oxfordt

Daily iPhone App: Squids

Squids is an interesting way of bringing tactical strategy to a very casual kind of game. The game has a nice RPG layer, with turn-based combat and classes of units that you can train and level up while playing. But the "combat" itself is super casual. During fights you essentially pull back and fling your squids around. In a way it feels like the game combines casual gameplay with more tactical thinking. Unfortunately, in practice the game never really succeeds at either.

Merely seeing how the two styles mix is fun. The game's only 99 cents for the launch sale right now, with full Game Center integration and plenty of content to explore. I'd say look at Squids if you're more looking for something more casual, but if you are really into tactical RPGs, it's likely you'll need a little more than this. On the other hand, if you've heard good things about games like Final Fantasy Tactics or Shining Force but tend to play more casual titles, Squids might be a great entry point. Final Fantasy Tactics is on iOS as well, but it ratchets up the complexity quite a few notches from Squids, even if the gameplay is similar.

Daily iPhone App: Squids originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.tuaw.com/2011/10/31/daily-iphone-app-squids/

Source: http://www.tuaw.com/2011/10/30/mona-simpsons-moving-eulogy-for-her-brother-steve-jobs/

LTTS Exclusive: Russell Simmons Honored At Somaly Mam Foundation Celebrity Charity Gala

Written by Allison DiLiberto

On Thursday, October 20, Look To The Stars’ Allison DiLiberto and Scott Cable attended the Somaly Mam Foundation's annual gala at Manhattan’s Espace (635 West 42nd Street), which honored The Body Shop Americas, Russell Simmons, Rush Communications, and U.S. Department of State Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, Melanne Verveer.

Photo: Russell Simmons, Susan Sarandon, Somaly Mam, Annalynne McCord, Phil Kowalczyk
Russell Simmons, Susan Sarandon, Somaly Mam, Annalynne McCord, Phil Kowalczyk

The Somaly Mam Foundation – founded by Somaly Mam, a sexual slavery survivor – is a non-profit charity committed to ending modern day slavery in North America and around the world.

Photo: Somaly Mam and AnnaLynne McCord
Somaly Mam and AnnaLynne McCord

This year’s evening event raised $549,450 for the Foundation, which will go to support shelter, food, water, scholarships, technology needs, and opportunities for slavery survivors to rebuild their lives and start their own businesses.

Co-Chairs for the event included Lauren Bush, Deepak Chopra, Kerry Girvin, Bianca Mead, Andy and Laura Heery Prozes, Susan Sarandon, and Shelley Simmons.

Photo: AnnaLynne McCord at Somaly Mam Event
AnnaLynne McCord

The event began with opening remarks from the Foundation’s Bill Livermore, who was Master of Ceremonies. Throughout the evening, guests listened to slavery survivor stories, the efforts of the Foundation as a whole, as well as the proactive efforts of the gala honorees who each received an individual award.

For their anti-trafficking efforts, Russell Simmons received the Voices of Change Award, Melanne Verveer received the Voices of Change Ambassador Award, and Phil Kowalczyk (President of The Body Shop) received the Voices of Change Corporate Award. The Body Shop has been involved with the Somaly Mam Foundation since 2009 when they kicked off their campaign Sex Trafficking of Children & Young People, which has now reached more than 50 countries.

Many famous faces came out to show their support for the cause. Notable guests included AnnaLynne McCord, Petra Nemcova, Padma Lakshmi, Ron Livingston, Somaly Mam, Susan Sarandon, Russell Simmons, Phil Kowalczk (President of The Body Shop), Her Excellency Hun Kimleng, Ambassador Luis C de Baca (Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the State Department), and Melanne Verveer.

To find out more about the Somaly Mam Foundation and how you can get connected and involved, please go to www.somaly.org and www.projectfutures.somaly.org.

Photography: Christopher London, www.ManhattanSociety.com.

Mona Simpson's moving eulogy for her brother, Steve Jobs

The New York Times has published Mona Simpson's eulogy for her brother, Steve Jobs. Simpson delivered her eulogy during his memorial service on October 16 at the Memorial Church of Stanford University. In her remarks, she recalls her experience of his final days and hours, including his last words to his family.

