retina. That change can be detected in an eye exam that includes dilation of the pupils. Left untreated, DME is likely to cause progressive vision loss.

Degeneration of the retina in people with diabetes, known as diabetic retinopathy—which is often caused by DME—is the leading cause of blindness in the US, Bressler and his colleagues write in the journal JAMA Opthalmology.

Many U.S. medical authorities recommend annual eye checks for diabetics to monitor early signs of vision problems, but many people with diabetes do not get the proper type or frequency of eye care.

The survey data Bressler's team used included patient questionnaires and physical examinations, so people with vision loss could be identified even if they themselves were unaware of the changes in their sight.

The researchers considered a subset of 800 people from the survey who reported having diabetes, which affects 25.8 million people in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Of the 800 self-reported diabetics, the physical exam confirmed that 238 had diabetic retinopathy without DME and 48 had DME.

Some 60 percent of those with DME said they had undergone an eye exam with pupil dilation within the past year. But only 45 percent said their doctor told them about the changes in their eyes.

Physician and patient behavior seem not to have changed in recent years, despite wonderful new achievements in potential treatments for diabetic eye problems, Dr. Lee Jampol told Reuters Health.

A professor of ophthalmology who studies diabetes and vision at Northwestern University in Chicago, Jampol was not involved with the new estimate.

"This study is very important as it shows that many diabetics are not aware of potential or actual real risk to their eyesight from diabetic retinopathy," Jampol said.

Physicians and patients need to be more aware of the vision risks involved in diabetes and insist on yearly visits to the ophthalmologist, he said.

Treatment for DMA "typically involves injections of biologics into the middle cavity of the eye that in most cases cause resolution of the swelling with prevention of vision loss in about 90 to 95 percent of cases, and improvement in vision in about 50 percent of cases when the edema involves the center of the retina and is causing vision impairment," Bressler said.

Patients tend to need about nine injections in the first year with a couple of additional shots over the next two years, and may require laser surgery as well, which can cause the price to vary quite a bit, he said.

"Everyone with diabetes should be referred to an appropriate health care provider who can evaluate the retina for DME or diabetic retinopathy, even in the absence of symptoms, periodically, so that complications which can be treated to prevent vision impairment and blindness can be done," Bressler said. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Tourists, pilgrims throng Bethlehem for Christmas

BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Thousands of Christian pilgrims from around the world packed the West Bank town of Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations on Tuesday, bringing warm holiday cheer to the biblical birthplace of Jesus on a cool, clear night.

The heavy turnout, its highest in years, helped lift spirits in Bethlehem as leaders expressed hope that the coming year would finally bring the Palestinians an independent state of their own.

"The message of Christmas is a message of peace, love and brotherhood. We have to be brothers with each other," said Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, the top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, as he arrived in town.

Excited tourists milled about the town's Manger Square, stopping in restaurants and souvenir shops and admiring a large, illuminated Christmas Tree. Marching bands and scout troops performed for the visitors in the streets, and on a stage next to the tree.

Will Green of New York City, along with his wife, Debbie, and their 2-year-old daughter Daphne were among the crowds of people who greeted Twal's motorcade as he entered town from nearby Jerusalem.

Green said that being in Bethlehem for Christmas was a dream come true. "All the stories that we grew up with. It's here. It's part of our life. We heard them in the family, school and church. This is the birthplace," he said.

Green slowly pushed a stroller and his wife held their daughter as they followed a crowd toward the Church of the Nativity, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was born.

Palestinian dignitaries greeted Twal at the entrance of Bethlehem. His motorcade crawled through the town's narrow streets as he stopped to shake hands and greet the throngs of visitors. It took him nearly 90 minutes to make the short trip to celebrate Midnight Mass at the Church of the Nativity compound.

Hundreds of people packed the compound for the service. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh were among the dignitaries in attendance.

In his homily, Twal addressed Abbas, telling the president he prays for a "just and equitable solution" for the Palestinians. Twal, himself a Palestinian, also expressed sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians, particularly families with relatives imprisoned by Israel or those who have suffered as a result of the conflict with Israel.

"The world is living through a long night of wars, destruction, fear, hate, racism and, at the present time, cold and snow," he said. Lamenting strife in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, he also urged worshippers "not to forget our own problems here: the prisoners and their families who hope for their release, the poor who have lost their land and their homes demolished, families waiting to be reunited, those out of work and all who suffer from the economic crisis."

Yet Twal called on people not to despair. "We are invited to be optimistic and to renew our faith that this land, home of the three monotheistic religions, will one day become a haven of peace for all people," he said.

"Oh Holy Child, God of goodness and mercy, look with kindness on the Holy Land and on our people who live in Palestine, in Israel, in Jordan and all the Middle East. Grant them the gift of reconciliation so that they may all be brothers — sons of one God," he said.

The number of visitors to Bethlehem remained below the record levels of the late 1990s, when Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts were at their height.

Following a Palestinian uprising that began in 2000, the numbers plunged. But thanks to a period of relative calm, they have been steadily climbing in recent years -- and got an extra push this year thanks to the resumption of peace talks.

"Our message is a message of justice and peace," said Palestinian Tourism Minister Rula Maayah. "We Palestinians are seeking peace and we deserve to have peace and our children deserve to live in peace."

Maayah said the number of visitors to Bethlehem was expected to jump by about 14 percent from last year.

A spokesman said 10,000 foreign visitors had entered town by the early evening, slightly higher than last year. Israel's Tourism Ministry, which coordinates the visits with the Palestinians, said the number could reach 25,000 during the holiday season.

Despite the Christmas cheer, Mideast politics loomed in the background. In order to enter Bethlehem, Twal's motorcade had to cross through the hulking concrete separation barrier that Israel built during the uprising. Israel says the barrier is needed to keep attackers from entering nearby Jerusalem, but Palestinians say the structure has stifled the town and stolen their land.

Maayah said that the barrier, along with nearby Israeli settlements and Israeli control of archaeological sites in the West Bank, has made it difficult to develop the tourism sector.

In addition, few Palestinians seem to think that the current round of peace talks will bear fruit. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry relaunched the talks last summer, but there have been no signs of progress.

