Swine flu infections spread to more locations across the United States and around the world, while the World Health Organization considered raising its pandemic threat alert level.
By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 30, 2009
The World Health Organization took the unprecedented step yesterday of warning that the world is probably on the verge of a pandemic, as new cases of swine flu mounted, the first death was reported in the United States and the dangerous virus appeared to arrive just outside the nation's capital.
The Geneva-based agency raised the alert level for the second time in three days, elevating it to one notch below a full-scale pandemic, after concluding that the virus was causing sustained outbreaks in the United States and Mexico.
The heightened alert is intended to prompt every nation to activate an emergency response plan, to spur pharmaceutical companies to increase production of antiviral drugs and help speed development of a vaccine, and to prod bankers to help poor countries afford measures to fight the virus, officials said.
The dramatic pronouncement came as officials in Maryland announced that they were investigating six probable cases of the disease -- three each in Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties -- and as at least 10 more were under investigation at the University of Delaware.
The first death from the disease in the United States came when a 22-month-old boy from Mexico City succumbed Monday at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. The child, who had unspecified "underlying health problems," according to U.S. health officials, had taken a flight with his parents from Mexico City to Matamoros, Mexico, on April 4 to visit family in Brownsville, Tex.
After developing a fever April 8, the child was hospitalized in Brownsville and then, with his condition worsening, was transferred the next day to Houston.
State health officials were trying to determine when and where the boy became infected and how many people came into contact with him and his family, but they said no other relatives or anyone else had fallen ill.
"Texans need to know there is no cause for panic, and Texans can be assured that the state will take every necessary precaution to protect the lives of our citizens," said Gov. Rick Perry (R), as he issued a "disaster declaration" in response to the outbreak. Officials suspended high school sports events statewide until May 11 and shut more schools, sending more than 53,000 students home for at least two weeks.
President Obama offered his "thoughts and prayers and deepest condolences" to the toddler's family and to other victims and their loved ones. U.S. authorities are monitoring the spread of the virus carefully, he said, and he urged local authorities to report all suspected cases and close schools where infections are reported. Obama said people should wash their hands frequently, stay home from work or school if they are sick, and cover their mouths when coughing.
U.S. public health authorities have been worried that the virus would start producing the severe pneumonia and deaths that so far have been limited to Mexico, where the epidemic began. "The clinical picture in the United States is looking a bit more like the Mexican situation," said Nancy Cox, a flu expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The number of known cases in the United States hit at least 91, with infections confirmed in at least six new states -- Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Arizona, Indiana and Nevada -- more than doubling the number of states with confirmed cases. A Marine stationed in California also has a suspected case of swine flu.
The WHO's action came after the agency convened an unusual "global virtual science meeting" involving several hundred experts and officials to help assess the situation. The agency raised the alert from "phase 4" to "phase 5" two days after elevating it for the first time because the never-before-seen virus was spreading in Mexico.
Saying influenza viruses are "notorious for their rapid mutation and their unpredictable behavior," WHO Director General Margaret Chan told reporters: "This is an opportunity for global solidarity as we look for responses and solutions that benefit all countries, all of humanity. After all, it really is all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic."
The new alert level could prompt a variety of measures, including more intensive efforts to identify cases and stricter measures to prevent the illness's spread, such as discouraging or banning public gatherings.
With the virus now clearly being transmitted person-to-person in the United States, WHO officials said the outbreak appeared to be on a trajectory toward the highest alert level -- "phase 6" -- which is marked by sustained transmission in at least two regions of the world. That would mark the beginning of a pandemic -- a global spread of the virus.
"It's clear the virus is spreading, and we don't see any evidence of this slowing down at this point," said Keiji Fukuda, the WHO's interim assistant director general for health security and environment.
While there is a chance that the epidemic could stop on its own, officials said that such an outcome is impossible to predict and that governments around the world should plan for the worst.
