KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Afghan authorities say a roadside bomb has killed two policemen in Herat province of western Afghanistan, just hours before a ceremony to hand a nearby police training academy over from NATO to Afghan control.
Raouf Ahmedi, a spokesman for the Afghan police commander for the western region, says one of the policemen killed in Saturday's explosion was a teacher at the academy in Adraskan district. He says two other policemen were injured by the remote-controlled bomb that exploded as their vehicle passed.
Last week, a bomb in a parked motorcycle exploded outside the training center, killing two security guards.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the latest attack, but it matched the pattern of Taliban strikes that typically target Afghan forces and government workers.
Well, it's hardly a secret that customers are unhappy with Apple's new mapping solution in iOS 6. And, while the company has admitted that, perhaps, it's not quite up to snuff yet, it has played down Maps' flaws and urged customers to be patient. Today, in an open letter to the Apple faithful, Tim Cook struck a far more candid and conciliatory tone, apologizing for failing to deliver a "world-class" product. Cook went so far as to suggest that unhappy customers could check out offerings from competitors like Bing, MapQuest, Google and Nokia -- at least until Cupertino sorts this mess out. You'll find the complete text of the letter after the break.
Update: You can read our editorial on Apple apologies since the launch of the iPhone here.
Nigerian leadership awareness non -profit organization, Business Leadership Awareness Group (BLAG) will honour 3 successful entrepreneurs who have been making valuable contributions to humanity with a colourful event.
Speaking on the forthcoming event, the executive director of the non for profit organization,?Ossy Otegba,?disclosed that BLAG is currently working on a year book that will promote these outstanding individuals ? pro footballer, Kanu Nwankwo, business executive/oil mogul, Walter Wagbatsoma and philanthropist, Sade Okoya, so that they can be encouraged to do more.
Here are the profiles of the outstanding individuals
Kanu Nwankwo Popularly known as Papilo, Kanu Nwanwko comes from a humble background but he rose to fame with remarkable exploits in football and business. Today, he owns a chain of businesses with diverse interest in oil, property, hospitality and photography.
The Owerri, Imo State born businessman is regarded as one Nigerian with a heart of gold because of his immense contributions to the society. Through these his many works, it was no surprise that he was a made a UNICEF (?United Nations Children?s Fund)?ambassador for two consecutive years.
A few years ago, the pro footballer encountered a life threatening heart ailment. He was tenacious and miraculously he got healed after prayers from family, friends and fans all over the world as well as surgical operations in the USA. Ever since his successful surgery, ?Kanu returned actively to playing football and used his fame to help assist others also battling with the life threatening condition. He supported charity organizations including Heart of Gold Hospice and later on, launched the Kanu Nwankwo Heart Foundation ? this non-profit organization has raised millions of Naira for children with heart related ailments. Many have been treated both home and abroad and are living a healthier, better life.
Walter Wagbatsoma He has made a name for himself as one of Nigeria?s most successful business men in the Energy Sector. Walter?Wagbatsoma?s selfless contributions to humanity also endeared him to many within and outside the federation. He is the co-founder of Ontaro Oil and Gas, a pan African oil and gas company that is notable for delivery on its promises.
His track record as a professional in the banking and energy sector speaks volumes. Humble and Cheerful, Walter hails from Delta State. He previously worked with Shell Petroleum Development Company Audit Department in the 1990s, he later moved to Zenith Bank, Eco Bank and FSB International and Trade Bank where he displayed his leadership and entrepreneurial skills to the satisfaction of his co-workers. Every one who knows Walter, we always testify that he is a goal getter and were certianly not surprised when he won the Leventis Group Account for Zenith Bank several years ago.
He later moved into the oil and gas sector after a stint at Trade Bank, where he helped establish the energy subsidiary. His wealth of experience and customer loyalty helped him get the front burner of the energy sector within a short period of time. He made an overwhelming success of his energy business but never forgot to invest back into the lives of the less privileged in the society. Fondly described as a man with a heart of gold, Walter has also used his influence to resolve conflicts in the Niger Delta.
Some of his philanthropic deeds include contributions towards eradicating malaria and HIV/AIDS in African countries. One of his establishments, Canaan Logistics also donates about 80% of its annual profit to charitable organizations working with children. Happily married to Otsaye with two lovely children, Walter Wagbatsoma is a graduate from the University of Lagos, where he studied Accounting for his First Degree and Business Administration in the same institution for his Masters Degree.
Sade Okoya The wife of top Nigerian industrialist, Chief Akanni Rasak Okoya, Sade Okoya is known as one of the nation?s most glamorous women at social gatherings. Tall and elegant, the Sociology graduate from the University of Lagos, knows how to get everyone?s attention with her fab attires. However, Sade is not just a smart woman with a pretty face, she is one woman that has a heart of gold for the less privileged. In recent times, with the support from her husband who is the chairman of Eleganza Group & RAO Property, she has been giving scholarships to 40 less privileged students currently studying in various institutions of higher learning every year.
The strained relationship between the two tentpoles of Korea's tech industry is starting to wear, now that LG Display has counter-sued its local rival over OLED patents. Earlier this month, Samsung filed for an injunction accusing its frenemy of stealing secrets, but LG is claiming instead that it's the victim. If successful, Lucky Goldstar would seek a ban on devices including the Galaxy S III, Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Note on the pair's home turf -- so, yeah, this one looks like it's going to run and run.
A female Southwest Airlines passenger from Tennessee has filed an $800,000 lawsuit against the company after she was burned by an extremely hot cup of tea.
