The TV Watch: Jodie Foster Lifts a Veil at Golden Globes

The answer to the puzzle of Jodie Foster’s rambling, raw, semi-confessional speech at the Golden Globes on Sunday may have been right there at the outset, when she skittishly quoted a lesser-known “Saturday Night Live” character and shouted: “I’m 50! I’m 50!”

Ms. Foster’s outpouring could well have been one of those defiantly uncharacteristic steps some people take when they hit the last milestone of midlife. Like a 50-year-old who ends a marriage, takes up flying lessons, grows a beard or moves to Umbria, Ms. Foster publicly acknowledged, kind of, that she is, as anyone who cared already assumed, gay.

And in doing so, Ms. Foster took an extreme bungee jump in the Hollywood Hills: a respected actress and director known for reticence, discipline and brainy self-possession defended her right to privacy in the gaudiest, noisiest, most public arena imaginable. (Sunday’s show was the highest-rated Globes ceremonies in six years, watched by nearly 20 million people.)

In accepting a lifetime achievement award at the awards ceremony, Ms. Foster was eloquent, except when she went wobbly. She was revealing, except when she turned opaque. She’s a fierce nonconformist who nonetheless made herself look starlet-taut and slinky in silver and navy paillettes by Armani, and she delivered a valedictory speech without explaining what it was she is leaving.

Small wonder it was confusing.

Ms. Foster defended her lifelong reserve by scoffing at the celebrity-crazed culture that rewards would-be stars who expose their darkest secrets on camera, saying, “But now, apparently, I’m told that every celebrity is expected to honor the details of their private life with a news conference, a fragrance and a prime-time reality show.” In accepting her award, she spoke loftily about loyalty to friends and family, and actually practiced what she preached by pairing up at the event with Mel Gibson, who is still a Hollywood semi-pariah for his notorious anti-Semitic and homophobic rants, and even thanked him in her remarks for his support.

She didn’t hide her contempt for a different kind of show business exhibitionism. “You guys might be surprised, but I am not Honey Boo Boo Child,” she said. “No, I’m sorry, that’s just not me. It never was, and it never will be.”

That sounded a bit snobbish, but this actress, who began her career at the age of 3, has more reason than most to crave privacy. Ms. Foster was an inadvertent catalyst for one of the most horrifying side effects of fame — she was a freshman at Yale in 1981 when a delusional John W. Hinckley Jr. tried to assassinate Ronald Reagan because he wanted to impress Jodie Foster.

She didn’t mention that incident, but she seemed to allude to it when she said, “But seriously, if you had been a public figure from the time that you were a toddler, if you’d had to fight for a life that felt real and honest and normal against all odds, then maybe then you too might value privacy above all else.”

Later in life Ms. Foster did not hide that she lived with a woman and that they were rearing two sons, and she certainly did not pose in fake romances with eligible bachelors. At a Women in Entertainment luncheon in 2008 she publicly thanked her partner at the time, referring to her as “my beautiful Cydney.”

But even her speech on Sunday was too elliptical for many gay activists and bloggers who reacted in much the same way that several Hollywood liberals have in attacking “Zero Dark Thirty” for not emphatically denouncing torture: they were irked that Ms. Foster didn’t more clearly indicate that she was gay.

Ms. Foster has not discussed her love life in interviews or made a political point of being a lesbian. At the Golden Globes, of all places, she changed her mind. Several times.

“While I’m here being all confessional, I guess I just have a sudden urge to say something that I’ve never really been able to air in public,” she said. “So, a declaration that I’m a little nervous about, but maybe not quite as nervous as my publicist right now, huh, Jennifer? But you know I’m just going to put it out there, right? Loud and proud, right? So I’m going to need your support on this — I am single. Yes, I am. I am single. No, I’m kidding, but I mean I’m not really kidding, but I’m kind of kidding.”

It wasn’t the most daring admission or even a complete one — she was visibly torn between a sense of duty to the gay cause and her own right to live by her own rules. It certainly wasn’t necessary. Plenty of actors with more to lose have come out of the closet of late, and gay marriage is becoming legal in a growing number of states.

Mostly, it was a singular, contradictory and at times poignant unburdening by an actress who is best known for staying buttoned up.

Read More..

Smartphone data consumption tops tablets for the first time ever

Title Post: Smartphone data consumption tops tablets for the first time ever
Url Post: http://www.news.fluser.com/smartphone-data-consumption-tops-tablets-for-the-first-time-ever/
Link To Post : Smartphone data consumption tops tablets for the first time ever
Rating:
100%

based on 99998 ratings.
5 user reviews.
Author: Fluser SeoLink
Thanks for visiting the blog, If any criticism and suggestions please leave a comment

Read More..

