November 2009

Not just swine flu - new cold virus may lurk, too

Posted Tue, 11/17/2009 - 14:08 by admin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) –
Runny nose, fever, cough, even pneumonia -- the symptoms sound like swine flu but children hospitalized at one U.S. hospital in fact had a rhinovirus, better known as a common cold virus, doctors said on Tuesday.

Hundreds of children treated at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia had a rhinovirus, and federal health investigators are trying to find out if it was a new strain, and if this is going on elsewhere in the country.

"What began to happen in early September is we started seeing more children coming to our emergency room with significant respiratory illness," said Dr. Susan Coffin, medical director of infection control and prevention at the hospital.

Doctors and parents assumed it was the new pandemic H1N1 swine flu, which would be expected to re-emerge as schools began in September. But it was not, Coffin said in a telephone interview.

The hospital, unlike most hospitals in the United States, runs a test that can diagnose 10 different respiratory viruses, including influenza but also rhinoviruses, parainfluenza viruses and other germs that make kids sick.

"The data showed us it wasn't H1N1 but instead was this rhinovirus infection," Coffin said.

Usually rhinoviruses cause an annoying but benign illness that looks a lot like flu, but with more runny nose and usually less of a fever. This one was causing severe symptoms and even pneumonia.

"Some of these kids had really bad wheezing," Coffin said -- so bad they had to be hospitalized and treated with a nebulizer, which delivers drugs into the lungs to help keep oxygen in the blood.

"We don't terribly often have large numbers of children test positive for it," Coffin said.

CDC INVESTIGATING

But she estimated that 500 were hospitalized in September and October, with no deaths that she knows of. Starting in mid-October, H1N1 swine flu started to show up, too.

The U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention is investigating, said CDC spokesman Dave Daigle.

"While rhinovirus outbreaks are common in the fall, the outbreak that occurred this year was unusually large and resulted in a lot of hospital admissions, including many children that required intensive care," Daigle said.

"We're still testing the strains from the outbreak, but from what we've seen so far, it doesn't appear that there's a single predominant strain."

The CDC says while swine flu is above epidemic levels, only 30 percent of cases of so-called influenza-like illness that are tested actually turn out to be H1N1.

Coffin and CDC officials say it is important for people not to assume if they or their children have flu-like symptoms that it was swine flu and that they do not need to be vaccinated.

H1N1 has infected an estimated 22 million people and killed 3,900 in the United States alone. It continues to spread globally and governments are just at the beginning of efforts to vaccinate people against the virus.

There is no vaccine for rhinovirus and no good treatment. For severely ill patients hospitals can try to keep blood oxygen levels up and keep the patients hydrated, often with intravenous lines if they are coughing or wheezing too hard to eat or drink.

(Editing by Philip Barbara)

Fort Worth Fence

Posted Tue, 11/17/2009 - 14:02 by admin

Five foot high fences (over which many people can see and talk) are increasingly being superseded by six-foot fences giving the impression of complete privacy.

Distinctly different land ownership and fencing patterns arose in the eastern and western United States. Original fence laws on the east coast were based on the British common law system, and rapidly increasing population quickly resulted in laws requiring livestock to be fenced in. In the west, land ownership patterns and policies reflected a strong influence of Spanish law and tradition, plus the vast land area involved made extensive fencing impractical until mandated by a growing population and conflicts between landowners.

Fort Worth Fence

US, China pledge cooperation on world issues

Posted Tue, 11/17/2009 - 10:05 by admin

BEIJING (AFP) –
US President Barack Obama and China's Hu Jintao on Tuesday pledged to apply their joint political might to the world's toughest problems, but friction was evident on Tibet, economics and Iran.

In solemn talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the high point of Obama's debut visit to China, the leaders ploughed through an agenda packed with top world crises, reflecting China's rise as a key global player.

Hu vowed to work for "positive, cooperative and comprehensive" ties with Obama's administration, and the US leader, seeking to cement his early relationship with Beijing, adopted the same diplomatic formula word for word. Related article: Denmark lauds US, China support on climate talks

The pair voiced agreement on the need for action on climate change, prodding North Korea back to six-party nuclear talks and a common undertaking to help return the global economy to growth after the dark economic crisis.

US Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman said the president was well on the way to forging the kind of relationship with Beijing that could help him tackle global crises which demanded the intervention of the two great powers.

The Sino-US relationship was "at a cruising altitude that is higher than any other time in recent memory, thereby able to sail above the wind shears or even storms", Huntsman said. Related article: Obama raises human rights issue

"The US-China relationship has gotten global... there are really only two countries in the world that can solve certain issues."

But the leaders' nuanced statements pointed to differences between two competing powers deeply interlinked economically and repeatedly thrust together on world problems on which they have differing views.

After their talks, they appeared together to read formal statements to several hundred journalists, but both hinted at their divides.

Hu told Obama for they needed to "oppose and reject protectionism in all its manifestations". Washington has angered Beijing by slapping tariffs recently on Chinese tyre exports and preliminary duties on some steel products.

Hu added the two sides needed continued "consultations on an equal footing to properly resolve economic and trade frictions".

Obama, tactfully voicing US worries that China's yuan currency is being kept artificially low to boost Chinese exports, said he welcomed "past statements" by Beijing to pursue a market-oriented exchange rate "over time".

That language left open the possibility Hu had made no fresh offer of action which Obama said would make "an essential contribution" to rebalancing the global economy -- code for weaning China off export-led growth.

On Iran, Obama warned that if Tehran did not "present and demonstrate its peaceful intentions" with its nuclear programme, it would face "consequences".

But Hu was less adamant, saying only the issue needed to be solved through "dialogue and negotiations". There was no sign Beijing now shared the impatience of Russia, another key power, on Iran's foot-dragging.

Obama, who angered critics by declining to meet the Dalai Lama before travelling to Beijing, pointedly raised the issue of Tibet.

"We did note that while we recognise that Tibet is part of the People's Republic of China, the United States supports the early resumption of dialogue between the Chinese government and representatives of the Dalai Lama," he said.

Both leaders said their nations, the two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, were vital to hopes of a deal to slow global warming, despite clear signs that no global deal will emerge from next month's Copenhagen conference.

"Our aim there is... not a partial accord or a political declaration but rather an accord that covers all the issues in the negotiations and one that has immediate operational effect," the US leader said.

The sides announced a series of new initiatives on clean energy research and agreements on the cleaner user of coal, electric vehicles and shale gas.

Obama's talks with Hu came on the third leg of his four-nation maiden tour of Asia as president, which concludes on Thursday in South Korea.

After the press conference, Obama braved the crisp November air for a hectic tour of the ancient Forbidden City, one of the few moments of tourism in a trip that also took him to Japan and a regional summit in Singapore.

Hu later laid on the lavish splendour of a full state dinner for Obama, with Chinese-style beef steak and Great Wall wine on the menu. Related article: Steak on menu at state banquet

Music selections included "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder, whose music Obama said earlier this year had helped bring him together with wife Michelle.

Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy

Posted Tue, 11/17/2009 - 08:05 by admin

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or in Britain, Hormone therapy (HT) is a system of medical treatment for surgically menopausal, perimenopausal and to a lesser extent postmenopausal women. It is based on the idea that the treatment may prevent discomfort caused by diminished circulating estrogen and progesterone hormones. It involves the use of one or more of a group of medications designed to artificially boost hormone levels. The main types of hormones involved are estrogens, progesterone or progestins, and sometimes testosterone. It often referred to as "treatment" rather than therapy,

HRT is often given as a short-term relief (often one or two years, usually less than five) from menopausal symptoms (hot flashes, irregular menstruation, fat redistribution etc.). Younger women with premature ovarian failure or surgical menopause may use hormone replacement therapy for many years, until the age that natural menopause would be expected to occur.

Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy

India's Reliance looks to oil for growth: chairman

Posted Tue, 11/17/2009 - 04:55 by admin

MUMBAI (AFP) –
Indian energy giant Reliance Industries will launch an "aggressive" oil and gas exploration campaign over the next three years, its chairman Mukesh Ambani told shareholders on Tuesday.

