Wednesday 27 August 2008

Researchers Examine How Perceptions Of Masculinity Influence HIV Prevention In Central America


A team of researchers is examining how different perceptions of masculinity can influence HIV prevention messages in Central America, the Columbia State reports. The team, which is supported by USAID and Population Services International, has held focus groups with 1,200 men from El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama to learn about different perceptions of masculinity and how the hands see themselves. The work force completed 11-point surveys on issues such as what motivates them, what is important in life and what watchword best describes them. Using the surveys, the researchers developed six-spot primary categories to which HIV/AIDS bar messages can be customized, according to the State. "It's another approach for behavioral change messages," Susana Lungo, plan director for the opening move, said.

The six primary categories ar powerful, men to whom researchers should stress that they have the office to choose condom use; energetic, wHO can be reached by emphasizing that they can make a contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS; protector, world Health Organization should be given messages about fidelity and prophylactic use for the rice beer of protecting their families; relaxed, world Health Organization tend to be receptive to condom use because of in the main open attitudes; searchers, to whom safe use has to be presented in interesting and engaging ways; and passionate, men wHO are receptive to faithfulness and safety use messages out of respect for their partners.

According to the researchers, although the categories were developed to promote HIV prevention, they also can be used for teenaged pregnancy bar and other health issues (Reid, Columbia State, 8/21).


Reprinted with kind permit from hypertext transfer protocol://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can opinion the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or mark up for email delivery at hTTP://www.kaisernetwork.

Thursday 7 August 2008

Movie review: The undead return in 'The Mummy'

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: Action. Starring Brendan Fraser, Jet Li and Maria Bello. Directed by Rob Cohen. (PG-13. 112 transactions. At Bay Area theaters. For discharge movie listings and show up times, and to buy tickets for select theaters, go to sfgate.com/movies.)



"The Mummy" series has been dead for a long meter, but like the mummies it depicts, it won't stay inhumed. You'd suppose that doing story after story around people world Health Organization haplessly revivify a dead thing, only to have things end in disaster, might clew somebody in, but no. The quest of celebrity and treasure goes on, despite the consequences.


The new installment, "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," fails despite being given the best possible chance of success, with Rob Cohen in the director's electric chair. Cohen ("The Fast and the Furious") is one of the most gifted action directors in the business. He's no hack writer who just stands there shaking a camera. His action scenes are imaginatively conceived and meticulously emended and choreographed. He doesn't sacrifice clarity for rumpus, and he also knows how to work with actors. "Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" has the most natural acting and is the most human and emotionally inhabited of this late "Mummy" franchise.


Yet none of this matters because of the way the action is used - or misused - which brings up a major script job. It's a problem this movie shares, alas, with a set of action movies. The action isn't used to advance the story but to detain it.



Hear more than about "Mummy'' on "Movies With Mick LaSalle" >>


Audiences want to see things happen. But to an audience, "what happens" refers to tale, to stuff happening to the characters, to the narrative forward-moving. Action sequences, at their best, set ahead the tale in an exciting means. Conversely, if the hearing knows that an action sequence, situated as it is, won't move the story forward - that it can only be a lot of vigorously crafted social movement - the audience volition become world-weary. As in real bored. As in climbing the walls.


This is what happens with "Tomb of the Dragon Emperor." It tells a tiny story. The heroes go one place. Then they go to another place. Then they fit up with the bad guy. There's a showdown. Soup to nuts, this story could have been told in 45 proceedings with no trouble. To do it in 60 would deliver been push it. Instead, "Tomb" stretches this little bonbon of a plot into 112 minutes, which means that every small turn has to be inflated with an action sequence - one that most oftentimes leaves the characters about where they were when the shooting started.


One actor stands out for particular kudos, however: Rachel Weisz, for deciding non to make this third "Mummy" film. She's replaced here by Maria Bello, who manages to seem more English than Weisz would experience. Since the last instalment, Evelyn (Bello), in addition to completely changing her look, has become an adventure writer, and her husband, Rick (Brendan Fraser), is instruction. But, world-weary by staid domesticity, they jump at an assignment that takes them to China.


The pre-credits sequence is the best thing in the movie. It sets up what seems like the beginning of a great yarn near an evil emperor (Jet Li) in ancient China, who is cursed by a good witch (Michelle Yeoh). He and his army all of a sudden get mummies, which makes them look care the terra cotta soldiers that toured the world's museums last year. Maybe that's where someone got the idea.


