Woods says the next step is up to Golf Channel

HAIKOU, China (AP) — Tiger Woods issued a veiled challenge to Golf Channel over a column written by analyst Brandel Chamblee that a series of rules violations by Woods amounted to cheating.

Woods spoke publicly for the first time since Chamblee, a longtime critic of the world's No. 1 player, wrote a column for SI Golf Plus in which he gave Woods an "F'' for his season for being "a little cavalier" with the rules.

Chamblee is best known for his work with Golf Channel, though he also is a contributor to SI Golf Plus. He took to Twitter last week to apologize to Woods for "this incited discourse," though not for the content of his column.

"All I am going to say is that I know I am going forward," Woods said before his exhibition match with Rory McIlroy at Mission Hills. "But then, I don't know what the Golf Channel is going to do or not. But then that's up to them. The whole issue has been very disappointing as he didn't really apologize and he sort of reignited the whole situation.

"So the ball really is in the court of the Golf Channel and what they are prepared to do."

Golf Channel has not commented on the flap. Chamblee has said he was not asked to apologize by anyone.

Chamblee saved Woods for last in his report card of 14 players in a column posted Oct. 18 on Golf.com. He told of getting caught cheating on a math test in the fourth grade, and how the teacher crossed a line through his "100" and gave him an "F."

Chamblee followed that anecdote by writing, "I remember when we only talked about Tiger's golf. I miss those days. He won five times and contended in majors and won the Vardon Trophy and ... how shall we say this ... was a little cavalier with the rules." He then gave Woods a "100" with a line through it, followed by the "F."

In one of his tweets last week, Chamblee said he intended to point out Woods' rules infractions, "but comparing that to cheating in grade school went too far."

Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, was so incensed by the column that he issued a statement to ESPN.com that raised the possibility of legal action. Steinberg shared his client's views.

"I'm all done talking about it and it's now in the hands of the Golf Channel," Steinberg said. "That's Tiger's view and that's mine, and all we want to do is move forward. And whether the Golf Channel moves forward as well, then we'll have to wait and see."

Woods accepted a two-shot penalty in Abu Dhabi for taking relief from an embedded ball in a sandy area covered with vegetation. Augusta National gave him a two-shot penalty for taking the wrong drop in the second round of the Masters. And the PGA Tour gave him a two-shot penalty after his second round of the BMW Championship when video evidence showed that his ball moved slightly from behind the first green. Even after watching the video, Woods insisted that his ball only oscillated.

Also in question — at least on Internet blogs — was the drop Woods took on the 14th hole of the TPC Sawgrass during the final round of The Players Championship. Woods checked with playing partner Casey Wittenberg on where to take the penalty drop, which is standard procedure. Wittenberg said it was the correct spot.

Chamblee said in an email last week to The Associated Press that he never said outright that he thinks Woods cheated, and that was by design.

"I think 'cavalier with the rules' allows for those with a dubious opinion of the BMW video," Chamblee said. "My teacher in the fourth grade did not have a dubious opinion of how I complete the test. But she was writing to one, and as I was writing to many, I felt it important to allow for the doubt some might have, so I chose my words accordingly.

"What people want to infer about that is up to them," he said. "I have my opinion, they can form theirs."

Chamblee has developed a reputation for being critical of Woods, mainly regarding his golf game. His column struck a nerve with many, however, because of the implication that three rules violations and a penalty drop involving Woods amounted to cheating — the strongest accusation possible in golf.

"What brought me here was the realization that my comments inflamed an audience on two sides of an issue," Chamblee wrote on Twitter when he apologized. "Golf is a gentleman's game and I'm not proud of this debate. I want to apologize to Tiger for this incited discourse."

___

AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson in Shanghai contributed to this report.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-10-28-Woods-Chamblee/id-8e3fae1301a9454d99e5b2e20f6770a5
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Study examines expedited FDA drug approvals, safety questions remain

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

28-Oct-2013

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Contact: Renee Brehio
rbrehio@ismp.org
704-831-8822
The JAMA Network Journals

Fewer patients were studied as part of expedited reviews of new drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2008 and some safety questions remain unanswered, according to a study published by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

The FDA is authorized to make new drugs available more quickly if they would be a significant therapeutic advancement and if they fulfill unmet therapeutic needs for serious illnesses, according to the study background.