Simpson's eulogy is both powerful and heartbreaking, and I won't cheapen it by clipping bits to include here. Go read the full piece at the New York Times. I'd argue that you'll learn just as much about what kind of person Steve Jobs was in his sister's moving eulogy as you will by reading Walter Isaacson's sprawling biography of him.

One recommendation: before you read Simpson's eulogy, grab a handkerchief. Unless you're carved out of wood, you're probably going to need it.

Mona Simpson's moving eulogy for her brother, Steve Jobs originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Charles consent law 'to remain'

David Cameron has no plans to change laws which require the government to seek Prince Charles' permission to pass legislation which could affect his private interests, Downing Street says.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-politics-15521777

Daily iPad App: SoundCloud

Popular social music network SoundCloud released its iPad app on Thursday and we took the app for a quick spin. For those that have never used SoundCloud, it's an online service that lets you upload and share audio clips with other SoundCloud members. The clips can be short sound bites, music tracks or even audio books you create yourself. It has a strong social component that lets you promote your tracks or discover new tracks. It launched in 2007 and has rivaled MySpace as a place for musicians to distribute their music and interact with fans.

The iPad app does a nice job of combining the social aspect of SoundCloud with the music discovery and playback features. The app uses a multi-pane interface with a left-side tool bar that has four selectable items. There's a profile section that lets you see your account information, a track section that lists new music in your stream, a comments section that lists the feedback you've received on your tracks and a search section that lets you find new music and new people to follow.

This multi-pane interface makes it easy to view multiple layers of information at one time. You can click on the profile icon which opens a pane containing your account information. You can then click on a link to "Your Likes" which displays the tracks you have favorited in a second pane. A click on one of your favorite tracks opens a third pane that lets you control music playback, share the track on twitter, and more. You can only display two panes at a time, but you can swipe between these panes to select the ones you want to view. This layout makes it easy to use the app in portrait as well as landscape view.

The SoundCloud app does a nice job with the social features of the service. You can comment on a track right from the app and share the track on Facebook, Twitter and tumblr. The app also does a good job interconnecting members and music. You can listen to a track and view that member's profile. You can see their followers and the music they like and so on. You can spend a lot of time travelling from one profile to another, adding new tracks and new follows along the way.

~~The one thing missing from the iPad app is the ability to view other people's comments on a track when it is playing.~~ On the SoundCloud website, other people's comments will pop up when a track is played. You can read the comments, read responses and add your own. On the iPad, you can add a comment at any point in the track, but ~~you can't see what other people have said on the fly. This isn't a deal breaker and I imagine it's a difficult feature to implement on a mobile device like a tablet~~.

(Good news! SoundCloud reached out to me and the ability to view comments as the track plays back is there. You just have to fullscreen the track to see them. I never used the fullscreen view because I love the multi-pane view so much. I was happily tapping away, finding new follows and looking at new tracks that i never checked out the fullscreen view. If you want to find the comments for a track, just start playing it back and click the fullscreen button. Voila! There they are, and they pop up just like the SoundCloud website,too.)

The app is very responsive and music streaming is quick, with minimal buffering over a WiFi connection (I did not test 3G). Music plays in the background, so you can launch SoundCloud, fire up some tracks and move on to another task. Track information also appears on the lock screen, but there are no playback controls that'll launch SoundCloud when you unlock your device. Besides listening to music, you can also record sounds using the iPad and its built-in microphone. When you're done recording, you can upload the clip to your account.

The iPad app is a nice addition to SoundCloud and is a must have for iPad owners that use the service. The SoundCloud app is available for free from the App Store. The service is also free, but does require a login and account.

Gallery: SoundCloud iPad app

Daily iPad App: SoundCloud originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.tuaw.com/2011/10/28/daily-ipad-app-soundcloud/

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/917989-5-things-we-learned-from-premier-league-weekend

5 Things We Learned from Premier League Weekend

Arsenal are in seventh place, Chelsea are looking rather ordinary and Manchester United aren't catching anyone's eye.

Another wild and eventful weekend in the English Premier League.

With November upon us, many teams will soon be shifting some of their focus to European and cup competitions, and just about everyone will start looking at possible transfers in January.

Let's look back at the weekend that was in the Premier League.

Begin Slideshow

Fox hopes for frontbench return

Liam Fox tells the BBC he wants in time to return to government - but says it will be interesting on the backbenches being "freer to say what I want".

