Storm8 Grabs 2M Downloads In One Day On Christmas

How big is Christmas for mobile app developers? For one San Francisco Bay Area-based game maker, it meant 2 million downloads in a single day. Christmas is unsurprisingly the biggest day of the year for many app makers as consumers unwrap brand-new phones and rush to the store to test out new apps. Storm8, which is a bootstrapped casual game developer out of Redwood Shores, saw four times the number of downloads they normally experience on a Tuesday. They also saw about 2.5 million hours of gameplay that day and up to 4.5 times the level of average revenue per daily active users, as consumers spent more on in-app purchases. Holiday-themed items like virtual Christmas trees and snow globes were the most popular. The 4x increase that Storm8 saw is consistent with what other analytics companies have picked up over the holidays. Flurry, an analytics company that tracks more than 260,000 apps, reported that device activations more than quadrupled to 17.4 million on Christmas Day. They saw a similar quadrupling effect last Christmas. On top of that, app downloads more than doubled to 328 million on Christmas, they reported. How does Storm8′s 2 million downloads in one day compare to other developers? Well, when Instagram released its Android version, it saw 1 million downloads on the first day and 5 million downloads over the first six days for the app. Rovio also said last year that it was seeing about 1 million downloads a day for its Angry Birds franchise. As for Storm8, it’s a casual game developer that was co-founded by a few early former Facebook employees. They’ve grown to have more than 150 employees and 400 million downloads without taking any venture funding (as a matter of choice and as the funding environment for gaming developers has changed substantially over the last year).

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/TeVT3QuaoMk/

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Top 2012 stories historic and hysterical (CNN)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/274065037?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Raulie Casteel, Michigan I-96 Shooting Suspect, Faces Arraignment On Terrorism Charge

"Young L.A. Girl Slain; Body Slashed in Two" -L.A.'s Daily News

On January 15, 1947, the remains of Elizabeth Short, were found in a vacant lot in Los Angeles. What made this discovery the stuff of tabloid sensation, however, was the Glasgow smile left on the aspiring actress' face--made with 3-inch slashes on each side. This, coupled with Short's dark hair, fair complexion and reputation for sporting a dahlia in her hair, dubbed her "The Black Dahlia" in headlines. What followed was a media circus filled with rumors and speculation about the promiscuous 22-year-old's checkered past. What haunts theorists to this day, apart from the victim's uniquely nightmarish visage, is that the case remains unsolved after some 200 suspects were interviewed and ultimately released--making it one of Hollywood's most lurid legends.

"I Am Not Guilty - Thus Lizzie Borden Pleads Before Judge Hammond at New Bedford." -Boston Journal

<em>"Lizzie Borden took an axe And gave her mother forty whacks. And when she saw what she had done, She gave her father forty-one."</em> So goes the lurid nursery rhyme to one of the most mystifying crimes of the century. The nature of the deaths of Andrew J. Borden and his wife, Abby, are trumped only by the identity of the alleged perpetrator: their daughter, Lizzie. Inexplicably found "not guilty" in contrast to the era's zeitgeist of swift justice, Lizzie's legacy--guilty or not--has become immortalized as one of the most perplexing cases of parricide in history.

"Texas Mother Charged with Killing Her 5 Children" -CNN

In a case of mother-gone-mad that startled a nation, Andrea Yates, to her few friends and neighbors, was known as a mere recluse suffering from postpartum depression leading up to the birth of her fifth child. That all changed on June 20, 2001, when she snapped, drowning five of her children in their home's bathtub. She was convicted in 2002 of capital murder, carrying a sentence of life in prison with possible parole. As of July 2006, however, a Texas jury found her not guilty by reason of insanity.

"Buttafuoco Admits to Sex with Amy Fisher" -New York Times

Known as the "Long Island Lolita," Fisher became involved with Joey Buttafuoco in May of 1991. Shortly after the two began a sexual relationship (she, 16, while he, 35, was married with two children), his presence and influence in her life became all she cared for. In what he's since denied to this day, Buttafuoco would go on to help an obsessive Fisher plan the murder of his wife, culminating in Fisher putting a bullet in Mary Jo Buttafuoco's head, but failing to kill her. In the highly publicized trial that ensued, Fisher accepted a plea deal for 15 years in prison in exchange for a testimony against Joey, who faced and served out charges of statutory rape.

"Murder of a Little Beauty" -People Magazine

With a face that graced the covers of nearly every news and gossip rag during the winter of '96, it's hard to suggest the death of child beauty pageant queen JonBen?t Ramsey had little effect outside the city of Boulder, Colorado. Found dead from a blow to the head and strangulation in the family's basement, coupled with a ransom note left on the staircase asking for $118,00 (conveniently or coincidentally, nearly the same amount Mr. Ramsey received as a bonus that year), as well as no obvious signs of forced entry into the house, the evidence was overwhelmingly stacked against parents John and Patsy, who managed to maintain their innocence throughout the investigation. The case reopened in 2010, but critics cite poor handling of the crime scene as obstructing what remains a mystery regarding the events of that Christmas day.

"F.B.I. Joins Probe in Slaughter of 8 Nurses" -Nashua Telegraph

Tattooed with "Born to Raise Hell" on his arm, Richard Speck made good on his mantra through a history of violence, theft, alcoholism, and spousal abuse, but made his infamy known to all when, on July 13, 1966, he walked into a dormitory armed with a knife. After leaving 8 student nurses dead in his wake, only one, Cora Amurao, was spared--hiding under a bed until 6 a.m. Speck was found guilty of murder and died of a heart attack in prison. As one of the most press-worthy crimes of the decade, the grim events were used most recently as the backdrop for an episode of <em>Mad Men</em>.

"Sharon Tate, Four Others Murdered" -Los Angeles Times

Perhaps the most terrifying figure in American crime to have never actually killed anyone himself, Charles Manson founded a "family" of wayward individuals who hailed him as a prophet. So strong was his manipulation, he ordered, on the night of Aug. 8, 1969, four of his followers to kill everyone at the residence of 10050 Cielo Drive--including Roman Polanski's wife, Sharon Tate, and her unborn child. Tate was stabbed 16 times, and her blood was used to write "pig" on the house's front door. The next night, Manson accompanied six of his family to the residence of supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife, only to help bind them before ordering their deaths. In 1971, Manson and three of his fellow defendants were found guilty of murder in the first-degree and several other crimes. At the time, it was the longest murder trial in American history, spanning nine and a half months, as well as the most expensive, estimating $1 million. Manson was denied parole for the 12th time in April 2012.

"Lindbergh Baby Kidnapped from Home of Parents on Farm Near Princeton; Taken from His Crib; Wide Search on" -The New York Times

Used as the basis for an Agatha Christie novel (<em>Murder on the Orient Express</em>) and dubbed "the biggest story since the Resurrection" by famed journalist H.L. Mencken, the kidnapping and murder of aviator Charles Lindbergh's infant son continues to fascinate theorists today. Charles Jr. was discovered missing from his second-floor bedroom on March 1, 1932, along with a note demanding a then-unimaginable $50,000, igniting a media frenzy like no other. The tabloid pandemonium prompted many tips and leads, but none as concrete as a package containing the boy's pajamas and another message demanding the ransom. After some misdirection from the presumed kidnapper, Lindbergh's child was soon after discovered in the woods along a road near the family residence. Notwithstanding the evidence stockpiled against the easily vilified illegal German immigrant Bruno Hauptmann (who was sentenced), speculation prevails as to the true identity of the caper responsible in this tragic tale of one of America's greatest heroes.

