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| U.S. athletes still reluctant to admit head injuries -report Wednesday, Oct 30, 2013 08:54 PM PDT By Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Many young athletes still do not admit when they have suffered a head injury despite increased awareness about the risks of concussions in children and teenagers, U.S. health advisers said on Wednesday, urging sports leagues and government agencies to take more action. Various groups have tried to raise awareness about the seriousness of brain injuries, and sports leagues have implemented rule changes aimed at preventing them. Professional leagues, including the National Football League, are also wrestling with the issue amid complaints from some players about long-term impacts on the brain. But there is still not enough data on how to prevent and treat them, the experts said in an analysis of sports-related concussions in young athletes from the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council. Full Story | Top |
| California town sues hot sauce company over chili odors Wednesday, Oct 30, 2013 08:18 PM PDT By Dana Feldman and Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A small Southern California city has sued the makers of the popular Sriracha-brand hot pepper sauce, saying tear-inducing odors emanating from its chili processing plant in town are creating a public nuisance. Irwindale officials said they plan to ask a Los Angeles County judge on Thursday for a court order forcing Huy Fong Foods to immediately halt production of Sriracha (pronounced sir-RAH-chah) at its chili factory while review of the case continues. The lawsuit, filed on Monday, says the company has denied a problem exists and refused to take action to abate fumes powerful enough to prompt some "residents to move outdoor activities indoors and even to vacate their residences temporarily to seek relief." Since mid-September, Irwindale, about 20 miles east of Los Angeles, has received numerous reports from residents complaining of "strong, offensive chili odors" that cause eye and throat irritation and headaches, the suit says. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. food group faces legal trouble in fight over GMO labeling Wednesday, Oct 30, 2013 07:44 PM PDT A lobbying group for major U.S. food manufacturers continues to run afoul of campaign finance laws in the way that it has contributed funds to block a measure that would require labeling of genetically modified foods in Washington state, according to a statement issued Wednesday by the state's attorney general. State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said he will amend a lawsuit filed October 16 to raise the total amount he alleges the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) illegally concealed to $11 million, from the $7.2 million in the original complaint. GMA represents some of the world's largest food and beverage companies and is lobbying heavily against the measure known as I-522 that is set for a public vote in Washington state on November 5. GMA is the largest contributor to the "No on 522" campaign. Full Story | Top |
| Marvin Gaye's family sues 'Blurred Lines' composers Wednesday, Oct 30, 2013 07:31 PM PDT  Family of late soul singer Marvin Gaye sued R&B recording artists Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams for copyright infringement on Wednesday, accusing them of stealing from the Motown legend's musical composition for the hit single "Blurred Lines." The suit was filed as a counter-claim to a case brought preemptively by Thicke and Williams in August seeking a court ruling to establish that "Blurred Lines" did not infringe on Gaye's rights to his 1977 hit, "Got to Give it Up," as members of his family had said publicly. The suit by three of Gaye's children cited excerpts of magazine interviews given by Thicke to support their contention that he had admitted to drawing on "Got to Give it Up" when producing and recording "Blurred Lines." Thicke sang the raunchy, percussive R&B song, which topped song charts around the world this year and ranked as the biggest U.S. pop hit of the summer, at this year's MTV Video Music Awards in a provocative performance featuring pop singer Miley Cyrus. Full Story | Top |
| Obama blames 'bad apple' insurers for canceled coverage Wednesday, Oct 30, 2013 05:31 PM PDT  By Roberta Rampton and David Morgan BOSTON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that "bad apple" insurance companies, not his signature healthcare law, are to blame for hundreds of thousands of people losing their coverage in the past few weeks. As administration officials scrambled to fix technical problems on an online insurance marketplace that is central to the success of the Affordable Care Act, Obama blamed private insurers for a separate problem that has critics questioning his honesty. The president has repeatedly promised that people who are happy with their health plans would not have to change coverage because of the law, known as Obamacare. But the termination of individual policies has given his Republican opponents additional ammunition to criticize the program they have tried to stop since its inception in Obama's first term. Full Story | Top |
| New York City Council votes to raise tobacco purchasing age to 21 Wednesday, Oct 30, 2013 04:31 PM PDT By Curtis Skinner NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York City Council voted to raise the minimum age for buying tobacco to 21, the highest in the country, in hopes of reducing smoking among the city's young adults. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an anti-smoking crusader, was expected to sign the bill, which would become law 180 days later. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. F-35 fighter drops first guided bomb against ground target Wednesday, Oct 30, 2013 04:16 PM PDT  By Andrea Shalal-Esa WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jet dropped a 500-pound bomb this week, hitting a tank at Edwards Air Force Base in California and marking the first time the new warplane has fired a laser-guided weapon, the Pentagon said Wednesday. An F-35 B-model jet released the Guided Bomb Unit-12 (GBU-12) Paveway II bomb from its internal weapons bay while flying at around 25,000 feet, successfully smashing into a tank parked on the ground, the Pentagon's F-35 program office said in a statement. It took 35 seconds to hit the target. "This guided weapons delivery test of a GBU-12 marks the first time the F-35 truly became a weapon system," said Marine Corps Major Richard Rusnok, the pilot who flew the plane during the weapons test Tuesday. Full Story | Top |
