HAPPY DAYS AHEAD FOR BULGARIA AND ROMANIA WITHIN THE EUROPEAN UNION FAMILY OF STATES!

This post is really just a benchmark for their point of entry into the European Union. Future progress can be compared much more easily then. So, here's a tribute to both countries, for their dogged pursuit of economic happiness and societal upliftment:


[Last Updated: Thursday, 21 December 2006, 18:12 GMT


Bulgaria: Key facts and figures

Bulgaria joins the European Union on 1 January 2007, along with Romaria. Together they take the number of EU members to 27.


POLITICS

Bulgaria's transition from communism to democracy and a market economy has not been a smooth one. Political instability and strikes blighted the first half of the 1990s and former communists remained a powerful influence.

Over the past five years, Bulgaria's economy has grown, unemployment has fallen from highs of nearly 20% and inflation has been brought under control. But incomes and living standards have remained low.

Bulgaria also joined Nato in March 2004.

President Georgi Parvanov won a second five-year term with a landslide victory in October 2006, beating nationalist Volen Siderov, who opposed the country's entry to the EU.

SOCIETY

Bulgaria's population has fallen by a million to 7.7m over the last eight years.

According to the 2001 census, the major groups in Bulgaria's population are Bulgarians, 83.9%, Turks, 9.4% and Roma, 4.7% - but some reports say the Roma population in 2006 was more than 7%.

In 2005, about 70% of the population was urban, but the capital Sofia is by far the largest city with a population of 1.2 million.

Levels of development vary from one region to the next. The North-West region is the poorest, while the South-West region, and the area around the capital Sofia, are the wealthiest.

In early 1997, more than a third of the population was living in poverty. By 2003, the figure had shrunk to 13%.

Poverty is most widespread in rural and northern areas. Human rights organisations have criticised the lack of support for homeless people, and particularly children and minorities such as the Roma.

The European Commission highlighted some key areas of concern in its report ahead of Bulgaria's accession on 1 January 2007.

It said there had been limited progress in providing care for disabled and mentally ill people, but some progress with regard to the integration of Roma.

The commission also said Bulgaria had improved measures to protect children and prevent people-trafficking.

ECONOMY

In 2005, Bulgaria's GDP was 19.5bn euros or 2,643 euros per capita (£13bn or £1,774 per capita), an increase of 5.5% compared with 2004.

Annual real GDP growth was a thumping 5.8% in 2006.

Important market reforms were carried out by Bulgaria's former king, Simeon II, when he was prime minister between 2001 and 2005. Unemployment fell from highs of nearly 20% and inflation come under control, but incomes and living standards remained low.

In 2006, the unofficial grey economy accounted for up to 30% of GDP.

Bulgarian collective farms once exported vegetables and fruit to most of the Eastern bloc. But when the Soviet Union collapsed, the market for Bulgaria's produce went with it. Agricultural and industrial productivity dropped sharply and the country suffered a major national economic crisis in the late 1990s.

Production of apples and grapes, Bulgaria's main fruit products, has decreased since the communist era, but there has been a significant increase in the export of wine. Tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers are the most important vegetable exports.

Telecommunications is one of the country's fastest growing industries. Reports say every town and many villages have a fast internet connection.

MIGRATION

Bulgarians can no longer depend on the state for employment and some villages are emptying as people leave in search of work.

Migrant Watch UK says unemployment and low incomes are the major reason for labour migration from former Eastern Bloc countries.

In Poland, unemployment is about 17.7% and annual GDP per head is around 9,613 euros (£6,454) compared to 5.1% and 23,391 euros (£15,704) in the UK. In Bulgaria, unemployment is about 9.9% and annual incomes are about 6,814 euros (£4,574).

As Bulgarians look for work in wealthier European countries, there is also an opposite tendency for investors from Western Europe to buy property at low prices in Bulgaria.

ENVIRONMENT

In the early 1990s, it was estimated that 60% of agricultural land was polluted by fertilisers and pesticides, two-thirds of rivers were polluted, and two-thirds of primary forests had been levelled.

Observers say environmental awareness has improved since the communist era, but the state's lack of administrative power, and fears of unemployment, allowed bad practices to continue.

The four reactors of Bulgaria's only nuclear power station, at Kozloduy, were declared unsafe in the early 1990s, but the first of its reactors was only closed in 2002.

The plant, which supplied more than 40% of Bulgaria's electric power in 2005 is expected to cease all exports in 2007. Two of its remaining four reactors must be closed by 2007 to comply with EU standards.

Construction of the delayed Belene nuclear plant resumed in 2006 but will not be completed until at least 2011. ]


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6206378.stm



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[Last Updated: Saturday, 30 December 2006, 21:21 GMT


Romania: Key facts and figures

Romania joins the European Union on 1 January 2007, along with Bulgaria. Together they take the number of EU members to 27.

POLITICS

Romania's communist-era leader, Nicolae Ceausescu, was executed at the culmination of a national uprising, on Christmas Day 1989, but his legacy endured for years.

Former communists under President Ion Iliescu dominated the country's politics for seven years. The country applied for EU membership in 1993, but it took the election of a centrist government in 1996 for the country to orient itself fully towards the West.

When Mr Iliescu and the left returned in 2000, they continued this pro-Western policy and took the country into Nato in 2004. However, centrists were back in power by the time the EU Accession Treaty was signed in 2005.

The current Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu, who leads an alliance of Liberals and Democrats, has prioritised the fight against corruption.

A number of senior officials and members of the judiciary are being investigated, including Mr Iliescu. Former Social Democrat prime minister Adrian Nastase, faces trial on charges of bribe-taking, blackmail and abuse of public office. He denies taking 1.37m euros ($1.76m; £921,000) in bribes during his 2002-2004 term in office.


SOCIETY

Romania has a population of about 22 million. This represents a drop of some 1.5m since 1990 - however, some experts say these figus underestimated the number of Romanians who have gone to live and work abroad, which is sometimes put at two million.

More than 54% of the population live in urban areas. Those living in rural areas often work hard to enjoy a minimal standard of living.

In 1990, all farming land was collective property - agricultural co-operatives or state farms. The end of communism allowed a large number of former owners to get back up to 10 hectares of their land - creating almost four million small private farms.

In 2005, some 22% of Romanians, including about 80% of Roma (which make up about 2.5% of the total population), lived below the poverty line. The north-eastern region had the highest poverty rate, Bucharest the lowest.

In 2006, the infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births was 25.5 - one of the highest in Europe.

The child welfare system, a legacy of the Ceausescu regime, was a serious problem until the end of the 1990s. But the number of children abandoned at hospitals decreased by 50% between 2003 and 2005. Further efforts to improve child welfare laws were made in 2005.

Romania seeks EU-standard childcare

The European Commission has praised Romania's progress in tackling human trafficking, improving detention conditions and child protection. But it says limited progress has been made regarding the treatment of people with disabilities and the integration of minorities.

ECONOMY

Romania's average 5.8% annual economic growth over the past five years makes it one of Europe's fastest-growing economies.

In Bucharest and the west of country, unemployment has dropped to about 2%. There were even concerns about a lack of available labour when foreign companies such as Procter and Gamble set up production plants.

But economic growth has not alleviated widespread poverty, and corruption and bureaucracy is still said to hinder business activities.

Observers say the unemployment rate is kept unrealistically low in part by emigration of Romanians in search of employment. It is estimated that between 600,000 and two million Romanians have gone to live and work abroad since 1989.

Romania was historically a major agricultural producer - but the sector is now weak. According to the US Library of Congress, agriculture accounted for more than 30% of total employment in Romania in 2004 and contributed only 10% of GDP.

ENVIRONMENT

Romania's geography is a mixture of the Carpathian mountains, the Transylvanian plateau in the north-west, and the plains bordering the Danube river in the south-east.

The Danube is Romania's major waterway, travelling 1,000km through or along the country, forming the southern frontier with Serbia and Bulgaria. One of Europe's largest hydroelectric stations is located at the Iron Gate, where the river passes through a gorge separating the Carpathian mountains from the foothills of the Balkan mountains.

Under Ceausescu, environmental laws were never fully enforced. Observers say toxic air emissions are the biggest environmental hazard, but pollution of waterways is also a concern.

In January 2000, 100 tonnes of cyanide spilled from a gold mine in northern Romania into rivers in Romania, Hungary and Yugoslavia. It wiped out all fish and plant life for several hundred kilometres and was described by the UN as one of the worst river pollution accidents in Europe.

In 2006, the European Commission gave Romania extra time to reach required environmental standards.


CULTURE

The Transylvanian city of Sibiu, with its medieval centre and ethnically mixed population, has been named European Capital of Culture 2007.

It has a significant Hungarian minority - a result of the years Transylvania spent within the Hungarian Empire - and Romania's largest German community. There are also Roma, Slovak and Ukrainian communities.

According to legend, the lost children of Hamelin emerged from the "Almasch" cave into Transylvania, somewhere close to Sibiu.

One of Romania's most popular tourist attractions is the 14th Century Bran Castle, associated with the cruel prince known as Vlad the Impaler, who inspired Irish author Bram Stoker to write the horror novel, Dracula. ]


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6206390.stm

IF WOMEN WERE TO BECOME IMMUNE TO THE HIV VIRUS, CHILDREN WOULD NOT ACQUIRE AIDS!