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-politics-15520099

NASCAR Meets Country Music For Charity

Landmark public health campaign DRIVE4COPD has kicked off a high-profile social media competition led by DRIVE4COPD Celebrity Ambassadors Danica Patrick and Patty Loveless to see who can get the most people screened for risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) during the two weeks leading up to the Great American Screen Off on November 4, 2011.

In the two-week, head-to-head social media contest, Danica Patrick is teaming with NASCAR to take on Grammy Award-winning country music star Patty Loveless and the Country Music Association (CMA). CMA is a DRIVE4COPD partnering organization and DRIVE4COPD is the Official Health Initiative of NASCAR. Using Twitter, e-mails to fans, Facebook and other tools at their fingertips, each team will encourage their fans and followers to take the screener, share it with loved ones, and educate others about COPD, which affects an estimated 24 million Americans.

“Last year the Great American Screen Off took on four cities to see where we could get the most people screened. This year we’re going further and taking it nationwide to help find the millions who may be at risk for COPD and don’t know it,” said Patrick, whose grandmother suffered from COPD. “My friendly competition with Patty is about making a difference and motivating people to take that first step to find out if they may be at risk, and it can be done right in the privacy of their own home.”

COPD includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both. It kills more people in the United States each year than breast cancer and diabetes combined, and is the only major leading cause of death that is on the rise; yet as many as half of those who may have the disease remain undiagnosed. People age 35+ are encouraged to log onto DRIVE4COPD.COM to take a five-question screener to determine their risk for this progressive disease and share the results with their healthcare professional.

The Great American Screen Off

The social media competition is part of a series of activities taking place to heighten awareness of COPD, individual risk and the burden on our nation. The competition will culminate on November 4, 2011, the official date of the Second Annual Great American Screen Off, which is believed to be the largest single day dedicated to screening for risk and raising awareness of COPD.

On this one-day wake-up call to inform the public about the importance of early COPD screening and detection, the DRIVE4COPD partnering organizations are encouraging all Americans to wear the color orange ? the new official color of COPD ? to remind others to be screened and to help heighten awareness. On this day, men and women aged 35 or older are encouraged to join the more than 2 million Americans already screened to see if they may be at risk for COPD.

“Orange was officially named the color of COPD awareness at a Washington, D.C. Congressional Briefing earlier this month,” said Patrick. “Together with the U.S. COPD Coalition (USCC) we encouraged policymakers, healthcare professionals, organizations and the general public to get involved in the movement and encourage their constituents to get involved in the second annual Great American Screen Off.”

Partnering organizations and retailers across the country are supporting the movement with local activities. Throughout the month of November, DRIVE4COPD will work with pharmacies across the country to incorporate the screener into their wellness clinics and flu shot programs. Respiratory therapist members of the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) are adopting organizations across the country to bring COPD education and screening to their employees, customers and members.

Find out more here.

VIDEO: 'Shocktober': Snow hits US East Coast

More than three million homes on America's east coast are without power after electricity supplies were knocked out by an unseasonably early snow storm.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-15517142

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/10/28/141807217/white-house-orders-independent-review-of-energy-department-loans?ft=1&f=103943429

Sunday 30 October 2011

Watch a Bronx Guy Get Pummeled for ?Snitchin??

And by snitchin', we mean he was seen speaking to police officers in the "Norwood section of the Bronx," according to Gothamist. After the cops drive away, he's chased down and beaten in a clothing store. Watch this fairly terrifying video and be thankful that you don't live in an area like this. And if you do, well, sorry about that.

Video: "Snitcher" Viciously Beaten After Talking To NYPD [Gothamist]

White House Orders Independent Review Of Energy Department Loans

The announcement comes as House Republicans prepared to decide whether to subpoena documents related to loans given to Solyndra under the same program.

Two Britons dead in Kabul attack

Two British contractors were among 13 members of the Nato-led force killed in a suicide attack in Afghanistan on Saturday, the Foreign Office says.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-south-asia-15512833

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/googlemoneyscam/~3/jHHuzWpefhw/chanel-handbags-how-to-buy-cheap-chanel.html

Chanel Handbags How to Buy Cheap Chanel Bags

Source: http://923now.radio.com/2011/10/28/halloween-party-ideas-for-a-pop-themed-shindig/

Halloween Party Ideas For A Pop-Themed Shindig!