AP source: Armstrong tells Oprah he doped

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Lance Armstrong confessed to Oprah Winfrey during an interview Monday that he used performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the interview is to be broadcast Thursday on Winfrey's network.

Armstrong was stripped of all seven Tour titles last year following a voluminous U.S. Anti-Doping Agency report that portrayed him as a ruthless competitor, willing to go to any lengths to win the prestigious race.

USADA chief executive Travis Tygart labeled the doping regimen allegedly carried out by the U.S. Postal Service team that Armstrong once led, "The most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."

After a federal investigation of the cyclist was dropped without charges being brought last year, USADA stepped in with an investigation of its own. The agency deposed 11 former teammates and accused Armstrong of masterminding a complex and brazen drug program that included steroids, blood boosters and a range of other performance-enhancers.

A group of about 10 close friends and advisers to Armstrong left a downtown Austin hotel about three hours after they arrived Monday afternoon for the taping. Among them were Armstrong attorneys Tim Herman and Sean Breen, along with Bill Stapleton, Armstrong's longtime agent, manager and business partner. All declined comment entering and exiting the session.

Soon afterward, Winfrey tweeted: "Just wrapped with (at)lancearmstrong More than 2 1/2 hours. He came READY!" She was scheduled to appear on "CBS This Morning" on Tuesday to discuss the interview.

In a text to the AP on Saturday, Armstrong said: "I told her (Winfrey) to go wherever she wants and I'll answer the questions directly, honestly and candidly. That's all I can say."

Armstrong stopped at the Livestrong Foundation, which he founded, on his way to the interview and said, "I'm sorry" to staff members, some of whom broke down in tears. A person with knowledge of that session said Armstrong choked up and several employees cried during the session.

The person also said Armstrong apologized for letting the staff down and putting Livestrong at risk but he did not make a direct confession to using banned drugs. He said he would try to restore the foundation's reputation, and urged the group to continue fighting for the charity's mission of helping cancer patients and their families.

Armstrong spoke to a room full of about 100 staff members for about 20 minutes, expressing regret for everything the controversy has put them through, the person said. He told them how much the foundation means to him and that he considers the people who work there to be like members of his family. None of the people in the room challenged Armstrong over his long denials of doping.

Winfrey and her crew had earlier said they would film Monday's session at Armstrong's home. As a result, local and international news crews were encamped near the cyclist's Spanish-style villa before dawn.

Armstrong still managed to slip away for a run despite the crowds outside his home. He returned by cutting through a neighbor's yard and hopping a fence.

___

Jim Litke reported from Chicago.

Read More..

Well: How to Go Vegan

When I first heard former President Bill Clinton talk about his vegan diet, I was inspired to make the switch myself. After all, if a man with a penchant for fast-food burgers and Southern cooking could go vegan, surely I could too.

At the grocery store, I stocked up on vegan foods, including almond milk (that was the presidential recommendation), and faux turkey and cheese to replicate my daughter’s favorite sandwich. But despite my good intentions, my cold-turkey attempt to give up, well, turkey (as well as other meats, dairy and eggs) didn’t go well. My daughter and I couldn’t stand the taste of almond milk, and the fake meat and cheese were unappealing.

Since then, I’ve spoken with numerous vegan chefs and diners who say it can be a challenge to change a lifetime of eating habits overnight. They offer the following advice for stocking your vegan pantry and finding replacements for key foods like cheese and other dairy products.

NONDAIRY MILK Taste all of them to find your favorite. Coconut and almond milks (particularly canned coconut milk) are thicker and good to use in cooking, while rice milk is thinner and is good for people who are allergic to nuts or soy. My daughter and I both prefer the taste of soy milk and use it in regular or vanilla flavor for fruit smoothies and breakfast cereal.

NONDAIRY CHEESE Cheese substitutes are available under the brand names Daiya, Tofutti and Follow Your Heart, among others, but many vegans say there’s no fake cheese that satisfies as well as the real thing. Rather than use a packaged product, vegan chefs prefer to make homemade substitutes using cashews, tofu, miso or nutritional yeast. At Candle 79, a popular New York vegan restaurant, the filling for saffron ravioli with wild mushrooms and cashew cheese is made with cashews soaked overnight and then blended with lemon juice, olive oil, water and salt.