"There may be a possibility that the virus will die out and stop, and that would be the best for us. But it can turn the other way. So the important point for us is to continue to maintain our vigilance and track its movement," Chan said. "Influenza pandemics must be taken seriously precisely because of their capacity to spread rapidly to every country in the world."
Asked whether the higher alert level will change the U.S. government's posture, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said: "We have been preparing all along as if this is going to be a stage six. Our efforts have been to stay ahead of whatever number the WHO assigns."
So far, U.S. officials have referred 49 travelers with suspicious symptoms entering through border checkpoints to federal, state or local health officials. Eight cases remain under investigation, and the other 41 were negative, Napolitano said.
In addition to the new U.S. cases, infections were also confirmed for the first time in Austria and Germany, among people who recently returned from Mexico. Cases had previously been identified in Spain and Britain -- where three new cases were confirmed, bringing the total to five -- as well as in Israel, Canada and New Zealand. In France, where 30 possible cases are under investigation, the government announced that it will urge the 27-nation European Union to suspend all flights from member countries to Mexico.
VIDEOS FOR MORE INFO:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2009/04/27/VI2009042702810.html?sid=ST2009042900988
Thursday, April 30, 2009
SWINE FLU INFECTIONS SPREAD
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
FOUNDATION FOR CHANGE -100 DAYS
Hey Guys, Please click to explore the progress in your state..., to look at the issues, or listen to stories by people like yourselves....Things are beginning to WORK! God, bless Obama!
Tomorrow will mark the President's hundredth day in office. A lot of attention will be given to this largely symbolic day, and the truth is that what we do every day after it will be just as important -- if not more. But our accomplishments in this time have been remarkable, and they're having real effects on people and communities throughout the country.
You built the movement that made this possible, and it's up to you to show Americans that real change can happen when ordinary citizens work together.
Explore this interactive map to learn about the progress we've made in the last 100 days and the stories of real Americans whose lives have already been touched. Then spread the word by passing it along to your friends and family.
With the country in crisis, the President took office and acted quickly to restore confidence and stability to our economy. But just as important were the steps we've taken toward building a new foundation for our prosperity, so that we never go back to the system that led us to crisis in the first place.
In just one hundred days, we've made crucial investments to create jobs and improve education, energy, and health care. All of this is a down payment for a new economic vision -- one where skilled workers fuel our economy rather than debt and speculation; one where American leadership on clean energy fuels 21st century innovation; and one where families and businesses are no longer weighed down by crushing health care costs.
Delivering on the promise of change is the reason we built this movement. Now, President Obama is counting on all of us to build support for this foundation and create a lasting recovery for America.
Take a look now at these critical first steps we've taken together and pass it on for others to see:
http://my.barackobama.com/100days
This new direction would not have been possible without you. But our biggest tests are yet to come, and the future is ours to shape. Let's seize this moment together so history will show that, at this defining crossroads, a generation of Americans put their country on the path to long-term security and prosperity.
Thank you,
David Plouffe
Rear Admiral Michelle Howard
Rear Admiral Michelle Howard
Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 2.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
A War For Your Soul-Birmingham Version by Erisai Films
A War For Your Soul-Birmingham version by Erisai Films
This video was created to inspire young African-Americans not to fall prey to some of the problems they face in society. The use of the voice "Master of Darkness" represents evil, which is where the blame of all problems should be placed, and not on any one group of people. This video should not to be used to divide people (Black & White), there are images of heroes that are white in this video, and there are images of Black & White coming together with the words of Dr. King in the background. Some of the images from the past can be unsettling, but they are used to show all Americans how far we have come, and how far we still have to go. This film is being strategically placed in school systems, churches and youth orgs around the country, in hope of helping a lost generation of kids that we as Americans have forgotten. As fellow Americans we must continue to love each other, and take that love and spread it to the rest of the world. Peace & Love - Erisai Films myspace.com/erisaifilms
A War For Your Soul-Birmingham version from Erisai Films on Vimeo.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
The Summit of the Americas in Trinidad & Tobago
"Great Stuff"
The Summit of the Americas in Trinidad & Tobago
34 Heads of State, Presidents, and/or Prime Ministers
USA President, Barack Obama and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton
The Opening Performance
Directed by Brian McFarlane
Part One - The Cultural Presentation at the Opening Ceremony of the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago
Part Two -The Cultural Presentation at the Opening Ceremony of the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago
Part Three -The Cultural Presentation at the Opening Ceremony of the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago
Part Four-The Cultural Presentation at the Opening Ceremony of the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago
The Opening Address from the Honourable Patrick Manning, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and Host/Chairman of the Fifth Summit of the Americas
USA President Barack Obama’s speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Fifth Summit of The Americas in Trinidad & Tobago
Second Part-USA President Barack Obama’s speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Fifth Summit of The Americas in Trinidad &Tobago
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
CANDIATE FOR PRESIDENT 2012!