Israel carried out a series of airstrikes and other attacks Tuesday in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the deadly shooting of an Israeli civilian who had been working along the border. The fighting, which left a 3-year-old Palestinian girl dead, was the heaviest in more than a year.

Christmas also serves as a reminder of the dwindling numbers of Christians who live in the Holy Land. Over the decades, tens of thousands of Christians have left, fleeing violence or in search of better opportunities overseas. Christians now make up a tiny percentage of the population.

Bethlehem is now only one-third Christian, with most residents Muslim. In an annual gesture, Israel permitted some 500 members of Gaza's small Christian community to leave the Hamas-ruled territory and cross through Israel to attend the celebrations in Bethlehem.

But for one night at least, residents and visitors brushed aside their troubles to celebrate the holiday.

Nick Parker, a student from Georgia Tech University, said he was enjoying the food and making friends with local residents and fellow travelers.

"It's special to be here where Jesus was born," he said. "It's a special opportunity, once in a lifetime." — AP

source: gmanetwork.com

Google goes non-denomational in its Christmas Eve Doodle

Google on Tuesday marked Christmas Eve with one of its patented doodles, but made its greeting a non-denominational one.

Visitors to Google's home page (www.google.com) were greeted with the doodle of a horse pulling a sleigh in winter, along with the word "GOOGLE."

Hovering the pointer over the doodle will reveal the greeting, "Happy Holidays from Google," and clicking on it will take the visitor to a search results page for "Happy Holidays."

A separate article on The Independent said the doodle marks a "non-religious" Dec. 24 and avoids any mention of the word Christmas.

Rare Global Doodle

The Independent added the doodle is a "relatively rare" global doodle, which will be seen worldwide on Dec. 24.

"By linking the day to the phrase 'Happy holidays,' Google gives a nod to a worldwide debate – how important a part of Christmas is Christianity?" it added.

But it added that while the world settles down to enjoy the holidays, Google hopes everyone "can take comfort in its all-encompassing, nondenominational greeting." — TJD, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

'Fast & Furious 7' pushed back to 2015, will include late actor

NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES - The release of "Fast & Furious 7," the big-budget action film that was shut down in November after the death of actor Paul Walker in a car crash, has been pushed back nine months to April 2015, Universal Pictures said on Monday.

Walker, who died in a fiery one-car crash at the age of 40 on Nov. 30, will appear in the film, Universal said.

The "Fast & Furious" film series, which has grossed more than $2 billion at the global box office and helped turn around the fortunes of Comcast Corp-owned Universal, was originally slated to be released on July 11, 2014, in the summer movie-going season.

The seventh installment of the popular series about illegal street racing, crime and heists will be released on April 10, 2015, Universal said in a statement. It said that series star Vin Diesel and the late Walker would "lead the returning cast."

Diesel, also one of the producers, first announced the new release date on Facebook on Sunday.

Walker, who became a symbol of car racing and car culture in his role as law enforcement officer Brian O'Conner in the "Fast & Furious" series, was a passenger in a red Porsche Carrera GT sports car that crashed on Nov. 30 in Santa Clarita, Calif. about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

The car careened off of a street, struck a utility pole and burst into flames, also killing driver Roger Rodas. Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the accident but have said that speed probably played a role.

Production on "Fast 7" was on a break at the time for the Thanksgiving holiday and it was not clear how many of Walker's scenes had been filmed.

Production was suspended days after the crash and Universal has not said when filming will resume.  — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Pope pays pre-Christmas visit to children in Rome hospital

ROME - Pope Francis on Saturday paid a pre-Christmas visit to dozens of children at a Catholic pediatric hospital in Rome, observing a decades-old papal tradition.

Stopping in the hospital's chapel, the pope was given a basket containing handwritten messages from the children.

"Thank you for your dreams and prayers that you have put in this basket," the pope said, according to a Vatican statement. "Let's entrust them together to the Lord, who knows them more than anyone."

Heading into the various wards during the visit of nearly three hours, the 77-year-old pontiff waved away photographers, saying: "I'm here for the patients."

The Vatican-owned hospital, Bambino Gesu (Baby Jesus), is Europe's largest pediatric research center, with a staff of 2,600 serving some 27,000 patients each year.

Pope John XXIII began the tradition of papal visits to Bambino Gesu at Christmastime in 1958. — Agence France-Presse

source: gmanetwork.com

Robots to the rescue at international trials in Florida

HOMESTEAD - As a squat, red-and-black robot nicknamed CHIMP gingerly pushed open a spring-loaded door a gust of wind swooped down onto the track at the Homestead-Miami Speedway and slammed the door shut, eliciting a collective sigh of disappointment from the audience.

The robot, developed by the Tartan Rescue team from the National Robotics Engineering Center at Carnegie Mellon University, is one of 17 competing in the U.S. military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Robotics Challenge.

The agency, which funded basic science research for now commonplace technologies like the Internet and global positioning satellites, hopes the competition will spur the development of robots that can work in places too dangerous for humans.

The challenge was launched in 2011 in response to the meltdown of Japan's Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant after it was hit by a massive earthquake-spawned tsunami. Nearly 160,000 people were forced to flee the area.

The backup power systems needed to cool plant's reactors failed and an emergency team from Tokyo Electric Power Company was unable to enter the damaged reactor building due to the intense radiation.

DARPA sent robots designed to disarm improvised explosive devices in Iraq to Japan, yet by the time workers were trained to use them it was too late to prevent a nuclear meltdown.

"What we realized was ... these robots couldn't do anything other than observe," said Gill Pratt, program manager for the DARPA Robotics Challenge. "What they needed was a robot to go into that reactor building and shut off the valves."

Hydrogen continued building in the days that followed, fueling a massive explosion.

During the two-day trials at a south Florida professional race car track, the platoon of robots faced obstacles designed to mimic the challenges following a disaster. Robots had to cut through a reinforced concrete wall, navigate debris-strewn terrain and locate and turn off leaking valves. Officials from DARPA also disrupted the link between robots and their operators, further simulating a disaster.

