health is wealth

Archive for August, 2009

Ted Kennedy’s wife Vicki Kennedy good fit for Senate seat, say pols

Vicki Kennedy should be considered as a potential interim replacement for her late husband in the U.S. Senate, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle said Sunday.

“I think Vicki ought to be considered,” Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“She’s a very brilliant lawyer. She’s a very solid individual,” Hatch said of Sen. Edward Kennedy’s widow. “She certainly made a difference in Ted’s life, let me tell you. And I have nothing but great respect for her.”

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), a close friend of Ted Kennedy, said he too would be supportive of Vicki Kennedy if she wanted the job. So far, she’s told friends she’s not interested.

“She’s expressed to me her own sort of reluctance to do that, but she could change her mind,” Dodd said. “If she did, I’m for it.”

“She’d be great,” Dodd added. “She brings talent and ability to it, and to fill that spot I think is something the people of Massachusetts would welcome.”

Current state law in Massachusetts requires the seat remain vacant for roughly five months until a special election is held.

Ted Kennedy wrote to state leaders this month requesting that the law be changed to allow full representation during the ongoing debate over health care reform.

Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat, has voiced support for a change in the succession law.

Momentum appears to be building around the proposal, especially because the health care overhaul could be determined by a razor-thin margin.

Hurricane Heads for Mexico; Warning May Be Issued

Hurricane Jimena headed for western Mexico as a “powerful” Category 4 storm, with winds of almost 230 kilometers (145 miles) per hour, and may prompt a warning for the southern Baja California peninsula later today, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

The eye was about 595 kilometers south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, the center said in an advisory posted on its Web site just before 7 a.m. Mexico City time. The storm was moving northwest at almost 13 kph and is forecast to make landfall on Baja California’s west coast late tomorrow and track up the peninsula. Hurricane-force winds of at least 119 kph extend 45 kilometers from the eye.

“Powerful Hurricane Jimena continues northwestward,” the center in Miami said. Residents “in the southern and central Baja California peninsula and in western mainland Mexico should monitor the progress of Jimena.”

A hurricane watch was in effect for Baja California, from Bahia Magdalena southward on the west coast of the peninsula and from San Evaristo southward on the east coast, meaning such conditions are expected within 36 hours. The watch may be upgraded to a warning, the center said. Jimena’s maximum sustained winds increased today from about 225 kph yesterday and some fluctuation in strength is possible, forecasters said.

Hurricanes become “major” when sustained winds reach 178 kph, or Category 3 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. Category 4 storms have sustained winds of 210 to 249 kph and are capable of causing “devastating damage,” the center said.

Tropical Storm Kevin

Tropical Storm Kevin, which formed two days ago to the west of Jimena, was “barely a tropical storm” and is forecast to weaken into a depression today, the center said in a separate advisory. Kevin, which had sustained winds of almost 65 kph, was centered 1,435 kilometers west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California just before 4 a.m. Mexico City time. Kevin was moving north-northeast at almost 9 kph.

The hurricane center was also monitoring an area of low pressure over the Atlantic Ocean, about 600 miles east of the Windward Islands. There is a greater than 50 percent chance the system will develop into a tropical cyclone within 48 hours, the center said.

The system may pose a threat to the Lesser Antilles as it moves west-northwest at about 15 mph, the center said.

The Lesser Antilles include the U.S. Virgin and British Virgin Islands, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Colombian president comes down with the swine flu

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has the swine flu and officials have advised other South American leaders who met with him at a summit of the infection, authorities said Sunday.

The 57-year-old Uribe began feeling symptoms Friday, the same day as a meeting of South American presidents in Bariloche, Argentina, and he was confirmed to have swine flu after returning home, Social Protection Minister Diego Palacio said.

“This isn’t something that has us scared,” Palacio said at a news conference. Uribe, a key U.S. ally in Latin America, is not considered a high-risk patient and will continue working from his computer, officials said.

Public health director Gilberto Alvarez said in a telephone interview that there was no need to put the president in isolation and that his condition would monitored for three days to a week.

During a Union of South American Nations summit of the region’s presidents Friday, Uribe spent hours defending his plan to give U.S. troops more access to Colombian bases as part of his government’s fight against drug traffickers and leftist rebels. Many of his colleagues have voiced concerns about the idea.

Palacio said Colombia’s foreign ministry was informing governments whose leaders may have come in contact with Uribe.