Thomas J. Moore, A.B., of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, Alexandria, Va., and Curt D. Furberg, M.D., Ph.D., of the Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, N.C., examined development times, clinical testing, post-market follow-up and safety risks for the new drugs approved by the FDA in 2008, when most provisions of current law, regulation and policies were in effect.

That year, the FDA approved 20 therapeutic drugs (eight under expedited review and 12 under standard review). The study findings indicate that expedited drugs took a median (midpoint) of 5.1 years of clinical development to get marketing approval compared with 7.5 years for the drugs that underwent standard review, according to the study results.

The expedited drugs were tested for efficacy in a median 104 patients compared with a median 580 patients for standard review. By 2013, many postmarketing studies to gather additional evidence on the safety of expedited drugs had not been completed, according to researchers.

"The testing of new drugs has shifted from a situation in which most testing was conducted prior to initial approval to a situation in which many innovative drugs are more rapidly approved after a small trial in a narrower patient population with extensive additional testing conducted after approval," the authors conclude. "Our findings suggest that the shift has made it more difficult to balance the benefits and risks of new drugs. Further systematic assessment of the standards and procedures for testing new drugs is needed."

(JAMA Intern Med. Published online October 28, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.11813. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.)

Editor's Note: Please see article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Commentary: Can Expedited Drug Approval Without Expedited Follow-up Be Trusted?

In a related commentary, Daniel Carpenter, Ph.D., of Harvard University, Boston, writes: "The findings of Moore and Furberg underscore the continuing importance of rigorous premarket studies of ample size. If the critical phrase 'serious or life-threatening conditions that would address an unmet medical need' is defined broadly enough (and there are lobbying efforts to define it as broadly as possible), the future of evidence for pharmaceuticals in the United States will look more like 100 patients for efficacy trials instead of 500 patients."

"If the FDA's requirements for new drugs, both premarket and postmarket, are weakened, trust in both the efficacy and safety of prescription drugs is likely to be weakened. The stakes of the current policy debates could not be higher. There is scarcely a feature of the American health care system that does not depend on evidence-based trust in prescription drugs, ratified and enforced by the FDA," Carpenter concludes.

(JAMA Intern Med. Published online October 28, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.9202. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.)

Editor's Note: Please see article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

28-Oct-2013

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Share

Contact: Renee Brehio
rbrehio@ismp.org
704-831-8822
The JAMA Network Journals

Fewer patients were studied as part of expedited reviews of new drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2008 and some safety questions remain unanswered, according to a study published by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

The FDA is authorized to make new drugs available more quickly if they would be a significant therapeutic advancement and if they fulfill unmet therapeutic needs for serious illnesses, according to the study background.

Thomas J. Moore, A.B., of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, Alexandria, Va., and Curt D. Furberg, M.D., Ph.D., of the Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, N.C., examined development times, clinical testing, post-market follow-up and safety risks for the new drugs approved by the FDA in 2008, when most provisions of current law, regulation and policies were in effect.

That year, the FDA approved 20 therapeutic drugs (eight under expedited review and 12 under standard review). The study findings indicate that expedited drugs took a median (midpoint) of 5.1 years of clinical development to get marketing approval compared with 7.5 years for the drugs that underwent standard review, according to the study results.

The expedited drugs were tested for efficacy in a median 104 patients compared with a median 580 patients for standard review. By 2013, many postmarketing studies to gather additional evidence on the safety of expedited drugs had not been completed, according to researchers.

"The testing of new drugs has shifted from a situation in which most testing was conducted prior to initial approval to a situation in which many innovative drugs are more rapidly approved after a small trial in a narrower patient population with extensive additional testing conducted after approval," the authors conclude. "Our findings suggest that the shift has made it more difficult to balance the benefits and risks of new drugs. Further systematic assessment of the standards and procedures for testing new drugs is needed."

(JAMA Intern Med. Published online October 28, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.11813. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.)

Editor's Note: Please see article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

Commentary: Can Expedited Drug Approval Without Expedited Follow-up Be Trusted?

In a related commentary, Daniel Carpenter, Ph.D., of Harvard University, Boston, writes: "The findings of Moore and Furberg underscore the continuing importance of rigorous premarket studies of ample size. If the critical phrase 'serious or life-threatening conditions that would address an unmet medical need' is defined broadly enough (and there are lobbying efforts to define it as broadly as possible), the future of evidence for pharmaceuticals in the United States will look more like 100 patients for efficacy trials instead of 500 patients."