THINK CREAMY, NOT CHEESY Creaminess and richness can often be achieved without a cheese substitute. For instance, Chloe Coscarelli, a vegan chef and the author of “Chloe’s Kitchen,” has created a pizza with caramelized onion and butternut squash that will make you forget it doesn’t have cheese; the secret is white-bean and garlic purée. She also offers a creamy, but dairy-free, avocado pesto pasta. My daughter and I have discovered we actually prefer the rich flavor of butternut squash ravioli, which can be found frozen and fresh in supermarkets, to cheese-filled ravioli.

NUTRITIONAL YEAST The name is unappetizing, but many vegan chefs swear by it: it’s a natural food with a roasted, nutty, cheeselike flavor. Ms. Coscarelli uses nutritional yeast flakes in her “best ever” baked macaroni and cheese (found in her cookbook). “I’ve served this to die-hard cheese lovers,” she told me, “and everyone agrees it is comparable, if not better.”

Susan Voisin’s Web site, Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, offers a nice primer on nutritional yeast, noting that it’s a fungus (think mushrooms!) that is grown on molasses and then harvested and dried with heat. (Baking yeast is an entirely different product.) Nutritional yeasts can be an acquired taste, she said, so start with small amounts, sprinkling on popcorn, stirring into mashed potatoes, grinding with almonds for a Parmesan substitute or combining with tofu to make an eggless omelet. It can be found in Whole Foods, in the bulk aisle of natural-foods markets or online.

BUTTER This is an easy fix. Vegan margarines like Earth Balance are made from a blend of oils and are free of trans fats. Varieties include soy-free, whipped and olive oil.

EGGS Ms. Coscarelli, who won the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars with vegan cupcakes, says vinegar and baking soda can help baked goods bind together and rise, creating a moist and fluffy cake without eggs. Cornstarch can substitute for eggs to thicken puddings and sauces. Vegan pancakes are made with a tablespoon of baking powder instead of eggs. Frittatas and omelets can be replicated with tofu.

Finally, don’t try to replicate your favorite meaty foods right away. If you love a juicy hamburger, meatloaf or ham sandwich, you are not going to find a meat-free version that tastes the same. Ms. Voisin advises new vegans to start slow and eat a few vegan meals a week. Stock your pantry with lots of grains, lentils and beans and pile your plate with vegetables. To veganize a recipe, start with a dish that is mostly vegan already — like spaghetti — and use vegetables or a meat substitute for the sauce.

“Trying to recapture something and find an exact substitute is really hard,” she said. “A lot of people will try a vegetarian meatloaf right after they become vegetarian, and they hate it. But after you get away from eating meat for a while, you’ll find you start to develop other tastes, and the flavor of a lentil loaf with seasonings will taste great to you. It won’t taste like meat loaf, but you’ll appreciate it for itself.”

Ms. Voisin notes that she became a vegetarian and then vegan while living in a small town in South Carolina; she now lives in Jackson, Miss.

“If I can be a vegan in these not-quite-vegan-centric places, you can do it anywhere,” she said. “I think people who try to do it all at once overnight are more apt to fail. It’s a learning process.”

---

What are your vegantips? We’re collecting suggestions on ingredients, recipes and strategies.

Read More..

Coke TV Ads Confront Obesity and Soda’s Role

The Coca-Cola Company began a new television ad campaign Monday aimed at getting on the healthy side of the national debate over obesity — a novel step for a company built on sugary soft drinks.

“We’d like people to come together on something that concerns all of us, obesity,” began the two-minute ad, which is scheduled to run during prime-time cable news shows. “The long-term health of our families and our country is at stake, and as the nation’s leading beverage company, we can play an important role.”

The ad goes on to promote steps Coke has taken, like putting calorie counts on “the front” of its cans and other packaging and increasing the number of its brands sold in smaller cans, to help consumers make healthier choices.

“There’s a really important conversation going on out there about obesity, and we want to be a part of it because our consumer is telling us they want us to be a part of it,” said Stuart Kronauge, general manager for sparkling beverages at Coca-Cola North America.

This ad is aimed at policy makers, but a second ad, to be broadcast Wednesday during the first episode of the new season for “American Idol,” will focus on consumers, emphasizing the calories in a can of soda and offering ideas about how to work them off, like walking the dog for 25 minutes, doing a victory dance or even laughing.

The ads establish a link between the company and its products and obesity, which could be risky. “We thought about that, but we’ve learned that consumers love more information from us — and we really believe Coke has the power to connect people in a way that can help solve issues,” Ms. Kronauge said.