| Billionaire candy heiress set for trial stemming from fatal crash Wednesday, Oct 30, 2013 04:07 PM PDT Billionaire candy heiress Jacqueline Badger Mars faces trial on a charge of reckless driving in an accident that killed an elderly woman, authorities said on Wednesday. Mars, 74, was driving a Porsche SUV on October 4 when it crossed into an oncoming lane of traffic and struck a minivan in Aldie, Virginia, according to the Loudoun County sheriff. A passenger in the backseat of the minivan, Irene Ellisor, 86, died at the scene. The people in the minivan were visiting from Texas and in Virginia for a wedding. Full Story | Top |
| Mosquitoes known to carry dengue, yellow fever seen in California Wednesday, Oct 30, 2013 04:02 PM PDT By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A tropical mosquito known to carry potentially fatal diseases such as dengue and yellow fever has been detected in California, raising concerns among public health officials and prompting intense efforts to eradicate the insect. No illnesses associated with the mosquito, known by the scientific name Aedes aegypti, have been reported since it first appeared in California's Central Valley in June, and none of the specimens trapped and tested has been found to be infected. "If it gets established, it's going to change the way we live in California," Tim Phillips, manager of the Fresno Mosquito and Vector Control District, which identified some of the first small invaders, said on Wednesday. How Aedes aegypti was introduced to the California remains a mystery. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. appeals court revives patent fight over AstraZeneca drug Wednesday, Oct 30, 2013 03:27 PM PDT A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday reinstated part of a legal fight by AstraZeneca over a patent protecting its Pulmicort Respules asthma drug, months after the court temporarily halted competitors from distributing generic versions. The ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reverses an earlier decision that generic drugmakers -including Apotex Inc, Sandoz Inc and Watson Laboratories Inc -had not infringed an AstraZeneca patent relating to the drug. Full Story | Top |
| Glitch lists New York bakery, limo service as Obamacare advisors Wednesday, Oct 30, 2013 03:13 PM PDT  By Victoria Cavaliere NEW YORK (Reuters) - Telephones have been ringing off the hook at a Brooklyn cupcake bakery, an Indian restaurant and other New York City establishments, but the calls are not all helping business. Because of a glitch on a New York state health website, at least a half dozen businesses were wrongly listed as counselors who can help people select health insurance under the new federal Affordable Care Act. "Who would have figured that cupcakes would be confused with health insurance?" said Gus Rodriguez of Brooklyn Cupcake, which has gotten more than two dozen calls a day from people who want help in choosing a health-care plan. New York state's Health Plan Marketplace website listing the numbers to call was unveiled October 1, said Bill Schwarz, spokesman for the New York State Health Department. Full Story | Top |
| Cargill bans Zilmax from beef supply until issues resolved Wednesday, Oct 30, 2013 03:09 PM PDT  By P.J. Huffstutter CHICAGO (Reuters) - Cargill Inc, one of the world's largest beef processors, threw a wrench into Merck & Co.'s plans to reintroduce its feed additive Zilmax, stating it will not accept Zilmax-fed beef into the Cargill supply chain "until we are 100 percent confident the animal welfare issues are resolved." Cargill told Reuters Wednesday its ban on Zilmax applies both to beef it processes, as well as to cattle in its own feed lots. In addition, Cargill said it will not use Zilmax-fed beef "until Asia and other trading partners accept it in their markets." Pharmaceutical giant Merck on Tuesday told Reuters that it is seeking to reintroduce Zilmax, the controversial feed additive temporarily pulled from the market in August after reports that it caused lameness in cattle. Merck's August decision came after Tyson Foods Inc. Full Story | Top |
| Obamacare website security at 'high risk' before launch -memo Wednesday, Oct 30, 2013 03:07 PM PDT  By Jim Finkle BOSTON (Reuters) - The security of the Obama administration's healthcare website was at "high risk" because of lack of testing before it opened for enrollment on October 1, according to a government memorandum reviewed by Reuters on Wednesday. The HealthCare.gov site collects a trove of sensitive data, such as Social Security numbers, email addresses, phone numbers and birth dates that could be used by criminals in an array of schemes. "From a security perspective, the aspects of the system that were not tested due to the ongoing development exposed a level of uncertainty that can be deemed as a high risk," said the memo from Department of Health and Human Services officials James Kerry and Henry Chao. According to the document, the recommendation was approved by Marilyn Tavenner, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the lead agency at HHS managing the 2010 Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare. Full Story | Top |
| Mentor mothers may help docs care for abused women Wednesday, Oct 30, 2013 02:49 PM PDT By Shereen Jegtvig NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Mothers with special training can help family doctors provide at-home support to women with violent partners, a new study suggests. Family doctors often see women in their practices who are suffering from intimate partner violence, but in the office, the physicians may not be equipped to give these women the help and support they need, say Dutch researchers. Over a four-month period, "Mentor support had an important role for mothers in becoming aware of the negative effects of (partner violence) on their children and to accept professional support, preventing mental problems and intergenerational transmission of violent behavior," the study authors write in the journal Family Practice. Full Story | Top |
| Online forums a 'mixed bag' for depressed youth Wednesday, Oct 30, 2013 02:45 PM PDT Researchers said Internet forums and other online resources may be both good and bad influences when it comes to self-harm and suicidal thoughts among depressed young people. "Certainly there were ways in which the Internet gave anonymous support for people, for this population, and that could be helpful," said Paul Montgomery. Montgomery and his colleagues analyzed 14 studies that looked at Internet use and self-harm among people under age 25, typically teenagers and preteens. Self-harm includes intentional cutting and burning but is usually not intended as a suicide attempt. Full Story | Top |
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