Of course, the emperor wants to arrive at a comeback, and of course Rick and Evelyn have to stop him, and it doesn't acquire much more complicated than that. Along the direction, they make a detour to Shangri-la, which is always nice. Actually, a little more Shangri-la wouldn't have been bad. They could get at least stayed long enough to see if Sam Jaffe was noneffervescent there.


When Bello played a working-class New Jersey woman in "World Trade Center," she had the accent down but not the soul. But in "Tomb," she is identifiably a certain kind of bright, polished, energetic English lady, and she's a lot of fun - at least to the extent that she gets to be fun. As for Fraser, his awkward humanity is endearing, but by now, assuming he has invested wisely, he should have enough money saved so as to not bear to neutralize his talent anymore. Even doing dinner theater would be more rewarding than this.


-- Advisory: The heroes shoot a lot of people and don't think much nearly it.











More information

Tuesday 1 July 2008

Lavender Diamond

Lavender Diamond   
Artist: Lavender Diamond

   Genre(s): 
Rock
   



Discography:


Imagine Our Love (Dig)   
 Imagine Our Love (Dig)

   Year: 2007   
Tracks: 12




The sept enchant that is Lavender Diamond in the beginning came to life in Bird Songs of the Bauharoque, a touchwood light opera inspired by the ferment of American painter/architect Paul Laffoley. Vocalist Becky Stark wrote and created the piece with a friend piece living in Providence, RI, and asterisked as Lavender herself, a winsome part bird/part human world Health Organization wants heartsease on earth. The indie microscope stage point was such a hit at home that Stark and company went on to hitch 56 cities across North America in 2003. Her debut solo exploit, the self-generated Artefacts of the Winged album, was made available during this tour, and as Stark continued writing songs, she felt they merited to be interpreted more in earnest. A move to Los Angeles in 2004 provided Stark with the creative scene of action she had been searching for; befriending guitarist Jeff Rosenberg (Pinko & Brown, Tarentel, the Young People) and forming a country-pop act with him, things started to take shape for Stark. When she wasn't retention meddlesome with Rosenberg, she was acting classical arias and Tin Pan Alley originals with classical piano player Steve Gregoropoulos (W.A.C.O.), and making psychedelic doo dago corporeal with drummer Ron Rege, Jr., at one time of the Swirlies.


At the end of the day, Stark opted to gather such sounds as 1, and collected her coevals for Lavender Diamond in 2004. Matching the airy lightness of Linda Ronstadt and Carole King with Bacharach-like arrangements, Lavender Diamond issued The Cavalry of Light EP in 2005; a second base tone ending, a rent 7" with Queens of Sheeba for Cold Sweat, also appeared that year. A hum around the blogosphere and indie magazine elite began to exact shape by early 2006, and performances at ArthurFest, South by Southwest, and the CMJ New Music Seminar only added fuel to the record label fury. In November 2006, piece touring with the Decemberists, Lavender Diamond sign to Rough Trade in Europe and Matador in the U.S. The Cavalry of Light was slated for reissue in later January 2007, and the uncut Imagine Our Love followed in May.





Denied: No June Wedding for Depp

Wednesday 25 June 2008

Amy Winehouse stays in hospital for more tests

LONDON - British soul singer Amy Winehouse remained in hospital today for more tests after fainting at home and being rushed to a clinic by her father, a spokesman said."She's staying there for the time being," the spokesman said. "They are still not quite sure what happened and the tests were inconclusive."The 24-year-old singer and songwriter, who has publicly battled drug problems and whose personal life has attracted widespread media attention, will stay at the private clinic for further tests, he added.Winehouse, who won five Grammy Awards in February and enjoyed commercial success with her album Back to Black, put her touring commitments on hold last year amid reports she had been hospitalized for severe exhaustion.She also entered a rehabilitation clinic in January.Winehouse is expected to perform as planned at a Nelson Mandela birthday concert in London's Hyde Park on June 27.Her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, pleaded guilty this month to beating up a bartender and conspiring to pervert the course of justice by trying to pay him not to testify.




- REUTERS/Nielsen

Tuesday 24 June 2008

Warped Tour

As temperatures soared into the 100s for Friday's launch of the 2008 Vans Warped Tour, even mosh maniacs were retreating for whatever shade could be found.

Alan Davey

Alan Davey   
Artist: Alan Davey

   Genre(s): 
Space
   



Discography:


Bedouin   
 Bedouin

   Year: 1997   
Tracks: 8




 






Amy Winehouse Suffering From Irregular Heartbeat

Amy Winehouse has reportedly been diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat after collapsing at her home.