"If the FDA's requirements for new drugs, both premarket and postmarket, are weakened, trust in both the efficacy and safety of prescription drugs is likely to be weakened. The stakes of the current policy debates could not be higher. There is scarcely a feature of the American health care system that does not depend on evidence-based trust in prescription drugs, ratified and enforced by the FDA," Carpenter concludes.

(JAMA Intern Med. Published online October 28, 2013. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.9202. Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com.)

Editor's Note: Please see article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

###

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/tjnj-see102413.php
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Henderson Interested in Fighting dos Anjos Next

It’s been nearly two months now since Benson Henderson lost the lightweight title to Anthony Pettis at UFC 164, and as the fighter continues to recover from the armbar loss, it remains to be seen who he’ll fight next. Considering Henderson defended the belt three times and is ranked as the UFC’s #1 lightweight, chances are he’ll fight a top contender next.

Well, Henderson appeared on the latest edition of “The MMA Hour“, and the 29 year-old fighter had this to say about a possible next opponent.

“We’re kind of leaning towards Rafael dos Anjos,” Henderson said. “We think it would be a good fight with him, entertaining, a good fight, and I think the match-up works well for us. I don’t know if he has anybody scheduled or not.”

It’s a fight that would make sense no? Considering dos Anjos has won five straight fights, just defeated Donald Cerrone and is ranked #6? Although dos Anjos recently relayed he wants to fight TJ Grant next, as a way to help his title shot effort, a win over Henderson would certainly do the same.

Henderson was also asked about the possibility of fighting Melendez again, who he defeated by split decision in April at UFC on FOX 7. It doesn’t sound like, however, that “Smooth” is too interested.

“I will admit my initial impression is, Gilbert, I’m not really too interested in rematches,” he said. “To get my title back? I’ll do any rematch, I’ll fight somebody ten times, doesn’t matter. But not too interested in rematches…I guess the drive, the desire is not there, whatever you want to call it.”

Stay tuned to MMA Frenzy.com for all your UFC news and coverage.

Front-Page Photo Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/95518/henderson-interested-in-fighting-dos-anjos-next/
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Zoe Saldana, Sexy Husband Marco Perego Hold Hands During Rare Joint Outing: Picture

Mr. and Mrs. Perego obviously aren't big on over-the-top appearances. Zoe Saldana and sexy new husband Marco Perego made a rare, and very quiet, joint outing on Monday, holding hands as they shopped along Abbott Kinney Boulevard in Venice Beach, Calif. The Star Trek Into Darkness actress, 35, looked casual in skinny jeans, striped shirts and leather jacket as her Italian artist beau, rocking a blonde top-knot man-bun, wore a half-unbuttoned polo, blue vest, black varsity jacket and ripped jeans. (Ever the gentleman, the mysterious grizzled hunk appeared to be holding a shopping bag as well as Saldana's black leather coach bag.

PHOTOS: Secret celebrity weddings

Low-key is the word for this couple. Back in early September, Us Weekly broke news that once-engaged Saldana had secretly wed Perego in London -- way back in June.

PHOTOS: Zoe's best style moments

"It was super small but very romantic and beautiful," a source told Us of the ceremony, which was attended by just a few close friends and relatives.

Despite their seemingly sudden wedding, Saldana and Perego had "known each other for a long time" and have "great chemistry," another pal told Us earlier this year.

PHOTOS: Celebrity weddings of 2013

Added the friend of Saldana, who was previously engaged to businessman Keith Britton and dated Bradley Cooper: "She's thrilled to have someone she can enjoy life with!"

Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/zoe-saldana-sexy-husband-marco-perego-hold-hands-during-rare-joint-outing-picture-20132810
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Apple plays defense and offense with free software, upgrade strategies

Apple's decision to give away OS X upgrades and other software, including the iWork productivity suite, stemmed from both offensive and defensive strategies, analysts said today.

And it puts the ball in Microsoft's court for a response.

[ Also on InfoWorld: The must-have iPad office apps, round 7. | Get the latest insight on the tech news that matters from InfoWorld's Tech Watch blog. ]

"Apple's concerned about the enterprise and Windows 8, where software selection is still largely in the hands of IT managers," said Carolina Milanesi of Gartner. "Apple wants to keep its sweet spot in the enterprise, and counter moves by Microsoft to try and slow the iPad influx there."