"Not Guilty as Sin" -NY Post

Still fresh in the minds of many and not to easily be forgotten, the trial of Casey Anthony turned Orlando, Florida into anything but the "happiest place on earth." Following a series of lies, misdirection and manipulation by then-22 year old Casey, Caylee's skeletal remains were found five months into the investigation, setting the stage for what could only be described as the most incessantly publicized and shocking trial in recent memory. The media had a field day that went on for months: Highlighting the young, pretty, party girl image used against her in court as the prosecution tore apart an aimless defense--or so it seemed. After resorting to throwing her family under the bus, incriminating people entirely made-up ("Zanny the Nanny"), and fabricating elaborate stories for the police, Casey was found not guilty of murder due to evidence deemed mostly circumstantial and not meeting the burden of "beyond reasonable doubt," inciting much debate regarding whether true justice was served.

"An American Tragedy" -TIME

Known and heralded as the "trial of the century," former football star and actor O.J. Simpson found himself in the middle of the nation's biggest, most-televised trial following the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman, but not before fleeing an all-points bulletin in his Ford Bronco with 20 units in tow, interrupting game 5 of the NBA Finals. By enlisting a dream team including Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro, and Robert Kardashian, the defense claimed Simpson was merely a victim of police fraud with regard to contaminated DNA evidence, while famously quipping "If it [the glove] doesn't fit, you must acquit." On October 3, 1995, an estimated 100 million people from around the world tuned in to watch the jury hand down a verdict of not guilty, consequently resulting in an estimated loss of $480 million in productivity and inciting an ongoing discussion of race in the judicial system that continues to this day.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/27/raulie-casteel-michigan-shooter-terrorism_n_2369669.html

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AP source: Retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf dies

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, who topped an illustrious military career by commanding the U.S.-led international coalition that drove Saddam Hussein's forces out of Kuwait in 1991 but kept a low public profile in controversies over the second Gulf War against Iraq, died Thursday. He was 78.

Schwarzkopf died in Tampa, Fla., where he had lived in retirement, according to a U.S. official, who was not authorized to release the information publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

A much-decorated combat soldier in Vietnam, Schwarzkopf was known popularly as "Stormin' Norman" for a notoriously explosive temper.

He served in his last military assignment in Tampa as commander-in-chief of U.S. Central Command, the headquarters responsible for U.S. military and security concerns in nearly 20 countries from the eastern Mediterranean and Africa to Pakistan.

Schwarzkopf became "CINC-Centcom" in 1988 and when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait three years later to punish it for allegedly stealing Iraqi oil reserves, he commanded Operation Desert Storm, the coalition of some 30 countries organized by President George H.W. Bush that succeeded in driving the Iraqis out.

"Gen. Norm Schwarzkopf, to me, epitomized the 'duty, service, country' creed that has defended our freedom and seen this great nation through our most trying international crises," Bush said in a statement. "More than that, he was a good and decent man ? and a dear friend."

At the peak of his postwar national celebrity, Schwarzkopf ? a self-proclaimed political independent ? rejected suggestions that he run for office, and remained far more private than other generals, although he did serve briefly as a military commentator for NBC.

While focused primarily in his later years on charitable enterprises, he campaigned for President George W. Bush in 2000 but was ambivalent about the 2003 invasion of Iraq, saying he doubted victory would be as easy as the White House and Pentagon predicted. In early 2003 he told the Washington Post the outcome was an unknown:

"What is postwar Iraq going to look like, with the Kurds and the Sunnis and the Shiites? That's a huge question, to my mind. It really should be part of the overall campaign plan," he said.

Initially Schwarzkopf had endorsed the invasion, saying he was convinced that former Secretary of State Colin Powell had given the United Nations powerful evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. After that proved false, he said decisions to go to war should depend on what U.N. weapons inspectors found.

He seldom spoke up during the conflict, but in late 2004, he sharply criticized then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the Pentagon for mistakes that included inadequate training for Army reservists sent to Iraq and for erroneous judgments about Iraq.

"In the final analysis I think we are behind schedule. ... I don't think we counted on it turning into jihad (holy war)," he said in an NBC interview.

Schwarzkopf was born Aug. 24, 1934, in Trenton, N.J., where his father, Col. H. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., founder and commander of the New Jersey State Police, was then leading the investigation of the Lindbergh kidnap case, which ended with the arrest and 1936 execution of German-born carpenter Richard Hauptmann for stealing and murdering the famed aviator's infant son.

The elder Schwarzkopf was named Herbert, but when the son was asked what his "H'' stood for, he would reply, "H." Although reputed to be short-tempered with aides and subordinates, he was a friendly, talkative and even jovial figure who didn't like "Stormin' Norman" and preferred to be known as "the Bear," a sobriquet given him by troops.

He also was outspoken at times, including when he described Gen. William Westmoreland, the U.S. commander in Vietnam, as "a horse's ass" in an Associated Press interview.

As a teenager Norman accompanied his father to Iran, where the elder Schwarzkopf trained the country's national police force and was an adviser to Reza Pahlavi, the young Shah of Iran.

Young Norman studied there and in Switzerland, Germany and Italy, then followed in his father's footsteps to West Point, graduating in 1956 with an engineering degree. After stints in the U.S. and abroad, he earned a master's degree in engineering at the University of Southern California and later taught missile engineering at West Point.

In 1966 he volunteered for Vietnam and served two tours, first as a U.S. adviser to South Vietnamese paratroops and later as a battalion commander in the U.S. Army's Americal Division. He earned three Silver Stars for valor ? including one for saving troops from a minefield ? plus a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and three Distinguished Service Medals.

While many career officers left military service embittered by Vietnam, Schwarzkopf was among those who opted to stay and help rebuild the tattered Army into a potent, modernized all-volunteer force.

After Saddam invaded Kuwait in August 1990, Schwarzkopf played a key diplomatic role by helping to persuade Saudi Arabia's King Fahd to allow U.S. and other foreign troops to deploy on Saudi territory as a staging area for the war to come.

On Jan. 17, 1991, a five-month buildup called Desert Shield became Operation Desert Storm as allied aircraft attacked Iraqi bases and Baghdad government facilities. The six-week aerial campaign climaxed with a massive ground offensive on Feb. 24-28, routing the Iraqis from Kuwait in 100 hours before U.S. officials called a halt.

Schwarzkopf said afterward he agreed with Bush's decision to stop the war rather than drive to Baghdad to capture Saddam, as his mission had been only to oust the Iraqis from Kuwait.

But in a desert tent meeting with vanquished Iraqi generals, he allowed a key concession on Iraq's use of helicopters, which later backfired by enabling Saddam to crack down more easily on rebellious Shiites and Kurds.

While he later avoided the public second-guessing by academics and think tank experts over the ambiguous outcome of Gulf War I and its impact on Gulf War II, he told the Washington Post in 2003, "You can't help but... with 20/20 hindsight, go back and say, 'Look, had we done something different, we probably wouldn't be facing what we are facing today.'"

After retiring from the Army in 1992, Schwarzkopf wrote a best-selling autobiography, "It Doesn't Take A Hero." Of his Gulf war role, he said, "I like to say I'm not a hero. I was lucky enough to lead a very successful war." He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and honored with decorations from France, Britain, Belgium, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.

Schwarzkopf was a national spokesman for prostate cancer awareness and for Recovery of the Grizzly Bear, served on the Nature Conservancy board of governors and was active in various charities for chronically ill children.