Angelica Keller was traveling from Nashville to New Orleans when she ordered a cup of tea during a Houston stop over. While seated in a window seat aboard Flight 955, Keller ordered her hot drink which was brought to her in a cup of??extremely hot water? sitting in another cup which contained the tea bag and condiment packets.
In her complaint, Keller?s attorney rights:
?Plaintiffs efforts to extricate the tea bag from its position of being wedged between the tilted paper ?hot cup? of extremely hot water and the shorter clear plastic soft drink cup, the extremely hot water spilled into her lap at her groin area.?
The spill led to second degree burns and skin blistering which left scares.
According to?Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz
?Our Customers? comfort is our top priority at all times, and we safely serve about 100 million drinks onboard every year. The referenced event is unfortunate, and we are currently reviewing it. We can?t provide additional details due to the pending lawsuit that was filed.?
Keller was seated in the front row of a Southwest flight, that row of seats does not have food trays, which the plaintiff says contributed to the injury.
Southwest Airlines claims that the temperature of its hot tea has never been an issue in the past.
The lawsuit is asking for?$300,000 in property damages, medical bills, injuries, and pain and suffering. The plaintiff is also demanding $500,000 in punitive damages.
MADRID (Reuters) - Violent protests in Madrid and growing talk of secession in wealthy Catalonia are piling pressure on Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy as he moves closer to asking Europe for rescue money.
Rajoy has been resisting calls from influential domestic bankers and the leaders of France and Italy to move quickly to request assistance, but a series of events this week will drive him closer.
With protesters stepping up anti-austerity demonstrations, Rajoy presents more painful economic reforms and a tough 2013 budget on Thursday, aiming to persuade euro zone partners and investors that Spain is doing its deficit-cutting homework despite a recession and 25 percent unemployment.
Fresh data on Tuesday suggested Spain will miss its public deficit target of 6.3 percent of gross domestic product this year, as the central government deficit reached 4.77 percent at the end of August, already higher than the year-end target.
By front-loading the reforms Rajoy hopes to sell them to voters as home-grown rather than conditions imposed from outside. Diplomats reported intense last-minute pressure on Madrid from key euro zone policymakers to take tougher measures, notably on freezing pensions.
On Friday, Moody's will publish its latest review of Spain's credit rating, possibly downgrading the country's debt to junk status.
On the same day, an independent audit of Spain's banks will reveal how much money Madrid will need from a 100 billion euro ($129.62 billion) aid package that Europe has already approved for the euro zone's fourth biggest economy.
Spain's reluctance to seek a sovereign bailout - a condition for European Central Bank intervention to cut the country's borrowing costs - could propel the euro zone into deeper trouble.
Rajoy moved one step closer to requesting aid, suggesting in an interview with the Wall Street Journal published on Wednesday that he would make the move if debt financing costs remained too high for too long.
"I can assure you 100 percent that I would ask for this bailout," he told the newspaper, calling the situation he faces right now "fascinating."
He also said he had not made his mind up on whether to maintain inflation indexation of pensions, which could cost the state an extra 6 billion euros this year.
"We need to be sufficiently flexible in order not to create any further problems," he said when asked about pensions.
His comments helped drive the premium investors demand to hold 10-year Spanish debt rather than benchmark German bonds up to 445 basis points on Wednesday, the highest level since early September.
Markets were also reacting to a letter from Germany, Finland and the Netherlands on Tuesday that implied that rescue funds Spain receives for its banks will remain on its public debt. The three said any future direct recapitalization of banks by the euro zone's bailout fund should not cover "legacy" problems.
CATALONIA INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT
The government's drive to rein in regional overspending as part of its austerity measures has prompted a flare-up in independence fervor in Catalonia, the wealthy northeastern region that generates one-fifth of Spain's economic output.
Just as the euro zone crisis has strained relations between wealthier nations of the north and heavily indebted countries to the south, Spain's crisis has aggravated tensions between the central government and its self-governing regions.
Catalonia is broke and needs a 5 billion euros bailout from the central state to meet debt payments this year, but Catalans are convinced they bear an unfairly large share of the country's tax burden.
More than half say they want independence from Spain, the highest level ever.
Artur Mas, the conservative president of Catalonia, announced on Tuesday he would hold early elections in November after Rajoy rejected his call for more tax autonomy.
The vote, likely to be presented politically as a referendum for secession, is a challenge to Rajoy, who's People's Party has threatened to take central control over the budgets of regions like Catalonia that fail to meet deficit reduction targets.
Catalonia would face a number of constitutional hurdles to secede, and such an outcome is seen as unlikely any time soon.
Analysts say Mas is using the growing independence sentiment as a threat over Madrid to secure more fiscal autonomy.
"At a time when the PP could use the crisis to limit autonomy in the regions, Mas is engaged in a defensive move to try to shift things the other way," said Enric Juliana, Madrid bureau chief for Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia.
COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS
Anti-austerity groups planned a fresh demonstration on Wednesday evening in Madrid, a day after police fired rubber bullets at thousands of protesters who tried to form a human chain around the parliament building.
Police arrested 28 protesters on Tuesday and 64 police and demonstrators were injured in the clashes.
The relatively small but intense protests this week have added to Rajoy's image problems abroad.
Officials in Brussels and Berlin have accused him of failing to sell his reforms effectively, partly because of confusing messages from his separate treasury and economy ministers and from his own office.
"The problem in the structure of his economic cabinet is transmitting a confused, improvised image," said an economist, who did not want to be named and who said Rajoy will have to name a powerful economic deputy by the end of the year to sort out his communications issues.
