By Dave Cook Staff writer / January 29, 2010 CSMONITOR.com
President Obama met with House Republicans at their annual retreat in Baltimore. GOP lawmakers asked pointed questions and Obama pushed back. But overall, the meeting was civil and substantive.
Washington
For nearly 90 minutes Friday afternoon, President Obama engaged House Republicans at their annual retreat in Baltimore, responding to pointed questions from his legislative opponents with a mixture of conciliation, confrontation, humor, and irritation.
It's not clear that many minds were changed during the session, which was opened to television cameras at White House request. Several Republican legislators’ questions were posed in the form of mini-speeches. Mr. Obama sometimes responded with a professorial recitation of the details of both Democratic and Republican proposals.
But overall, the interchange was lively, civil, and substantive. Reporters in the room said the audience murmured in polite disagreement on a few occasions but not in a disruptive way. There were no partisan outbursts. Midway through the question-and-answer session the president said, "I'm having fun."
'We need to listen to each other'
Republican House leader John Boehner invited the president to attend and introduced him by saying those in Washington "need to listen to each other."
Mr. Boehner remarked that Republicans had proposed a lot of solutions that were disregarded over the past year and had compiled them into a single booklet, titled "Better Solutions," that he handed to Obama. When the introduction was completed, the assembled Republican legislators welcomed the president with a standing ovation.
Before moving to questions, Obama opened with humor, quipping "you know what they say, keep your friends close but visit the Republican caucus every few months." He proceeded to stress his belief in the "necessity" of a loyal opposition, reciting areas – including supporting military operations in Afghanistan – where the two parties had worked together. But he also cited "disappointing" party-line votes in Congress.
During the question-and-answer session, the president was asked about the contentious subject of healthcare reform. He accused Republicans of portraying his proposals on the subject as "some Bolshevik plot." But he also acknowleged that there were "some stray cats and dogs that got in there" that "we were in the process of eliminating" and that "might have violated" his pledge not to have the government get between patients and doctors.
Closing the gap between rhetoric and reality
The president argued that "we have got to close the gap a little bit between the rhetoric and the reality." He asserted that by demonizing his proposals, "what happens is that you guys do not have a lot of room to negotiate with me," adding that "many of you, if you voted with the administration on something, are politically vulnerable in your own base."
In response to a question about Republican legislative ideas being "stiff-armed by [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi," the president said "both sides can take some blame for a sour climate on Capitol Hill." He said not having more communication between the legislative leaders of the major parties was "a failure on my part" and that he would try to do more on that issue this year.
The only visible flash of anger or irritation came with the final question that was posed – at some length – by Jeb Hensarling of Texas about a Republican budget proposal.
"The whole question was structured as a talking point for running a campaign," Obama snapped. "When you say that suddenly I have got a monthly deficit that is higher than the annual deficit left by the Republicans, that is factually just not true and you know it is not true."
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Friday, January 29, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
FDA Okays Valve That Can Be Placed Without Open-Heart Surgery
By Jennifer Corbett Dooren Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES -JANUARY 25, 2010,
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The Food and Drug Administration Monday approved a Medtronic Inc. (MDT) heart valve that can be implanted without open-heart surgery.
The device, known as the Melody transcatheter pulmonary valve, is designed to be implanted into patients through a small catheter that's inserted into the body. It replaces the pulmonary valve in patients born with a heart defect, and is the first heart valve approved for sale in the U.S. that be implanted without open-heart surgery.
"The FDA's approval of Melody allows patients to undergo a much less invasive procedure to treat their heart condition," said Jeffrey Shuren, the director of FDA's devices division. The valve won't cure a patient's heart condition and over time will likely need to be replaced.
The Melody was approved under the FDA's Humanitarian Device Exemption program which allows devices to be approved for use to treat medical conditions that affect 4,000 or fewer patients in the U.S. annually.
FDA's approval of the Melody valve follows the July recommendation of an outside panel of medical experts which said the device had "probable benefit."
Medtronic officials have said the pulmonary value would likely be implanted in fewer than 1,000 U.S. patients annually. However, the potential market for other replacement heart valves such as the aortic valve that could be replaced without major surgery is much larger.
Medtronic acquired a company last year that sells an aortic value replacement system in Europe and plans to eventually seek FDA approval of the product in the U.S. Edwards Lifesciences Corp. (EW) also sells transcatheter heart valves in Europe and also plans to seek FDA approval to sell its valves in the U.S. The company hopes to win approval for the valves next year.
Medtronic's pulmonary valve was studied in a small group of patients who were born with a heart defect that disrupts the blood flow from the heart's right ventricle to the pulmonary artery that leads to the lungs. Patients with such heart defects typically require several open-heart surgeries to replace heart valves. The Melody valve could delay the need for open-heart surgery and cut the number of surgeries, but is unlikely to completely eliminate the need for open-heart surgery.
