BOISE — With sine die, the end of the Idaho legislative session, possibly coming as quickly as early next week, there is a flurry of activity at the Statehouse as numerous bills are making their way to the governors desk or the dustbin.

Boise Rep. Julie Ellsworth said she worked all session to convince enough of her colleagues to pass a texting while driving ban.

The members of the body see the need for it, just to make the affirmative statement that were not going to text while we drive in the state of Idaho, said Ellsworth.

After years of similar legislation failing, this year the ban is headed to the Senate for approval of amendments. One of those removes an exemption for law enforcement. Sponsors expect it to pass, after which it would head to the governors desk.

We just had time to work with the members and discuss their concerns and I think the bill was very simple, said Ellsworth.

Already headed to the governors desk this week is a bill that would lift restrictions on investment in microbreweries. Also waiting for Otters signature is a measure that would list hunting as a constitutional right in Idaho.

Meanwhile on Thursday, a Senate committee killed a bill that would keep anyone under 15 from using tanning salons, and require parental consent for teens between 16 and 18.

Also, a proposed amendment that would require two-thirds support from the House and Senate on fee or tax hikes failed. It didnt meet its own two-thirds majority in the House in order to make it on the 2012 ballot.

A bill that wouldve fined companies for not reporting hiring or rehiring of employees, information the Department of Labor says it needs to prevent people continuing to collect as much as $5 million in fraudulent benefits annually, passed the House by just two votes Thursday. It was headed to the governor, and then it wasnt, as Rep. Scott Bedke (R – Oakley) moved for reconsideration of the bill.

The assistant majority leader originally supported the measure, but then said a reward system may work better than fines.

The employers are not the problem here and to further penalize them doesnt sit with me, said Bedke.

Other bills could just be running out of time to make it through the Legislature.

A measure that would ignore daylight savings time hasnt even had a committee hearing scheduled yet.

Also, the controversial ultrasound mandate has yet to be scheduled for a committee hearing in the House.

While no official date has been set for sine die, most lawmakers say it will likely happen early to middle of next week.

Data published Thursday show business activity declined in March for the 17 nations and use the euro. Experts say it may mean Europe is headed for a recession.

Markit Economics says its economic index showed business activity shrank in February and worsened slightly this month.

The eurozone#039;s economy shrank three-tenths of a percent in the last three months of 2011 and analysts say the region#039;s economy is still in a decline.

Markit#039;s chief economist, Chris Williamson, said the downturn is only very mild at the moment.

European governments have struggled to boost the continent#039;s economy even while they cut spending, raised taxes and approved hundreds of billions of dollars in emergency loans for debt-ridden Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

The austerity measures have pushed eurozone unemployment to nearly 11 percent, the highest level since the euro was introduced 13 years ago.

CAT Caterpillar, Inc. – Shares in Caterpillar are down for the third straight day, trading 2.1% lower on Thursday afternoon at $106.68 as of 12:50 pm in New York following the release of weaker manufacturing data from Germany and China. Activity in the newly issued weekly options on the machinery maker suggests some traders anticipate the downside move in the shares will continue in the near term. Bearish positions were initiated at the Mar. ’30 $100 strike, where more than 1,000 puts were purchased for an average premium of $0.35 apiece. Traders long the $100 puts profit at expiration next week in the event that CAT’s shares decline another 6.6% to breach the average breakeven price of $99.65. Shares in Caterpillar last traded below $99.65 in mid-January.

KKD Krispy Kreme Doughnut, Inc. – Options on Krispy Kreme are more active than usual today, with shares in the doughnut retailer down 6.6% at $7.25 this afternoon. More than three times as many call options are changing hands on KKD as put options, but most of the volume appears to be bearish. Front month $7.5 strike calls traded around 1,200 times so far today against open interest of 415 positions. It looks like most of the call options were sold this morning for $0.25 to $0.30 per contract. Perhaps call sellers are throwing in the towel on the possibility for a near-term rebound in shares of the doughnut maker. Alternatively, some of the volume today may be the work of traders cutting their losses on bullish positions initiated yesterday afternoon. Open interest in the April $7.5 strike calls suggests buyers shelled out $0.65 per contract for a couple hundred contracts on Wednesday. These positions more than halved in value overnight.