The governments of Ireland, Portugal and Greece were all voted out of office after they sought bailouts from Europe.
But Rajoy may have more staying power, especially if he negotiates a bailout "lite", such as a precautionary credit line from the European bailout fund that would not involve taking Spain out of the credit markets.
The uncharismatic conservative has more than three years left to his term and his People's Party has firm control of parliament, with no signs so far of party splits that might force him out early.
Online dating attracts approximately 1.4 billion consumers worldwide. At least 7 million of those people frequent free internet dating site, PlentyofFish.com. The domain was created and abandoned by Markus Frind in 2001, only to be resurrected 2 years later in 2003 when Frind began to suspect that his real job was in jeopardy.
It took some time for the site to catch on, but once Frind discovered the many wonders of SEO marketing and Adsense, things took off quickly. The traffic on his site built up and PlentyofFish.com began to take off.
It?s hard to believe that Frind is nonchalant about his recent triumphs. Frind speaks with a quiet conviction in his interviews and his words are animated by shrugs that seem to suggest that he?s discussing facts that everyone should already be aware of.
Frind knows that Plentyoffish.com has already left its competitors in the dust. The site receives at least 2.8 billion page views per month, and its newly launched mobile app has been downloaded by one million users. Other sites can?t seem to keep up with Plenty of Fish, but the site certainly has an advantage. Plentyoffish.com is completely free for its users. (There is a paid option but it?s not necessary.)
The Numbers Game: It?s Relative
According to statistics offered by Frind, Plentyoffish.com is sporting some impressive numbers:
PlentyofFish.com is frequented by 723 million visitors per month, comparable to Match.com
PlentyofFish.com users send about 5.5 billion email messages yearly, nearly 4 times as much as Match.com users
Of course, numbers are always subject to interpretation. Comparing PlentyofFish.com?s 5 million regular users to Match.com?s 1.9 million subscribers isn?t exactly fair. It?s more like comparing apples to oranges since PlentyofFish.com is a free site and Match.com users must pay for a subscription to the site. Online matchmaking is not unlike the news industry; a great deal of time is spent on locating the right numbers in order to convince users and advertisers that a particular brand is stronger than the next.
Everyone is a Winner!
If dating sites were evaluated on statistics alone and not unbiased dating site reviews, it would appear that almost every online dating site was a winner. Everyone?s claim to fame is associated with a different type of statistics, and it?s not always clear how each site collects their data.
Many online dating sites are claiming their success based on the number of marriages between users. Some cite the number of connections facilitated by the site, and some claim their fame via the number of users the site currently has.
PlentyofFish.com has an interesting motto. Their claim to fame is ?More dates, more relationships than any other dating site.?
Frind admits that his measurement methods probably aren?t the most scientific. Essentially the site measures success by how many users leave the site, stating that they?ve recently entered into a relationship. He then speculates further, using a widely accepted average of 12.5% ?the percentage of most relationships that end in marriages to determine how many user relationships have led to marriage. Of course, none of this can be validated without a massive worldwide survey, but no one has been ambitious enough to attempt that just yet.
PlentyofFish.com has had its share of rough patches, just like most relationships. In January of 2011 the site was hacked and the site?s users names and passwords were uncovered by hackers. The security holes were patched immediately and there have been no more incidents.
Show Me the Money
One might wonder how a free dating site like PlentyofFish.com makes money without requiring users to subscribe. It?s actually quite simple. The site charges a reasonable rate for advertising fees and rakes in over 25 million in revenue per year.
Online dating sites are part of a virgin industry which has only been around since 1995, so there isn?t a great deal of data to work with. Weighing any statistical results is a challenge.
The only truly accurate method for measuring is evaluating the money that is coming in. Of course, Match.com brings in more revenues. Individual users are required to pay subscription fees, while PlentyofFish.com?s users don?t have to pay a thing. PlentyofFish.com is supported by advertising, and its revenue is much less than Match.com?s $400 million.
Still, PlentyofFish.com isn?t hurting with its 25 million in revenue per year and is one of the best dating sites online. Frind isn?t fazed by the numbers; he insists that any site can bring in $100 million. He?s just not interested in pursuing that at the moment.
This is a guest post.? Rick Mercado is a successful writer and internet marketer who enjoys writing articles for www.dating-site-advisor.com?about the best dating sites online and giving expert relationship advice to single men. He and his wife enjoy living in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Canada?s rugged East Coast, where they can spend most of their free time kayaking and hiking.
Here?s a terrifying thought: Right now, you could have an STD in your system that?s raising your risk for prostate cancer, and you don?t even know it.
The culprit? Trichomoniasis, an extremely common STD?caused by the parasite trichomonas vaginalis. It often goes unnoticed in the body due its lack of symptoms.?Previous research has found a correlation between having the STD and developing prostate cancer, and now new data in the journal PLoS Pathogens suggests a tangible explanation behind the connection.
Moral of the story: Get tested.
Here?s what you need to know about this nasty STD. (Have more urgent sex questions you need answered? Ask the Sex M.D.)
Are there symptoms?
Sometimes. You might experience itching or irritation inside your penis, discharge from your urethra, or a burning sensation after you pee or ejaculate. But out of the 3.7 million Americans who currently have the STD, only about 30 percent develop any symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Should I be concerned?
If you get the STD, it?s not going to go away unless you seek treatment. And consider this: Aside from that prostate cancer risk, trichomoniasis also causes genital inflammation, making it easier for you to get infected with the HIV virus, says John Alderete, Ph.D., lead study author and professor at Washington State University?s School of Molecular Biosciences.
