Again, Logical Fallacies in Defense of Conflicts of Interest: a Rebuttal to Rothman et al Appears in JACC

Earlier this year, a remarkable commentary in JAMA suggested major reconsideration of the relationships among professional medical associations (PMAs) and health care corporations.(1) Because of the influence of PMAs on clinical care, education, research, and policy, Rothman et al suggested that these organizations sever most of their financial ties to corporations such as pharmaceutical, device, and biotechnology companies. The authors suggested that the only acceptable payments to PMAs from these companies are those for advertising in publications that is clearly labeled as such, and advertising exhibits in meetings, again that is clearly labeled. Furthermore, the authors suggested that people with current or recent (within the last two years) relationships with such corporations ought not to serve as officers or trustees of PMAs, and ought not to serve on program or practice guideline committees. Rothman et al thus suggested that professional medical associations return to their roots, to be advocates for their physician members, and those members’ core values, not marketers of drugs and devices, and promoters of the interests of health care corporations.<br /><br />The Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) just published the first rebuttal of Rothman et al to appear in a peer-reviewed journal, written by Dr Alfred A Bove, President of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), one of the more influential PMAs.(2) Dr Bove contended that there is nothing wrong with the current relationships among corporations and PMAs, and PMAs should be free to relate to health care corporations any way they want. Dr Bove also asserted that “the assumptions that lead to ... [Rothman and colleagues’] conclusions can be challenged on many fronts.” However, in my humble opinion, Dr Bove supported these contentions with logical fallacies, rather than evidence and logic.<br /><br /><strong>Appeals to Authority, Fear, and Pity</strong><br /><br />Early on, Dr Bove used a striking set of <a href="http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/appeal-to-authority.html">appeals to authority</a>. (Note that his relevant quotes below appear <em>in italics</em>.)<br /><br /><em>“There is no comment about trust or virtue as a characteristic of the medical profession.”</em><br /><br /><em>“We are not to be bribed by a cheap pen or a free lunch.”</em><br /><br /><em>“The authors' assumptions imply that physicians as a group are not responsible people, yet physicians are among the most responsible professionals.”<br /></em><br />These appear to be appeals to the traditional authority of the medical profession. Dr Bove simply asserts that physicians are inherently virtuous and deserving of trust, and thus no one could question the virtue of the profession.<br /><br />He then compounded these appeals to authority with a veiled appeal to fear.<br /><br /><em>“The authors' assumption that the worst behavior is the average behavior of all physicians insults the profession.”</em><br /><br />As noted below, Rothman et al did not make this assumption, so the appeal in turn rests on a straw man argument. This appears to be <a href="http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/appeal-to-fear.html">an appeal to fear </a>in that an “insulted” profession might be expected to take action, legal or otherwise, to avenge the insult. It also could be a form of <a href="http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/appeal-to-pity.html">an appeal to pity</a>, in that the reader might be inclined to pity the poor “insulted” physicians.<br /><br /><strong>Straw Man Arguments</strong><br /><br />The bulk of the editorial consisted of a string of straw man arguments. A <a href="http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/straw-man.html">straw man </a>argument propounds a distorted, exaggerated, or misrepresented version of his opponent’s argument, and then attacks it, rather than his opponent’s actual argument.<br /><br /><em>“The sole source for support of PMAs could only come from government or foundation grants....”<br /></em><br />Actually, Rothman et al included membership dues, and by implication, meeting registration fees, journal subscription fees etc as acceptable sources of support.<br /><br /><em>“The article implies that all physicians who receive support from industry will forever be biased to support the products of the related pharmaceutical or device company.”</em><br /><br />Actually, Rothman et al seemed to assume that conflicts of interest might affect someone for up to two years, but not forever. Thus, they suggested that board members should be “conflict free for a 2-year period before assuming the position.”<br /><br />[The Rothman article] <em>“also implies that industry does not work for the best interests of patients or the better [sic] public good, but only for profit.”</em><br /><br />Actually, Rothman et al stated “the pharmaceutical and medical device industries make important contributions to medical progress. Their role in the development and testing of new compounds and instruments is essential for the diagnosis and treatment of disease and disability.”<br /><br /><em>“First, to assume that physicians would not be responsible for providing the best care for their patients after being associated with an industry study or consultation is inappropriate. The authors cited isolated examples of errant physicians who received large sums of money from industry and then promoted their products. They presume that all physicians are represented by these few—that we all have a price.”</em><br /><br />Actually, Rothman et al did not discuss any particular cases of “errant physicians.” What Rothman suggested was that gifts, even of “modest value,” can bias decision making, and that the receipt itself of the gift may itself be influential. However, if even modest gifts have some influence, it is logical that large financial transactions might have major influence.<br /><br /><em>“Society understands that reward drives innovation, so expecting a financial gain from a commercial medical enterprise is not wrong. In fact, it is the only way that new ideas will move from the laboratory to the public good. Using public funds for manufacture and distribution would add an enormous burden to government costs and, based on past experience, would be unproductive.” </em><br /><br />Rothman et al were not remotely suggesting nationalizing the drug and device industries.