American composer Elliott Carter dies at age 103
Label: Lifestyle(Reuters) – Classical composer Elliott Carter, who twice won Pulitzer Prizes in a career that spanned more than 75 years, died on Monday in New York at age 103, music publisher Boosey & Hawkes said.
Carter was awarded Pulitzer Prizes in 1960 and 1973 for string quartet compositions. He composed 158 works, including several at over 100 years of age. One composition for chamber orchestra is scheduled for a world premier in February.
“The great range and diversity of his music has, and will continue to have, influence on countless composers and performers worldwide,” the publisher said. “He will be missed by us all but remembered for his brilliance, his wit and his great canon of work.”
He was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in 1998 and celebrated his 100th birthday at New York‘s Carnegie Hall in 2008 with a new work performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Carter was presented the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the United States, in 1985. He also received national honors from Germany and France.
(Reporting by David Bailey; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Mohammad Zargham)
Music News Headlines – Yahoo! News
St Jude device lowers blood pressure in small study
Label: Health(Reuters) – St Jude Medical Inc said on Monday its procedure that deadens nerves near the kidneys helped lower blood pressure in a small study of patients whose hypertension could not be controlled with drugs.
Patients in the study who were treated with the Enlightn renal denervation system saw an average reduction of 28 points in systolic blood pressure, which is the first number expressed in a reading, after 30 days. At six months, the 46 patients who received the treatment maintained an average systolic blood pressure reduction of 26 mmHg points.
The results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Los Angeles.
Patients enrolled in the study had an average blood pressure of 176/96 mmHg despite being treated with multiple medications to manage the condition. No serious side effects were reported, St Jude said.
Normal blood pressure is below 120/80 mmHg. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a reading above 140/90 mmHg.
Renal denervation is a procedure in which a thin, flexible catheter is threaded through the body to the renal sympathetic nerves near the kidneys. Radiofrequency energy is delivered to disrupt the nerve activity, relieving high blood pressure.
Millions of people have hypertension that is resistant to drugs, putting them at risk of heart attacks and stroke.
The new therapy is not yet approved in the United States, but several products are already available in Europe.
Device makers that have already received approval to sell hypertension devices in Europe include Medtronic, the front-runner, St Jude, Covidien, ReCor Medical and Vessix Vascular.
St Jude shares were up 29 cents, or less than 1 percent, at $ 38.80 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
(Reporting By Susan Kelly and Debra Sherman in Chicago; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Leslie Adler and Jim Marshall)
Medications/Drugs News Headlines – Yahoo! News
Ahead of the Bell: Express Scripts plummets
Label: BusinessNEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Express Scripts slid in premarket trading Tuesday after the pharmacy benefits manager warned that persistent high joblessness and economic uncertainty would make 2013 more challenging, and expectations of Wall Street analysts were too high.
Pharmacy benefits managers, or PBMs, run prescription drug plans for employers, insurers and other customers. They process mail-order prescriptions and handle bills for prescriptions filled at retail pharmacies.
The St. Louis company handles more than a billion prescriptions each year after the $ 29.1 billion acquisition of a rival, Medco, in April.
Analysts were disappointed by the company’s outlook. Investors will now question whether Express Scripts benefits as much from recent acquisitions as the company had led them to believe, said Citi analyst George Hill, calling the company’s forecast “baffling.”
Express Scripts had lifted its 2012 earnings forecast in August after recording better-than-expected savings from its combination with Medco.
Jefferies analyst Brian Tanquilut lowered his rating on Express Scripts to “Hold” from “Buy” and cut his price target on the shares by $ 14 to $ 56.
Shares of Express Scripts Holding Co. dropped $ 8.25, or 13 percent, to $ 54.63 before the opening bell. The stock was up 41 percent so far this year through Monday’s trading.
Economy News Headlines – Yahoo! News
Sharon Osbourne has double mastectomy
Label: LifestyleLONDON (AP) — Sharon Osbourne says she had a double mastectomy after learning she carries a gene that increases the risk of developing breast cancer.
Osbourne told Hello! magazine that “I didn’t want to live the rest of my life with that shadow hanging over me.”
The 60-year-old “America’s Got Talent” judge, who had colon cancer a decade ago, said that without the surgery, “the odds are not in my favor.”
She added: “It’s not ‘pity me,’ it’s a decision I made that’s got rid of this weight that I was carrying around.”
The magazine went on sale Monday.
Osbourne, husband Ozzy and children Jack and Kelly became rock’s most famous clan thanks to reality show “The Osbournes” a decade ago.
Jack Osbourne, 26, was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Entertainment News Headlines – Yahoo! News
UK service sector growth ‘slows’
Label: Business5 November 2012 Last updated at 05:56 ET
Activity in the UK service sector grew at its slowest pace in almost two years in October, a survey has suggested.