The eight teams with the highest scores will be awarded $1 million in funding to prepare for the final round in late 2014, where a winner will take $2 million.

While Carnegie-Mellon's CHIMP eventually opened the door, leading the field on Saturday was a two-legged robot from Japan's team SCHAFT.

Successes in the challenges are about as common as failures. Many robots tumbled off an industrial ladder designed to test sight and balance.

"Murphy's law is very big in robotics," said Daniel Lee, a robotics professor at the University of Pennsylvania and program director for Team THOR, an agile, human-form robot, whose acronym stands for Tactical Hazardous Operations Robot. "It's very difficult to account for all of the uncertainties that you're going to face," he said.

A handful of teams, including ones from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Lockheed Martin, used a six-foot-two-inch, 330-pound humanoid robot named Atlas that DARPA contracted from Boston Dynamics, a company that was spun out of MIT in 1992 and recently acquired by Google.

A team from NASA's Johnson Space Center competed with a robot called Valkyrie covered in white plastic and vinyl, looking like a human wearing a robot suit.

Some robots looked highly mechanized, while others had four legs and resembled a dog.

"The goal is to make it comfortable for people to work with and to touch," said Christopher McQuin, NASA's chief engineer for hardware development.

After the final round next year Pratt said there are plans for another robotics challenge, possibly to be hosted in Japan.

For the next advance in robotics, he said, "the amount of intelligence inside the robots needs to be able to handle small tasks."

"We don't want to burden human operators with saying put your foot here, put your other foot here, put your hand there," he added. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Birthday boy Muniain helps Bilbao into King's Cup last 16

MADRID - Iker Muniain celebrated his 21st birthday with two goals in a 4-0 win for Athletic Bilbao at home to Celta Vigo on Thursday (Friday, PHL time) that sent the Basque club through to the last 16 of the King's Cup 4-1 on aggregate.

A Muniain goal in each half and strikes from Markel Susaeta and Aritz Aduriz at a rain-lashed San Mames set up a meeting with Real Betis in the next round.

"Although the result suggests it was an easy match it required a huge amount of effort," Aduriz told Canal Plus television.

“The important thing now is to rest and prepare for Sunday's La Liga match at home to Rayo Vallecano so that the squad could sign off for the winter break with another win,” said Aduriz.

Bilbao, which has won the second-most King's Cup trophies (23) after record winners Barcelona (26), were joined in the last 16 by Valencia, Rayo and Espanyol.

Valencia scraped past Gimnastic when they beat the third tier side, who held them to a 0-0 draw in the first leg, 1-0 at the Mestalla stadium.

Still without a coach after Monday's sacking of Miroslav Djukic, Valencia will play holders Atletico Madrid for a place in the quarterfinals.

Rayo and Real Valladolid were also goalless in their first leg before the former won the return in Madrid 3-1. Espanyol beat second division Real Jaen 2-0 for a 4-2 aggregate triumph.

The remaining last-16 ties are Barca v Getafe, Real Madrid v Osasuna, Real Sociedad v Villarreal, Rayo v Levante, Espanyol v Alcorcon and Almeria v Racing Santander.

Second division Alcorcon, which knocked out Granada, and third tier Santander, who eliminated Sevilla, are the only non-La Liga sides left in the competition.

Barca look to have an easier path to the final, with Real Madrid and Atletico on the other side of the draw and on course to meet in the last four.

The last-16 ties and the quarterfinals are in January, the semifinals in February and the final is at a yet-to-be-determined venue on April 19. - Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Can WiFi kill your house plants?

Don't look now, but your seemingly harmless wireless router could be slowly killing your houseplants, an experiment by high school students in Denmark has suggested.

The students' biology experiment used 400 cress seeds and exposed half of them to sunlight, and half to mobile phone radiation.

“We all thought we experienced concentration problems in school if we slept with our mobile phones at the bedside, and sometimes we also found it difficult sleeping,” said Lea Nielsen, one of the five researchers.

Following the experiment, the five girls from North Jutland no longer sleep with their mobile phones at their bedsides.

“None of us sleep with our mobile phones at our bedside any more. Either we keep them at a distance or in another room. And we always turn off the computer,” she said.

In the experiment, the students took 400 seeds and placed them in 12 trays in two rooms at the same temperature, six in each room.

The seeds were given the same amount of water and sunlight over 12 days, but six of the trays were exposed to mobile phone radiation.

After the 12 days, the girls observed and took photos of the seeds: those exposed to radiation from the WiFi routers did not grow, and some even died.

“It’s really frightening that there was such a big effect, and we were really struck by the results,” said Nielsen.

With their experiment, the girls earned a place in the final of the “Young Researchers” competition.

Not only that: researchers from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Sweden have shown great interest in the project.

"Within the limitations of their understanding and ability, the girls have carried out and documented a very elegant piece of work. The wealth of detail and precision is exemplary, the choice of the right cress is very intelligent, and I could go on," said Professor Olle Johanson of Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm.

Tested twice

A separate article on The Daily Dot quoted teacher Kim Horsevad as saying her students did the test twice with the same results.

“Some of the local debate has been whether the effects were due the cress seeds drying up because of heat from the computers or Access Points used in the experiment, which is a suggestion I can thoroughly refute,” Horsevad said.

But she said the students were "painstakingly careful in keeping the conditions for both groups similar."

The Daily Dot also said the students were awarded for their experiment at the Danish national science fair. — TJD, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

Candy Crush, Gravity, Despicable me top 2013 app store charts

What do Candy Crush Saga, Gravity and Despicable Me 2 have in common?

All of them are chart-toppers on Apple's iTunes and App Store for 2013, tech site Slashgear reported on Tuesday.

"Not surprisingly, 'Candy Crush' topped the free iPhone apps chart, beating out Google’s YouTube app and similar, while Macklemore makes a double appearance on the music charts, Gravity trumps all other movies, and Happy Tree Friends takes top slot in the podcast category," Slashgear said.

Duolingo was the iPhone app of the year while Ridiculous Fishing: A Tale of Redemption was the game of the year, Slashgear said.

For the iPad, BADLAND was the game of the year while Disney Animated was the app of the year.