<br /><br /><em>“If one of us has an idea for a new device and needs industry to help refine its design, fund its development and manufacture, and establish its value by animal and clinical studies, this process should be honored, not condemned. Will the government fund the development of the next new drug? Would the government have funded the development and manufacture of an implantable pacemaker?”</em><br /><br />At the most, Rothman et al recommended not allowing physicians who are paid by companies in conjunction with their development work to serve as top leaders, and on certain committees of PMAs. They never broadly “condemned” physicians who work with industry to develop devices.<br /><br /><em>“Governments have not shown an interest in funding the development of new drugs and devices. Industry raises the funds, takes the risks, and should reap the rewards for its role in creating a better life for our patients.”</em><br /><br />Actually, governments have helped development considerably by funding much of the underlying basic science research. Again, Rothman et were not remotely suggesting nationalization of drug development.<br /><br /><strong>Summarizing the Arguments</strong><br /><br />So Dr Bove ended up by warning that the suggestions Rothman et al made about reducing institutional conflicts of interest affecting professional medical societies, and individual conflicts of interest affecting their leaders would “destroy the best of what we have in our science and industry,” that is, destroy biomedical and clinical science, and lead to nationalization of important forms of medical production. None of that was suggested or implied by Rothman et al. After positing this dire future, Dr Bove then asserted that professional societies ought to be entitled to money from industry limited only by their “professionalism.” Thus, “industry should be able to support unbiased programs aimed at educating physicians and other health care providers about the therapies available for the care of their patients. Professional societies should be able to receive unconditional educational grants to provide up-to-date information to their members on medical therapies.” Furthermore, “the proper relationships should allow us to work with industry and allow our professional societies to receive undesignated funds from industry to foster better patient care.” So, Dr Bove wound up where he started, asserting that doctors and professional societies are inherently virtuous, and thus should be trusted to do whatever they think is right, without any external scrutiny or accountability. Yet he never demonstrated the virtue of the ACC under his leadership, or of PMAs in general, or showed why they should be trusted.<br /><br />Why did the president of one of the nation’s most important medical associations publicly make such poor arguments to support his organization's current financial relationships with health care corporations? I can only speculate, but there may be some clues found by looking at what is publicly known about the current relationships of the ACC and its leaders to health care corporations.<br /><br /><strong>Publicly Disclosed Relationships Among the ACC and Its Leaders and Health Care Corporations</strong><br /><br />My sources for these clues were a <a href="http://www.acc.org/about/overview/industry%20support%20revenue%20sources%20detail%202%2011%2008%20(revised%207%2031%2008%2016h00).pdf">report</a> on the ACC web-site on its relationships with health care corporations (through 2007), and the form 990s that the ACC is and the highly related ACC Foundation are required to file with the US Internal Revenue Service. (The form 990s are publicly available from GuideStar with a free membership. The ACC form is <a href="http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments//2007/311/781/2007-311781555-04a0f423-9O.pdf">here</a>, the ACCF, <a href="http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments//2007/135/641/2007-135641985-0494dd32-9.pdf">here</a>.)<br /><br />Perhaps unsurprisingly, it turns out that the ACC gets a large proportion of its income from industry. In 2007, it acknowledged receiving <strong><em>$35,882,095.15</em></strong> from industry. The largest categories of industry support were "promotional/quality program support," $12,664,650; "charitable contributions," $7,603,639; and "exhibits" at meetings, $7,318,807; and "educational grants," $5,084,600. The total revenues of the ACC (which include the ACC Foundation), were $94,560,000, so that industry support accounted for <em><strong>38% of total revenue</strong></em>. These figures should be compared to the revenue the society received from membership dues (found on its 990 form), $11,995,056, and the income it claimed from its annual scientific session, $8,400,632. So to put it another way, the ACC got about <em>three times as much money from industry as it got from its members' dues,</em> and almost twice as much money from industry as it got from dues and its annual meeting combined.<br /><br />So were the suggestions made by Rothman et al to be implemented by the ACC, it would stand to lose at least $28 million a year (given that in 2007, about $1 million of its industry revenue was from advertising , and about $ 7.3 million was from exhibits at meetings.)<br /><br />The organization's lavish revenues have allowed it to pay its full-time managers very well. In 2007, its CEO received $534,452 in total compensation; its general counsel, about $394,000; and its CFO, about $336,000. It seems obvious that were the organization to foreswear industry revenue, the organization's top full-time managers would be unable to continue to live in the style to which they are now accustomed to.<br /><br />In addition, the organization's form 990 reveals that it pays its supposedly voluntary officers and some of its trustees substantial amounts as well. In 2007, it paid its president $147,750; its president-elect, $80,000; its two immediate past presidents, $79,500 and $70,000; its vice president (at that time, Dr Bove), $63,751; its treasurer, $32,500; its secretary for the board of governors, $52,500; its board of governors chair-elect, $25,000; its immediate past board of governors chair, $25,000; and some trustees amounts from $1000 to $20,520.