Jul 10

Sleeping Pills Are Big Culprit In Psych Drug ER Trips: Study

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CHICAGO (AP) — Bad reactions to psychiatric drugs result in nearly 90,000 emergency room visits each year by U.S. adults, with anti-anxiety medicines and sedatives among the most common culprits, a study suggests.

A drug used in some popular sleeping pills was among the most commonly involved sedatives, especially in adults aged 65 and older. Most of the visits were for troublesome side effects or accidental overdoses and almost 1 in 5 resulted in hospitalization.

The results come from an analysis of 2009-2011 medical records from 63 hospitals that participate in a nationally representative government surveillance project. The study was published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry.

Overall, the sedative zolpidem tartrate, contained in Ambien and some other sleeping pills, was involved in almost 12 percent of all ER visits and in 1 out of 5 visits for older adults.

The Food and Drug Administration last year approved label changes for those pills recommending lower doses because of injury risks including car crashes from morning drowsiness. Head injuries and falls in adults using zolpidem-containing drugs were among reasons for ER visits in the new study.

Sanofi, the pharmaceutical company that makes Ambien, includes a warning in its prescribing information that says the drug can cause “impaired alertness and motor coordination.” It also says doctors should “caution patients against driving and other activities requiring complete mental alertness the morning after use.”

Sanofi issued a statement Wednesday after the study was published noting that the FDA approved Ambien in 1992 based on data showing the drug is safe and effective.

Drs. Lee Hampton and Daniel Budnitz of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s health care quality promotion division led the study. The authors cited previously published national data showing that ER visits for bad reactions to zolpidem increased 220 percent from 2005 to 2010.

“The FDA’s recent efforts to modify recommended dosing regimens hold promise” for reducing zolpidem-related problems, the authors said. But they also said doctors can help by recommending that patients use other insomnia treatments first, including better sleep habits and behavior therapy.

Bad reactions to other psychiatric medicines in the study included mental disturbances, heart-related symptoms and intestinal problems.

The study notes that nearly 27 million U.S. adults used prescription drugs to treat mental illness in 2011, so only a fraction of them had bad reactions resulting in ER treatment. Still, the authors say doctors need to weigh the benefits and risks before prescribing psychiatric medicines.

___

Online:

JAMA Psychiatry: http://jamapsychiatry.com

FDA: http://www.fda.gov

___

AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/LindseyTanner

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Jul 10

Are The Cards Stacked Against Self-Published Authors?

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I’m a huge admirer of literary fiction and of edgy, ground-breaking, literary fiction in particular: Nineteen Eighty-Four, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, The Jungle. The list goes on, but each work challenged (and continues to challenge) its readers to ask themselves probing questions and to examine every facet of human society, no matter how uncomfortable or controversial. Each was a risk. Each moved the mile-marker forward.

Nonetheless, had each made its debut in the new Millennium, would it have had the same impact? More to the point, would any of these authors have even been given the opportunity to have his book published (in the most traditional sense of the word) in today’s ultra-formulaic, play-it-safe society? Or would they — like so many of us who have strived to buck formula for originality and lost a chance at representation in the process — also have been forced into self-publishing? Browse the not-so-wide assortment of overly repetitive “new fiction” at your local or online retailer, and you might agree. It’s mostly fluff.

Granted, there are only seven basic plots (or one or three or 20 or 36, depending on which source you site), a point my Dad made repeatedly during the three years it took me to write my debut novel, The Life He Knew. “But,” he’d remind me just as frequently, “what’s really important is substance. That — and the courage to go against the grain.” Orwell had it. So did Huxley and Bradbury and Sinclair and the countless others who took up the pen to warn us about everything from totalitarianism to the once deplorable conditions of the Chicago meat-packing industry.

Investigations and sociological studies were launched based on these writings. The Pure Food and Drug Act was legislated. In some cases, the English language itself was affected. But that was then, and this is now, and now is when we see that those incredibly astute criticisms of emerging American (as well as non-American) censorship have been replaced with something else entirely: Monsters — monsters of near-mythic, superhero-like qualities. Monsters we’d rather date and/or sleep with then run away from. Monsters… that sell.

