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Christmas Gift Idea - Mindflex Game - For Ages 8 - 15

CLEVELAND, Oh., Nov.6 (TOTI) --

With Christmas just around the corner, it comes as no surprise that many people are already searching for the perfect gifts for their loved ones. If you're looking for a unique and fun Christmas present for someone age 8 - 15, the Mindflex Game is something that they'll enjoy for hours on end.

The Mindflex Game combines advanced technology with the power of the mind and enables players to compete in mental marathons. The game features a headset that monitors brainwaves and allows players to control the movements of a levitating foam ball. The game also includes a number of hoops, funnels and hurdles so Mindflex players can design obstacle courses to challenge their telekinesis abilities.

Mindflex is for one to four players. The game requires 4 C batteries and 3 AAA batteries (not included) and a screwdriver for light assembly.

Since this game contains smaller parts that could pose a choking hazard, it's not recommended for younger players and isn't for children 3 or under.

Mindflex is available at online retailer Amazon.com and other fine game retailers.

FDA warns about sex enhancement product

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 (UPI) --

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about a sexual enhancement dietary supplement found to be contaminated.

The FDA said Stiff Nights, a product marketed as a dietary supplement for sexual enhancement, contains an illegal ingredient that can dangerously lower blood pressure.

In the case of Stiff Nights, following a consumer complaint, the FDA determined that the product contains sulfoaildenafil, officials said in a statement This is a chemical similar to sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra. Sulfoaildenafil may interact with prescription drugs known as nitrates, including nitroglycerin, and cause dangerously low blood pressure.

Stiff Night is distributed on Internet sites and at retail stores by Impulsaria LLC of Grand Rapids, Mich. It is sold in bottles containing 6, 12 or 30 red capsules or in blister packs containing one or two capsules.

Because this product is labeled as an 'all natural dietary supplement,' consumers may assume it is harmless and poses no health risk, said Deborah Autor, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Office of Compliance. In fact, this product is illegally marketed and can cause serious complications.

The FDA advises consumers who have experienced any adverse events from sexual enhancement products to consult a health care professional. Consumers should report adverse events to the FDA's MedWatch program at 800-332-1088 or online at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm.

Norway makes WTO complaint against EU seal product ban

OSLO (AFP) --

Norway filed an official complaint Thursday at the World Trade Organisation against a European Union ban on imported seal products, saying it violated trade rules.

The non-EU Scandinavian country's complaint came three days after a similar move by Canada.

"In our view, the EU decision is contrary to WTO rules on a number of key points," Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a statement.

"We will not let this go uncontested," he added.

The 27 EU states this year adopted a ban on seal products, ruling the goods could not be marketed in the EU nations starting in 2010.

Exceptions were made for products not sold for profit and products coming from the Inuit hunt.

Canada, the world's largest seal product producer with a quota of 338,000 kills per season, officially complained to the WTO on Monday, also saying the ban was a violation of international trade rules.

Norway authorised the killing of 42,000 seals last year, judging that the cull was necessary to help protect fish stocks.

It has insisted that its hunting methods are the most regulated in the world and has proposed that the EU work together with seal-hunting countries to ensure that proper methods are used.

Norwegian seal hunters are only authorised to use rifles and a "hakapik," a kind of pickaxe, in order to "inflict the least amount of suffering as possible on the animals," according to the government.

The ax is used to knock the seals out before they are dismembered. But critics contend that dismembering sometimes occurs when the animals are still conscious.

Productivity beats expectations in 3rdQ

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 (UPI) --

The U.S. Labor Department said non-farm productivity shot up in the third quarter faster than it has in six years, growing 9.5 percent on an annual basis.

In the second quarter, productivity rose 6.4 percent, which was at the time the biggest increase since the third quarter of 2003, when it rose 9.7 percent.

The consensus forecast for the third quarter was a 6.3 percent rise. The report put the figure 3.2 percentage points higher than that.

Meanwhile, output increased 4 percent, while work hours fell 5 percent. Unit labor costs, the price of labor per units produced, dropped 5.2 percent.

It was the third consecutive month in which labor costs dropped. Non-labor costs, however, rose 10 percent following an 8.5 percent increase in the second quarter.

