Social Networking Helping Women Turn on to Tech

The IT industry is still suffering from a gender imbalance but recent high-profile leadership appointments and the growth of social networking is helping to turn things around.

So claims research published by Orange Labs, a Silicon Valley research arm and part of the France Telecom Group.

Last week, after several months of research and interviews, the labs published a report that looks at the history of women in IT and how technology itself is helping encourage more females into the industry today.

“The dearth of women in technology-related fields has been an enduring challenge. One traditionally explored via predictable frameworks – educational, governmental, and cultural. Less considered, and for some reason, less obvious, is the technological dimension,” states the foreword to the research report entitled Her code: Engendering change in the Silicon Valley.’

“…Guided by a historical perspective, enriched with interviews by interviews with high-profile women executives and journalists in tech, supplemented by interviews with young girls, and complemented by literature review and secondary research, we came to a surprising path of inquiry. What role does technology itself play in the evolution of women’s career trajectories in the tech field?”

Referencing recent female tech successes, such as the appointment of Carol Bartz as Yahoo’s chief executive in January this year, the research suggested that women and tech aren’t so much ‘missing’ as ‘misunderstood.’

Indeed, it pointed to statistics such as the fact that just two per cent of open source developers are female and just 11.8 per cent of Computer Science bachelors degrees are awarded to women.

These figures are in contrast to women’s voracious appetite for technology, particularly the online kind. According to the report’s findings some 70 per cent of girls aged between 15 and 17 have a social network profile. Similarly, more than half (56 per cent) of Facebook’s 200 million users are women and 75 per cent more girls blog compared to their male counterparts.

Perhaps the most interesting figure reported is the fact that Facebook’s fastest growing segment is that of women aged 55 and over, which has grown by 175 per cent since September last year.

*Courtesy from ITpro.co.uk Read More...

Wholesale Prices, Retail Sales Both Rise in June

Higher energy prices rippled through the economy in June, helping drive bigger-than-expected gains in retail sales and inflation at the producer level.

The higher prices at the gas pump and for other energy products were seen as temporary, but economists worry that consumer spending will remain lackluster as unemployment rises, slowing a broader recovery.

The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that retail sales rose 0.6 percent in June, the biggest gain in five months. But without the gains from gasoline station sales and a rebound in autos, retail sales actually dipped 0.2 percent.

"Severe drags to consumer spending remain in place, but the economic gears are starting to turn market mechanics away from the vicious down-cycle," said Stuart Hoffman, chief economist at PNC.

Meanwhile, the 1.8 percent rise in wholesale prices -- double what economists had expected -- was the biggest gain since November 2007. It fanned investors' fears about inflation even though economists said the energy spike was not the beginning of a dangerous bout of inflation.

Over the past 12 months, wholesale prices have actually fallen 4.6 percent.

"A rogue surge in gasoline prices was behind the spike," said Brian Bethune, economist at IHS Global Insight. He predicted that the Labor Department's July report on wholesale prices would show prices moderating.

Crude oil prices topped $72 a barrel in June but have eased since then. Oil prices hit a record-high of $147 a barrel last July.

Many analysts expect the June increase in energy prices was short-lived and that the weak economy will restrain companies from ratcheting up prices they charge consumers.

Still, the unexpectedly big jump in wholesale prices did rattle bond investors. Prices, which move in the opposite direction of yields, plunged. The yield on Treasury's 10-year note rose to 3.44 percent in afternoon trading, up from 3.35 percent earlier in the day.

The 10-year note serves as a benchmark for many mortgage rates. Sustained increases would mean higher mortgage rates at a time when the housing sector is still struggling to rebound from a steep slump.

Better results from banking giant Goldman Sachs Group Inc. helped stocks post modest gains Tuesday. The Dow Jones industrial average added about 28 points to 8,359.49. Broader indexes also rose.

Stripping out volatile food and energy prices, all other prices rose a bigger-than-expected 0.5 percent in June, the most since October. Core prices dipped 0.1 percent in May.

For the 12 months ending in June, core prices rose 3.3 percent.