I HAVE DECIDED TO BECOME A WRITE-IN CANDIDATE.
HERE IS MY PLATFORM:
(1) 'Press 1 for English' is immediately banned. English is the official language; speak it or wait at the border until you can.
(2) We will immediately go into a two year isolationist posture to straighten out the country's attitude. NO imports, no exports. We will use the 'Wal-Mart 's policy, 'If we ain't got it, you don't need it.'
(3) When imports are allowed, there will be a 100% import tax on it.
(4) All retired military personnel will be required to man one of our many observation towers on the southern border (six month tour). They will be under strict orders not to fire on SOUTHBOUND aliens.
(5) Social security will immediately return to its original state. If you didn't put nuttin in, you ain't gettin nuttin out. The president nor any other politician will be able to touch it.
(6) Welfare - Checks will be handed out on Fridays at the end of the 40 hour school week and the successful completion of urinalysis and a passing grade.
(7) Professional Athletes--Steroids. The FIRST time you check positive you're banned for life.
(8) Crime - We will adopt the Turkish method, the first time you steal, you lose your right hand. There is no more life sentences. If convicted of murder, you will be put to death by the same method you chose for your victim; gun, knife, strangulation, etc.
(9) One export will be allowed, Wheat. The world needs to eat. A bushel of wheat will be the exact price of a barrel of oil.
(10) All foreign aid using American taxpayer money will immediately cease, and the saved money will pay off the national debt and ultimately lower taxes. When disasters occur around the world, we'll ask the American people if they want to donate to a disaster fund, and each citizen can make the decision whether it's a worthy cause.
(11) The Pledge of Allegiance will be said every day at school and every day in Congress.
(12) The National Anthem will be played at all appropriate ceremonies, sporting events, outings, etc.
Sorry if I stepped on anyone's toes
GOD BLESS AMERICA .
Bill Cosby
I will not be voting for Mr. Bill --- (Ron)
Monday, April 20, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Number of Black Americans in State Prisons for Drug Offenses Declines
By Darryl Fears Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 14, 2009; 2:16 PM
For the first time since crack cocaine sparked a war on drugs 20 years ago, the number of black Americans in state prisons for drug offenses has fallen sharply, while the number of white prisoners convicted for drug crimes has increased, according to a report released today.
The D.C.-based Sentencing Project reported that the number of black inmates in state prisons for drug offenses had fallen from 145,000 in 1999 to 113,500 in 2005, a 21 percent decline. Over the same period, the number of white drug offenders rose steadily, from 50,000 to more than 72,000, a 42 percent increase. The number of Latino drug offenders was virtually unchanged at about 51,000.
The findings represent a significant shift in the racial makeup of those incarcerated for drugs and could signal a gradual change in the demographics of the nation's prison population 2 million, which has been disproportionately black for decades. Drug offenders make up about a quarter of the overall prison population.
The Sentencing Project report and other experts said the numbers could reflect two factors: an increased reliance by prosecutors and judges on prison alternatives such as drug courts, and a shift in police focus to methamphetamines, which are used and distributed mostly by white Americans.