Is it treatable?
Thankfully, yes. Since trichomoniasis is undetectable via blood test, your doctor will have to swab your urethra and take a culture sample to look for it, says Alderete. (Even if you don?t show any symptoms, request to get tested during your next checkup.) If you have the STD, your doc will put you on a prescription antibiotic. (To see the other common diseases you need to screen for?and where they usually lurk?check out America?s Most STD-Infested States.)
So where does my prostate come into play?
For a while now, epidemiologists have been looking for some type of bug that leads to prostate cancer. They tested all the usual suspects?chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, HPV, herpes?and none correlated, Alderete says. But once they examined trichomoniasis, they found a link: Infected men have a 40 percent greater chance of developing prostate cancer, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention.
And just how can an STD put me at risk for cancer?
Alderete and his colleagues hypothesize that trichomoniasis could contribute to prostate cancer via inflammation, or that it causes a chain reaction that leads to the creation of prostate cancer. Here?s how it works: ?In the body, there are these proteins called cytokines, and they are part of your immune system,? says Alderete. As soon as the STD gets into your system and lands on your cells, the parasite tells the cells it needs to respond. Your body switches into defense mode, bringing in other immune cells and creating new proteins. This interaction ignites a landslide of events?one protein turns on another. Eventually the protein HMGA1 becomes active, which in past researchhas been over-expressed in prostate cancers. That?s why researchers make the link, Alderete says. (Prevent against man?s biggest killer these 8 Ways to Cancer-Proof Your Body.)
Researchers have made 3-D reconstructions of two 300-million-year-old insect nymphs by putting the rare fossils under an X-ray.
The scientists have not pinned down the precise identity of either bug, or matched them with their adult counterparts, but they say the scans offer the most complete picture of baby insects from this prehistoric Paleozoic Era.
Both insects are just over 0.8 inches (2 centimeters) long and their fossils, which date to the late Carboniferous period (part of the Paleozoic Era), were found at Montceau-les-Mines in France. The researchers, led by Russell Garwood, of the U.K.'s University of Manchester, published their reconstructions online Sept. 25 in the journal PLoS ONE.
The scientists named one of the insects Anebos phrixos, drawing on the Greek words for "young" and "bristling," the latter of which alludes to the insect's defensive spines. The researchers did not name the other insect, but said it resembles a modern cockroach with a flat body that allowed it to squeeze into narrow crevices and avoid making shadows that might attract predators.
The 3-D reconstructions also gave the researchers detailed pictures of the young insects' mouthparts, which hold clues about their diet. In the roach-like nymph, they found little evidence of specialization in its mandibles, maxilla and other parts, suggesting it ate just about anything.
"Much like modern forest roach nymphs, they could have eaten decaying and rotting matter on the forest floor," the scientists wrote.
Researchers have been turning to CT scans to analyze fossils in a non-invasive way. Another team reported Sept. 18 in the journal Paleontology that they reconstructed a spiny mollusk that crept around the sea 390 million years ago with the same method. Taking their digital reconstruction a step further, they used a 3-D printer to make a physical model of the sea creature. [ See Images of Reconstructed Sea Creature ]
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Is it really less than a week ago that Melbourne IT (MIT) hosted a Washington, DC forum on ?Trademarks and New gTLDs?? The calendar says that it was, but intervening events make the discussion that took place feel outdated already ? given that the one item on which there was clear consensus among almost all event participants (ICANN moving forward with implementation of Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS)) appears to be launching, while ICANN?s new CEO subsequently sent a letter to Congress throwing cold water on two key items in the brand community?s wish list.
The focus of the event was supposed to be MIT?s High At-Risk Marks (HARM) proposal, which envisioned a circumscribed set of global, non-generic word trademarks receiving a higher level of required rights protection in new gTLDs. While we had strong concerns about some aspects of the HARM trial balloon ? especially the notion that a URS brought against a HARM-listed mark would bring automatic domain suspension if the registrant did not pay a response fee within 48 hours ? we nonetheless commend MIT for putting a well-reasoned and circumscribed proposal out for consideration. But the day?s discussion ranged far beyond HARM, especially after brand representatives at the event made clear that its requirements were too restrictive for their taste. This led MIT CTO (and ICANN Vice Chair) Bruce Tonkin to remark post-event, ?There doesn?t seem to be enough support for line-drawing.? So HARM, R.I.P., we hardly knew you.
Mr. Tonkin kicked off the event with remarks that the Applicant Guidebook (AG) contained a ?minimum set of protections? and that ?now is the time to review the mechanisms in light of the TLDs applied for?. Most of the panelists chosen for the event represented brand interests and made predictable arguments for significant expansion of the breadth of listings in the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMC) and the length of its operation, as well as for converting URS from a limited supplement to the existing UDRP to a full-bore substitute, at a much cheaper price for complainants at the expense of cheapening registrant rights.
But some of the comments did surprise us, such as that of Dan Jaffe of the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), a group that had hoped to delay the acceptance of new gTLD applications. Mr. Jaffe declared that ?there is no URS at the present time?, which is certainly news to us as well as everyone else in the ICANN community who had debated its contours at extended length. We were also taken aback by Andrew Abrams of Google, who gave an interesting presentation on the various business models contained within its 98 gTLD applications ? but them went on to endorse changing the URS by lowering its burden of proof to the same as a UDRP, and to imposing a ?loser pays? rule on the registrant of even a single domain at issue. When the time came for audience comment ICA pointed out that this was a rather confounding endorsement from Google, which had helped lead the fight against the SOPA legislation for the exact reason that it would subject domains to suspension aka ?censorship? based upon allegations of IP violations but absent adequate due process for registrants. Our post-event conversation with Mr. Abrams indicated that Google may reexamine its URS position.