In June, energy prices jumped 6.6 percent led by an 18.5 percent rise in gas prices, the biggest increase since November 2007. Home heating oil and liquefied petroleum gas also posted their largest gains since November 2007.

Food prices posted a 1.1 percent gain in June, after falling 1.6 percent in May. A 21.8 percent jump in the price of vegetables led the way. Prices for eggs and young chickens also fed the increase as did a record 3.6 percent jump in the price of bottled carbonated soft drinks.

Higher prices for cars, trucks, furniture and pharmaceutical preparations factored into the pickup in "core prices" in June. Economists blamed higher energy costs for spilling over and helping to push up the prices of other goods. They believe this will reverse as energy prices moderate.

A third government report showed that businesses cut inventories for the ninth consecutive month, a drop of 1 percent in May, as companies continued to trim stockpiles amid the country's longest recession since World War II.

To battle the downturn, the Federal Reserve has slashed a key banking lending rate to a record low near zero. It is expected to hold the rate there through the rest of this year to help support the economy and because the central bank doesn't foresee inflation getting out of hand.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and many private economists predict the recession will end later this year. However, they warn that the recovery will be slow. That means the unemployment rate, now at a 26-year high of 9.5 percent, will keep rising, probably hitting double-digits in the months ahead.

At the Fed's last meeting in late June, Fed policymakers acknowledged that energy and other commodity prices had risen. But they predicted that idle factories and the weak employment market would make it hard for companies to raise prices. The Fed said it expects inflation will "remain subdued for some time".

*by Martin Crutsinger and Jeannine Aversa; AP

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Mauer's Double for AL Ties All-Star Game After 6

Joe Mauer doubled home Derek Jeter with two outs in the fifth, pulling the American League into a 3-all tie with the NL and the 80th All-Star game was tied after six innings Tuesday night at Busch Stadium.

Jeter reached on a fielder's choice and scored from first base when Mauer, leading the majors with a .373 batting average, hit a line drive down the left-field line off Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley. It was the second Jeter scored in the game.

Prince Fielder came off the bench early to hit a second-inning double that gave the National League a 3-2 lead.

An error by hometown slugger Albert Pujols at first base led to two AL runs in the first, but his teammates rallied for four straight hits with two outs in the second off Toronto ace Roy Halladay.

Pujols made two diving stops in the fifth, saving at least one run. He was pulled from the game after the sixth.

The NL was looking for its first win since 1996 in Philadelphia. The American League's 11-0-1 run since is the longest unbeaten streak in All-Star history.

President Barack Obama threw out the ceremonial first pitch -- a low toss to Pujols -- before San Francisco right-hander Tim Lincecum took the mound for the Nationals in the first All-Star game in St. Louis since 1966.

The 2008 NL Cy Young Award winner, Lincecum was selected for last year's showcase at Yankee Stadium but was unable to pitch because he was ill.

Ichiro Suzuki led off with a single and Jeter was hit by a pitch. One out later, Pujols booted Mark Teixeira's grounder, allowing the first run to score. Jason Bay followed with a single and Josh Hamilton drove in a run with a fielder's choice grounder.

Halladay, who could be traded soon, retired his first five batters before David Wright blooped a single. Shane Victorino, starting in center field for injured Carlos Beltran, singled and St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina delighted the red-clad crowd with an RBI single.

Victorino aggressively raced toward third and wound up trotting home when Hamilton's throw from center field deflected off a sliding Victorino for an error.

Fielder, who won the Home Run Derby on Monday night, pinch hit for Lincecum and smacked an opposite-field double down the left-field line to give the NL a 3-2 lead.

Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin followed Lincecum with a perfect third inning, with Pujols making a nice grab of Mauer's low liner.

Obama's first pitch and the introduction of Cardinals great Stan Musial highlighted pregame ceremonies.

The 88-year-old Musial carried a baseball and drew applause from players as he was driven in from right field. He greeted Obama near the National League dugout, handed him the ball for the first pitch and the two chatted while shaking hands.

Wearing red jackets, five other Cardinals Hall of Famers were on the field: Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Red Schoendienst, Bruce Sutter and Ozzie Smith.

Sheryl Crow, who is from Missouri, sang the national anthem.

Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria withdrew from the game Tuesday because of an infected right ring finger. He was replaced in the AL lineup by Texas' Michael Young, who batted seventh and made his first All-Star start in his sixth appearance.

Chone Figgins of the Los Angeles Angels took Longoria's spot on the AL squad and arrived in time for introductions. AL manager Joe Maddon of the Rays said Figgins was scheduled to land in St. Louis a little more than 90 minutes before the first pitch and received a special escort to the ballpark.

*By Mike Fitzpatrick; AP.

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Helicopter Reported Shot Down in Afghanistan

A civilian helicopter ferrying humanitarian aid was shot down in a southern Afghan province where fighting with the Taliban is raging, killing all six Ukrainian crew members and a child on the ground, officials said. Two U.S. Marines and an Italian soldier died in the latest clashes.

The transport helicopter crashed in flames Tuesday in the Sangin district of Helmand province, the center of Afghanistan's opium poppy cultivation where thousands of Marines are conducting their biggest offensive since the hardline Islamic movement was ousted from power in 2001.

NATO officials in Kabul said the cause of the crash was under investigation and gave no further details.

But the civil aviation authority of the former Soviet republic of Moldova said a rocket or a missile struck the Mi-26 helicopter, owned by the Moldovan air charter company Pecotox-Airi and carrying six Ukrainians. The helicopter was ferrying humanitarian aid when the crash took place, the Moldovans said in a statement.

The Taliban posted a statement on its Web site claiming the helicopter was brought down "by anti-aircraft fire" with 37 British soldiers on board. Moldovan and British authorities said no British troops were on the helicopter. Daud Ahmadi, the spokesman for the Helmand governor, said a 6-year-old child on the ground was also killed.

The crash occurred about a mile from a British base military base, according to Fazel Haq, a senior local official. The helicopter exploded in a ball of flames, generating smoke that could be seen over a wide area.

Last week, two Canadian soldiers and one British trooper were killed in a helicopter crash in Zabul province. Officials said that crash did not appear a result of hostile fire.

Afghanistan's harsh mountainous terrain, the lack of roads and the heavy use by the Taliban of roadside bombs have prompted international military forces to rely heavily on helicopters for transportation and supply missions. A shortage of military helicopters has forced some NATO nations to contract with private companies.

The two American Marines were killed Monday in a "hostile incident" in Helmand, according to U.S. military spokeswoman Capt. Elizabeth Mathias. She released no further details.

Those deaths brought to at least 107 the number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan so far this year, compared with 151 in all of 2008. As of Monday, at least 660 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan since the war began in 2001, according to the Defense Department. Of those, the military says 492 were killed by hostile action.

One Italian soldier was killed and three were wounded Tuesday when a roadside bomb struck their convoy about 30 miles north of the city of Farah in western Afghanistan, the Italian Defense Ministry announced. Italy has about 2,800 soldiers in Afghanistan, mostly in Kabul and the west of the country.

U.S. commanders are trying to turn the tide of the Taliban-led insurgency, which has transformed much of southern and eastern Afghanistan into no-go zones for Afghan authorities.

President Barack Obama has ordered 21,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan this year. There are about 57,000 U.S. troops currently in the country, and the number is expected to rise to at least 68,000 by the end of 2009.

Obama said Tuesday that he hopes military operations in Afghanistan can transition to a different phase after the Afghan presidential election set for Aug. 20. Obama said he is looking for an exit strategy in which the Afghan army, police, courts and government take more responsibility for the country's security.

To that end, about 4,000 U.S. Marines launched their operation July 2 in Helmand province, hoping to prevent Taliban fighters from disrupting the presidential ballot in what has been a longtime Taliban stronghold.

British forces, meanwhile, are facing a tough fight in another area of Helmand. Britain's 9,000-strong force has lost a record 15 soldiers this month -- including eight in a 24-hour period, prompting a national debate over whether the conflict is still winnable.

The British Ministry of Defense announced Tuesday it was sending another 140 soldiers to Afghanistan from a British base in Cyprus to bolster the war effort.

*Associated Press reporters Noor Khan in Kandahar, Maamoun Youssef in Cairo and Lara Jakes in Washington contributed to this report.