JBLU JetBlue Airways Corp. – Shares in the air carrier lost a bit of altitude on Thursday, trading 0.80% lower on the day at $5.09, as of 12:05 pm in New York. Trading traffic in JetBlue Airways options suggests some strategists are beefing up on bearish puts. Volume in JBLU options is concentrated in the September expiry where some strategists appear to be positioning for shares in the airline to potentially extend losses during the next six months. Traders exchanged more than 4,200 puts at the Sept. $5.0 strike against open interest of 1,329 contracts. It looks like most of the puts were purchased for an average premium of $0.63 apiece, thus preparing buyers of the options to profit should JetBlue’s shares fall another 14.0% to breach the average breakeven price of $4.37.

Managers at A4e, the welfare to work firm at the centre of a fraud inquiry into some of its employees, were made aware of potential criminal or irregular activity at the companys offices across Britain as long ago as 2009, leaked documents disclose.

A 34-page internal audit identified dozens of incidents of potential fraud, reputational risk or suspected rule-breaking by staff in at least 12 of the companys offices where public money was claimed for placing long-term unemployed people into work.

In one paragraph that will be seized upon by critics of the company, auditors say the number of damaging incidents is so large that the company is open to claims of a systematic failure to stop the risks of fraud.

The disclosures will increase pressure on ministers to suspend A4es contracts, worth £200m. Last month, the employment minister, Chris Grayling, said he would do so if there was evidence of systemic fraud in the company.

On Thursday evening, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) confirmed it had previously been informed of the report and received assurances at the time but declined to say why it had not launched its own inquiry.

It comes as a fifth person has been arrested in a police investigation into the companys Slough offices.

Auditors were asked in July 2009 to examine a sample of job outcomes claimed from across A4es contracts. They contacted the companys top 20 recruiters in 16 of the companys offices.

In the report, auditors say that they have identified potential fraudulent or irregular activity in nine cases, and form-filling by staff – which is against the rules – in another nine cases.

The audit has highlighted that potential fraudulent/irregular activity is not confined to one particular geographical area of the division and shows a potential systematic failure to mitigate the risk towards this behaviour at both an office and regional level, the report states.

In Rotherham, a recruiter was found to have been involved in two incidents of potential fraud or irregular activity – he was supposed to have found jobs for two jobseekers in a pub and a minicab firm. But auditors found that the number of hours worked in both cases had been amended on the forms.

In Norwich, a single recruiter was found to have been involved in three incidents of potential fraud or irregular activity. A job at a painting and decorating company had not been filled by an A4e client, but a form had been completed and a claim from government had been submitted; in a cleaning company, a form that said the recruit was to work for fewer than 16 hours had been replaced with another; and in another, the forms had not been completed before being claimed as a positive job outcome.

In Slough, where there is currently a police inquiry, auditors found job claim forms had not been completed.

In Woolwich, south London, the DIY retailer Bamp;Q told A4es auditors that they had not completed forms claiming to be from them and the company stamp on the form was not correct.

This is a potentially fraudulent claim and there is also potential benefit fraud being committed by the client, the report states.

The same named recruiter had claimed a job outcome for a jobseeker at the retailer Peacocks where the employer had signed the form presented to her but was apparently under the impression that this was to confirm a placement, not to confirm a permanent job. She also said she had not ticked a box saying that the job would last 13 weeks.

In Bridlington, an employer at a cafe had been asked to sign blank documents.

There were seven cases where auditors believed that the job outcomes posed reputation risk if the details were ever exposed to the public.

In Edinburgh, a named recruiter claimed a successful outcome after assigning a man to a job with the cleaning company Initial, even though he left after two hours blaming sore feet for his absence, and then did not return.

