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Our weekly vlog podcast on illegal immigration and border security issues. In this weeks edition

Taxpayer funded Latino only healthcare? We take a look.

Bi-partisan? Is illegal immigration the one true bi-partisan issue?

100% Preventable! Americans continue to pay the bloody price for open borders, when will the madness end?

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The bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by American taxpayers is at best a knee-jerk reaction to panic. The notion that every time the ‘bigs’ get themselves in trouble the government bails them out is not lost on most citizens. It is not a surprise that most of those on Wall Street embrace the move to rescue the two GSE’s that hold about 5 trillion in mortgage debt. It is also not a surprise that billions in losses at both mortgage buying corporations, the foreclosure situation, falling real estate prices, a struggling economy and the fear of higher unemployment raises the issue of more bank failures and a recession. Even China is reducing its position in US debt.

The golden parachutes for the two CEO’s largely responsible for the failures at Fannie and Freddie is another bone to pick with those in charge. The boost given the financial markets after announcement of the bailout does little to boost confidence about the future of bad loans. All the talk of liquidity and the expectation of lowering mortgage rates does little to improve the chances of a speedy fix represented by the move defended by Treasury Secretary Paulson and supported by the White House. Congress will do its part to appear concerned as Dodd expresses an interest in knowing more about the takeover

Allowing the foreclosure process to continue naturally on the large stock of those properties in trouble can place downward pressure on home prices as well as cause homeowners near foreclosed properties to suffer as well. Allowing foreclosure fixes to those viewed as speculators and the risky moves by the lenders associated with the distressed properties annoys those not involved in the problem. But restructuring bad loans with altered payment arrangements on a case by case basis seems a more prudent solution even though it is not risk-free either. That along with improved banking regulation to avoid similar problems in the future may follow the scant wisdom of financial history where tightening and loosening the rules of the game has been known to sway market action before a major disaster could strike.

The blind attraction of the pursuit of profit or easy money is not a new phenomenon. Not unlike the tech bubble in the late nineties, many go crazy following the money and everyone should know that as the risk builds prudent action should be the guide. Why as a nation we cannot seem to learn from these mistakes and return to a more reasoned society able to use the scrutiny necessary to be successful long term is baffling even if mostly understandable. It may explain why we are so debt ridden and refuse to maintain saving and plan for the future as well as some other countries. Hard work and discipline may be alive and well in the United States but the lures of modern living and the marketing driven culture we live in give the devil his due.

A phrase borrowed from a popular television series may be relevant. ‘We are all guilty so no one’s to blame’. The zero interest, long term, no payments til next year sales approach for everything from cars to furniture to appliances and the no down, low interest, no docs availability of easy real estate credit is a pattern that needs to go away. The Norman Rockwell picture of America or the feats of the ‘Greatest Generation’ may never come again. But to not try to rekindle the principles that were the core of America then will only serve to allow the problems we see now to become the norm. And how much of that trouble can this country take and survive?

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

related news reports:

Mortgage Titan’s Future Thrust into Partisan Debate

We’ll Protect Taxpayers from More Bailouts

Some banks hit hard by Fannie, Freddie exposure

Bailout calms investor anxiety

‘Moral hazard’ may prove steepest cost

Mr Paulson’s Bailout

from

Analysts: US Takeover of Big Mortgage Firms Likely to Boost Depressed Housing Sector

By Barry Wood
Washington

Reaction to Sunday’s takeover of the Federal National Mortgage Corporation, or Fannie Mae, and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, or Freddie Mac, has been positive with stock markets on Monday closing higher and experts saying mortgage interest rates will likely come down. VOA’s Barry Wood takes a closer look at what it means for the U.S. government-sponsored mortgage giants and the economy.

Bert Ely, based in suburban Washington, is an expert on mortgage finance. He says that the government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be good for some U.S. consumers. “From the standpoint of homeowners and prospective homeowners, the expectation is that this will help to bring down mortgage interest rates,” he said.

Ely says that if rates fall below 6.5 percent nationally, that could give a much-needed boost to the depressed real estate market.

Home prices in the United States have fallen about 15 percent during the past year. The mortgage market has not functioned properly this year as financial institutions tightened their lending standards and sought to preserve their capital in the face of the credit squeeze that has escalated since August 2007. Several investment banks have gotten into trouble and the stock prices of financial institutions have plummeted.

Jeffrey Palma, an equity strategist at UBS Securities in New York, says financial markets are applauding the government takeover of the two government-sponsored enterprises, or GSEs — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. “There’s no question that the takeover of the GSEs is being regarded very positively. It certainly reduces an uncertainty that was out there. I think it probably does limit the possibility of our having a very deep economic downturn here in the United States,” he said.

Both Ely and Palma spoke on Bloomberg Television Monday.

What is not clear is how much taxpayer money will be spent. Under the takeover, the U.S. government will buy preferred stock in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The dividends paid to common stock shareholders are being eliminated as is the current top management. Once the housing market recovers, both institutions will be diminished in size and presumably, several years from now, sold back to private investors. Fannie and Freddie hold mortgage securities valued at several trillion dollars and their own securities are held by major institutional investors worldwide.

Famed investor Warren Buffett, applauds the government takeover of the two mortgage institutions. He says there was no alternative, given their huge participation in the U.S. housing market.

However, some critics say the action represents a massive intrusion by the government into the private sector that is likely to have unanticipated, long-term consequences.

For 40 years, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have operated under an implicit government guarantee that is now explicit.

Asian Stocks Surge as US Government Rescues Troubled Mortgage Lenders

By Phil Mercer
Sydney
08 September 2008

Stock prices in Asia and Australia have soared in response to a United States government plan to rescue mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Economists think the decision to take control of the troubled companies will ease global financial market worries by stabilizing the U.S. housing market. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.
Investors were heartened by the U.S. government’s decision to take over ailing mortgage companies Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and to inject billions of dollars into them.

Australia’s benchmark ASX 200 index finished nearly four percent higher Monday, with banks leading the way as the market enjoyed its biggest one day gain in six months.

Other markets around Asia soared even higher, with the main indexes in Seoul and Taipei both up more than five percent and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong gaining more than four percent. Japan’s Nikkei index rose over three percent.

The announcement from the United States particularly boosted the previously depressed banking stocks, with Commonwealth Bank of Australia up around six percent while National Australia Bank was almost eight percent higher.

Economist Savanth Sebastian says the share market is benefiting from some rare good news.