No governments immediately reported cases of sick officials.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who attended the summit, said he felt fine and had been tested for swine flu after returning from another UNASUR summit in Ecuador earlier in August. He said he didn’t see any need to be tested again.

“At this moment, no, because I do not have anything,” Chavez said. “I am so well that last night I pitched” in a game of softball.

Chavez, a socialist who has strained relations with the conservative Uribe, wished the Colombian leader good health.

“I regret this and hope there are no repercussions for the president’s health and that nobody else has caught the disease,” Chavez said.

Dr. Alberto Cortez, an infectious disease specialist at Colombia’s Universidad Nacional, said it is possible the disease could have been passed to other leaders at the summit. But he added it needs to be established when Uribe became sick to determine whether he picked up the virus in Argentina — where there are many cases — or if he arrived there with the illness.

Uribe is the second Latin American leader to come down with the swine flu.

On Aug. 11, Costa Rican President Oscar Arias announced he had swine flu and was being quarantined at his home. The 69-year-old leader, who won the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in ending Central America’s civil wars, has recovered.

Colombia’s presidential office released a brief statement Sunday saying the country’s National Health Institute confirmed that Uribe had swine flu. It said his case was “developing satisfactorily.”

The health institute’s director, Juan Gonzalo Lopez, said Uribe’s case was confirmed Sunday and the president he had complained of body pains and general discomfort.

Cesar Mauricio Velasquez, spokesman for Uribe, said Uribe planned to handle his duties while recovering.

“The president will continue doing his work by computer,” Velasquez said.

Colombia has reported 621 confirmed cases of swine flu, including Uribe’s. There have been 34 deaths from the illness, the government says.

Journalist jailed for criticizing Sri Lanka’s military

A Sri Lankan court sentenced a journalist Monday to serve 20 years in prison for articles that criticized the military, according to the Asian Human Rights Commission.

“The AHRC is not surprised by this judgment because at the very inception of this case, the AHRC pointed out that this is purely a political case,” the commission said in a statement.

J.S. Tissainayagam, the editor of a monthly magazine, was arrested in March 2008 for printing articles critical of the Sri Lankan military’s treatment of civilians during the country’s war on the Tamil Tiger rebel group, according to several human rights groups.

The Tamil journalist was held without charge for several months, prompting outrage from human rights and press freedom organizations. He was later charged under the country’s controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act.

His case has drawn international attention to the plight of press freedom in Sri Lanka, which ended its decades-long war against the Tamil rebels earlier this year.

The country’s military has been accused of numerous atrocities against civilians during the final months of the 26-year conflict.

Sri Lanka has denied the accusations, and routinely rejects calls by human rights groups for independent investigations into its campaign against the Tigers.

U.S. President Barack Obama mentioned Tissainayagam in his May 1 statement on World Press Freedom Day:

“In every corner of the globe, there are journalists in jail or being actively harassed: from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe, Burma to Uzbekistan, Cuba to Eritrea. Emblematic examples of this distressing reality are figures like J.S. Tissainayagam in Sri Lanka, or Shi Tao and Hu Jia in China.”

The Asian Human Rights Commission condemned Monday’s sentence as “the most glaring proof of the absence of freedom of expression in Sri Lanka.”

It called on Sri Lanka and the international community “to condemn the judgment and the sentence in Tissainayagam’s case and to call for his unconditional release.”

‘The Final Destination’ Kills In 3-D At Box Office

There was plenty of blood and guts at the multiplex this weekend. Business was up 28 percent over last year, helped along by moviegoers who clearly couldn’t get enough of murderous mayhem, whether it was in 2-D or 3-D. But it was “The Final Destination” that took #1 with a surprising $28.3 million, $18 million of which was brought in from 3-D screenings alone. It’s the biggest debut for any installment of the “Final Destination” franchise, which has been going steady for nine years running and has clearly received a new lease thanks to the innovations of its 3-D death traps.

“Final Destination” wasn’t the only horror flick on offer, as Rob Zombie slashed his way into theaters with Michael Myers and “Halloween II.” The film was the favorite going into the weekend, but it only managed to slice up $17.4 million, earning the #3 spot at the box office. But Dimension’s president, Bob Weinstein, said they were “very happy” with the film’s success, adding that the film had cleared its $15 million budget, inspiring the studio to go forward with 3-D “Halloween” installments.