The troubled singer was rushed to hospital on Monday after allegedly fainting.
Now her family fear that this could be her last chance to ween herself of crack and heroin - and potentially save her life.
"She’ll be in there for a while if her family get their way," says a source.

"There is a feeling they can have a good crack at sorting her out this time."

An irregular heartbeat can be associated with excessive drug use and puts the sufferer at risk of a heart attack.

The Sun's doctor-on-call, Carol Cooper, explains: "Crack narrows blood vessels and raises pressure. It is toxic to the heart muscle, causing an irregular beat.

"A heart attack is one of the most common ways for the drug to kill. But if Amy’s lucky, she’ll feel much better in 48 hours."

Insiders say that Amy's family have discussed getting her sectioned if she tries to leave the London clinic where is currently being treated.

Monday 23 June 2008

Marc Ribot and Los Cubanos Postizos

Marc Ribot and Los Cubanos Postizos   
Artist: Marc Ribot and Los Cubanos Postizos

   Genre(s): 
Latin
   Other
   



Discography:


The Prosthetic Cubans   
 The Prosthetic Cubans

   Year: 1998   
Tracks: 10


Muy Divertido   
 Muy Divertido

   Year: 1998   
Tracks: 10




 






ABC snaps a Fox winning streak in the latest Nielsen ratings








NEW YORK - With an assist from Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce, ABC snapped a Fox winning streak that had stretched back to January.

For 22 straight weeks, Fox had won the TV viewership competition among the 18-to-49-year-old demographic that it aims for. ABC took first last week because of the three National Basketball Association games between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Sunday's fifth game had nearly 14 million people tune in to watch the Lakers stay alive. It's the second most-watched NBA finals series (behind only the 2004 Pistons-Lakers series) since ABC started broadcasting them in 2003. Overall, the series average of 14.6 million people beats last year by more than 5 million viewers.

Good thing ABC had the games. Only two other ABC shows were ranked in Nielsen's top 40:"The Bachelorette" and "20/20."

Although they aren't listed in Nielsen's ranking because they began in the afternoon, NBC's coverage of Tiger Woods' U.S. Open victory paid dividends for the network. The last two hours of NBC's golf coverage on Sunday night had 16.4 million viewers, Nielsen said.

Among all viewers, CBS won the week with a 7.2 million average (4.9 rating, 9 share). NBC 6.78 had million viewers (4.4, 8) and ABC 6.75 million (4.3, 8). Fox had 6 million (3.8, 7), the CW 1.7 million (1.1, 2), My Network TV 1 million (0.7, 1) and ION Television 320,000 (0.2, 0).

Among the Spanish-language networks, Univision led with an average of 3.4 million viewers (1.7 rating, 3 share), Telemundo had 980,000 (0.6, 1), TeleFutura 470,000 (0.3, 1) and Azteca 120,000 (0.1, 0).

On the week its Washington bureau chief, Tim Russert, died of a heart attack, NBC's "Nightly News" was the most-watched evening newscast with 8 million viewers (5.5 rating, 12 share). ABC's "World News" had 7.5 million (5.2, 11) and the "CBS Evening News" had 5.7 million (4.0, 8).

A ratings point represents 1,128,000 households, or 1 per cent of the nation's estimated 112.8 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions tuned to a given show.

For the week of June 9-15, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: NBA Finals Game 5: Boston at L.A. Lakers, ABC, 17.39 million; NBA Finals Game 3: Boston at L.A. Lakers, ABC, 14.51 million; NBA Finals Game 4: Boston at L.A. Lakers, ABC, 13.76 million; "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 10.72 million; "NCIS," CBS, 10.16 million; CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 9.42 million; "Million Dollar Password," CBS, 9.36 million; "48 Hours Mystery" (Tuesday), CBS, 9.21 million; "CSI: NY," CBS, 9.18 million; "So You Think You Can Dance" (Wednesday), Fox, 8.91 million.

-

On the Net: http://www.nielsenmedia.com

-

Top 20 shows in prime-time Nielsen ratings

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research for June 9-15. Listings include the week's ranking, with viewership for the week and season-to-date rankings in parentheses. An "X" in parentheses denotes a one-time-only presentation.

1. (X) NBA Finals, Game 5: Boston vs. L.A. Lakers, ABC, 17.39 million viewers.

2. (X) NBA Finals, Game 3: Boston vs. L.A. Lakers, ABC, 14.51 million viewers.