The FDA said clinical studies of 99 patients in the U.S. and 68 patients in Europe showed that the device improved function of the heart and the majority of participants have noted improvements in their clinical symptoms.
The agency said the device showed similar, limited durability compared with existing alternative treatments with 21% of U.S. patients experienced a stent fracture. The rate is similar to the number of stent fractures reported for the bare metal stents presently used to treat congenital heart defects of the pulmonary valve. The concern about stent fractures is that parts of the device could break off and result in blood clots.
However, the FDA said during the July advisory panel meeting, that devices which were removed from patients showed that stent fragments were incorporated into the vein wall, meaning there's a "low probability" that such fragments would cause blood clots.
The FDA said Medtronic will be required to conduct two post-approval studies to assess long-term risks and benefits of the product. The company will also be required to assess a physician training program and to maintain a database of Melody recipients.
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The Food and Drug Administration Monday approved a Medtronic Inc. (MDT) heart valve that can be implanted without open-heart surgery.
The device, known as the Melody transcatheter pulmonary valve, is designed to be implanted into patients through a small catheter that's inserted into the body. It replaces the pulmonary valve in patients born with a heart defect, and is the first heart valve approved for sale in the U.S. that be implanted without open-heart surgery.
"The FDA's approval of Melody allows patients to undergo a much less invasive procedure to treat their heart condition," said Jeffrey Shuren, the director of FDA's devices division. The valve won't cure a patient's heart condition and over time will likely need to be replaced.
The Melody was approved under the FDA's Humanitarian Device Exemption program which allows devices to be approved for use to treat medical conditions that affect 4,000 or fewer patients in the U.S. annually.
FDA's approval of the Melody valve follows the July recommendation of an outside panel of medical experts which said the device had "probable benefit."
Medtronic officials have said the pulmonary value would likely be implanted in fewer than 1,000 U.S. patients annually. However, the potential market for other replacement heart valves such as the aortic valve that could be replaced without major surgery is much larger.
Medtronic acquired a company last year that sells an aortic value replacement system in Europe and plans to eventually seek FDA approval of the product in the U.S. Edwards Lifesciences Corp. (EW) also sells transcatheter heart valves in Europe and also plans to seek FDA approval to sell its valves in the U.S. The company hopes to win approval for the valves next year.
Medtronic's pulmonary valve was studied in a small group of patients who were born with a heart defect that disrupts the blood flow from the heart's right ventricle to the pulmonary artery that leads to the lungs. Patients with such heart defects typically require several open-heart surgeries to replace heart valves. The Melody valve could delay the need for open-heart surgery and cut the number of surgeries, but is unlikely to completely eliminate the need for open-heart surgery.
The FDA said clinical studies of 99 patients in the U.S. and 68 patients in Europe showed that the device improved function of the heart and the majority of participants have noted improvements in their clinical symptoms.
The agency said the device showed similar, limited durability compared with existing alternative treatments with 21% of U.S. patients experienced a stent fracture. The rate is similar to the number of stent fractures reported for the bare metal stents presently used to treat congenital heart defects of the pulmonary valve. The concern about stent fractures is that parts of the device could break off and result in blood clots.
However, the FDA said during the July advisory panel meeting, that devices which were removed from patients showed that stent fragments were incorporated into the vein wall, meaning there's a "low probability" that such fragments would cause blood clots.
The FDA said Medtronic will be required to conduct two post-approval studies to assess long-term risks and benefits of the product. The company will also be required to assess a physician training program and to maintain a database of Melody recipients.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
New York City Jobless Rate at 10.6%; State at 9% (Update1)
January 21, 2010, 02:58 PM EST
By Henry Goldman
Jan. 21 (Bloomberg) -- New York City’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate jumped to 10.6 percent in December, the highest since 1993, the state Labor Department reported.
New York state’s jobless rate matched its highest in 26 years, reaching 9 percent in December, 0.4 percentage points more than in November. Unemployed residents in the state increased to 868,600 from 832,200.
The city and state continue to lose jobs in areas including financial activities and business and professional services, while employment increased in education, health care and tourism, said James Brown, principal economist for the labor department.
“We won’t see unemployment trending down month to month until the second half of 2010 at the earliest,” Brown said.
The city’s unemployment rate was 10 percent in November and 7 percent in December 2008. It last reached 10.6 percent in March 1993, according to the labor department. The rate hit 11.7 percent in September 1992, its highest since January 1976, under the department’s current method for measuring the statistic.
The national jobless rate was 10 percent in December.
--Editors: Stacie Servetah, Mark Tannenbaum
By Henry Goldman
Jan. 21 (Bloomberg) -- New York City’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate jumped to 10.6 percent in December, the highest since 1993, the state Labor Department reported.
New York state’s jobless rate matched its highest in 26 years, reaching 9 percent in December, 0.4 percentage points more than in November. Unemployed residents in the state increased to 868,600 from 832,200.
The city and state continue to lose jobs in areas including financial activities and business and professional services, while employment increased in education, health care and tourism, said James Brown, principal economist for the labor department.
