IBM sends Watson to NY college to boost its skills

TROY, New York ? Watson, the supercomputer famous for beating the world's best human "Jeopardy!" champions, is going to college.

IBM is announcing Wednesday that it will provide a Watson system to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the first time the computer is being sent to a university. Just like the flesh-and-blood students who will work on it, Watson is leaving home to sharpen its skills. Course work will include English and math.

"It's a big step for us," said Michael Henesey, IBM's vice president of business development. "We consider it absolutely strategic technology for IBM in the future. And we want to evolve it, of course, thoughtfully, but also in collaboration with the best and brightest in academia."

Watson is a cognitive system that can process massive amounts of data, including natural language. To beat "Jeopardy!" champions in 2011, it was fed the contents of encyclopedias, dictionaries, books, news dispatches and movie scripts. For its medical work, it takes in medical textbooks and journals. After it takes in data, Watson can provide information like a "Jeopardy!" answer, a medical diagnosis or an estimate of financial risk.

IBM, which provided a grant to RPI to operate Watson for three years, sees it as a way to help it boost the computer's cognitive capabilities.

FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2011, file photo, "Jeopardy!" champions Ken Jennings, left, and Brad Rutter, right, flank a prop representing Watson during a practice round of the "Jeopardy!" quiz show in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. Watson, the question-answering supercomputer is going to college. IBM is announcing Wednesday that it will provide a Watson system to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the first time a version of the computer is being sent to a university. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Artificial intelligence researchers at RPI want to do things like improve Watson's mathematical ability and help it quickly figure out the meaning of new or made-up words. They want to improve its ability to handle the torrent of images, videos and emails on the Web, the sort of unstructured information that is overwhelmingly fueling the data boom.

For Selmer Bringsjord, who heads RPI's department of cognitive science, getting a crack at Watson is like a car aficionado being tossed the keys to a souped-up Lamborghini. Bringsjord said he and his graduate students could potentially focus on providing Watson with a deeper understanding of the structure of sentences and how dialogues unfold.

"If I can make a tiny, tiny contribution in that direction, given how historic the system is, I'd be very happy and I think my graduate students would be as well," Bringsjord said.

The original Watson remains at IBM's Research Headquarters in Westchester County, about 100 miles south of the school. RPI has hardware fully dedicated to running the system's software at its supercomputing center in the Rensselaer Tech Park near the school. RPI's version of Watson has 15 terabytes of memory, enough to store a massive library. It will allow 20 users to access the system at once.

IBM has worked collaboratively with other outside institutions on Watson, such as Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, New York-based Citigroup Inc. and the Cleveland Clinic. But this is the first time hardware fully dedicated to running the Watson software is being installed at a college.

Officials with IBM and RPI say Watson's college tenure also will prepare RPI students for jobs in cognitive science and "big data," a field where demand is quickly outpacing supply. John Kolb, RPI's chief information officer, said he would like the next generation of the school's technology graduates "to help IBM take Watson to the next level."

Source: http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/f22e03fae4d3411a85572fcfbeb9cc52/US--Watson-To-College

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City officials probed for negligence over Brazil nightclub fire

SANTA MARIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Prosecutors in southern Brazil, where 235 people died when a fire ravaged the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria last weekend, are investigating whether city leaders and inspectors were negligent in allowing the club to operate.

The investigation, which is separate from a criminal probe into the causes of the tragedy, comes after police said the club's sole exit was partially blocked and that fire extinguishers and emergency exit lights weren't working.

Investigators say the lapses led to the stampede and consequent trampling and suffocation that killed most of the fire's victims.

"There is a political dimension to what happened," Cesar Augusto Carlan, a public prosecutor for the state of Rio Grande do Sul, where the fire occurred, said in an interview on Wednesday.

He said the investigation sought to determine what fault may lie with the city, fire inspectors, and any other enforcement officials who had allowed the nightclub to operate.

In a news conference late Tuesday, Santa Maria's mayor, Cesar Schirmer, said city inspectors visited the club last April after it had undergone remodeling and found no reason to revoke its operating permit.

He said his mind was "at ease" that city hall had "fulfilled its obligation."

Schirmer added: "The establishment, in our view, had no irregularities. If any measures or inspections should have been taken, that was the responsibility of the fire department."

The local fire department, for its part, reiterated in a statement late Tuesday that it was in the process of renewing the club's safety permit when the fire occurred, but that the establishment was authorized to operate in the meantime.

It added, however, that the club appears to have committed several safety violations, noting that it did not have a permit allowing the sort of pyrotechnics that sparked the fire and that regulations require that the exit remain unobstructed, which wasn't the case.

"If there had been a request to use pyrotechnics in the nightclub Kiss, the fire department would not have authorized it," the statement read.

Further details of the tragedy continue to emerge.

Police said one of the club's owners, who with his co-owner is in police custody for questioning, on Tuesday tried to choke himself with a shower hose at a local hospital in a suicide attempt. The owner, identified by police as Elissandro Spohr, told officials he could not bear the strain of the tragedy.

In addition to the two club owners, two members of Gurizada Fandangueira, the band that was performing at the club, also are in custody for questioning. One of the band members, police say, lit an outdoor flare during its show, igniting overhead soundproofing material from which the fire rapidly spread.

None of the four men has been charged with any crime.

Local authorities have revised the death toll from the tragedy to 235, following the death of an injured man in hospital and a recount of the confirmed dead. Late on Tuesday, 121 people remained in hospital, 83 of them on respirators.

Some of those being treated are suffering complications from the toxic chemicals they inhaled during the fire.

(Writing by Paulo Prada; Editing by Todd Benson, Kieran Murray and David Storey)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/city-officials-probed-negligence-over-brazil-nightclub-fire-171734491.html

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SK Hynix logs 2nd straight quarterly profit

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix Inc. said Wednesday it posted a profit for a second straight quarter as the stronger won reduced the amount of debt denominated in foreign currencies.

Its October-December net profit reached 163.7 billion won ($151 million), compared with a 239.9 billion loss a year earlier. In the previous quarter, it logged 2 billion won in profit.

Its operating profit amounted to 55 billion won on revenue of 2.7 trillion won, a 7 percent rise over a year earlier.

Hynix said it turned to operating profit from the previous quarter's loss thanks to strong demand for chips used in mobile devices and servers.

The company also benefited from solid sales of affordable tablet PCs in emerging markets, which helped offset lower demand for PCs.

Growth of smartphone sales in China and new product launches by its clients during the fourth quarter drove an increase in sales and prices of flash memory chips, it said.

SK Hynix, which competes with bigger rival Samsung Electronics Co. and Toshiba Corp., supplies chips to Apple Inc., Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co.

For the full year of 2012, the company logged 159 billion won in net losses, bigger than the 56 billion won loss in the previous year.

Global semiconductor companies are bracing for a shift in computing as more consumers and companies turn to portable and mobile devices rather than desktop computers.

Fourth-quarter PC shipments declined by a wider-than-expected margin of 6.4 percent over a year earlier, according to market research firm IDC.