That's the ultimate goal in the fight against the spread of HIV / AIDS. In reality, this lofty goal is nearing attainment. Here's the latest on this pioneering effort:


[Last Updated: Sunday, 31 December 2006, 00:21 GMT

'Molecular condom' to combat HIV


A "molecular condom" to protect women against HIV is being developed by US scientists.

The liquid formulated by a University of Utah team turns into a gel-like coating when inserted into the vagina.

Then, when exposed to semen, it returns to liquid form and releases an anti-viral drug to attack HIV.

However, the technology, featured in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, is still around five years away from being tested in humans.

And the researchers predict it will be around 10 years before it might be in widespread use.

Researcher Dr Patrick Kiser said: "The ultimate hope for this technology is to protect women and their unborn or nursing children from the Aids virus."

The Utah project is part of a worldwide research effort to develop "microbicides" - drug-delivery systems such as gels, rings, sponges or creams to prevent infection by HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

They are seen as a way for women to gain power by protecting themselves from HIV, particularly in impoverished nations where Aids is widespread, where rape is rampant, or, where conventional condoms are taboo, not reliably available or where men resist using them.

Short-term effect

First-generation microbicides now being tested are expected to be available within four years and to be 50-60% effective.

However, Dr Kiser said they lasted only for a short time, meaning they had to be used shortly before sex.

The potential advantage of his technology is that it would be much longer lasting.

"We're shooting for a microbicide delivery system that would be used once a day or once a month," he said.

Tests have already shown that their 'hydrogel' is unlikely to cause significant side effects, or discomfort.

It is designed not to dehydrate vaginal cells, which can trigger infections, and not to be diluted by other fluids.

The next stage will be to see whether anti-viral drugs incorporated into the hydrogel can be released with the same efficiency as in the lab.

Indeed the researchers are hopeful that because the gel would be much thinner inside a woman than it was in the lab tests, the release of drugs should be even more effective.

High hopes

Yusef Azad, of the National Aids Trust, said: "Millions of women currently have little control over their sexual health and microbicides could put the power of preventing HIV into women's hands.

"It is vitally important that sufficient funding is channelled into the development of effective microbicides so that women have a range of options of products such as gels, liquids and creams that could provide a barrier to contracting HIV during sex."

Roger Pebody, treatment specialist for the HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust said microbicides were one of the biggest hopes for preventing new HIV infections in the near future.

He said: "This is one of many projects that are in the early stages of development, however other microbicides could be as little as five years away." ]



SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6216197.stm



"ISN'T THAT SPECIAL?"

WOULD YOU WILLINGLY EAT CLONED MEAT TODAY IF YOU KNEW IT TO BE SO BEFOREHAND?

For me, that's a very tough question to deal with right now. Details of the cloning process, the organization involved, and other niggling issues would first of all need to be settled sufficiently in my mind before I would buy, let alone eat, such rare fare!

However, the following view may be more reassuring to us all:


[Last Updated: Thursday, 28 December 2006, 20:09 GMT


US body backs sale of cloned food



Meat and milk from cloned animals is safe for human consumption, the US food regulator said in a draft ruling.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled that cloned cattle, pigs and goats produced food "as safe as the food we eat every day".

The recommendation, coming after a five-year study, is a major step towards allowing food from animals onto US supermarket shelves.

A public consultation period will take place before final approval is given.

Opponents say a majority of US consumers are against animal cloning.


The FDA study examined meat and milk products from cattle, pigs and goats, but not sheep.

It concluded that the cloned animals produced food products virtually indistinguishable from more traditional offerings.

The agency suggested that the results meant it would be unlikely to recommend placing special labels on food from cloned animals.

A final decision on labelling would not be taken until the end of the public consultation period due to begin soon, an FDA official said.

'Bad decision'

Cloned animals are developed when cells are removed from a fertilised embryo and encouraged to develop into duplicate embryos with identical DNA.

A sheep, Dolly, was the first animal successfully cloned, in 1996.

"No unique risks for human food consumption were identified in cattle, swine or goat clones," the FDA said.

It recommended no special safeguards on food produced from cloned animals.


But consumer groups were less keen on the ruling, which could see the US become the first country to allow cloned food products into the food supply.

Carol Foreman, of the Consumer Federation of America, described the ruling as potentially "a very bad decision".

"We are urging people to write to the FDA, to members of Congress, to urge them to tell the FDA to back off," she told the AFP news agency.

Another group, the International Dairy Food Association, appeared cautious. "Animal cloning is a relatively new technology, and it's important that we have a thorough, deliberative dialogue," the group said in a statement.

Previous scientific studies have come to conclusions similar to those of the FDA.]



SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6215541.stm




BY THE WAY, JUST A FLASH OF THOUGHT, IF AN ANIMAL IS CLONED FROM THE CELLS OF ANOTHER HEALTHY AND 'NORMAL' ANIMAL, WHY SHOULDN'T IT'S CLONE BE HEALTHY AND NORMAL AS WELL?

THE LATEST THREAT TO LIFE ON PLANET EARTH, AS WE KNOW IT?

The above series never seems to run out! It's all so saddening and points to the fact that perhaps Man ought to treat the Earth better, especially since it's known generally that "...This Earth is not our home." The latest episode is as detailed below:


[Last Updated: Friday, 29 December 2006, 22:52 GMT


Huge Arctic ice break discovered


Scientists have discovered that an enormous ice shelf broke off an island in the Canadian Arctic last year, in what could be sign of global warming.

It is said to be the largest break in 25 years, casting an ice floe with an area of 66 sq km (25 square miles).

It occurred in August 2005 but was only recently detected on satellite images.

The chunk of ice bigger than Manhattan could wreak havoc if it moves into oil drilling regions and shipping lanes next summer, scientists warned.


"The Arctic is all frozen up for the winter and it's stuck in the sea ice about 50km (30 miles) off the coast," said Luke Copland, an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa.

"The risk is that next summer, as that sea ice melts, this large ice island can then move itself around off the coast and one potential path for it is to make its way westward toward the Beaufort Sea where there is lots of oil and gas exploration, oil rigs and shipping."

'Quite amazing'

The ice break was initially undetected due to the remoteness of the northern coast of Ellesmere island, which is about 800km (500 miles) from the North Pole.


Satellite images showed the 15km (9mile) crack, then the ice floating about 1km (0.6 miles) from the coast within about an hour, said Mr Copland, a specialist in glaciers and ice masses.

"You could stand at one edge and not see the other side, and for something that large to move that quickly is quite amazing," he said.

Mr Copland said a combination of low accumulations of sea ice around the edges of the ice mass, as well as the Arctic's warmest temperatures on record, contributed to the break.

The region was 3C (5.4F) above average in the summer of 2005, he said.

Ice shelves in Canada's far north have shrunk by as much as 90% since 1906.

"It's hard to tie one event to climate change, but when you look at the longer-term trend, the bigger picture, we've lost a lot of ice shelves on northern Ellesmere in the past century.

"This is that continuing and this is the biggest one in the last 25 years," he said.]



SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6218333.stm

HARDWORKING IMMIGRANTS SCORE DECISIVE POINTS AGAINST IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWNS!

Immigration has always been a hot topic in every nation, especially when the relatively homogeneous indigenous stock begins to notice that the immigrant population can no longer be ignored or considered negligible.

Then, pride, indignation, prejudice, retaliation, and other human emotional foibles come into play; and, the calm is disturbed at some point. This story illustrates some positive benefits of immigration:


[Last Updated: Friday, 29 December 2006, 20:32 GMT


A tale of two European villages

By Oana Lungescu
BBC News, Aguaviva and Peretu

When Romanians become citizens of the European Union on 1 January, they will find they are barred from working in most European countries.

But more than two million Romanians, a tenth of the country's population, are already there, mainly in Spain and Italy.

Overall, they send home more than 3bn euros (£2bn) per year.

This exodus is changing the face of local communities both in Romania, and in the countries where the settlers make their new home.

Working people

The Spanish village of Aguaviva is in the middle of nowhere, more than 100km from the nearest city. An imposing baroque church towers over tightly-knit rows of houses built in the local pale stone.

But the food shop sells Romanian salami and cheese, and if you go into the local cafe you are as likely to hear Romanian as Spanish.

The young woman behind the bar, Elena Hetea, comes from a Romanian village. She's among some 100 Romanians who now call Aguaviva home.

"If only my parents were here, then it would really feel like home," Elena told me.

Her husband is working on a building-site close by and her sister also has a job in the village. After four years in the province of Teruel, one of the most sparsely populated regions in Europe, Elena mixes her Romanian with the odd Spanish word. She's the sort of immigrant they like around here.

"All the Romanians who came settled down without any problems," a local builder says.

"They're all working and buying houses. They're like us, normal people from a poor background."

He is less impressed with the Argentine immigrants who came to Aguaviva. "They have got everything here, more than us Spaniards, but they don't like to work as hard."

Ghost-town

Immigration has become a hot topic in Aguaviva in the last few years.

Like thousands of rural communities across Spain, it was fast turning into a ghost-town, as the young went to work in the cities and the old passed away.

So in 2000, the mayor Luis Bricio - who's also a family doctor - tried something new and bold.

"When the patient is dying, you have to try everything," he said.

First, Luis Bricio went to Argentina, looking for families eager to flee the economic crisis there and willing to repopulate his village. He then went to Romania on a similar recruiting mission, offering cheap housing and guaranteed jobs.