The PMI services index from Markit/CIPS fell to 50.6 from 52.2 in September. Any score above 50 indicates growth.
Growth in new business eased, while employment in the sector fell for the second consecutive month, Markit said.
The figure was a reminder of the tough underlying economic conditions despite last month’s better-than-expected growth figures, it added.
Official figures showed that the UK economy grew by 1% between July and September, ending a nine-month long recession.
Bank meeting
“The latest UK services PMI data provide a warning to those who saw the strong growth in the GDP in the third quarter as symbolising the start of a strong and speedy economic recovery,” said Markit economist Andrew Harker.
“The expectation among firms is for activity to improve over the coming year, but the road to full economic recovery still looks to be a long one.”
Last week, the PMI survey for manufacturing indicated that the sector shrank in October for the sixth month in a row, while the survey of the construction sector found that while output was slightly higher, new work and employment shrank.
Analysts said the weaker-than-expected services PMI reading increased the possibility that the Bank of England might increase its programme of quantitative easing (QE), which has now reached a level of £375bn, when its monetary policy committee (MPC) meets later this week.
Under QE, the Bank buys government bonds, hoping to create beneficial knock-on effects for the economy.
“It does raise the risk of further QE from the Bank. On balance, though, we think it probably won’t, given the risk of inflation,” said George Buckley at Deutsche Bank.
“What it does tell us is that while there have been some mixed messages, more positive than negative, we’re not seeing a very fast recovery at all.”
Vicky Redwood, at Capital Economics, said: “The MPC pays a lot of attention to this survey and this Thursday’s meeting now looks an even closer call than before.
“Given the stronger near-term outlook for inflation, we think that the chances of more QE this week are just below 50-50.”
Separately, a report suggested that the UK would be the fastest-growing major economy in Europe in the next two years. The eurozone debt crisis would drag the bloc into a second year of recession, the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) said.
While the eurozone economy would contract by 0.4% in 2013, the UK economy would grow by 0.8%, the think tank predicted. In 2014, the CEBR said the eurozone would register growth of 0.4%, compared with the UK’s 1.4%.
BBC News – Business
Red Cross’ App Helps Sandy Victims
Label: TechnologyApp Name: Hurricane by The American Red Cross
Price: Free
Available Platforms: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, (requires iOS 4.2 or later), and Android
What does this app do? Millions remained without power and the death toll in New York City topped 41 in the wake of Hurricane Sandy as of Friday morning, according to ABC News. Homes and businesses were wrecked as a result of the superstorm, with many people occupying shelters. Cleanup and recovery from Sandy will be slow and hard going for many. For those with power, or at least a charged mobile device, the Hurricane by American Red Cross app can help.
The app, although updated more than two months ago and, therefore, not exactly new, could not be more relevant than right now. Everything from its location-based alerts to its tips and checklists for planning for an emergency aims to prepare and assist those affected directly or indirectly by disaster.
The layout for this app is simple, with a string of informational buttons lining a row at the bottom. Tap on the “prepare” tab to peruse tips for planning ahead, such as what to put into an emergency kit or to learn about the evacuation plan for a particular community. The app will also alert you to warnings and storms based on locations you have selected and allow you to share those alerts with others through email. Select the “shelters” button to view and get directions to the open Red Cross shelters in your area.
On the upper-left-hand corner, the app displays a toolkit button. Select this icon to create a list of contacts as well as meeting points both within and outside of your neighborhood and share these with others in case of an emergency or evacuation.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, tap on the “more” button, and then select “donate.” You can make a contribution to the Red Cross’s efforts via e-mail, iTunes or text.
Is it easy to set up? Download this free app and go for it.
Should I try it? This is an information-rich app with a lot of useful features. The best parts of it include the ability create a plan and share this with the people you love as well as the ability to send the “I’m safe” message via Twitter, Facebook and email.
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Wireless News Headlines – Yahoo! News
AnnaLynne McCord to get “Scorned” With Billy Zane in new thriller
Label: LifestyleLOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – AnnaLynne McCord is about to become a woman “Scorned.”
“90210″ star McCord has signed on for the revenge thriller “Scorned,” alongside “Titanic” star Billy Zane and Viva Bianca from Starz’s “Spartacus.”
McCord and Zane will play Sadie and Kevin, a couple whose romantic weekend at a lake house takes a sideways turn when a text message from Sadie’s best friend (played by “Bianca”) to Kevin reveals a lurid love affair between the two, sending Sadie on a vengeance spree.
“Scorned” will be directed by Mark Jones, the creator and director of the beloved “Leprechaun” horror-movie series.
Jones likened the project to “sophisticated” thrillers such as “Fatal Attraction” and “Misery.”