Want to throw an amazing Halloween party based on your favorite pop video? Check out our fierce and fun party ideas that will make your guests rock their “Super Bass” like Nicki Minaj, getting down cornhuskin’ mermaid style like Lady Gaga in “You And I,” dousing each other in “Champagne Showers” like LMFAO, and always [...]

US CA: Smoke-Easy

Sacramento News & Review, 27 Oct 2011 - Federal raids, plus a county crackdown and city standstill-will Sacramento's medical-cannabis community go underground, a la Prohibition? It took only 10 days for the federal government, after California's four U.S. attorneys announced a ramped-up crackdown against the state's medical-marijuana industry, to raid a local dispensary.

Source: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n638/a04.html

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-latin-america-15487852

Campaigners occupy Belo Monte dam

Indigenous activists and environmentalists in Brazil occupy the site of the Belo Monte hydro-electric dam project for several hours.

US OR: Editorial: Try For Sense In Law On Pot

Albany Democrat-Herald, 27 Oct 2011 - Law enforcement continues to spend time chasing marijuana growers. It will have to continue doing so until our lawmakers start applying better sense. With our voter-approved medical marijuana program, spending law enforcement resources on catching small-time growers seems pointless.

Source: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n638/a03.html

Adobe releases Carousel app for Mac, iOS

Apple's recently released Photo Stream feature for Mac OS X and iOS already has some competition. Adobe has released its Carousel app and service for Mac and iOS, and from the initial buzz about Carousel, it might be a formidable competitor to Photo Stream and iPhoto.

The Mac and iOS apps are free, but since your photos are stored in the cloud, you will need to purchase a subscription for the app. You can use the full version of Adobe Carousel at no cost for 30 days, after which you'll need to spend $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year. That's the introductory cost -- if you sign up after the introductory period (we don't know when that will end, by the way), the price goes to $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year.

The subscription lets you upload any of your photos to a library in the cloud, where it can be instantly viewed on your iPad, iPhone or Mac. Apps for Windows and Android are forthcoming from Adobe as well, although no date has been set for their release. Once you've created your library, you can crop, rotate, adjust exposure, and make corrections to the photos from any of your devices. There are also "Looks" or themes that may be applied to your photos to create a certain mood.

In fact, you can change your images as many times as you like without worry, as the original photo is maintained without changes in perpetuity. Once you've made your changes, you can share the photos by inviting friends and family to look them via the app, and others can even add photos to your library. Sharing to Facebook, Twitter, and Tumbler can also be done with a tap or click.

It does not appear that Adobe Carousel supports RAW format -- at this time, a release note says that you can "import, edit, and share all your JPEGs, the most common file format for photos." Your photos don't have to stay in the cloud; at any time you can download them for use in other apps or services.

TUAW will have a full review of the apps in the near future. In the meantime, be sure to watch the video below to get an idea of what the Carousel team intended the app to do, and how they've accomplished their goals.

Adobe releases Carousel app for Mac, iOS originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.tuaw.com/2011/10/27/adobe-releases-carousel-app-for-mac-ios/

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/10/28/141803083/bin-laden-capture-earns-leon-panetta-a-10-000-bottle-of-wine?ft=1&f=103943429

Bin Laden Capture Earns Leon Panetta A $10,000 Bottle Of Wine

A California restaurateur jokingly promised to pop the cork on a 141-year-old bottle of Bordeaux if Panetta caught bin Laden. This New Year's eve, he'll keep his word and they'll be sipping on some legendary wine.

Ceasefire hopes after Gaza deaths

There are hopes of a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza after 10 people died in rocket and airstrikes on Saturday.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-15511006

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/googlemoneyscam/~3/qQZDZEqxRgs/louis-vuitton-shoes-new-trends-for.html

Louis Vuitton Shoes New Trends for Cheap

Source: http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/friends-family-substance-abusers/239786-blow.html

Saturday 29 October 2011

Blow

Cocaine like baby powder
Or a sand castle tower
Or sugar on the counter
From making Christmas trees
Innocence, deception
Lurks the D'evils power
Lines like snakes, fates of death
Hidden in the...