One panelist who stood out from the crowd was Jon Nevett of leading gTLD applicant Donuts, who made a strong argument that the AG should be considered closed and that any new rights protection mechanisms (RPMs) should only be considered in the context of a policy development process (PDP) applicable to all gTLDs. ICA, for its part, has long been on the record favoring initiation of a PDP for procedural UDRP reform, but it was pressure from brand interests that have deferred its start until at least mid-2015. Mr. Nevett pointed out that Donuts has additional rights protections baked into its applications, such as a Domain Protected Marks List (DPML), and made the case for allowing such experimentation by applicant groups to test the efficacy of such measures before even thinking about requiring them from all.
When the discussion was opened to the audience, ICA noted that the existing RPMs came out of a two year ICANN community debate and were unanimously endorsed by the GNSO Council and the ICANN Board, so they shouldn?t be casually tinkered with ? while not rejecting all proposals out of hand, we think there has to be a mighty high bar for any alterations.
As for the major brand rationale for performing RPM surgery ? that there were 1400 unique gTLDs being applied for ? we pointed out that by the time the Board approved the existing measures there was an expectation of at least 500-1,000 applications, and that the existing RPMs do scale for whatever number of new gTLDs come into being. We also made clear that since the URS had been adopted on the basis that it was to be a limited supplement to the UDRP, we?d strongly oppose any bait-and-switch attempt to convert it into a cut-rate UDRP substitute.
From other comments, it was also clear that many applicants, registries, and registrars were very concerned by any proposed alteration of the TMC warning system that would result in an inordinate number of false positives. The trademark for insurance company ING came in for several mentions, since any TMC registration warning system triggered by the multiple words containing such a trademark ? such as domaining ? could scare off potential registrants in droves.
As noted, the one item on which all parties seemed to agree was that ICANN was way overdue on URS implementation. Perhaps not coincidentally, the very next day an ICANN e-mail properly delegated control of URS implementation to the GNSO Council (see http://internetcommerce.org/URS_Implementation), with this to be a major discussion item at the upcoming Toronto meeting.
But other RPM expansions touted by brand owners at the HARM event got the cold shoulder in a letter sent last week by new ICANN CEO Fadi Ch?hade to Congressional leaders (letter available at http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/chehade-to-leahy-et-al-19sep12-en).
In regard to possible extension of the TMC-related claims service requirement beyond 60 days, his letter stated:
There is nothing precluding registries from electing to continue to offer the trademark claims service beyond the required 60-day period; indeed the Applicant Guidebook incentivizes registries to provide rights protections that exceed minimum requirements?.For the first round of new gTLDs, ICANN is not in a position to unilaterally require today an extension of the 60-day minimum length of the trademark claims service. The 60-day period was reached through a multi-year, extensive process within the ICANN community. One reason for this is that there are existing IP Watch services that address this needs. Those community members that designed the Trademark Claims Service were cognizant of existing protections and sought to fill gap, not replace existing services and business models. (Emphasis added)
And, on another key RPM expansion being pushed by brand owners ? going beyond exact matches of trademarks for TMC purposes ? he had this to say:
It is important to note that the Trademark Clearinghouse is intended as a repository for existing legal rights, and not an adjudicator of such rights or creator of new rights. Extending the protections offered through the Trademark Clearinghouse to any form of name (such as the mark + generic term suggested in your letter) would potentially expand rights beyond those granted under trademark law and put the Clearinghouse in the role of making determinations as to the scope of particular rights. The principle that ?rights protections ?should protect the existing rights, but neither expand those rights nor create additional legal rights by trademark law? ?was key to the work of the Implementation Recommendation Team?Though ICANN cannot mandate that the Trademark Clearinghouse provide notices beyond those required in accordance with the Registry Agreement, there is nothing to prevent the Trademark Clearinghouse or others from offering additional services that would, for example, give notice regarding various forms of a trademark. (Emphasis added)
So what is the way forward in the wake of the HARM discussion and these subsequent ICANN actions? In his opening remarks, Mr. Tonkin outlined three potential routes:
1.??? ?Best practices? implemented voluntarily by new gTLD applicants. ? This already exists in proposals from Donuts, Uniregistry, and other applicants and requires nothing from ICANN except encouragement. Registrants are free to consider whether they wish to be subject to such additional measures before acquiring a domain at any new gTLD.
2.??? ??Formal advice? to the ICANN Board from various ICANN constituencies, stakeholder groups, houses, and councils. ? In our view, advice is fine but the GNSO Council, as the ICANN entity responsible for gTLD policy, must play a central and critical role lest we see more lobbying of the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) by brand interests designed to circumvent the Council, with subsequent political pressure on the ICANN Board such as that which has already resulted in some whittling down in registrants? procedural rights.
3.??? A formal PDP, the results of which would be mandatory for all gTLDs. ? As Mr. Tonkin noted, this has the strongest impact but also takes the longest time. And it?s hard to envision a PDP that would consider new RPMs for presently nonexistent gTLDs as well as for those with tens of millions of domain registrations, such as .com, that could be completed prior to the expected early 2014 launch of new gTLDs.
So that?s where things stand today, but clearly more surprises could be in store in the weeks leading up to the Toronto meeting.