By category, Candy Crush was the top free iPhone and iPad app, and was also the top paid iPad app.

Minecraft was the top-slot paid app for the iPhone, while those in the Top 10 included Temple Run 2, Netflix, Apple’s iBooks, Facebook, Google Maps, YouTube, and Pandora.

Media segments

Gravity was the year's best movie, while Despicable Me 2 was the best animated movie.

But Skyfall was the best-selling movie, while the list also included Wreck-it-Ralph, Argo, and Star Trek: Into Darkness.

For TV shows, Breaking Bad: The Final Season came out on top, while the third season of Scandal was the best breakthrough.

"(T)he first season of Orphan Black was the best discovery, and the fourth season of Duck Dynasty was the best reality TV show of 2013," Slashgear said.

Music

Macklemore's album The Heist was the album of the year, while “The 20/20 Experience, Justin Timberlake” made Timberlake artist of the year.

Lord’s “Royals” was the song of the year, while “Good Kid, M.A.A.D.” was 2013's breakthrough album.

Books, podcasts

For books, Tenth of December by George Saunders was the best fiction of the year, while One Summer by Bill Bryson topped the nonfiction distinction list.

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson topped the young adult category, and Breaking Bad bagged the best “Made for iBooks” category. — TJD, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

Apple fixes mail issues in OS X Mavericks update

Apple Inc. has rolled out an update for its new free operating system OS X Mavericks, addressing many issues in its Mail app.

Tech site The Next Web said OS X Mavericks 10.9.1 includes improved support for Gmail in OS X Mail, along with fixes for user with custom Gmail settings.

Many users had complained of issues in the Mail app in the first version of OS X Mavericks, which Apple had made free for download earlier this year.

"Shortly after Mavericks arrived in October, users reported compatibility issues between their Gmail service and Mail. Apple released an update to the app in early November," The Next Web noted.

It also said the update also improves the reliability of Smart Mailboxes and search in Mail, and fixes an issue that prevented contact groups from working properly in Mail.

Also, the update addresses another issue that prevented contact groups from working properly in Mail.

The update resolves an issue that prevented VoiceOver from speaking sentences with emoji, and updates Shared Links periodical when open in the Safari Sidebar, it added.

Retina Macbook

Meanwhile, a separate update is available for Apple Retina MacBook Pro laptops, with “system specific enhancements” that The Next Web said are "focused on stability and compatibility." — TJD, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

Upbeat data, deals lift Wall Street

NEW YORK - U.S. stocks rose on Monday after closing Friday their worst week since August as upbeat economic data from the United States and Europe boosted optimism ahead of a key Federal Reserve decision later in the week.

Investors have been trying to gauge when the U.S. central bank will start winding down its market-friendly $85 billion monthly bond purchases, with some expecting the Fed to announce a tapering in March.

Stronger economic data of late, including Monday's numbers showing U.S. manufacturing output rose for a fourth straight month in November and last month's payroll report, led some to believe the tapering could come as soon as the Fed's meeting this week.


The Fed has said it will slow the program when certain economic indicators meet its growth targets.

Global manufacturing and business activity expanded in December, as euro zone businesses ended the year on a high thanks to a surge in new orders, though the rate of manufacturing growth slowed in China.

"There are signs of growth here in U.S. is being emulated elsewhere, the recovery is in relatively good footing worldwide and the Fed's decision to eventually start to taper is positive in the long run," said Peter Jankovskis, co-chief investment officer at OakBrook Investments in Lisle, Illinois.

"The market is waiting to see what the Fed is going to decide to do," he said. "Bottom line, the economy continues to show signs of strength and eventually the market will react positively to that."

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 129.21 points or 0.82 percent, to 15,884.57, the S&P 500 gained 11.22 points or 0.63 percent, to 1,786.54 and the Nasdaq Composite added 28.542 points or 0.71 percent, to 4,029.518.

LSI Corp was the best performer on the S&P 500 after Avago Technologies agreed to buy LSI for $6.6 billion. LSI shares jumped 38.6 percent to $10.96 and Avago added 9.7 percent to $50.10.

In other deal news, AIG Inc rose 1.1 percent to $50.28 after it said it would sell its aircraft-leasing business to AerCap Holdings NV in a deal valued at about $5.4 billion. AerCap surged 33.1 percent to $33.17.

Exxon Mobil led points gains on the S&P 500 after Goldman Sachs raised its rating on the stock to "buy" from "neutral," saying the company was nearing a turning point in terms of production growth and capital intensity. Shares added 2 percent to $97.22.

IBM's 2.9 percent gain to $177.85 made it the top percentage and points gainer on the Dow industrials.

Shares of Herbalife Ltd jumped 9.4 percent to $74.83 after the company announced there were no material changes to its financial re-audit.

Boeing shares rose 1.7 percent in after-hours trading after it said it approved a $10 billion stock repurchase and raised its dividend 50 percent to 73 cents per share.

Advancers beat decliners on the NYSE by a ratio of 2 to 1. On the Nasdaq, about 15 issues rose for every seven that fell.

About 6 billion shares changed hands on U.S. exchanges, slightly below the 6.1 billion average so far this month, according to data from BATS Global Markets.  — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Apps, other fitness gifts help exercisers heat it up and cool it down

NEW YORK - From sophisticated activity trackers and chest-mounted cameras to massage rollers and yoga toes, fitness experts say gifts for people trying to get in shape or stay that way include everything from high-tech toys to basic workout gear.

Marathoners, yoga instructors and other health and fitness pros say there is something for everyone hoping to rev up a workout, or trying to cool it down.

Apps: To boost or fine-tune cardio training, Dr. Mark Kelly, a California-based exercise physiologist, recommends interval training apps, such as Android's Stopwatch or Seconds Pro, which track recovery as well as exertion.

"You can list the exercise you are doing," said Kelly, CEO of Principle Centered Health, Inc., which specializes in fitness assessment and corporate wellness. "HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) formats often come pre-loaded."

Magazine subscriptions: For the tech-averse, Kelly said, a subscription to a health or fitness magazine will provide both a monthly exercise reminder and exposure to the latest workout trends.