Microsoft's launch of Windows 8 system at the end of last year did little to reverse the downward trend of PC demand, the research firm said.

As doubts abound whether PC shipments can make a rebound this year, chipmakers have been shifting their focus to chips for smartphones, tablet computers and servers. SK Hynix said demand for smartphones in emerging markets and the intensified competition among smartphone makers are expected to increase demand for memory chips for mobile devices.

Because global chip companies are hesitant to raise investments from the previous year due to the uncertainty in PC demand and the global economic outlook, a supply increase could be limited, which could stave off a drastic fall in chip prices, the company added.

Samsung Electronics, the world's largest memory chipmaker, said last week that it will keep its annual capital spending unchanged from the last year, refraining from increasing capital expenditure for the first time in four years.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-01-29-AS-SKorea-Earns-SK%20Hynix/id-03fd71ebe2004523b69d1cc277cf508b

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Australians clean up from floods; supplies dwindle

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) ? Military personnel headed to flood-ravaged northeast Australia on Wednesday to help clean up the sludgy aftermath of floods that damaged thousands of homes and businesses and left some communities short of power, food and water.

The death toll from the flood crisis rose to five Wednesday when police discovered a man's body in a car submerged in a creek. Another man who vanished while traveling through the same area earlier this week was still missing.

Floodwaters were receding in most places, bringing relief to a region that was battered by worse floods just two years ago. But there were concerns about food and water shortages in some communities and thousands were without power.

Around 120 soldiers were en route to the hardest-hit city of Bundaberg in Queensland, 385 kilometers (240 miles) north of Brisbane. The flooding, caused by the remnants of a tropical cyclone, forced around 7,500 Bundaberg residents from their homes, inundated 2,000 houses and 200 businesses with murky water and prompted helicopter evacuations of 1,000 people.

As the cleanup began Wednesday, some residents complained about dwindling food supplies.

"People were almost coming to blows this morning at the local shop fighting over bread rolls," said Chris Pasky of Moore Park, just outside Bundaberg. "We've got a baby in the house we can't feed. We've just been forgotten."

In Brisbane, residents were warned to conserve water after muddy floodwaters put pressure on the city's water treatment plants. Queensland Premier Campbell Newman told Australian Broadcasting Corp. that stocks of bottled water were ready to be distributed to residents if the reservoirs run dry.

In other areas, officials scrambled to deliver supplies to residents still cut off by the slowly receding waters.

"We're discovering people who are isolated, without power, without water, and we're going to be getting some long-life milk and bread supplies in through four-wheel drive later today," said Pam Parker, mayor of Logan City, south of Brisbane.

In a waterlogged area of Queensland, police have spent days hunting for two men, aged 25 and 34, who disappeared as they traveled separately to work on Sunday near Gatton, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) west of Brisbane. Police said they believed the body found Wednesday was that of the 34-year-old, though formal identification was still pending.

The hunt was still on for the younger man, whose car was found Tuesday in the same creek where the body was recovered.

Queensland residents suffered through the worst flooding Australia had seen in decades in late 2010 and early 2011, when floodwaters from heavy rain killed 35 people, damaged or destroyed 30,000 homes and businesses and left Brisbane under water for days.

Australia has been suffering through a summer of weather extremes, with blistering temperatures and dry conditions igniting hundreds of wildfires across the southern half of the country.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/australians-clean-floods-supplies-dwindle-050046492.html

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Casey Anthony reportedly mulling legal career - U.S. News

Joe Burbank / Pool via AP

By Elizabeth Chuck, Staff Writer, NBC News

Casey Anthony's long road through the U.S. justice system has inspired her to consider a new career path: Becoming a paralegal, according to one of her lawyers.

Anthony already knows a good deal about the criminal justice system. ?At 26 she was thrust into the national spotlight when her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, disappeared from their Orlando, Fla., home in 2008.

The toddler's body was found that December and despite Anthony's initial tale of a kidnapping babysitter, the mother was later considered the number one suspect and spent various stints behind bars on charges related to the investigation.

But in July 2011 -- after a trial full of bombshells and intense media attention -- a jury found her not guilty in her daughter's murder, yet convicted her of lying about Caylee's disappearance. A?poll at the time ranked Anthony as America's "most hated woman."?

Anthony, who has received death threats since her trial began, has been in hiding. After she was acquitted of murder but convicted of lying to police, she got credit for the three years of time she served behind bars, and was free to leave; however, she still has a number of civil lawsuits pending against her, which may prevent her from moving beyond Florida state lines.

Now, with just $1,100 worth of assets to her name, according to a recent bankruptcy filing, Anthony is considering ways to start making money.

"She would like to get a job,?I can assure you, but she can't work at McDonald's. People would be looking at her instead of at the menu," one of her attorneys, Charles Greene, told ABCNews.com on Monday, several days after Anthony filed for bankruptcy protection in Orlando, Fla.

Greene said Anthony, who hasn't worked for the past four years and is nearly $800,000 in debt, might want to become a paralegal in the future.

"She's better than many paralegals I know," he told ABCNews.com. "She could be a paralegal or something like that right away. She is very organized, a very intelligent, very computer savvy person, so I think her skills and her desire may lie somewhere in that field."

Greene wouldn't comment on her whereabouts. The most recent sighting the public got of Anthony was in the form of a video diary she had put online, reportedly without the approval of her attorneys, in January 2012.

Anthony may take some more time before she tries to pursue a career, her attorney said, but she "believes strongly in our justice system."?

"You don't go from the most hated woman in the world, according to some media outlets, to being a normal person or being able to live a normal life," Greene said. "I'm not saying she's not a normal person, but people do not perceive her as a normal person."

There are no plans for Anthony to write a "tell-all book" or "tell-all movie," he said.

"The events are very private and Miss Anthony is still yet to come to terms with them and they're still so emotional, so emotionally traumatic for her," he said. "There's just moments she breaks down and starts crying when she starts thinking about it. It's nothing she's going to talk about. She's a very private person and she won't let people see that side of her either. She'll put up a tough face."

Of the approximately $792,000 that Anthony is in debt for, $500,000 is owed to her defense attorney, Jose Baez; $100,000 of it is to search and rescue organization Texas EquuSearch, which is suing her for $100,000 for the time it spent searching for Caylee; and the rest of the money is to the IRS and Florida law enforcement.?

Anthony is also being sued by the woman she claimed had kidnapped Caylee and a former meter reader who found Caylee's body, who says Anthony's attorneys portrayed him as a potential murderer.

Other recent stories on Casey Anthony:

?

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/29/16753017-casey-anthony-reportedly-mulling-legal-career

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Sometimes a nickel is worth millions

5 hrs.

Steve Szkotak , The Associated Press

A humble 5-cent coin with a storied past is headed to auction and bidding is expected to top $2 million a century after it was mysteriously minted.?

The 1913 Liberty Head nickel is one of only five known to exist, but it's the coin's back story that adds to its cachet: It was surreptitiously and illegally cast, discovered in a car wreck that killed its owner, declared a fake, forgotten in a closet for decades and then found to be the real deal. It all adds up to an expected sale of $2.5 million or more when it goes on the auction block April 25 in suburban Chicago.?