“We won’t see unemployment trending down month to month until the second half of 2010 at the earliest,” Brown said.
The city’s unemployment rate was 10 percent in November and 7 percent in December 2008. It last reached 10.6 percent in March 1993, according to the labor department. The rate hit 11.7 percent in September 1992, its highest since January 1976, under the department’s current method for measuring the statistic.
The national jobless rate was 10 percent in December.
--Editors: Stacie Servetah, Mark Tannenbaum
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
HELP FOR Haiti
The Federal Response
Check out the links below to find out how each federal department and agency is responding to the earthquake in Haiti.
The Department of State
The Department of Defense
Haiti EARTHQUAKE RELIEF HOW TO HELP
Check out the links below to find out how each federal department and agency is responding to the earthquake in Haiti.
The Department of State
The Department of Defense
Haiti EARTHQUAKE RELIEF HOW TO HELP
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
US, Globe Rush Rescue, Relief Workers to Haiti
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 13, 2010
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama dispatched military troops and an air and sea flotilla to speed earthquake relief to Haiti on Wednesday, and governments from China to Venezuela rushed to help with aid and rescue workers, as well. Obama said the world's help was critical to deal with a ''cruel and incomprehensible'' tragedy.
The massive effort to alleviate the spiraling toll of death and destruction kicked in as the devastation from Tuesday's magnitude-7.0 quake revealed itself. Haitian officials predicted a death total of staggering proportions.
U.S. officials were checking reports of at least three deaths of Americans in Haiti. State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley said few of the estimated 45,000 Americans living in the country had been able to communicate with U.S. officials and verify they were safe and sound.
The United States set in motion a sweeping military response that included ships, helicopters, transport planes and possibly a 2,000-member Marine unit.
Gen. Douglas Fraser, head of U.S. Southern Command, said one of the Navy's large amphibious ships probably would head to Haiti with a Marine expeditionary unit aboard. An Army brigade, which would include several thousand soldiers, from the 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg, N.C., was standing by for possible deployment, he said.
Fraser said it was possible that some military personnel would aid in security, bolstering Haiti's beleaguered police, but final decisions on their use had not yet been made. A Southern Command assessment team was flying to Haiti.
The initial contingent of 2,000 Marines could pitch in with both emergency aid distribution and law enforcement in support of a small U.N. peacekeeping force already there, Fraser said. The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson also was heading from Norfolk, Va., and should arrive Thursday afternoon.
Obama put newly appointed USAID administrator Rajiv Shah in overall charge of the American effort. He said the initial response would concentrate on search and rescue operations but would also look at longer-term humanitarian needs. Two 72-member American urban search and rescue teams were on their way, transported by military and civilian airlift.
''The goal of the relief effort in the first 72 hours will be very focused on saving lives,'' Shah told reporters.
To ease the crushing burden on Haiti's flimsy government and police apparatus, the U.S. announced it had suspended deportation of Haitians in the United States illegally.
The United Nations has released $10 million from its emergency funds, even as U.N. workers and peacekeeping troops on the island nation at the time of the quake struggled with their own losses. The U.N. headquarters building collapsed, and the reported death toll there was mounting.
''We'll be using whatever roads are passable to get aid to Port-au-Prince, and if possible we'll bring helicopters in,'' said Emilia Casella, a spokeswoman for the U.N. food agency in Geneva. Its 200 staff in Haiti were trying to deliver high-energy biscuits and other supplies, despite looting and the threat of violence in a nation long plagued by lawlessness.
The American Red Cross ran out of medical supplies on the ground in Haiti, a spokesman said Wednesday. The small amount of medical equipment and supplies that were available to Haiti had been distributed, spokesman Eric Porterfield said. More were being sent, but he said he did not know when they would be arriving.
Across the globe, governments and aid groups were sending sniffer dogs to search for victims. They also were sending food and tons of emergency medical aid.
The sheer number of dead bodies was expected to pose a problem. The World Health Organization said it had sent specialists to help clear the city of corpses, and the International Red Cross was sending a plane Thursday loaded mainly with body bags.
Sixty-five rubble-clearing specialists and six sniffer dogs left France on Wednesday, while Spain dispatched three planeloads of rescuers and 100 tons of tents, blankets and cooking kits. Israel was sending in an elite Army rescue unit of engineers and doctors.
A military reconnaissance team from Canada was arriving aboard a C-130 transport plane to assess the need for mosquito nets, basic household goods, tents and sanitation packages.
One of the first teams expected to arrive in Haiti was a 37-member search-and-rescue unit from Iceland, along with 10 tons of rescue equipment.
The Irish telecommunications company Digicel said it would donate $5 million to aid agencies and help repair Haiti's damaged phone network.
Doctors Without Borders said it had treated hundreds in tents near where its Martissant health center was damaged. The injuries include broken bones and some severe burns from domestic gas containers that exploded in collapsed buildings. It said hundreds more Haitians were being treated in tents elsewhere.