“A sharp turn around, similar to what we saw with Bear Stearns earlier on in this year when JP Morgan took them over,” said Sebastian. “We’re seeing significant gains for the banking sector, diversified financial stocks also seeing strong gains. If you just have a look across the board there’s a sea of green: ANZ is up 6.5 percent; you’ve got Westpac up four percent. So a sharp turn around for stocks and it’s really a reprieve from the fear-driven environment that we have seen over the last couple of months.”

Monday’s gains in Asia follow a gloomy trading session Friday when concerns about the U.S. economy and its effects on global growth sent markets tumbling across the region.

Despite the optimism, some Australian economists sound a note of caution and say the worst of the international credit crisis is far from over.

Wow, for a lifelong resident of the state of Wisconsin the following report from a paper in the state capitol of Madison is almost earth shattering. Conservatives in Wisconsin are known to refer the the state capitol as the People’s Republic of Madison. Ya, there’s a lot of blue going on around here. A Democratic Governor as well as two Democratic Senators and an abundance of other Dems representing districts around the state in Washington. To be fair the state had a Republican Governor the rest of you may remember as the Secretary of Health and Human Services by the name of Tommy Thompson. He was Governor of the State of Wisconsin from 1987-2001. That’s enough state history.

Point is the local Madison paper publishing a report that the Dems have plenty to be concerned about when it comes to Sarah Palin and her effect on the GOP. All politics is local and at least for a moment there are visions of this heartland state going for McCain/Palin this November.

Like her or not, local observers give Palin high marks
Steven Elbow 9/04/2008 5:19 pm

Julie Clark is religious, conservative, and was going to vote for John McCain anyway. But after seeing his running mate deliver a burn-down-the-house speech Wednesday at the Republican National Convention, she’s going to cast her vote with joyful enthusiasm.

“I was really proud of her last night,” said Clark, the wife of the Rev. John Clark of Evangel Life Center on Madison’s east side. “I thought she represented the Lord and women and the church beautifully.”

The Capitol Times report echoes other sentiments expressed after the ‘outta the park’ speech delivered by Palin Wednesday night at the RNC. There is a feeling with all the preloaded media commentary and tabloid style allegations everyone was anticipating failure from the Alaskan Governor. Once Palin exceeded those expectations with a polished performance the mood began to change and most seem to be reevaluating their initial analysis.

Sure, the gauntlet has been entered but the exit leading away from the relentless media pursuit and the campaign challenges and obligations are not complete. Joe Biden should have reason to worry if he can bring ‘game’ to the upcoming debate facing Palin. What the media expected from Palin was disaster but perhaps they will wonder now if Biden’s loose cannon speaking ability will be his undoing a few weeks from now.

The Cap Times report also featured a senior citizen whose decision making process makes little or no sense. This type of thinking surely is not lost on the campaign strategists but how do they account for it in campaigns? For instance, the woman is Catholic and was a religious women’s advocate in a local organization. She falls for the age of McCain and inexperience of Palin ploy for shying away from supporting them yet knowing Clinton’s lefty leanings at odds with the church would have voted for her anyway. Sorry lady, that is just plain dumb. Does this somehow explain election results in the state of Wisconsin? Who knows?

A poll of all political persuasions indicated agreement across the board that Palin improved the GOP’s chances for victory in the fall. So is the time left until election day too long for either candidate to maintain a lead or too short to develop one? What the means is does anyone really have a handle on the way this will play out? Probably not. Like placing any bet on some other list of possible outcomes. No matter how much confidence one has in the their chosen candidate fate or whatever has a funny way of altering the reality.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Trackposted to The Virtuous Republic, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, The Pink Flamingo, Leaning Straight Up, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Woman Honor Thyself, and Right Truth, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Below is a press release for the Tata Nano and a news report about its debut. It is doubtful anyone has really had time to draw any conclusions about this vehicle or the implications of its introduction yet. There is probably enough speculation to go around and one cannot help but recall the Yugo at a time like this. But it seems reasonable to offer a post on this blog featuring this unique development in the automotive industry.

As far as the $2500 price tag is concerned that has to get someone’s attention. You could purchase a Ford Mustang in 1970 for about $3500. A Fiat 850 went for $2500 in 1972. So is the Tata Nano reliable? Is it really safe? Will it be reasonable to service? Will it be available in the US? How will the insurance industry respond? What are the performance characteristics? Is anyone interested in the US? Will it have an effect on automotive trends here? Is anyone reading this buying one?

Tata Motors unveils the People’s Car

Released on : 10th January, 2008
A comfortable, safe, all-weather car, high on fuel efficiency & low on emissions

Mr. Ratan N. Tata, Chairman of the Tata Group and Tata Motors, today unveiled the Tata ‘NANO’, the People’s Car from Tata Motors that India and the world have been looking forward to. A development, which signifies a first for the global automobile industry, the People’s Car brings the comfort and safety of a car within the reach of thousands of families. The People’s Car will be launched in India later in 2008.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony at the 9th Auto Expo in New Delhi, Mr. Ratan N. Tata said, “I observed families riding on two-wheelers – the father driving the scooter, his young kid standing in front of him, his wife seated behind him holding a little baby. It led me to wonder whether one could conceive of a safe, affordable, all-weather form of transport for such a family. Tata Motors’ engineers and designers gave their all for about four years to realise this goal. Today, we indeed have a People’s Car, which is affordable and yet built to meet safety requirements and emission norms, to be fuel efficient and low on emissions. We are happy to present the People’s Car to India and we hope it brings the joy, pride and utility of owning a car to many families who need personal mobility.”

Stylish, comfortable
The People’s Car, designed with a family in mind, has a roomy passenger compartment with generous leg space and head room. It can comfortably seat four persons. Four doors with high seating position make ingress and egress easy.

Yet with a length of 3.1 metres, width of 1.5 metres and height of 1.6 metres, with adequate ground clearance, it can effortlessly manoeuvre on busy roads in cities as well as in rural areas. Its mono-volume design, with wheels at the corners and the powertrain at the rear, enables it to uniquely combine both space and manoeuvrability, which will set a new benchmark among small cars.

When launched, the car will be available in both standard and deluxe versions. Both versions will offer a wide range of body colours, and other accessories so that the car can be customised to an individual’s preferences.

Fuel-efficient engine
The People’s Car has a rear-wheel drive, all-aluminium, two-cylinder, 623 cc, 33 PS, multi point fuel injection petrol engine. This is the first time that a two-cylinder gasoline engine is being used in a car with single balancer shaft. The lean design strategy has helped minimise weight, which helps maximise performance per unit of energy consumed and delivers high fuel efficiency. Performance is controlled by a specially designed electronic engine management system.