Gadgets: "My big recommendation is one of the many popular motion sensors," said Shirley Archer, a Florida-based fitness and wellness expert.

Archer, author of the book "Fitness 9 to 5," has used several fitness bracelets that can track everything from steps walked to miles run or hours slept.

"They do a great job of raising awareness of how physically active a person genuinely is," she said.

Connecticut-based running coach Tom Holland believes a wearable camera, which sells for about $400, would be the ideal gift for serious runners seeking to record their races.

He said the GoPro Black Edition Camera, mounted on a chest harness strap, can record a run up the Empire State Building or through the Grand Canyon.

For the serious cyclist, Holland suggests a Tacx virtual reality cycle trainer, which ranges in price from $350 to $2,000.

"It's a bike trainer that allows you to ride any course in the world. Incredible technology," he said.

Florida-based fitness expert Suzanne Bowen said a good gift for yoga enthusiasts would be gel toe separators, which are designed to strengthen foot muscles, realign toe bones and improve tendon flexibility.

"They stretch your feet," said Bowen, creator of the "BarreAmped" DVDs. "Feet are the foundation of our structure, and we spend too many hours crammed into our shoes."

Basic fitness gifts: Gregory Chertok, a sports psychology consultant for the American College of Sports Medicine, favors basic fitness gifts.

"Simply, I love the hand grip," Chertok said. "It's not a high-tech device, but a strong grip will enhance performance on lots of strength and resistance training programs."

Most upper body exercises, he added, begin with gripping a weight or a barbell.

Dr. Michele Olson, professor of exercise physiology at Auburn University in Montgomery, Alabama, said a good pedometer is an ideal gift for anyone trying to get fit.

"Pedometers work," she said. "They give sort of neutral feedback and are simple and not overwhelming with technology."

Exercise wear: As a runner used to braving cold New England winters, Boston-based running coach Kelly Flynn said all-weather runners always appreciate light, warm layers of running wear and a good pair of socks.

Flynn, a coach for "Team In Training," the charity sports endurance program from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, also suggests giving The Stick, a massaging roller said to improve muscle circulation, flexibility, strength and endurance. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Mobile device users warned vs new dialer malware

Users of mobile phones were warned this week against a new family of malware that can defraud victims via premium rate SMS billing, without any action from the user.

Security vendor Lookout said the new malware, dubbed Mouabad, can also give third parties control over infected mobile devices.

"For the first time (as far as Lookout has seen), remote attackers can now make phone calls (possibly to premium-rate numbers) without user intervention. This represents a significant jump in functionality compared to more common premium-rate fraud that relies on SMS functionality," it said.

Lookout said the new variant, dubbed Mouabad.p, is "particularly sneaky and effective" in trying to avoid detection.

It said the new malware waits to make its calls until after the screen turns off and the lock screen activates.

The new malware can also end the calls it is making when it detects a user interacting with the device, such as unlocking it.

But for now, the malware can still be detected via call logs, which it cannot modify.

On the other hand, it lets remote attackers send SMS messages and control settings on premium SMS billing.

But Lookout noted the risk of infection from this new malware is low, at least for now.

Mouabad.p works only on devices running Android versions older than 3.1, it added.

It added its detection volumes of Mouabad.p are low and restricted primarily to Chinese-speaking regions.

"Since premium-rate SMS and telephone calls rely on country specific phone numbers Mouabad.p will not function outside of targeted countries so there is no incentive for the attackers controlling it to allow it to spread outside these regions," it added. — LBG, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

South Africa buries ‘greatest son’ Mandela

QUNU, South Africa - South Africa held a state funeral for Nelson Mandela on Sunday, closing one chapter in its tortured history and opening another in which the multi-racial democracy he founded will have to discover if it can thrive without its central pillar.

The Nobel peace laureate, who was held in apartheid prisons for 27 years before emerging to preach forgiveness and reconciliation, was honoured with ceremonies that mixed military pomp with the traditional rites of his Xhosa abaThembu clan.

The funeral drew 4,500 guests, from relatives and South African leaders to Britain's Prince Charles, American civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson and talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

"The person who is lying here is South Africa's greatest son," Cyril Ramaphosa, deputy leader of South Africa's ruling African National Congress party who was acting as one of the masters of ceremonies, said as the service got under way.

Fellow anti-apartheid veteran Archbishop Desmond Tutu was also among those who arrived shortly after dawn at a vast, domed tent erected in a field near Mandela's home, having resolved a last-minute mix-up over his invitation.

As Mandela's flag-draped coffin was borne from the house on a gun-carriage, a battery of cannons positioned on the hillside fired a 21-gun salute, sending booms echoing across the sun-drenched valley.

The coffin was followed into the huge tent, decked out inside in black, by Mandela's grandson and heir, Mandla, and South African President Jacob Zuma.

It was then placed on black and white Nguni cattle skins in front of a ring of 95 candles as the service started with a choir singing Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, the evocative national anthem adopted after the end of apartheid in 1994.

Mandela died in Johannesburg on Dec. 5 aged 95, plunging his 53 million countrymen and millions more around the world into mourning, and triggering more than a week of official memorials to the nation's first black president.

As many as 100,000 people paid their respects in person at his lying in state at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where he had been inaugurated as president, an event that brought the curtain down on more than three centuries of white domination.

When his body arrived on Saturday at his ancestral home in Qunu, 700 km (450 miles) south of Johannesburg, it was greeted by ululating locals overjoyed that Madiba, the clan name by which he was affectionately known, had "come home".

"After his long life and illness he can now rest," said grandmother Victoria Ntsingo, as military helicopters escorting the funeral cortege clattered overhead.

"His work is done."

"Don't call me"

Mandela served just one term as leader of Africa's biggest and most sophisticated economy, and formally withdrew from public life in 2004, famously telling reporters at the end of a farewell news conference: "Don't call me, I'll call you."

His last appearance in public was at the 2010 World Cup final in Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium, waving to fans from the back of a golf cart.

Yet such was his influence as the architect two decades ago of the historic reconciliation between blacks and whites that his passing has left a gaping hole in the heart of South Africa.