Now the population of Aguaviva has grown to over 700 people, including 150 foreigners, mostly from Romania.

Many Argentines found life here too harsh and went elsewhere in Spain. Despite this unexpected setback, the mayor is convinced that controlled migration was the only way to save his village.

"It hasn't been easy, but it's been very positive for Aguaviva," Luis Bricio says.

"The local economy has doubled in size, property prices are 10 times higher, and some 100 jobs have been created because of the immigrants. Aguaviva was a declining village, but it now has a future."

Suspicion

The growth of the local economy is clear to see in an industrial hall on the outskirts of the village. Left empty for years, it's now buzzing to the sound of Aguaviva's first factory, manufacturing electric cables.


Set up by an Argentine, Marcelo Martinez, and his family, it employs a Romanian, an Argentine and soon, two locals.

The school is also a lively mix. Agustin comes from Argentina, Darius from Romania, Ana from Aguaviva.

Immigration and cultural diversity are nothing new in Spain. In school, the children speak both Spanish and Catalan. The headmaster, Pedro Cucalon, was born in the Netherlands. His family were among 1m Spaniards who fled poverty in the 1960s and only came back just before Spain joined the EU 20 years ago.

In a small place like Aguaviva, suspicion of the outsiders was inevitable. Some parents complained about children who "are not from here".


But when Pedro Cucalon asked where his students' grandparents were born, it turned out that only one family was originally from Aguaviva.

"You have to work at integration, it's not natural," he says. "But it's easier in children than their parents. Romanian children, for instance, can learn Spanish in three months because both languages have Latin roots."

Divisions

In a school at the other end of Europe, many children can also speak fluent Spanish.

But this is Peretu, a village in southern Romania, where children pay a much higher price for migration.

Of more than 700 students, one quarter are left in the care of grandparents or aunts. Their parents have gone to work as builders and cleaners in Spain, where they can earn several times more than at home.

"Their grades are lower after the parents leave, they don't study as hard," says English teacher Cristiana Motoane. "Alone at home, they do whatever they want to do."

Emigration also creates social and psychological divisions.


"Other children, whose parents stay here, are a little bit envious because the others are always wearing fashionable clothes," Ms Motoane explains.

"They are better dressed than us teachers, and they think they are superior. So it's a divided village, with very poor families and very rich."

Floarea Calea's family is now among the rich of Peretu - "the Spaniards," as they call them.

Her three sons are all working in Spain, but she's come back to do some home improvements - a brand new kitchen and bathroom, Spanish-style. Floarea's pride and joy is her flush toilet, in the brand new blue-tiled bathroom. "I no longer need to the privy at the bottom of the garden," she smiles.

Spanish politeness

The streets of Peretu aren't paved and the vehicle of choice here remains a cart drawn by horses or donkeys.

But many houses are brand new, painted in pastel colours to show that the money comes from Spain.


The mayor of Peretu, Ionel Olteanu, has noticed other changes in most of those who have worked abroad. "They come to pay their taxes," he says.

"After a year or so, they come to the town hall to pay, because they have seen that's how things work over there. But they also want the local officials to treat them more politely, just like they do in Spain. It's difficult for some, but we're starting to change too!"

The mayors of Peretu and Aguaviva have never met. But for both, migration is a mixed blessing rather than a curse. And for both, the outcome is uncertain.

In Spain, 60 other villages have started to invite immigrant families to settle, following the model of Aguaviva. In Peretu, one family family has come back to set up a small shop. Others may follow across Romania, if EU subsidies make villages a better place to stay, as they did decades ago in Spain.

Back in Elena's cafe, her eight-year-old son Danut knows exactly why his family came to Aguaviva. "We came for more money," he says, peering shyly from under the bar.

He'd like to go back to his native country, but, he says in broken Romanian, "only now and then".

His parents still dream of returning to their village one day, but only when it becomes much more like Aguaviva. ]



SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6217889.stm

WHERE DO YOU STAND ON THE DEATH PENALTY?

The Holy scriptures and mankind have often disagreed at critical periods. This topic is definitely one of them. The Scriptures state, "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord", while mankind maintains, "An eye for an eye...".

Even the Intercession by Jesus, "Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and to the Lord what is the Lord's", is largely ignored; most notoriously by governments in various nations.

So, let's explore what the major nations of the world feel about the death penalty:


[Last Updated: Saturday, 30 December 2006, 04:07 GMT


Who stands where on the death penalty
By Kathryn Westcott
BBC News website


The execution of Saddam Hussein has provoked mixed reactions around the world and focused attention on varying attitudes towards capital punishment.

The European Union has used Saddam Hussein's trial and conviction to reiterate its deeply entrenched opposition to the death penalty. It led the way in calling for the former Iraqi leader not to go to the gallows.

However, while the EU maintained its firm position, some of its member-countries stepped out of line by applauding the death sentence when it was passed in November.

The Czech Republic's Prime Minister, Mirek Topolanek, welcomed it, describing it "an act of justice" and a warning to other dictators. Poland's President Lech Kaczynski described it as "the only possible outcome".

According to recent polls, the populations of both countries are supportive of capital punishment.

Poland abolished capital punishment in 1997, following a moratorium on executions imposed in 1988. But polls carried out a few years ago suggested that 70% of the population supported capital punishment.

EU clash

In the summer of 2006, Poland clashed with the EU after Mr Kaczynski called for a Europe-wide debate on capital punishment. He wanted the EU to either change its policy or allow the issue to be a matter for an individual country's legislation.

Abolition of the death penalty is a requirement for countries seeking EU membership - Turkey has recently abandoned it - and officials say that members that reintroduce it will be punished.

Most Western European countries abandoned the death penalty in the 1960s while Eastern European states did so in the 1990s.

Russia, a member of the Council of Europe, has yet to formally abolish the death penalty - although it has had a moratorium on capital punishment since 1990. Belarus has applied to become a member of the council but will have to abolish the death penalty before it can do so.

The US and Japanese governments - both of which exercise capital punishment - welcomed the former Iraqi leader's sentence when it was passed.

Japan executed four prisoners on 25 December, the first hangings in more than a year. At least 80 prisoners remain on death row.

The death penalty had been put on hold since September 2005 after the former justice minister refused to sign off any more executions, saying they went against his Buddhist beliefs.

The new justice minister, however, used the latest hangings as an opportunity to remind the world that more executions were to come and that the vast majority of the public were supporters of the death penalty.

According to official government statistics, some 80% of the country's population support capital punishment. Nonetheless, there is a small but increasingly vociferous abolitionist movement in the country.

Most executions

The US stands alongside China, Saudi Arabia and Iran as carrying out the greatest numbers of executions per year. According to Amnesty International 94% of the 2005 executions took place in those countries - with about 80% of those taking place in China.

Although a majority of Americans back the death penalty, polls suggest public support is decreasing while the alternative sentence of life without the possibility of parole is gaining in popularity.

The number of people on death row in the US has continued to decline, falfling to 3,344 by October 2006, according to the US Death Penalty Information Center. In its annual report, it says that the number of convicts on death began to all in 2000 after 25 years of steady increases.

It also finds that executions dropped to their lowest in 10 years, with 53 carried out this year, 12% less than last year.

Challenges to the lethal injection process have resulted in executions being stayed in some states in 2006. They are currently suspended in Maryland, Florida and California.

About a dozen US states do not have the death penalty.

Chinese review

China is the world's leader in executions.

No one knows how many people are put to death in the country each year but Amnesty International estimates that in 2005, it carried out an estimated 1,770 executions and sentenced nearly 4,000 people to death.

This year, the government took steps to reform the process by restoring to the Supreme Court the right to review all death sentences.

The move followed a series of embarrassing miscarriages of justice. These were the result of the lower courts being given the right to approve the death sentence in the 1980s.

A new law comes into affect in January 2007.

Capital punishment has a long history in China, and there is no indication the country is ready to give it up.

Stoning controversy

Most Muslim countries retain capital punishment, with Iran and Saudi Arabia carrying out the most executions.

Methods of execution in Islamic countries vary and can include beheading, firing squad, hanging and stoning.

In some countries public executions are carried out to heighten the element of deterrence.

In 2006 in Iran, a group of human rights defenders, mostly women, began a campaign to abolish stoning to death, after reports that a man and woman had been stoned to death in Mashhad, despite an official moratorium on such executions.

Amnesty maintains that the trend toward abolishing the death penalty continues to grow.

In 2006, the only country to abolish the death penalty was the Philippines, after overwhelming votes in both houses of its legislature.

That leaves 69 countries that retain and use the death penalty. ]




SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6211741.stm

HOUSEWORK HAS BECOME A HEALTHY VIRTUE FOR THE MODERN GOOD WOMAN!

Down-and-dirty, sweaty, and tiring housework has some major health benefits, it has turned out. Will this spell doom for dishwasher and laundry machine sales? Well, not in the near future maybe; but see this story for the benefits of doing regular housework:

[Last Updated: Friday, 29 December 2006, 01:26 GMT

Housework cuts breast cancer risk



Women who exercise by doing the housework can reduce their risk of breast cancer, a study suggests.

The research on more than 200,000 women from nine European countries found doing household chores was far more cancer protective than playing sport.

Dusting, mopping and vacuuming was also better than having a physical job.

The women in the Cancer Research UK-funded study spent an average of 16 to 17 hours a week cooking, cleaning and doing the washing.