"I may have made my reputation as a general in the Army and I'm very proud of that," he once told the AP. "But I've always felt that I was more than one-dimensional. I'd like to think I'm a caring human being. ... It's nice to feel that you have a purpose."

Schwarzkopf and his wife, Brenda, had three children: Cynthia, Jessica and Christian.

___

Pyle contributed from New York.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-source-retired-gen-norman-schwarzkopf-dies-002111413--politics.html

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Engadget UK Giveaway: win a Nexus 4 courtesy of MobileFun

Who cares whether you've been naughty or nice this year? Not UK phone and accessory retailer MobileFun.co.uk, that's for sure. Because the team there has been kind enough to pass along one shiny new Nexus 4 for us to give away (indiscriminately) to one lucky UK reader. MobileFun sells the latest in mobile tech all year round, but if Santa didn't give you everything you wanted, there's a good chance it's on sale over there, so do go check it out. Not until you've entered the competition by leaving a comment of course. Good luck!

The rules:

• Leave a comment below. Any comment will do. Duplicate entries will be filtered out and discarded, so adding additional comments won't increase your likelihood of winning.
• This contest is open to all UK residents -- aged 18 years or over! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
• Winners will be chosen randomly. One winner will receive one (1) new Nexus 4. Service does not come included with the prize.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Mobilefun.co.uk and Engadget / AOL UK are not held liable to honor warranties or customer service.
• The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
• Entries can be submitted until 30th of December, 2012 at 23:59 GMT.Good luck!

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/WEgj7-P34ug/

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Fossil dealer's guilty plea ends dino dispute

NEW YORK?? A Florida fossil dealer pleaded guilty to smuggling charges Thursday and agreed to give up a celebrated $1 million dinosaur skeleton that was seized by the U.S. government earlier this year for eventual return to Mongolia.

Eric Prokopi, 38, said he would surrender the 70 million-year-old Tarbosaurus bataar skeleton, known as "Ty," and give up any claims to six other dinosaurs and various other bones in a cooperation deal that might win him leniency from charges that carry a potential prison sentence of up to 17 years.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Martin S. Bell read a list of the dinosaurs to Magistrate Judge Ronald L. Ellis, saying a second substantially complete tyrannosaur skeleton was found at Prokopi's Gainesville, Fla., home, while a third was believed to be in Britain.

Bell said the government will also get to keep a Chinese flying dinosaur that Prokopi illegally imported; a skeleton of a Saurolophus, a duckbilled, plant-eating dinosaur from the late Cretaceous period; and two oviraptor skeletons, one found at Prokopi's home and the other at another residential dwelling in Florida. The oviraptors have parrotlike skulls.

"It's among the larger dinosaur shopping lists you'll see today," Bell told the magistrate judge.

Cosmic Log: The year's top ancient mysteries (and missteps)

In a release, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: "Fossils and ancient skeletal remains are part of the fabric of a country's natural history and cultural heritage, and black marketers like Prokopi who illegally export and sell these wonders, steal a slice of that history. We are pleased that we can now begin the process of returning these prehistoric fossils to their countries of origin."

The government accused Prokopi of smuggling bones into the country illegally from Mongolia before assembling them into a skeleton that was sold by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions for $1.05 million, a deal that was suspended pending the outcome of litigation. The government said the dinosaur skeleton was mislabeled as reptile bones from Britain.

Free on bail
Prokopi remains free on bail pending a sentencing scheduled for April 25. After his plea Thursday, he immediately went with prosecutors to their offices without commenting.

In a statement last spring, Prokopi defended his handling of the dinosaur, saying the value of the bones was labeled much lower than the eventual auction price because "it was loose, mostly broken bones and rocks with embedded bones. It was not what you see today, a virtually complete, mounted skeleton."

1. Science news from NBCNews.com

   1. Year in Science: Higgs boson takes the prize

      Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: As 2012 draws to a close, physicists are celebrating ? and being celebrated for ? the end of a quest to find a subatomic particle known as the Higgs boson.

   2. How climate shifts sparked human evolution
   3. Injured coral have less 'sex'
   4. 23 scientists and innovators win medals

Prokopi pleaded guilty to conspiracy for importing the Chinese flying dinosaur, entry by goods by means of false statements for importing Mongolian dinosaurs and one count of interstate and foreign transportation of goods converted and taken by fraud.

In describing his crimes, Prokopi said he wrote an email to a fossil dealer in China in 2010, instructing him to mislabel customs documents to make it appear that the bones of a Chinese flying dinosaur were worth less than they were.

He said that from 2010 to 2012, he arranged for shipments of fossils from Mongolia to be described in customs documents as if their country of origin were Great Britain.

'Vague and misleading' statements
The magistrate judge asked Prokopi if the country of origin on the documents was an important fact.

"Well, apparently," Prokopi said, prompting a brief discussion between the prosecutor and Prokopi's defense lawyer.

Afterward, Prokopi said the labeling of the relics was purposefully "vague and misleading so that they didn't bring attention to the shipment."

The magistrate judge asked him what would have happened if he had labeled them accurately.

"Probably nothing," Prokopi said, pausing and then adding, "or it may not have been allowed to be imported."

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

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50307137/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Workers Comp Insurance Rates For Medical Marijuana Will Rise in ...

December 26, 2012

Medical marijuana businesses who have not purchased workers compensation insurance need should consider buying their insurance now. Insurance prices for edibles, centers and optional premises are going up in Colorado. This rate increase not only applies to medical marijuana companies, but other industries.

Dispensary Employees	11% Rate Increase
Edibles Manufacturers	7% Rate Increase
Growers	15% Rate Increase

Submit Your Application Immediately To Avoid The Price Increase

Our insurance agency is standing by to process any last minute requests for workers compensation insurance. Please visit our online application. You will need to provide us with your tax identification and last 4 digits of the owner?s social security numbers. All applications must be submitted by Friday, December 28, 2012 for an effective date of December 31, 2012.

?

Source: http://www.gpbusinessinsurance.com/workers-comp-insurance-rates-for-medical-marijuana-will-rise-in-2013/

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Chipmaker Marvell loses $1.17 billion patent verdict

(Reuters) - A federal jury on Wednesday found that Marvell Technology Group infringed two patents held by Carnegie Mellon University, and ordered the chipmaker to pay $1.17 billion in damages.

The award is one of the largest by a jury in a U.S. patent case, and is nearly twice Marvell's profit in its latest fiscal year. It followed a month-long trial in the U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, the home of Carnegie Mellon.

Jurors also found that Marvell's patent infringement was willful. This could enable the trial judge, Nora Barry Fischer, to award triple damages, a sum close to the $3.96 billion market value of Marvell, whose chips are used for reading and writing data on hard disk drives.

Shares of Marvell fell 10.3 percent on Wednesday, closing down 85 cents at $7.40 on the Nasdaq.

Marvell and its law firm, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The company had argued that it had acted in good faith, and the Carnegie Mellon patents were invalid. In a November 29 regulatory filing, Marvell said it intended to litigate vigorously in any potential appeal if it lost at trial.

Carnegie Mellon had accused Marvell of infringing patents used in technology for hard disk drive circuits to read data from high-speed magnetic disks, according to a statement from the university's law firm, K&L Gates.

The law firm said the patents related to systems and methods developed by Carnegie Mellon Professor Jose Moura and a doctoral student, Aleksandar Kavcic, who is now a professor at the University of Hawaii.

Through its verdict, the jury found that Marvell had sold billions of chips incorporating the technology without being licensed to do so, K&L Gates said.