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/10/28/141809832/chase-decides-to-steer-clear-of-debit-card-fees?ft=1&f=103943429

Chase Decides To Steer Clear Of Debit-Card Fees

JPMorgan Chase tested charging in two states for eight months, but heard loud complaints from customers. Bank of America, which introduced a $5 monthly charge, has been assailed by many including President Obama.

US GA: Red Ribbon Week: Cocaine Facts

Ledger-Enquirer, 24 Oct 2011 - DANGEROUS COMBINATION Using more than one drug is common among substance abusers. When people consume two or more psychoactive drugs together, such as cocaine and alcohol, they compound the danger each drug poses and unknowingly perform a complex chemical experiment within their bodies. Researchers have found that the human liver combines cocaine and alcohol to produce a third substance, cocaethylene, which intensifies cocaine's euphoric effects. Cocaethylene is associated with a greater risk of sudden death than cocaine alone.

Source: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n637/a07.html

Source: http://www.tuaw.com/2011/10/27/pixelmator-2-0-released-with-new-tools-content-awareness-lion/

Pixelmator 2.0 released with new tools, content-awareness, Lion support

I ditched Photoshop for Pixelmator about a year ago, but there were a few things missing in Pixelmator which caused me to fire up Photoshop once in a while. I also recently bought Aperture in an effort to better organize and retouch photos I started taking on my new Canon Rebel. Pixelmator 2 fixes many omissions which had me reaching for Photoshop, and in some ways is better than Aperture. Read on to learn about a few features I checked out in the short time I tried out the update.

Lion Support

Full screen is great, but when dealing with images I think full support for Lion's autosave and versioning will really hit photogs and designers in the sweet spot. I also dig how Pixelmator has eschewed floating palette-mania for inline toolbars that appear when various tools are selected.

Text tool

Oh, finally we have some control over text! Here's a great example of the toolbar appearing in a document (image) window when needed, and it's really helpful. No clutter, no moving things around, just the tools you need to tweak the tool you're using.

Anyway, the Text tool finally has the fine control over text alignment, adjustment and placement that was sorely lacking before.

Vector Shapes

Mercy me, there's a vector set of tools in Pixelmator at last. Create shapes, use a proper pen tool and editing tools, etc. I'm not going to say Pixelmator matches Photoshop here, because there are still some tricks you can't do with paths in Photoshop that are still missing from Pixelmator, but the addition of vector shapes keeps me from launching something else just to add a simple shape that I can easily scale.

Smudge, Sponge, Red Eye and Healing

Smudge does exactly what you'd expect, and works great. Sponge allows you to saturate and desaturate areas of your image, and it works well also. But photographers will be stoked to use the excellent red eye feature, and even more excited by the smart healing brush.

I actually think red eye and healing work better in Pixelmator 2 than in Aperture. One thing I can definitely say: the responsiveness is better in Pixelmator. If you have ever been aggravated by Aperture's crummy pinch-to-zoom and scrolling when dealing with the red eye and healing fixes, you'll be happy to know that Pixelmator is "like butter" by comparison. Apple needs to optimize Aperture (or fix the bugs!) fast.

Mac App Store

Pixelmator 2 is on the Mac App Store for a lowered price right now ($29.99), and I gladly bought it even though I had the non-MAS version. Why? Because totaling up every penny I've spent on Pixelmator in the few years I've been using it is still about 10% of what Photoshop will cost you. There's hardly a better value out there, especially if you work with pixels on a daily basis.

Pixelmator 2.0 released with new tools, content-awareness, Lion support originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/sport1/hi/football/match_of_the_day/8911860.stm

VIDEO: Live - Match of the Day

Watch all the best action plus reaction from Saturday's Premier League on Match of the Day (UK users only).

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LookToTheStars/~3/v5zAgUDwhSg/25-jon-bon-jovi

Russell Brand Honored As Man Of The Year By Charity

Russell Brand will be honored as Man Of The Year at a special charity luncheon this weekend.

The Friendly House LA event will celebrate the treatment center’s 60th year, and is dedicated to giving back. Also being honored at the event are photographer and drug and alcohol recovery activist Aloma Ichinose and philanthropist Karl B. McMillen.