<br /><br />To my knowledge, it is unusual for a professional society to pay salaries to its voluntary officers (as opposed to full-time, hired managers.) However, given that the ACC does, it seems that were the organization to foreswear industry revenue, its officers' personal income might be threatened to some extent.<br /><br />Finally, Dr Bove has his own personal financial relationships with industry. Some were <a href="http://www.cardiosource.com/ACCELaudio/policies.asp">disclosed</a> because of his role on ACCs Cardiosource editorial board, including "Consultant Fees/Honoraria: Insight Telehealth Inc,""Research/Research Grants: Astella Pharma, INC," and "Royalty Income: Elsevier." In addition, in a 2008 article(3), he disclosed receiving speakers fees from Medical Seminars, Inc, and serving as a consultant to Vasocom Inc. For a 2009 conference, he also <a href="http://www.acc.org/education/programs/brochures/tct_09disclosure.pdf">disclosed</a> "modest" equity interests in Cardiovascular Therapeutics, and Merck.<br /><br />So, in summary, it seems that the ACC gets a very substantial portion of its revenue from health care corporations, and that were it to carry out the suggestions of Rothman et al, it would lose much of that revenue. Thus, it is not surprising that ACC leadership would take exception to Rothman and colleagues' point of view. This is not the first time that an ACC president has defeneded the organization's dependence on industry funding (see post<a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2008/10/another-industry-supported-physician.html"> here</a>). However, as I said in that post,<br /><br /><br /><blockquote><br />My questions are how could a society which requires such a substantial proportion, 38% of funding from commercial sponsors ignore the preferences of the sponsors for particular topics and content areas? How could such a society dare to allow criticism of the sponsors, their products, or their activities? Knowing that the society is dependent on this level of support, could society leaders really hold industry representatives at arms' length? Knowing that industry supplies more than one-third of their salaries, would society staff really keep industry outside of some bureaucratic, but not concrete 'firewall?'<br /></blockquote><br /><br />In addition, it now seems the ostensibly voluntary officers of the ACC may have a personal stake in the ACCs receipt of health care corporate funding, since it is the apparent policy of the organization to pay these officers five- and six-figure salaries. Dr Bove did not disclose this apparent conflict of interest, nor did he disclose his other personal financial relationships with industry. As we have noted before, people with conflicts of interest tend to have trouble making coherent, logical and evidence-based arguments for positions related to their conflicts. As Joe Collier wrote in the BMJ, "people who have conflicts of interest often find giving clear advice (or opinions) particularly difficult. "(4)<br /><br />In any case, a previous ACC president wrote about the importance of "disclosure" and "transparency" in dealing with conflicts of interest. Whether disclosure of conflicts is sufficient to manage them, at least Dr Bove could have done the courtesy of disclosing that he is actually a salaried employee of the ACC, and disclosing his personal financial relationships with industry so that readers could try to evaluate how these financial entanglements might have affected what he wrote.<br /><br /><strong>Summary</strong><br /><br />In conclusion, the first published rebuttal of Rothman and colleagues' suggestions for ensuring the independence of professional medical associations from outside vested interests was not based on evidence, but on logical fallacies rather than clear reasoning, and failed to disclose its authors' relevant financial relationships. We will see if anyone can make a better attempt.<br /><br />ADDENDUM (17 July, 2009) - see <a href="http://brodyhooked.blogspot.com/2009/07/cardiologists-on-coi-tripping-over-your.html">additional comments </a>by Dr Howard Brody on the Hooked: Ethics, Medicine and Pharma blog.<br /><br />ADDENDUM (22 July, 2009) - see <a href="http://cardiobrief.org/2009/07/22/cardiology-strikes-back-bove-lewin-weber-black-defend-ties-to-industry/">this post </a>on the Cardiobrief blog, which alludes to the post above, but also discusses an interesting response by the CEO of the ACC to the Rothman paper, and adds original commentary on larger issues.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">References<br /><br />1. Rothman DJ, McDonald WJ, Berkowitz CD et al. Professional medical associations and their relationships with industry. JAMA 2009; 301: 1367-1372. (Link </span><a href="http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/301/13/1367"><span style="font-size:85%;">here</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">.)<br />2. Bove AA. President's page: relations with industry: thoughts on claims of a broken system. J Am Coll Cardiol 2009; 54: 177-179. (Link </span><a href="http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/54/2/177"><span style="font-size:85%;">here</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">.)<br />3. Somers VK, White DP, Amin R et al. Sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease: an American Heart Association/ American College of Cardiology Foundation scientific statement from the American Heart Association Council for High Blood Pressure Research Professional Education Committee, Council on Clinical Cardiology, Stroke Council, and Council on Cardiovascular Nursing. Circulation 2008; 118: 1080-1111. (Link </span><a href="http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/118/10/1080"><span style="font-size:85%;">here</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">.) </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">4. Collier J. The price of independence. Br Med J 2006; 332: 1447-9. (Link </span><a href="http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/332/7555/1447"><span style="font-size:85%;">here</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">.)<br /><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><span style="font-size:85%;"></span>