Experts have long known that physical exercise can reduce the risk of breast cancer, probably through hormonal and metabolic changes.

But it has been less clear how much and what types of exercise are necessary for this risk reduction.

And much of past work has examined the link between exercise and breast cancer in post-menopausal women only.

The latest study looked at both pre- and post-menopausal women and a range of activities, including work, leisure and housework.

All forms of physical activity combined reduced the breast cancer risk in post-menopausal women, but had no obvious effect in pre-menopausal women.

Chores protected

Out of all of the activities, only housework significantly reduced the risk of both pre- and post-menopausal women getting the disease.

Housework cut breast cancer risk by 30% among the pre-menopausal women and 20% among the post-menopausal women.

The women were studied over an average of 6.4 years, during which time there were 3,423 cases of breast cancer.

The international authors said their results suggested that moderate forms of physical activity, such as housework, may be more important than less frequent but more intense recreational physical activity in reducing breast cancer risk.

Dr Lesley Walker of Cancer Research UK said: "We already know that women who keep a healthy weight are less likely to develop breast cancer.

"This study suggests that being physically active may also help reduce the risk and that something as simple and cheap as doing the housework can help."

He recommend that men and women take regular exercise and maintain a healthy body weight to help prevent cancer.

The research is published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention.]



SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6214655.stm

NEW VERSION OF THE AGE-OLD CHURCH VERSUS STATE CONTROVERSY?

Came across this rather odd piece of news item. The social status / position occupied by the characters involved in the story attracted my attention. See for yourself:


[Last Updated: Friday, 29 December 2006, 12:07 GMT

CAR leader orders house burning


The president of the Central African Republic has ordered the army to set fire to the homes of two church leaders "to teach them a lesson".

The Baptist Church pastors had burnt down the home of another pastor in a row over the use of a chapel for Christmas services in the capital.

One of the men was subsequently beaten up and the other has been arrested.

Francois Bozize said he wanted them "to experience the suffering they had inflicted on others".

The BBC's Joseph Benamse says people in the capital, Bangui, are surprised that the order came from the head of state.

But Mr Bozize confirmed on a private radio station and he himself gave the instructions.

"It is the anger of God which strikes those who offend or do wrong to a servant of God," AFP news agency quotes him as saying.]


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6216837.stm




WOULDN'T IT BE JUST MARVELOUS IF THE FIRST VICTIMIZED PASTOR HAD NO CLOSE PERSONAL CONNECTION OR TIES TO ANYONE IN THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT?

NEW WAY TO PHYSICALLY SPIKE VIRUSES AND BACTERIA TO DEATH?

It now seems that diseases can now be literally stabbed to death using spikes! Yes, the story below gives the inside details:

[Last Updated: Friday, 29 December 2006, 15:13 GMT

Spiky surface 'kills infections'



Adding a special "spiky" coating to surfaces can kill bacteria and viruses, research suggests.

US scientists found painting on spike-like structures kept the surfaces infection-free.

The spikes, they believe, rupture bacteria and virus particles on contact, inactivating them.

The team, writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest their findings could help to fight the spread of diseases.

The researchers painted glass with long chains of molecules, called polymers, which anchored to the surface to form tentacle-like spikes.

When the team then applied the surfaces with E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus (both common disease-causing forms of bacteria) and the influenza virus, they found the coating killed them with 100% efficiency within minutes.

The scientists said they believed the tethered spikes were inactivating the particles by rupturing their surfaces.

The team, based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, said many diseases were spread by particles that settle on surfaces and are subsequently touched by others.

Longevity?

They said the spread of infection could be prevented if common things encountered by people are coated with paints that inactivated the disease particles.

"In terms of virucidal and bactericidal efficiencies, painting with [this polymer] seems optimal.

"Given the simplicity of the coating procedure, it should be applicable to various common materials, thereby enabling them to interrupt the spread of both viral and bacterial infections."

Professor Ian Jones, a microbiologist from Reading University, said: "This is an interesting paper, from the point of view that it is a new and simple approach to fighting infection that seems to be effective against both bacteria and viruses."

However, he said he was less convinced the spikes were piercing the particles and thought another, more chemical, mechanism could be at play.

"The other thing that is important to find out is the longevity of the effect. If a toilet door handle, for example, is coated with this material, would it last for days, hours, weeks? It would be vital to know how often it needs to be applied."]



SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6144076.stm

SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE SPACE EXPLORATION BEGAN!

Well that's my humble view; but the thought's dogged me for, yes, well over a decade now. Here's the story that caught my fancy in this regard:

[Last Updated: Thursday, 28 December 2006, 12:14 GMT


Robot heading for Antarctic dive

By Rebecca Morelle
Science reporter, BBC News


The mysteries of the Antarctic deep will be probed by a new vessel capable of plunging 6.5km (four miles) down.

Isis, the UK's first deep-diving remotely operated vehicle (ROV), will be combing the sea-bed in the region in its inaugural science mission.

Researchers hope to uncover more about the effects of glaciers on the ocean floor, and also find out about the animals that inhabit these waters.

The mission begins in mid-January and will last for about three weeks.

While the scientists and engineers begin their long journey to the Antarctic at the start of January, Isis left the UK shores in November and has only just arrived at its destination.

Once unpacked from its containers, the ROV will be placed aboard the British Antarctic Survey's ship - the RSS James Clark Ross - ready to explore the Marguerite Bay area on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Diving deep

With Isis, scientists hope to bring the UK to the forefront of deep-sea research.

The submersive vessel, which is based at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), Southampton, was built in the US in collaboration with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The project cost about £4.5m, and Isis is based on of WHOI's Jason II remotely operated vehicle.

UK marine scientists can book time on Isis to carry out their research into the deep.

Isis was built to withstand enormous pressure, explained Peter Mason, the Isis project manager at NOC.

It measures 2.7m (9ft) long, 2m (6.5ft) high and 1.5m (5ft) wide, and weighs about 3,000kg (6,600lb) in the air.

Ten kilometres of cable connect it to its "mother ship", allowing scientists to control the vehicle and receive the data it collects in real-time.

On the ROV, Mr Mason said, were lights, cameras to produce high-quality video and still pictures, sonars for acoustic navigation and imaging, and two remotely controlled manipulator arms to collect samples or place scientific instruments on the sea-bed.

Isis, he added, also had extra capacity to carry a range of scientific tools, such as borers, nets etc, so that scientists could tailor the vehicle to their research needs.

Professor Julian Dowdeswell, director of the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, is the principal investigator on this three-week-long inaugural research cruise.

He will be using Isis to investigate in fine detail the sea-floor sediments, which have been delivered to Marguerite Bay by the massive ice-sheets that covered the bay about 20,000 years ago.

The ROV will be traversing the relatively shallow waters of the bay to the continental shelf edge and then down the steeper continental slope beyond.

"The environmental history of the Antarctic is held in these sediments," he said.

"Using the ROV, we can look at the sea-floor and its sub-surface structure on a very detailed scale."

This will help the researchers better understand the record of past glacial activity in the Antarctic.

Sea creatures

Another project will also be running alongside. Professor Paul Tyler, a deep-sea biologist at NOC, will use Isis to survey the sea creatures of Marguerite Bay.

"I'm interested in the effects of glaciers on the sea-bed and how this affects the fauna - the animals. I'm also interested in how the animal life in Antarctica changes as one goes deeper and deeper into the water," Professor Tyler said.

"Using the real-time imagery from the ROV, we will be able to look at what is happening as it happens, helping us to answer questions such as why some creatures exist at one depth and not another.

"We are hoping to see a whole bunch of large creatures such as star fish, sea cucumbers, sea fans, sea pens, etc, that inhabit the deep shelf slope and abyssal depths."

He added: "Essentially no-one has explored Antarctica using a ROV at these depths."

After this expedition, Isis will be sent to investigate the deep-sea floor off the Portuguese coast.

Professor Tyler said: "It is great to have this kind of facility in the UK."]



SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6198019.stm



WELL, BETTER LATE THAN NEVER! CAN'T WAIT FOR THE RESULTS TO START FILTERING IN.

WHAT COULD MAKE A MAN HIJACK A PLANE WITH HIS FAMILY ONBOARD?

It's bad enough having aircraft crashing from yet-unknown causes and terrorist or other organized attacks based on some obscure or irrational reasons. Now this happens! The story:

[Last Updated: Thursday, 28 December 2006, 15:43 GMT

'Hijack' drama on Russian plane


A Russian passenger plane has made an emergency landing in Prague after a man tried to enter the cockpit, saying he had an explosive device.

A spokesman for the airline, Aeroflot, said the Russian citizen wanted the Moscow-Geneva flight diverted to Cairo.

Czech police described the incident as an attempted hijacking, but Aeroflot said it was a case of "hooliganism".

The man has been detained, and all the 168 passengers on the Airbus A-320 are said to be well.

The plane taxied to an isolated area of Prague's Ruzyne airport after landing, where it was surrounded by emergency vehicles.

Police have been carrying out checks on the plane itself, and on the luggage.

Man tied-up

"Today, on flight 271 Moscow-Geneva, one of the passengers on the flight declared that he had an explosive device," said Aeroflot deputy chief executive Lev Koshlyakov.

"The crew, in accordance with the current rules, asked to make an emergency landing in Prague and landed at Prague airport. Local law enforcement apprehended the passenger.