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Limited Recall of Drug Central to Jackson Probe

A maker of the potent anesthetic propofol found in Michael Jackson's home has been contacted by federal officials investigating the pop star's death and has recalled tens of thousands of vials of the drug after two tainted lots sickened dozens of patients.

There is no apparent connection between the bacterial contamination that prompted the recall and Jackson's death on June 25, Teva Pharmaceuticals spokeswoman Denise Bradley told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The tracking number on the tainted lots was different from the number on a vial that Drug Enforcement Administration investigators told the company was found at Jackson's home, she said.

Propofol usually is administered intravenously in hospitals to patients who need to be unconscious for surgery or other procedures. A central question in the Jackson investigation is who provided that drug and other prescription medications found at his rented Beverly Hills mansion. Investigators are talking to doctors who treated Jackson.

On Tuesday, Los Angeles assistant chief corner Ed Winter went to the offices of Dr. Arnold Klein, Jackson's dermatologist, seeking subpoenaed medical records. He did not get the documents but said Klein's office had promised to provide them.

Klein has said he sometimes sedated the pop star for medical procedures but never prescribed propofol.

Meanwhile, a nurse who provided nutritional therapy for Michael Jackson said Tuesday that she was interviewed by Los Angeles homicide detectives who told her needle marks were found on the pop singer the day he died. Cherilyn Lee said she told the detectives that she didn't see any so-called "track marks" on Jackson's arms when she visited his home to provide vitamins and other supplements earlier this year.

The detectives replied that "the day the paramedics came (to Jackson's house), he had a lot of track marks," Lee said.

Lee also was asked in the 20-minute interview at her office last Friday if she saw bruising on Jackson. Lee said she didn't but told police Jackson's veins were small, which made placing an IV needle difficult and could result in bruising.

Lee has said Jackson asked her for Diprivan, the brand-name version of propofol, to alleviate his insomnia. She said she refused to help him get access to the drug.

Lee, a registered nurse, said Jackson had complained of sleeplessness and told her he knew that Diprivan could provide immediate relief. She cautioned him the drug was to be administered in a hospital under careful supervision and had potentially dangerous side effects.

Jackson replied that he would be "fine as long as I'm monitored. ... He knew that somebody should monitor him with equipment," Lee said, which she took as an indication that he had used Diprivan before.

Lee was asked if there was an IV pole at Jackson's house, and told detectives that the only one she saw was the one she brought to administer a vitamin-mineral supplement, known as a "Myers' cocktail," through a needle placed in the back of Jackson's hand. While administering the vitamin IV on several occasions, Lee said, she needed to move Jackson's sleeves up his arms and saw no evidence of needle marks. She treated the singer from January to April.

Jackson investigators are seeking to trace how propofol ended up in his home. Teva can provide information on which distributor bought specific vials. From there, distributors typically sell directly to hospitals or doctors.

Bradley said she didn't know which distributor handled the drug found at Jackson's home. DEA spokesman Rusty Payne declined to comment.

Teva announced it was recalling two lots of propofol -- 57,620 vials in all -- after concluding bacterial contamination caused up to 40 patients in Florida, Arizona and Missouri to develop fevers and chills since May. Investigators believe vials were distributed nationally and are urging doctors not to use any propofol from the two lots.

Most of the affected patients were undergoing an endoscopy, an examination in which a tube-like instrument, usually with a camera attached, is passed into an area of the body such as the colon or esophagus. One patient was hospitalized and all recovered, said Dr. Arjun Srinivasan, lead investigator for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Karen Riley, spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration that oversees drug recalls, said the contamination was found in a single outpatient facility in each of the three states. She did not identify the sites.

FDA investigators arrived Monday at the Teva plant in Irvine, Calif., where the suspect lots were made and were looking for any irregularities in the manufacturing process, Riley said.

Investigators believe that bacteria in vials of the anesthetic released toxins into the drug which caused the fever, Srinivasan said.

*Associated Press reporters Lynn Elber and Thomas Watkins in Los Angeles and Devlin Barrett in Washington contributed to this report. Pritchard reported from Los Angeles, Stobbe reported from Atlanta.

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