Those moves by Microsoft include the Redmond, Wash., company's Surface tablet push, an aggressive pitch that the devices make more productive tools for business than the iPad, and the bundling of a scaled-back version of Office with the Surface 2, the $499 tablet that runs Windows RT.

"It's defensive in that respect," said Milanesi of free iWork with new iPads and iPhones, "to get users to be more engaged with their devices."

Apple's banking on the continued trend of BYOD, for "bring your own device," the shift toward employees making hardware choices for themselves rather than letting centralized IT decide what they use. By putting iWork on every new device, Apple's strategy is to garner grassroots support from their customers, who ideally will not only continue to purchase Apple hardware, but also tell their IT departments that Microsoft's Office suite isn't required on every device.

Office on every device is Microsoft's past-present-and-future strategy, best evidenced by Office 365, a subscription that lets businesses and consumers put Office on up to five mobile devices and five PCs or Macs assigned to an employee or owned by a family.

Anything Apple can do to disrupt Microsoft's business model, Cupertino will count as a win, said Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy. "It's an opportune time to catch Microsoft off-base. Apple would like to disrupt [Microsoft] before it gets to a more service-oriented model," said Moorhead, who saw Apple's free software push as an offense-minded, long-term strategy.

From his perspective, Apple is leveraging the trend toward free in mobile, where operating system updates are free and apps are, if not free, either start out that way -- with in-app purchases driving revenue -- or come at low cost.

"Apple's turned to the mobile phenomena, where the expectation is that software is basically free," said Moorhead. "Microsoft currently charges for major [OS] upgrades, but over the long term, that's going to make Microsoft's business model look odd and strange and expensive."

Perception is everything, Moorhead stressed. If consumers and businesses are constantly reminded that Apple provides free software, free services and free upgrades, eventually that will sink in, and make those same people wonder why Microsoft is asking for payment, even if, as he and Milanesi quickly acknowledged, iWork is not Microsoft Office.

"PC software and services like Windows upgrades and Office will continue to look more expensive year after year," Moorhead said in a piece published on Techpinions.com last week.

Source: http://www.infoworld.com/d/applications/apple-plays-defense-and-offense-free-software-upgrade-strategies-229661?source=rss_applications
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Grand Theft Auto 5 iFruit app available on select Android devices

Rockstar Games has finally fulfilled its promise of bringing Grand Theft Auto 5's iFruit companion app to Android. Over a month after the game's launch and the app's iOS availability, you can trick out your ride or train Franklin's dog from your handset running Mountain View's OS. Our Nexus 4 phones ...

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ztTrAzHAVaY/
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The NSA Spying Uproar: A Primer

Spying by the National Security Agency on heads of state, including in countries that consider themselves U.S. partners, has European capitals in tizzies -- and demanding explanations from Washington.

President Obama and his team argued Monday that whatever the United States has been doing with its secret data-gathering, it’s aimed at safeguarding a dangerous world. According to spokesmen, Obama assured German Chancellor Angela Merkel that her phone communications are not and will not be collected going forward (sidestepping comments about past practices). The Wall Street Journal reported Obama was in the dark until recently about U.S. spying on the communications of other heads of state, but ended the practice when he found out.

Obama said Monday he would not discuss classified NSA programs and activities, but suggested the government’s know-how about vacuuming up phone and electronic data compels policymakers to carefully supervise the spymasters.

“We give them policy direction,” he said during an interview with ABC’s new “Fusion” program. “But what we've seen over the last several years is their capacities continue to develop and expand, and that's why I'm initiating now a review to make sure that what they're able to do, doesn't necessarily mean what they should be doing.”

On Monday, the Spanish government officially called U.S. Ambassador James Costos on the carpet, demanding information in the wake of media reports that NSA collected data and location information from 60 million telephone calls in Spain. The Spaniards’ outrage followed tempests in France, Germany, Mexico and Brazil over similar reports.

To placate agitated allies as well as U.S. critics, and to buy time to better assess what leaker-in-exile Edward Snowden might share next with journalists, the president months ago ordered reviews of intelligence activities -- reviews that, according to some accounts, proved illuminating even to the occupant of the Oval Office.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee and frequently a staunch supporter of NSA activities, said Monday that Congress should conduct its own review of these matters. The California Democrat also caused a stir when she said that “the White House has informed me that collection on our allies will not continue, which I support.” A National Security Council spokeswoman issued a statement Monday night specifically refusing to comment on “assertions made in the senator’s statement today.”