As ICA prepares to fully participate in that Canadian forum, our number one priority will be, ?First, do no harm ? to registrant rights.?
This post by Philip Corwin from the Internet Commerce Association was sourced with permission from: internetcommerce.org/Do_No_HARM
First look at 2011 data finds rising prices drove spending growth for those with employer sponsored insurance
Washington, DCU.S. health care spending grew at a faster pace than expected in 2011,
according to a new report from the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI). The Health Care Cost and
Utilization Report: 2011 provides the first broad look at 2011 health care spending among those
with employer-sponsored insurance (ESI). HCCI found that average dollars spent on health care
services for that population climbed 4.6 percent in 2011, reaching $4,547 per person. This was
well above the 3.8 percent growth rate observed in 2010 and beyond expected growth for
2011.
Consumers spent more of their own dollars on health care in 2011, with out-of-pocket spending
growing to $735 per persona $32 increase from 2010while costs covered by insurance
grew at nearly the same rate. Spending levels grew fastest for outpatient services, for those
ages 18 and younger, and those in the Northeast region. Spending grew the slowest for
prescriptions.
Spending Growth Slowdown Abated
Health care spending growth has been on a downward trajectory. HCCI found spending growth
slowed from 5.8 percent in 2009, to 3.8 percent in 2010 for those with employer-sponsored
insurance. With a sluggish economy, many experts anticipated a modest growth rate for 2011.
"While it's hard to know whether this means spending levels are going to continue rising, it
clearly is a signal that we have to pay attention to," said HCCI Governing Board Chairman
Martin Gaynor, PhD, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University.
"We need to continue studying these data to see whether this acceleration in spending growth
is the beginning of an upward trend that will return us to pre-recession levels," he added.
HCCI's report reflects the national health care spending of nearly a 156 million people with
commercial insurance. HCCI estimates are based on the claims of 40 million privately insured
people with ESIan increase of 7 million people from a report released earlier this year. The
claims held by HCCI account for the health care spending of over 25 percent of all people under
65 with ESI. Based on this data, HCCI estimates that total private health insurance spending
reached $709.2 billion, an increase of 4.2 percent from 2010.
Rising Prices Drove Spending Growth in 2011
Prices rose for all major categories of health carehospital stays, outpatient care, procedures
and prescriptionsoutpacing an uptick in the use of many of these services. Prices rose fastest
for outpatient care.
"Prices continue be the main culprit for rising health care costs," said HCCI Executive Director
David Newman. "If we are really going to get health care spending under control, we have to
better understand why those prices are rising and the implications those increases have for the
U.S. health care budget."
Prescription Spending Slowed
Overall health spending was partly offset by a slowdown in spending on prescriptions, which
grew just 1 percent from 2010 to 2011, rising to $773 per capita.
Slower growth was driven by net changes in prices and use of brand name prescriptions versus
generics. Although brand name prescription prices rose 17.7 percent to an average of $268 per
prescription, use of brand name prescriptions fell nearly 13 percent. The price of generics fell
7.2 percent to an average of $33 per prescription, while use rose 3.4 percent.
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS:
Regional spending gap widening: HCCI analyzed spending in the four major U.S. Census
regions. The Northeast had the highest per capita spending ($4,659) while the West had
the lowest ($4,358). The gap in spending between the two regions grew, widening from
$232 in 2010 to $301 in 2011.
Spending on children's health care rising fastest: As in 2010, per capita spending on
children (ages 0-18) grew much faster than spending on other age groups. In 2011, the
growth rate of spending on children increased 2.1 percentage points to 7.7 percent
more than twice the rate of the spending for those aged 19-44 and 55-64.
Cost sharing between patients and payers remains stable: Spending on health care was
split between consumers and insurance companies in much the same way as previous
years, with insurers paying for 83.8 percent of total expenditures and insured enrollees
contributing 16.2 percent. Payers contributed $3,812 per person in 2011.
Use of outpatient and health care services up: In 2011 compared to 2010, people with
ESI used more outpatient services and had more procedures performed. Visits to the
emergency room (ER) increased 3.7 percent. However, they had fewer hospitals stays
and filled prescriptions.
The Health Care Cost and Utilization Report: 2011, as well as two issue briefs, will be available
on the HCCI website on September 25, 2012, at: http://www.healthcostinstitute.org/2011report
HCCI's analysis is based on de-identified Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA) compliant data sets from nearly 6 billion health insurance claims provided by Aetna,
Humana, and UnitedHealthcare, three of the nation's largest health plans. HCCI does not report
on premiums. Future reports from HCCI will include data from Kaiser Permanente. All prices
and spending reporting by HCCI are current or nominal dollars.
Later this year, HCCI will be releasing a report examining health care spending trends from
2007-2011. Several independent researchers are now working with HCCI's data and are
undertaking studies evaluating factors that influence geographic variation in health care
spending and utilization of services, and examining the effects of aging on health spending.
###
The Health Care Cost Institute was launched in September 2011 to promote independent,
nonpartisan research and analysis on the causes of the rise in U.S. health spending. HCCI
believes a better understanding of the forces driving health care cost growth will help policy
makers, researchers, and the public make decisions that will lead to more accessible and
affordable care. The Institute is governed by a board that includes distinguished economists,
actuaries and health care experts. For more information, visit www.healthcostinstitute.org or
follow us on Twitter @healthcostinst
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
After a 2-year slowdown, health spending grew 4.6 percent per capita in 2011, says HCCI reportPublic release date: 25-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
First look at 2011 data finds rising prices drove spending growth for those with employer sponsored insurance
Washington, DCU.S. health care spending grew at a faster pace than expected in 2011,
according to a new report from the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI). The Health Care Cost and
Utilization Report: 2011 provides the first broad look at 2011 health care spending among those
with employer-sponsored insurance (ESI). HCCI found that average dollars spent on health care
services for that population climbed 4.6 percent in 2011, reaching $4,547 per person. This was
well above the 3.8 percent growth rate observed in 2010 and beyond expected growth for
2011.
