Month: May 2014

California lawmakers on Wednesday rejected a bill that would require labels on foods made with genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the second time in two years such legislation has failed to take hold in the state. Proponents of the bill had sought to make California the second state in the country after Vermont to require GMO labeling, but the measure failed to pass the state Senate by two votes. Democratic Senator Noreen Evans, the bill's author, was planning to push a reconsideration vote on Thursday before the end of the legislative session. The bill would require all distributors who sell food in California to label the product if any of the ingredients have been genetically engineered.

By Jennifer Chaussee SACRAMENTO Calif. (Reuters) – A bill to lure filmmakers into California with tax incentives passed unanimously in the state Assembly on Wednesday, bringing the state a step closer to extending and increasing existing tax credits for the entertainment industry.   Certain television shows, major feature films and independent films would have access to a larger pool of increased tax breaks under the measure, which has received bipartisan support since it was proposed in February. Republican Assembly member Scott Wilk, who co-authored the bill, has promoted the measure as a way to create and retain jobs by sweetening the pot for the film industry, which he said has been migrating outside of California since the late 1990s because of better tax credits offered elsewhere.

By Christina Farr SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Samsung Electronics Co Ltd moved deeper into the wearable technology market on Wednesday as it unveiled a wristband that it claims can give a range of real-time health and fitness information. At a press event in San Francisco, the world’s biggest handset maker announced Simband, a new “investigational” device that can be used to measure body temperature, blood oxygen levels, motion and other metrics on a continuous basis. The prototype “smart” band is not intended to be sold as is but serve as a “foundation” for third party developers to build a device that incorporates “optical, acoustic and electronic sensors,” Samsung’s vice president of digital health Ram Fish said. “We want to bring in talent from the outside,” said Young Sohn, president and chief strategy officer for Samsung Electronics’ Device Solutions.

President Barack Obama will host a conference highlighting the risks of head injuries to young athletes on Thursday, seeking to use the power of his office to promote awareness of ways to avoid and treat concussions, White House officials said. The event will assemble representatives of professional and collegiate sports, athletes, coaches, researchers and children, the officials added. "The president is a big sports fan," said White House communications director Jennifer Palmieri. "There's not enough that we know about concussions and how they relate to young athletes." The four major professional U.S. sports leagues, governing football, baseball, hockey and basketball, bring in about $23 billion in revenue each year and sales of sports equipment in the United States are valued at $42 billion annually.

Food and dieting are very popular topics in relation to obesity. … expressed that media obsessions with food and health, low fat diets, and weight loss …