With an eye on elections in five months, the ruling ANC, the 101-year-old former liberation movement Mandela once led, has seized on his death as a chance to shore up popularity that is ebbing even in its black support base.

The strategy has not been without its risks, not least because it has highlighted the gulf in stature between South Africa's first black president and its fourth, the scandal-plagued Zuma.

It backfired spectacularly at a mass Mandela memorial at Soccer City on Tuesday when Zuma, under fire for a $21 million security upgrade to his private home, was booed and jeered in front of world leaders including US President Barack Obama.

But barring an upset next year, Zuma looks set for another five years in office, during which he will have to address an economy struggling to shake off a 2009 recession and the fragmentation of a vital ANC alliance forged with the unions in the common struggle against apartheid.

With unemployment at 25 percent and racial inequality still painfully evident - the average white household earns six times more than the average black one - pressure for radical economic transformation is only likely to increase.

Against that backdrop, the party is desperate for strong and decisive leaders to guide South Africa through the myriad complexities of the 21st century global economy and allowing it to claim what it believes is its rightful place at the world's top table.

Both inside and outside the party, there are doubts whether Zuma, a polygamous Zulu traditionalist with no formal education, is the right man for the job.

"We need to raise the level of leadership," former president Thabo Mbeki, who was unceremoniously ousted by Zuma as ANC leader six years ago, said in eulogies to Mandela last week.

"The transformation of South Africa is a very difficult task, I think in many respects more difficult than the struggle to end the system of apartheid." — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Batch of 59 rare Beatles songs to be released for sale

LONDON - Rare recordings of 59 songs by the Beatles will go on sale for the first time on Tuesday when Apple Records makes them available for download.

Apple, a label founded by the Beatles in 1968, said it would release a series of tracks from the early 1960s that were previously only available as bootleg recordings.

Among the songs to be released on iTunes are versions of "She Loves You", "A Taste of Honey" and "There's a Place", as well as outtakes, demos and live performances recorded for BBC radio.

A spokeswoman for Apple Records declined to explain the timing of the release or comment on speculation that it was aimed at extending copyright over the material.

In 2011, the European Union ruled that copyright over sound recordings should be extended from 50 to 70 years from next year, but only for recordings released before the 50-year term had expired.

The bulk of the Beatles tracks available for download from Tuesday were recorded for the BBC in 1963 but not released.

Others have already capitalized on the changes to EU legislation to maintain control over their back catalogues.

The legislation has been dubbed "Cliff's law" in Britain for the additional royalties it would provide for veteran rocker Cliff Richard, whose songs had been starting to fall out of copyright.

In late December last year, Sony Music released a compilation of Bob Dylan recordings from 1962 and 1963, giving away the reason for the move with a frank subtitle: "The Copyright Extension Collection, Vol. 1."

Sony only released 100 copies of the Bob Dylan recordings. It was not immediately clear whether Apple Records would limit downloads of the Beatles songs. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Obama marks Newtown school shooting anniversary with call for gun control

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama marked the anniversary of the Newtown school shootings on Saturday by calling for tighter gun control and expanded mental health care.

"We haven't yet done enough to make our communities and our country safer," the President said in his weekly address. "We have to do more to keep dangerous people from getting their hands on a gun so easily. We have to do more to heal troubled minds."

The President did not mention the shooting at a Colorado high school on Friday where a student armed with a shotgun wounded at least two classmates before apparently taking his own life. The president's address is recorded in advance.

Obama is due later Saturday to observe a moment of silence at the White House and light candles in memory of the 20 children and six school workers who died in a shooting at a Connecticut elementary school a year ago.

Legislation that would have extended background checks for gun sales made online and at gun shows and to ban rapid-firing "assault" weapons failed to clear the US Senate this year. Opponents argued it is essential to hold the line on protecting Americans' right to keep and bear arms guaranteed under the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

State legislatures have been more aggressive in enacting gun control legislation but those measures have faced some backlash.

Colorado passed gun control measures, but gun rights activists used recall elections to oust two state senators who backed them.

The White House has proposed spending $130 million to help teachers and other people who work with youth recognize the signs of mental illness and help people get treatment, but Congress has not yet allocated those funds.

So the administration will spend $50 million from its Health and Human Services budget to help community health centers hire more mental health professionals and provide more services and another $50 million from the Agriculture Department budget to improve mental health facilities in rural areas, the White House has said. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Beastie Boys fire back over toy company parody

OAKLAND, California — The Beastie Boys are firing back after an Oakland toy company sued them over a video parody of their song "Girls."

The two surviving members of the rap trio filed a lawsuit of their own Tuesday in Oakland federal court claiming toy company GoldieBlox unfairly used the popular song as a jingle to sell its products.

GoldieBlox filed the first lawsuit last month seeking a court order allowing it to use the online video parody. The video shows young girls singing about engineering. The company said it filed the lawsuit after the band threatened it with litigation over the parody.

The video has since been removed from YouTube.



GoldieBlox claims the parody wasn't used to sell its product and that it has done nothing illegal. —Associated Press

source: gmanetwork.com

Exercise helps women tolerate breast cancer drugs

SAN ANTONIO — Exercise might help women beat breast cancer. Researchers found it can ease the achy joints and muscle pain that lead many patients to quit taking medicines that treat the disease and lower the risk of a recurrence.

The study is the first major test of an exercise program for women on aromatase inhibitors. These estrogen-blocking pills, sold as Femara, Aromasin and other brands, are recommended for five years after initial breast cancer treatment for hormone-driven tumors, the most common type.

The pills also increasingly are being used to help prevent breast cancer in women at high risk of it because of family history, bad genes or other reasons. A separate study found that one of these medicines — anastrozole, sold as Arimidex and in generic form — cut this risk by 53 percent. It's the second aromatase inhibitor shown to lower risk that much.

Despite how effective the drugs are, many women shun them because they can cause aches and pains, hot flashes and other side effects. About 15 percent of US women have enough risk to merit considering the pills to prevent breast cancer, yet less than 5 percent take them, said Dr. Powel Brown, a prevention expert at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The exercise study involved 121 postmenopausal women taking various aromatase inhibitors to treat breast cancer who complained of achy joints on a pain survey.