"Basically a coin with a story and a rarity will trump everything else," said Douglas Mudd, curator of the American Numismatic Association Money Museum in Colorado Springs, Colo., which has held the coin for most of the past 10 years. He expects it could fetch more than Heritage Auction's estimate, perhaps $4 million and even up to $5 million.?

"A lot of this is ego," he said of collectors who could bid for it. "I have one of these and nobody else does."?

The sellers who will split the money equally are four Virginia siblings who never let the coin slip from their hands, even when it was deemed a fake.?

The nickel made its debut in a most unusual way. It was struck at the Philadelphia mint in late 1912, the final year of its issue, but with the year 1913 cast on its face ? the same year the beloved Buffalo Head nickel was introduced.?

Mudd said a mint worker named Samuel W. Brown is suspected of producing the coin and altering the die to add the bogus date.?

The coins' existence weren't known until Brown offered them for sale at the American Numismatic Association Convention in Chicago in 1920, beyond the statute of limitations. The five remained together under various owners until the set was broken up in 1942.?

A North Carolina collector, George O. Walton, purchased one of the coins in the mid-1940s for a reported $3,750. The coin was with him when he was killed in a car crash on March 9, 1962, and it was found among hundreds of coins scattered at the crash site.?

One of Walton's heirs, his sister Melva Givens of Salem, Va., was given the 1913 Liberty nickel after experts declared the coin a fake because of suspicions the date had been altered. The flaw probably happened because of Brown's imprecise work casting the planchet ? the copper and nickel blank disc used to create the coin.?

"For whatever reason, she ended up with the coin," her daughter, Cheryl Myers, said.?

Melva Givens put the coin in an envelope and stuck it in a closet, where it stayed for the next 30 years until her death in 1992.?

The coin caught the curiosity of Cheryl Myers' brother, Ryan, the executor of his mother's estate. "He'd take it out and look at it for long periods of time," she said.?

Ryan Myers said a family attorney had heard of the famous 1913 Liberty nickels and asked if he could see the Walton. "He looked at it and he told me he'd give me $5,000 for it right there," he said, declining an offer he could not accept without his siblings' approval.?

Finally, they brought the coin to the 2003 American Numismatic Association World's Fair of Money in Baltimore, where the four surviving 1913 Liberty nickels were being exhibited. A team of rare coin experts concluded it was the long-missing fifth coin. Each shared a small imperfection under the date.?

"The sad part is my mother had it for 30 years and she didn't know it," Cheryl Myers said. "Knowing our mother, she probably would have invested it for us. She always put her children first."?

Since its authentication, the Walton nickel has been on loan to the Colorado Springs museum and has been publicly exhibited nationwide.?

The coin will be up for grabs at a rare coin and currency auction.?

Todd Imhof, executive vice president of Heritage, said the nickel is likely to attract lofty bids that only a handful of coins have achieved at auction. A 1933 double eagle, a $20 gold coin, holds the U.S. record: $8 million.?

Imhof expects the Walton nickel to generate some buzz.?

"This is a trophy item that sort of transcends the hobby," he said. "It's an interesting part of American history and there are collectors who look for something like this."?

Ryan Myers said he's not keen on selling the nickel.?

"First of all, it had been in the family for so long," he said. "It's not like something you found in a flea market or something you just found."?

Cheryl Myers said they're often asked why they held on to the coin for a decade after they learned it was authentic instead of immediately cashing it in.?

"It was righting a 40-year-old wrong," she wrote in an email. By allowing the American Numismatic Museum to display it for the past decade, it was honoring Walton's wishes.?

"It has been quite a ride," she said.?

? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/sometimes-nickel-worth-millions-1C8160610

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Forty States Allow Credit Card Purchase Surcharge - Finance - CBN ...

Keep your eyes peeled the next time you're at the cash register because you could get hit with a new credit card surcharge.

Forty states are now allowing the new charges.

Every time someone uses a credit card, the card company charges that business a fee of up to 4 percent. Now it's legal for businesses to pass that fee on to you.

For example, a $400 laptop could cost you an extra $16, in addition to any state or local taxes. But retailers cannot charge the extra fee without letting the customer know.

"When you walk in, there has to be a sign conspicuously displayed indicating that they do surcharge," Adam Levin, chairman of Credit.com, said. "Then at the cash register and also on your receipt they have to clearly disclose what the surcharge is."

The surcharge applies to credit transactions only, not to debit card or prepaid card purchases.? Plus, the only cards affected are Visa and Mastercard -- not American Express or Discover.

Ten states have blocked businesses from passing the fees onto customers -- California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Meanwhile some big retailers, like Walmart and Home Depot, say they will continue to absorb them instead of passing them on.

Source: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/finance/2013/January/Forty-States-Allow-Credit-Card-Purchase-Surcharge/

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Vuvuzelas blare again as SAfrica opens African Cup

By GERALD IMRAY

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 11:02 a.m. ET Jan. 19, 2013

JOHANNESBURG (AP) -South Africa's vuvuzelas blared again at Soccer City on Saturday as the former World Cup host opened the African Cup of Nations with the distinct sound that grabbed the globe's attention three years ago.

A huge wooden puppet of a boy in a red t-shirt with a football at his feet watched over the 40-minute opening ceremony which started with dancers knocking over walls. Hundreds of energetic performers wore traditional African outfits with acrobats bouncing on trampolines - which then turned into the flags of the 16 countries competing at Africa's top tournament.

Through it all, the sound of the bleating vuvuzelas, South African football's most famous and recognizable item, was near constant from fans watching in light rain on the bright orange seats of the stadium near Soweto that hosted the 2010 World Cup final.

The end of each section of the ceremony was greeted loudly by the horns as supporters began to fill the cavernous stadium for the opening game between the host and tournament first-timer Cape Verde.

South African president Jacob Zuma was at the stadium, and organizers said the opening game was an 87,000 sellout.

After the dancing and singing, history-making double amputee athlete Oscar Pistorius, who competed at the London Olympics last year, led out a group of children carrying the flag of the Confederation of African Football, Africa's football body and the organizers of the Cup of Nations.

At one point after the main part of the ceremony, an announcer had to ask the crowd to stop blowing their vuvuzelas for the African Union anthem to be played. The fans obeyed, and then burst into more horn blowing at the end of the anthem.

Earlier, the dancers had knocked over fake stone walls representing some of the continent's challenges and were inscribed with the words poverty, illiteracy, disease and famine.

People carrying giant red blue, green, yellow and white balls then weaved in and out in an elaborate act that ended with them creating an image of South Africa's multi-colored flag.

Persistent rain earlier had forced fans wearing the yellow shirts of South Africa's national team, Bafana Bafana, into the shelter of the inner parts of the stadium, but the ceremony drew them out to blow on their vuvuzelas and cheer the performers.

The noise reached a crescendo as the first South African players emerged from the tunnel to warm up on the pitch after the opening ceremony, then turned quickly to some boos when Cape Verde's players ran out.