"We have planned an aggressive exploration campaign (for the oil sector) in the next three years," Ambani said in a statement issued by the company after its annual general meeting.

"This will take Reliance to a higher growth trajectory."

Last week, Reliance announced it had struck oil in the Cambay basin in western India, marking its 43rd discovery in India.

The fuel-hungry nation, which imports 70 percent of its oil needs, has been racing to discover new sources of energy to power its fast-growing economy.

In the financial year ended March 2009, Reliance announced the first flow of crude from the company's deep-sea oil and gas field in the Bay of Bengal off eastern India.

Oil production began in September last year in a sector of the Krishna Godavari basin with an initial flow of 5,000 barrels a day.

Gas production started in April at the same basin, which is among the five largest deepwater gas projects in the world.

"The year 2009 was a challenging one. The global meltdown had its impact on communities, companies and countries," Ambani told shareholders.

Last month, Reliance said quarterly net profit fell by 6.5 percent to 38.52 billion rupees (810 million dollars) in the three months to September, as core refining margins fell due to a slide in global crude prices.

Ambani identified the areas of conventional energy, retail business and services, renewable and alternative energy, innovation and rural sector transformation for potential value creation for Reliance.

The company plans to resume expansion of its retail businesses, which had faced opposition from farmers and policymakers across India since its launch.

Reliance Retail, which includes supermarkets and also sells electronic products, clothing and household goods, currently operates 1,000 stores across 86 cities.

How Low Can He Go? (Mona Charen)

Posted Tue, 11/17/2009 - 04:28 by admin

Creators Syndicate –
President Obama, who nearly prostrated himself before the king of Saudi Arabia last April, has once again bowed low to a monarch — this time to the emperor of Japan.

What to make of this obsequious body language?

After the presidential frame went perpendicular before the Saudi royal, the White House at first denied that the president had bowed. He was merely leaning over, Robert Gibbs explained, because the president was "taller than the king." That might make sense — to anyone who had not seen the video. President Obama bent so far over that he was at eye level with the king's hips.

The president's defenders suggested that he was merely being polite, or simply following protocol. Politeness consists in treating others with respect and taking care not to hurt their feelings. But a bow, well, that's a different matter.

Last week, the president did it again, bowing from the waist before Japan's Emperor Akihito. So what might have seemed a rookie mistake is now looking deliberate.

Protocol is not the explanation. While there have been exceptions, American presidents have not traditionally bowed to royalty. Nor have American diplomats or citizens of any stripe. Kings and queens of England have visited America and been quite satisfied to receive a dignified handshake from Americans high and low. President Roosevelt famously served Great Britain's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth hot dogs at his Hyde Park home.

When it comes to body language, it's best to stick to your own culture and traditions. A too-eager attempt to ingratiate by adopting others' customs can backfire. According to one Asian expert consulted by ABC's Jake Tapper, Obama's low bow caused considerable consternation in Japan. Apparently, a proper Japanese bow under the circumstances would have been executed with hands at the sides, and a slight tilt from the waist. "The bow as he performed it did not just display weakness in Red State terms, but evoked weakness in Japanese terms ...The last thing the Japanese want or need is a weak-looking American president and, again, in all ways, he unintentionally played that part."

President Obama makes much of his international pedigree, the latest iteration being the boast that he is the "first Pacific president" — whatever that means. But when he stoops to royalty this way, he invites the question: How American does he feel?

Don't hyperventilate. Of course, there is no one way for Americans to think or feel. But some American attitudes are, or used to be, woven deeply into our character. Most Americans have a visceral distaste, dating back to our founding, for truckling to royalty. Article One, Section 9 of the Constitution states: "No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States: — And no person holding any office of profit or trust under them shall, without the consent of Congress, accept any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state." Kings and emperors have been treated with courtesy, of course, but to bow is — yes, I'll say it — un-American.