In Nottingham, a named recruiter placed a woman in a heavy lifting job in a residential home, despite the fact that she was 24 weeks pregnant and unable to do the work. The same recruiter placed a jobseeker into a job at Blue Arrow, the recruitment company, but auditors reported that Blue Arrow was under the impression they were signing a reference form, not a form that would potentially claim a job outcome from the government.

In 21 successful job outcomes analysed by the report, auditors identified other potential problems including occasions where staff filled in forms that were supposed to be completed by the employer.

This is a practice that the audit team has noted in previous audit reports. From discussions with staff members previously it is felt there is nothing wrong with completing missing information on this document, the report said.

Auditors examined 224 outcomes, and reported that 4% of successful job outcomes demonstrated potential fraud or irregular activity while another 3% demonstrated a reputational risk to A4e if details were ever to emerge in public.

In 14% of cases – or 32 successful job outcomes – auditors were unable to complete visits. In some cases the auditors were unable to locate either the company or the individual concerned. In 69% of claims, there were no issues highlighted by the audit.

The DWP is currently investigating a mandatory work activity contract with A4e in south-east England and has launched a separate and independent audit of its relationship with the company.

A spokesman for the DWP said the government and the work and pensions select committee had previously been made aware of the document, and the department later received assurances from A4e that it had not uncovered any major issues.

However, the spokesman declined to say whether it had launched its own investigations or whether it had accepted the companys assurances without further inquiries.

When an allegation of attempted fraud was recently made we immediately announced a formal investigation of that allegation.

While the internal A4e document relates to programmes delivered by the previous government, our investigation into current contracts will ensure the issues this report raises have been fully addressed, he said.

A fifth person has been quizzed as part of the fraud investigation surrounding the company. A 35-year-old woman was arrested on Thursday by appointment at a Berkshire police station in connection with the allegations of fraud at A4e.

A4e responded to the latest allegations by claiming it had made significant enhancements to all its systems, including the appointment of external auditors.

A statement from the company said: To get this into its proper context, while this investigation uncovered a number of areas where procedures may have been lacking, the final audit and further investigation determined that five claims were irregular and related to one former employee.

This was reported to the DWP risk assurance division, which confirmed that the action taken by A4e fully met their own audit requirements and that they considered the matter satisfactorily resolved. A4e repaid the value of these three claims in full, which totalled less than £5,000.

A4e raised concerns about the risks with these historic, paper-based systems with the DWP and relevant House of Commons select committees on a number of occasions. As a result the DWP introduced electronic systems for the current work programme. This is a payment-by-results system which places financial risk on the provider, and not the taxpayer.

A4e has appointed international law firm, White amp; Case LLP, to lead an independent and thorough audit of A4es controls and procedures.

CLINTONVILLE (WAOW) –The population is 4,600. But, the city of Clintonville is booming.

The reported earthquakes has attracted national attention, and media outlets from all over the state. But, for one couple, seeing it on TV just wasnt enough.

I woke up and said we are going to Clintonville. Lets go check out what is going on. He told me I was goofy, Barbara Huber said as she sat next to her Husband, Ken, at Schultzs Bluebird Cafe.

The pair comes from Beaver Dam, miles away from Clintonville.

But, for the Hubers, driving long distances is second nature. The two are retired truck drivers, and say theyve seen it all.

Earthquakes in California, tornadoes, storms, everything, Barbara and Ken said as they mentally compile a list of all the crazy things they have seen over the years. And now, they can add Clintonville to their long list of destinations.

We wanted to walk the streets and hear peoples stories. We just want to talk to the residents, Barbara explained.

And its not just the Hubers. These streets have been buzzing with people from all over who say they want to visit the city that booms.

The executive director of the Clintonville Chamber of Commerce, Sandy Yaeger,says they have gotten calls from California, Kentucky, and Illinois.