South Africa's game with Cape Verde, which has qualified for a major tournament for the first time in its history, will be followed Saturday at Soccer City by the other opening Group A game, Morocco versus Angola.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Adu's days in Philly are numbered

PST: Will there ever come a U.S. player where the surplus of animated discussion, weighed against the actual quantity of achievement, is so wildly imbalanced as it is with Freddy Adu?

Vuvuzelas blare again as SAfrica opens African Cup

JOHANNESBURG (AP) -South Africa's vuvuzelas blared again at Soccer City on Saturday as the former World Cup host opened the African Cup of Nations with the distinct sound that grabbed the globe's attention three years ago.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/50518011/ns/sports-soccer/

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Pulp Science Fiction in Spain, Before And During Totalitarianism

Jess Nevins

This is the fourth part of a four-part series on the pulps under totalitarianism. Read more: Pulp Scifi Under German Totalitarianism | Pulp Scifi Under Russian and Soviet Totalitarianism | Pulp Scifi Under Japanese Totalitarianism

Like most European countries Spain has a tradition of science fiction and proto-science fiction which predates the genre's 20th century establishment. A brief glance at Spain's entry in the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction shows that science fiction in Spain before 1900 was not unknown, even if Spain did not produce a Verne or Wells.

This gap in the Encyclopedia's coverage reflects the common view that science fiction was not published in Spain before the Spanish Civil War, and especially not under Franco's rule. However, there was Spanish science fiction published between 1900 and 1945, during the pulp era, and it was still a genre that attracted a number of writers over a period of decades. Most Spanish science fiction published during this era had the pulp sensibility of action and adventure being more important than characterization and narrative style. But the genre did develop in certain ways.

It might be thought that a line of demarcation for Spanish pulp science fiction, as with so much else in modern Spanish history, would be the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). You might think hat the pulp scifi published during the Spanish Republic (1931-1936) would be significantly different from that published under the fascist regime of Gen. Franco (1936-1939). But the dividing line is actually earlier, in 1929. (Why 1929 and not the Civil War is a question that I'll leave for Spanish historians to answer).

Before 1929

As a general rule the science fiction of the pre-1929 years is fairly literary; the author's intent was to produce intelligently-written fiction which aspired to more than to mere entertainment, if not Art itself. Salvador de Madariaga's La Jirafa Sagrada (1925) is set on the African island of Ebony in the 70th century, and examines a matriarchal African society existing centuries after Europe sank into the sea and the white race was exterminated. De Madariaga's intent is to satirize modern Spanish culture, politics, and academic scholarship.

A. Ibanex Barranquero's Jerusalen y Babilonia (1927), a utopia, is set in a distant future when sunspots have rendered much of the earth uninhabitable and the Spanish have created Jerusalem, a Catholic Republic utopia. And Jesus R. Coloma's Entre dos Continentes (1928), set in the future, depicts the Spain and Portugal formed into the United States of Iberia and digging a tunnel beneath the Strait of Gibraltar, only to be confronted by the International Zionist Conspiracy, which foments a holy war between the Muslims of North Africa and the Christians of the U.S.I. Barranquero's intent is to warn the Spanish reader about the dangers of Jews and Muslims ? it's reprehensible to modern sensibilities, but a seriously intended political message on Barranquero's part.

However, from 1929 on serious science fiction dwindled, and the pulp sensibility took hold. Salvador Mestres' "Guerra en la Estratosfera" (1937), a sober adaptation in comic strip form of H.G. Wells' Shape of Things to Come (1933), is a rare exception. More typical of the science fiction of this era is Jesus de Aragon's Los Piratas del Aire (1929), in which Abdahalla-Fan, a Yellow Peril, threatens all of India from his dragon-shaped airship. With the help of his gorilla co-pilot, Abdahalla-Fan kidnaps an Englishwoman, forcing a heroic English pilot to pursue him to his Mt. Everest base.

Not coincidentally, prose science fiction became rare in Spain after 1929. What replaced it were comic strips, comic books, and pulps. The Spanish comic book industry essentially began in 1933, and the high points for the Spanish pulp industry were 1930-1934 and 1941-1946. Science fiction was a popular genre in both media.

Professionalism and Scifi Comics

The post-1929 era also saw the rise of professional science fiction writers. Before 1929 there were some Spanish writers who published science fiction over long periods, most notably Jose de Elola, who under the pseudonym of "Colonel Ignotus" published seventeen novels, from 1918 to 1935, about Mari Pepa, an inventor of high technology in Seville in the 22nd century, and who uses her creations to visit the planets of the solar system and have adventures among the aliens on those planets. But the establishment of the pulp and comic book industries allowed writers and writer/artists to concentrate largely or entirely on science fiction as a genre.

Comic book writer Jose Canellas Casals spent years writing primarily science fiction comics, from Los Vampires del Aire (1933-1934), about a gang of criminals using flying suit technology, to "Zimbra y los Dragones Humanos" (1938), about a scientist revived from suspended animation to fight an alien race of Dragon Men, to Mario del Mar (1941-1942), about a Spanish inventor who creates a technologically-advanced submarine and uses it for exploration and adventure. Writer/artist Francisco Darnis had a similar career, from Lost Race adventures ("Las Hazanas de Nick, Pecho de Hierro," 1933-1936?, "En Busca de un Mundo Perdido," 1934-?) to Planetary Romances ("Tom el Dominador del Universo," 1934-1935) to straight science fiction ("El Vampire Polar," 1940-1941, involves a pair of Spanish explorers who use a Nautilus-like submarine to fight an alien vampire who has a high-tech base at the North Pole). And Jose Jordan Jover was able to make a long career of the comic "Roberto Alcazar y Pedrin" (1940-1976), about Lost Race Queens to Yellow Perils to gorilla assassins to King Kong clones.

One thing that did not significantly change after 1929 was the degree to which Spanish creators were influenced by and responded to the creators and works of other countries. Popular culture is rarely created in a vacuum, and the pulps of the European countries reflect a web of influences, from the United States, Great Britain, and the various European countries themselves. But ? not to put too fine a point on it ? Spain is exceptional in the degree to which its science fiction was influenced by, rather than influenced, the creators and works of other countries. Even during the Franco years, when Spain deliberately isolated itself from Europe both culturally and economically, Spanish science fiction was imitative rather than original.

This is not to say that these imitations didn't have serious aspirations; Manuel Bedoya's El Hijo del Dr. Wolffan (1917), about the Frankenstein-like Dr. Wolffan and his attempt to create an artificial man, tries to go beyond Shelley in its condemnation of scientific hubris and modern science, as well as make a political statement about Spain's government. But more often, especially after 1929, the imitations were pure pulp, intended only to entertain.