It is the first time the company has gone on the offensive to tackle widespread criticism that sugary sodas are one of the biggest contributors to the obesity epidemic, and the ads drew criticism even before they were shown.

“This is not about changing the products but about confusing the public,” said Michele R. Simon, a public health lawyer who writes frequently about the food and beverage business and its role in public health issues on her blog, Appetite for Profit. “They are downplaying the serious health effects of drinking too much soda and making it sound like balancing soda consumption with exercise is the only issue, when there are plenty of other reasons not to consume too much of these kinds of products.”

Ms. Simon dismissed the ads as pure public relations and noted that the industry faced an onslaught of public health efforts to curb consumption of sugary sodas, like efforts around the country to impose taxes on high-sugar drinks and Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s move to restrict the sizes of sodas sold in movie theaters and other spots in New York City.

The American Beverage Association, the organization that represents the industry, has filed a lawsuit against New York City and has fought successfully so far to defeat soda tax initiatives. Sales of carbonated sodas in general and sugary sodas in particular continue to slide, however, as consumers choose water, juices and other alternatives.

“They are clearly running scared and for good reason,” said Harold Goldstein, executive director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, which led the charge to get sugary sodas out of schools.

Dr. Goldstein said that if Coke really wanted to do something to reduce consumption of sugary sodas, it would sell them for a higher price than its other low- and no-calorie beverages. “Instead of spending millions on a P.R. campaign that will do nothing to combat obesity, diabetes and tooth decay, they would reap profits and change the beverage consumption of Americans in a big and beneficial way,” he said.

John Sicher, publisher of Beverage Digest and a longtime observer of the industry, said he thought soda companies had for too long avoided the issue of obesity as criticism mounted. “Letting the industry’s adversaries define it isn’t smart or in its self-interest,” he said.

Read More..

The Carpetbagger: Golden Globes 2013 Live Blog

Tonight the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is handing out its Golden Globe awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Golden Globes

Analysis of the nominees, more images, reactions and more.

Melena Ryzik (The Carpetbagger), Stuart Emmrich, the Styles editor, Simone Oliver, the online Styles editor, the Hollywood reporters Brooks Barnes and Michael Cieply, the culture reporter Dave Itzkoff and the television critic Mike Hale are reporting on the red carpet and the ceremony. Follow here and on Twitter, @nytimesmovies A Red Carpet Slide Show is here

Read More..

Facebook search leads to Iowa man, sister reunion

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man has been reunited with his sister 65 years after the siblings were separated in foster care thanks to a 7-year-old friend who searched Facebook.

Sixty-six-year-old Clifford Boyson of Davenport met his 70-year-old sister, Betty Billadeau, in person on Saturday. Billadeau drove up from her home in Florissant, Mo., with her daughter and granddaughter for the reunion.

Boyson and Billadeau both tried to find each other for years without success.

Then 7-year-old Eddie Hanzelin, who is the son of Boyson‘s landlord, got involved.

Eddie managed to find Billadeau by searching Facebook with her maiden name. He recognized the family resemblance when he saw her picture.

Near the end of their tearful reunion Boyson and Billadeau presented Eddie with a $ 125 check in appreciation of his detective work.

Social Media News Headlines – Yahoo! News

Title Post: Facebook search leads to Iowa man, sister reunion
Url Post: http://www.news.fluser.com/facebook-search-leads-to-iowa-man-sister-reunion/
Link To Post : Facebook search leads to Iowa man, sister reunion
Rating:
100%

based on 99998 ratings.
5 user reviews.
Author: Fluser SeoLink
Thanks for visiting the blog, If any criticism and suggestions please leave a comment

Read More..

Stars begin arriving at Golden Globes Awards

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Looking glamorous but feeling frigid, stars from film and television arrived Sunday for the Golden Globes ceremony, battling crisp temperatures on the red carpet.

Debra Messing from "Smash" came in a strapless black gown and goosebumps. Asked how she was coping with the cold, she replied, "Not well." Melissa Rauch of "The Big Bang Theory" also shivered in her strapless red gown. "I'm absolutely freezing!" she said.

Claire Danes of "Homeland" in Versace and Zooey Deschanel of "New Girl" in a strapless Oscar de la Renta gown walked near heat lamps as the mercury stayed in the high 50s. "I'm so cold. My legs aren't cold but my arms are," said Deschanel.