Canada planned an initial donation of $4.8 million, with more aid to flow after reports to Ottawa by military reconnaissance team.
China pitched in with a pledge of $1 million, while the European Commission has approved $4.37 million. European Union member states Spain, The Netherlands and Germany promised millions more.
Even as donations began piling up, the FBI warned Internet users to be wary of e-mail messages seeking donations in the aftermath of the quake. People who want to send money or assistance should contribute to known organizations and should be careful not to respond to unsolicited e-mails, officials said.
------
Associated Press writers Anne Flaherty, Pauline Jelinek, Matthew Lee and Julie Pace contributed to this story.
Published: January 13, 2010
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama dispatched military troops and an air and sea flotilla to speed earthquake relief to Haiti on Wednesday, and governments from China to Venezuela rushed to help with aid and rescue workers, as well. Obama said the world's help was critical to deal with a ''cruel and incomprehensible'' tragedy.
The massive effort to alleviate the spiraling toll of death and destruction kicked in as the devastation from Tuesday's magnitude-7.0 quake revealed itself. Haitian officials predicted a death total of staggering proportions.
U.S. officials were checking reports of at least three deaths of Americans in Haiti. State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley said few of the estimated 45,000 Americans living in the country had been able to communicate with U.S. officials and verify they were safe and sound.
The United States set in motion a sweeping military response that included ships, helicopters, transport planes and possibly a 2,000-member Marine unit.
Gen. Douglas Fraser, head of U.S. Southern Command, said one of the Navy's large amphibious ships probably would head to Haiti with a Marine expeditionary unit aboard. An Army brigade, which would include several thousand soldiers, from the 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg, N.C., was standing by for possible deployment, he said.
Fraser said it was possible that some military personnel would aid in security, bolstering Haiti's beleaguered police, but final decisions on their use had not yet been made. A Southern Command assessment team was flying to Haiti.
The initial contingent of 2,000 Marines could pitch in with both emergency aid distribution and law enforcement in support of a small U.N. peacekeeping force already there, Fraser said. The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson also was heading from Norfolk, Va., and should arrive Thursday afternoon.
Obama put newly appointed USAID administrator Rajiv Shah in overall charge of the American effort. He said the initial response would concentrate on search and rescue operations but would also look at longer-term humanitarian needs. Two 72-member American urban search and rescue teams were on their way, transported by military and civilian airlift.
''The goal of the relief effort in the first 72 hours will be very focused on saving lives,'' Shah told reporters.
To ease the crushing burden on Haiti's flimsy government and police apparatus, the U.S. announced it had suspended deportation of Haitians in the United States illegally.
The United Nations has released $10 million from its emergency funds, even as U.N. workers and peacekeeping troops on the island nation at the time of the quake struggled with their own losses. The U.N. headquarters building collapsed, and the reported death toll there was mounting.
''We'll be using whatever roads are passable to get aid to Port-au-Prince, and if possible we'll bring helicopters in,'' said Emilia Casella, a spokeswoman for the U.N. food agency in Geneva. Its 200 staff in Haiti were trying to deliver high-energy biscuits and other supplies, despite looting and the threat of violence in a nation long plagued by lawlessness.
The American Red Cross ran out of medical supplies on the ground in Haiti, a spokesman said Wednesday. The small amount of medical equipment and supplies that were available to Haiti had been distributed, spokesman Eric Porterfield said. More were being sent, but he said he did not know when they would be arriving.
Across the globe, governments and aid groups were sending sniffer dogs to search for victims. They also were sending food and tons of emergency medical aid.
The sheer number of dead bodies was expected to pose a problem. The World Health Organization said it had sent specialists to help clear the city of corpses, and the International Red Cross was sending a plane Thursday loaded mainly with body bags.
Sixty-five rubble-clearing specialists and six sniffer dogs left France on Wednesday, while Spain dispatched three planeloads of rescuers and 100 tons of tents, blankets and cooking kits. Israel was sending in an elite Army rescue unit of engineers and doctors.
A military reconnaissance team from Canada was arriving aboard a C-130 transport plane to assess the need for mosquito nets, basic household goods, tents and sanitation packages.
One of the first teams expected to arrive in Haiti was a 37-member search-and-rescue unit from Iceland, along with 10 tons of rescue equipment.
The Irish telecommunications company Digicel said it would donate $5 million to aid agencies and help repair Haiti's damaged phone network.
Doctors Without Borders said it had treated hundreds in tents near where its Martissant health center was damaged. The injuries include broken bones and some severe burns from domestic gas containers that exploded in collapsed buildings. It said hundreds more Haitians were being treated in tents elsewhere.
Canada planned an initial donation of $4.8 million, with more aid to flow after reports to Ottawa by military reconnaissance team.
China pitched in with a pledge of $1 million, while the European Commission has approved $4.37 million. European Union member states Spain, The Netherlands and Germany promised millions more.