Bodybuilding.com recalls 65 products

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (UPI) --

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the recall of 65 products sold online by Bodybuilding.com that might contain steroids.

The FDA said the voluntary nationwide and international recalls were initiated by Bodybuilding.com LLC of Boise, Idaho, of all lots and expiration dates of the dietary supplements that might contain ingredients that are or should be classified as steroids, such as Superdrol, Madol, Tren, Androstenedione, and Turinabol.

The FDA said the use of steroid-containing products can result in acute liver injury, among other adverse health consequences that include male infertility and increased risk of heart attack, stroke and death.

Bodybuilding.com officials said they agreed to the recall despite receiving assurances from all of the manufacturers that the recalled products were properly classified as dietary supplements in compliance with federal law, and did not contain any unlawful ingredient.

Consumers with questions can contact the company at 866-236-8417.

A list of the recall products is available at http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=120131111.

Manufacturing turns to leaner production

NEW YORK, Nov. 2 (UPI) --

U.S. workers have more than the economy to fear as employers work towards improved efficiencies that cut back on the need for labor, a private study showed.

A survey conducted by RSM McGladrey found 61 percent of manufacturers were turning to lean production practices which creates smoother flow in factories and cuts down on excess inventory, USA Today reported Monday.

Manufacturing has lost 2 million jobs during the recession and production is down 14 percent. Even so, mattress maker Sealy, which adopted a lean production strategy five years ago, found net sales down 14 percent in the third quarter compared to July through September a year ago, while its gross profit margin rose from 40.5 percent to 41.8 percent.

Nationally, productivity per labor hour rose 4.9 percent in the second quarter, the sharpest gain since 2005. Much of that is due to lean manufacturing, IHS Global Insight economist Brian Bethune said.

Report: Goldman bet against own products

NEW YORK, Nov. 1 (UPI) --

U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs didn't disclose it was making secret bets against its own toxic mortgage securities, McClatchy News Service reported Sunday.

Goldman's undisclosed hedges against losses from the more than $40 billion in securities backed by at least 200,000 risky home mortgages it sold in 2006 and 2007 enabled it to pass most of its potential losses on to customers such as pension funds before the housing bubble collapsed, but they may have violated securities laws, McClatchy reported.

The Securities and Exchange Commission should be very interested in any financial company that secretly decides a financial product is a loser and then goes out and actively markets that product or very similar products to unsuspecting customers without disclosing its true opinion, Boston University economic Professor Laurence Kotlikoff told the news service. This is fraud and should be prosecuted.

Columbia University law Professor John Coffee said bankers have much freedom to manage their assets, but added, It would look much more damaging if it appeared that the firm was dumping these investments because it saw them as toxic waste and virtually worthless.

Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman's chairman and chief executive, declined McClatchy's requests to be interviewed.

BHP Billiton posts record iron ore production

SYDNEY (AFP) --

The world's biggest mining company BHP Billiton Wednesday announced record iron ore production for the quarter, but said a clear picture on demand from major market China had yet to emerge.

The Anglo-Australian group said output of the key steel-making ingredient rose 11 percent over the previous quarter to 30.1 million tonnes for the three months ending September 30 and was up 1.0 percent over the same period in 2008.

"Production was higher than the June 2009 quarter, reflecting improved performance at Western Australia Iron Ore and all three pellet plants at Samarco (Brazil) operating since July 2009," BHP said in a statement.

BHP Billiton said there had been increasingly positive news across most economies, with China experiencing robust economic growth due to strong domestic demand and stimulus spending.

"China's re-stock of commodities is essentially complete and there is now evidence of higher than normal stockpiles across the supply chain," it said.

"We continue to look for Chinese imports to more closely reflect real demand over the remainder of 2009 calendar year."

The iron ore production figure failed to meet some analysts' expectations, particularly after rival Rio Tinto earlier this month said its output for the same quarter was up 12 percent compared with a year earlier.

"I thought it might surprise on the upside and it didn't do that," ABN AMRO analyst Warren Edney told Dow Jones Newswires.

BHP Billiton also said it achieved record petroleum production -- up 18 percent over the September 2008 quarter to 41.2 million barrels of oil equivalent -- due to the success of projects in the US and Western Australia.