The report relied heavily on data compiled by the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics and covered six years ending in 2005, the last year the bureau broke down the state prison population by race and drug offense.
African American drug offenders, who have been convicted most often for dealing and possessing crack cocaine, still made up a disproportionate share of the total, 44 percent in 2005. That was down from nearly 58 percent six years earlier, but still represented a disproportionate share, because black Americans make up only about 12 percent of the U.S. population.
The number of white state drug offenders rose from 20 percent to 29 percent, and Latino prisoners made up 20 percent of inmates.
"I have no doubt that crystal meth explains some of the white increase, but I'm not ready to say it's the reason for all of the white increase," said Marc Mauer, executive director of the Sentencing Project, which opposes stiff penalties for nonviolent drug crimes. "It's also hard to imagine that [drug courts] are not having some effect. Most drug courts are in urban areas where African Americans live."
Twenty percent of white inmates used methamphetamines in the month before they were arrested, compared with 1 percent of black inmates, according to interviews conducted in the nation's 14,500 state prisons and 3,700 federal prisons.
Drug courts offer nonviolent offenders the option of undergoing rigorous substance abuse treatment and criminal rehabilitation or going to jail. There are more than 2,000 such courts in operation, mostly in cities with large black communities that were ravaged by violence associated with crack cocaine. White suspects are also increasingly winding up in drug courts for abusing methamphetamines.
Mauer also hypothesized that drug dealers might have shifted from open air crack cocaine markets to dealing indoors, making them harder for police to bust. And he speculated that because so many African American men have been incarcerated, there are fewer on the street to be arrested.
But James E. Felman, co-chairman of the Sentencing Committee for the American Bar Association, said that in Tampa, where he practices law, police are still arresting black suspects for crack possession and distribution, and handing out long sentences.
"I can't second-guess their study, but I haven't seen a change," Felman said. "Maybe we're getting smarter on crime in some states. That could be part of it."
David Muhlhausen, a senior policy analyst for the conservative Heritage Foundation, said stronger police enforcement of methamphetamine trafficking and use, coupled with treatment options mostly for urban crack cocaine offenders, probably caused the shift. "There is some data out there that suggests that drug courts and drug treatments reduce recidivism," he said. "If you take the less serious offenders and put them into programs other than prison it would be a benefit to society."
The war on drugs began in 1986, when Congress passed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act to combat violence associated with the crack cocaine trade. Lawmakers were prompted by the death of University of Maryland basketball player Len Bias, who they mistakenly believed had died from ingesting crack. Bias overdosed on powder cocaine.
Last year, then-Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) joined several of his colleagues in saying his support of the legislation was a mistake. As a result of the law, more than a half-million people have been incarcerated for drug offenses in state and federal prison, a massive increase from the 40,000 who were jailed for the same offenses in 1980.
According to a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics last year, 7.2 million people are under prison supervision, as inmates, parolees and probationers, at a cost of about $45 billion per year.
California, which has one of the nation's largest prison populations, farmed out 170,000 inmates to private prisons as far away as Tennessee in 2006 to relieve costs, and has relaxed its penal code to relieve prison overcrowding.
Jeffrey L. Sedgwick, a former director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics, said the record incarceration might be worth the cost. "As the number of people under correctional supervision goes up, crime goes down," he said. Conservative estimates put the cost of violent crime at about $17 billion, Sedgwick said.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
MICHELLE'S FIRST BOYFRIEND
First Lady Michelle Obama’s First Boyfriend Speaks Out A man named David Upchurch is now telling media sources about his stint as First Lady Michelle Obama’s first boyfriend.
The then 18-year-old Mrs. Obama was escorted by him to her Whitney Young High School prom in Chicago .
They grew up together, were neighbors in the Chi, and David now lives in Colorado Springs , CO . He says the reason they broke up is because he didn’t have his life together and he was “a screw up”. He says: “I always knew Michelle was special and would make a difference in the world.”