Call it a trending fixation. Call it a sort of wish fulfilment. Whatever it is, it encourages readers to imagine life as being grounded in something other than humanity. In the words of the 1987 cult movie, The Lost Boys: “Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It’s fun to be a vampire.”

Admittedly, that concept (perhaps more than any of its fictional competitors) has its appeal. Why face today’s problems — no matter how seemingly mundane or grating or overwhelming — when you can sprout fangs and simply fly away? Forget the abysmal job-market. Never mind that stagnant economy. Student loans? Health care? Don’t cast an eye to the future. Drink blood and be merry.

It’s escapism 101, perhaps one of the most profitable approaches to consumer entertainment of all time and the veritable antithesis to risk-taking. Still, although these monster-mash romances and supernatural trysts (not to mention highly bankable “zombie apocalypses”) may transport us to alternate worlds, they’re all printed here… and it’s in this realm that cold, hard cash reigns supreme. Agents, editors, publicists, publishers — they’re all spokes in the industry wheel — and nothing makes that wheel turn like a hit. Hence, the almost ceaseless bombardment of overly redundant, essentially profit-driven material.

It all makes sense in a “self-preservation” sort of way, but none of it allows for real, artistic license. I know. The Life He Knew incorporates a relatively minor deviation from the cookie-cutter-norm (in my book , it’s the ‘monsters’ who envy us — not the other way around), and yet it was met with an almost universally apathetic “meh” from traditional representation. It was disappointing, sure, but it also got me thinking about the authors I’d grown up reading and whether or not their amazingly profound, unequivocally brilliant material would fare much better in today’s market. I’d like to think they’d still outshine all comers, the way they did decades ago, but — in an industry where readership is on the decline, where physical books are rapidly being replaced with less costly, downloadable content, and where literary agents are more than hesitant to take a chance on an unknown — I’m not entirely sure that would be the case.

Perhaps, in this era of profit-margins, instant gratification, and shifting attention spans, thinking outside the box — and challenging others to think as a result — has become something of an afterthought in and of itself. Perhaps industry insiders (riddled with internet queries in a way their predecessors never were) have to put more emphasis on bankable, established entities than they do on discovering new talent, ripe with fresh vision. And, perhaps, some of this generation’s more entertaining and/or cautionary writers will remain undiscovered through no fault of their own. In a story as repetitive as the material the mainstream elite are peddling, they’ll slip through the cracks and be left to languish in the immensely over-populated nether realm that is self-publishing. Sloughing from one day to the next, with the odds of discovery perpetually stacked against them, while their Kickstarter funds quickly drain away, and as they struggle to differentiate themselves amidst a sea of competitors, they’ll be lucky to sell the 250 copies of their books their more “successful” peers reportedly average.

If that’s the case, then their anonymity is our loss. I only pray their inevitable frustration doesn’t lead to their giving up.

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Jul 10

Why Do We Find Sex More Shocking Than Violence?

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I get an interesting reaction when I tell people what I do for a living. “Erotica author” was initially the answer. The typical response was an aghast look, pale face, and a panicked attempt to change the subject. Now, with the publication of The Girl in 6E [Redhook, $20.00], a book that hop-scotches the line between sex and suspense, I could truthfully claim the answer “suspense author.” I tried that reply recently, sandwiched in a party of four, cheese-covered chip in hand, the raucous sounds of a basketball playoff game behind me. The answer earned me interested looks, a flurry of questions, and a long discussion about the life of an author and how I come up with book ideas. It was a refreshing change, but one that gave me pause.

Why is the topic of sex more uncomfortable than violence? Well, one might say indignantly, sex should be done in the privacy of one’s home, isn’t anyone’s business to discuss out in the open. Okay… but serial killing and rape are acceptable party conversations?