Again, Logical Fallacies in Defense of Conflicts of Interest: a Rebuttal to Rothman et al Appears in JACC

Earlier this year, a remarkable commentary in JAMA suggested major reconsideration of the relationships among professional medical associations (PMAs) and health care corporations.(1) Because of the i…

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Plan ahead: Document and share your health wishes with Google Health

Do you have medical records gathering dust in a pile somewhere? As a doctor and nurse on the Google Health team, we've both had a lot of experience working directly in the healthcare system, with all the bills, insurance forms and other paper documents that come with it. We know from firsthand experience how burdensome all of these documents can be and we would like to reduce the unnecessary use of paper in patient care. As a step in that direction, <a href="https://www.google.com/health">Google Health</a> recently added a feature which allows patients to <a href="http://www.google.com/support/health/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=145440">upload scanned paper documents to their Google Health</a> profile for safe storage and easy sharing.<br /><br />One of the most important documents you may want to store and share in Google Health is an "advance directive." An advance directive allows you to determine your end-of-life wishes so that your family and doctor can honor them if you get sick and are unable to communicate. The decision to sign an advance directive is an important and personal one, and Google Health now makes it a little bit easier. Google Health is now working with a leading advance directive provider, <a href="http://www.caringinfo.org/">Caring Connections</a>, that provides a free, downloadable form customized for all 50 states. To complete your form, <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/health/advanced-directive.html">download it</a>, print it out, complete it, scan it, and upload it to Google Health. Once you've uploaded the signed form, Google Health makes it easy to <a href="http://www.google.com/support/health/bin/answer.py?answer=138423&cbid=1xdstla864k45&src=cb&lev=answer">share it with your caregiver</a>.<br /><br />We hope someday we'll move beyond paper, but until then Google Health can help you store your paper medical records electronically, including an advance directive, in one safe place.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Julie Wilner, R.N., Program Manager, Google Health & Roni Zeiger, M.D., Product Manager, Google Health</span>