FDA warns about H1N1 product claims

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 (UPI) --

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned a Web site about selling supplements that claim to prevent the spread of the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus.

The FDA said it joined with the Federal Trade Commission in sending the warning letter -- the first to be issued jointly by the agencies -- advising the owners of the site that they must discontinue the fraudulent marketing of their product or face legal action.

FDA and FTC officials urged consumers to be cautious of promotions or Internet sites offering products that claim to diagnose, prevent, mitigate, treat or cure the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. Fraudulent H1N1 influenza products come in many varieties, including dietary supplements, as well as products purporting to be drugs, medical devices or vaccines.

Products that are offered for sale with claims to diagnose, prevent, mitigate, treat or cure the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus must be carefully evaluated, said FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg. Unless these products are proven to be safe and effective for the claims that are made, it is not known whether they will prevent the transmission of the virus or offer effective remedies against infection. Furthermore, they can make matters worse by providing consumers with a false sense of protection.

Salted herring product is recalled

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 (UPI) --

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the nationwide recall of Herring Salted, a product of Russia, due to improper processing.

The FDA said TGF Production LLC of New York initiated the recall because the product was found to be improperly eviscerated.

The recalled herring was distributed nationwide in 2.86-pound round plastic containers with the code numbers 24.08.09 and 13.07.09.

Uneviscerated fish is likely to be bacterially contaminated because Clostridium botulinum spores are more likely to be concentrated in the viscera than any other portion of the fish, officials said, and uneviscerated fish have been linked to outbreaks of botulism poisoning -- a serious and potentially fatal illness.

Consumers who have purchased the salted herring are advised not to eat it and should return it to the place of purchase. Consumers with questions can contact the company at 646-546-584.

H1N1 vaccine production lags by 25 percent

ATLANTA, Oct. 16 (UPI) --

U.S. health authorities said vaccine production for the H1N1 influenza virus is running behind by about 25 percent, or 10 million doses.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had been expecting to have around 40 million doses of the vaccine for H1N1, also known as swine flu, prepared by the end of October, but current estimates suggest only 28 million to 30 million doses will be ready by that time, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said the delays are related to the method of creating antigen, the main component of the vaccine, from eggs. She said the process is not as effective with H1N1 as it is with the seasonal flu.

Vaccine production is pretty complex, and it is taking a bit longer than we would hope, she said.

Schuchat said Friday officials have documented widespread H1N1 activity in 41 states, up from 37 states last week, and officials in the remaining states have reported regional or local cases of the virus. She said the level of influenza activity is unprecedented for this time of year.

That's very high at any time, but particularly in October, Schuchat said.

Industrial production rose in September

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (UPI) --

U.S. industrial production rose 0.7 percent in September, following a gain of 1.2 percent in August, the Federal Reserve said Friday.

The third quarter posted a gain of 5.2 percent, the first quarter with a net gain since the first quarter of 2008, the Fed said.

Manufacturing output increased 0.9 percent in September over August, pushed by a 0.5 percent increase in automobile production.

Mining output rose 0.7 percent, while output from utilities dropped 0.7 percent.

Taking a longer perspective, production reached 98.5 percent of its 2002 average, which was 6.1 percent lower than the same month a year ago.

In September, capacity utilization -- output compared to production at full capacity -- rose to 70.5 percent, which is 10.4 percentage points below its 1972 through 2008 average, the Fed said.

US industrial production jumps in September

WASHINGTON (AFP) --

US industrial production jumped higher than expected in September, the third straight monthly gain, the Federal Reserve reported Thursday amid signs of a reviving manufacturing sector.

Output at the nation's factories, mines and utilities rose 0.7 percent after an upwardly revised gain of 1.2 percent in August, the US central bank said in a report.

Most economists had forecast a 0.2 percent rise. The previous figure showed August production growing at a slower rate of 0.8 percent.

For the third quarter as a whole, output advanced at an annual rate of 5.2 percent, the first quarterly gain since the first quarter of 2008 and the largest gain since the first quarter of 2005, the Fed said.

The American industrial sector is leading the recovery from recession as consumer spending and other areas of the economy lagged, analysts say.

The United States has been reeling from a recession since December 2007 and most economists expect the economy to expand for the first time in a year in the third quarter.