Even as donations began piling up, the FBI warned Internet users to be wary of e-mail messages seeking donations in the aftermath of the quake. People who want to send money or assistance should contribute to known organizations and should be careful not to respond to unsolicited e-mails, officials said.
------
Associated Press writers Anne Flaherty, Pauline Jelinek, Matthew Lee and Julie Pace contributed to this story.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Son of Gov. Paterson Arrested On Stolen Credit Card Charge
WPIX NEWSROOM
4:39 PM EST, January 12, 2010
NEW YORK (WPIX) - The teenage son of New York Governor David Paterson was arrested Tuesday and charged with possession of a stolen credit card, PIX News has learned.Alex Paterson, 15, placed into police custody at the 20th Precinct in Manhattan. According to sources, Paterson was with a friend on the Upper West side when he was stopped by New York City police officers.When asked to show identification, according to a source, police noticed the debit card in his wallet. Given his age, police inquired how he came into possession of the card."His answer was not satisfatory" according to another source.Alex Paterson was released in the custody of his mother, Michelle Paige Paterson shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday.Stay with WPIX.com for the latest on this developing story.
4:39 PM EST, January 12, 2010
NEW YORK (WPIX) - The teenage son of New York Governor David Paterson was arrested Tuesday and charged with possession of a stolen credit card, PIX News has learned.Alex Paterson, 15, placed into police custody at the 20th Precinct in Manhattan. According to sources, Paterson was with a friend on the Upper West side when he was stopped by New York City police officers.When asked to show identification, according to a source, police noticed the debit card in his wallet. Given his age, police inquired how he came into possession of the card."His answer was not satisfatory" according to another source.Alex Paterson was released in the custody of his mother, Michelle Paige Paterson shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday.Stay with WPIX.com for the latest on this developing story.
Restaurant Chefs Boiling Over NYC Mayor's Salt Crackdown
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
NYPOST.com
NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Bloomberg yesterday defended his latest nanny initiative — a controversial crackdown on salt — by comparing the simple seasoning to killer asbestos in the classroom.
"If we know there's asbestos in a school room what do you expect us to do?" Bloomberg shot back at reporters questioning his new initiative. "Say it's not our business? I don't think so. The same thing is true with food and smoking and a lot of things.
"Salt and asbestos, clearly both are bad for you," Bloomberg continued. "Modern medicine thinks you shouldn't be smoking if you want to live longer. Modern medicine thinks you shouldn't be eating salt, or sodium."
Bloomberg is pushing a plan to cut the amount of salt in packaged and restaurant foods by 25 percent over the next five years. He says the initiative is voluntary.
Never mind that salt has important properties that preserve and stabilize food, and its sodium ions help maintain the fluid in human blood cells.
Forget that the body does not manufacture its own sodium ions so there has to be some salt in everyone's diet.
Restaurant owners have a less scientific reason for disliking the crackdown: salt makes food taste good.
Some of the city's top chefs and restaurant owners yesterday had a spicy message for City Hall: Simmer down and stay out of our kitchens.
"I'm all for trying to make New Yorkers healthier people," said acclaimed chef Ed Brown, owner of the restaurant eighty one on the Upper West Side. "But when it comes to him telling me how much salt to put in food, I have a problem with it."
Noted chef David Chang, owner of the Momofuku Noodle Bar, said cooks have been using salt with food almost as long as they have been using fire.
"You need salt to draw flavor out of food," Chang said. "It's a skill that you teach cooks. For that to be regulated by the government is just stupid and foolish."
Too much sodium contributes to high blood pressure, which can cause heart attacks and stroke, health officials say.
NYPOST.com
NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Bloomberg yesterday defended his latest nanny initiative — a controversial crackdown on salt — by comparing the simple seasoning to killer asbestos in the classroom.
"If we know there's asbestos in a school room what do you expect us to do?" Bloomberg shot back at reporters questioning his new initiative. "Say it's not our business? I don't think so. The same thing is true with food and smoking and a lot of things.
"Salt and asbestos, clearly both are bad for you," Bloomberg continued. "Modern medicine thinks you shouldn't be smoking if you want to live longer. Modern medicine thinks you shouldn't be eating salt, or sodium."
Bloomberg is pushing a plan to cut the amount of salt in packaged and restaurant foods by 25 percent over the next five years. He says the initiative is voluntary.
Never mind that salt has important properties that preserve and stabilize food, and its sodium ions help maintain the fluid in human blood cells.
Forget that the body does not manufacture its own sodium ions so there has to be some salt in everyone's diet.
Restaurant owners have a less scientific reason for disliking the crackdown: salt makes food taste good.
Some of the city's top chefs and restaurant owners yesterday had a spicy message for City Hall: Simmer down and stay out of our kitchens.
"I'm all for trying to make New Yorkers healthier people," said acclaimed chef Ed Brown, owner of the restaurant eighty one on the Upper West Side. "But when it comes to him telling me how much salt to put in food, I have a problem with it."