Consumers spent more of their own dollars on health care in 2011, with out-of-pocket spending
growing to $735 per persona $32 increase from 2010while costs covered by insurance
grew at nearly the same rate. Spending levels grew fastest for outpatient services, for those
ages 18 and younger, and those in the Northeast region. Spending grew the slowest for
prescriptions.
Spending Growth Slowdown Abated
Health care spending growth has been on a downward trajectory. HCCI found spending growth
slowed from 5.8 percent in 2009, to 3.8 percent in 2010 for those with employer-sponsored
insurance. With a sluggish economy, many experts anticipated a modest growth rate for 2011.
"While it's hard to know whether this means spending levels are going to continue rising, it
clearly is a signal that we have to pay attention to," said HCCI Governing Board Chairman
Martin Gaynor, PhD, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University.
"We need to continue studying these data to see whether this acceleration in spending growth
is the beginning of an upward trend that will return us to pre-recession levels," he added.
HCCI's report reflects the national health care spending of nearly a 156 million people with
commercial insurance. HCCI estimates are based on the claims of 40 million privately insured
people with ESIan increase of 7 million people from a report released earlier this year. The
claims held by HCCI account for the health care spending of over 25 percent of all people under
65 with ESI. Based on this data, HCCI estimates that total private health insurance spending
reached $709.2 billion, an increase of 4.2 percent from 2010.
Rising Prices Drove Spending Growth in 2011
Prices rose for all major categories of health carehospital stays, outpatient care, procedures
and prescriptionsoutpacing an uptick in the use of many of these services. Prices rose fastest
for outpatient care.
"Prices continue be the main culprit for rising health care costs," said HCCI Executive Director
David Newman. "If we are really going to get health care spending under control, we have to
better understand why those prices are rising and the implications those increases have for the
U.S. health care budget."
Prescription Spending Slowed
Overall health spending was partly offset by a slowdown in spending on prescriptions, which
grew just 1 percent from 2010 to 2011, rising to $773 per capita.
Slower growth was driven by net changes in prices and use of brand name prescriptions versus
generics. Although brand name prescription prices rose 17.7 percent to an average of $268 per
prescription, use of brand name prescriptions fell nearly 13 percent. The price of generics fell
7.2 percent to an average of $33 per prescription, while use rose 3.4 percent.
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS:
Regional spending gap widening: HCCI analyzed spending in the four major U.S. Census
regions. The Northeast had the highest per capita spending ($4,659) while the West had
the lowest ($4,358). The gap in spending between the two regions grew, widening from
$232 in 2010 to $301 in 2011.
Spending on children's health care rising fastest: As in 2010, per capita spending on
children (ages 0-18) grew much faster than spending on other age groups. In 2011, the
growth rate of spending on children increased 2.1 percentage points to 7.7 percent
more than twice the rate of the spending for those aged 19-44 and 55-64.
Cost sharing between patients and payers remains stable: Spending on health care was
split between consumers and insurance companies in much the same way as previous
years, with insurers paying for 83.8 percent of total expenditures and insured enrollees
contributing 16.2 percent. Payers contributed $3,812 per person in 2011.
Use of outpatient and health care services up: In 2011 compared to 2010, people with
ESI used more outpatient services and had more procedures performed. Visits to the
emergency room (ER) increased 3.7 percent. However, they had fewer hospitals stays
and filled prescriptions.
The Health Care Cost and Utilization Report: 2011, as well as two issue briefs, will be available
on the HCCI website on September 25, 2012, at: http://www.healthcostinstitute.org/2011report
HCCI's analysis is based on de-identified Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA) compliant data sets from nearly 6 billion health insurance claims provided by Aetna,
Humana, and UnitedHealthcare, three of the nation's largest health plans. HCCI does not report
on premiums. Future reports from HCCI will include data from Kaiser Permanente. All prices
and spending reporting by HCCI are current or nominal dollars.
Later this year, HCCI will be releasing a report examining health care spending trends from
2007-2011. Several independent researchers are now working with HCCI's data and are
undertaking studies evaluating factors that influence geographic variation in health care
spending and utilization of services, and examining the effects of aging on health spending.
###
The Health Care Cost Institute was launched in September 2011 to promote independent,
nonpartisan research and analysis on the causes of the rise in U.S. health spending. HCCI
believes a better understanding of the forces driving health care cost growth will help policy
makers, researchers, and the public make decisions that will lead to more accessible and
affordable care. The Institute is governed by a board that includes distinguished economists,
actuaries and health care experts. For more information, visit www.healthcostinstitute.org or
follow us on Twitter @healthcostinst
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
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As public health leaders step up their efforts to temper Americans? thirst for sugar-sweetened beverages, a new set of published studies has found that removing sugary drinks from kids? diets slows weight gain in heavy teens and reduces the odds that normal-weight children will become obese.
Though sodas, sports drinks, blended coffees and other high-calorie beverages have long been assumed to play a leading role in the nation?s obesity crisis, these studies are the first to show that consumption of sugary drinks is a direct cause of weight gain, experts said.