Marvell is based in Hamilton, Bermuda. Its U.S. operating unit Marvell Semiconductor Inc is based in Santa Clara, California, and was also a defendant in the case.

The company posted a $615.1 million profit on net revenue of $3.39 billion in its most recent fiscal year, which ended on January 28. It counts Western Digital Corp and Seagate Technology Plc among its largest customers.

The trial judge set a May 1, 2013, hearing to consider a final judgment in the case, court records show.

The case is Carnegie Mellon University v. Marvell Technology Group Ltd et al, U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania, No. 09-00290.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York and Himank Sharma in Bangalore; Editing by Steve Orlofsky, Leslie Adler, Phil Berlowitz and Andrew Hay)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jury-orders-marvell-pay-1-17-billion-patent-202100248--finance.html

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Anne Dilenschneider: The Innkeeper Is the Hero

Once, there was a little boy who was so excited one Sunday after practice for the church Christmas play that he practically jumped into the minivan when his mother came to pick him up. When he finally settled into the back seat, his mom called back to him, "So what part did you get that's making you so excited?"

The boy could hardly contain himself. "I got the part of the hero!"

"The hero?" she asked. "Are you Joseph?"

"Nooooo, Mom!" The look he shot her made it clear that he thought she was truly clueless.

"Are you the lead shepherd just like last year?"

"Nooooo, Mom!" She really didn't get it.

"Are you going to be a king and wear a crown this year?"

"No Mom! It's better than that!"

"The Angel Gabriel?"

"NO!"

"Tell me you're not baby Jesus!"

"Aw, Mom. I told you I'm the hero of the whole show."

"Well, who are you?"

"I'm the innkeeper!" the boy announced, grinning from ear to ear. "Without the innkeeper, there wouldn't have been any place for Jesus to be born!"

This is my favorite Christmas story because, until I heard it, I had never thought about the innkeeper. The innkeeper isn't part of most Nativity sets. I haven't heard any carols about the innkeeper. There don't seem to be any paintings that include him, either.

I can imagine the scene: Bethlehem is crowded with people coming home for the census. Rooms have been booked for months. It's late at night when the innkeeper opens the door and finds a young couple standing in front of him. The woman is nine months pregnant, and she and her husband look exhausted. They've walked 100 miles from Nazareth over rough and rocky terrain to get here.

The innkeeper is confronted with a dilemma.

As a child, he learned the story of Abraham and Sarah. He knows that couple welcomed the 3 strangers who showed up at their house by slaughtering the fatted calf and offering their guests a lavish feast. Then it turns out that the guests are angels sent to bring great news: As impossible as it seems, Sarah is going to have a baby. And so now there is a tradition of entertaining strangers, because often they are messengers to us from God.

The innkeeper also knows Moses' admonition in the Torah, reminding the people of Israel that they are called to love the stranger as themselves, because they remember what it was like to be strangers in Egypt.

He knows the tradition of having an empty chair at the table ready to welcome the one who comes as a stranger, as Elijah, at the great Pesach feast.

Now there are strangers on his doorstep. What to do?

I can imagine him pulling the door to a bit, and hastily consulting with his wife. Is there any space, anywhere? There are three people in each bed, and people sleeping on all the couches. There are air mattresses covering the living room and dining room and bedroom floors. What to do? They whisper back and forth, racking their brains, trying to come up with a solution.

Suddenly, he thinks of the stable out back. It's not much, but it's protected from the wind. The body heat of the animals makes it a warm place, no matter how cold it gets outside.

He flings open the door, and welcomes the couple with a broad smile. He explains he doesn't have much, but he has a possibility. A stable. Will it suffice?

It does.

And the innkeeper saves the day.

As it turns out, this is not the only inn and innkeeper in the Gospel of Luke.

The central story of that Gospel is a story we know as the story of the good Samaritan. In that story, Jesus tells us that a man is robbed on the road to Jericho. The good Samaritan comes along, bandages the man, and then brings him to ... an inn and an innkeeper.

The good Samaritan gets all the press for his efforts. Yet who is the one who cares for the wounded man day after day? Who changes the bandages and the sheets? Who feeds him every day? Who does this, not knowing whether he or she will actually be paid for this work or not? The innkeeper!

The innkeeper is the hero or shero of that story, too.

Then, at the end of Luke's Gospel, there is another story about an inn.

A couple is walking along the road to Emmaus. A stranger joins them. The three of them talk as they travel together. The couple shares their disappointment that Jesus is dead. It's very clear their hopes for the future are dashed.

The travelers come to an inn. The couple turns to enter the door. And, Luke tells us, "the stranger makes as if to go on."

There is a long, pregnant pause. The couple has to make a decision. Did they understand what Jesus had been teaching them during the three years they'd followed him? This is a test. The couple is standing on the doorstep. The stranger is beginning to walk away. They look at each other.

The silence is broken when the couple suddenly calls out, each one's words tripping over the other's. They invite the stranger to stay with them. They insist he join them, and share their reservation at the inn. The stranger turns toward them, and agrees. But first, they must have dinner. And as they are eating together, the couple discovers through the stranger, through their guest, that Christ is with them. It is a Christmas moment, all over again. Here is Emmanuel, God With Us!

* * *

This winter, in Fargo-Moorhead, there are over 500 homeless households. The overflow is so great that, for the second year in a row, a number of churches are housing the homeless people who do not have beds in the local shelters. It's literally a matter of life or death here. People can, and sometimes do, die on our streets in our subzero winter weather.

This year, once again, First United Methodist Church in Fargo volunteered to be one of the primary sheltering sites. That church was asked to take the unprecedented step of serving as a shelter for two or, possibly, three weeks. As soon as the dates were set, the members of First Church were quickly joined by the members of Edgewood United Methodist Church.

Because the Edgewood congregation worships in the First Church chapel, the room that serves as the primary guest bedroom at the church, the members of Edgewood decorated the chapel with lit Christmas trees and wreaths. They wanted the guests to have an experience of safety and beauty and delight as they rested in that room lit by Christmas lights each evening. At the same time, the First Church team came up with a floor plan that provided privacy for each guest, a priceless commodity for anyone homeless.

The guests were at First Church for two weeks. Many more than 80 volunteers from both congregations provided welcoming, registration, snacks, toiletries, overnight care, cleaning, and re-arranging.

It was a bit like having extra guests at home. There were beds everywhere, and extra places at the table. Many of the guests were young adults. One was a woman who was nine months pregnant. Most were working. One young man worked until 3 a.m. cleaning up the Fargo Dome after a big football game, and then had to walk the four miles to the church. A warm welcome, snacks and bed were waiting for him when he arrived.

Why did the people of First United Methodist Church and Edgewood United Methodist Church do this? Why did we open our hearts, and our minds, and our doors to complete strangers?

It's simple. Jesus made it very clear that he comes among us in many forms. As the person who is hungry or thirsty. As the person who needs a warm coat or gloves. As the sick person who needs comfort. As the person in jail who needs to be visited. As the stranger who needs welcoming and a place to stay.

Being innkeepers for our homeless guests this Advent has been good practice for living into our daily, all-year-long call to serve Jesus. It has allowed each one of us to grow in faith as we serve as Christ's hands, and feet, and open heart. As innkeepers, we have helped each other learn how to welcome Emmanuel, God With Us, right here in our home community.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-dilenschneider/the-innkeeper-is-the-hero_b_2362650.html

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Allen Hoe: The Case for Tulsi Gabbard

When Pearl Harbor hit, Daniel Inouye was there -- as a medical volunteer aiding the injured. When our country called its young men to battle the forces of evil in Europe, Lt. Inouye was there -- rallying his men in battle despite losing most of his left arm. When Hawaii gained statehood, combat veteran Daniel Inouye was there -- vigorously representing veterans and the people of Hawaii as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Senator Inouye is an American hero. His record in Washington is unmatched. No one can possibly fill his shoes.

