animals are among the carnivores most in need of conserving

Giant otters, monk seals, walruses, spectacled bears, giant and red pandas and the odd-looking fossa are among the carnivores most in need of conserving.

That is according to the most-detailed study yet of the evolutionary history of carnivores and their relationships.

It examined 222 carnivore species including big cats, wolves, bears, seals, otters and their relatives.

It found that some species are so distinctive that special efforts should be made to ensure their survival.

We should pay careful attention to what is happening to walrus populations. Our results suggest we should fight to keep it safe Professor Ingi Agnarsson University of Puerto Rico

Details of the research are published in the journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.

Despite the popularity of carnivores and the large number of studies done on them, scientists still do not completely understand how they evolved, and how modern species are related to one another.

"There are many questions that are yet to be answered in a satisfying manner," says Professor Ingi Agnarsson of the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan, who led the new study.

For example, the relationships between the cat-like families, known as feliforms, is unresolved.

"Even the relationships among the big cats, lion, tiger, leopard etc are really very poorly understood," he says.

Related to who?

The same is true for many dog-like species, such as racoon dogs, foxes, African and Asian wild dogs and wolves, and scientists have struggled to understand how bears are related to each other and other carnivores.

A particular problem has been finding out which animals are most closely related to red pandas.

In an attempt to resolve many of these issues, Prof Agnarsson and colleagues Laura May-Collado of the University of Puerto Rico and Dr Matjaz Kuntner of the Slovenian Academy of Science and Arts in Ljubljana, produced the first evolutionary tree for all carnivores.

They created it by studying 222 living carnivore species, and 17 subspecies, out of the 270 or so species of carnivore thought to exist.

That meant the researchers could check the relationships between 82% of all living carnivores, as compared to 28% studied in the previously most comprehensive review.

They also included four extinct species, such as the sabre-tooth cat and giant short-faced bear.

The scientists studied how carnivores are related by comparing sequences of the cytochrome b gene, and checking how they varied between species.

"The gene we use is unusually reliable," says Prof Agnarsson.

They know that from other evolutionary studies that use the same gene, and because most of their own findings agree with previous research.

The new study supports the split of carnivores into two main evolutionary groups: dog-like carnivores called Caniforms and cat-like carnivores called Feliforms.

But it did throw up a few surprises (see Confused carnivores), which the researchers say will need further research to resolve.

As well as unpicking the relationships between carnivores, the study enabled the team to identify those species that are unusually distinct.

Generally, carnivores can be divided into two superfamilies: dog-like (Caniformia), and cat-like (Feliformia)

Dog-like carnivores are traditionally split into dogs and their relatives, and a group comprising bears, racoons, weasels, seals and the walrus

Cat-like carnivores are split into a range of groups, including cats, mongooses, hyenas and civets

Among these unique carnivores are the monk seal, giant otter and sea otter, giant and red pandaspectacled bear, Liberian mongoose, otter civet, Owston's palm civet, the fossa of Madagascar, which looks much like a dog that climbs trees (pictured above right), and the binturong of south-east Asia, which is also called the Asian bearcat. ,

"Some of the high-priority taxa for conservation have received very little attention and should be considered carefully in future conservation planning," says Prof Agnarsson.

The team's study supports ongoing efforts to conserve animals such as the monk seal and giant panda.


he new study generally supports the traditional carnivores groups. However, it also finds that:

The kinkajou of South America is not related to racoons as thought

The red panda (above) may actually be most closely related to dogs and their relatives

South American jaguars are more closely related to Asian leopards and snow leopards than other big cats

But it suggests more needs to be done to safeguard of the futures of other carnivores such as the giant otter, fossa and walrus.

"Our analysis suggests we should pay careful attention to what is happening to walrus populations," says Prof Agnarsson.

"This species is extremely evolutionary distinct, as it contains a lot of evolutionary history not shared with any other species. So it is important in terms of biodiversity," he warns.

The species was recently listed as 'least concern' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, suggesting it is not in imminent danger.

"But now we are not sure anymore that the species is 'safe'. Our results suggest we should fight to keep it safe," says Prof Agnarsson.

In a separate but related effort, the Zoological Society of London runs an EDGE (Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered) of Existence programme that highlights the precarious conservation status of a range of animals beyond the carnivores.

On that list is 100 of the rarest animals including the Chinese giant salamander, Bactrian camelblue whale. and

swine flu in thailand

Two more A(H1N1) flu deaths in Thailand

BANGKOK, Nov 25 (TNA) – The Thai Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday reported two new deaths caused by the A(H1N1) influenza virus, raising the country’s total deaths to 187 since April.

In the weekly report on the A(H1N1) flu situation in the country from November 15 through November 21, Dr Paichit Varachit, permanent secretary for public health, confirmed two new fatalities.

Both men, one lived in Bangkok and one in Loei, suffered chronic diseases.

Counting since April 28, the cumulative number of deaths has reached 187 while the total number of patients is 29,165.

Regarding anti-flu vaccines, Dr Paichit said that a government vaccination programme for high-risk groups may begin in mid-January 2010 after the vaccines are delivered to Thailand at the end of December.

The first group mandated to be vaccinated are medical workers.

Currently, the health ministry has asked provincial health chiefs nationwide to submit the number of persons needing to be vaccinated to the ministry in order to prepare the vaccines for them.

The A(H1N1) flu’s high-risk groups consist of health workers, women at least three-months pregnant, people weighing over 100 kilogrammes, mentally handicapped persons, and those with chronic diseases, said Dr Paichit.

In addition, the ministry asked the Social Development and Human Security Ministry to compile the number of handicapped persons in preparation for the vaccines.