Meets all safety requirements
The People’s Car’s safety performance exceeds current regulatory requirements. With an all sheet-metal body, it has a strong passenger compartment, with safety features such as crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat belts, strong seats and anchorages, and the rear tailgate glass bonded to the body. Tubeless tyres further enhance safety.

Environment-friendly
The People’s Car’s tailpipe emission performance exceeds regulatory requirements. In terms of overall pollutants, it has a lower pollution level than two-wheelers being manufactured in India today. The high fuel efficiency also ensures that the car has low carbon dioxide emissions, thereby providing the twin benefits of an affordable transportation solution with a low carbon footprint.
(For more information: www.tatanano.com )

About Tata Motors
Tata Motors is India’s largest automobile company, with revenues of US $ 7.2 billion in 2006-2007. With over 4 million Tata vehicles plying in India, it is the leader in commercial vehicles and the second largest in passenger vehicles. It is also the world’s fifth largest medium and heavy truck manufacturer and the second largest heavy bus manufacturer. Tata cars, buses and trucks are being marketed in several countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia and South America. Tata Motors and Fiat Auto have formed an industrial joint venture in India to manufacture passenger cars, engines and transmissions for the Indian and overseas markets; Tata Motors also has an agreement with Fiat Auto to build a pick-up vehicle at Córdoba, Argentina. The company already distributes Fiat branded cars in India. Tata Motors’ international footprint includes Tata Daewoo Commercial Vehicle Co. Ltd. in South Korea; Hispano Carrocera, a bus and coach manufacturer of Spain in which the company has a 21% stake; a joint venture with Marcopolo, the Brazil-based body-builder of buses and coaches; and a joint venture with Thonburi Automotive Assembly Plant Company of Thailand to manufacture and market pick-up vehicles in Thailand. Tata Motors has research centres in India, the U.K., and in its subsidiary and associate companies in South Korea and Spain.

(For free broadcast-standard and streaming quality video content about Tata Motors, please log onto www.thenewsmarket.com/tatamotors. You can preview and request broadcast-standard video which will be delivered digitally or by tape. Registration and video is free to the media.)

- Ends -

Issued by:
Debasis Ray
Head - Corporate Communications
Tata Motors Limited
Phone: +912266657613
E-Mail: peoplescar@tatamotors.com
Website: http://www.tatanano.com

Indians Respond Enthusiastically to World’s Cheapest Car

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
15 January 2008

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The world’s cheapest car, made by an Indian manufacturer, has triggered unprecedented interest in a country where only eight people in every thousand own a car. From New Delhi, Anjana Pasricha has a report on how people in India are reacting to Tata Motors’ Nano.

Tens of thousands of people are flocking to the Auto Show in New Delhi - and the star attraction is a $2,500 car dubbed the “People’s Car”.

The Nano, produced by India’s Tata conglomerate, made its debut last week.

After a peek at the no-frills vehicle, with a 624 cubic centimeter engine, thousands say they want to buy it.

“I belong to middle class family, so it is very good thing for us, good news for us, because I can dream a good car in India,” said one person.

“This is very cheap, I want to buy for my son,” one gentleman said.

“Its cost is not too much, and I wish I have personal car and I cannot buy large one,” said one woman.

“It appeals [to] me just due to the parking situation available in India number one, number two the fuel efficiency, number three is price, number four it is very cute vehicle, seems to be very cute,” added yet another gentleman.

People have even flocked in from villages far from the city to see the Nano.

Balwan Ram took a bus from a village in Haryana state, 100 kilometers away from Delhi. Ram says he came especially to see the car and now is waiting to buy it to replace his motorbike.

The enthusiasm is not surprising in a country of more than a billion people, where a family outing can be a challenge because of dismal public transportation.

Tata chairman Ratan Tata says he conceived of the low-priced car for India’s masses when he saw a family traveling on a two wheeled scooter; the father driving, his child standing in front of him, and wife seated behind holding a baby - all getting wet in the rain.

“This has been referred to as one man’s dream,” sadi Tata. “And indeed it was.”

Now global automakers are watching to see how that dream pans out in the marketplace.

If the small car is successful after hitting the roads later this year, it could expand the car market in an unprecedented manner in developing countries.

But not everyone is happy. Although the manufacturers say the small car will meet strict emission standards, environmentalists worry about fuel use and the congestion it will cause on India’s crowded roads.

The head of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, R.K. Pachauri, says the focus should be on more efficient public transportation.

“The problem is not with the product itself. The usage of the product and what that implies, how can we be blind to that?” he asked. “Where are we going to find road space to accommodate all these cars, not to speak of local pollution, not to speak of the fact that it is going to crowd out public transport options.”

But these concerns are of little interest to the millions eagerly waiting to become car owners for the first time.

Here’s a report on India about food and medicine safety. With all the offshore manufacturing from the US and the string of safety problems with products from China it seems there is a need to spend money on fixing safety issues in the country’s where American goods are now produced and sold back to American consumers. The businesses save money on labor, the offshore employees get puny wages, Americans lose jobs and pay the same or more for the products. Gee, exactly who is winning with this arrangement? And then there is the matter of less regulation or pesky labor and environmental laws and probably tax benefits as well for American corporations. And speaking of taxex, where do you suppose the money to train whoever on safety measures comes from….. US tax dollars perhaps?

Herman report - Download MP3 (454K)
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India and the United States have agreed to work together to improve standards for food and drugs. VOA correspondent Steve Herman reports from New Delhi that the progress comes during a visit to India by the U.S. government official who oversees many of the agencies responsible for America’s health and safety standards.

Indian officials say New Delhi and Washington have agreed to form working groups to set standards for the import and export of medicine and food.

This comes after the United States signed two agreements with India’s economic rival, China - one concerning food, the other dealing with pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.

Both India and China have had problems with exports to the United States because health regulations and other standards were not being met.

Compared to other countries, India has the highest number of food products that are rejected as imports by the United States. Spices, seafood, fruit and additives have been especially troublesome in terms of high levels of bacteria or carcinogenic substances.

India also has a problem with widespread counterfeiting of prescription drugs.

The formation of the Indo-American working groups comes after meetings this week in India between U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt and his Indian counterparts.

Leavitt tells VOA News enhancing health standards for products moving across borders has become vital.