As Hawaii and our nation mourn his death, it's perhaps too soon to have to think of his replacement. But here we are -- it's Christmas Day and in just two days the Hawaii Democratic Party must decide upon three names to send to the Governor. In two days, the Central Committee must decide upon three Democrats who are best suited to replace a hero like Daniel Inouye. The decision will be critical as we need to look to the future, not on who we want in the U.S. Senate for the next two years but for the next two decades or longer.

The names we've heard would all be good U.S. Senators. I do not doubt that. But when I look back at Senator Inouye's story and then look at all the challenges our state and country face -- paralyzing politics, a struggling economy and the ongoing costs of war, in blood and treasure -- we need more than a good Senator. We need a great Senator -- someone with a heroic story and a fresh approach to politics.

I believe Representative-Elect Tulsi Gabbard is the right person for the job. As a Combat Veteran she has proven her courage and determination. Not only did she talk the talk, but she walked it as well. She volunteered to serve her country -- becoming the youngest person ever to serve in Hawaii's legislature but deploying to the Middle East twice, as well. Tulsi was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal for her first tour in Iraq, earned a commission as an officer, and was the first woman to ever receive an award of appreciation by the Kuwaiti military.

The U.S. Senate needs more combat veterans. While this body is deciding the fate of our soldiers -- the equipment they have, how we care for them when they come home, even when we put their lives at risk -- far too few of them have actually served in battle. That number will be one less should Senator Kerry become Secretary of State.

As a combat veteran myself, I've seen how war has drained our country -- with trillions spent and thousands of lives lost or destroyed by conflict. We need a Senator who, like Senator Inouye and myself, understands this.

Becoming the first woman combat veteran in the U.S. Senate, Tulsi would have the stature to be heard in national politics and get real results for Hawaii families. While both of Hawaii's senators will have essentially no seniority, Tulsi has already proven her ability to gain the attention of the national Democratic Party, build a grassroots movement, and be heard when she fights for Hawaii. Her role as the only veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in the U.S. Senate would give her an important and unique voice.

There will be those who will say that she's too young or her appointment would force a costly special election.

I see her age as an advantage. Senator Inouye's own legacy shows how important youth is to building seniority over time. And, while young, Tulsi has demonstrated her skill and abilities. The voters of Hawaii believe in her. That point was clearly proven in her win of her congressional seat by over 80 percent. As a State Legislator and Honolulu City Councilwoman, Tulsi fought for middle class families, small businesses and the environment. She's shown a unique ability to connect with all segments of our community and to bridge partisan political divides, and to get things done for middle class families. She's the type of leader we need in the U.S. Senate.

As a veteran I believe she will represent all of Hawaii's diverse communities well. Yes, she is no Senator Inouye -- no one is. But in my opinion she is a hero. We need more heroes like her in our nation's Capitol.

Allen Hoe, 62, served as a combat medic in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968. His son, Nainoa K. Hoe, served as a first lieutenant infantry officer with the Army's 3rd Battalion in Mosul, Iraq. He died there on Jan. 22, 2005, at the age of 27.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allen-hoe/the-case-for-tulsi-gabbar_b_2362814.html

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Jupiter, Moon Align in Christmas Skywatching Treat

As darkness falls on Christmas night, check out the east-southeast sky.?Shining brilliantly to the upper left of the bright, nearly full moon will be a silvery "star" with a steady glow.

But that's not a star, or Santa returning to the North Pole. Rather, it's the largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter, serving as a sort of holiday ornament with Earth's nearest neighbor to cap off a year of interesting skwyatching events. ??

As viewed from the eastern and central United States, the moon and Jupiter will appear closest together during the late afternoon or early evening hours on Tuesday (Dec. 25). From New York, they?ll be closest together at 6:25 p.m. EST (2325 GMT); from Chicago, it?ll be 5:18 p.m. local time (2318 GMT).

Jupiter will appear just a bit over one-half degree from the limb of the moon. (One-half degree is roughly equal to the moon?s apparent width). In the western United States, the closest approach will come before sunset, but moon and planet will still appear to be quite close together as darkness falls.?[Video: Jupiter and the Moon Converge on Christmas]?

The pair will be slowly separating as Tuesday night shifts to Wednesday morning; the moon moves across the sky at roughly its own diameter each hour.?

Jupiter will remain a bold light high in the east-southeast at nightfall.?This week, it?doesn't set in the west until around 5 a.m. local time.?Appearing brighter than any nighttime star, Jupiter is now levitating in front of the constellation Taurus (the Bull), not far from the famous V-shaped Hyades star cluster and despite the nearby presence of the orange 1st-magnitude star, Aldebaran, which fills this region of the sky with overbearing brightness.?

What kind of telescopic observation can be made of the gas giant now??Almost every kind.?From mid-northern latitudes you can even watch a full rotation of Jupiter, with the cloud features of every longitude displayed, during a single nightlong vigil. And as always, a fascinating dance of Jupiter's four large Galilean satellites will await viewers on any night who watch with a small telescope or even steadily held binoculars.

As darkness falls over the eastern U.S. on Tuesday, you'll see two Jupiter moons ? Ganymede and Callisto ? on one side of the giant planet, while?a third, Europa, hovers by itself on the other side.?

As the evening progresses, Ganymede and Europa will gradually pull away from Jupiter. Then, at 7:15 p.m. EST (0015 GMT Wednesday), the fourth Galilean satellite, Io, will emerge from Jupiter's shadow and appear on the side of the planet occupied by Europa.?

Slowly, as Tuesday night wears on, Io will become easier to see as it moves away from Jupiter and toward Europa. At 11:40 p.m. EST (0440 GMT Wednesday), you?ll see Io passing Europa.?

And Jupiter itself will continue to be a great target throughout the entire winter season for those who got binoculars or a telescope as a holiday gift.

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for The New York Times and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, New York.?Follow SPACE.com on Twitter?@Spacedotcom. We're also on?Facebook?&?Google+.?

Copyright 2012 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jupiter-moon-align-christmas-skywatching-treat-120844842.html

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Netflix blames Amazon for Christmas Eve outage

NEW YORK (Reuters) - An outage at one of Amazon's web service centers hit users of Netflix Inc's streaming video service on Christmas Eve and was not fully resolved until Christmas Day, a spokesman for the movie rental company said on Tuesday.

The outage impacted Netflix subscribers across Canada, Latin America and the United States, and affected various devices that enable users to stream movies and television shows from home, Netflix spokesman Joris Evers said. Such devices range from gaming consoles like the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3 to Blu-ray DVD players.

Netflix, which is based in Los Gatos, California, has 30 million streaming subscribers worldwide, of which more than 27 million are in the Americas region that was exposed to the outage and could have potentially been affected, Evers said.

Evers said the issue was the result of an outage at an Amazon Web Services' cloud computing center in Virginia and started at about 12:30 p.m. PST (2030 GMT) on Monday and was fully restored before 8:00 a.m. PST Tuesday morning, although streaming was available for most users by 11:00 p.m. PST on Monday.

The event marks the latest in a series of outages from Amazon Web Services, with one occurring in April of last year that knocked out such sites as Reddit and Foursquare.

"We are investigating exactly what happened and how it could have been prevented," Evers of Netflix said.