Study: When conflict is unproductive

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 15 (UPI) --

Conflict is avoidable when parties agree peace is preferable but the impatience of a perceived winner over a likely loser may be key, U.S. researchers say.

Michele Boldrin and David Levine, both of Washington University in St. Louis, examined the dynamics of conflict and the problem of time consistency. The study authors asked, If a potential loser agrees to a concession, what guarantees are there that more demands are not then made?

The study authors said in the baseline case of common beliefs and identical time preferences, if the size of indivisibility is sufficiently small, conflict can always be avoided by a series of small concessions, with both parties recognizing that there will be additional concessions in the future.

The presence of indivisibilities in the allocation of resources or in the making of concessions can also impede the likelihood of harmonious outcomes, the researchers said.

The authors said appeasement can be a good plan. When choice is possible -- trade should be chosen over conflict.

Boldrin and Levine concluded that a combination of common knowledge and a common rate of time preference allow a potential loser to use small concessions to successfully appease an expected winner.

The findings are published in Economic Inquiry.

GM's 2010 production estimate panned

DETROIT, Oct. 12 (UPI) --

U.S. auto market analysts said General Motors Co. may have eyes bigger than its stomach for 2010, estimating production at 2.8 million vehicles.

The production figure announced by GM is about 1 million more vehicles than it expects to make in 2009, the Detroit Free Press reported Monday.

Analysts were concerned GM would overproduce and have to drop prices below profitable levels to move cars off of dealership lots -- a criticism GM has endured in the past.

I don't see what they're thinking, said Dave Cutting, senior manager at J.D. Power and Associates, a noted auto research firm.

Has GM, not having learned a lesson from the past 20 years, going to go after market share at the expense of profits and price? asked Chris Ceraso, an analyst with Credit Suisse.

GM spokesman John McDonald said, It's clearly not the old GM. After going through bankruptcy and closing plants this year, we don't have overcapacity, which is what caused the problem before, he said.

GM believes the market will expand 15 percent next year over 2009 and that the company will hold its 20 percent market share. Real simple math, said Mark LaNeve, outgoing vice president of GM's U.S. sales.

Skin hydration product unveiled by Baxter

DEERFIELD, Ill., Oct. 8 (UPI) --

Baxter International Inc. of Deerfield, Ill., says it has developed a new skin hydration product for children and infants that works subcutaneously.

The Chicago Tribune said Wednesday the medical product company unveiled its new Hylenex system that operates by allowing intravenous fluids to be administered under the skin instead of through more traditional intravenous therapy.

Healthcare professionals said traditional IV efforts involve finding a patient's vein, occasionally leading to multiple attempts due to vein size or patient factors.

Skin hydration is vital during cold and flu season in the United States as more than two million children visit emergency rooms nationwide each year due to dehydration concerns.

Hylenex exemplifies Baxter's ongoing commitment to innovation and introducing products that help to improve the treatment experience and overall standard of care -- in this case for parents, patients and caregivers alike, Camille Farhat, general manager of Baxter pharmaceuticals and technologies, said of the company's new product.

The Tribune said Baxter International is hoping for as much as $200 million in annual sales initially for its Hylenex product.

Some plum products have high lead levels

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 2 (UPI) --

Some imported brands of dried plums, including Casa De Dulce Salted Plum Suckers, have elevated levels of lead, Texas health officials said.

Most of the plum products are sold as salted or candied treats in Hispanic and Asian markets, the Texas Department of State Health Services said in a release Friday.

Test results from a state laboratory in Austin, Texas, showed the dried plum products contained lead levels ranging from 0.11 parts per million to 30.3 parts per million, department spokesman Doug McBride said.

While lead should not be consumed in any amount, the Texas study used federal guidelines with a maximum of 0.1 parts per million for candy as a guide in assessing the lead levels in the dried plum products, McBride said.

The products shown to have elevated lead levels included the Salted Plum Suckers, Ka Po Preserved Plum from Wan Tom Food Co. LTD, Preserved Liquoriced Prune in a heart shaped box from Roxy Trading Co., Little Gregory's Chinese Candy and Salados salted dried plums from Hinojosa Brothers, health officials said.