Here, let the New York Times explain it. In 1994, the Times gently rebuked President Clinton for "almost" bowing to the Japanese emperor. "It wasn't a bow, exactly," the editorial chided, "(b)ut Mr. Clinton came close. He inclined his head and shoulders forward, he pressed his hands together. It lasted no longer than a snapshot, but the image on the South Lawn was indelible: an obsequent President, and the Emperor of Japan. Canadians still bow to England's Queen; so do Australians. Americans shake hands. If not to stand eye-to-eye with royalty, what else were 1776 and all that about?"

President Obama's bows, coupled with his global apology tours, suggest something other than politeness. President Obama has repeatedly reminded us that he thinks we have been arrogant and high-handed in our dealings with other nations. By bowing and scraping, he intends to drop us down a peg or two. The president of the United States really did intend to show obeisance to the King of Saudi Arabia and to defer to the emperor of Japan. He appears to have done so not to flatter those nations but only to diminish his own.

To find out more about Mona Charen and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS.COM

Obama announces jobs forum date, economic tour

Posted Tue, 11/17/2009 - 04:13 by admin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) –
U.S. President Barack Obama will hold a forum on job creation with U.S. business leaders on December 3 and then embark on a cross-country tour to discuss economic recovery, the White House said on Monday.

Obama, who is currently traveling in Asia, said last week he would host the forum to devise ways to combat double-digit unemployment -- but did not announce a date.

The conference aims to bring chief executives, small business owners and financial experts to the White House to exchange ideas on putting unemployed Americans back to work.

"We have a responsibility to consider all good ideas to encourage and accelerate job creation in this country," Obama said in a statement.

"I am looking forward to hearing from the private sector, from CEOs and small business owners and from Americans struggling to make ends meet on how we can work together to create jobs and get this economy moving again."

With unemployment at 10.2 percent in October, a 26-1/2 year high, Obama is under pressure to act. An administration official said last week, however, that the president was not weighing a second stimulus package, on top of a $787 billion emergency government spending bill signed earlier this year.

The day after the forum, Obama will embark on a "White House to Main Street Tour" in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The tour will be spread out over a few months.

Obama wanted to get out of Washington and "take the temperature on what Americans are experiencing during these challenging economic times," the White House said.

On Capitol Hill, a leading Democrat said lawmakers were determined to pass measures this year to spur more job growth.

"A jobless recovery is simply unacceptable to us," said Representative John Larson, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, speaking to reporters before a meeting with Richard Trumka, president of the labor union group AFL-CIO.

Republicans have criticized Obama's economic programs and view the stimulus package as too expensive.

The jobs conference and tour will aim to highlight Obama's intention of responding to Americans' concerns about unemployment ahead of mid-term elections in 2010. The president hopes to hold on to Democratic majorities in both houses of the U.S. Congress.

The U.S. economy began growing again in the third quarter after the worst recession since the Great Depression, but unemployment has continued to climb.

The White House has warned that it could go even higher before falling back because many employers delay hiring new workers for several months after economic growth resumes.

(Additional reporting by Alister Bull and Susan Cornwell, editing by Alan Elsner)

Folding Tandem Bike

Posted Tue, 11/03/2009 - 02:55 by admin

Folding bicycles often separate or fold in the middle of the frame, which, depending on the design, can weaken the frame and cause more energy-absorbing flexing. Many have elongated seatposts and stems. These longer components, which project above the frame like masts, experience greater bending stresses where they meet the frame, compared to the shorter components of regular bikes. There have been sporadic reports of failure in these components in online message forums[citation needed], and at least one recall due the failure of the steering mechanism.[citation needed] Folding bicycles necessarily have more parts, to allow folding and to lock the frame when unfolded. This results in a more complicated design, with more parts that can potentially fail.

The A-bike is similar to the Strida but has tiny wheels and compacts a bit smaller. Bikes smaller than a Brompton are often called portable bicycles. They forgo the performance and easy ride benefits of their larger counterparts, acquiring characteristics similar to those of an adult folding kick scooter. Regardless of how each folds, the result is easier to transport and store than a traditional bicycle.