"The preliminary version is that this was a case of hooliganism."

Russia's Itar-Tass news agency quoted another Aeroflot spokesman as saying that a drunken passenger provoked a brawl, threatened to damage the plane and demanded that it change course.

Czech police chief Vladislav Husak said the man had been overpowered by other passengers and crew after trying to break into the cockpit.

According to some reports, he was then tied up.

'Not terrorism'

Czech Defence Ministry spokesman Andrej Cirtek said two Gripen fighters were in the air ready to intervene, but proved unnecessary.

Jan Subert, A spokesman for the Czech counterintelligence service, the BIS, said that terrorism apparently was not involved.

"From what we know, the incident had nothing to do with terrorism," he said.

Aeroflot said the man was travelling with eight family members, three of them children.]



SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6214191.stm

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR MUSLIMS AND CHRISTIANS TO WORSHIP INSIDE THE SAME BUILDING?

This rather mind boggling question must have crossed the minds of both camps when the request was made recently, in Spain. The following gives more details of the event:

[Last Updated: Thursday, 28 December 2006, 12:50 GMT

Spain cathedral shuns Muslim plea

The Roman Catholic bishop of Cordoba in southern Spain has rejected an appeal from Muslims for the right to pray in the city's cathedral, a former mosque.

Juan Jose Asenjo rejected the request made by Spain's Islamic Board in a letter to the Pope.

It had asked that the cathedral become an ecumenical temple where believers from all faiths could worship.

The bishop said such a move would not contribute to the peaceful co-existence between people of different religions.

On the contrary, he said in a statement late on Wednesday, the joint use of temples and places of worship would only generate confusion amongst the faithful.

Shared use of places of worship could make sense in airports or an Olympic village, said the bishop, but not in a consecrated Catholic cathedral.

Spain's Islamic Board, which represents a community of some 800,000 in a traditional Catholic country of 44 million, argued in its plea to the Pope that such a move in Cordoba could serve to "awake the conscience" of followers of both faiths and help bury past confrontations.

"What we wanted was not to take over that holy place, but to create in it, together with you and other faiths, an ecumenical space unique in the world which would have been of great significance in bringing peace to humanity," the letter said.

World renown

The board's general secretary, Mansur Escudero, said Muslims came from around the world to see Cordoba's cathedral.

But security guards often stopped Muslim worshippers from praying inside the old mosque, he added.

The Cordoba mosque was turned into a Catholic cathedral in the 13th Century after the city was conquered by King Ferdinand III in the war to drive the Moors from the Iberian peninsula.

It is now a Unesco world heritage site.]



SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6213665.stm

WHAT WOULD YOU DO WHEN YOUR JOB BECOMES A SOURCE OF DANGER TO YOUR LIFE?

That should be a very scary thought for the average person. For an 'Oil Worker' in the Petroleum Industry of many countries, it's just an occupational hazard to which the appropriate allowance would be allocated in lieu of any other compensatory benefits. The story below gives a new twist to this type of work:

[Last Updated: Friday, 20 January 2006, 05:26 GMT


Working in a danger zone
By Alexis Akwagyiram
BBC News

Four foreign oil workers have been kidnapped by militants in Nigeria.

BBC News asks what steps can be taken to protect people working in dangerous areas.

Shell has decided to review the deployment of its staff following a spate of attacks on workers based in the Niger Delta.

After four foreign workers - from the UK, US, Bulgaria and Honduras - were taken hostage by armed men in speedboats just over a week ago, the multi-national company is trying to reconcile oil production with the safety of its workers.

Nigeria is the world's eighth largest oil exporter and the biggest in Africa. Last year crude exports averaged around 2.6m barrels per day.

But Nigeria can be a particularly volatile environment for foreign workers.

On Wednesday the militant group Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said that it would attack all oil companies in Nigeria and that its aim was to stop Nigeria's oil exports.

It said: "Pipelines, loading points, export tankers, tank farms, refined petroleum depots, landing strips and residences of employees of these companies can expect to be attacked.

"We know where they live, shop and where the children go to school."

When faced with such threats, what can a company do to combat any threat to its workforce?

The first step taken by Shell was to re-consider where its staff would work.

In a statement, the company said: "We continue to monitor developments in the western area of our operations in the Niger Delta and are taking necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of staff and contractors and the communities in which we operate.

'Civil unrest'

"We continue to keep staff deployment in the western Niger Delta under close review. The safety of our staff, contractors and the communities in which we operate is our top priority and we will deploy staff as conditions dictate.

"We will also return to areas evacuated when normality is restored."

But it is clear from the Foreign Office's travel advice concerning Nigeria that foreign workers are at particular risk in the country.

It points out that seven oil workers - two US and five Nigerian - were killed in an attack on their boat in April 2004.

And the advice, on the Foreign Office website, goes on: "Hostage taking for ransom has occurred in Delta, River and Bayelsa States. Local youths have occupied oil facilities, including offshore rigs, to extort money from oil companies.

"Demonstrations and outbreaks of localised civil unrest and violence can occur with little notice throughout the country."

Violent incidents have slashed Shell's production in Nigeria by some 220,000 barrels a day - almost 10% of the country's average output.

Many companies employ risk assessors in a bid to combat any threat to staff.

Tara O'Connor is one such expert.

Ms O'Connor, who works in Africa for risk assessment firm Kroll, said many oil installations are difficult to protect because they are in isolated areas and local police are overstretched.

She said: "In high risk areas there is quite a corporate responsibility to ensure the safety and security of individuals.

"Most companies that operate in the Niger Delta have sophisticated security programmes, most of which involve moving workers who are at risk in certain areas.

"And the best advice that you can give to an individual is to make sure that before they go they get a security briefing so that they are aware of the risks to expect."

But not everyone heeds this advice, according to Norman Hoppe, a consultant who has worked in Nigeria.

"The biggest problem where there are expats from comfortable countries is that many suffer from 'it won't happen to me syndrome'.

"There is a tendency to view those giving advice as melodramatic and reject what they say."

He said many expats fail to heed advice until it is too late or they have either fallen foul of crime themselves, or those close to them have been robbed violently.

But Mr Hoppe had words of reassurance for westerners intending to relocate to countries which were struggling to cope with civil unrest.

"The advice is very simple and straightforward: heed the advice from people about places that are not safe to go, be alert and use common sense in decision-making." ]



SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4625390.stm

INCENTIVE TO COMBAT LOW BIRTH RATES CREATES PROBLEMS FOR SOON-TO-BE MOTHERS

When a good policy is set to take off, sometimes new factors have to be considered before deciding whether to go ahead as planned or change some elements of the plan in order to put a more humane face on the set agenda.

In any event, however, man proposes but God disposes. Here's the relevant story, from Germany:

[Last Updated: Wednesday, 27 December 2006, 11:55 GMT

Pregnant Germans seek cash bonus


Many German mothers-to-be are reportedly trying to delay labour so their births coincide with a generous new government scheme.

Parents of babies born on or after 1 January will be entitled to up to 25,200 euros (£16,911, $33,300) to ease the financial burden of parenthood.

But those born even a minute earlier will not be covered by the scheme.

The cash subsidies are part of a government initiative to boost Germany's dwindling birth rate.

German women have an average of 1.37 children, well below the average of 2.1 needed to keep a population stable. One minister recently warned of "the lights going out".

Under the current system of Elterngeld, parents receive a maximum of 7,200 euros (£4,831, $9,472) over two years.

But the parents of children born in 2007 will be granted over two thirds of their former salary for up to a year - up to 25,200 euros.

'Let nature take its course'

Doctors have been warning women not to take any medication to try to delay labour, and few, they stress, would put the life of their baby at risk for the sake of the money.

But what many mums-to-be do in order to bring on labour, pregnant Germans are now anxious to avoid.

These include drinking red wine, eating curries and taking part in physical activity.

Midwives are also advising women to avoid cinnamon and cloves - a staple of German Christmas cooking.

And it was to the government's festive spirit that a Berlin bishop appealed this week when he asked for the start date for the new benefits to be brought forward.

"It would be an anti-bureaucratic act in the spirit of Christmas to move the date from 1 January to 24 December," Wolfgang Huber, a leader of the Protestant church, said in the Berliner Morgenpost newspaper.]


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6211737.stm



I GUESS WE'LL ALL HAVE TO WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE NEW YEAR BRINGS FORTH.

MANY BUNDLES OF JOY, IN MANY RESPECTS, HOPEFULLY IN GERMANY AND ELSEWHERE!

WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF THIS HAPPENING IN A LESS DEVELOPED NATION?

Nought, zero or nil immediately come to my mind. I am talking about the chances of a member of the incumbent ruler's family getting sentenced by a court to serve a jail term! The following story will explain this a bit more.

[Last Updated: Wednesday, 27 December 2006, 08:24 GMT

Taiwan leader's son-in-law jailed

The son-in-law of Taiwan's embattled President Chen Shui-bian has been sentenced to six years in jail for insider trading.

Chao Chien-min was found guilty of using inside information to profit from buying shares in a property company.

Chao, who is married to President Chen's daughter, is expected to appeal.

The high-profile case is the latest setback for the president, whose wife is also on trial for embezzlement and forgery in a separate proceeding.

The first lady denies illegally using state funds for personal expenses.

Her husband faces similar accusations but is protected from prosecution by presidential immunity.