“We’re at the early stages of a global market that is now maturing and requiring new tools that haven’t existed in the past to handle the substantial volume of trade that is beginning to occur,” he explained. “These were important conversations and I expect, in time, we will see action - not just at the government level, but among private vendors as well.”

Leavitt was speaking Friday in New Delhi right after administering polio vaccination drops to children in a local slum area.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services contributed $2.3 million to India’s efforts to eradicate polio.

Leavitt also announced Friday that the U.S. government is willing to provide technical assistance to help create an Indian version of the Food and Drug Administration. In the United States, the FDA is the federal agency responsible for ensuring the safety of food, pharmaceutical products, medical devices, cosmetics and certain electronic products.
By Steve Herman
New Delhi

That’s what tops the most popular news stories at Google this a.m.  It really doesn’t matter if Clinton’s ‘moment’ turned the vote in NH or if yet another Britney story is absorbed by the mindless masses.  And certainly the porn story from a tech magazine is of little usefulness.  In terms of politics and judging from stories around the planet it appears no one learned anything from the discrepancy of the polls and the outcome in NH or how we choose leaders.

It might be wiser to allow some of the political contests play out minus all the predictions and forecasts.  Years ago a report suggested many voters, consciously or not, tend to vote for who they think will win.  It sounded as stupid then as it does now but is easy to believe.  No one wants to back a loser.  The fact that too many people do not vote, and that of those who do too many may select a candidate for the wrong reasons is compounded by the typical pattern we observe, participate in or ignore each election cycle.  And from this we pick leaders for this country as well as less significant elected offices.

Is it any wonder that Britney, sex, Clinton, sex and porn and, obviously sex lead the most popular stories at one search engine’s news rankings.  This of course is closely followed by an item about throwing kids from a bridge, Congress being engaged in baseball drug inquiries and fortunately a couple of stories that might matter.  And we’re going to pick a President this year.

May the best candidate win and please don’t say who you think that will be.  There is way too much of that going on right now.

Sometimes the reality that nearly every aspect of daily life is a commercial target in the land of the free enterprise and home of the brave new world becomes very tiring. The purity of sports lost its virginity many years ago but that hasn’t stopped the NFL or college sports from taking it to a lower level. With Barry Bonds impending trial baseball has a share in it too. And the other ‘professional’ sports are infected as well.

Not that the tech world or information highway should be expected to be immune to the wicked ways of some business models but it would have been nice if the longevity of purity in sport could have been duplicated in something like social networking. Since MySpace and Facebook, et al, have been defined as havens for sexual predators among other things the fact that Facebook would intrude on users by sending transaction details to others on their friends list is not a shocker. The apology from one of the apparent top dogs and claimed implementation of an opt-out arrangement is far too little an atonement that provides no more sincerity than a perp raising their hands when busted and ordered to do so. The only conclusion to draw or question to ask is what else are you doing, Mr Zuckerberg, besides the beacon program?

Wake-Up Call in Facebook-Beacon Controversy
C.G. Lynch, CIO.com
Thursday, December 06, 2007 3:45 PM PST

In the wake of Facebook’s disastrous Beacon advertising program, privacy experts wonder if the company’s overzealous use of customer information will force corporate IT departments to analyze how their corporate data intersects with the social networking trend.

On Dec. 5, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologized in his blog for the Beacon program, which tracked the purchases of Facebook users on third-party websites such as Overstock.com and Fandango.com. The information about those purchases was then pushed to friends of that user on their respective Facebook homepages. As an example, if one person booked a movie ticket on Fandango, his or her friends might get a notification that showed his purchase.

The program was criticized by progressive advocacy group Moveon.org, which quickly garnered nearly 70,000 signatures in opposition to the Beacon service for not having an adequate opt-out function. Zuckerberg announced in his apology that an opt-out is now possible.

The drive to transform every activity into revenue is becoming a sickness. It appears as if the the more ethics and governance issues are addressed by mission statements and departments charged with oversight the more instances of flagrant abusive practices are discovered. When every customer is reduced to a dollar sign it may simply be inevitable that the loss of ethical behavior follows.

As painful as this next item is it must be mentioned and then clarified. MoveOn dot org gathered 70000 signatures to pressure Facebook to ‘knock it off’ and while that is admirable, the article referenced in this post refers to MoveOn dot org as a progressive advocacy group. Let’s just say that may be giving MoveOn a little more credit than they deserve.

Some of the other items covered in the linked article are absurd. Number one, the average user is not likely to do much about the actions of others while engaging the internet. And without considerable skill and tools foiling the schemes of when using electronic technology is a lottery-sized probability at best. Most of what occurs is invisible to most users.

And comparing data about your online activity being presented to authorities via a third party as being more exposed than being able to challenge a direct subpoena with legal representation omits the very real possibility of a search warrant being executed and having no recourse to prevent your hard drive, etc., from being confiscated.

The bottom line is your activity on the net and everything associated with it is fair game for hackers and the long arm of the law not to mention any website you visit. It is too bad that little of what goes on these days is pure in form or free from misuse by others. It is more about who we are or what we are becoming rather than the battle between good and evil. But it feels better to consider yourself above all that and merely the target or victim of the guilty.

By Phillip Wellman
Abidjan, Ivory Coast
10 November 2007
The ministry of tourism in Ivory Coast says it disagrees with warnings issued by many Western nations advising against all but essential travel to the country. The ministry says although full reconciliation has yet to occur, Ivory Coast is peaceful. It says revenue generated from tourism could help boost the country’s economy, which has suffered from years of conflict. Phillip Wellman reports for VOA from Abidjan

At the Hotel Ivoire in Abidjan, three tourists are playing a game of ten-pin bowling. They are the only customers this evening, which does not surprise the bowling lanes’ manager, who says many people are afraid to come to Ivory Coast following the country’s brief civil war five years ago.

Chief spokesman for the Ivorian ministry of tourism, Satigui Kone, says a fear of violence, which he describes as unnecessary, is the biggest problem facing the country’s travel industry. He says the fear is costing the country crucial revenue and is being prolonged by Western governments that continue to post travel warnings for Ivory Coast.

“Some embassies want their populations not to come here. We don’t know why. If you consider Ivory Coast like it was (before the peace accord), it is a very, very big fault. There is no reason for tourists to stay in their countries because of those messages you can find by some embassies. We are very sad to know of them,” he said.

Several unexplained killings of prominent foreigners have occurred in Ivory Coast since the civil war which began in 2002.. A strong anti-French sentiment also swept though Abidjan in 2004, with mobs of government supporters looting French businesses throughout the city and attacking French nationals.