Early arrivals also included Hayden Panettiere of "Nashville," Ariel Winter of "Modern Family" and TV personalities Nicole Ritchie and Kelly Osbourne. Jennifer Lawrence, nominated for "Silver Linings Playbook," slipped a pale blue wool coat over her red gown.

Not everyone was grousing. "I'm totally comfortable," Glenn Close, whose Zac Posen dress was paired with matching jacket, told NBC. "Usually, it's really hot, so I'm having a nice time so far."

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, a nominee for best actress in a comedy for "Veep," wore a strapless Vera Wang gown and agreed. "I'd rather be nippy than boiling hot," she said.

The Globes are in a rare place this season, coming after the Academy Award nominations, which were announced earlier than usual and threw out some shockers that have left the Globes show a little less relevant.

Key Globe contenders lined up largely as expected, with Steven Spielberg's Civil War saga "Lincoln" leading with seven nominations and two CIA thrillers — Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty" and Ben Affleck's "Argo" — also doing well.

All three films earned Globe nominations for best drama and director. Yet while "Lincoln," ''Argo" and "Zero Dark Thirty" grabbed best-picture slots at Thursday's Oscar nominations, Bigelow and Affleck were snubbed for directing honors after a season that had seen them in the running for almost every other major award.

The Globe and Oscar directing fields typically match up closely. This time, though, only Spielberg and "Life of Pi" director Ang Lee have nominations for both. Along with Spielberg, Lee, Bigelow and Affleck, Quentin Tarantino is nominated for directing at the Globes. At the Oscars, it's Spielberg, Lee, "Silver Linings Playbook" director David O. Russell and two surprise picks: veteran Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke for "Amour" and first-time director Benh Zeitlin for "Beasts of the Southern Wild."

That forces some top-name filmmakers to put on brave faces for the Globes. And while a Globe might be a nice consolation prize, it could be a little awkward if Affleck, Bigelow or Tarantino won Sunday and had to make a cheery acceptance speech knowing they don't have seats at the grown-ups table for the Feb. 24 Oscars.

That could happen. While "Lincoln" has the most nominations, it's a purely American story that may not have as much appeal to Globe voters — about 90 reporters belonging to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association who cover entertainment for overseas outlets.

The Bigelow and Affleck films center on Americans, too, but they are international tales — "Zero Dark Thirty" chronicling the manhunt for Osama bin Laden and "Argo" recounting the rescue of six U.S. embassy workers trapped in Iran amid the 1979 hostage crisis.

Globe voters might want to make right on a snub to Bigelow three years ago, when they gave their best-drama and directing prize to ex-husband James Cameron's sci-fi blockbuster "Avatar" over her Iraq war tale "The Hurt Locker."

Bigelow made history a month later, becoming the first woman to win the directing Oscar for "The Hurt Locker," which also won best picture.

Globe voters like to be trend-setters, but they missed the boat on that one. Might they feel enough chagrin to hand Bigelow the directing trophy this time?

Spielberg already has won two best-director Globes, so that might be a further inducement for the foreign-press members to favor someone else this time.

Their votes were locked in before the Oscar nominations came out. Globe balloting closed Wednesday, the day before the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its awards lineup.

The Globes feature two best-picture categories — one for drama and one for musical or comedy. Most of the Globe contenders also earned Oscar best-picture nominations, including all of the drama picks: "Argo," ''Lincoln," ''Life of Pi," ''Django Unchained" and "Zero Dark Thirty."

Yet only two of the Globe musical or comedy nominees — "Les Miserables" and "Silver Linings Playbook" — are in the running at the Oscars. That's not unusual, though, since Oscar voters tend to overlook comedy. The other Globe nominees for musical or comedy are "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," ''Moonrise Kingdom" and "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen."

Acting contenders include Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones for "Lincoln"; Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway for "Les Miserables"; Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Philip Seymour Hoffman for "The Master"; Bradley Cooper and Lawrence for "Silver Linings Playbook"; Leonardo DiCaprio and Christoph Waltz for "Django Unchained"; Alan Arkin for "Argo"; and Jessica Chastain for "Zero Dark Thirty."

Globe acting recipients usually are a good sneak peek for who will win at the Oscars. All four of last season's Oscar winners — Meryl Streep for "The Iron Lady," Jean Dujardin for "The Artist," Octavia Spencer for "The Help" and Christopher Plummer for "Beginners" — took home a Globe first.

Jodie Foster will receive the Globes' Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement at the 70th Globes ceremony, airing live from 8-11 p.m. EST on NBC.