He has promised to resign if she is found guilty.]



SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6211549.stm



NOW, THAT'S A GUY AFTER MY OWN HEART!

MY NEW YEAR WISH: EVERY THIRD WORLD LEADER TO FOLLOW THIS SHINING EXAMPLE OF HUMANITY.

THERE ARE STILL NO DIGITAL ANSWERS FOR SOME THINGS!

The following entry was obtained courtesy of MAGS ON THE NET. Hope you like it, too.


"December 26th, 2006

Joke of the Week

My 50-something friend Nancy and I decided to introduce her mother to the magic of the Internet. Our first move was to access the popular "Ask Jeeves" site, and we told her it could answer any question she had. Nancy's mother was very skeptical until Nancy said, "It's true, Mom. Think of something to ask it." As I sat with fingers poised over the keyboard, Nancy's mother thought a minute, then responded, "How is Aunt Helen feeling?"



contributed by

Reader's Digest"

INTRODUCTION OF A NEW BOOK PUBLISHED

It was published on Christmas eve. Your feedback will be highly appreciated after visiting the following link to check out the preview pages and / or buying the newly published book.

Thank you.




Having come in contact with this book, I am recommending it to you as a gift worth checking out.

SEASON'S GREETINGS!

To all viewers of Tulsa-smith:

"This very special greeting comes to

wish you nothing less than

a really perfect season

filled with joy and happiness"






From: Tulsa-smith and Family.
I-think

ANTI-MRSA DRUG WILL BE TESTED NEXT YEAR AND MAY BE AVAILABLE IN FIVE YEARS

Well, that’s really great news, excerpt for anyone suffering presently from MRSA, that is. Hopeful news item but not very uplifting under such circumstances. It shows clearly the more positively reassuring effects of words such as ‘shall’ and ‘can’ over ‘will’ and ‘may’, respectively. The story follows:

[Last Updated: Saturday, 23 December 2006, 00:34 GMT

New drugs 'could halve treatment'

A new generation of antibiotics could halve the length of time people need to take medication, scientists say.

London researchers are developing what they hope will be the first of these - a compound to treat the hospital superbug MRSA in the nose.

It tackles bacteria currently "left behind" because they are resistant to standard antibiotics.

The anti-MRSA drug will be tested in humans next year and may be available in five years.

It is hoped similar compounds being examined by the team will also prove effective against Staphylococcus bacteria, which cause sore throats and tuberculosis.

Developing a way of tackling antibiotic resistance is important because it could mean the antibiotics which already exist could be given a longer life.

At the moment, years of work can be put into developing a conventional antibiotic but it may be possible to use it for around only 18 months before resistance develops.

Family of drugs

HT61 is being developed as a cream to tackle persistent MRSA bacteria in the nose, the most important part of the body where it is carried.

Many hospitals already test people before they come in for operations to see if they are carriers of MRSA.

But, like all bacterial infections, it is made up of two forms of bacteria - the fast-dividing sort targeted by existing antibiotics - and non-multiplying, or persistent, bacteria.

It is this latter form that lurks in the body and causes repeat infection, and can lead to resistance if it is exposed to medication.

HT61, which has been tested in the lab and in "very successful" animal trials, is effective against persistent MRSA bacteria.

It will be tested on around 60 people next year.

The team may later seek to tackle MRSA once it has got inside the body.

Sir Anthony Coates, professor of medical microbiology at St George's Medical School, who is leading the research, said research so far showed it was "potent against MRSA".

Clive Page, professor of pharmacology at King's College London, who is also working on the study, said the work opened up the possibility of a whole family of drugs which could treat persistent bacteria in a range of conditions.

He said: "It may lead to us providing a combination of drugs - one to target the dividing bacteria and one to target the persistent form.

"If you take something like penicillin, and put this with it, you might be able to get a treatment course which lasts one or two days, rather than the current five to seven."]


SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6190907.stm

RULES WHICH CAME INTO FORCE IN 2005 GIVE AIR TRAVELERS COMPENSATION RIGHTS

Air travelers in all categories and from all countries can now claim compensation for flight cancellations, delays, and so on. As always, conditions apply, of course. See the story below for the latter:

[Q&A: Air passenger rights

Each year several million air passengers are the victims of sudden cancellations of flights or lengthy delays. However, rules which came into force in 2005 give air travellers compensation rights.

What if my flight is cancelled?

If the reason for your flight's cancellation is "within the airline's control", it must pay compensation.

You should be offered a refund of your ticket, along with a free flight back to your initial point of departure, when relevant. Or alternative transport to your final destination.

You should also have rights to meals, refreshments, hotel accommodation if necessary and, perhaps, even free e-mails or telephone calls.

However, airlines do not have to pay compensation if the reason for delays or cancellations is due to "extraordinary circumstances".

Airlines are likely to argue that bad weather, strike action, or delays caused by air-traffic control or security alerts are outside their control.

Compensation for cancellations must be paid within seven days.

However, if the airline has given passengers at least two week's notice or has provided an alternative flight, close to the time of the original, it does not have to compensate those customers.

What if my flight is delayed?

When a flight is delayed, the airline is obliged to supply meals and refreshments, along with accommodation if an overnight stay is required.

Whether you qualify will depend on the length of the flight and the delay.

For example, for flights of 1,500km or less where there is a delay of more than two hours, a passenger should be given meals and refreshments, along with two free telephone calls, e-mails, telexes or faxes.

If the delay is for five hours or more, passengers are also entitled to a refund of their ticket with a free flight back to your initial point of departure if this is relevant.

Do the rules only apply to EU residents?

No. Although the regulations have been created by the EU, you do not have to live within the EU to benefit.

Passengers travelling on all domestic and international flights taking off from any airport in the European Union, including French overseas territories, are covered by the regulations.

If you are travelling from an EU airport, all airlines - whether European or not - are subject to the rules.

People flying into the European Union from overseas are also be covered by the rules, as long as they are travelling on a European airline.

Are only scheduled flights covered by the compensation scheme?

It doesn't matter if you are flying no-frills, on a charter or scheduled service.

Flights originating from the EU, which have been sold as part of a package tour, are also covered.

What happens if my flight is overbooked?

Compensation must be paid immediately.

Passengers must also be offered the choice of a refund, a flight back to their original point of departure, or an alternative flight to continue their journey.

If an aeroplane has been overbooked, passengers who have already been allocated seats can choose if they want to volunteer their seat in return for cash, negotiated with the airline.

If you volunteer you should also be offered the choice of a refund, a flight back to their original point of departure, or an alternative flight to continue your journey.

Passengers who are inconvenienced through overbooking have rights to meals, refreshments, hotel accommodation if necessary and, perhaps, even free e-mails, faxes or telephone calls.]

SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6199297.stm

DIGGING A LITTLE DEEPER INTO GENDER TESTING PROCEDURES AND METHODS

Here’s some food for thought, and some contacts for those who want to find out more first-hand from the researchers themselves. I hope the question and answer format will guide you appropriately to the answers you need or to the proper framing of the questions that you’d like more answers to. Here’s the presentation in the following documentation:

[Hans Goerl: ETHI: gender testing responses

archive of HUM-MOLGEN mails

[Author Prev][Author Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Author Index][Topic Index]

To: Multiple recipients of list HUM-MOLGEN <HUM-MOLGEN@NIC.SURFNET.NL>
Subject: ETHI: gender testing responses
From: Hans Goerl <GENETHICS@delphi.com>
Date: Wed, 7 Aug 1996 23:21:13 -0500

---

Well, the Olympics are over and I now have had time to review the responses

to my inquiry. There were quite a few duplicates and I thank those whose

responses are not included below.

Hans Goerl

ETHI editor

*****************************************************************************

****************

From:   IN%"Marilyn_Owens@cc.chiron.com"  "Marilyn Owens" 30-JUL-1996

19:36:08.7

     Your inquiry was forwarded to me by a co-worker.  I was responsible

     for the Gender Verification Program at both the Los Angeles 1984

     Olympic Games and the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympic Games.  Our testing

     procedure was mandated by the IOC Medical Commission.

     Briefly:  we obtained multiple buccal smear specimens from each female

     athlete (about 3600 in LA, 1600 in Calgary) which were immediately

     fixed in ethanol for transport to the laboratory.  One slide per

     athlete was stained for Barr bodies and a second (with quinacrine) for

     y chromatin.  All staining batches included blind controls.

     There were no misreads in the controls.  Four athletes had "abnormal"

     results for presumptive XX females in LA: Two XY females, one XO

     mosaic and one XY male!  In Calgary: only one "abnormal", an XO

     mosaic.  These were detected as having "lower than expected" Barr

     bodies and/or presence of y chromatin.  In each case, the athlete was

     called in with coach and team physician for discussion of results, had

     a physical exam, and then some were asked to give blood for a complete

     karyotype.  I don't know if any abnormals were "missed" in this

     process, but I do know that one of our XO mosaics brought in her

     medical files and verified that she was mosaic.

     My understanding is that these tests were eliminated from the Olympic

     Games in the early 1990's.  I believe, although am not certain, that

     routine physical exams have been substituted for the buccal smears.