In March, a peace accord was signed by Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo and the rebel leader Guillaume Soro. The agreement stipulated that northern rebels would be integrated into the country’s army and free and fair elections would be held. Elections are now due to be held next year.

Although tourism is not a major industry in Ivory Coast, the Tourism Ministry thinks it can be. Kone says the March agreement has brought peace to Ivory Coast. He admits that there have been setbacks which have delayed the accord, but says none poses a threat to foreign visitors.

However, in June, the U.S. State Department issued a new travel warning, saying political violence could erupt at any time because most key goals of the peace accord remain unachieved. The warning said the security situation is particularly poor and unpredictable in Abidjan and in the west part of the country.

Canada, Britain and New Zealand updated their travel warnings on Ivory Coast last month.

The manager of Abidjan’s Hotel Tiama, Christian Filiol, also says tourists have little to worry about when visiting Ivory Coast, but he says he does not blame them for being scared.

He says like other businesses that rely on tourism, the hotel is struggling to make a profit. He says this is because the Ivorian government is not accelerating the peace accord, which is provoking the travel warnings. “The peace process is going very slowly- too slowly. The question is why. I suppose the slow process is a good arrangement for certain people, but for the economical situation, it is very bad,” he said.

The United States embassy in Abidjan was unavailable for comment on the U.S. warning.

from MoreWhat.com:
Let’s see. A recent history of civil war and indications that a peace settlement has items yet unresolved. And the ministry of tourism considers travel warnings as something of an overreaction. Maybe right when he said things were ‘peaceful’ they were. But what’s to say it will remain that way? But then, if you really need travel warnings as enlightenment on where to go and not go, you’re already an easy target.

By VOA News
10 November 2007
China’s state-run news agency says the country’s quality control investigation has found a toxic substance was contained in Chinese-produced toy beads that harmed at least five children in Australia and the United States.

Xinhua reported Saturday that Chinese authorities have suspended the toymaker’s export license. It is believed all the beads were produced at the same factory in the southern city of Shenzen.

On Friday, China’s safety administration halted the export of the toy beads that had already been recalled in the United States, Australia and South Africa.

The toy beads were sold under the name Bindeez or Aqua Dots.

When swallowed, an adhesive coating on the beads reacts with digestive enzymes to make a powerful sedative that has caused unconsciousness, seizures or respiratory distress in several children. The children affected by the chemical have since recovered.

The toys were supposed to be covered by a harmless coating, but on some of the beads it appears that a toxic substance that metabolizes into a so-called date-rape drug known as GHB (gamma hydroxy butyrate) was used instead.

Moose Enterprises, the Chinese producer of the toy, says it now plans to coat the beads with a bitter tasting substance that will discourage kids from eating them.

The recalls are the latest in a series of problems that have seen 21 million Chinese-made toys pulled from store shelves world wide because of lead paint and other hazards.

from MoreWhat.com:
This is certainly getting a little old. Combined with food recalls, commercial pharmaceuticals and street drugs as well as obesity, health care issues and health in general, we may no longer have to concern ourselves with terrorism. We will be our own worst enemy.

While the previous post was about the questionable validity of another similar press release predicting outcomes on various topics like the 2008 Presidential race, the effort described below may present a view with more confidence. Then again, maybe not if the typical problem with forecasts and predictions applies. You may like this one better, or not, just as in the previous case depending on how you would like things to turn out. So does that enter in to the reliability of predictions from various sources? How much of what is predicted has been shaped by the outcomes people would like. For instance, do they take into account the subjective analysis most of us tend to use when pondering the chances of outcomes?

But about all this release has over the previous one is references to well known folks giving the source a thumb’s up. Not much different than famous spokespersons hawking products or services for commercial interests. Ya, I’m not a political pundit but I play one on TV.

This blog is pleased with the part that suggests Romney will pull away from Fred Thompson. Not anything against Fred other than he’s not the first choice here. Although to ‘appease’ fans of Fred who may read this , Fred is fine if Romney doesn’t get there.

One point that seems silly about the information below is about Colbert. Who knows if anyone including himself is taking the late entry into the race seriously. So if he received more buzz than Gore and others it seems reasonable to write it off as curiosity or something new to talk about. They can’t seriously be thinking this is important. If people in SC are really thinking about him as a candidate, maybe we’re in more trouble than previously thought.

Internet Buzz Accurately Predicts Polling Results - Wonkosphere.com Expects Giuliani, Romney, Obama, Dodd to Improve

Wonkosphere.com buzz share results for October suggest that Barack Obama will gain ground on Hillary Clinton in national polls over the next few weeks, and Chris Dodd will also move up. The results also predict that Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney will begin to pull away from Fred Thompson.

(PRWEB) November 7, 2007 — Wonkosphere.com reports that voter sentiment seems to be pushing the Republican and Democratic races in opposite directions. “The Republican race, which has been very fluid, appears to be shaping up to be a fight between Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney. Fred Thompson lost 50% of his buzz share amongst conservative bloggers in October, and that’s not a good sign,” said Steve Corman of Wonkosphere. “On the Democratic side, buzz share results suggest that Barack Obama is going to moderately cut into Hillary Clinton’s lead in national poll numbers over the next few weeks.”

The predictions come from Wonkosphere.com, a new web service that uses patented technology to track and analyze over 1200 political blogs. Wonkosphere’s buzz share is calculated every four hours and measures how much bloggers are talking about a particular candidate. In October, Ron Paul led all Republican candidates with 16% buzz share amongst conservative bloggers, repeating his win in September. Rudy Giuliani was second with 13%, followed by Mitt Romney (11%), Fred Thompson (7%), Mike Huckabee (6%), and John McCain (4%).

“Total buzz share doesn’t tell the whole picture though,” said Wonkosphere’s Kevin Dooley. “We have found that it’s not the absolute amount of buzz share that matters, but rather the change in buzz share which is predictive of movement in the national poll numbers. So while Ron Paul won October, he was at the same level of buzz share in September, so we don’t expect his national poll numbers to move. Conversely, Giuliani and Romney both gained buzz share in October, so we expect them to gain in polls, almost exclusively at the expense of Fred Thompson.”

Amongst liberal bloggers, Hillary Clinton (21%) won buzz share in October, followed by Barack Obama (16%), John Edwards (13%), Joe Biden (6%), and Chris Dodd (5%). Comparing these results to September, Wonkosphere predicts that Obama will gain ground on Clinton, Edwards will lose some ground, and Chris Dodd will begin to look like the front-runner for viable “fourth choice”.