Though the body count of Quentin Tarantino is low in comparison to “The Final Destination” and Rob Zombie, the director’s latest stayed strong in the sea of box-office blood. “Basterds” brought in a solid $20 million in its sophomore session, and the Tarantino thriller has brought in a total of $73.8 million so far.

Audiences sought out the repeat thrills of “District 9″ and “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” over messages of peace, love and understanding, as Focus Features’ “Taking Woodstock” had a disappointing debut at #9. The Ang Lee ensemble earned mixed reviews and only $3.7 million at the box office. Robert Rodriguez’s family comedy “Shorts” also failed to have late-summer legs. It fell from #6 down to #8 with $4.9 million, and a cumulative of $13.6 million.

Baker Hughes CEO: Merger of Operations Will Be Gradual

Baker Hughes Inc.’s (BHI) $5.5 billion acquisition of BJ Services Co. (BJS) will result in $75 million in savings next year, starting with the reduction of redundant corporate costs, a Baker Hughes executive said Monday.

 ”Initial cost savings will occur in some of the corporate overhead,” said Chief Financial Officer Peter Ragauss in a conference call with investors. Other cost savings will come from the consolidation of property and regional offices that have been operating separately, he said.

 ”It will be a rolling cost savings that increases over time,” Ragauss said.

 The merger of the two oil field service companies, the first big oil patch deal since the price of commodities began tumbling in mid-2008, will be gradual, Baker Hughes Chief Executive Chad Deaton said.

 ”BJ is going to operate as BJ,” Deaton said. “They’ve got their facilities, their bases. Over time these things will move together,” he said.

 The deal, the executives said, was prompted by the need to offer oil companies a more comprehensive set of services when tackling major projects, in order to compete with larger service companies like Schlumberger Ltd (SLB) and Halliburton Co. (HAL).

 The “predominant benefit is going to be overseas,” where most of these major projects are, said BJ Services chief executive Bill Stewart.

 Baker Hughes expects the transaction to be accretive to earnings per share in 2011. The company predicts a “modest” increase in rig count, CEO Deaton said.

Disney to buy Marvel for $4 billion

The Walt Disney Co. announced Monday that it has agreed to purchase comic book and action hero company Marvel Entertainment for about $4 billion.

If Marvel shareholders approve the deal, they would receive $30 per share in cash and 0.745 shares of Disney for each share of Marvel that they hold. The deal is valued at $50 per Marvel share, more than a 29% premium, based on Friday’s closing price.

“We believe that adding Marvel to Disney’s unique portfolio of brands provides significant opportunities for long-term growth and value creation,” said Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger, in a statement.

Marvel has launched a large number of action-hero movies over the past decade. Last summer’s “Iron Man” blockbuster was the first to be fully financed and produced by by the comic book company.

Marvel also holds the rights to 5,000 popular action hero characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and Thor.

“Disney is the perfect home for Marvel’s fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses,” said Marvel Chief Executive Ike Perlmutter. “This is an unparalleled opportunity for Marvel to build upon its vibrant brand and character properties by accessing Disney’s tremendous global organization and infrastructure around the world.”

Shares of Marvel (MVL) soared 27% in morning trading. Shares of Disney (DIS, Fortune 500) were flat.

Swimwear Sale Event: Ed Hardy

French designer Christian Audigier has made many a celebrity happy with his vintage tattoo-inspired line, Ed Hardy. Now it’s your chance to don Ed Hardy, a brand created to honor famed tattoo artist Don Ed Hardy, whose inking skills earned him the moniker “the godfather of the modern tattoo.” Rocked by style icon Madonna and the 42nd President, Bill Clinton, in addition to many athletes, musicians, and celebrities, Ed Hardy’s street couture look has become a mainstay on the fashion scene.

 Join Today and make sure to use invite code: couturecity – Happy Shopping from all of us at Couture in the City!

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Ed Hardy Wine (Really)

Perhaps it was inevitable: since the Christian Audigier/Ed Hardy skull and tattoo prints are seemingly emblazoned on everything else—from belts, women’s ed hardy T-shirts, bikinis, ed hardy handbags, and undies to skateboards, bottled water, sunglasses, etc.—why shouldn’t they grace the latest addition to Audigier’s branding empire: wine, as seen in the ad below.

Says the LA Times, the “wine isn’t half bad.”

“I’ll have a glass of the flaming skull, please.”