"We are happy that people opening gifts of Netflix or Netflix capable devices can watch TV shows and movies and apologize for any inconvenience caused last night," he added.

Officials at Amazon Web Services were not available for comment. Evers, the Netflix spokesman, declined to comment on the company's contracts with Amazon.

(Reporting by Sam Forgione; Editing by Leslie Gevirtz and Matt Driskill)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/netflix-blames-amazon-christmas-eve-outage-033203009--finance.html

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Tips on Mens Health | EzinePR

You?re a experienced health conscious guy who thinks in the importance of making use of mens health supplements to help your health, protect you from disease and allow you to eat well when you?re older.

Men?s health is a very important matter that needs more focus in the media and medical group. Although a lot of advancement has occurred more than the past twenty years there is still much to carry out. We need to distinguish real health problems from cosmetic needs and logic.
The first step is to understand that you?re at risk, doing this you know what to look for. From heart disease and stroke to cancer, some things are inescapable no matter what you try to perform to avoid them.
One of the most valuable resources a guy has nowadays is online men health discussion boards. now if you have a question about your health you don?t need to ask your doctor first.One of the negatives to use men health message boards for information,is that you can?t ever be absolutely sure if the information you?re acquiring is correct.

So the most obvious of ejaculacao precoce tips to apply is to simply eat more fruit and vegetables.
Especially as it all counts. Regardless of whether you eat it refreshing, drink 100% juice, or whichever. Frozen, canned, dried up or fresh. It?s nothing but good and all good for you.

Another guys health diet tip is to change regular head lettuce eating salads with mixed early spring greens or green spinach. While head lettuce provides almost no nutritional value, spinach and mixed greens are usually super foods which might be packed with all the nutritional vitamins you could ever expect for in a tasty salad base.

Regular exercise is one kind of the requirements necessary to address men?s health and fitness issues. The varieties of exercises that will enhance and strengthen the heart muscle groups are highly recommended.

Beef is the ?complete protein? and is good for you, deep-fried food is very tasty, and the brain lives on sugar, so it is not as if those ideas have to be done away with.But the crucial here is balance.Reduce your french fry ingestion in half, and replace them with beans or lead pages.

By taking both a fat and carb blocker you?re fundamentally interfering with two of the three most important macro-nutrients, protein being the third which fundamentally defeats the object associated with eating.

There are so many solutions to help boost and maintain men?s fitness that it is rather easy, with the right determination and fitness program, for men to shed weight and get back into shape.

The most popular organic fat burner however at present receiving great ?rep? about Men?s Health Forum this year is actually the anti-oxidant Acai Burn.

There are a number of male dietary supplements that can be beneficial to prostate gland health, either on their own or even in combination with other nutrients. Saw palmetto, an herb native to the Ocean seaboard, is one of the most popular and thoroughly researched mens health dietary supplements.

Research has shown that men can help maintain prostate gland health by eating Brazil insane, pomegranate juice, scallions, garlic, onions, and, of course, lycopene from garlic.

For more information about ejaculacao precoce como resolver please visit the website.

Source: http://ezinepr.com/web-design-programming/adobe/tips-on-mens-health/

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Telebriefing on U.S. Influenza Activity and Vaccination Rates for ...

Atlanta, GA--(ENEWSPF)--December 3, 2012 at Noon. ET

OPERATOR: Welcome.? And thank you for standing by.? At this time the participants are listen only mode until the question and answer session.? At that time you can play star one to ask a question.? I would like to inform all participants that today's conference is being recorded.? If you have any objection, you may disconnect at this time. I would now like to turn the conference over to Tom Skinner, Senior Public Affairs Officer for the CDC.? Sir, you may begin.?

TOM SKINNER: Thank you, Jennifer and thank you all for joining us today as we quick off National Influenza Vaccination week with this telebriefing.? Today we have with us the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr.? Thomas Frieden and we have also with us the acting Director for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Dr.? Melinda Wharton.? Both will provide remarks concerning some information we want to release today on how the season is going.? How many people have gotten vaccinated as well, and then we'll get to your questions and answers.? So, with that, I?ll turn it over to Dr.? Frieden.?

THOMAS FRIEDEN: Hello, everyone, the news from today is that flu is increasing.? This year's strains look to be a great match with this year's vaccine and it's time to get vaccinated if you haven't been already gotten vaccinated.? We've seen an increase in flu that's over the threshold that suggests that the flu season has started.? So about 2.2 percent of all of the visits variable in different parts of the country are for illnesses that are like the flu.? A significant prportion of which will end up being flu.? That's higher in five states that have high level activity, and have as many as 4 percent? or more of their visits, flu-related symptoms.? This is the earliest regular flu season we've had in nearly a decade, since the 2003-2004 flu season.? That was an early and severe flu year, and while flu is always unpredictable, the early nature of the cases as well as the specific strains we're seeing suggest that this could be a bad flu year.?

Of the doctors who are submitting specimens that we look at to see which strains of flu are spreading, about 90 percent are very well matched with this year's flu vaccine.? That means that we did about as good as we could have done to put the right three strains of flu into the flu vaccines that are available on the market.? Influenza is a serious disease. ?It causes a couple hundred thousand hospitalizations a year and thousands of deaths.? Every flu season is different and we expect different patterns in different flu seasons but vaccination is, by far, the best tool we have to protect ourselves against flu.? One of the things that the CDC does during each flu season is to track how the vaccination campaign is going and we get an early indication of that, and we're releasing information on that early indication today.? Overall, what we've seen over the past several years is an increase in flu vaccination rates, including among children, among pregnant women and among health care workers, three key groups that we look at, because they are so important to spread of flu, and they're so vulnerable to severe disease in the case of pregnant women. What that data shows is that we?re holding the gains from past years, but we need to make further gains moving forward.? There's very interesting information about pregnant women that's available.? We're finding that while nearly half of all pregnant women have been vaccinated already, the biggest predictor of whether a pregnant woman is vaccinated is whether her Obstetrician will offer a vaccine in the office.? Nearly three-quarters of pregnant women who are offered a vaccine in the office get vaccinated.

There's also interesting information on health care workers, where we've looked at the different types of health care workers.? What we found is that 80 to 90 percent of pharmacists, doctors and nurses are getting vaccinated.? Have already been vaccinated this season but we need to do much better among allied health workers, aids and other health care systems as well as in nursing homes.? And we're seeing that work sites and pharmacies are major sources of vaccination for adults with more than a third of the vaccines being given either at work sites or pharmacies.? So, in summary, flu activity is up, vaccine is the best tool to protect against flu.? The vaccine is widely available.? There are already over 120 million doses out there to be had.? While it's important to wash your hands, cover your mouth and remain home if you're sick, the vaccine remains the best tool that we have. So, we encourage people particularly as flu season is likely to pick up in the coming weeks and as the holiday season approaches, when you get together with your friends and family, be sure you spread good cheer, and give presents and that you don't share infections and spread the flu.?

TOM SKINNER:? Jennifer, I think we're ready for questions.?

OPERATOR:? If you would like to ask a question, please press star 1 and record your name clearly.? To withdraw your request, you may press star 2.? Once again, to ask a question, please press star 1.? Just one moment for our first question.? Our first question comes from Mike Stobbe of ?The Associated Press?.?

MIKE STOBBE: ?Hi, thank you for doing this and for taking my question.? Two questions, actually.? Dr.? Frieden, can you clarify?? You said that the strains circulating seem to be very well matched to what's in the vaccine.? But did you say this is shaping up to be potentially a bad flu year?? Why would that be if there's a good match if you can clarify.? And my second question is the early start to this season, is that in any way related to the weather??