Friendly House was founded in 1951 and was one of the first treatment centers in the country for women recovering from substance and alcohol abuse. In fact, it’s one of the models for recovery homes in the United States and Europe. They have successfully treated thousands of women with a success rate of 76% compared to the hospital average of 35%. The organization is solely supported by private donations and grants, by the fundraising efforts of the Board of Directors, Grateful Hearts (former residents of Friendly House), and special events such as the annual awards luncheon and Fashion for Life.

Earlier this month, Russell Brand visited Friendly House LA as part of the Rosie Show.

The luncheon event takes place on Saturday, October 29, at the Beverly Hills Hilton. More information can be found here.

Spotlight: Jon Bon Jovi's Charity Work

Jon Bon Jovi is the founder of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, which exists to combat issues that force families and individuals into economic despair. Through the funding and creation of programs and partnerships, they support innovative community efforts to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness.

It is the organization’s goal to recognize and maximize the human potential in those affected by poverty and homelessness by offering assistance in establishing programs that provide for permanent, affordable housing while supporting social services and job training programs.

The Foundation started its work through the localized efforts of the Philadelphia Soul Arena Football Team, of which Jon was an owner. The Foundation quickly expanded its work to have a national presence in its commitment to develop role models for our city on the individual level, corporate level, and community level by developing, promoting, and assisting in innovative and long-lasting solutions to rebuilding pride in one’s self and one’s community – one SOUL at a time.

Read more about Jon Bon Jovi's charity work and events.

Find out more about contributing, or how to contact celebrities.

US CA: Smoke-Easy

Source: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n638/a04.html

Bill And Melinda Gates Attend Malaria Forum

Three hundred leading malaria scientists, global health leaders, policymakers, government officials and advocates gathered last week at the Malaria Forum to discuss great strides in malaria control and address challenges that are impacting the long-term goal of eradication.

“We have seen tremendous success in the control of malaria, thanks to an infusion of resources, innovation, and political will,” said Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. “Worldwide, malaria deaths are down 20 percent since 2000.”

More than one million African children have been saved from malaria since 2000. New tools such as long-lasting insecticide treated bed nets and artemisinin-based combination treatments (ACTs)—along with prevention during pregnancy and indoor residual spraying—have made this recent progress possible.

A surge of financial and political commitments from endemic countries, donor governments, non-governmental organizations, private companies, and individuals sparked a decade of scientific advancement and the development of lifesaving tools that fight malaria. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative and the World Bank’s Malaria Booster Program transformed the funding landscape and contributed significantly to successes in malaria control.

Gates congratulated the forum participants and urged them to maintain momentum or recent gains could be lost. “What matters is our staying power,” she added. “We need to keep on seizing the opportunity to make new progress against malaria every single day.”

Innovation will Pave Way to Eradication
Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, challenged the malaria community to be smarter, faster, and more ambitious. “If we think big, bring more partners into the fold, and take smart risks, we will invent entirely new tools—powerful ways of fighting malaria that don’t exist now,” explained Mr. Gates. “This is the kind of innovation that will enable us to plan for the eventual eradication of malaria.”

When Mr. and Mrs. Gates first called on the global community to chart a course for the long-term eradication of malaria at the Malaria Forum four years ago, the world took notice. Gates reaffirmed the foundation’s commitment to eradication, urging public and private partners to increase their investments.

“Eradication is an ambitious goal—and a long-term goal. It is also a goal to which we remain 100 percent committed,” he added. “It will take leadership, innovation, and money to plan for malaria’s eventual eradication.”

Notable Scientific Advancement Reported
The first interim results from phase III trials of the RTS,S vaccine were announced at the forum. Among five- to 17-month-old children, the vaccine prevented clinical malaria in 56 percent of trial participants over a period of one year. It prevented severe malaria in 47 percent.

Gates deemed this discovery a “huge milestone” in the fight against malaria, as RTS,S is the first vaccine against a parasitic disease.

“First, this is proof that it is possible to create a vaccine that is effective against malaria,” he explained. “Second, if further results show that the effectiveness of RTS,S does not wane over time it has the potential to protect millions of children and save thousands of lives.”

Work is already underway to develop the next generation of vaccines that will provide greater and longer lasting protection and will be even more effective in stopping malaria transmission.