Some of the imitations were in response to specific trends in other countries. As seen in the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction's entry on Spain, Spanish authors of the 19th century wrote tales of space travel and Planetary Romances, but both became far more popular in the 20th century, after Wells and Verne and after the many Planetary Romance dime novels and pulps of the other European countries. Child protagonists became common in Spanish pulp sf in the 1930s, long after they had become popular in the pulps of other European countries. Children-going-into-space-and-meeting-aliens pulps were popular in France, so writer Marc Farell wrote the pulp Un Viaje al Planeta Marte #1-24 (1933-1934), about two Spanish boys who take a rocket to Mars in pursuit of the Three Tigers Gang, only to discover that Mars is inhabited by a variety of species. And occult detectives were popular across Europe, especially in the Sar Dubnotal mode, so Spanish pulps published Kram, El Hipnotizador #1-8 (1930-1931) and Khun Zivan, El Terrible #1-16 (1932-1933).

One trend that saw particularly heavy use was the crossover. The crossover was a common device in European pulp scifi during the pulp era, both externally (using other authors' characters) and internally (through self-created universes). Sherlock Holmes and detectives Nick Carter and Nat Pinkerton appeared in numerous European pulps, while authors like the Danish pulp master Niels Meyn wove together numerous crossovers between the various pulps they wrote. (Meyn is particularly notable for this; of his nine major pulp series, eight crossed over with the others). Typical among the examples of this in Spanish pulp science fiction is Arizona Jim, a sheriff who appeared in over 250 issues of three pulps between 1929 and 1942. Arizona Jim teams up with Sherlock Holmes, duels with Fu Manchu, and captures Captain Nemo's Nautilus. (Arizona Jim also becomes an undead mentor to his Chinese sidekick in later issues, though that was an original concept rather than one copied from somewhere else).

And some of the imitations were of specific characters. Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon were popular choices (Jamie Tomas' "El Universo en Guerra" (1935-1937), Edmundo Marculeta's Barton #1-5 (1941-1942), Victor Aguado's Doctor Brande #1-3 (1943), R. del Villar's Ray de Astur #1-7 (1943), F. Hidalgo's Escarlata Kondor (1944), the anonymously-written Joe Dal #1-3 (1945), and Juan Martinez Osete's Red Dixon #1-6 (1945)). Jose Canellas Casals' Mack Wan #1-20 (1933-1934) is about a costumed vigilante based on Alexandre Dumas' Edmond Dantes; Mack Wan's sidekick, Jim, is a boy whose face was mutilated by a gang of smugglers who sell deformed children to circuses-a lift from Victor Hugo's L'Homme Qui Rit. The main character in Javier Montana #1-20 (1940-1941) has a variety of adventures modeled on those of Brick Bradford. Manuel Vallve Lopez's Hercules (Hercules #1-6, 1942-1943) is a Doc Savage-like Basque hero active in Bilbao. F. Hidalgo's Tong-Khan (La Secta de Tong-Khan #1-2, 1943) is the Spanish Fu Manchu. Guillermo Sanchez Boix's El Murcielago (El Murcielago #1-6, 1943) is the Spanish Batman. Enrique Pertegas' Ultus (Ultus, Rey de la Selva #1-14, 1943) is the Spanish Tarzan. Guillermo Lopez Hipkiss' Yuma (Yuma #1-14, 1943-1946) is the Spanish Shadow. And Emilio Freixas' Capitan Misterio ("El Capitan Misterio," 1944-1949) is the Spanish Phantom.

A Peculiar Absence in Spanish Pulps

One unique aspect of Spanish pulp science fiction during this era is its use of Spain itself. The countries with the largest pulp industries-the United States, Great Britain, Germany, and France-all used their major cities as settings for stories. But for the most part the pulp writers of those countries used either a generic urban setting or the country's largest cities?-New York, London, Berlin, Paris-?as the setting for stories. Conversely, Spanish pulp writers were as likely to set stories in Barcelona, Bilbao, and Seville as they were in Madrid.

Another interesting aspect of Spanish pulp science fiction involves an absence. Compared to the pulp science fiction of America and Europe, the pulp scifi of Spain is politics-free. This is to be expected during the Franco years, when press censorship was an onerous reality, but even before the Spanish Civil War there was little pulp science fiction that addressed Spain's domestic instability and the rise of right- and left-wing movements. Likewise, post-Civil War pulp science fiction did not refer to the Civil War in any way?-neither to criticize its ending (which would have been shocking, given the Francoist press censorship) nor to celebrate it. The only mention of the Civil War is in Guillermo Lopez Hipkiss' Yuma, which makes a point of stating that it is set in a Spain in which the Civil War never happened. Nor were there contemporary references to World War II in any of the Spanish science fiction pulps.

A third interesting issue to consider is how these pulps reflect the Spanish view of the future. Utopias such as the one in Barranquero's Jerusalen y Babilonia are rare. Much more common are dystopias. Three typical ones are in Agustin Piraces' novel Rinker (1933), Riera Rojas' comic strip "La Ciudad Aerea" (1935-1936), and A. Olle Bertran's pulp El Espectro #1-4 (1944-1945). In Rinker the titular tyrant dominates the Earth in the year 2000. In "La Ciudad Aerea" the world is dominated by the airplane monopoly, and when a Spanish aviator and inventor creates a new form of propulsion and makes a flying platform using it the monopoly takes action against him. And in El Espectro all the countries of Central Europe have banded together into the tyrannical Confederation of States of the Danube, with Hungary as the last holdout.

Source: http://io9.com/5977271/pulp-science-fiction-in-spain-before-and-during-totalitarianism

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Healthy Pet Tips: How To Keep Your Dog Or Cat Happy And Fit

From Mother Nature Network's Morieka Johnson:

This is the time of year when we focus on shedding bad habits and starting anew. It?s also the time when plenty of newly adopted pets are settling into their new homes. Recently I asked experts to reveal the things new pet owners really need. After years interviewing professional dog walkers, trainers, specialists and veterinarians, I?ve also learned a few strategies to keep those new additions happy and healthy for years to come.

List and captions courtesy of the Mother Nature Network

• Maintain A Healthy Weight

  Yes, this familiar advice applies to pets and people. With proper care and nutrition, cats and some dogs can live well into their late teens. But obesity can rob pets of years by inviting the risk for heart disease or lead to <a href="http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/questions/common-health-issues-in-older-cats">behavioral issues</a> such as missing the litter box. Set a strong foundation by purchasing high-quality pet food. Look for brands that list a protein such as chicken or fish among the first ingredients, and avoid giving pets table food. Remember that you control what goes into their bowl each day. Also keep in mind that pets ? including adorably tubular dachshunds ? should have a noticeable waistline. The <a href="http://www.akc.org/breeds/index.cfm">American Kennel Club website</a> offers photos that help identify breed standards for purebreds. Your veterinarian can provide guidance on how much to feed furry companions based on age, breed and lifestyle. If your cat or dog?s waistline is a distant memory, try interactive toys to burn calories.

• Invest In Training

  Most dog trainers will admit that classes primarily benefit the owner, while pets gain valuable socialization skills. Take advantage of obedience training courses in your area. Petco recently launched a series of free seminars for new pet owners, with classes scheduled throughout the month. Some animal shelters offer free training classes as well. It?s a great opportunity for pets to interact with people, particularly kids, as well as other pets. Learning basic commands such as ?leave it,? ?stay,? and how to come when called could be lifesavers for dogs. Proper socialization also makes it easier for pets to travel with their people, including trips to the beach or other pet-friendly destinations. It?s much more fun and much less stressful than keeping them cooped up at a boarding facility. To see the benefits of socializing pets, check out this sweet video of a rescue helping a foster pup named Daisy tackle the stairs.