Somewhere along the line, sex became more than taboo. It became unmentionable. And the reading of such content became a covert activity, hidden from all and discussed by none, until the fabulous EL James changed that world dramatically for the better. Fifty Shades of Grey improved everything, in terms of social acceptable sexual discussions. Erotica is now, for the most part, tolerated. Tolerated but still shocking. The thrust of a man into a woman is still more offensive than a knife into a body. Even then, just reading that sentence – did your jaw drop? Did you squirm slightly in your seat?

I like being uncomfortable when reading. I like my boundaries to be pushed, my thoughts and feelings and emotions to be examined, questioned, by my mind’s interpretation of a page. Suspense has done it before. Has caused me to double-check my locks, not trust a strange man who approaches me in the supermarket. But erotica? It has yanked at the threads of my arousal. It has caused me to look at sexual acts and experiences in a completely different way. It has improved my marriage and opened up my thinking.

So, why is the topic of sex more uncomfortable than death? A few possibilities come to mind.

Prudes vs. Nudes. Is it still our society’s opinion that sex and nudity is wrong? A throwback to the time when we were young and a pointed finger and stern look were given, alongside the proclamation that “sex is bad.” Many of us are trained from birth that sex should not be discussed. Should be only between husband and wife. The beauty and variations of sex, its ability to bring pleasure… that discussion is better stuck on a dusty shelf where it will never be touched.

Have we matured as a society? Accepted that our place as independent adults allows us to throw aside our restrictions and embrace our own emotions and explorations on the subject? At a bare minimum, that we can read about sex and not be ashamed of it?

Violence, violence, everywhere. Perhaps our thick skin to literary violence is simply because we’ve become immune to it. Our minds don’t have to wander far when we read a slasher scene. We know what that looks like, the spray of blood, the face of a woman screaming. We are used to it that it loses its shock value. Sex, due to society’s restrictions on exposure, is still a coveted image. We are desensitized to the look of a scantily-clad woman, but still raw to the description of explicit sex, much more so than explicit violence.

We are who we read. Erotic fiction is designed to arouse. To allow us to put our minds into the body of another, to explore situations we ourselves might never partake in. In erotic fiction, our mind goes into overdrive. We picture the naked man standing before us, the view one that will never be shown by Hollywood. We put ourselves in the character’s skin, imagine ourselves as the one being touched, seduced, pleasured. It is a much more invasive read, one that, if correctly done, transports us into another world during the time in which the pages flip. Maybe that is why it is more shocking. Because it is, in some ways, a first-person experience rather than the less-immediate reading experience of a violent scene.

Why do we find sex more shocking than violence? I don’t know the certain answer to that question, I think it varies for every person. But I’ll still hold my head high when asked ‘what I do for a living’. I have reverted to my previous answer. I am an erotica author. And I absolutely love my job. One day, that will be embraced. And if it’s not? I’ll look on the bright side: maybe the forbiddance is what makes this genre so enjoyable.

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Jul 10

Two Years Ago This Guy Promised He'd Shave His Beard For His Grandma's 100th Birthday

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“Had a beard for 4 years. And for 4 years Grandma has disliked it,” says Scott Cleveland in his video description. “I promised I’d shave it for her 100th birthday.”

And shave it he did!

Watch the video above to see how happy it makes grandma on her birthday. She even gets to help out!

(h/t Reddit)

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Jul 10

Good News For Chris Christie

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The Republican Governors Association, a group led by possible presidential hopeful Chris Christie, will announce Thursday that it raised $26.6 million in the second quarter of 2014.

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Jul 10

These 6 Thinking Styles Will Help You Understand Your Peers (NEW BOOK)

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Have you ever been in a conversation and realized you weren’t connecting? You were making perfect sense, but the other person just wasn’t getting it. Wasn’t getting you.

We all tend to talk about things that energize us, but unless you can energize the other person, there’s little chance of making a connection. And without a solid connection, there’s no chance of a sale.

Using a psychological questionnaire, you can easily identify what energizes other people. But you can’t give your clients a personality test. You need to identify them on the fly — by how they speak and act. Once you’ve identified what energizes them, you need to communicate in a way that connects with them — that will help them understand you.