For adults, the new research offers the disturbing suggestion that regular consumption of the high-calorie beverages may turn on genetic switches that incline our bodies to becoming fat.
Collectively, the studies leave little doubt that a steady surge in the consumption of soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks has contributed to the near-tripling of the nation?s obesity rate over the last four decades.
"Calories from sugar-sweetened beverages do matter,? Yale University endocrinologist Sonia Caprio wrote in an editorial that accompanied the studies, published online Friday by the New England Journal of Medicine. ?The time has come to take action.?
Admonishing purveyors of crowd-pleasing super-sized drinks, Caprio also urged policymakers to focus first on measures that ?limit consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, especially those served at low cost and in excessive portions, to attempt to reverse the increase in childhood obesity.?
More than 12.5 million American kids and 78 million adults are obese. The 40 years of increasing national girth have paralleled an estimated doubling of calories consumed in drinks sweetened with sugar and its close chemical relative, high-fructose corn syrup.
As public health officials have pondered ways to reduce obesity and the chronic diseases that come with it, they have sharpened their focus on the estimated 222 calories the average American drinks every day in the form of sugary drinks and the like.
?Sugar-sweetened beverages ? and ultimately all sugary beverages including juices ? are the low-hanging fruit? of the anti-obesity campaign, said University of North Carolina epidemiologist Barry M. Popkin, an obesity expert who tracks American consumption patterns. While sugary drinks are high in calories, they are low in nutrients, he said. What?s more, studies show that people who drink such beverages rarely compensate for their extra calories by reducing intake at meals.
Not surprisingly, the new studies unleashed a storm of objection from the Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc., the icons of a $110-billion-a-year industry whose products have penetrated the remotest corners of the earth.
?Sugar-sweetened beverages are not driving obesity,? the American Beverage Assn., which represents the soda makers, said in a statement released Friday. ?By every measure, sugar-sweetened beverages play a small and declining role in the American diet.? Citing an analysis of government data by the National Cancer Institute, the ABA said sugar-sweetened drinks accounted for just 7% of the average American?s diet. ?Focusing on a small source of calories rather than on the total diet is a misplaced allocation of resources,? the ABA statement cautioned.
Two of the reports published Friday break new ground in the long-running debate by employing the ?gold standard? of biomedical research design: The researchers compared two groups of children who were similar in most respects except that some were randomly selected to drink a sugary beverage each day and some were given an artificially sweetened drink with no calories.
As a result, the findings provide a clear-eyed look at how weight gain is directly influenced by consumption of sugary drinks.
In one of the studies, involving 641 normal-weight children between the ages of 5 and 12, those who drank 8 ounces of a sugar-sweetened beverages each day for 18 months gained more than 2 pounds of additional weight and accumulated more fat than their peers who drank artificially sweetened drinks daily.
In the other study, involving 224 ninth- and 10th-graders who were already overweight or obese, those who were supplied with diet drinks and water for one year were more than 4 pounds lighter on average ? and roughly half a point lower on the body mass index scale ? than their peers who continued to drink sugary beverages. But when those teens were allowed to revert to their old habits, the differences between the two groups disappeared within a year.
?This research pushes us beyond the potential and suggestive effect of sugar-sweetened beverages on obesity and weight gain and into the realm of very solid science,? said Popkin, who was not involved in the latest studies.
Latino teens who were overweight or obese showed particularly strong and enduring benefits from switching to calorie-free beverages: After one year, they were an average of 14 pounds lighter than their peers who didn?t change their drinking habits, and after two years they were 20 pounds lighter.
?For certain populations, paying attention to these relatively simple things, such as sugar-sweetened beverage intake, can really have an impact,? said Dr. David M. Harlan, a leading expert on obesity and diabetes at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
The third study, which linked regular consumption of sugary drinks with genetic differences in adults, may lend support to a growing belief on the part of obesity researchers that some calories matter more than others. While an individual?s weight may be determined by comparing calories consumed and calories expended, some experts believe calories from particular sources ? including super-sweetened drinks ? may have effects beyond the simple units of energy they contain, Harlan said.
The findings, presented Friday at the annual meeting of the Obesity Society in San Antonio, come as momentum builds for a raft of controversial measures that aim to drive down consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks.
Last week, the New York City Board of Health voted to implement a ban on the sale of sugar-sweetened drinks larger than 16 ounces at 24,000 restaurants, snack bars, movie theaters and sports arenas.
In June, the American Medical Assn. broke a years-long silence and called taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages one effective method of improving health and reducing consumption of the high-calorie drinks. The American Heart Assn. has already endorsed such taxes, and Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has called taxes ?the single most effective measure to reverse the obesity epidemic.?
The Obama administration and about 30 state legislatures have considered levying sales taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, prompting beverage manufacturers to spend $60 million on lobbying, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
### By Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times
Provided by ArmMed Media
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Online dating attracts approximately 1.4 billion consumers worldwide. At least 7 million of those people frequent free internet dating site, PlentyofFish.com. The domain was created and abandoned by Markus Frind in 2001, only to be resurrected 2 years later in 2003 when Frind began to suspect that his real job was in jeopardy.
Is it really less than a week ago that Melbourne IT (MIT) hosted a Washington, DC forum on ?Trademarks and New gTLDs?? The calendar says that it was, but intervening events make the discussion that took place feel outdated already ? given that the one item on which there was clear consensus among almost all event participants (ICANN moving forward with implementation of Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS)) appears to be launching, while ICANN?s new CEO subsequently sent a letter to Congress throwing cold water on two key items in the brand community?s wish list.![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 25-Sep-2012
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