• Take Time For Dental Care

  Save those old toothbrushes and put them to use on a pet?s pearly whites (dogs and cats). Proper dental care helps reduce ?dog breath? as well as gum disease, which can lead to bigger health issues. Finger brushes, water additives and dental chews make the task a little easier. A product called <a href="http://www.orabrush.com/store/en/pets.php">Orabrush</a> tackles bad breath by scraping plaque buildup from the tongue. Originally designed for people, the line now includes a clever little brush that dogs lick to remove <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E96EbDtMptU">tongue gunk</a>. February is Pet Dental Health Month, so look for deep discounts on cleaning services at your vet?s office and schedule an appointment. Veterinary dental cleanings take at-home maintenance a step further by removing hardened plaque buildup that accumulates over time.

• Keep Cats Hydrated

  Urinary tract infections rank high among the list of expensive yet <a href="http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/questions/how-can-i-protect-my-pet-and-my-wallet-from-costly-vet-bills">preventable cat health issues</a>. Make sure your feline companions stay properly hydrated by adding wet food to their diets and providing plenty of clean water to their bowl or even a stylish <a href="http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/photos/13-cool-pet-problem-solvers/water-fountain">fountain</a>.

• Maintain Flea, Tick And Heartworm Preventatives

  In a column about <a href="http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/questions/why-do-dogs-lick-themselves-excessively">why dogs lick so much</a>, Dr. Annie Price of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ormewoodanimalhospital">Ormewood Animal Hospital</a> in Atlanta said that fleas are the No. 1 culprit. Resist the urge to cut flea and tick preventatives from your shopping list, even during cooler months, because pets run the risk of exposure anytime they go outside. Uncharacteristically warm weather means that mosquitoes will, once again, have a longer season to wreak havoc and pose a risk for deadly heartworm.

• Don't Underestimate The Value Of Mental Stimulation

  There really is some truth to the saying, ?A tired dog is a happy dog.? I know from experience that bored pets lead to chewed iPod cases, gnawed shoes and other crimes that my dog Lulu has committed but I have yet to discover. Cats, particularly those who spend their lives indoors, also benefit from mental stimulation. Invest in some interactive toys such as puzzles or a fun laser pointer to exercise those brain cells and bond with your pet. Frolicat?s high-tech <a href="http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/photos/13-cool-pet-problem-solvers/interactive-cat-toy">Twitch</a> toy even has a timer so you can keep felines occupied while you are away. Dogs tend to have relatively low-tech standards. Check out Planet Dog?s fun new Mazee treat <a href="http://www.planetdog.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=ORBEE-TUFF%C2%AE%20MAZEE%E2%84%A2">puzzles</a> ($16.95) that can keep pups occupied on carpeted areas or flat surfaces.

• Buy Pet Insurance Or Start An Emergency Savings Account

  I know how it feels to sit in an emergency veterinary hospital, half-listening to a doctor outline his treatment plan ? along with the long list of expensive procedures required to treat a pet. Accidents or unexpected illness can lead to costly veterinary bills that drain savings. Don?t wait for a medical issue to arise before discussing finances with your family, and consider starting an emergency fund ? or investing in <a href="http://www.mnn.com/family/protection-safety/questions/what-are-my-pet-insurance-options">pet insurance</a>. Plans vary widely based on the pet?s age and the amount of coverage you select. Many of the larger pet insurance companies also set age limits that range from 10 to 14 years old, so it pays to start early. Even if you pick a plan that solely covers major accidents, that added precaution could save thousands. I would much rather spend that hard-earned cash on toys, trips to <a href="http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/eco-tourism/stories/5-dog-friendly-destinations">pet-friendly destinations</a> or new shoes to replace the ones that Lulu ate!

• Also On The Huffington Post...

  Nancy Kerns, editor of the Whole Dog Journal, demonstrates how to brush a dog's teeth.

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From Mother Nature Network's Morieka Johnson: This is the time of year when we focus on shedding bad habits and starting anew. It?s also the time when plenty of newly adopted pets are settling in...

From Mother Nature Network's Morieka Johnson: This is the time of year when we focus on shedding bad habits and starting anew. It?s also the time when plenty of newly adopted pets are settling in...

Related News On Huffington Post:

?

Filed by Jessica Leader ?|?

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/18/healthy-pet-tips-cat-dog-puppy-kitten_n_2503145.html?utm_hp_ref=green

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Melt ponds cause Artic sea ice to melt more rapidly

Jan. 18, 2013 ? The Arctic sea ice has not only declined over the past decade but has also become distinctly thinner and younger. Researchers are now observing mainly thin, first-year ice floes which are extensively covered with melt ponds in the summer months where once metre-thick, multi-year ice used to float. Sea ice physicists at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), have now measured the light transmission through the Arctic sea ice for the first time on a large scale, enabling them to quantify consequences of this change.

They come to the conclusion that in places where melt water collects on the ice, far more sunlight and therefore energy is able to penetrate the ice than is the case for white ice without ponds. The consequence is that the ice is absorbing more solar heat, is melting faster, and more light is available for the ecosystems in and below the ice. The researchers have now published these new findings in the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Melt ponds count among the favourite motifs for ice and landscape photographers in the Arctic. They are captured glistening in a seductive Caribbean sea blue or dark as a stormy sea on the ice floe. "Their colour depends entirely on how thick the remaining ice below the melt pond is and the extent to which the dark ocean beneath can be seen through this ice. Melt ponds on thicker ice tend to be turquoise and those on thin ice dark blue to black," explains Dr. Marcel Nicolaus, sea ice physicist and melt pond expert at the Alfred Wegener Institute.

In recent years he and his team have observed a strikingly large number of melt ponds during summer expeditions to the central Arctic. Virtually half of the one-year ice was covered with melt ponds. Scientists attribute this observation to climate change. "The ice cover of the Arctic Ocean has been undergoing fundamental change for some years. Thick, multi-year ice is virtually nowhere to be found any more. Instead, more than 50 per cent of the ice cover now consists of thin one-year ice on which the melt water is particularly widespread. The decisive aspect here is the smoother surface of this young ice, permitting the melt water to spread over large areas and form a network of many individual melt ponds," explains Marcel Nicolaus. By contrast, the older ice has a rougher surface which has been formed over the years by the constant motion of the floe and innumerable collisions. Far fewer and smaller ponds formed on this uneven surface which were, however, considerably deeper than the flat ponds on the younger ice.

The growing number of "windows to the ocean," as melt ponds are also referred to, gave rise to a fundamental research question for Marcel Nicolaus: to what extent do the melt ponds and the thinning ice alter the amount of light beneath the sea ice? After all, the light in the sea -- as on the land -- constitutes the main energy source for photosynthesis. Without sunlight neither algae nor plants grow. Marcel Nicolaus: "We knew that an ice floe with a thick and fresh layer of snow reflects between 85 and 90 per cent of sunlight and permits only little light through to the ocean. In contrast, we could assume that in summer, when the snow on the ice has melted and the sea ice is covered with melt ponds, considerably more light penetrates through the ice."