In our new book Never Be Closing, we identify the six most common thinking styles to help you understand how others see the world, how they relate to information, and what energizes them. Here, excerpted from the book, are clues to help you identify, communicate, and connect better with your clients, colleagues, and even your boss.

People energized by CONTEXT seek safety in facts. They distrust assumptions. They ask many clarifying questions. Before making decisions, they need to understand the situation, the data, and who else has weighed in. Don’t expect final decisions during the meeting. They need time to think things through.

What to look for:

  • Well-organized desk/office, few personal mementos

  • Credentials, certificates, mission statements

  • Neat, conservative dress

  • Concise emails, precise language, jargon, acronyms

  • Many clarifying “Why?” questions

How to communicate:

  • Stick to a printed agenda, with outcomes for each item

  • Expect to cover few items, but thoroughly

  • Confirm they are okay with agenda items before moving on

  • Offer detailed support: spec sheets, timetables, price lists

  • Take notes on follow-up data you need to supply

People energized by RESULTS like to be in control. They focus on strategies/outcomes, not tactics/process. They want to get down to business and resent time-wasters. They want accuracy, not detail. Be prepared to answer one of their most common questions: “Why are we here?”

What to look for:

  • Sparse desk, often in power position, little evidence of work

  • Framed family photos, few other personal items

  • Deliberate, careful dress

  • Concise emails, confident, directive language

  • “What will?” questions

How to communicate:

  • Have headline agenda, with brief objectives for each item

  • Link proposals to industry drivers/strategies

  • Discuss strategies/results, not tactics/processes

  • Be candid about costs, benefits, risks

  • Demonstrate you’ve used their time productively

People energized by IDEAS love playing with possibilities. They riff on connections, and may lose track of time as they explore them. They are comfortable with ambiguity, but bored by details. Because they have so many ideas, they may find it difficult to land on a single one.

What to look for:

  • Workspace filled with photos, articles, files, toys, books, games

  • Dress almost never conservative

  • Rapidly written emails with typos, exclamations

  • Jumping from topic to topic

  • “What if?”, “What else?” questions

How to communicate:

  • Start with overview of meeting rather than agenda

  • Emphasize big picture, not details

  • Use pictures, diagrams, sketches

  • Don’t force them to closure before they are ready

  • Give them time to incubate on ideas

People energized by PROCESS value step-by-step thinking. They enjoy tweaking things to make them work better. They like timetables and detailed plans. They value careful, precise language, but often don’t recognize that others may not get their technical jargon. They want measurable success criteria and are not persuaded by anecdotes or generalities.

What to look for:

  • Clean, functional desk, chair with back to door, facing computer

  • Neat, color-coded stacks of paper, diagrams, flowcharts, spreadsheets

  • Neat dress, often with pocket protectors, key chains, phone holsters

  • Factual emails, precise, technical language, facts/figures

  • “How?”, “When?”, “Where?” questions

How to communicate:

  • Refer to a logical written agenda

  • Give them an opportunity to compare plans and proposals

  • Leave time for them to ask questions

  • Answer questions with precise data, print support

  • Show backup plans, risk-mitigation strategies

People energized by ACTION seek security by exercising control. They tend to be decisive, and want to move to action quickly. They can be impatient when others think or act too slowly for them. They need progress feedback on projects. Because they are so busy, their meetings are often interrupted by calls or messages.

What to notice:

  • Desk cluttered with projects on-the-go, schedules, to-do lists

  • Mementos of achievements

  • Short emails with contractions, decisive, controlling language

  • Impatience, often cutting off other people’s statements

  • “When?”, “What’s next?” questions

How to communicate:

  • Avoid long explanations, detailed agendas

  • Use to-do list, visibly checking things off as you go

  • Stress that you or your team will check-in regularly

  • Focus on near-term progress and tactics over strategy

  • Don’t overstay your welcome

People energized by PEOPLE prefer to set the climate of meetings before discussing business. Small talk is important to them. They value human interaction above efficiency, and are bored by technical or financial intricacies. They are okay with meetings being interrupted by colleagues popping in. They may find it hard to end meetings.