I guess the First Lady wasn’t taking any ish even back then. Seven years later she met a law student named Barack Obama. And the rest is history. Love it. 
THE FIRST PUP
The First Puppy Makes a Big Splash Bo, the Portuguese Water Dog, Is All Over the Web Before His Official Debut
By Manuel Roig-Franzia Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, April 12, 2009; Page A01
Who let the dog out?
That's the Washington mystery du jour.
The identity of the first puppy -- the one that the Washington press corps has been yelping about for months, the one President Obama has seemed to delight in dropping hints about -- leaked out yesterday.
This despite White House efforts to delay the news until the big debut planned for Tuesday afternoon. The little guy is a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog given to the Obama girls as a gift by that Portuguese water dog-lovin' senator himself, Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts.
The girls named it Bo -- and let it be noted that you learned that here first. Malia and Sasha chose the name, because their cousins have a cat named Bo and because first lady Michelle Obama's father was nicknamed Diddley, a source said. (Get it? Bo . . . Diddley?) Bo's a handsome little guy. Well suited for formal occasions at the White House, he's got tuxedo-black fur, with a white chest, white paws and a rakish white goatee Clearly, the identity of the dog was information too big to contain.
This is not Bo, but it is a picture of what he will look like as he age. Beautiful!
Must Love Dogs
The whole country is in love with "Bo", the Obama family's new dog। And why not? Americans are so hungry for good news, we'll take it in furry form. And besides, dogs make the world a better place.
The best thing about dogs is that dogs love you back। A dog loves unconditionally. Dogs know that of faith, hope and love, the greatest of these is love. (Though I will say that dogs are also very good at hope. My dogs hope continually for treats and w-a-l-k-s; right now I have three dogs looking at me expectantly, hoping that when I finish typing this we will go outside. And maybe have a treat too.)
Who doesn't love a news story about a puppy? I know if I click on a story about Bo, it's not going to be about what to do about Afghanistan. I know that its not going to be a story that will break my heart once again because another teenager has died from gun violence here in Chicago. I know it won't be a story about the failed state of Somalia and pirates (pirates!) threatening ships and passengers.
I'm tired of worrying about our world। There just doesn't seem to be much of anything in the news that isn't downright alarming, from more giant chunks of ice falling off of the poles to more people losing their jobs. Even the wonderful news last week about marriage equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people from several states made me worry when the next attack on their equal rights would come.
No wonder I want to read about Bo। No wonder other people want to read about Bo. He has no reactionary legislative agenda. He just makes us smile, this puppy with the curly hair and the big white paws. I think the whole country has emotional fatigue, and if we're emotionally fatigued by all these crises, imagine how President Obama feels.
I looked at the picture of Bo happily running down the hallway alongside President Obama, looking up and plainly enjoying this cool chase game. The President was smiling, looking down at Bo.I hoped the President was having fun too. I hoped playing with the puppy gave him a little relief from stress. Dogs are good for that. I believe dogs are a gift of grace. Welcome, Bo.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
BROTHER TO BROTHER...
You go boy! He is sooo….. cool. According to one commenter, "This is the most powerful photo in the series. Remember British royal custom, and both
Internet Scams
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Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Friday, April 3, 2009
Mad About Michelle
Mad About Michelle
Subject to Debate
By Katha Pollitt
This article appeared in the April 20, 2009 edition of The Nation.
April 2, 2009
Someday we'll get beyond obsessing about
first ladies--and by "we" I mean the sort of journalists who use "we" to mean "the vast majority of Americans" when it is usually just themselves and their friends. Meanwhile, Michelle Obama is getting more bouquets from the media than any woman in public life since Mother Teresa. Her clothes, her looks, her height (six feet!), her curves, her delightful combination of warmth, simplicity, charm, dignity, humor and smarts. Gone are the days when National Review put her on the cover as "Mrs. Grievance," when Maureen Dowd wondered aloud if Michelle's wifely jokes about Barack's foibles were "emasculating" and when Christopher Hitchens wrote in Slate that her undergraduate thesis, "Princeton Educated Blacks and the Black Community," was not "written in any known language" and used it to tie her to Louis Farrakhan, a pair of African dictators and the Holocaust. Remember how Obama supporters fumed about that New Yorker cover cartoon of Barack as an Al Qaeda terrorist and Michelle as a rifle-toting Black Panther? People wouldn't get that it was satire! Seems pretty silly now, doesn't it? Yesterday's fist-bumping radical is today's mom in chief.