Plan ahead: Document and share your health wishes with Google Health

Do you have medical records gathering dust in a pile somewhere? As a doctor and nurse on the Google Health team, we've both had a lot of experience working directly in the healthcare system, with all …

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Submit your ideas to change the face of broadband

Have an idea for how to expand high-speed Internet access across the United States? Here's your chance to have your voice heard.<br /><br />Under the terms of the recent <a href="http://www.recovery.gov/">economic stimulus package</a>, the Federal Communications Commission must deliver to Congress a National Broadband Plan by February 2010. Several weeks ago, we l<a href="http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2009/06/google-submits-initial-comments.html">aid out Google's vision</a> for how to make broadband Internet available and affordable for every American — and <a href="http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/websql/prod/ecfs/comsrch_v2.hts?ws_mode=retrieve_list&id_proceeding=09-51&excludeInformal=Y&start=1&end=127&first_time=N">hundreds of others</a> have already submitted comments of their own.<br /><br />The FCC has <a href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2349698,00.asp">called for</a> "maximum civic engagement" in developing a broadband strategy, and we're hoping to help them to achieve just that.<br /><br />We've teamed up with the <a href="http://www.spectrumpolicy.org/">New America Foundation</a> to launch a <a href="http://moderator.appspot.com/#16/e=a4977">Google Moderator page</a> where you can submit and vote on ideas for what you think the Commission should include in its National Broadband Plan. Two weeks from now we'll take the most popular and most innovative ideas and submit them to the official record at the FCC on your behalf.<br /><br />Google and the New America Foundation agree that public participation in this process is critical. Expanding access to broadband has the potential to transform communities across the country, spark economic growth, and <a href="http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2007/08/americans-invented-internet-but.html">restore American competitiveness</a>. Now that the Commission has officially opened this proceeding, and with a new <a href="http://www.fcc.gov/commissioners/genachowski/">Chairman</a> at the helm, we think it's time to give people the opportunity to learn about the issue and to weigh in with their thoughts. And as the process continues to unfold at the FCC, we'll keep you informed of additional ways to share your views and voice your ideas to the agency.<br /><br />So do you have any good ideas? Submit them today on <a href="http://moderator.appspot.com/#16/e=a4977">Google Moderator</a> — and you just might help change the face of broadband in the United States.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Richard Whitt, Washington Telecom and Media Counsel</span>

Submit your ideas to change the face of broadband

Have an idea for how to expand high-speed Internet access across the United States? Here's your chance to have your voice heard.Under the terms of the recent economic stimulus package, the Federal Com…

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Computers will make this all work ... and my name is Rasputin

Only politicians could come up with something like this:<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRIbXz_idgiG44YTjJcIHUz0y9uY879a7tkMnmc8KEeSsEvjQgeUmzWb1NZ1BY3Pj8kjOumILHRHza2GmOIa5n5NZmJEXc8JoxyfTB5aTcVxhEdenJGUapu52GBz0cDHIfnAg3N0r76fo/s1600-h/madness.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358796602500584834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRIbXz_idgiG44YTjJcIHUz0y9uY879a7tkMnmc8KEeSsEvjQgeUmzWb1NZ1BY3Pj8kjOumILHRHza2GmOIa5n5NZmJEXc8JoxyfTB5aTcVxhEdenJGUapu52GBz0cDHIfnAg3N0r76fo/s320/madness.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px;" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">(click to enlarge)</span><br /></div><br /><br />... and, mesmerized, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigori_Rasputin">Rasputin</a> style, by an <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2009/05/machinery-behind-healthcare-reform-how.html">IT lobby</a> not shown in the diagram, believe computers could not only make it all work, but could save hundreds of billions of dollars over what we have in place now.<br /><br />Such beliefs are madness incarnate.<br /><br />-- SS

