ANALYSTS SEE ALARMING DEVELOPMENT IN MOBILE MALWARE

By Jeremy Kirk, ComputerWorld

The first worm that spreads between mobile devices by spamming text messages has developed a new communications capability that one security vendor says signals the arrival of mobile botnets.

Trend Micro has analyzed a piece of mobile malware known as “Sexy Space,” which is a variant of another piece of mobile malware called Sexy View, which targets devices running the Symbian S60 OS.

Sexy View, which was detected by vendors such as F-Secure six months ago, is significant because it is the first known malware sample that spreads by SMS (Short Message Service). It appeared initially in China.

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~Sandy G.

1 comment July 20, 2009

IN PUSH FOR CANCER SCREENING, LIMITED BENEFITS

By NATASHA SINGER, The New York Times

“Don’t forget to check your neck,” says an advertising campaign encouraging people to visit doctors for exams to detect thyroid cancer.

In another cancer awareness effort, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat, has more than 350 House co-sponsors for her bill to promote the early detection of breast cancer in young women, teaching them about screening methods like self-exams and genetic testing.

Meanwhile, the foundation of the American Urological Association has a prostate cancer awareness campaign starring Hall of Fame football players. “Get screened,” Len Dawson, a former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, says in a public service television spot. “Don’t let prostate cancer take you out of the game.”

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~Sandy G.

Comments Off July 17, 2009

FDA APPROVES LUNG CANCER DRUG

Offers new approach to treatment

From ConsumerAffairs.com

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Alimta (pemetrexed), the first drug available for maintenance therapy of advanced or metastatic lung cancer.

Patients with cancer often receive maintenance therapy to prevent the disease from progressing after their tumor has shrunk or the disease has stabilized in response to chemotherapy.   Alimta disrupts metabolic processes that are dependent on the B-vitamin folate, a necessary ingredient for cell reproduction.

“This drug represents a new approach in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer,” said Richard Pazdur, M.D., director, Office of Oncology Drug Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.  “Typically, patients whose tumors respond to chemotherapy do not receive further treatment after four-to-six chemotherapy cycles.   This study demonstrates an advantage in overall survival in certain patients who received Alimta for maintenance therapy.”

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~Sandy G.

Comments Off July 10, 2009

FDA ORDERS STRONGER WARNING LABELS ON DARVON, DARVOCET

Data finds links to fatal overdoses; agency orders new safety study

From ConsumerAffairs.com

Perhaps partly satisfying its critics, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it is taking several actions to reduce the risk of overdose in patients using pain medications such as Darvon and Darvocet that contain propoxyphene. The agency said the actions were taken because of data linking propoxyphene and fatal overdoses.

The consumer group Public Citizen has been calling on the FDA to ban Darvon altogether, saying that the “old pain killer is a plain old killer.”

Instead, the agency is requiring manufacturers of propoxyphene-containing products to strengthen the label, including the boxed warning, emphasizing the potential for overdose when using these products. These manufacturers will also be required to provide a medication guide to patients stressing the importance of using the drugs as directed.

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~Sandy G.

Comments Off July 9, 2009

PRODUCTS RECALLED DUE TO SUSPECTED TAMPERING

Knife blade found in energy drink

The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to buy or use Hardcore Energize Bullet or New Whey liquid products sold in test tube-like vials.

The agency suspects product tampering and the products are being recalled.

The suspected tampering involved a utility knife blade found in one vial of Hardcore Energize Bullet drink, manufactured in the United States and sold in Canada. Another blade was discovered in one vial of New Whey liquid products, manufactured and sold in the United States. No one is known to have been hurt.

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~Sandy G.

Comments Off July 6, 2009

SURGE SUPPRESSORS BLAMED FOR HOUSE FIRES, EQUIPMENT DAMAGE

No recalls despite numerous complaints about Power Sentry

By Lisa Wade McCormick, ConsumerAffairs.com

A product designed to protect electronic devices from dangerous spikes in electricity may have contributed to a handful of fires nationwide that damaged homes and office equipment. Consumers also blame the product’s failure for frying their computers and other expensive electronics.

ConsumerAffairs.com uncovered these potential hazards during a review of complaints from homeowners across the country.

The product at the heart of these complaints is the Power Sentry Surge Protector. Since 2003, ConsumerAffairs.com has heard repeated safety concerns about this brand of surge protectors.