THOMAS FRIEDEN:? The strains that we're seeing in the community are influenza "a," H3N2 predominant.? And what we've seen in past years is that H3 predominant years tend to be the worst years.? And at least in 2003, also an earlier year.? So maybe Dr.? Melinda Wharton would like to say more.?

MELINDA WHARTON:? Thanks Dr. Frieden. In years, when H3N2 strains have been dominant; we have tended to do more in other instances.? Because of that, I think we are particularly encouraging people, having gotten vaccinated yet, do it, but to have the good match the vaccine, there's an expectation that this could be a more severe season than it would be if it weren't H3N2.? As far as the weather is concerned, I think that the relationship between weather and influenza is something that people always are interested and curious about, but I don't think we've got evidence that that's a factor.?

TOM SKINNER:? Mike, do you have a follow-up??

MIKE STOBBE:? No, I don't think so.? Thank you.?

TOM SKINNER:? Okay. ?Next question, Jennifer.?

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Lauren Browne of ?ABC News?.? Your line is now open.?

LAUREN BROWNE: Hi. Yes, this is Lauren.? Thank you for holding this news conference.? You had mentioned that there are five states that are showing high levels of activities of the flu, I was just wondering if you could specific which states those were and why those particular states were implicated more so than others??

TOM SKINNER:? We?re going to let Dr. Wharton answer that question.?

MELINDA WHARTON:? Thanks.? What we're seeing is a high level of influenza-like illness activity in a number of states in the southeastern and south central region of the United States.? The five states that have reported high level activity through the influenza-like illness surveillance system are Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas.? There also is moderate illness?-- moderate level of illness being reported in Missouri and Georgia.? But, I think it's just a matter of time before we'll have higher level of activities in other parts of the country but this is where it has shown up first this year.?

TOM SKINNER:? This is Tom Skinner.? I want to remind the reporters on the line that the latest edition of the flu view which contains some of the maps with activity level readings and what not are available on the CDC website.? So you can go to the CDC website to get the latest edition of the flu view map and report.? Do you have a follow-up??

LAUREN BROWNE: No, I think that's it.?

TOM SKINNER:? ?Jennifer, next question please.?

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Elizabeth Weiss of ?USA Today".?

ELIZABETH WEISS: Hi, thanks. Can you hear me??

TOM SKINNER:? Yes, we can hear you.?

ELIZABETH WEISS: Thanks so much for taking my call.? A terminology question, I'm look at the flu view, and I?m trying to find a way to explain the activity level, and when I get to the number of standard deviations below or above the mean for the current week, do you guys have a layman's explanation for that??

MELINDA WHARTON: ?I think of it, it?s the threshold of illness where it's almost certainly due to influenza.? That there always is illness in the community where people can suffer respiratory illness that's similar to flu, but it's only when it's more common that it's like?-- it's much more likely to be influenza than something else.? So I would describe it as the threshold at which it's more likely to be influenza in the community.?

ELIZABETH WEISS:? So a high state on that list is not necessarily a state that has an absolute higher percentage of flu in sessions, but just the state where the people who come in and say they're sick, actually a higher percentage of them in fact have flu. Is that correct??

MELINDA WHARTON:? In the influenza like illness, it's based on the proportion of doctor visits that are for influenza-like illness.?

?ELIZABETH WEISS:? So that is actually?-- that's a measure of absolute numbers of people who probably have the flu in the country??

MELINDA WHARTON:? Well, it's a measure of the proportion of doctor visits.? So it's going to be influenced by how many people go to the doctor, health care utilization, patterns and so forth. Yeah.? I think if there's specific issues about this that you?-- that we need to talk about some more, we can get back to you on that.?

TOM SKINNER:? If that didn't answer your question, call back and we'll put you in touch with someone who knows the ins and outs and very familiar with the nuances of flu view.? Okay??

ELIZABETH WEISS: Thanks so much.?

TOM SKINNER:? Okay.? Next question, Jennifer.?

OPERATOR:? The next question comes from Erika Edwards of ?NBC News Channel?.

ERIKA EDWARDS: Hey, there.? I was wondering how you would describe how early this season is, compared to recent years.? Several weeks or months, something like that??

THOMAS FRIEDEN: This is Tom Frieden.? There's a graph in flu view that kind of gives you a sense of that.? Generally, its peaks a month or two late, Dr. Wharton.?

MELINDA WHARTON:? ?Often influenza actually peaks after the new year, in January, February or even later.? And last year, we had of course a very late season.? The point Dr.? Frieden made earlier, excluding the pandemic, this is the earliest year since 2003, I think is the point I would make.?

ERIKA EDWARDS: Thank you.?

TOM SKINNER:? Next question, Jennifer.?

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Helen Branswell of ?Canadian Press.??

HELEN BRANSWELL: Hi, thanks very much for taking my question.? Dr. Frieden mentioned that there are 120 million doses of vaccine available in the United States for use this year.? Can you?there's a universal recommendation for universal vaccination in the United States.? Can you give us an idea how many doses have been used in the last few years?? So, not purchased but actually put into arms??

TOM SKINNER: This is Tom Skinner.? Just to clarify, the manufacturers had projected that they were going to produce around 135 million doses this year.? That may go up, that may go down.? And as of?the latest estimate as to how much vaccine has gone out is about 123 million doses or so, so I just wanted to clarify that.?

MELINDA WHARTON: But if we apply the coverage estimates that we're releasing in the survey today to the U.S. Population.? We end up with an estimate of about 112 million Americans will have been vaccinated so far.? Now some of the people need two doses, many of the children, but based on our coverage estimates, we're estimating around 112 people will have been vaccinated based on these coverage estimates.?

HELEN BRANSWELL: So far this year??

MELINDA WHARTON: Yes.?

THOMAS FREIDEN: So far this year, 123 million doses have been sent out to providers.?

MELINDA WHARTON: But that?-- we're estimating 112 million people have been vaccinated based on the coverage estimates we're releasing today.

TOM SKINNER: Next question, Jennifer.?

OPERATOR: As a reminder, if you would like to ask a question, please press star one and record your name. Our next question comes from Becky Kellogg from ?Weather.com.??

?BECKY KELLOGG: Actually the last person asked my question, I want to get a little more information about the early start to the season.? I think you guys clarified that.? Thank you.?

TOM SKINNER: Great.? Next question, Jennifer.?

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Prentiss Findlay of the ?Charleston South Carolina Post and Courier.?

PRENTISS FINDLAY: Hi. Thanks for taking my question. I actually have two questions. There's a lot of talk about the early start to the flu season. What is generally considered the flu season?? I know there's a lot of variabilities here, but is it typically just the fall and winter or is there more precise definition of the flu season??

MELINDA WHARTON: Well, we monitor influenza throughout the fall, winter and then into the spring.? And of course during the influenza pandemic, we monitored it year-round, but generally it's fall, winter and spring.? It?s when we run our surveillance to track where we are.? And usually, the season?-- and the season often peaks as late as February.? And so?but when it starts, it varies.? Influenza is a disease which is not very predictable year to year, and we can't know when it's going to start without doing the kind of monitoring that we do.?

PRENTISS FINDLAY: Right.? And you mentioned 123 million doses and then 112 million people vaccinated.? Does that mean that there are now what about 11 million doses available for those who have not been vaccinated, or?--

MELINDA WHARTON: ?The estimate of 112 million people vaccinated is an extrapolation from the coverage rates that we're releasing today.? So and it may well be an overestimate given that the coverage estimate is based on reported vaccination?-- on self-reported vaccination coverage tend to be a little on the high side.? The 123 million doses available are data from the manufacturers on how far they are along in the production process and what has actually been released and distributed.? And, again, these are estimates.? And our expectation, based on what the manufacturers have told us, as they were expecting to be produced around 135 million doses total this year.?