Computers will make this all work ... and my name is Rasputin

Only politicians could come up with something like this:(click to enlarge)... and, mesmerized, Rasputin style, by an IT lobby not shown in the diagram, believe computers could not only make it all wo…

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Introducing a collection of favorite places from around the world

We on the Google Maps team are committed to organizing all the local places and businesses that can be found online, from a <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&cid=9010081596312680284">design shop</a> in New York City, to an <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&cid=8312211629617074523">architectural bookstore</a> in San Francisco, to a <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&cid=17744103237763244872">cabaret</a> in London. To show you the range of all this interesting local information, we've teamed up with local experts around the world to share some of their favorite places.<br /><br />Culinary expert and chef Alice Waters has shared <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&gl=us&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=100623135165181432460.00046a49d63feb7d43afd">her favorite places</a> for organic and sustainable food in San Francisco and the Bay Area, including places like <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&cid=17608306437765369711">Blue Bottle Cafe</a>, whose coffee Alice serves at <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&cid=8799273193024734362">Chez Panisse</a> in Berkeley, and <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&cid=0,0,3576653928361550875">Bi-Rite Creamery</a>, where you can find salted caramel ice cream.<br /><br />Iwona Blazwick, director of the <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&cid=0,0,9259300606315766016">Whitechapel Gallery</a> in London, has shared <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=115650056176233962259.00046d18f647d7894243c">her favorite places</a> to experience art in London, from the <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&cid=8930407832581858571">Tate Modern</a> for contemporary art to <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&cid=14533400242416141031">Curzon Soho cinema</a>, where you can catch the latest independent film releases.<br /><br />Vladimir Spivakov, artistic director and principal conductor of the State chamber orchestra Moscow Virtuosi and the National Philharmonic of Russia, has shared <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=ru&msa=0&msid=111300226091440043409.000469ed7f3c85b77cfb0">his favorite places</a> to hear and appreciate theater and music in Moscow, from the <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&cid=961231844626211901">Moscow Conservatory</a>, where he studied, to the historic <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&cid=10863106246593836814">Maly Theater</a>, the oldest theater in Moscow.<br /><br />With this project we also hope to send a friendly message to local businesses — people are looking online for local information, and you should be here. Timothy Childs, Founder and Chief Chocolate Officer of <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&cid=13522453196782902843">TCHO</a> in San Francisco, shares his perspective on using online tools to build and grow:<br /><br />"TCHO is all about using appropriate technology, to make high quality chocolate and experiences for our customers. As our start-up moves to early growth stage, we are now using tools like Google Maps and the Local Business Center to reach customers and to continue building our business."<br /><br />It's <a href="http://www.webvisible.com/thegreatdivide/">estimated</a> that 80% of U.S. Internet users use web search to find restaurants, stores and other local businesses, and yet only about half of local businesses currently have a website. By working with local experts to highlight the power of the web, we're encouraging local business owners to build out their online presence. If you're a business owner looking to get online, have a look at the <a href="http://www.google.com/localbusinesscenter">Google Local Business Center</a>.<br /><br />To browse the full collection of favorite local businesses and places, visit <a href="http://google.com/favoriteplaces">google.com/favoriteplaces</a> or <span style="font-weight: bold;">m.google.com/fav</span> from your phone's browser.<br /><br /><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OFH5b8wKg18&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OFH5b8wKg18&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Special thanks to all the participants and partners around the world who helped to make this project possible, including United Airlines, NYC & Company, Time Out and Le Figaro.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Michaela Prescott and Katie Mandel, Product Marketing, Google Maps<br /></span>

Introducing a collection of favorite places from around the world

We on the Google Maps team are committed to organizing all the local places and businesses that can be found online, from a design shop in New York City, to an architectural bookstore in San Francisco…

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Google Voice mobile app for Blackberry and Android