On Tuesday, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence will hold an open hearing on NSA programs.

To keep up with recent developments as well as ongoing government reviews and their aims, the following Q&A was compiled by RCP as a recap:

Did the Obama administration spy on the phone communications of international heads of state, and why?

According to information provided by Snowden to The Guardian newspaper -- and then corroborated by media in United States and abroad -- the answer is yes. The administrations of George W. Bush and Obama snooped on other heads of state, which is not a particularly startling revelation, but media reports assert the United States monitored Merkel’s personal phone data going back to 2002, three years before she was elected to lead Germany. It is unclear from a secret 2006 memo revealed by Snowden whether the government listened to actual conversations, or simply gathered data from the phones of heads of state.

“We have made clear that the president spoke with Chancellor Merkel and assured her that we do not and will not collect intelligence on her communications,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said, avoiding any comments on past monitoring.

The purpose of U.S. snooping on allies ostensibly was tied to counterterrorism, but in Merkel’s case, it has also been reported the administration sought to track her handling of the European financial crisis. The White House denies the government spied on the leaders of other countries to gain economic policy advantages or financial information.

How have other countries reacted?

Not well, but the impact on U.S. foreign policy is unclear. The Obama administration says it is attempting to smooth relations through diplomatic channels and personal reassurances extended from the president to other heads of state. Merkel has hotly objected to violations of her privacy. There’s been talk about sanctions against the United States and a dramatic loss of trust. And a European Union delegation dispatched to the United States this week is expected to register formal objections.

Did Obama approve the data-gathering abroad?

That is murky. A German newspaper reported Obama learned of the surveillance of Merkel in 2010.[vii] The Wall Street Journal reported Obama learned of the monitoring involving other heads of state this summer. The president has not described what he knew, and when.

What are the intelligence policy and practice reviews Obama keeps talking about?

Reacting to the Snowden leaks and U.S. opinion polls that showed public distrust of domestic surveillance programs, the president pledged to scrub through intelligence practices and policies, both internally and with the help of outside advisers, to assess programs that have matured in the dozen years since 9/11.

During a speech at the National Defense University in May, Obama said many of the government responses following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, were sound. “But some, like expanded surveillance, raised difficult questions about the balance that we strike between our interests in security and our values of privacy,” he said.

Spokesman Carney has tried to discourage the appearance of a runaway U.S. data-gathering operation. “We are focused on using the tools available to us to gather intelligence that we need, not just gather intelligence because we can,” he said.

The White House controls an internal review, which is expected to be completed at the end of the year. Carney noted that even as the assessment continues, decisions have been made to change certain practices -- which he didn’t specify but apparently are tied to snooping on the phone data of foreign leaders.

“We will be able to share more information … about the decisions that the president will make after the review is completed,” he said. “As this review has been undertaken, some decisions have been made … to improve our intelligence-gathering operations in a way that is consistent with the balance the president believes is necessary to strike.”

Obama, under pressure as Snowden’s leaks of NSA documents continued to seize headlines in the summer, formed an outside Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technology, charged with weighing surveillance aims and techniques against civil liberties. That group is expected to submit an interim report to Obama soon, and its findings by December. Watchdog organizations criticized the president in August for assembling a group of former officials and male experts seen as sympathetic to the administration, who are conducting their review under the watchful eyes of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Obama also tasked the executive branch Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to advise the executive and legislative branches, which it accomplishes with reports to Congress twice a year. The board’s next hearing in Washington is scheduled for Nov. 4. On that agenda: key provisions of the USA Patriot Act and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, respectively.

The administration, working with Congress, is re-examining the Patriot Act’s Section 215, which permits the government to ensnare domestic phone and Internet meta-data from companies such as Verizon and Facebook without alerting users and customers -- if the data is deemed relevant to foreign intelligence operations conducted by NSA aimed at thwarting terrorism.

The administration and Congress are also weighing changes affecting oversight tied to the super-secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which is responsible for approving certain U.S. data-gathering and clandestine operations.

Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/10/29/the_nsa_spying_uproar_an_rcp_primer__120487.html
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