TOM SKINNER: This is Tom Skinner. I think the key point to understand is we're not hearing of any issues or problems of people not being able to get their vaccine.? There's still vaccines out there for those who want to get vaccinated.? That's the bottom line.? Next question, Jennifer.?

OPERATOR: Next question from Timothy Martin of ?The Wall Street Journal.??

TIMOTHY MARTIN: Hi, thanks for taking my call.? Two questions?first off, what factors or variables are looked at to make the assessment or projection that this could be the worst year?-- flu season since 2003-2004?? Is it the outpatient visits?? And if so, how does that compare with, say, all of the other years before '03-'04, and the second question deals with this 112 million flu shots administered, what does that rank versus the last flu season or last several flu seasons?? Is it more or less or about the same?? Thank you.?

THOMAS FRIEDEN: Thank you.? This is Tom Frieden.? Just to clarify, flu is unpredictable. That?s probably the most predictable thing about it. We haven't said this is going be the worst season in a decade, we've not said that.? What we have said, it's the earliest season that we've seen since 2003-2004 in a regular flu season, and that within influenza, there are many different sub types.? The sub type that we're seeing in most of the people with flu this year, is the same sub type as 2003-2004 and it's a sub type called H3N2 that's generally associated with more severe flu seasons.? So it does look like it may be shaping up to be a worse flu season?or I should say, it looks like it's shaping up to be a bad flu season, but only time will tell.? The only thing we know for certain, besides unpredictability is that getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself.? We're at a very similar level of vaccination to last year.? We did not see shortages of vaccine last year.? We're not hearing about shortages this year.?

TIMOTHY MARTIN: And then just one quick follow-up to that.? Can you characterize it's shaping up to be the earliest season we?ve seen since ?03-?04, and you said it's generally associated with more severe flu season. So, just a two-parter:? Can you explain what is?the earliness? What is this year, this season versus previous, that make it one of the earliest in a decade?? And can you explain H3N2 versus the other type of flu strains that were seen in previous years that might tend to a more severe flu season? Thank you.

THOMAS FRIEDEN: This is just a month earlier than we generally see a peak, we generally would see a peak in January.? We're seeing a peak in late November, early December.? Not a peak, I should say a general uptick.? ?Cause we don't know when the peak will happen until we begin to see it beginning to fall.? But we're beginning to see the uptick start at least a month before we generally see it.? The last time we saw it like this was in 2003-2004.? The issue of the type is somewhat complex, so we divide flu into "A" and "B" of the "A" flu, we divide them based on two proteins that are on the surface of the flu molecule the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, and there are different types of those, and the influenza virus evolves year to year, and cycles sometimes for different types of those proteins.? We can give you more information on that offline if you would like us to explain that further, but the symptoms and signs of flu are the same whichever sub type you get.? And we do find that certain strains tend to hit the elderly or hit young kids or vulnerable people harder than other strains but any one individual, any strain of flu can be life threatening.?

TOM SKINNER: Next question, Jennifer.?

OPERATOR: Our next question comes from Carrie Feibel of ?Houston Public Radio.??

CARRIE FEIBEL: Can you hear me??

TOM SKINNER: Yes, we can hear you.?

CARRIE FEIBEL: Terrific. Going back to the states of higher levels of activity, including Texas, is that typical, or can sort of the higher regions move around the country and does there that have any relationship to these being more southern, more warmer states later in the winter, so forth??

MELINDA WHARTON: ?Where influenza starts is going to vary from year to year.? Our surveillance experts tell me they do sometimes see it start in the Southeast but it's not something that happens every year and I don't think I would put a lot of?? although it obviously affects those communities where it's starting sooner.? It's going to end up, you know, our expectation would be that it would spread throughout the country as the season progresses.?

CARRIE FEIBEL: Thank you.?

TOM SKINNER: Next question, Jennifer.?

OPERATOR: The next question comes from Stephanie Innes of the ?Arizona Daily Star.??

STEPHANIE INNES: Yeah.? Thank you for taking my question. I was wondering what percentage of the overall population currently gets a flu vaccine, and is that percentage going up?? I know you mentioned health care workers and pregnant women, but I was looking for a population as a whole.? Hello??

TOM SKINNER: Yeah, we're here.? Hold on just a sec.??

STEPHANIE INNES: ?Sorry.? I wanted to make sure you heard me.?

MELINDA WHARTON: ?Our coverage estimates that we're releasing today, for the entire population, is about 37 percent, for people six months of age and older.? It's a little higher among children with an estimate of 40 percent, and 35 percent in adults.? Now, we are still in the season.? Influenza vaccination is continuing and our expectation is that as the season progresses, that coverage will rise. And last year, it went from?-- it was 48 percent by end of the influenza season for the general population, six months of age and older.? Coverage is higher among older people.? We?ve always had the highest amount of coverage by age group among people 65 years of age and older.? But we're doing a much better job of vaccinating children, and we also have a focus on health care workers, pregnant women and people with high-risk conditions.?

THOMAS FREIDEN: I would just reiterate that what we're seeing in health care workers is encouraging, we?ve got 80 percent to 90 percent of health care workers, pharmacists, and doctors have already gotten vaccinated this season and it really shows the importance and we?ve found in obstetricians offices, another high-risk group: pregnant women, that if the vaccines are offered, three-quarters of the women have been vaccinated.?

TOM SKINNER: Next question, Jennifer??

OPERATOR: Our last question comes from (reporter at) KSL in Salt Lake City. ?

KSL SALT LAKE CITY: Thank you for taking my call.? I think somebody already asked this about the significance of the H3, basically characterizing why that's so significant on that protein, without getting too technical, too scientific. And second question, would be, I think I missed the new part about children and their vulnerability with the H3N2 or H3 strain.? If you would please address that.? Thank you.?

THOMAS FREIDEN: Well, when there's a bad flu year, and there are lots of cases, then there are more people who may have severe illness from that influenza.? It's not necessarily that that strain is more dangerous for them.? So in 2003, 2004, we saw severe illness in both children and the elderly.? Just to wrap this up, I want to thank everyone for joining the call.? If there are follow-up questions, our media office can address them.? The information here that we're seeing an uptick in flu.? It?s the earliest uptick we've seen in nearly a decade.? We've seen high levels of activity in southern states as we often see at the start of the flu season, the predominant organism is H3N2 which can be associated with more severe flu season, the match of this year's flu vaccine, because every year we decide which viruses to vaccinate against, which sub types of flu is an excellent match with the flu circulating.? And influenza vaccination remains the best thing you can do to protect yourself and your family from serious illness.? I've been vaccinated.? My family has been vaccinated and I encourage everyone over the age of 6 months to get vaccinated.?

TOM SKINNER: Thank you for joining us. And this concludes our call.? If you do have follow-up questions, feel free to call the CDC press office at 404-639-3286.? Thank you.?

OPERATOR:? That concludes today?s conference.? Thank you for your participation.? You may disconnect at this time. ??

Source: cdc.gov

Source: http://www.enewspf.com/latest-news/health-and-fitness/38851-telebriefing-on-us-influenza-activity-and-vaccination-rates-for-current-season.html

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lesliegliani: caprice sacrilege: EDU702 Research Methodology ...

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