Meanwhile, there will be a lot of festivities at the year end, in which people will travel and the disease may easily spread in crowded areas so provincial health offices and related agencies nationwide are ordered to step up measures against the spread of the virus. (TNA)

General News : Last Update : 18:55:28 25 November 2009 (GMT+7:00)

ASEAN environment ministers meet ahead of COP 15

HUA HIN, Nov 29 (TNA) -- Environment ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ended their two-day meeting Sunday in the Thai resort of Hua Hin and results adopted at the meeting will be submitted to participants attending the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen (COP 15) next month, said Thailand’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Suwit Khunkitti.

Mr. Suwit said that the developed countries should also set their targets on reducing gas emissions at the upcoming conference. The Cop 15 Climate Conference will take place between December 7-18 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Mr. Suwit said ASEAN members had agreed to limit the increase of global average temperatures at not exceeding two degrees Celsius or to limit greenhouse gas concentrations at 450 parts per million (ppm).

However, measure and implementation by each country could be implemented voluntarily and at appropriate level, he said.

ASEAN ministers at the meeting also agreed that the funding level be established in tackling gas emissions in developing countries should be between 0.5-1 per cent of the total gross domestic product of developed nations and most of the fund should be financed by the government, Mr. Suwit added. (TNA)

General News : Last Update : 19:26:50 29 November 2009 (GMT+7:00)

Copenhagen can cut CO2

Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009

OUR PLANET EARTH

Beyond Copenhagen there's more than just cutting CO2

By STEPHEN HESSE

Imagine for a minute that global warming is not changing our planet's biosphere and the ecosystems that sustain life on Earth.

Imagine that climate change abetted by rising human-generated emissions of greenhouse gases does not threaten freshwater supplies, agriculture, marine ecosystems, human health, coastal settlements and the very existence of small island states.

Imagine climate changes are not likely to trigger mass migrations and state conflicts, as growing populations of landless, hungry and thirsty people scramble to grab portions of the shrinking global pie.

If this were true, would there still be any reason for our leaders to gather in Copenhagen next month and agree on concrete plans for reducing greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions, such as of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorocarbons?

The short but emphatic answer is "Yes."

According to recent research, climate is just one of at least nine critical biophysical parameters that are essential for Earth to maintain its capacity for self-regulation, and for humans to remain within these limits will require the very best international cooperation we can muster.

Which is why getting it right in Copenhagen is so important.

Substantial progress in December will give us a blueprint for dealing with climate and for dealing with each of the other biophysical limits we are going to bump up against in coming decades.

Yet, with the conference in Denmark just weeks away, some commentators have already chosen to declare the talks a failure. This knee-jerk pessimism is unfortunate, because it encourages low expectations at a time when policymakers and negotiators should be redoubling their efforts to craft a comprehensive and effective treaty.

There is no denying that complex and very real obstacles stand in the way of international cooperation on climate change: Opinions among developing and developed countries differ greatly on who should take responsibility for the phonomenon, and how; there are fears that efforts to reduce GHGs will trip up already limping economies; and, there is considerable disagreement over how best to measure and reduce emissions.

Nevertheless, international cooperation remains key for dealing successfully with global environmental challenges, and Copenhagen offers a chance to step boldly beyond 1997's Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which was finally ratified in November 2004.

Critics of global climate negotiations predictably argue that the Kyoto Protocol did not successfully curb GHG emissions, with few countries achieving their reductions and many, including Japan, allowing emissions to climb.

But despite its shortcomings, Kyoto did succeed in galvanizing global awareness, creating various mechanisms for nations to cooperate in reducing GHGs, and building international momentum toward the Copenhagen talks.

Copenhagen, too, can already be considered a success in some respects.

"In a short span, many nations have pledged to cut their emissions of greenhouse gases by considerable amounts, well beyond any commitments they had made before," notes a commentary appearing last month in Nature magazine (Oct. 22). "Norway, for example, offered this month to reduce its own emissions by 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. Indonesia said it would curb its emissions over that same time by 26 percent below the levels expected under a business-as-usual scenario, with even stronger cuts possible under an international agreement. The European Union has committed to a 20 percent reduction below 1990 levels and would increase that to 30 percent with a global pact. And, for the first time," the commentary continues, "the U.S. Congress is moving towards establishing laws that mandate emissions cuts."

As Nature points out, though, promises are not achievements. Nevertheless, "they at least show that countries have started to analyse their own emissions seriously and to develop domestic agendas that would set them on course to meet their commitments. Such unilateral decisions are an essential starting point for an international agreement, and they suggest that countries are now ready to back up their rhetoric in a way that was not true 12 years ago, when they signed the Kyoto Protocol. This is real progress, and it would not have happened without the pressure to produce a treaty," states Nature.

Which is good news, because human society is going to need all the cooperation and commitment it can muster in coming decades as human populations undermine other biophysical thresholds and threaten Earth's ability to provide for human life.

In Sweden, a team of Earth-system and environmental scientists led by Johan Rockstrom of the Stockholm Resilience Centre has already begun research "to define the boundaries of the biophysical processes that determine the Earth's capacity for self-regulation," a feature article in the September issue of Nature reported.

The scientists there are attempting to take a holistic look at planetary systems and how human demands on these systems are putting stress on the entire planet, states the article, titled "A Safe Operating Space for Humanity."

"We have tried to identify the Earth-system processes and associated thresholds which, if crossed, could generate unacceptable environmental change. We have found nine such processes for which we believe it is necessary to define planetary boundaries: climate change; rate of biodiversity loss (terrestrial and marine); interference with the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles; stratospheric ozone depletion; ocean acidification; global freshwater use; change in land use; chemical pollution; and atmospheric aerosol loading," explain the authors.