People just are calling to give their opinions, their theories, Yaeger said.

Even local businesses are joining in on the activity. The A amp; W right off Main street is sporting a new sign that says, Clintonville is Booming. And the phrase couldnt be more appropriate.

It is a play on words. Were booming with activity and noises,Operations Manager Erica Hundertmark said.

Business owners say the instant popularity, in their once quiet city, is keeping business booming.

And now that people have answers, residents say it will be talk of the town for weeks to come.

Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan college of kinesiology are seeking people with early stage multiple sclerosis for a study on the effect of exercise in maintaining ability to do everyday activities.

The U of S researchers are seeing if they can create a specific exercise program that improves mobility, strength and balance in daily life for people with MS who are decreasing ordinary activity because of the disease.

Walking in the neighbourhood or the mall, crossing the street before the light changes, using stairs or treading over uneven ground or up inclines are activities many people take for granted, said lead researcher Larry Brawley.

Theyre not for granted anymore once youve contracted the disease. If youve ever sprained your ankle, youll know things change, he said.

The study will also measure the results of strength training intended to maintain peoples ability to do normal activities in the community.

If people can walk faster by the end of the program or if their confidence using stairs improves, then researchers can suggest it has had some effect, Brawley said.

What were doing at this stage is more like a prevention kind of study, … catching things early and helping show people what they can do to maintain their function, he said.

The second focus of the study is seeing if participants in such a program can be taught to continue doing the exercises beyond the class instead of dropping the activity when theyre not in a formal program setting.

If we dont teach people that while theyre in program, chances are they arent going to do anything about it once they get free of our clutches, Brawley said.

If measurements in this feasibility study show an exercise program can work, a larger, well-funded study will be undertaken with the aim of designing a program aimed at preserving the independence of people with MS, Brawley said.

The study requires participants who are not currently involved in fitness programs, but who can practise walking in varying situations, climbing stairs or perform other day to day activities.

Interested persons can call Miranda at 966-8659.

badam@thestarphoenix.com

–>

As the potential of the MSU men’s basketball team’s further advancement in the NCAA Tournament excites students around campus, the MSU Police Department is attempting to up student awareness of suspicious activity by adding its own take on a national advertising campaign.

Inspired by the Department of Homeland Security’s national See Something, Say Something campaign started in 2010 that uses posters and other marketing mediums to encourage locals to report suspicious activity, the MSU Police Department and the MSU Athletics Department have worked to implement a unique take on the advertising, MSU police Lt. Jennifer Brown said.

“We’ve taken it a step further,” Brown said.

In preparation for the MSU men’s basketball tournament, the police department has released new MSU-themed posters and materials encouraging students to report any suspicious activity either by a phone call or through the department’s anonymous texting system, Brown said.

“It encourages people to act without fear of retaliation,” she said.

Brown said funding for the campaign at MSU is an aggregate of funds from the Department of Homeland Security, MSU Police and the MSU Athletics Department, but said she was unsure exactly how much is spent on the advertisements.

Increased advertising could give students on campus a nudge to help police act upon situations before they turn into bigger problems, political science senior Kelli Beavers said.

“It’s a smart idea, and depending on what it is, the texting feature could help too,” Beavers said.

Although the effort is commendable, some students likely are not going to use the service unless a major issue occurs, elementary education junior Timothy Mitchell said.

Mitchell said he isn’t convinced the marketing tactics will bring more students to call or text in suspicious activity, especially if students are at a party or social event.

“I think if students are out celebrating the basketball game, calling the police will be the farthest thing from their minds,” Mitchell said. “If they see something they don’t like, they’d probably just leave.”

Mitchell said if the basketball team continues to do well in the tournament, celebrations and partying on a large scale likely will occur — even if it’s not on the scale of parties gone wrong such as past riots at Cedar Village, he said a basketball win could push things over the edge.

“Maybe it won’t be burning couches, but something’s going to happen if they win,” Mitchell said.