“Having done horror with comedy, I wanted to delve into something more sophisticated along the lines of ‘Fatal Attraction’ and ‘Misery,’ and develop a multi-dimensional, twisted character in our lead villain (McCord), who I feel brings an original and incredibly unique take on her character,” Jones said.
Lightning Entertainment will handle international sales of the film, with Lightning’s Audrey Delaney and Marc Bienstock executive-producing.
Movies News Headlines – Yahoo! News
Anorexic Bakes to Gain Control Over Food
Label: HealthCamilla Kuhns of Kirkland, Wash., makes the best cookies in the world. Ask anyone but her.
Kuhns is a 29-year-old anorexic with a penchant for baking. She has never tasted one of her own confections. Her younger brother, Seth, samples dough and final products to let her know if anything is off, and her mother, Ilene, tastes the frosting.
“Yeah, my mom’s my angel when it comes to the frosting,” Kuhns told ABC News Seattle affiliate KOMO-TV right before she entered an inpatient treatment program for her eating disorder two weeks ago. “I don’t know what it is, but it makes me very anxious.”
On her blog, Kuhns said she is 5’8″ and weighs 104 pounds with her shoes and clothes on and while holding her purse. She baked challah breads, cakes and pastries for others to enjoy while her own daily intake amounted to a head of cauliflower with hot sauce and a tablespoon of nuts. To ensure she burned off every single calorie consumed, she exercised for three to four hours a day.
Her best friend, Amber “Nic” Poppe, said that Kuhns has suffered from various eating disorders since she was 11. Both her anorexia and the baking escalated recently after a tough year that included the death of a friend and a messy divorce.
“Baking became therapeutic for her. I know it sounds strange but it seems like her way of overcoming her issues with food,” Poppe said.
Actually, it isn’t so strange. Experts have long noted the connection between eating disorders and baking, as well as cooking, watching cooking shows and collecting recipes.
In a famous 1943 study known as the Minnesota Starvation Experiment, men put on a semi-starvation diet for six months developed such an intense obsession with food, they daydreamed, read and talked about it constantly. The fixation was so persistent that more than 40 percent of them mentioned cooking as part of their post-experiment plans. After they left the study and regained their weight, three of the men changed their occupations to become chefs.
“I see it a lot this in my practice,” said Jennifer Thomas, an assistant psychologist at the Klarman Eating Disorders Center at McLean Hospital in Boston. “Patients will prepare elaborate meals for friends and family while they themselves go hungry. They get a vicarious joy and a sense of superiority from watching others indulge while they don’t allow themselves to eat.”
As someone who was anorexic for five years, Victoria Casciaro said she can relate. The 20-year-old college student admitted she was also a starving baker who constantly made treats she never considered eating herself.
“I would look at what I put in the mixing bowl and it would scare me because I didn’t have the nutrition facts, so I couldn’t calculate whether or not it was a safe or dangerous food,” she recalled.
Not only would Casciaro resist her sumptuous creations, she would wash her hands frequently during the baking process to prevent herself from accidentally tasting the ingredients. She’d carefully avoid taking even the tiniest nibble for fear that she’d gain weight or set off a binge.
Haley Anderson, a 20-year-old recovering anorexic, said she’d often whip up copious amounts of baked treats for everyone else, then talk herself out of trying them.
“I’d tell myself that taste buds have memory,” she said, “and if you can avoid a certain food long enough then you could forget what it tastes like and no longer be tempted by it.”
Health News Headlines – Yahoo! News
Comet gift vouchers are suspended
Label: Business4 November 2012 Last updated at 04:33 ET
Comet customer: “It looks like a plague of locusts have been inside [the store] and cleaned the place out”
The administrators of the electrical retailer Comet have suspended the use of gift vouchers at the stores.
The shops have been open as usual over the weekend since administrators were called in on Friday.
The Comet website has returned in a slimmed down form, confirming store locations and answering questions about the administration.
There has been no sign of heavy discounting so far, but the website said a sale would be starting soon.
On the question of gift vouchers, it said: “The administrators are currently considering the position in relation to gift cards and gift vouchers and at this stage they cannot be used to pay for items.
“The administrators are reviewing this position urgently.”
Holders of gift vouchers would usually be considered as low priority creditors to a retailer going into administration, and would be unlikely to be able to use their vouchers.
The exception is when a chain is sold to new owners, who might decide to accept them as an act of goodwill to prevent the brand they have bought being tarnished.
The new website explained on its front page that administrators from Deloitte had been appointed.
Its question and answer section said that people who were waiting for items to be delivered that they had paid for would only be receiving those items if they were already in stock at a delivery centre.
“Where the item for an existing order is not currently in stock, this delivery cannot now be made,” it said.
BBC News – Business
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