Noted chef David Chang, owner of the Momofuku Noodle Bar, said cooks have been using salt with food almost as long as they have been using fire.
"You need salt to draw flavor out of food," Chang said. "It's a skill that you teach cooks. For that to be regulated by the government is just stupid and foolish."
Too much sodium contributes to high blood pressure, which can cause heart attacks and stroke, health officials say.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Obesity Rise Hurts Health More Than Smoking
Study Shows Obesity Epidemic Creating New Challenges to Public Health
By Jennifer Warner WebMD Health News
Jan. 5, 2010 -- America's obesity epidemic now poses an equal or greater threat to health-related quality of life than smoking, according to a new study.
Researchers say that as obesity in America has risen dramatically in recent years -- and smoking rates have declined -- the contribution of obesity to the burden of disease and shortening of life has increased while smoking's role has decreased.
The study showed that from 1993 to 2008, the proportion of smokers among U.S. adults declined by 18.5% while the proportion of obese adults increased 85%.
Using information from nationwide annual health-related quality-of-life surveys conducted during the same time period, researchers calculated the Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) lost due to these two major health risk factors.
The results, published in the American Journal of Preventive Health, show that smoking-related QALYs lost remained relatively stable during this time period at 0.0438, or 16 days of healthy life lost per adult population.
Meanwhile, as the obesity epidemic increased the quality-of-life problems caused by obesity increased and accounted for 0.0464 QALYs lost.
Researchers say smoking had a bigger impact on deaths while obesity had a bigger effect on illness.
"Because of the marked increase in the proportion of obese people, obesity has become an equal, if not greater contributor to the burden of disease than smoking," write researcher Haomiao Jia, PhD, of Columbia University, and colleagues. "Such data are essential in setting targets for reducing modifiable health risks and eliminating health disparities."
By Jennifer Warner WebMD Health News
Jan. 5, 2010 -- America's obesity epidemic now poses an equal or greater threat to health-related quality of life than smoking, according to a new study.
Researchers say that as obesity in America has risen dramatically in recent years -- and smoking rates have declined -- the contribution of obesity to the burden of disease and shortening of life has increased while smoking's role has decreased.
The study showed that from 1993 to 2008, the proportion of smokers among U.S. adults declined by 18.5% while the proportion of obese adults increased 85%.
Using information from nationwide annual health-related quality-of-life surveys conducted during the same time period, researchers calculated the Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) lost due to these two major health risk factors.
The results, published in the American Journal of Preventive Health, show that smoking-related QALYs lost remained relatively stable during this time period at 0.0438, or 16 days of healthy life lost per adult population.
Meanwhile, as the obesity epidemic increased the quality-of-life problems caused by obesity increased and accounted for 0.0464 QALYs lost.
Researchers say smoking had a bigger impact on deaths while obesity had a bigger effect on illness.
"Because of the marked increase in the proportion of obese people, obesity has become an equal, if not greater contributor to the burden of disease than smoking," write researcher Haomiao Jia, PhD, of Columbia University, and colleagues. "Such data are essential in setting targets for reducing modifiable health risks and eliminating health disparities."
Sunday, January 03, 2010
U.S. Intensifies Screening for Travelers From 14 Nations
By ERIC LIPTON
Published: January 3, 2010
WASHINGTON — Citizens of 14 nations, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, who are flying to the United States will be subjected indefinitely to the intense screening at airports worldwide that was imposed after the Christmas Day bombing plot, Obama administration officials announced Sunday.
But American citizens, and most others who are not flying through those 14 nations on their way to the United States, will no longer automatically face the full range of intensified security that was imposed after the attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight, officials said.
The change represents an easing of the immediate response to the attempted bombing of a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. But the action on Sunday further establishes a global security system that treats people differently based on what country they are from, evoking protests from civil rights groups.
Citizens of Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria — countries that are considered “state sponsors of terrorism” — as well as those from “countries of interest” — including Afghanistan, Algeria, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen — will face the special scrutiny, officials said.
Passengers holding passports from those nations, or taking flights that originated or passed through any of them, will be required to undergo full-body pat downs and will face extra scrutiny of their carry-on bags before they can board planes to the United States.
In certain countries that have more advanced screening equipment, travelers also will be required to pass through so-called whole-body scanners that can look beneath clothing for hidden explosives or weapons, or they may be checked with a device that can find tiny traces of explosives.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain announced that whole-body scanners would be introduced in that country’s airports. Officials in Amsterdam announced last week that they would begin using the scanners on passengers bound for the United States.
Many, though not all, other passengers coming to the United States will face similar measures, but that screening will be done randomly or if there is some reason to believe that a particular passenger might present a threat, officials said.
The changes will mean that any citizen of Pakistan or Saudi Arabia will for the first time be patted down automatically before boarding any flight to the United States. Even if that person has lived in a country like Britain for decades, he now will be subject to these extra security checks.