Urgent Call to Intensify Efforts
While the second Malaria Forum illuminated the recent progress the world has made in halting malaria, there was an underlying sense of urgency to be smarter and faster, and to save more lives.

The reality in much of Africa remains grim. A child dies of malaria every 45 seconds in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the latest reports from 2009, children under five accounted for 85 percent of the nearly 800,000 malaria deaths. Malaria also bears a heavy burden on Africa’s global economies, costing the continent an estimated $12 billion annually in lost productivity.

“The parasite has been killing children and sapping the strength of whole populations for tens of thousands of years,” added Mr. Gates. “Now, we can chart a course to end it.”

Why modern warfare relies on euphemism

Why euphemism is integral to modern warfare

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/magazine-15478001

Polar bear 'better Canada emblem'

A Conservative senator wants the polar bear installed as Canada's national emblem - calling the current emblem, a beaver, a "dentally defective rat".

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-us-canada-15503106

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/10/28/141792664/find-your-spot-among-worlds-7-billion-and-meet-the-most-typical-person?ft=1&f=103943429

Find Your Spot Among World's 7 Billion And Meet The 'Most Typical Person'

National Geographic calculates that the most typical person is a 28-year-old Chinese man. Meanwhile, check out interactive tools that estimate how many people were alive the day you were born.

charity news music news news

Friday 28 October 2011

Gary Barlow To Play Two Charity Concerts At Royal Albert Hall

Campaigners occupy Belo Monte dam

Indigenous activists and environmentalists in Brazil occupy the site of the Belo Monte hydro-electric dam project for several hours.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-latin-america-15487852

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/googlemoneyscam/~3/ZNNn2vPWfBI/cheap-hotels-how-to-find-quality-cheap.html

Cheap Hotels : How to Find Quality & Cheap Hotels

US CA: Think About The Children

New Times, 26 Oct 2011 - California Media React to the U.S. Attorney's Pot Comments California's proprietors of medical marijuana dispensaries and their landlords have taken fire lately from the Obama Administration, but the most recent federal offensive is now threatening to pull more people into its crosshairs.

Source: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n636/a07.html

Source: http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/friends-family-substance-abusers/239693-how-dispose-stuff-i-found.html

How to dispose of stuff I found

I think I found drugs in my tractor shed from AH. Should I just dump it out in the ditch?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/googlemoneyscam/~3/jHHuzWpefhw/chanel-handbags-how-to-buy-cheap-chanel.html

Chanel Handbags How to Buy Cheap Chanel Bags

US CA: Sheriff's Department Backs Off From Some Pot

The Bakersfield Californian, 26 Oct 2011 - Kern County has changed the way it enforces a controversial ordinance limiting the cultivation of medical marijuana after a judge raised concerns about its tactics. The law, passed in August, was challenged in court by attorney Phil Ganong on behalf of several medical marijuana collectives and advocates.

Source: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n636/a08.html

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/democracylive/hi/house_of_commons/newsid_9623000/9623080.stm

VIDEO: House of Commons

David Cameron and Ed Miliband clashed during prime minister's question time over how to resolve the eurozone debt crisis.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/googlemoneyscam/~3/7qnxXELS5SQ/loans-for-businesswomen-how-women-can.html

Loans for Businesswomen : How Women Can Get Business Loans

US FL: Editorial: Cost of Florida Prisons: Too Many In Prison

The Ledger, 24 Oct 2011 - If Gov. Rick Scott and Florida legislative leaders would get over their obsession with privatizing prisons, perhaps they might focus on the real cause of Florida's runaway correction spending. This state locks too many people up for too long.

Source: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n635/a04.html

The GRAMMYs Go GAGA ? November 30th!

Lady Gaga will perform at The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! – Countdown to Music’s Biggest Night next month. Two-time GRAMMY winner LL Cool J will once again host the show, which will announce nominations in several categories as well as feature performances by past GRAMMY winners and nominees. Our mother monster and Country artist Jason [...]

Source: http://923now.radio.com/2011/10/26/the-grammys-go-gaga-november-30th/

More flee as Bangkok floods loom

Water levels in Bangkok's main river hit a new high as residents continue to leave the Thai capital ahead of possible flooding at the weekend.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-asia-pacific-15489415