It’s been an exciting few months since we <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/here-comes-google-voice.html">announced</a> <a href="http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html">Google Voice</a>. The feedback from early users has been terrific, and the requests for invites have been flowing in. We started sending invites <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/google-voice-invites-on-their-way.html">a few weeks ago</a> and will keep sending them daily.<br /><br />At the same time, we continue to improve the service and address your requests and feedback. Among the most requested features are tools to make placing outgoing calls from your Google Voice number easier. So today, we’re pleased to announce a Google Voice mobile app for Blackberry and Android.<br /><br />Previously, to place a call using Google Voice, you had to dial your own Google Voice number from your cell phone or use the Quick Call button online. With this new mobile app, you can make calls and send SMS messages with your Google Voice number directly from your mobile phone. The app is fully integrated with each phone’s contacts, so you can call via Google Voice straight from your address book.<br /><br />From the mobile app, you can:<br /><ul><li>Access your voicemail: read message transcripts, follow along with "karaoke-style" playback of messages, read SMS messages sent to your Google Voice number (even if your phone doesn't receive SMS messages) and access your call history</li><li>Place calls that display your Google Voice number from your address book, the app dialer (Blackberry) or the native dialer (Android)</li><li>Send SMS messages that display your Google Voice number </li><li>Place international calls at low rates</li></ul>See how it works in the following video:<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_HvRu9bVH14&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_HvRu9bVH14&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />You can download the app from the Google Voice mobile site at <a href="http://m.google.com/voice">m.google.com/voice</a>. It's also available in Android Market — just search for "Google Voice."<br /><br />And for those of you who don't have a Blackberry or an Android-powered device, we have a mobile web version of the Google Voice site (accessible by typing <a href="http://www.google.com/voice">www.google.com/voice</a> into your mobile browser) that allows you to access Google Voice features.<br /><br />You'll need a Google Voice account to use the mobile application. Currently, Google Voice is only available in the U.S. If you'd like to check it out, request an invite <a href="http://www.google.com/voiceinvite">here</a>. <br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Vincent Paquet, Google Voice Team and Marcus Foster, Google Mobile Team</span>

Google Voice mobile app for Blackberry and Android

It’s been an exciting few months since we announced Google Voice. The feedback from early users has been terrific, and the requests for invites have been flowing in. We started sending invites a few w…

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Google Friend Connect speaks more languages

We know that there are millions of sites using <a href="http://www.google.com/friendconnect/?utm_medium=et&utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-et-na-us-googleblog">Google Friend Connect</a> to build a community around their content and they come in a variety of languages. With site owners and visitors from all over the world, the integration of services like <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/netlog-integrates-with-google-friend.html">Netlog</a> and <a href="http://www.orkut.com/">orkut</a> and the worldwide adoption of <a href="http://www.opensocial.org/">OpenSocial</a>, supporting additional languages has been a priority for the team. Today, we're happy to announce that Friend Connect is now available in 47 new languages.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pzG8tn3rC9yN6wUJJNUvZfCkXVV80jZVLdlL2R-JjNepMgdOCOZmm8J9ifS4NiW-sUyMJfW4y-kbzxf2F2ys2bD-7XwSVqfO5OFqkP_7tAnR7AE11n1r5T1xd88EZyveAiQxGHCbFrPN/s1600-h/i18n-blogImage.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358332030781329922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pzG8tn3rC9yN6wUJJNUvZfCkXVV80jZVLdlL2R-JjNepMgdOCOZmm8J9ifS4NiW-sUyMJfW4y-kbzxf2F2ys2bD-7XwSVqfO5OFqkP_7tAnR7AE11n1r5T1xd88EZyveAiQxGHCbFrPN/s320/i18n-blogImage.png" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 318px; height: 320px;" /></a>This means you'll start seeing Friend Connect gadgets in languages such as French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Hindi and Portuguese. Site owners simply set the language of their site and Friend Connect will automatically render the gadgets in that language.<br /><br />To learn more about this and other recent improvements to Friend Connect, visit our <a href="http://googlesocialweb.blogspot.com/2009/07/friend-connect-goes-international.html">Social Web Blog</a>.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Mendel Chuang, Product Marketing Manager, Google Friend Connect</span>

Google Friend Connect speaks more languages

We know that there are millions of sites using Google Friend Connect to build a community around their content and they come in a variety of languages. With site owners and visitors from all over the …

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