     Would appreciate your feedback if you obtain any more data on the

     current practice in the Olympics,

     Marilyn Owens

*****************************************************************************

****************

From: Betsy Gettig 

Sechin Cho, MD did the gender testing for the Korean Olympics and has

fascinating stories of the experience.  Athletes who are in previous

Olympics have certificates for testing and therefore are not

re-tested but those new to the Olympics must be tested.  The 1%

figure appears to be correct.  Sechin can be reached at the

University of Kansas -

Louis "Skip" Elsas is doing the testing in Atlanta but I would not

call now as he probably is mega busy. He is at Emory.

*****************************************************************************

******************

From: Teresa Binstock 

I am among the watchers of SRY studies; hopefully as results of Mr.

Goerl's quiry arrive, they shall be shared by posting to the list.

Thank you,

Teresa C. Binstock, Researcher

Developmental & Behavioral Neuroanatomy

B140 Fragile X Section

The Children's Hospital

1056 E. 19th Avenue

Denver CO 80218 USA

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From: "" 

You might be interested in reading the collection of related articles in

this week's (17 July, 1996) Journal of the American Medical Association.

Allan T. Bombard, MD

Director, Division of Reproductive Genetics

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center

1695 Eastchester Road, Suite 301

Bronx, NY 190461

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From: "Angela Scheuerle, M.D." 

Well, the Olympics were using Barr body testing of cheek scrapings up until

a few years ago.  Doesn't that have a higher error rate than SRY testing?

What was the false positive rate for any gender testing in the past?  And

what confirmatory testing is used?

In a more general sense, the whole purpose of doing 'gender identity'

testing of the women participants seems to be based on a few assumptions 1)

all male athletes are inherently stronger/faster/more coordinated than all

female athletes, and 2) all male athletes would outperform all female

athletes in any given Olympic sport.  I'm not sure that there is support

for 1) given the wide range of somatic variability of people.  Likewise for

2) there are some sports (equestrian events and archery come to mind) in

which gender is probably really irrelevant.

So, texting modality aside, the bigger ethical questions that I see are:

A) Is this sex-discrimination parading as 'protecting the women' since the

male athletes don't have to undergo the testing?

B) Should gender testing only be used in those events which are direct

measures of physical prowess of the athlete and not test those competing in

events that do not divide parcipants by gender such as equestrian, archery

(?), bowling, ping pong, etc.

C) Is any genetic test really more accurate than a thorough standardized

physical exam which is more easily performed and significantly less

expensive? (and has the added benfit of being able to asses the overall

health of the athlete and their fitness to compete.)

D) Understanding that the purpose of testing is to try to 'level the

playing field' (as it were) should we extend catagorization of competitors

in all sports into flyweight -> heavyweight type catagories so that each

athele is competing only against those with whom they are 'fairly' matched?

Lastly, it is less likely that a male athlete would undergo the necessary

modifications to pass as a female than that a female would use anabolic

steroids or other enhancing medications, and use them far enough in advance

that they would be cleared from the system at the time of testing. Should

we take testing so far as to do muscle biopsies on everybody to look for

evidence of steroid use?

-A

Angela E. Scheuerle, M.D.

Assistant Professor

Division of Medical Genetics

Department of Pediatrics

UT Health Science Center - Houston

6431 Fannin, MSB 3.144

Houston TX  77030

ascheuer@ped1.med.uth.tmc.edu

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From: David Barton 

Malcolm Ferguson-Smith in Cambridge has been very active in

correspondence and lobbying over this question in the recent past.  You

might want to contact him about current practice and associated problems.

  | Dr David E Barton

  | Chief Scientist & Honorary Lecturer in Molecular Genetics

  | National Centre for Medical Genetics

  | Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children

  | Crumlin, Dublin 12, Ireland.

  | Tel +353 1 455 0515 Fax 455 8873]

SOURCE: http://hum-molgen.org/mail-archive/1996-Aug/msg00003.html

THE GENDER TESTING CONTROVERSY – WHAT MAKES A WOMAN FEMININE?

These days, it seems, that tomboy may just turn out to be a boy after all! So, does voluptuousness alone always make the woman? Or, are there additional factors that must be determined before gender verification can become conclusive and laid to rest in any particular doubtful instance?

Let’s investigate the article and links below to see what we are really up against:

[From Medscape Women's Health:

http://womenshealth.medscape.com/Medscape/WomensHealth/journal/2000/v05.n03/wh7218.gene/wh7218.gene.html

Gender Verification No More?

Myron Genel, MD

[Medscape Women's Health 5(3), 2000. Copyright 2000 Medscape, Inc.]

While there has been abundant publicity regarding the testing of Olympic athletes for use of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, it is not well known that for more than 30 years the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has required all female competitors to undergo "gender verification." The purported rationale is to detect male imposters who would have an unfair competitive advantage. In point-of-fact, genuine imposters have not been uncovered; however, gender verification procedures have resulted in substantial harm to a number of unassailable
women athletes born with relatively rare genetic abnormalities that affect development of the gonads or the expression of secondary sexual characteristics.[1] The recent decision by the IOC to suspend gender verification, at least for the forthcoming summer games in Sydney, Australia, now offers hope that these inappropriate procedures will soon disappear (A. Ljungqvist, personal communication).

In part, the controversy over gender verification reflects the increasing popularity of women's sports. The original Olympic Games in ancient Greece were limited to men, who competed in the nude. Women spectators were prohibited. When the Olympic Games were revived in 1896, the founder, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, was opposed to any women competing, [2] reflecting general cultural attitudes about the "weaker sex" that prevailed at the sunset of the Victorian era. Nineteen women competed, however, in the 1900 Olympic Games, and 57 in 1912; by 1960, in
Rome, there were 610 female competitors. During the past 4 decades, the number of women competing has increased substantially in both the winter and summer games, so that by the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta there were 3800 women athletes.[3] This reflects not only increased interest but also the inclusion of additional events for women, as antiquated notions regarding the suitability of women to compete in more strenuous competitive events, such as the marathon, have dissipated. The recent phenomenal success of the US World Cup soccer team provides yet another example of the increasing acceptance and popularity of women's sports.

The sociologic changes, improved training, and the attraction of more women into sports have naturally led to some striking improvement in athletic achievements by women.[4] For example, Joan Benoit's time for the marathon at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, the first year this event
was run for women, would have beaten all men's times before the 1956 Olympics. Women's times in the swimming events are even closer to those of men. The women's Olympic record in the 100-meter freestyle, set in 1992, would have beaten all men's times before the 1964 Olympics, including the 1924 time of the legendary Johnny Weissmuller, by almost 5 seconds. The 1988 Olympic record in the women's 400-meter freestyle would have beaten all men's times before the 1972 Olympics, including the 1924 time of Johnny Weissmuller, by over a minute. Even more striking is the comparison of men and women in cross-country skiing, arguably an event that puts greater premium on agility and coordination as well as endurance. In the 15-kilometer race, the women's Olympic record of 1994 would have beaten all men's before 1992; in the 30-kilometer race, the women's time in 1992 would have beaten men's in all previous Olympic events.

As women's athletic competition became more acceptable and popular, increasing attention was devoted to the concept of a "level playing field."[5] In a number of instances, questions were raised regarding the "femininity" of highly successful female competitors, in particular during the Cold War era of competition between the United States and the former Soviet Union. These rumors were abetted by anecdotal reports of recognized athletes who were found to have varying degrees of intersexuality. In 1 case, a Polish sprinter with an apparent chromosomal mosaicism was stripped of her medals.[6] Three track and field champions who competed as women before World War II subsequently underwent reconstructive surgery and sex reassignment. These cases led to efforts to ensure that women competing at international events were in fact women, initially with rather crude and demeaning efforts at physical examination. In 2 instances, women athletes were required to parade nude before a panel of female physicians, and at another event women athletes were required to undergo direct gynecologic examination.[2]

These initial crude attempts at gender verification were soon replaced by less direct measures: first, the use of a buccal smear for sex chromatin, which was implemented at the 1968 winter games in Grenoble on an experimental basis and formally adopted at the 1968 summer games in Mexico City.[5] Until the last decade, this remained the standard for gender verification, notwithstanding that by the mid-1970s, the test was discarded by medical professionals as technically unreliable. More importantly, the test detected athletes who were unassailably feminine
but who happened to have an XY chromosomal pattern. Many of these individuals had variants of androgen resistance, either complete or partial -- in which case, they are naturally resistant to the strength-promoting qualities of testosterone. Others had variants of XY gonadal dysgenesis.[7] Ironically, the sex chromatin test would have permitted recognized males with an XXY karyotype, or Klinefelter's syndrome, and XX males, who have a portion of the testicular determining gene (SRY) transposed onto the X chromosome, to compete.[1,2]

Concerns regarding the appropriateness of sex chromatin for gender verification were voiced continuously in the 1970s and 1980s, but their impact was limited because of the absence of information regarding the frequency of positive results and the subsequent diagnoses and follow-up. At virtually every Olympic event, however, abundant rumors circulated; in one instance, this author was informed that women athletes who were detected as "positive" were instructed to feign injuries or in some cases were actually fitted with casts. In 1 celebrated case, a Spanish hurdler, Maria Patino, was publicly disclosed after failing her femininity test during an event in Tokyo, at the cost of public disgrace and loss of her athletic scholarship. It took 2 years and the active intercession of a number of medical authorities for Ms. Patino, who has androgen
resistance, to be reinstated.[8]