All-purpose candidate Stephen Colbert made a dent in the Wonkosphere with the announcement of his South Carolina-only, two-party bid. Taking into account his late entry, Colbert had more buzz share amongst liberal bloggers than Al Gore, Bill Richardson, Dennis Kucinich, and Mike Gravel. Amongst conservative bloggers, Colbert got more share of buzz than Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo, Duncan Hunter, Newt Gingrich, and Alan Keyes.

Technology makes measuring buzz share easy
The buzz share results come from Wonkosphere.com, a new web site which tracks and analyzes over 1200 political blogs each day. Patented technology from Arizona State University (ASU) is used to measure each candidate’s buzz share, as well as whether bloggers are ranting or raving about the candidate. Wonkosphere is operated by Crawdad Technologies, a new venture started by Corman and Dooley, who are also professors at ASU. “We knew that the 2008 political campaign would be influenced in unpredictable ways by the Internet,” said Dooley. “We created Wonkosphere.com as a way to give millions of political blog readers a way to stay on top of what was happening across the whole political blogosphere.”

“Technology allows us to keep track of hundreds of times more blogs than any individual has time to read,” added Corman, “and it also allows the analysis to be completely unbiased, so that we can report what’s going on in a truly non-partisan fashion.”

About Wonkosphere
Wonkosphere is designed for bloggers, media, political activists, and political junkies who need to stay on top of the 2008 Presidential race but can’t spend all day searching for the hottest and most relevant material. Wonkosphere has been highlighted by such outlets as USA Today, US News & World Report, Information Week, WIRED Online, MyDD, Andrew Sullivan, Lew Rockwell, Hugh Hewitt, and Reformed Chicks Blabbing. Wonkosphere provides an analysis of the political buzz that is timely and unbiased, made possible by tracking and analyzing over 1200 blogs and web sites per day with its patented text analysis technology. This technology measures each candidate’s buzz share and tone, and highlights the most representative and linked posts. Wonkosphere is a wholly-owned service of Crawdad Technologies, LLC. www.Wonkosphere.com

About Crawdad Technologies
Crawdad Technologies, LLC is the leader in extracting insight from social media. Crawdad Listening Spheres and Posts monitor blogs, social networks, web sites, discussion boards, news media, and periodicals to tell you how brands, products, celebrities, or issues are being talked about. Crawdad uses patented natural language technology to measure content, sentiment, and focus. Listening Post customers include Cold Stone Creamery, Cercone, Brown, & Curtis PR, and the Arizona Republic. Crawdad’s desktop text analysis product is used by over 100 colleges and universities. www.crawdadtech.com

# # #

(No particular reason for the graphic below other than noticing it while preparing this post.)

Avian flu may be the best example of a potential catastrophic event that will be largely ignored or shrouded with incompetence or sheer apathy right up until the moment it becomes a pandemic. While considerable focus and attention was placed on the topic early on, since then the tiny foe has systematically gone about its business with little opposition from any source capable of mounting a reasonable defense.

Not like there are no other major issues about which we should be concerned. However, avian influenza is a threat that can make all the others rather moot. It is the sort of problem that displays no discrimination or prejudice or other human attribute when selecting targets. Whatever can be defined as part of the biosphere is on its list of targets. No socio-economic or geopolitical considerations here. No personal preferences or bias or any other subjective analysis clouds its judgment. As a matter of fact, there is no judgment. It’s not that kind of arrangement.

Most people are aware that H5N1 is only advancing as slow and methodical as it has for lack of successful method to infect other species. There have also been reports that much progress has been made in developing vaccines. Reports in addition to the two presented here have suggested enough vaccine can be produced but there may be shortcomings attached to this solution. And of course, the early discussions made many comparisons to the 1918 flu epidemic as well as the frequency of such events and that we are overdue for another.

The primary point of this post is to publish another warning that there may be a serious lack of concern and response to the risk from this particular foe. The virus is extending the courtesy of giving the human species a great deal of time to solve the problem. But just like the fact that this living organism does not apply subjective analysis to its daily business, the time allowed thus far to prepare ourselves is simply the result of a natural sequence of events. If we end up not being prepared when the threat advances we will have no one to blame but ourselves.

Scientists Say Bird Flu Spreading in Several Asian, African Countries

By Luis Ramirez
Bangkok
07 November 2007

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Nations in Asia and Africa have had much success in stopping the spread of bird flu, but experts meeting in Bangkok this week say the H5N1 virus continues to spread in a number of countries. VOA’s Luis Ramirez reports from Bangkok.

Experts with the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization say bird flu is still considered an animal disease, affecting only a small number of humans so far. But they say the threat of a human pandemic, in which millions could die, is still very real.

Dr. David Nabarro, the United Nations’ senior Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza, told reporters in Bangkok Wednesday that while most nations have made progress in containing the virus’ spread, there remain some problem areas.

“We’ve seen during the last three years that countries have invested a lot of resources in vaccination of poultry, in improving veterinary services, and also in what we call bio-security, in order to try to reduce the risk of…avian influenza continuing to circulate in poultry or in wild birds,” he said. “We’ve seen in many countries, extraordinary success in getting this under control: (but) not everywhere. There’s some problems in the region.”

He says the virus continues to spread in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam in Asia, and Egypt and Nigeria in Africa.

Experts say nations that have yet to develop an export-oriented poultry industry are finding it more difficult to contain the disease.

They say Thailand, as one example, has had greater success in controlling bird flu, because it already had a veterinary system in place to support its sizable poultry exports.

Another challenge that could hinder efforts to contain the spread of H5N1 is the reluctance by some countries to hand over tissue samples of bird flu cases. China is one of them. Dr. Nabarro says negotiations continue in efforts to get Beijing to disclose more data and materials that could help scientists develop a vaccine.

“There are some situations in which countries have asked for clarification on the benefits that they’re likely to get as a result of sharing samples, and there is some international negotiation under way at the moment to try to establish a satisfactory basis for sample-sharing by seeing whether or not it will be possible to ensure that those who do provide samples are able to benefit from products that are produced with the help of those samples,” he said.

Experts say Beijing’s concerns have to do with intellectual property rights to any vaccine that is developed with data or research originating in China. Indonesia has hesitated to supply tissue samples for similar reasons.

Representatives of several nations are scheduled to meet in Geneva later this month to address those concerns and talk about setting up a new international standard of sharing information and samples.