GM ending production of Saturn brand

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., Sept. 30 (UPI) --

General Motors Co. said it would end production of the 19-year old Saturn brand after Michigan's Penske Automotive Group Inc. ended talks on rescuing the car.

Penske said Wednesday it had terminated talks with GM over the possible purchase -- essentially the rescue -- of Saturn after a deal with another manufacturer to supply Saturn vehicles for Penske to sell had been rejected.

GM had put Saturn on the chopping block, along with Hummer and its European brands Opel and Vauxhall, as a prolonged sales slump amid a recession led to the company filing for bankruptcy protection this summer.

Penske announced its intentions to forge a Saturn rescue plan in June, but said Wednesday that concerns directly related to the future supply of vehicles had ended the effort.

GM had agreed to a supply Penske with Saturn for a limited time. Penske, not naming the third party, said negotiations with a manufacturer for future supplies was rejected by that manufacturer's board of directors.

GM Chief Executive Officer Fritz Henderson called the turn of events disappointing.

The collapse of the deal threatens 13,000 jobs and about 350 Saturn dealerships, CNNMoney.com reported.

Japan's auto production slump eases further

TOKYO (AFP) --

Toyota Motor announced on Monday its first year-on-year rise in overseas production in 13 months as Japan's auto giants slowly get back on track after the worst recession in decades.

Toyota's smaller rival Nissan also saw the first increase in domestic sales since July 2008, while demand for Honda vehicles rose for a second straight month, helped by government incentives for people to buy new cars.

Toyota Motor, the world's biggest automaker, said its global production fell 8.7 percent year-on-year in August to 508,673 vehicles, but that was better than a 20.1 percent drop in July.

Outside of Japan its output rose 4.7 percent from a year earlier to 309,589 vehicles, while domestic sales went up 9.5 percent to 92,621.

Nissan Motor said its global production dropped 13.7 percent in August year-on-year to 217,954 vehicles, against a 15.9 percent drop in July.

But global sales were just 0.2 percent lower than a year earlier at 299,400 vehicles and domestic sales gained 0.8 percent to 40,925 vehicles.

Honda Motor's global production was down 16.6 percent last month from a year earlier to 246,403 vehicles, after a 24.3 percent slump in July.

But its production in Asia and China set all-time records and domestic sales rose 4.2 percent to 40,720 vehicles, the company said.

Vehicle sales in Japan rose in August from a year earlier for the first time in 13 months, an automobile dealers' association has reported.

Domestic auto sales had fallen to a 38-year low in the business year to March 2009 as the global economic slump weighed on consumer sentiment.

The popularity of fuel-efficient vehicles, helped by government tax breaks, is helping to re-energise ailing world auto markets.

In the United States, Toyota's Corolla, Camry and Prius were some of the top-selling cars under Washington's "cash-for-clunkers" programme that offered customers cash for trading gas-guzzlers but ended last month.

Major Japanese automakers have suffered losses or sharply reduced earnings because of a slump in sales, prompting thousands of jobs cuts.

Toyota said earlier this month that it would hire about 800 temporary workers, in another sign of life slowly returning to the troubled industry.

Airbus could cut production: director

TOULOUSE, France (AFP) --

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus could cut production if airlines continue to face financial difficulties, its managing director Fabrice Bregier said on Friday.

Bregier told a business conference here that the global economic slide had already affected output, with Airbus next month planning to scale back production of its medium-haul A320 to 34 per month from 36. The company had hoped to turn out 40 a month.

"There is no reason to think there will be a new reduction in output," he said, "but we must be vigilant."

"We have to consider the situation of companies that are causing us concern for the second half of 2010. We have to work with them to find solutions. There is still time to adjust production."

Airbus president Thomas Enders said in an interview last week with the Wall Street Journal that a new production cut could not be ruled out.

Bregier acknowledged that it would be "extremely difficult" to meet the company target of 300 orders this year. Airbus to date has received 125 orders since January.

But he described the expected failure to hit the order target this year as "secondary."

The manufacturer currently has overall orders for 3,500 aircraft, he said.

"What matters is to avoid losing orders and to maintain an acceptable pace of deliveries in 2010."

Airbus is planning on 480 deliveries this year, the same as in 2008.