Nawar Shora, the legal director at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, says the rule wrongly implies that all citizens of certain nations are suspect.
“I understand there needs to be additional security in light of what was attempted on Christmas Day,” Mr. Shora said, adding that he intended to file a formal protest on Monday. “But this is extreme and very dangerous. All of a sudden people are labeled as being related to terrorism just because of the nation they are from.”
In the United States, a requirement for “second screening” has for a number of years already been in effect for a dozen countries, a fact that is not widely known.
Charles Oy, 28, of Chicago is an American who was born in Nigeria. He said that he detected heightened security over the weekend — not in Nigeria but upon his arrival Sunday at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. He was one of a few passengers taken aside for an individual interview, and his bags and passport were examined.
The suspect arrested in the Northwest Airlines episode, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab 23, was Nigerian, but Mr. Oy said that the added scrutiny did not leave him discouraged. “I feel it is very isolated, and is something not characteristic of Nigeria,” he said. “I had no particular feelings of unpleasantness. I understand it is part of the world we live in. I factor all that into my traveling. If it happens, I roll with it.”
A homeland security official said that the Obama administration did not consider this move a step in the direction of racial profiling, which the Transportation Security Administration has said it has long tried to avoid.
Domestically, passengers traveling in the United States may notice more canine bomb-detection teams or face occasional extra checks of carry-on bags. Additional behavioral detection officials are also in airports to observe passengers for any signs that might offer a hint of a plot. But there have been no comprehensive changes in screening at domestic airports.
David Castelveter, a spokesman for the Air Transport Association, the airlines’ trade organization, said the group had been “closely coordinating” the enhanced security measures “with the convenience of customers in mind. I believe we accomplished that,” he said Sunday.
Micheline Maynard contributed reporting from Detroit, and Mark Guarino from Chicago.
Published: January 3, 2010
WASHINGTON — Citizens of 14 nations, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, who are flying to the United States will be subjected indefinitely to the intense screening at airports worldwide that was imposed after the Christmas Day bombing plot, Obama administration officials announced Sunday.
But American citizens, and most others who are not flying through those 14 nations on their way to the United States, will no longer automatically face the full range of intensified security that was imposed after the attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight, officials said.
The change represents an easing of the immediate response to the attempted bombing of a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. But the action on Sunday further establishes a global security system that treats people differently based on what country they are from, evoking protests from civil rights groups.
Citizens of Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria — countries that are considered “state sponsors of terrorism” — as well as those from “countries of interest” — including Afghanistan, Algeria, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen — will face the special scrutiny, officials said.
Passengers holding passports from those nations, or taking flights that originated or passed through any of them, will be required to undergo full-body pat downs and will face extra scrutiny of their carry-on bags before they can board planes to the United States.
In certain countries that have more advanced screening equipment, travelers also will be required to pass through so-called whole-body scanners that can look beneath clothing for hidden explosives or weapons, or they may be checked with a device that can find tiny traces of explosives.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain announced that whole-body scanners would be introduced in that country’s airports. Officials in Amsterdam announced last week that they would begin using the scanners on passengers bound for the United States.
Many, though not all, other passengers coming to the United States will face similar measures, but that screening will be done randomly or if there is some reason to believe that a particular passenger might present a threat, officials said.
The changes will mean that any citizen of Pakistan or Saudi Arabia will for the first time be patted down automatically before boarding any flight to the United States. Even if that person has lived in a country like Britain for decades, he now will be subject to these extra security checks.
Nawar Shora, the legal director at the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, says the rule wrongly implies that all citizens of certain nations are suspect.
“I understand there needs to be additional security in light of what was attempted on Christmas Day,” Mr. Shora said, adding that he intended to file a formal protest on Monday. “But this is extreme and very dangerous. All of a sudden people are labeled as being related to terrorism just because of the nation they are from.”
In the United States, a requirement for “second screening” has for a number of years already been in effect for a dozen countries, a fact that is not widely known.
Charles Oy, 28, of Chicago is an American who was born in Nigeria. He said that he detected heightened security over the weekend — not in Nigeria but upon his arrival Sunday at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. He was one of a few passengers taken aside for an individual interview, and his bags and passport were examined.
The suspect arrested in the Northwest Airlines episode, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab 23, was Nigerian, but Mr. Oy said that the added scrutiny did not leave him discouraged. “I feel it is very isolated, and is something not characteristic of Nigeria,” he said. “I had no particular feelings of unpleasantness. I understand it is part of the world we live in. I factor all that into my traveling. If it happens, I roll with it.”
A homeland security official said that the Obama administration did not consider this move a step in the direction of racial profiling, which the Transportation Security Administration has said it has long tried to avoid.
Domestically, passengers traveling in the United States may notice more canine bomb-detection teams or face occasional extra checks of carry-on bags. Additional behavioral detection officials are also in airports to observe passengers for any signs that might offer a hint of a plot. But there have been no comprehensive changes in screening at domestic airports.