What to notice:

  • Greeting with welcoming gestures, warm handshakes

  • Photos of family, friends, colleagues, group shots

  • Overt facial expressions, open body language

  • Emails with exclamations, emoticons, friendly, humorous language

  • Signs of informality, references to other people, personal touches

  • “Who?” questions

How to communicate:

  • Do not immediately offer an agenda

  • Warm up with small talk, comments about their workspace

  • Explain how your proposal will affect people they work with

  • Use informal, expressive words, phrases, body language

  • Ask about personal interests

Adapted from NEVER BE CLOSING: How to Sell Better Without Screwing Your Clients, Your Colleagues, or Yourself by Tim Hurson and Tim Dunne with permission of Portfolio, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright (c) Timothy Hurson and Timothy Dunne, 2014.

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Jul 10

Spotify Launch In Canada Imminent

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spotify apps

One of the most popular music streaming services out there is finally going to make an entrance in Canada. Spotify launch in Canada has now been confirmed. The service has put up a registration page for those who want to try the service before it is formally opened up to the public. They can submit their email addresses for a chance to get an invite to test Spotify in Canada prior to its public launch.

Spotify hasn’t said as yet when it intends to officially launch the service north of the border, so its unclear for how long these invited users will be able to try out the service prior to its launch.

The music streaming service had first hinted back in 2012 that it would expand in Canada however it didn’t make the move while its rivals such as Google Play Music, Rdio and Deezer wasted no time in catering to that market. Spotify now promises that it will provide an experience that is curated for local tastes and culture, so users can expect great local content and local curation of music discovery.

The Spotify app has already going live for iOS in the Canadian App Store, interested users can download it now and wait for their invite. Spotify says that it will gradually invite users to scale the service in the “most manageable way possible.”

Spotify Launch In Canada Imminent

, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

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Jul 10

Celebrities Tweet Reactions To Emmy Nominations

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Celebrities! They’re just like us, except some of them get awarded with Emmys. Here are a bunch of stars tweeting about this morning’s nomination ceremony:

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Jul 10

Apple Reportedly Starts Receiving ‘A’ Series Chips From TSMC

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iPhone 5s A7 chip 640x347

Time and time again it has been reported that Apple wants to diversify its supply chain and reduce its reliance on Samsung. The Korean juggernaut, which happens to be its biggest rival in the global market, provides displays and processors to Apple. Cupertino was reportedly leaning on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. or TSMC to start providing it with processors. A new report today claims that TSMC has now begun shipping “A” series processors, found in the company’s mobile devices, to Apple.

Citing people familiar with the matter the Wall Street Journal reports that the first batch of processors from TSMC was shipped in the second quarter. Another source claimed that both Apple and TSMC have agreed to work on more advanced mobile chips starting next year.

Its not like we didn’t see this coming. Apple formally contracted TSMC to start building chips for it last year, however 2013′s cache of mobile devices still carried Samsung-made processors because apparently TSMC wasn’t able to make chips fast enough. The manufacturer is now believed to have made improvements to its manufacturing process, allowing it to keep up with Apple’s demand and meet its strict requirements.

Apple now doesn’t solely have to rely upon Samsung for processors and by having another supplier onboard the company will have leverage in price negotiations with other suppliers in the future.

For TSMC the obvious advantage is that of having Apple as a customer and the company’s large orders are expected to account for 10 percent of TSMC entire yearly revenue in 2014.

Apple Reportedly Starts Receiving ‘A’ Series Chips From TSMC

, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

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Jul 10

Dov Charney's Sleazy Struggle For Control Of American Apparel

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When I first reach Dov Charney on June 24, he’s scrambling to raise money, find a partner, try anything to get his company back. His handpicked board of directors had ousted him from American Apparel six days earlier following an investigation that turned up several instances of alleged misconduct. “They’re concerned that an unconventional leader somehow damages the company’s chances of success. But a contrarian, alternative-thinking CEO can bring creative ideas that advance the company, even the industry,” he says. “Oh wait, got to take this.” He hangs up.

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