The boundaries for three systems — climate change, rate of biodiversity loss, and human interference with the nitrogen cycle — have already been overstepped with unknown consequences for the environment and human society, warn the scientists.

For the past 10,000 years, Earth's environment has remained remarkably stable, with regular temperatures, freshwater availability, and biogeochemical flows fluctuating within narrow ranges. This period, known as the Holocene, has now been replaced by the Anthropocene, during which human activities have become primary sources of global environmental change.

"Now, largely because of a rapidly growing reliance on fossil fuels and industrialized forms of agriculture, human activities have reached a level that could damage the systems that keep Earth in the desirable Holocene state," explain the authors. "The result could be irreversible and, in some cases, cause abrupt environmental change, leading to a state less conducive to human development."

Not surprisingly, this process of identifying systems and thresholds requires many qualifications. The values chosen as boundaries by Rockstrom's team are for the most part arbitrary, the boundaries do not always apply globally as local circumstances often differ, and "assigning 'acceptable' limits to processes that ultimately determine our own survival is risky as some of the suggested limits may be easier to balance with ethical and economic issues than others," note Nature's editors.

Nevertheless, the challenge is an essential one in much the same way carbon footprinting is: It helps to calculate, and respond to, the demands that production, consumption and wastes put on local, regional and global ecosystems.

With a better understanding of how Earth's biophysical systems work, we can better craft land use, resource use, agriculture and emissions policies, both nationally and internationally.

"The evidence so far suggests that, as long as the thresholds are not crossed, humanity has the freedom to pursue long-term social and economic development," conclude the authors.

The danger, of course, is that in our eagerness to grow our economies and exploit Earth's bounty, we will push our planet beyond these thresholds — compromising the life quality of our children and grandchildren.

For better and worse, risk-taking is in our genes. We often push to the limit and when we do we win or lose big. So far we have taken the big payouts, leaving the losses to future generations.

The very least those generations now deserve is a push to the limit in Copenhagen.

Stephen Hesse can be reached at stevehesse@hotmail.com

Dobbs to Latinos: Why Can't We Be Friends?

• NOVEMBER 25, 2009

Dobbs Reaches Out to Latinos, With Politics In Mind

By PETER WALLSTEN

Former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs, pondering a future in politics, is trying to wipe away his image as an enemy of Latino immigrants by positioning himself as a champion of that fast-growing ethnic bloc.

Mr. Dobbs, who left the network last week, has said in recent days that he is considering a third-party run for a New Jersey Senate seat in 2012, or possibly for president. Polls show voters unhappy with both parties, and strategists believe Mr. Dobbs could tap populist anger over economy issues just as Ross Perot did in the 1990s.

First, though, Mr. Dobbs is working to repair what a spokesman conceded is a glaring flaw: His reputation for antipathy toward Latino immigrants. In a little-noticed interview Friday, Mr. Dobbs told Spanish-language network Telemundo he now supports a plan to legalize millions of undocumented workers, a stance he long lambasted as an unfair "amnesty."

"Whatever you have thought of me in the past, I can tell you right now that I am one of your greatest friends and I mean for us to work together," he said in a live interview with Telemundo's Maria Celeste. "I hope that will begin with Maria and me and Telemundo and other media organizations and others in this national debate that we should turn into a solution rather than a continuing debate and factional contest."

Mr. Dobbs twice mentioned a possible legalization plan for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., saying at one point that "we need the ability to legalize illegal immigrants under certain conditions."

Mr. Dobbs couldn't be reached Tuesday. Spokesman Bob Dilenschneider said Mr. Dobbs draws a distinction between illegal immigrants who have committed crimes since arriving in the U.S. and those who are "living upright, positive and constructive lives" who should be "integrated" into society. He said Mr. Dobbs recognizes the political importance of Latinos and is "smoothing the water and clearing the air."

After a career as a broadcaster and Internet entrepreneur, Mr. Dobbs turned himself into a populist firebrand, campaigning against labor outsourcing, free trade and immigration.

Mr. Dobbs left CNN saying he wanted to become an advocate. Immigration advocates, including Ms. Celeste, had long called for his ouster; critics in particular cite a 2007 report on his show that cited erroneous data suggesting illegal immigrants were tied to a spike in leprosy cases in the U.S. Mr. Dobbs told Ms. Celeste the report was a mistake, and blamed a reporter ad-libbing on the air.

Frank Sharry, who heads America's Voice, a group that advocates for legalizing undocumented immigrants, said Mr. Dobbs's conversion isn't credible, given his history of opposing efforts to liberalize immigration policies.

Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project, which seeks strict border enforcement and opposes legalization, said he admired Mr. Dobbs and will "watch him for several months before drawing a conclusion."

Political strategists, however, aren't dismissing the potential power of a Dobbs run. Ed Rollins, a Republican consultant who advised Mr. Perot, said Mr. Dobbs has two big factors in his favor: name recognition and a turbulent economic time that can help a populist, third-party figure.

During his Telemundo appearance, Mr. Dobbs was both defensive and conciliatory as Ms. Celeste ticked off what she said were the Latino community's grievances about Mr. Dobbs. "Many Hispanics consider you to be the No. 1 enemy of Latinos," she told him. "Do you think that the community is somehow misjudging you?"

"Oh, not somehow. Definitively, absolutely," Mr. Dobbs responded. "By the way, I don't believe for a moment that the Latino, Hispanic community in the United States believes that of me at all. It has been the efforts of the far left to characterize me in their propaganda as such."

Mr. Dobbs's relationship with Latinos will be crucial if he chooses to run against Sen. Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), the Senate's lone Hispanic. In response to the possibility, Menendez spokesman Afshin Mohamadi said: "I'm sure that he would relish eventually having an opponent from so far out of the mainstream who has never delivered a thing to the hard-working people of New Jersey."