About half were assigned to two supervised strength training sessions a week plus at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week. The rest got advice on the benefits of exercise and did their usual activities.

After a year, joint pain scores fell 20 percent among exercisers and 3 percent among the others. The severity of pain and how much it interfered with daily live also declined more in exercisers.

The exercise group improved cardiorespiratory fitness and lost weight — nearly 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) versus a slight gain in the others. Eighty percent stuck with the program, helped by free access to a gym and a personal trainer.

The National Cancer Institute paid for the study, which was led by Melinda Irwin of the Yale Cancer Center and Dr. Jennifer Ligibel of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Dr. Eric Winer, breast cancer chief at Dana-Farber, said the results may help more women stick with the drugs.

"A lot of people will say, 'if it's going to have a lot of side effects, I'm not going to do it.' The truth is, not everyone gets symptoms. Exercise might be a solution," he said.

The other study was led by Dr. Jack Cuzick of Queen Mary University of London and tested anastrozole for preventing first breast cancers. Nearly 4,000 women were given the drug or daily dummy pills, and 70 percent stuck with them for five years, just a little less than the placebo group.

After that time, 40 women on anastrozole had developed breast cancer versus 85 of the others, a 53 percent reduction in risk. That's comparable to how another aromatase inhibitor — exemestane, or Aromasin — did in an earlier study and better than tamoxifen, the longest-used breast cancer prevention medicine.

Women on anastrozole had more joint pain and hot flashes, but these also were very common in the placebo group — more than half of both groups reported these problems, which often are due to menopause and aging, Cuzick said.

Anastrozole users had more cases of a painful wrist condition called carpal tunnel syndrome, and dry eye, but these were relatively rare. Aromatase inhibitors are known to raise the risk of fractures, so many women take bone-strengthening drugs to help prevent that problem.

Besides the British cancer research agency, London-based AstraZeneca PLC, which makes the anastrozole used in the study, Arimidex, helped pay for the work, and some researchers are paid speakers for the company.

Results were discussed Thursday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium and published by the British journal Lancet. In a commentary in the journal, Dr. David A. Cameron of Edinburgh Cancer Center in Scotland wrote that healthy women still may resist prevention drugs unless taking them turns out to save lives, not just avoid disease.

The cancer conference is sponsored by the American Association for Cancer Research, Baylor College of Medicine and the UT Health Science Center. —Associated Press

source: gmanetwork.com

Pope inspires nativity scene art in Naples

NAPLES - Nativity scene artisans in Italy have taken Pope Francis's social message to heart this Christmas, giving a bigger role to ordinary people in their work and reviving the tradition's simple origins.

Statuettes of disgraced former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi are less and less popular at the bustling San Gregorio Armeno market in Naples, where figures of the new pope—named by Time magazine as its person of the year on Wednesday—are now all the rage.

"It's about simplicity," said Antonio Cantone, one of the city's most prestigious artists, who sells fine statuettes in the ramshackle courtyard of a 16th-century palazzo near the market.

Cantone has been commissioned to make the giant nativity scene that will be unveiled on St Peter's Square at the Vatican on Christmas Eve this year—the first Neapolitan artist to have the honour.

"I have based the scene on the message of Pope Francis," he said, adding that it will feature prominently a pauper dressed in rags and a peasant and shepherd bearing humble gifts.

"There are no noblemen, except for the Three Kings," Cantone said, adding: "The first to arrive when Jesus was born were ordinary people, that is the core of the message I wanted."

Elaborate nativity scenes began in Naples churches in the 18th century to make religious teachings more accessible by including snapshots of daily life that people could relate to.

The custom was then adopted by the aristocracy and spread to ordinary people, becoming a yearly and much-loved tradition for millions of Italians.

The most traditional statuettes are painstakingly handcrafted out of terracotta, given glass eyes and painted—each one a unique work of folk art.

Pope: 'You made me look thinner'

"Nativity scenes are a serious thing. They can transmit a message," said Cantone, adding that many popular additions—like a tavern setting—were intended as a warning against the perils of sin.

More recently, some artists have begun crafting more unorthodox statuettes—from football legend Diego Maradona to famous tenor Luciano Pavarotti—in a bid to raise their profile.

But Cantone, who started out as an art restorer and took up making nativity figures later in life, has a more academic approach to the craft.

He said his inspiration for the Vatican nativity came from the oldest, purest historical tradition "with no contamination, no excesses".

Shoppers thronging the tiny street of San Gregorio Armeno, which is visited by tens of thousands of people a day in the Christmas season, echoed the idea of going back to basics.

"I like the classic nativity scene... No Berlusconi, no!" said Bianca, a pensioner out shopping with her husband for a nativity scene for their son, who has had to leave Naples because of the city's rampant economic crisis.

"The tradition had fallen away but now it's back in fashion," she said.

Following multiple sex scandals and trials and his eviction from the Italian parliament last month, Berlusconi is very much out of favor at San Gregorio Armeno, but the statuettes of Pope Francis are selling like hotcakes.

Artisan Genny Di Virgilio, whose family has been in the business since 1830, said the pope is his top seller but noted that "current affairs statuettes" should not be confused with the traditional nativity, which he said would be a "blasphemy".

Demand is so high for the pope that Di Virgilio cannot make the terracotta figures fast enough.

"Yesterday I had 80 of them and I sold them all by 11 in the morning! I had one guy from Florence who bought the raw terracotta model and took it just like that, unpainted!" Di Virgilio said.

The artist met with the pope during a general audience and handed him a statue of himself.

"You made this? Good, good, you made me look thinner!" Di Virgilio said the pope told him.

The pope's statue was "definitely" more popular than that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, because "all the generations like him," Di Virgilio said.

Giorgio Sannino, 26, out Christmas shopping with his girlfriend, is one fan.

"We have to get one! We like this pope a lot because he is close to people.

"I think it is an important statue to have for any self-respecting family." — AFP

source: gmanetwork.com

Adam Sandler tops Forbes' list of most-overpaid actors

LOS ANGELES - American comedian Adam Sandler topped Forbes' list of Hollywood's most-overpaid actors, commanding a high up-front fee while delivering middling returns, the magazine said on Monday.