FOR COMPLETE STORY, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

~Sandy G.

Comments Off July 6, 2009

MOTHERS CRY FOUL OVER BABY-GENDER TEST

Lawsuit alleges expensive test not foolproof after all

By Jon Hood, ConsumerAffairs.com

A group of New York mothers is suing the manufacturer of an “infallibly accurate” fetus gender test, claiming that the product doesn’t live up to its hype.

The Baby Gender Mentor is advertised as giving “99.9% accurate” results as early as five weeks into a mother’s pregnancy.

According to the lawsuit, Acu-Gen Biolab, which manufactures the kit, referred to it in ads as “the gold standard for prenatal gender detection.” A website devoted to the test, www.babygendermentor.com, claims that the “early prenatal gender detection test is based on established qPCR technology that, when properly administered by a qualified laboratory, has been proven highly accurate in detecting targeted DNA markers.”

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~Sandy G.

Comments Off June 30, 2009

VICTORY FOR AUTISTIC CHILDREN IN MICHIGAN

Blue Cross ordered to pay for proven therapy

By Jon Hood, ConsumerAffairs.com

Blue Cross has settled a lawsuit brought by parents of children with autism, reimbursing them for the costs of therapy they had to pay out of their own pockets.

The suit, filed in Detroit, alleged that Blue Cross refused to pay for Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy for autistic children on the grounds that it was “experimental.”

Blue Cross policies exclude experimental therapies for a variety of conditions. The plaintiffs in the current suit, Johns v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, argued that characterizing ABA as experimental was arbitrary, capricious, and possibly even illegal.

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~Sandy G.

4 comments June 30, 2009

PET OWNERS UNSURPRISED BY FDA SHUTDOWN OF EVANGER’S

Many suspect agency investigating NUTRO as well

By Lisa Wade McCormick, ConsumerAffairs.com

Pet owners who were informed of the Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) suspension of Evanger’s ability to sell pet food across state lines were relieved — and unsurprised — by the news.

News of the FDA’s crackdown confirmed dog owner Leslie K.’s suspicions about Evanger’s food — and federal authorities’ interest in the company.

“A special agent with the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI) called me in May 2009 and wanted details of what happened to my dogs after they ate Evanger’s food,” the Tabernacle, New Jersey, woman told us. “He came out and said Evanger’s failed multiple inspections, and this was not a simple paperwork issue or something to do with an unimportant process. He said it was about ingredients and the manufacturing process and people are not getting what they pay for.”

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~Sandy G.

Comments Off June 30, 2009

8 TUITION-FREE COLLEGES

By Scott Allen, Mental_Floss.com

During difficult economic times, the cost of higher education leaves many students wondering if they can afford to go to college. For those who want to avoid being saddled with huge loans, the U.S. government offers one of the best deals around: Enroll at one of the five service academies tuition-free and receive free room and board. (And you thought the Grand Slam promotion at Denny’s was cool.) But if military service isn’t for you, here are eight other schools that offer tuition-free educations:

1. College of the Ozarks

 

Several schools share the “Linebacker U” and “Quarterback U” monikers in reference to the NFL talent that their college football programs produce, but the only “Hard Work U” is located in Point Lookout, Missouri. In 1973, a Wall Street Journal reporter bestowed that title on the College of the Ozarks, where students pay no tuition and work at least 15 hours a week at a campus work station. Jobs are taken seriously at the school of 1,400; students are graded on their work performance in addition to their academics.

2. Deep Springs College

 

Deep Springs is a two-year, all-male liberal arts college located on a cattle ranch and alfalfa farm in the Inyo-White Mountains of California’s High Desert. To get an idea of just how isolated the school is, consider the explanation for its policy forbidding smoking in any of the school’s buildings or near hay bales: “We’re 45 minutes from the nearest emergency services, so a fire could be disastrous.” Every student admitted – 10 to 15 per year – receives free tuition, room, and board, and works at least 20 hours a week on the ranch. The manual labor ranges from washing dishes to milking cows. Most students complete their degrees at prestigious four-year schools after leaving Deep Springs.

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~Sandy G.

1 comment June 29, 2009

WHY DOES BOTTLED WATER HAVE AN EXPIRATION DATE?

By Matt Soniak, Mental_Floss.com

Have you ever wondered why that bottle of Poland Spring has a “drink by” date on it when common sense dictates that water doesn’t go bad? You can thank the great state of New Jersey.  A 1987 NJ state law required all food products sold there to display an expiration date of two years or less from the date of manufacture.