"Well at least his disingenuousness is in keeping with a politician."

—T. W. Farnam and Nomaan Merchant contributed to this article.

Write to Peter Wallsten at peter.wallsten@wsj.com

Thanksgiving Reminder: A Heart Attack Can Feel Like Indigestion

Sous said those experiencing upset stomachs should be drinking only clear liquids; any more eating or taking aspirin or Alka Seltzer will just bring on an encore.

Sometimes, trips to the hospital are triggered by a fish bone stuck in the esophagus. Other times, it's a chicken bone. Or a large piece of pork. Or a chunk of steak.

Such a sufferer can breathe but might not be able to eat any more food or even swallow saliva.

When that happens, doctors can insert a long tweezer into the mouth to take out the offending item, or push down a long tube, with a tiny camera attached on it, to nudge the food to the stomach, said Dr. Gail Carruthers, director of the pediatrics emergency department at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and Miller Children's Hospital.

She exhorted people to follow two bits of advice. "Don't overeat. Chew your food."

There are more serious scenarios people should keep in mind.

People with heart conditions should avoid too much salt, which can trigger an accumulation of fluid in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe, Sous said.

And Carruthers warned that some symptoms of indigestion are similar to those of a heart attack. If you're having severe indigestion symptoms, especially if accompanied by sweating, you might consider going to the ER to have it checked out, Carruthers said.

"You may just have indigestion," she said, "but let us figure that out."

ron.lin@latimes.com

Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times

In china Death toll rises to 87

China mine death toll rises to 87

By Stephen McDonell

Posted Sun Nov 22, 2009 3:43pm AEDT
Updated Sun Nov 22, 2009 4:32pm AEDT

The efforts of rescuers have been hampered by dense gas and collapsed tunnels. (Reuters: Aly Song)

The death toll from a coal mine explosion in north-east China has risen to 87.

According to Chinese state media, 21 other miners are still trapped underground.

Officials say hopes are fading of finding any more survivors in the country's latest coal mine disaster.

According to rescue official Zhang Fucheng, dense gas and collapsed tunnels have hampered rescue efforts.

The accident was caused yesterday by a huge underground gas explosion which rocked the Xinxing mine in Heilongjiang near the Russian border.

A total of 528 workers were in the mine at the time and hundreds escaped.

The mine's general manager and chief engineer have been sacked, according to Chinese media reports.

China has an appalling work safety record in mines, with hundreds of workers dying each year.

Death toll in Philippine Rises to 46

Philippines Declares Emergency After 46 Killed

By AARON FAVILA, Associated Press Writer Aaron Favila, Associated Press Writer – Tue Nov 24, 6:02 am ET

The victims were mown down as they were travelling to nominate Esmael Mangudadatu, seen here, as the opposition candidate for provincial governor in elections next year. A Philippine politician was charged with murder after authorities accused him of ordering soldiers, police and other gunmen to kill at least 57 defenceless people in an organised slaughter.

(AFP/Ted Aljibe)

AMPATUAN, Philippines – The Philippine president placed two southern provinces under emergency rule Tuesday as security forces unearthed more bodies from one of the worst incidents of election violence in the nation's history, pushing the death toll to 46.

Police and soldiers found 22 bodies in a hillside mass grave Tuesday, adding to the 24 bullet-riddled bodies recovered near the scene of Monday's massacre in Maguindanao province, said Chief Superintendent Josefino Cataluna of the Central Mindanao region.

This southern region of the Philippines is wracked by violent political rivalries, in addition to a long-running Islamic insurgency, but the killings have shocked this Southeast Asian nation. One adviser to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has described the massacre as the worst in the country's recent history. A media rights watchdog also says that it appears to be the world's worst mass killing of journalists, with as many as 23 feared dead.

Dozens of gunmen abducted the group of journalists, supporters and relatives of a gubernatorial candidate as they traveled through Amputuan township Monday to file candidacy documents in the provincial capital for May 2010 elections.

The gubernatorial candidate, Ismael Mangudadatu, who was not a part of the convoy, accused a powerful political rival from the Amputuan clan of being behind the slayings. There is a longstanding bitterness between the two families.

Mangudadatu's wife, Genalyn, and his two sisters, were among the dead.

The bodies found in the grave, about six feet (two meters) deep, were dumped on top of one another. They included a pregnant woman. Grieving relatives helped identify their loved ones before they were given the bodies, covered by banana leaves, for burial.

Officials were still trying to determine the exact number of people intercepted by the gunmen and whether any had survived. Authorities have said the convoy comprised about 40 people, but Cataluna said at least five other people were still missing.

Arroyo declared an emergency in the provinces of Maguindanao and nearby Sultan Kudarat, allowing security forces to conduct random searches and set up checkpoints to pursue the gunmen.

Arroyo said she ordered police and the military "to conduct immediate, relentless pursuit against the perpetrators to secure the affected areas."

The emergency will remain in place until the president is confident that law and order have been restored in the region, her spokesman Cerge Remonde said.

Police and Joy Sonza, head of a small private TV station, UNTV, identified at least three journalists among the dead.

Noynoy Espina, vice chairman of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, said at least 20 other journalists were believed to be among those killed, based on reports from union chapters in the area.

If confirmed, it would be the "largest single massacre of journalists ever," according to Paris-based Reporters Without Borders.

The government stressed that it would go after the culprits, regardless of where the investigation leads.

"No one will be untouchable," Remonde told reporters, calling Monday's killings "unconscionable."