David Castelveter, a spokesman for the Air Transport Association, the airlines’ trade organization, said the group had been “closely coordinating” the enhanced security measures “with the convenience of customers in mind. I believe we accomplished that,” he said Sunday.
Micheline Maynard contributed reporting from Detroit, and Mark Guarino from Chicago.
Saturday, January 02, 2010
US General Petraeus in Yemen talks on tackling al-Qaeda
Top US soldier Gen David Petraeus has visited Yemen's president amid a renewed offensive against militants, local media and officials say.
The general - responsible for US Middle East and Central Asian operations - reportedly said the US was keen to support Yemen's fight against al-Qaeda.
President Barack Obama accused Yemen-based militants of orchestrating the failed attack last week on a US plane.
Yemeni officials said more troops had been sent to fight rebels in the east.
State media and officials in Yemen reported the meeting between Gen Petraeus and President Ali Abdallah Saleh but there was no immediate word from the US.
Last week a Yemen-based group, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, said it had trained the Nigerian man accused of carrying out the attempt to bomb a plane over Detroit on Christmas Day, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.
'Stronger partnership'
Security sources in the Yemeni capital said reinforcements had been sent to the eastern provinces of Abyan, Bayada and Shawba, where al-Qaeda militants have hideouts, AFP news agency reports.
The alert level in those regions had been raised, the sources said.
"These measures are part of operations to hunt down elements of al-Qaeda, prevent any attempt of a response after the raids, and tighten the noose around extremists," one of the sources said.
In his weekly address posted on the White House website on Saturday, Mr Obama said more details of the alleged plot were becoming clear.
"We know that [Mr Abdulmutallab] travelled to Yemen, a country grappling with crushing poverty and deadly insurgencies," he said.
"As president, I've made it a priority to strengthen our partnership with the Yemeni government, training and equipping their security forces, sharing intelligence and working with them to strike al-Qaeda terrorists," Mr Obama added.
"Training camps", he said, had "been struck, leaders eliminated, plots disrupted".
The Yemeni government has expressed its willingness to accept more help but wants economic as well as military aid, analysts say.
The country is confronting some daunting challenges - a fast-growing and impoverished population, diminishing water reserves and the likelihood that its only source of income, oil, will run dry in a few years.
But security is just as big a challenge, complicated by an abundance of firearms, an insurgency in the north and a secessionist movement in the south.
While the government is weak and unpopular in much of the country, the US has little choice but to work through it to fight al-Qaeda as any overt US presence would almost certainly provoke a public backlash.
But the prospects of re-asserting central government authority over the lawless areas where al-Qaeda is based look, in the opinion of some analysts, remote - even with beefed-up American support. BBC News
The general - responsible for US Middle East and Central Asian operations - reportedly said the US was keen to support Yemen's fight against al-Qaeda.
President Barack Obama accused Yemen-based militants of orchestrating the failed attack last week on a US plane.
Yemeni officials said more troops had been sent to fight rebels in the east.
State media and officials in Yemen reported the meeting between Gen Petraeus and President Ali Abdallah Saleh but there was no immediate word from the US.
Last week a Yemen-based group, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, said it had trained the Nigerian man accused of carrying out the attempt to bomb a plane over Detroit on Christmas Day, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.
'Stronger partnership'
Security sources in the Yemeni capital said reinforcements had been sent to the eastern provinces of Abyan, Bayada and Shawba, where al-Qaeda militants have hideouts, AFP news agency reports.
The alert level in those regions had been raised, the sources said.
"These measures are part of operations to hunt down elements of al-Qaeda, prevent any attempt of a response after the raids, and tighten the noose around extremists," one of the sources said.
In his weekly address posted on the White House website on Saturday, Mr Obama said more details of the alleged plot were becoming clear.
"We know that [Mr Abdulmutallab] travelled to Yemen, a country grappling with crushing poverty and deadly insurgencies," he said.
"As president, I've made it a priority to strengthen our partnership with the Yemeni government, training and equipping their security forces, sharing intelligence and working with them to strike al-Qaeda terrorists," Mr Obama added.
"Training camps", he said, had "been struck, leaders eliminated, plots disrupted".
The Yemeni government has expressed its willingness to accept more help but wants economic as well as military aid, analysts say.
The country is confronting some daunting challenges - a fast-growing and impoverished population, diminishing water reserves and the likelihood that its only source of income, oil, will run dry in a few years.
But security is just as big a challenge, complicated by an abundance of firearms, an insurgency in the north and a secessionist movement in the south.
While the government is weak and unpopular in much of the country, the US has little choice but to work through it to fight al-Qaeda as any overt US presence would almost certainly provoke a public backlash.
But the prospects of re-asserting central government authority over the lawless areas where al-Qaeda is based look, in the opinion of some analysts, remote - even with beefed-up American support. BBC News
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