The H5N1 strain of the avian influenza virus mainly affects birds and has struck primarily in Asia, but it has also appeared in Europe and Africa. Since its appearance in Hong Kong in 1997, the H5N1 virus has killed at least 211 people in eleven countries. Tens of millions of poultry have died or been slaughtered due to the disease.

The World Health Organization says all evidence to date indicates that close contact with dead or sick birds is the principal source of human infection. Scientists say they are mainly concerned about the virus in animals for now, but fear that the virus could mutate and become easily transmissible between humans.

UN Expert Says World Unprepared for Avian Flu Pandemic

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
24 October 2007

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A top United Nations expert on Avian influenza says the world is not yet ready to protect itself from a potential avian influenza pandemic that could kill millions of people. He says it will take another few years before countries complete their pandemic preparedness plans. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

Health experts are concerned that the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus will transform itself into the virus that causes the next human pandemic.

David Nabarro is senior U.N. systems coordinator for avian and human influenza. He says many uncertainties surround the disease. But, what is certain, he says, is that there will be a human influenza pandemic some time in the future.

He says no one knows when or where this will happen or how severe it will be. But, he says, given the potential magnitude of human suffering and of the economic consequences, it is essential to be prepared.

He says most countries have some kind of pandemic preparedness plan in the works.

“Unfortunately, only a relatively small proportion are adequately prepared to keep going in the event that the pandemic has massive absenteeism associated with it. And we need hard work for at least two or three years more to make sure that the whole world is properly pandemic ready. It is not easy. But, I will tell you one thing: being prepared for a pandemic will help countries to be prepared for other mega-catastrophes, not just those that are due to infectious disease,” said Dr. Nabarro.

The World Health Organization reports bird flu has spread to about 60 countries and territories. It says the H5N1 virus appears to be entrenched in the poultry populations of Indonesia, northern Egypt and parts of Nigeria, Bangladesh, China and Vietnam.

Bird flu remains a largely animal disease. But, latest figures show about 350 people who had close contact with diseased poultry have become infected and more than 200 have died.

Dr. Nabarro says health experts fear that one day H5N1 or another animal virus will mutate into a form that could spread easily from one human to another.

In anticipation of this, he says WHO is working with national authorities to make sure they will be able to respond promptly to contain the virus wherever it emerges.

“That prompt response has to be within days,” said Dr. Nabarro. “WHO has worked with countries to develop protocols for rapid response and has also been ensuring that there are adequate stockpiles of Oseltamivir or Tamiflu, which is part of the rapid response. WHO is also working on trying to ensure that there will be a plan that can be put into place for rapid production of pandemic vaccines once the new virus appears and also is looking at the possibility of vaccines against H5N1 in humans stockpiled.”

Dr. Nabarro says it will take drug companies about six months to manufacture vaccines against avian influenza once a pandemic appears and the viral strain is identified. He says millions of people could die during that period.

Should avian influenza strike, he says people should stay away from crowds. They should wear protective gear, such as masks and they should use the anti-viral drug Tamiflu.

By Trish Anderton
Jakarta
22 October 2007
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The Indonesian government says the pilot in a fiery plane crash earlier this year ignored repeated warnings to abandon his landing attempt. The March 7th accident in Central Java claimed 21 lives. Trish Anderton reports from Jakarta.

The report from Indonesia’s National Transport Safety Committee, issued Monday, says the pilot of the Garuda plane tried to land, despite 15 warning alarms and his copilot’s calls to abort the attempt.

It also finds the plane was traveling faster and descending more sharply than normal. The plane skidded across the Yogyakarta runway into a rice field and burst into flames.

Peter Gibson of Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority says pulling out of a landing if you are having problems is one of the essential rules every pilot learns.

“You must have a stabilized approach and that means, literally, the aircraft is configured for landing, and everything is proceeding smoothly, and if anything is giving the pilot concern, the training says go around and do it again,” said Gibson.

The report also called the airport’s emergency plan less than effective, and said delays in putting out the fire may have contributed to the death toll.

Transport officials say the report is designed to help prevent future accidents.

But Danang Parikesit of the Indonesian Transportation Society says it should have made detailed recommendations on how to improve elements such as communications and emergency response.

“The report does not address specific intervention or specific measures that need to be carried out by those three most responsible organizations in airline safety: first, the government, second, the airport authority and the third is the airline company,” said Parikesit.

The pilot and copilot survived the crash, and remain suspended from duty. The government says, by law, the report may not be used as part of any possible criminal case against the men.

The accident was the second major air crash in Indonesia this year. On New Year’s Day, an Adam Air jetliner plunged into the sea off the island of Sulawesi, killing everyone aboard.

The United States has declared that Indonesia does not comply with international air safety standards. In June, the European Union banned all Indonesian airlines from its airspace.

An absolutely outstanding development in the case of the internet pedophile Christopher Paul Neil is detailed below in a press release from Interpol. Not unlike many websites around the world, the request by Interpol was honored on Blog @ MoreWhat.com October 9th. That request was for assistance in getting out the word on Interpol’s global search for this thoroughly disgusting criminal. They provided the necessary information to post alerts and we thank them for their efforts and success in capturing this pedophile. Let’s hope this starts a trend. The more pedophiles removed from civilization the better.

After the Interpol press release is a report from VOA on this story.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Global hunt for suspected child abuser launched by INTERPOL ends in Thailand

LYON, France – International co-ordination between police on three continents has led to the arrest of Christopher Paul NEIL in Thailand just 10 days after INTERPOL launched a worldwide appeal to identify an unknown man photographed sexually abusing young boys.The Royal Thai Police arrested the 32-year-old Canadian in Nakhon Ratchasima in the northeast region of the country today, 19 October, just one day after issuing an arrest warrant and requesting an INTERPOL Red Notice, an international wanted persons notice.
“I want to commend the Royal Thai Police for the swift and decisive actions that led to NEIL’s arrest and those local citizens who helped to identify and locate this suspected predator in a civil manner,” said INTERPOL’s Secretary General Ronald K. Noble.

“This is but one example of how co-operation between INTERPOL, its police partners in 186 member countries and the public can work together to bring international criminals to justice.

“Today’s arrest sends a clear message to those men who think they can travel to Southeast Asia to abuse innocent children: there is no longer any such place as a safe haven for paedophiles; there is no such thing as anonymity; and there is no escape.”
On October 8, INTERPOL launched its first-ever global appeal for assistance to identify an unknown man featured in a series of around 200 photographs in which he was shown sexually abusing young children. Nearly 400 people worldwide responded, with five different sources all naming Christopher Paul NEIL as a potential match.