National police chief Jesus Verzosa relieved Maguindanao's provincial police chief and three other officers of their duties and confined them to camp while they are investigated. One of the police officers was reported to have been seen in the company of the gunmen and pro-government militiamen who stopped the convoy, police said.

Mangudadatu said Tuesday that four witnesses had told him the convoy was stopped by gunmen loyal to Andal Ampatuan Jr., a town mayor belonging to a powerful clan and his family's fierce political rival.

He refused to name the witnesses or offer other details.

"It was really planned because they had already dug a huge hole (for the bodies)," Mangudadatu said.

The Ampatuans could not be reached for comment.

The region, among the nation's poorest and awash with weapons, has been intermittently ruled by the Ampatuan family since 2001. It is allied with Arroyo.

Arroyo's political adviser Gabriel Claudio said he was meeting with Zaldy Ampatuan, governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, where Maguindanao province is located, to try to mediate in the long-running rivalrly between the the Ampatuans and the Mangudadatus.

He said the most important thing was to ensure there was no more violence.

"There has to be swift and decisive justice," Claudio said.

Philippine elections are particularly violent in the south because of the presence of armed groups, including Muslim rebels fighting for self-rule in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation, and political warlords who maintain private armies.

The last elections in 2007 were considered peaceful, even though about 130 people were killed.

The decades-long Muslim insurgency has killed about 120,000 people since the 1970s.

Julkipli Wadi, a professor of Islamic studies at the University of the Philippines, said he doubted the national government's resolve in trimming the powers of political dynasties like the Ampatuans because they deliver votes during elections.

"Because of the absence of viable political institutions, powerful men are taking over," he said. "Big political forces and personalities in the national government are sustaining the warlords, especially during election time, because they rely on big families for their votes."

___

Associated Press writers Jim Gomez, Oliver Teves and Teresa Cerojano contributed to this report

Less Swine Flu, But cases more serious

(19-11-2009)

HA NOI — Swine flu was showing a trend to fewer cases of infection but the cases were getting more serious and faster, doctors said yesterday.

National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology deputy director Tran Nhu Duong said the number of swine flu cases reported in the last month had reduced from 90 to 60 per cent of all flu cases, of which the remainder were seasonal flu.

He told a weekly meeting of the national steering committee for A/H1N1 flu pandemic prevention yesterday that research showed that there was no mutation of A/H1N1 flu virus in Viet Nam.

Hospital of Infectious and Tropical Diseases director Nguyen Van Kinh said swine flu symptoms in patients cared at his hospital was getting more serious and faster.

Meanwhile the number of swine flu fatalities nationwide had reached 42 out of 11,000 cases with the death of a 23-year-old woman in Phuoc Long District, Binh Phuoc Province, the Ministry of Health said yesterday.

The woman, a newly confined mother, was sent to the HCM City Tropical Disease Institute on October 30, five days after onset of the disease. She was treated in intensive care with antibiotics and Tamiflu and placed on a machine respirator. She died on November 12 despite tests showing her to be negative for swine flu after six days treatment with Tamiflu. — VNS

Government-owned businesses goes downward

Ventures a drain on states, localities

Updated 3d 12h ago

By Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY


Pedestrians in Queens, N.Y., walk past an OTB location. New York's Off-Track Betting makes payments to the state but can't cover expenses.

Government-owned businesses that generate revenue for states and cities have taken a sharp turn downward and now are draining money from many struggling governments, a USA TODAY analysis found.

States and cities operate hundreds of such enterprises — power companies, sewer systems, betting parlors, subways and more — that earned more than $120 billion in profits during the 1990s.

These businesses started losing money in 2006 and are on track to lose $3.5 billion nationwide this year, according to an analysis of data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

This reversal is adding to the financial squeeze state and local governments are suffering because of a 6.7% drop in tax collections during 2009. Governments are raising taxes, hiking utility rates or cutting budgets to cope.

State and local governments operate enterprises that generate about $250 billion in revenue annually. Traditional cash cows such as gambling and utilities are making less money, although they're still profitable. Money losers such as transit systems and housing authorities are suffering growing losses.

"The recession hit us last fall," says Austin Energy Senior Vice President Elaine Hart. The city-owned power company will reduce its contribution to Austin's operating budget by $5 million this year.

A bad economy reduces electricity use and water consumption — bad news for cities that depend on utility profits to fund fire, police and other services. San Antonio, which gets nearly 30% of its budget from a city-owned power company, will see its take slashed this year by $38 million to $251 million.

"With tax collections in decline, we really need this money," says Pasadena, Calif., finance director Andrew Green. His city took an extra $2 million from its utility this year, for a total of $19 million, to balance its budget.

Bus and subway systems lost a record $32.2 billion in 2008, double the loss recorded a decade earlier, the BEA reports.

Casino competition and a decline in wagering hurt government-run gambling. New York's Off-Track Betting lost $75 million last year. It makes payments to the state, but can't cover expenses.

More testing More dangerous

News Analysis

Screening Debate Reveals Culture Clash In Medicine

By KEVIN SACK

Published: November 20, 2009

This week, the science of medicine bumped up against the foundations of American medical consumerism: that more is better, that saving a life is worth any sacrifice, that health care is a birthright.

Two new recommendations, calling for delaying the start and reducing the frequency of screening for breast and cervical cancer, have been met with anger and confusion from some corners, not to mention a measure of political posturing.

The backers of science-driven medicine, with its dual focus on risks and benefits, have cheered the elevation of data in the setting of standards. But many patients — and organizations of doctors and disease specialists — find themselves unready to accept the counterintuitive notion that more testing can be bad for your health.

“People are being asked to think differently about risk,” said Sheila M. Rothman, a professor of public health at Columbia University. “The public state of mind right now is that they’re frightened that evidence-based medicine is going to be equated with rationing. They don’t see it in a scientific perspective.”