Brown said since the texting service started, MSU Police have seen a positive response from it and have received crime tips from students through the service. She said she hopes more students will continue to utilize the service and other avenues of contacting police with the heightened advertising.

If any suspicious activity is witnessed on campus, MSU Police can be reached at (517) 355-2221 or by anonymous text at 274637 (CRIMES).

Fitbit launches Android apps for activity monitor and food planning

By Matthew Miller | March 22, 2012, 7:54am PDT

Summary: The Fitbit is an excellent life tracking device and we finally now have an Android app to use with the monitor.

Watch out little, green pigs everywhere. Angry Birds theme parks could be migrating to a location near you.

The maker of Angry Birds has announced plans to open themed activity parks in the UK, and hopes to expand into China in the near future This follows the expected opening of Angry Birds Land, a theme park located in Särkänniemi Adventure Park in Tampere, Finland set to open next month, Reuters reports.

The activity parks are just one way Rovio, makers of the worlds most downloaded game, is expanding beyond its reach. Rovio says it has also signed up a top US retailer to put its branded toys, books and T-shirts in stores nationwide, timed to coincide with the launch of its new Angry Birds Space game this week.

Angry Birds, the game which players use slingshots to launch birds in order to destroy fortified green pigs, has been downloaded more than 700 million times, and is the fastest-growing game on Facebook.

Peter Vesterbacka, chief marketing officer at Finnish-based Rovio, told Reuters that the company sees itself as an entertainment brand, not just a gaming company.

Last year an unlicensed “Angry Birds” attraction opened in a theme park in China that gives visitors the chance to use a real slingshot to knock pigs (not real) off of elaborate structures.

Rovios parks will be built through a partnership with Finnish playground equipment manufacturer Lappset and will feature Angry Birds-styled swings, sandpits, climbing towers, slides and arcade games, says Reuters.

In a sign that Rovio is looking to fuse the digital world with reality, Vesterbacka said that children and parents playing at the playground will be able to access new features in the mobile game. For example, visitors could receive bonus features to their downloaded game as mobile phone sensors detect when they arrive.

Like Disney, Rovios parks will mostly be in cities and towns or attached to existing large theme parks, but Vesterbacka said dont expect to see massive, stand- alone parks anytime soon.

We cant afford to invest billions into theme parks, said Vesterbacka. We are a tiny company from a tiny country.

Low and high doses of clofarabine have comparable clinical activity for the treatment of patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome, according to a study published in the Feb. 1 issue of Cancer.

FRIDAY, Jan. 27 (HealthDay News) — Low and high doses of clofarabine have comparable clinical activity for the treatment of patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), according to a study published in the Feb. 1 issue of Cancer.

Stefan Faderl, MD, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues conducted a randomized study to evaluate the activity and safety of two doses (15 versus 30 mg/m#178; daily for five days) of intravenous clofarabine in patients with higher-risk MDS. A cohort of 58 participants (median age, 68 years), including 15 patients (28 percent) with secondary MDS and 35 patients (60 percent) who had previously received DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitors, were adaptively randomized between the two dose groups.

The researchers found that the overall response rate (ORR) was 36 percent, including 26 percent of patients with complete remission (CR). The ORR was 41 percent at 15 mg/m#178; and 29 percent at 30 mg/m#178;. Patients who had failed DNMT inhibitors had lower response rates (ORR, 17 percent; CR rate, 14 percent). The eight-week mortality rate was 19 percent, with a median survival of 7.4, 13.4, and 21.7 months for all patients, responders, and complete responders, respectively. For patients randomized to 30 mg/m#178; of clofarabine, some of the adverse events, including hepatic and renal, were more severe (grade #62;2). Frequent complications included myelosuppression and infectious complications.

Both the lower and higher doses of clofarabine have comparable clinical activity, but the lower dose appeared less toxic, the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to Genzyme, which manufactures clofarabine.

Abstract

Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Copyright #169; 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.