Labeling, separating and shipping batches of expiration-dated water to the Garden State seemed a little inefficient to bottled water producers, so most of them simply started giving every bottle a two-year expiration date, no matter where it was going.

Now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has never established or suggested a limitation on the shelf life of bottled water as long as it’s produced in accordance with regulations and the bottle remains properly sealed. Makes sense, because it’s, you know…water. Even Dirty Jerz caught on to this fact and amended the law a few years ago. But the expiration date has been an industry norm for so long that many producers have just kept it on there.

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~Sandy G.

Comments Off June 29, 2009

USED CAR LEMONS AND LEMONADE

By Jada A. Graves, U.S. News & World Report

Knowing where to place your bets with a used car can be tricky. The horror stories are all too common — the pieced-together parts, the unexplained and unexpected sounds and smells, the bodies in the trunk …

Okay. Maybe the last one isn’t quite as common.

But buying used doesn’t have to be such a gamble if you do your research. There’s a wealth of online information available that can make it easier to avoid a lemon. With the federal government’s vehicle defect notices and J.D. Power and Associates’ reliability data the most common mechanical issues are all easy to trace. In addition, U.S. News’ used car listings make the search easier for the best used car options in your area.

But we’ve already done at that research to help you narrow down your choices. Check out our list of the best and worst used cars. Remember, while this list is a good start, all used cars are different. Before buying, make sure you give any used car — even one on our best list — a thorough inspection.

FOR COMPLETE STORY AND LIST OF BEST & WORST USED CARS, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

~Sandy G.

Comments Off June 27, 2009

FEDS SEIZE ALLEGED SEIZURE-INDUCING DRUGS

FDA acts to prevent repeated drug quality problems

From ConsumerAffairs.com

U.S. Marshals, acting at the request of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have seized drug products manufactured by Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories Ltd., at the company’s Michigan facilities in Detroit, Farmington Hills, and Wixom. The seizure also includes ingredients held at these same facilities.

“The FDA is committed to taking enforcement action against firms that do not manufacture drugs in accordance with our good manufacturing practice requirements,” said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Compliance with these standards prevents harm to the public.”

The move follows Caraco’s continued failure to meet the FDA’s current Good Manufacturing Practice requirements, which assure the quality of manufactured drugs, the agency said.

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~Sandy G.

Comments Off June 27, 2009

MOST DANGEROUS WII TOY?

Is this the most dangerous Wii accessory so far?

By Mike Smith, Yahoo! Games

Way back in 2006, there was a spate of media reports about new Wii owners damaging their TVs, prized furniture, elderly relatives and/or pets after losing their grip on a remote while playing Wii Sports Bowling. Nintendo, to its credit, took the problem in hand, first mailing out beefier remote wrist straps to all owners, then following that up with rubberized grips for even more security. But this bowling ball controller, from third-party firm CTA Digital, could take the cake.

Says the official web site: “This Wii peripheral is the first of its kind to be fashioned after an authentic bowling ball, turning your wii-mote into the optimum performance-enhancing accessory! To operate simply …plug the three holes with your fingers, as you would a bowling ball. Lastly, make sure to wear the wrist strap securely around your wrist, this will prevent the ball from accidently flying out of your hand…Even though holding and bowling the ball is so like-like[sic] to the actual sport, never, ever release the ball!!”

Uh, yeah. Nothing bad could ever come of this.

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~Sandy G.

1 comment June 25, 2009

MAYO RESEARCHERS REPORT CANCER BREAKTHROUGH

Inoperable tumors almost disappear in three patients

From ConsumerAffairs.com

For years it’s been medicine’s Holy Grail — a cure for cancer. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic aren’t saying they’ve found it, but they think they may be getting close.

Two patients whose prostate cancer had been considered inoperable are now cancer-free, doctors say. The men were treated using an experimental drug therapy that was used in combination with standardized hormone treatment and radiation therapy.

The men were participating in a clinical trial of an immunotherapeutic agent called MDX-010 or ipilimumab. In these two cases, physicians say the approach initiated the death of a majority of cancer cells and caused the tumors to shrink dramatically, allowing surgery. In both cases, the aggressive tumors had grown well beyond the prostate into the abdominal areas.

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~Sandy G.

Comments Off June 24, 2009