For decades, the medical establishment, the government and the news media have preached the mantra of early detection, spending untold millions of dollars to spread the word. Now, the hypothesis that screening is vital to health and longevity is being turned on its head, with researchers asserting that mammograms and Pap smears can cause more harm than good for women of certain ages.

On Monday, the United States Preventive Services Task Force, a federally appointed advisory panel, recommended that most women delay the start of routine mammograms until they are 50, rather than 40, as the group suggested in 2002. It also recommended that women receive the test every two years rather than annually, and that physicians not train women to perform breast self-examination.

The task force, whose recommendations are not binding on insurers or physicians, concluded after surveying the latest research that the risks caused by over-diagnosis, anxiety, false-positive test results and excess biopsies outweighed the benefits of screening for women in their 40s. It found that one cancer death is prevented for every 1,904 women ages 40 to 49 who are screened for 10 years, compared with one death for every 1,339 women from 50 to 59, and one death for every 377 women from 60 to 69.

On Friday, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists plans to announce a similar revision to its screening guidelines for cervical cancer. It will advise that women receive their first Pap test at age 21; the previous standard had been three years after a woman’s first sexual intercourse or age 21, whichever came first. The group also is recommending that the test be performed every two years instead of annually for women ages 21 to 30.

“A review of the evidence to date shows that screening at less frequent intervals prevents cervical cancer just as well, has decreased costs and avoids unnecessary interventions that could be harmful,” said Dr. Alan G. Waxman, a professor at the University of New Mexico who directed the process.

The challenge of persuading patients and doctors to accept such standards requires a transformational shift in thinking, particularly when the disease involved is as prevalent, as deadly, and as potentially curable as cancer. How do you convince them that it is in their best interest to play the odds when they have been conditioned for so long to not gamble on health? After all, for the one in 1,904 women in their 40s whose life would be saved by early detection of breast cancer, taking the risk would in retrospect seem a bad choice.

“This represents a broader understanding that the efforts to detect cancer early can be a two-edged sword,” said Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, a professor of medicine at Dartmouth who is among the pioneers of research into the negative effects of early detection. “Yes, it helps some people, but it harms others.”

Dr. Welch said this week’s recommendations could mark a turning point in public acceptance of that notion. “Now we’re trying to negotiate that balance,” he said. “There’s no right answer, but I can tell you that the right answer is not always to start earlier, look harder and look more frequently.”

That concept is proving easier to swallow in the halls of Dartmouth Medical School than in the halls of Congress. Coming as they did at the height of debate over a sweeping health care overhaul, the recommendations have provided fresh ammunition for those who warn that greater government involvement in medical decision-making would lead to rationing of health care. It has not mattered that the breast cancer screening recommendation is only advisory, and that the federal government, the American Cancer Society, and numerous private insurers have said they will not adopt it.

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Republican who is running for governor of Texas, cited the task force’s screening statistics in a floor speech on Thursday. “One life out of 1,904 to be saved,” Ms. Hutchison said, “but the choice is not going to be yours. It’s going to be someone else that has never met you, that does not know family history.” She added, “This is not the American way of looking at our health care coverage.”

The health care bills in both the House and the Senate would establish commissions to encourage research into the effectiveness of medical tests and procedures, but would not require that the findings be translated into practice or reimbursement policies.

As throughout history, it may take decades for medical culture to catch up to medical science. Dr. Rothman pointed out that it took 20 years for the public to accept the discovery in 1882 that tuberculosis was caused by a bacterium and not by heredity or behavior. More than 160 years after the Hungarian-born physician Ignaz Semmelweis posited that hand-washing could prevent the spread of infectious disease, studies still show that half of all hospital workers do not follow basic hygiene protocols.

“It’s going to take time, there’s no doubt about it,” said Louise B. Russell, a research professor at the Rutgers University Institute of Health who has studied whether prevention necessarily saves money (and found it does not always do so). “It’s going to take time in part because too many people in this country have had a health insurer say no, and it’s not for a good reason. So they’re not used to having a group come out and say we ought to do less, and it’s because it’s best for you.”

Are all marriages banned in Taxas?

Texas' Gay Marriage Ban May Have Banned All Marriages

By Dave Montgomery | Fort Worth Star-Telegram

AUSTIN — Texans: Are you really married?

Maybe not.

Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston lawyer and Democratic candidate for attorney general, says that a 22-word clause in a 2005 constitutional amendment designed to ban gay marriages erroneously endangers the legal status of all marriages in the state.

The amendment, approved by the Legislature and overwhelmingly ratified by voters, declares that "marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman." But the troublemaking phrase, as Radnofsky sees it, is Subsection B, which declares:

"This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage."

Architects of the amendment included the clause to ban same-sex civil unions and domestic partnerships. But Radnofsky, who was a member of the powerhouse Vinson & Elkins law firm in Houston for 27 years until retiring in 2006, says the wording of Subsection B effectively "eliminates marriage in Texas," including common-law marriages.

She calls it a "massive mistake" and blames the current attorney general, Republican Greg Abbott, for allowing the language to become part of the Texas Constitution. Radnofsky called on Abbott to acknowledge the wording as an error and consider an apology. She also said that another constitutional amendment may be necessary to reverse the problem.

"You do not have to have a fancy law degree to read this and understand what it plainly says," said Radnofsky, who will be at Texas Christian University today as part of a five-city tour to kick off her campaign.

'Entirely constitutional’

Abbott spokesman Jerry Strickland said the attorney general stands behind the 4-year-old amendment.