To find out the extent to which Arctic sea ice permits the penetration of the sun's rays and how large the influence of the melt ponds is on this permeability, the AWI sea ice physicists equipped a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV "Alfred") with radiation sensors and cameras. In the summer of 2011 during an Arctic expedition of the research ice breaker POLARSTERN, they sent this robot to several stations directly under the ice. During its underwater deployments, the device recorded how much solar energy penetrated the ice at a total of 6000 individual points all with different ice properties!

A unique data set was obtained in this way, the results of which are of great interest. Marcel Nicolaus explains: "The young thin ice with the many melt ponds does not just permit three times as much light to pass through than older ice. It also absorbs 50 per cent more solar radiation. This conversely means that this thin ice covered by melt ponds reflects considerably fewer sun rays than the thick ice. Its reflection rate is just 37 per cent. The young ice also absorbs more solar energy, which causes more melt. The ice melts from inside out to a certain extent," says Marcel Nicolaus.

What might happen in the future considering these new findings? Marcel Nicolaus: "We assume that in future climate change will permit more sunlight to reach the Arctic Ocean -- and particularly also that part of the ocean which is still covered by sea ice in summer. The reason: the greater the share of one-year ice in the sea ice cover, the more melt ponds will form and the larger they will be. This will also lead to a decreasing surface albedo (reflectivity) and transmission into the ice and ocean will increase. The sea ice will become more porous, more sunlight will penetrate the ice floes, and more heat will be absorbed by the ice. This is a development which will further accelerate the melting of the entire sea ice area." However, at the same time the organisms in and beneath the ice will have more light available to them in future. Whether and how they will cope with the new brightness is currently being investigated in cooperation with biologists.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Marcel Nicolaus, Christian Katlein, James A. Maslanik, Stefan Hendricks. Changes in Arctic sea ice result in increasing light transmittance and absorption. Geophysical Research Letters, 2012; DOI: 10.1029/2012GL053738

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/4r5tccA63n0/130118111710.htm

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Finance Flows but Step By Step is the Best Way Forward | Mortgage ...

Bank finance is flowing, interest rates are at an all-time low, property prices are climbing and in some areas taking off, but it?s important to avoid the hype. ?Take a deep breath and look at the bigger picture, as there will always be bargains out there.? Rushing a decision to buy a house can be catastrophic and as a Mortgage Advisor I have seen many people who?ve felt the backlash of rushed decisions. ?That doesn?t mean sit around either; the best deal can come up 1st or 50th and a good Real Estate Agent will not push clients into quick decisions; as rushed property deals can hurt buyers, agents and sellers alike.

The buying process is one area the industry have tightened up on and buyers have a lot more rights than they did a decade ago, also agents are better qualified and trained. ?The reality is there are many properties out there; sure they are not all on the market and listings are low but at some point all properties get bought and sold. ?The best approach is to discuss the finance aspects first, and as an experienced Mortgage Advisor I?m your perfect starting point.

Whether you?re planning to buy, sell or hold, a first time buyer or an experienced investor having a central point for your finance matters helps immensely. ?Our team at Mortgage Express offers services in Mortgages, Insurance, Commercial Finance and Personal Loans. ?The New Year is the perfect time to address your finance matters and discuss new strategies for your circumstances, so contact me now before making your 2013 financial decisions.

Source: http://www.mortgage-express.co.nz/finance-flows-but-step-by-step-is-the-best-way-forward/

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Inauguration Day Playlist 2013: President Obama's Spotify List Includes Kelly Clarkson, Beyonce & More

Getty Images for ABC | WireImage

NEW YORK (AP) - President Barack Obama is preparing for all the musicians set to perform at his inauguration festivities by releasing an official playlist.

He released the 16-track playlist, which also includes music by some of his favorite artists, through the digital music service Spotify on Thursday. The list includes jams by Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, Usher and fun. They will all perform at different inaugural events, which start Saturday in Washington, D.C.

Obama's list also includes John Legend's "Ordinary People," ''Firework" by Katy Perry, James Taylor's "Your Smiling Face" and the "Glee" cast version of Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory."

Other artists include Marc Anthony, Alicia Keys, Brad Paisley, Far East Movement, Kelly Clarkson, Nick Cannon and Mindless Behavior.

Inauguration Day is Monday.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

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Watch Kelly Clarkson's "Catch My Breath" Video

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AOLMusicBlog/~3/UlHLsp9mTCM/

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New study finds malaria, typhoid -- not Ebola -- biggest health threat for travelers to tropics

New study finds malaria, typhoid -- not Ebola -- biggest health threat for travelers to tropics

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Feeling feverish after a visit to the tropics? It may not just be a bout with this year's flu. If you're a Western traveler, malaria and typhoid fever should top the list of diseases to discuss with your doctor when you return, especially following travel to Western Africa or India.

In a study of more than 80,000 returned travelers who sought medical care for illnesses, around 3,000 (4 percent) were affected by malaria, typhoid fever and other potentially life-threatening tropical diseases. Many would be surprised to know that not a single traveler contracted the highly contagious and lethal Ebola virus, which is typically one of the tropical diseases most feared by travelers. The findings were published online today in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

"While diagnosis and treatment of malaria and typhoid fever and many other tropical diseases have improved greatly over the years, people still can die from them if they are not treated quickly after their symptoms begin," said University of Oslo researcher Mogens Jensenius, MD, PhD, who with his colleagues analyzed 15 years of data entered into the GeoSentinel surveillance network database. "Doctors and nurses in Western countries need to be vigilant in considering these potentially life-threatening tropical infections in recently-returned travelers with fevers, and identify and treat them quickly."

Jensenius and fellow researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and several other universities throughout Europe, Israel, Australia and the United States looked at data from 82,825 ill travelers from Europe, North America, Israel, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The travelers sought care at clinics associated with GeoSentinel from June 1996 through August 2011 with illnesses contracted during travel to the tropics.

They found that 3,655 patients?4.4 percent of the total?had one of 13 life-threatening diseases. There were a total of 13 deaths, 10 of which occurred in patients with malaria.

Of the diseases, the researchers found:

• Malaria?caused by a parasite spread by the bite of infected female mosquitoes?was by far the most common condition, making up 76.9 percent of the diagnoses
• Fevers such as typhoid fever?a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection contracted from contaminated food and water in areas with poor sanitation?were found in 18.1 percent of the patients
• Leptospirosis, the rare bacterial infection, which is usually caused by exposure to contaminated water, was diagnosed in 2.4 percent of the ill travelers

Malaria was mostly seen in travelers to West Africa, while most cases of typhoid fever were contracted by visitors to the Indian subcontinent. There were no cases of Ebola, Lassa fever or yellow fever among the more than 82,000 ill Western travelers included in the study, according to Jensenius and his fellow researchers.