Sandler, 47, the star of recent comedies "Jack & Jill" and "That's My Boy," dethroned Eddie Murphy for the dubious distinction. Forbes estimated that Sandler's last three films returned an average of $3.40 for every dollar he was paid.

Murphy topped last year's list, returning an average of $2.30 at the box office for each dollar earned.

Katherine Heigl, who starred in the poorly performing films "Killers" and "One for the Money," placed slightly behind Sandler, returning an average of $3.50 per every dollar she earned.

The list, compiled annually by Forbes, counts the last three films an actor has starred in over the past three years. This year's list was cut off at June 1, and so it excluded Sandler's buddy comedy "Grown Ups 2," which was released in July and performed well at the box office.

Forbes did not say how much Sandler earned on his last three films. But the magazine said he was one of the few movie stars who could still command more than $15 million per film, on an "up front" arrangement. Hollywood studios in recent years have shifted to paying smaller up-front fees and tie actors' pay with the film's box office performance.

The magazine said it examined actors' pay, film budgets and expenses to calculate the average return an actor brings per dollar paid.

Reese Witherspoon, the star of recent films "Water for Elephants" and "This Means War," was third on this list, with an average return of $3.90 for every dollar she was paid.

Nicholas Cage was fourth, with a $6 average return, and comedian Kevin James was fifth, returning an average of $6.10. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Is the Start Button coming back in Windows 8.2?

It looks like the Start button and Start menu, which Microsoft had banished from Windows 8, are making a full comeback in the upcoming latest version of the operating system.

Windows enthusiast Paul Thurrott said that after the Start button was restored in a Windows 8 update, the next wave of updates may include the Start menu.

"After bringing back the Start button in Windows 8.1, Microsoft will take the next logical step in the next Windows version and make the Start menu available as an option. It's possible this will appear only on those product versions that support the desktop," Thurrott said on his site.

The update is included in Windows "Threshold," a release he said may be considered "Windows 8.2."

Citing data from Mary Jo Foley, Thurrott said Threshold is a wave of updates that will bring Windows 8.x, Windows Phone and Xbox One "closer together from a user experience perspective."

"My theory is that Threshold is the release that will put Microsoft on the threshold, if you will, of a truly consolidated OS," he said.

Another feature of Threshold involves Metro apps running in windows on the desktop, meaning users could optionally run Metro apps in floating windows on the desktop, he added.

He added the new features indicate Microsoft continues to do the "right thing and responding to complaints." — TJD, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

Exercises helpful for people with dementia —study

NEW YORK - Regular exercise can help people with dementia think a little more clearly, and care for themselves a bit more, a new study finds.

"If the person with dementia is living at home, there are usually exercise programs offered at community day programs for persons with dementia. I would encourage family caregivers to connect with these programs and/or home care to learn about the available resources in their community," said Dorothy Forbes, an associate professor at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta in Edmonton, who led the study.

For patients with dementia who can no longer live at home, "Most residential settings should be offering exercise programs for their residents," Dr. Zaldy Tan, a dementia expert who was not involved in the new study, told Reuters Health. "If not, family caregivers may wish to advocate for these."

People are considered to have dementia if their mental function is bad enough to interfere with daily activities. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause, accounting for about 60 to 80 percent of cases. The next most common cause of dementia is stroke.

Dementia leads to poorer quality of life for patients, and it also puts a burden on families and caregivers—as Forbes, who led the study, knows all too well.

"For over 20 years I worked as a community health nurse where health promotion was my focus and in home care where I attempted to support and provide the needed resources with many family caregivers and persons with dementia in rural and inner city homes," Forbes told Reuters Health in an email. "My mother also had dementia and died in an acute care setting where the health care providers did not understand how to care for her dementia symptoms."

"These experiences made me realize how difficult it was to care for someone with dementia at home and in other care settings, especially with little knowledge about what was helpful in managing the symptoms and available resources," Forbes said.

"There is strong evidence regarding the benefits of exercise on older adults, but we did not know if there were benefits for persons diagnosed with dementia," she explained.

In 2006, therefore, when "there was little research conducted in this area," Forbes and her colleagues pooled the data from four studies of the role of exercise for patients with dementia. Their new study, published online by the Cochrane Library, is an update of that earlier effort.

"This updated review includes 16 trials," Forbes said. "We plan to do another update in six months as additional trials have already come to our attention. There is now a great deal of interest in this area of research."

The 16 trials altogether involved nearly a thousand elderly adults with dementia. Each trial tested the effects of exercise programs on such outcomes as thinking skills, activities of daily living, challenging behavior, and depression.

All 16 trials were so-called "randomized, controlled studies," which means the research teams used the most dependable methods. Even so, the studies utilized different types and duration of exercise programs, and the participants were in different stages of dementia, so the results were not uniform.

Still, despite the differing nature of the studies, Forbes and her team found that on average, exercise improved cognitive functioning and the ability to perform activities of daily living.

"Exercise is not only beneficial for older adults (in general) but also for persons with dementia in delaying memory problems and prolonging their ability to care for themselves (i.e., activities of daily living such as dressing, bathing)," Forbes said.

Exercise didn't have an effect on depression or mood, however, and there wasn't enough evidence to draw firm conclusions about its effects on other outcomes.

"I think it's really important topic," Tan, who is the medical director of the Alzheimer's and Dementia Care Program at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Reuters Health.

"The challenge here is, as the authors pointed out, that these studies they reviewed were quite heterogeneous," he said.

"But with that said," he added, "it's promising that even with quite different interventions and studies, they found that it appears to be beneficial for cognition and also activities of daily living."

Tan sees a practical side to exercise that goes beyond its impact on measurable cognitive skills.

"I think exercise is one intervention that's going to turn out to be good for other things like, for example, reducing one's risk for falls," he said. "Falling is one thing that is a big problem for people with dementia."

Tan expects to see more research in the future, including studies of how exercise programs might affect the children and caregivers of people with dementia. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com