There will be a friendly rivalry between the hosts of the Globe ceremony, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. The co-stars of the 2008 big-screen comedy "Baby Mama" both are nominated for best actress in a TV comedy or musical series, Fey for "30 Rock" and Poehler for "Parks and Recreation."

The Globes present 14 film awards and 11 television prizes.

Read More..

City Room: Cuomo Declares Public Health Emergency Over Flu Outbreak

With the nation in the grip of a severe influenza outbreak that has seen deaths reach epidemic levels, New York State declared a public health emergency on Saturday, making access to vaccines more easily available.

There have been nearly 20,000 cases of flu reported across the state so far this season, officials said. Last season, 4,400 positive laboratory tests were reported.

“We are experiencing the worst flu season since at least 2009, and influenza activity in New York State is widespread, with cases reported in all 57 counties and all five boroughs of New York City,” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said in a statement.

Under the order, pharmacists will be allowed to administer flu vaccinations to patients between 6 months and 18 years old, temporarily suspending a state law that prohibits pharmacists from administering immunizations to children.

While children and older people tend to be the most likely to become seriously ill from the flu, Mr. Cuomo urged all New Yorkers to get vaccinated.

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said that deaths from the flu had reached epidemic levels, with at least 20 children having died nationwide. Officials cautioned that deaths from pneumonia and the flu typically reach epidemic levels for a week or two every year. The severity of the outbreak will be determined by how long the death toll remains high or if it climbs higher.

There was some evidence that caseloads may be peaking, federal officials said on Friday.

In New York City, public health officials announced on Thursday that flu-related illnesses had reached epidemic levels, and they joined the chorus of authorities urging people to get vaccinated.

“It’s a bad year,” the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Thomas A. Farley, told reporters on Thursday. “We’ve got lots of flu, it’s mainly type AH3N2, which tends to be a little more severe. So we’re seeing plenty of cases of flu and plenty of people sick with flu. Our message for any people who are listening to this is it’s still not too late to get your flu shot.”

There has been a spike in the number of people going to emergency rooms over the past two weeks with flulike symptoms – including fever, fatigue and coughing – Dr. Farley said.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Mr. Cuomo made a public display of getting shots this past week.

In a briefing with reporters on Friday, officials from the C.D.C. said that this year’s vaccine was effective in 62 percent of cases.

As officials have stepped up their efforts encouraging vaccinations, there have been scattered reports of shortages. But officials said plenty of the vaccine was available.

According to the C.D.C., makers of the flu vaccine produced about 135 million doses for this year. As of early this month, 128 million doses had been distributed. While that would not be enough for every American, only 37 percent of the population get a flu shot each year.

Federal health officials said they would be happy if that number rose to 50 percent, which would mean that there would be more than enough vaccine for anyone who wanted to be immunized.

Two other diseases – norovirus and whooping cough – are also widespread this winter and are contributing to the number of people getting sick.

The flu can resemble a cold, though the symptoms come on more rapidly and are more severe.

A version of this article appeared in print on 01/13/2013, on page A21 of the NewYork edition with the headline: New York Declares Health Emergency.

Read More..

Japan Airlines Says 787 Jet Leaked Fuel During Safety Test

TOKYO (Reuters) — Japan Airlines said a Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet undergoing checks in Tokyo after a fuel leak at Logan International Airport in Boston last week had leaked fuel again during tests in Japan on Sunday.

An open valve on the aircraft caused fuel to leak on Sunday from a nozzle on the left wing used to remove fuel, a company spokeswoman said. The jet is out of service after spilling about 40 gallons of fuel onto the airport taxiway in Boston because of a separate valve-related problem.

In Boston, a different valve on the plane opened, causing fuel to flow from the center tank to the left main tank. When that tank filled up, it overflowed into a surge tank and came out through a vent. The spill happened on Tuesday as the plane was taxiing for takeoff on a flight to Tokyo. It made the flight about four hours later.

The causes of both incidents are unknown, the JAL spokeswoman added. There is no timetable for the plane to return to service.

“We are aware of the event and are working with our customer,” a Boeing spokesman, Marc Birtel, said of the leak in Tokyo.

On Friday, the United States government ordered a broad review of the Boeing 787, citing concern over a battery that caught fire last week, also on a JAL plane in Boston, and other problems. The government and Boeing insisted the passenger jet remained safe to fly.

The 787 represents the boldest bet Boeing has made on a plane in more than a decade. Because much of its financial performance is riding on the 787, Boeing is trying to double production to 10 jets a month this year to fulfill nearly 800 orders.

Read More..