"We were quite surprised that these much-feared viral infectious diseases were completely absent," said Jensenius, who is also an infectious disease physician at Oslo University Hospital. "People talk about them all the time, but our paper suggests that these are still very, very rare among travelers."

European clinics reported more than half of all of the life-threatening diagnoses. Jensenius said this may reflect the fact that most European (as well as New Zealand and Australian) GeoSentinel sites are located in hospitals whereas sites in the United States and Canada more often are travelers' clinics. "In many of the North American GeoSentinel sites, they are more focused on pre-travel care," he noted, "and don't see as many patients post-travel as we do in Europe."

Every year, an estimated 50 million Western travelers visit tropical countries in Central and South America, Africa, Oceania and Asia, and their numbers are expected to grow, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). They may be tourists, adventure or eco-travelers on holiday or those traveling for business. But the group also includes an increasing number of immigrants returning to their home countries to visit friends and relatives.

"While tropical illnesses are rare in the Western world, these findings remind us that infectious disease pays no attention to geographic borders and affects the world at large," said David H. Walker, MD, president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and chair of the department of pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. ""Our membership includes an exceptional cadre of skilled physician-scientists who are civilian, military and governmental clinical experts in travelers' health and diagnosing and treating tropical infection and disease. It is noteworthy that three of the leading life-threatening diseases are neglected rickettsioses, scrub typhus, murine typhus, and spotted fever rickettsioses." (For a list of physicians who specialize in Tropical Medicine, Medical Parasitology and Travelers' Health, go to: http://www.astmh.org/source/ClinicalDirectory/)

Each year, thousands of ill travelers seek health care at one of the 57 clinics associated with Geosentinel around the world when they return from their visits. Their anonymous diagnoses are uploaded to GeoSentinel's database to track disease trends among travelers. The GeoSentinel network was initiated in 1995 by the International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM), and is funded by ISTM and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track travel-related illnesses and deaths.

Researchers have published more than 20 studies using GeoSentinel data, but the new study focuses only on tropical travel and "the life-threatening conditions that we as physicians need to identify rapidly," Jensenius said.

Travel Advice for Returning Immigrants and Western Travelers

Many of the malaria cases seen in the study were in immigrants returning to their countries of origin to visit friends and relatives, the researchers discovered. Jensenius said these travelers may have battled malaria when they once lived in the tropics, and "have this misconception that they are immune to the disease."

"When they go back from Europe 10 years later, they believe they don't need the protection of a prophylaxis," he said. "But that's wrong." Similar misconceptions might occur among returning immigrants to the Indian subcontinent, who believe they have immunity against typhoid fever.

The researchers advise all visitors to tropical regions to seek pre-travel advice on vaccinations and medications required for the countries they plan to visit, and while traveling take precautions to prevent insect bites, and drink bottled water.

Travelers who become ill with fever or flu-like illness while traveling or soon after returning home from high-risk areas should seek immediate medical attention and share their travel history with their physician, Jensensius cautioned. "Nearly all the diseases identified in our paper presented with a fever and an incubation period of just a couple of weeks."

###

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Thanks to The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/126328/New_study_finds_malaria__typhoid____not_Ebola____biggest_health_threat_for_travelers_to_tropics

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Oil above $95 on positive US economic data

NEW YORK (AP) ? The price of oil rose above $95 a barrel on Thursday on positive reports about the U.S. economy.

Benchmark oil gained $1.05 to $95.29 a barrel at midday on the New York Mercantile Exchange. That follows a gain of 96 cents Wednesday.

Strong reports on housing starts and unemployment claims made traders more optimistic about the U.S. economy. Builders started work on homes in December at the fastest pace since the summer of 2008, and the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell to a five-year low last week. Both reports could signal greater demand for fuel.

Traders are waiting for China's growth data Friday to help assess the strength of the global economy. China will release fourth-quarter growth data for 2012 as well as overall GDP figures for the year.

Meanwhile, Brent crude, used to price international varieties of oil, rose 78 cents to $110.46 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

In other energy futures trading on Nymex:

? Wholesale gasoline was up 3 cents to $2.75 a gallon.

? Natural gas fell 2 cents to $3.42 per 1,000 cubic feet.

? Heating oil added 1 cent to $3.01 a gallon.

___

Pamela Sampson in Bangkok and Pablo Gorondi in Budapest contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oil-above-95-positive-us-economic-data-170257395--finance.html

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Vitamin Shoppe Extends its Reach into Canada with Vitapath

Vitapath, a subsidiary of U.S.-based Vitamin Shoppe, Inc., has opened its first two Canadian stores in the Greater Toronto Area in Newmarket and Leaside. Vitamin Shoppe expects to expand its retail stores under the Vitapath banner across Canada, with additional locations expected to open later in 2013. With more than 570 retail locations across the U.S., The Vitamin Shoppe brings 35 years of expertise in helping people fulfill their health and wellness goals.
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As a specialty retailer of nutritional products ranging from vitamins, minerals and sports supplements to homeopathic remedies, health and beauty aids and more, Vitapath aims to offer Canadians a varied selection of brands and products. The stores feature over 6,300 products from more than 300 brands, including Vitapath's own private label brand with over 200 products.
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?Canadians take an active interest in their health and wellness and Vitapath offers a comprehensive selection of products in a one-stop shopping environment," said Vitamin Shoppe CEO, Tony Truesdale. "Our focus on engaging in one-on-one dialogue and providing expert knowledge and personal service through our Health Enthusiasts and in-store nutritionists will make us a trusted source for our customers.?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NutraceuticalsWorldBreakingNews/~3/Rh1JGNDbfnM/

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AFRICA/MALAWI - Mancano cibo, acqua e servizi igienigi per la popolazione colpita dalle inondazioni

Zomba (Agenzia Fides) ? A Mwambo, nel distretto di Zomba,in Malawi, 641 famiglie sono rimaste senza casa e le loro piantagioni di mais sono andate distrutte a causa dello straripamento del fiume Phalombe, dovuto alle piogge torrenziali che stanno colpendo il paese da qualche settimana. I villaggi pi? gravemente colpiti sono quelli che vanno dal Group Village Heads Magoli e Kathebwe, lungo il confine tra i distretti di Zomba e Phalombe, a pochi chilometri di distanza dal lago Chilwa. Circa 268 ettari di campi di mais e peperoncino sono stati spazzati via dalle acque che hanno distrutto una diga costruita lo scorso anno dagli abitanti della zona per prevenire le inondazioni. Se dovesse continuare a piovere potrebbe cedere anche la parte restante della diga. Gli sfollati hanno trovato riparo presso la Step to Jesus Church di Zomba. Servono urgentemente aiuti di ogni genere per le vittime. Mancano servizi igienici, acqua potabile, vestiti, biancheria e generi alimentari. Le piogge hanno gravemente danneggiato diverse aree del Malawi, dove finora sono morte 3 persone oltre a circa 5 mila che hanno perso tutto. Il governo ha lanciato una operazione di soccorso verso i distretti colpiti distribuendo generi alimentari, coperte e teli di plastica. (AP) (16/1/2013 Agenzia Fides)

Source: http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=40780&lan=ita

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