Police work on the ground quickly established that NEIL had fled his home in South Korea. He was last seen on 11 October arriving at Bangkok International Airport in Thailand.

Close co-operation between the Royal Thai Police and INTERPOL led to the identification of a previously unknown victim who confirmed to police that he had been abused by NEIL, which enabled Thai authorities to issue an arrest warrant. NEIL was arrested 24 hours later.

“That NEIL is in Thai police custody just 10 days after INTERPOL’s appeal to identify a man whose name, nationality and whereabouts were unknown is an outstanding achievement due to the co-operation between the police, the public and the media” said Head of INTERPOl’s liaison office in Bangkok, Colonel Panaspong Sirawongse.

Canadian Suspected of Sexually Abusing Children Arrested in Thailand

By Luis Ramirez
Bangkok
Thailand’s capture Friday of a suspected pedophile from Canada is highlighting efforts in the Southeast Asia region to combat child sex tourism. VOA’s Luis Ramirez reports from Bangkok.

Thirty-two-year old Christopher Paul Neil of Canada was taken to Thailand’s Royal National Police headquarters in Bangkok Friday after his capture in the north of the country.

Neil’s arrest came after the international police agency, Interpol, issued an unusual appeal over the Internet to law enforcement agencies and ordinary people around the world. The appeal was to help identify and catch a man shown in Internet photos, allegedly performing lewd acts with at least 12 young boys in Cambodia and Vietnam.

The photos showed the man’s face distorted by a digital swirl pattern, but authorities in Germany were able to unscramble the pictures and reveal Neil’s face. A manhunt ensued when Thai authorities discovered he had entered the country last week after leaving South Korea, where he had worked as a teacher. He had previously taught children in Thailand.

The manhunt for Neil and his arrest highlights growing worldwide efforts to combat so-called sex tourism, a problem that is rampant in Southeast Asia. Richard Bridle, UNICEF’s deputy regional director for Southeast Asia, tells VOA the number of pedophile arrests and prosecutions is rising, thanks to growing cooperation between the rich western nations that export child molesters and the poorer countries that host them.

“There are two parts to the equation: the kids who are the victims seem to be Southeast Asians - at least that’s what the news stories tell us - and a lot of the perpetrators are coming from Europe and North America, and so on,” said Bridle. “I think we’ve begun to realize that it just isn’t right that crimes like this should be committed against children, and this says very, very bad about our own society.”

Bridle says technology and improving communication have helped in the battle against an age-old crime, which is prevalent not only in Asia, but in Africa and Latin America as well.

“If you go back in history, you’ll find a lot of instances of sexual abuse of children in Europe and North America, for instance. But I think this is one of the positive sides of globalization,” he said. “We’re beginning to see a common ethic that is developing around the world, and we’re beginning to see that wherever you are, there should be absolute zero tolerance of crimes against children, and we’ve got all these instances of good cooperation.”

Some nations, including Australia, Britain and Canada, have passed laws with extra-territoriality clauses - meaning those who travel and abuse children in other countries can be prosecuted and jailed at home.

crossposted at:
Maggie’s Notebook | Conservative Blog
FaultlineUSA
Conservative Thoughts

October 16, 2007 14:24 PM
Bird Flu Takes Another Life In Indonesia, Toll Now 88
(source:http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=290179)

JAKARTA, Oct 16 (Bernama) — A 12-year-old boy at Ceger village in Tangerang district in Banten province near here died of the H5N1 virus over the weekend, bringing to 88 the death toll in bird flu cases in Indonesia, a health official reported.

The boy was brought to a local midwife on Oct 3 after suffering from fever for three days, said head of the communicable disease control and prevention section at the Tangerang district health office, Dr Yuliah Iskandar.

Among the critical issues facing this planet is H5N1 and the threat of a worldwide pandemic. While the other major issues such as terrorism, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, increasing tensions over nuclear technology and weapons proliferation, whether a dirty bomb in a suitcase or a trend of more nations joining ‘the club’, matters involving critical health issues seem to take a back seat.

There was the mad rush for duct tape and rolls of plastic sheet for personal household protection with the advent of fears over biological weapons like anthrax. Perhaps the addition of sarin gas to the publicly known 21st century arsenal assisted the waning of these simplistic countermeasures. The flow of information regarding potential catastrophes in the form of warning the public is weighed against the risk of panic. That judgment typically resides with those who have access in ‘leadership’ roles in government and the military.

Is the relative quiet and limited media coverage about the avian flu the result of typical public apathy, a concerted effort by those in charge to let a sleeping dog lie or editorial decisions based on what sells? A combination of all three may be the low risk bet on a high risk topic. The information is out there, you just have to look for it. The story about the Indonesian boy who died from H5N1 this week should cause everyone to take another look.

In case you are interested a few handy references are provided. A world map from July 2006 displaying countries with confirmed cases in animals and humans. A WHO list of cases reported to them as recent as this month. The US government site devoted to H5N1 and some NIH information. The narrative about vaccine trials in helpful. Except the part where they describe several cases within months in Viet Nam where patients survived the avian flu. There is no discussion illuminating how they survived. Was it without intervention or did they get assistance?

It would be nice if those involved in finding solutions have been successful. But the prudent reaction to the quiet front on this health issue suggests otherwise. With the flu season of the common variety approaching with its habit of killing thousands each year in the US alone, the scenario for its deadlier cousin is likely similar. As the scary cousin develops, the likelihood of avoiding a pandemic may be within reach but a similar trend compared to the common forms of flu may become an annual event also only with many more deaths in the future and a relatively apathetic view from the world’s humans.

Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response (EPR)
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/en/

Nations With Confirmed Cases: H5N1 Avian Influenza (MAP: July 7, 2006)
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/map.html

Pandemic Flu Dot Gov
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/

Human Antibodies Protect Mice from Avian Flu
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/may2007/niaid-28.htm
An international team of scientists, including researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, report using antibodies derived from immune cells from recent human survivors of H5N1 avian influenza to successfully treat H5N1-infected mice as well as protect them from an otherwise lethal dose of the virus.

February 2007 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS on Avian Influenza Trials
http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/QA/H5N1QandA.htm

January 2007 NIAID DNA Vaccine for H5N1 Avian Influenza Enters Human Trial
http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2007/FluDNAVax.htm

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com