3. (X) NBA Finals, Game 4: Boston vs. L.A. Lakers, ABC, 13.76 million viewers.

4. (16) "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 10.72 million viewers.

5. (13) "NCIS," CBS, 10.16 million viewers.

6. (10) "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," CBS, 9.42 million viewers.

7. (X) "Million Dollar Password," CBS, 9.36 million viewers.

8. (89) "48 Hours Mystery" (Tuesday)," CBS, 9.21 million viewers.

9. (27) "CSI: NY," CBS, 9.18 million viewers.

10. (52) "So You Think You Can Dance" (Wednesday), Fox, 8.91 million viewers.

11. (27) "Hell's Kitchen," Fox, 8.81 million viewers.

12. (42) "Deal or No Deal" (Wednesday), NBC, 8.62 million viewers.

13. (14) "CSI: Miami," CBS, 8.53 million viewers.

14. (39) "Rules of Engagement," CBS, 8.51 million viewers.

15. (20) "Criminal Minds," CBS, 8.32 million viewers.

16. (20) "Without a Trace," CBS, 8.2 million viewers.

17. (52) "So You Think You Can Dance" (Thursday), Fox, 8.02 million viewers.

18. (16) "House," Fox, 7.97 million viewers.

19. (20) "60 Minutes," CBS, 7.56 million viewers.

20. (52) "Bones," Fox, 7.49 million viewers.










See Also

Isiah Thomas Shopping for a New Gig

The Los Angeles Lakers received an enormous scare this weekend -- Isiah Thomas came to town!
Play video
He claims he's just in L.A. shopping and relaxing with his daughter -- but if Kobe gets traded this week for a second round pick and a bag of balls, you'll know why.



See Also

The Chesterfield Kings

The Chesterfield Kings   
Artist: The Chesterfield Kings

   Genre(s): 
Rock
   Other
   



Discography:


The Berlin Wall Of Sound   
 The Berlin Wall Of Sound

   Year:    
Tracks: 11


Surfin' Rampage   
 Surfin' Rampage

   Year:    
Tracks: 32


Hiroko Taniyama 90s   
 Hiroko Taniyama 90s

   Year:    
Tracks: 14


Drunk on Muddy Waters   
 Drunk on Muddy Waters

   Year:    
Tracks: 13


Don't Open Til Doomsday   
 Don't Open Til Doomsday

   Year:    
Tracks: 14




 





The Electric Soft Parade

Bjorn Lynne

Bjorn Lynne   
Artist: Bjorn Lynne

   Genre(s): 
Electronic
   Ambient
   Rock
   



Discography:


Soothe   
 Soothe

   Year: 2004   
Tracks: 8


Colony   
 Colony

   Year: 2002   
Tracks: 11


The Gods Awaken   
 The Gods Awaken

   Year: 2001   
Tracks: 10


Wolves Of The Gods   
 Wolves Of The Gods

   Year: 1999   
Tracks: 7


The Void   
 The Void

   Year: 1998   
Tracks: 10


Phoenix   
 Phoenix

   Year: 1997   
Tracks: 13




 





Katie Holmes: Read About Her Wedding Day

Dawn Upshaw

Dawn Upshaw   
Artist: Dawn Upshaw

   Genre(s): 
Soundtrack
   



Discography:


Chanticleer: A Portrait   
 Chanticleer: A Portrait

   Year: 2003   
Tracks: 19




 






Amy Winehouse collapses

It wasn't just the fans that were swooning, yesterday, as Amy Winehouse signed autographs outside her home. The singer fainted shortly after returning inside from an afternoon signature session. An assistant caught Winehouse before she hit the ground, spokesman Chris Goodman said in a statement. "She quickly recovered and her father, Mitch, took her to hospital as a precaution."

Goodman said doctors were unsure of the cause of the collapse. Winehouse, who has long wrestled with drug use, was to undergo further tests and possibly stay overnight at The London Clinic in Marylebone. She had spent the early part of the day signing autographs for Canadian fans outside her north London home. She fainted while "doing admin" work, Goodman said.












This isn't the first time that Winehouse has made an unexpected visit to the hospital. She was admitted last August for "severe exhaustion", with another visit in February during the course of her drug rehabilitation treatment.

Late last week, Winehouse performed at an exclusive concert in Moscow before Roman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of Chelsea Football Club. She is also billed to perform later this month at Nelson Mandela's birthday benefit concert in Hyde Park, London. The Sunday Times newspaper's Rich List has estimated Winehouse's wealth at £10 million.


See Also