"The Texas Constitution and the marriage statute are entirely constitutional," Strickland said without commenting further on Radnofsky’s statements. "We will continue to defend both in court."

A conservative leader whose organization helped draft the amendment dismissed Radnofsky’s position, saying it was similar to scare tactics opponents unsuccessfully used against the proposal in 2005.

"It’s a silly argument," said Kelly Shackelford, president of the Liberty Legal Institute in Plano. Any lawsuit based on the wording of Subsection B, he said, would have "about one chance in a trillion" of being successful.

Shackelford said the clause was designed to be broad enough to prevent the creation of domestic partnerships, civil unions or other arrangements that would give same-sex couples many of the benefits of marriage.

Radnofsky acknowledged that the clause is not likely to result in an overnight dismantling of marriages in Texas. But she said the wording opens the door to legal claims involving spousal rights, insurance claims, inheritance and a host other marriage-related issues.

"This breeds unneeded arguments, lawsuits and expense which could have been avoided by good lawyering," Radnofsky said. "Yes, I believe the clear language of B bans all marriages, and this is indeed a huge mistake."

In October, Dallas District Judge Tena Callahan ruled that the same-sex-marriage ban is unconstitutional because it stands in the way of gay divorce. Abbott is appealing the ruling, which came in a divorce petition involving two men who were married in Massachusetts in 2006.

Massive error?

Radnofsky, the Democratic nominee in the Senate race against Kay Bailey Hutchison in 2006, said she voted against the amendment but didn’t realize the legal implications until she began poring over the Texas Constitution to prepare for the attorney general’s race. She said she holds Abbott and his office responsible for not catching an "error of massive proportions."

"Whoever vetted the language in B must have been asleep at the wheel," she said.

Abbott, a former state Supreme Court justice who was elected attorney general in 2002, has not indicated whether he will seek re-election and is known to be interested in running for lieutenant governor. Ted Cruz, who served as solicitor general under Abbott, is running for attorney general in the Republican primary.

Radnofsky, who has not yet drawn a Democratic opponent, is scheduled to appear at the Tarrant County Young Democrats Gubernatorial Forum at 6:30 tonight at TCU.

Alcohol 'Protects Men's Hearts'

Drinking alcohol every day cuts the risk of heart disease in men by more than a third, a major study suggests.

The type of drink did not appear to change the results

The Spanish research involving more than 15,500 men and 26,000 women found large quantities of alcohol could be even more beneficial for men.

Female drinkers did not benefit to the same extent, the study in Heart found.

Experts are critical, warning heavy drinking can increase the risk of other diseases, with alcohol responsible for 1.8 million deaths globally per year.

The study was conducted in Spain, a country with relatively high rates of alcohol consumption and low rates of coronary heart disease.

The research involved men and women aged between 29 and 69, who were asked to document their lifetime drinking habits and followed for 10 years.

Crucially the research team claim to have eliminated the "sick abstainers" risk by differentiating between those who had never drunk and those whom ill-health had forced to quit. This has been used in the past to explain fewer heart-related deaths among drinkers on the basis that those who are unhealthy to start with are less likely to drink.

Good cholesterol

The researchers, led by the Basque Public Health Department, placed the participants into six categories - from never having drunk to drinking more than 90g of alcohol each day. This would be the equivalent of consuming about eight bottles of wine a week, or 28 pints of lager.

For those drinking little - less than a shot of vodka a day for instance - the risk was reduced by 35%. And for those who drank anything from three shots to more than 11 shots each day, the risk worked out an average of 50% less.

The same benefits were not seen in women, who suffer fewer heart problems than men to start with. Researchers speculated this difference could be down to the fact that women process alcohol differently, and that female hormones protect against the disease in younger age groups.

The type of alcohol drunk did not seem to make a difference, but protection was greater for those drinking moderate to high amounts of varied drinks.

The exact mechanisms are as yet unclear, but it is known that alcohol helps to raise high-density lipoproteins, sometimes known as good cholesterol, which helps stop so-called bad cholesterol from building up in the arteries.

'Binge-drinking'

UK experts said the findings should be treated with caution because they do not take into account ill-health from a range of other diseases caused by excess drinking.

"Whilst moderate alcohol intake can lower the risk of having a heart attack, coronary heart disease is just one type of heart disease. Cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, is associated with high alcohol intake and can lead to a poor quality of life and premature death," said the British Heart Foundation's senior cardiac nurse, Cathy Ross.

"The heart is just one of many organs in the body. While alcohol could offer limited protection to one organ, abuse of it can damage the heart and other organs such as the liver, pancreas and brain."

The Stroke Association meanwhile noted that overall, evidence indicated that people who regularly consumed a large amount of alcohol had a three-fold increased risk of stroke.

"Six units within six hours is considered 'binge-drinking' and anyone indulging in regular 'binge-drinking' increases their risk of stroke greatly," said research officer Joanne Murphy.

Public health specialists warned no-one should be encouraged to drink more as a result of this study.

"The relationship between alcohol and heart disease remains controversial," said Professor Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

"While there is good evidence that moderate consumption is protective in people who are at substantial risk of heart disease - which excludes most people under the age of 40 - we also know that most people underestimate how much they drink. This paper adds to the existing literature but should not be considered as definitive. "

In the UK, the recommendation is no more than two to three units of alcohol a day for women - the equivalent of one standard glass of wine - and three to four units for men.

The British Liver Trust said: "There have been several studies suggesting that small amounts of alcohol can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease in men over the age of 40.

"But these are often misinterpreted by people looking for a health reason to consume alcohol.

"If you want to look after your health, stay within the limits of no more than 3-4 units a day for men or 2-3 for women and aim to give yourself at least two days off alcohol a week."

Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, president of the UK Faculty of Public Health, agreed that the message from this study was not clear: "At the end of the day, you're juggling different risks and benefits, maybe helping your heart or maybe damaging your brain and liver.

"The simple message is moderation.

"Stick to the guidelines, and you won't go far wrong."

People should not be encouraged to drink more as a result of this research

Professor Martin McKee
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Pirate Attack again

Marersk Alabama Repels 2nd Pirate Attack With Guns
By JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press Writer Jason Straziuso, Associated Press Writer – Wed Nov 18, 11:37 am ET


AP – FILE - The U.S.-flagged cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama arrives in Mombasa, Kenya, in this Saturday April …

NAIROBI, Kenya – Somali pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama on Wednesday for the second time in seven months and were thwarted by private guards on board the U.S.-flagged ship who fired off guns and a high-decibel noise device.

A U.S. surveillance plane was monitoring the ship as it continued to its destination on the Kenyan coast, while a pirate said that the captain of a ship hijacked Monday with 28 North Korean crew members on board had died of wounds.

Pirates hijacked the Maersk Alabama last April and took ship captain Richard Phillips hostage, holding him at gunpoint in a lifeboat for five days. Navy SEAL sharpshooters freed Phillips while killing three pirates in a daring nighttime attack.

Four suspected pirates in a skiff attacked the ship again on Wednesday around 6:30 a.m. local time, firing on the ship with automatic weapons from about 300 yards (meters) away, a statement from the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain said.

An on-board security team repelled the attack by using evasive maneuvers, small-arms fire and a Long Range Acoustic Device, which can beam earsplitting alarm tones, the fleet said.

Vice Adm. Bill Gortney of the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, said the Maersk Alabama had followed the maritime industry's "best practices" in having a security team on board.

"This is a great example of how merchant mariners can take proactive action to prevent being attacked and why we recommend that ships follow industry best practices if they're in high-risk areas," Gortney said in a statement.

However, Roger Middleton, a piracy expert at the London-based think tank Chatham House, said the international maritime community was still "solidly against" armed guards aboard vessels at sea, but that American ships have taken a different line than the rest of the international community.

"Shipping companies are still pretty much overwhelmingly opposed to the idea of armed guards," Middleton said. "Lots of private security companies employee people who don't have maritime experience. Also, there's the idea that it's the responsibility of states and navies to provide security. I would think it's a step backward if we start privatizing security of the shipping trade."

A Massachusetts Maritime Academy professor, who is also the father of a sailor who was on the Maersk Alabama during the first pirate attack in April, said about 20 percent of the ships off East Africa are armed.

The owners of the Maersk Alabama have spent a considerable amount of money since the April hijacking to make the vessel pirate-proof, Murphy said, including structural features and safety equipment. The most dramatic change is what he called a security force of "highly trained ex-military personnel."

"Somali pirates understand one thing and only one thing, and that's force," said Capt. Joseph Murphy, who teaches maritime security at the school. "They analyze risk very carefully, and when the risk is too high they are going to step back. They are not going to jeopardize themselves."

The wife of the Maersk Alabama's captain, Paul Rochford, told WBZ-AM radio in Boston that she was "really happy" there were weapons on board for this attack.

"It probably surprised the pirates. They were probably shocked," Kimberly Rochford. "I'm really happy at least it didn't turn out like the last time."

A self-proclaimed pirate told The Associated Press from the Somali pirate town of Haradhere that colleagues out at sea had called around 9 a.m. — 2 1/2 hours after the attack.

"They told us that they got in trouble with an American ship, then we lost them. We have been trying to locate them since," said a self-described pirate who gave his name as Abdi Nor.

A U.S. Navy P-3 surveillance aircraft "is monitoring Maersk Alabama and has good voice communication with the vessel," said Lt. Nathan Christensen, the Bahrain-based spokesman for the 5th Fleet. The ship was heading for the Kenyan port town of Mombasa.

"The crew and the captain are safe," Amanda Derick, a spokeswoman for Maersk Line Limited in Norfolk, Va., said on Wednesday. "The appropriate security measures were taken. That's the main thing, everyone's safe."

Maritime experts said it was unlucky but not unprecedented that the Maersk Alabama had been targeted in a second attack.

"It's not the first vessel to have been attacked twice, and it's a chance that every single ship takes as it passes through the area," Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force. "At least this time they had a vessel protection detachment on board who were able to repel the attack."

Phillips' ordeal last spring galvanized the attention of the U.S. public to the dangers of operating merchant ships in the Horn of Africa, one of the busiest and most precarious sea lanes in the world.

Underscoring the danger, a self-proclaimed pirate said Wednesday that the captain of a ship hijacked Monday had died of wounds suffered during the ship's hijacking. The pirate, Sa'id, who gave only one name for fear of reprisals, said the captain died Tuesday night from internal bleeding.

The EU Naval Force has said the Virgin Islands-owned chemical tanker the Theresa was taken Monday with 28 North Korean crew.

Pirates have greatly increased their attacks in recent weeks after seasonal rains subsided. On Tuesday, a self-proclaimed pirate said that Somali hijackers had been paid $3.3 million for the release of 36 crew members from a Spanish vessel held for more than six weeks — a clear demonstration of how lucrative the trade can be for impoverished Somalis.

Phillips told the AP last month from his farmhouse in Vermont that he was contemplating retiring from sea life after his ordeal. He's been given a book deal and a movie could be in the works.

Phillips was hailed as a hero for helping his crew thwart April's hijacking before he was taken hostage, but he says he never volunteered, as crew members and his family reported at the time. He says he was already a hostage when he struck a deal with the pirates — trading him for their leader, who was taken by the Maersk Alabama's crew.