Link

Bollywood star Kaif takes success in her stride

Posted Mon, 11/02/2009 - 23:38 by admin

MUMBAI (AFP) –
Katrina Kaif is one of Bollywood's leading actresses -- the most searched-for Indian female film star on the Internet and a former top model with an A-list boyfriend.

But the 25-year-old, whose latest film "Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani" ("An Amazing Story Of Strange Love") is released on November 6, said her rise to fame has not been easy and she is determined success will not go to her head.

"It didn't happen overnight. I was here struggling to make it as a model and tried my luck in acting," she said.

"I didn't know in the first place whether I wanted to be in acting but then good roles started coming and my films started becoming a hit. And here I am."

Kaif, born in Hong Kong to a British mother and a father of Indian Kashmiri origin, made a faltering start in the 2003 film "Boom" after being spotted in a commercial.

She has since notched up roles in high-profile films like the recent blockbuster "Blue", the 2008 action comedy "Singh Is Kinng" and the romantic comedy "Namastey London" in 2007.

The actress in part attributes her rise to actor Salman Khan, with whom she starred in the 2005 hit comedy "Maine Pyaar Kyon Kiya" (Why Did I Fall in Love?) and now dates, although she refuses to talk about her private life.

"He was there to guide me in the industry when I was new over here and will always be special to me," she said.

Kaif said she was always confident of success, despite setbacks.

"I have faced a lot of rejections and people always came up with one or the other excuse to reject me on flimsy grounds, but I kept going because I always knew someone would approve me," she added.

This year's "New York", about a group of friends in the city on the day of the September 11, 2001 attacks, was a critical and box office success -- and the moment Kaif said she felt she had made it in India.

Kaif, brought up in France, Hawaii and London and one of seven sisters, said family values had helped her keep a perspective in a country that reveres Bollywood stars like gods.

"I had a very frugal upbringing. My mother was into charity institutions and to date, she is involved in charity work, so I know what hardship means," she explained.

"I never had pocket money and didn't have access to material things."

Her mother now lives in the southern Indian city of Chennai and works with orphans.

"Lots of people feel that whatever I have earned is because of the goodness of her work," she said.

Kaif, who took Hindi and dancing lessons to help her acting career, says said she never wanted to be a star.

As a skinny teenager, she said boys would not give her a second glance -- though now her innocent beauty has brought worldwide fame among Bollywood fans.

"As a girl I was fascinated about collecting marbles and my two elder sisters used to make me wash dishes in exchange for giving me marbles, which used to be the most precious possessions to me," she said.

"I never knew that the marbles were very cheap and my sisters were fooling with me to do their work."

Despite now being one of Bollywood's biggest earners -- at a reported 30 million rupees (640,000 dollars) per film -- Kaif said she is unchanged by fame.

"I am still the same person. I am not a glamorous person in real life. I don't buy handbags like lots of other women do," she said.

"I don't spend on shoes, too, and you will always find me in casual dress if I am not in a film costume.

"I don't want to look glamorous when I am off screen and I want to be as real as I can."

As for criticism in the cut-throat world of Bollywood, where style often takes precedence over substance, she says she is "like every other girl".

"I am sensitive and I have my weakness. If people say, 'You have not lived up to expectations', I get upset," she added.

"I want to do good films. Eventually I want to be married and do things that will make me happy. I got this opportunity in the country by starting with nothing."

Guinea coup leader says he "regrets" massacre

Posted Mon, 11/02/2009 - 20:02 by admin

CONAKRY, Guinea – The man who led Guinea's most recent coup says he "bitterly regrets" the deaths of civilians who were gunned down by soldiers at a protest last month.
Capt. Moussa "Dadis" Camara said in a TV broadcast late Monday that "the blood of innocent people has been spilled" and that he "prostrates himself" before their memory. But the controversial coup leader declined to say that men under his control were responsible for the Sept. 28 deaths of over 150 pro-democracy protesters.
Camara said opposition leaders were to blame for having organized the demonstration. And in an apparent rebuke to the European Union which has recently issued sanctions against members of his government, Camara said that he would not stand by while foreigners try to "teach Guinea a moral lesson."