Well, not quite. After all, Michelle Obama is still black, although only wingnuts and black people mention it--most whites are much too polite. And she's a woman, too, which always makes for trouble. So while half the country swoons over her Vogue cover and her community service in schools and homeless shelters, there are those who feel just a little bit threatened. There are her bare arms, for example--they have muscles! "In the taxi," Dowd confided in a recent column, "when I asked David Brooks about her amazing arms, he indicated it was time for her to cover up. 'She's made her point,' he said. 'Now she should put away Thunder and Lightning.'" Brooks didn't like "the V-neck sleeveless, eggplant dress" she wore to Barack's address to Congress, either. A supersmart black woman who's also fashionable and fit--terrifying.
And then there's this developing story line--call it the Goldilocks and the Three Bears syndrome. Hillary Clinton was too ambitious; Laura Bush (who?) was too retro; but Michelle has the woman thing just right. As David Samuels writes in
There are clear limits to Michelle's ambition. She went to excellent schools, got decent grades, stayed away from too much intellectual heavy lifting, and held a series of practical, modestly salaried jobs while accommodating her husband's wilder dreams and raising two lovely daughters. In this, she is a more practical role model for young women than Hillary Clinton, blending her calculations about family and career with an expectation of normal personal happiness.
Would you like some manly condescension with that factual misinformation, ladies? By all means, avoid "too much intellectual heavy lifting"! If Samuels regards $273,618--Michelle Obama's salary in her last year as head of community affairs for the University of Chicago Hospitals--as modest, he must be the richest magazine journalist in the world. Michelle Obama, who made almost twice as much as her husband the senator, earned more than 99 percent of the population, and 98 percent of men. Moreover, she did so while raising two small children, often without her husband, who was off legislating in
Just after the election Rebecca Traister wrote a terrific piece in Salon lamenting the "momification" of Michelle Obama. Probably it was inevitable: "In part because of the legacy left her by Hillary and her detractors," Traister observed, "powerful couples must now tread as far as possible from the 'two for one' talk, lest the female half get smacked with a nutcracker." Besides, there was that Angry Black Woman image to banish. It might have been politically necessary, and for all I know Michelle Obama is having the time of her life--unlike most professional women who take (let's hope) eight years off, she doesn't have to worry about the cost to her career. Some days I think just being a highly visible admirable black woman is a social cause all by itself, given how little of that side of black life most white Americans see. Still, there's something depressing about the joy and relief with which the high-end media have greeted Michelle's makeover from accomplished professional and outspoken social critic to new-traditionalist homebody. They're not only not ready for Hillary Clinton, they're apparently not even ready for Eleanor Roosevelt.
In the American Prospect, Dana Goldstein recently argued that being first lady should be treated like the job it is and awarded a salary. Michelle is "a public face of the Obama administration," working behind the scenes to rally support for her husband's programs--and she endures a schedule of ceremonial duties and photo ops that would put most women on Prozac and that are not optional. She can't decide to skip dinner with the Democratic chairmen of Congressional committees and watch TV with the girls instead. If first ladies were paid--Goldstein suggests that the money could come from lowering the president's $400,000 salary--we might respect them more.
Meanwhile, we should be counting ourselves lucky that Michelle Obama is working for free and let her wear whatever she wants.
Katha Pollitt's writing has appeared in many publications, including The New Yorker, The London Review of Books, the Washington Post and the New York Times.
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