Circumstances such as these and the efforts of a number of dedicated professionals resulted in some changes by the early 1990s. This author has had the privilege of working with an international group of professionals, some of whom were convened by the International Amateur
Athletic Federation (IAAF) for a Workshop on Methods of Femininity Verification held in late 1990 in Monte Carlo. Our group concluded that laboratory-based sex determination should be discontinued,[9] a recommendation that was accepted shortly thereafter by the IAAF and subsequently by all but 4 of the international athletic federations. The IOC, however, instead replaced sex chromatin with DNA-based methods to detect Y chromosomal material, principally the SRY sex-determining locus on the Y chromosome, implementing this procedure at the 1992 winter games in Albertville.[10] At the insistence of the organizers, the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta included a comprehensive process for screening, confirmation of testing, and counseling of individuals detected. Eight of 3387 female athletes (1:423) had positive test results. Of these, 7 had androgen insensitivity, 4 incomplete, and 3 complete; the other athlete had previously undergone gonadectomy and is presumed to have 5-alpha-steroid reductase deficiency. All individuals were given appropriate gender verification certificates and were permitted to compete.[11]

After the Atlanta Olympics, efforts continued to persuade the IOC to abandon gender verification. Indeed, by the time of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, essentially all of the relevant professional societies had endorsed resolutions that called for elimination of gender verification, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Endocrine Society, the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society, and the American Society of Human Genetics.[12] It was argued that the current clothing used in athletic competition, as well as the requirement that urine for doping control be voided under direct supervision, made it virtually certain that male impostors could not escape detection[7]; furthermore, gender verification
procedures are complex, expensive, and counterproductive.[11]

Still, it was not until the IOC's Athletes' Commission called for discontinuation of the IOC system of gender verification that the IOC's executive board, at its June 1999 meeting in Seoul, decided to discontinue the practice on a trial basis at the forthcoming summer Olympic games in Sydney. The proposal by the Athletes' Commission, similar to the IAAF plan that has been in place for track and field since the early 1990s, permits intervention and evaluation of individual
athletes by appropriate medical personnel if there is any question regarding gender identity.[13] Since the IAAF policies were instituted in 1992, this has never been invoked, nor is it likely to be in Sydney under the circumstances described above, especially because of the requirement
for freshly voided urine for doping testing. I truly hope that the IOC's decision will become permanent with the conclusion of the Sydney games and that laboratory verification of the gender of female athletes will reside in the historical chronicles of the Olympic Games together with competition in the nude of their ancient male predecessors.

References:

1. de la Chapelle A. The use and misuse of sex chromatin screening for "gender verification" of female athletes. JAMA. 1986;256:1920-1923.

2. Ferguson-Smith MA. Gender verification and the place of XY females in sport. In: Harris W, Williams C, Stanish W, Micheli L, eds. Oxford Textbook of Sports Medicine. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press; 1998;35:355-365.

3. Elsas LJ, Ljungqvist A, Ferguson-Smith MA, et al. Gender verification of female athletes. Genet Med. In press.

4. Genel M. Gender differences in growth and maturation: are these relevant for athletic competition? J Women Health. 1995:425.

5. Hay E. Sex determination in putative female athletes. JAMA. 1972;4:39-41.

6. Langlais D. The road not taken: the sex secret that really didn't matter. Running Times. October 1988:21-22.

7. Simpson JL, Ljungqvist A, de la Chapelle A, et al. Gender verification in competitive sports. Sports Med. 1993;16:305-315.

8. Carlson AS. When is a woman not a woman? Women Sport Fitness. March 1991:24-29.

9. Ljungqvist A, Simpson J. Medical examination for health of all athletes replacing the need for gender verification in international sport. JAMA. 1992;277:850-852.

10. Serrat A, Garcia de Herreros A. Determination of genetic sex by PCR amplification of Y-chromosome-specific sequences. Lancet. 1993;341:1593-1594.

11. Elsas LJ, Hayes RP, Muralidharan K. Gender verification in the Centennial Olympic Games. J Med Assoc Ga. 1997;86:50-54.

12. Stephenson J. Female Olympians' sex tests outmoded. JAMA. 1996;276:177-178.

13. IAAF/IAF Reports on Approved Methods of Femininity Verification. Monte Carlo, November 1990.

Myron Genel, MD, is Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Dean,
Government and Community Affairs, Yale University School of Medicine, New
Haven, Connecticut. ]

SOURCE: http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TS/OlympicGenderTesting.html

THE US PROTECTING THE MOST VULNERABLE IN THE WORLD FROM VIOLENCE?

This story reminded me of a personal experience many years ago in terms of my early primary education. Thankfully, the focus has come full circle on this rather dastardly problem of safeguarding the future of children when the adults settle their often very selfish political scores. This is the more current replica of the story of many lives in the developing world:

[Commentary>Opinion
from the November 27, 2006 edition

When war and children collide

If the US will not lead in protecting the most vulnerable in the world from violence, who will?

By Donald Steinberg

NEW YORK – The tragic impact of war on children has taken center stage this month in international forums.

First, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has just issued a report, based on insights from Radhika Coomaraswamy, special representative on children and armed conflict, that underscores the effect of war on millions of children world-wide. Second, the UN Security Council will debate this topic Tuesday under the leadership of Council president Jorge Voto-Bernales. Third, pretrial hearings have begun for the International Criminal Court case against Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga, who is charged with forcing children, some as young as 10 years old, into his militia.

These actions take me back to the late 1990s, when I served as American ambassador to Angola and as a member of the UN-led Peace Commission that sought to consolidate a peace agreement and end decades of civil war that cost a half million lives and drove 4 million people from their homes. The memories of that period still haunt me.

I remember going to camps where both government soldiers and rebel soldiers from UNITA (the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) were being disarmed and prepared for return to civilian life.

I expected to see grizzled old fighters, especially since both the government and UNITA armies affirmed that they did not recruit child soldiers. In fact, we saw thousands of children, many of whom had carried AK-47s that were almost as big as they were.

I remember talking to a group of teenagers, all of whom had been subjected to forced conscription well before their 18th birthdays. Most were porters or messengers, but many had been forced into battle and had taken human life.

We talked about the future. These children were more frightened by the prospects of peace than they had ever been on the battlefield. They knew they had no schooling, no skills, no prospects, and no place to go. Their homes had been destroyed or their families didn't want them back, afraid of their influence on the other children in the family. We put together programs for these child soldiers - a little money, a kit of food and clothing, and transportation to their places of origin. But these children lacked the most important commodities of childhood: hope and faith in the future.

At psychosocial counseling centers, Angolan and international counselors helped children cope with the horrors of war they had witnessed. One technique was to ask them to express their grief and shock through artwork. I was startled by the degrees of violence portrayed in the drawings. The pictures were so filled with blood, the organizers kept running out of red paint. It was as if an entire generation was enduring post-traumatic stress disorder.

I remember a school classroom of 7-year-olds singing what at first sounded like a beautiful little song. Listening carefully, however, I soon realized it was a song about land mines, warning that the earth is a dangerous place filled with enemies that can pop up and bite your leg off. This was a necessary warning in a country plagued by millions of land mines. But just consider the long-term psychological effect on children of viewing the ground not as a place to run and play, but as an ever-present danger.

Most tragically, I remember visiting displaced persons' camps - collectively home to 4 million people living in squalid slums. I recall the children huddled in makeshift tents, eating thin gruel provided by aid workers, serviced by health clinics that had little more than aspirin to share. There were no schools or play areas. The camps were desperate breeding grounds for alcohol and drug abuse, tuberculosis, cholera, and domestic and sexual violence. (Conditions have improved somewhat since the permanent end to civil conflict in spring 2002.)

The well-being of children in war and postconflict situations is not just a matter of justice and humanitarianism, some secondary issue we can attend to once the more important issues are dealt with. It is central to achieving lasting peace. Refusal to respect children's rights and hold perpetrators accountable for actions against children undercuts the need for justice and return to rule of law. Most sobering, children without a future form a ready reserve of potential recruits for any fanatic who can lure them with a siren song.

We owe full support and thanks to Mr. Annan, Dr. Coomaraswamy, Ambassador Voto-Bernales, the International Criminal Court, and others for highlighting these issues. Two additional actions can help give meaning to their struggle.

First, incoming UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon should present to the UN Security Council and General Assembly an action plan within the first 100 days of his term that begins on Jan. 1, 2007, to mobilize all United Nations agencies to protect children from armed conflict.

Second, the newly elected US Congress should ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which commits governments to ensure that children are protected from abuse and mistreatment. The United States signed the convention in 1995, but, except for Somalia, is the only country yet to ratify it. The Bush administration has stalled consideration, stating that the convention infringes on US sovereignty - a concern that has not dissuaded 192 other governments from adhering to the convention.

If America will not take leadership in the struggle to protect the most vulnerable in our world from violence, who will?

• Donald Steinberg is a vice president of the International Crisis Group. He served as US ambassador to Angola and special assistant to President Clinton for African Affairs.]

SOURCE: http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1127/p09s02-coop.html

NEARLY 200 MUTATED GENES HELP TUMOURS EMERGE, GROW AND SPREAD

New research has found the secret to the ‘gene code’ of breast and colon cancers. The discovery makes it possible for fresh hopes to be placed on new and effective treatments. The report:

[Last Updated: Saturday, 28 October 2006, 22:23 GMT 23:23 UK

Experts crack cancer 'gene codes'

US scientists have cracked the entire genetic code of breast and colon cancers, offering new treatment hopes.

The genetic map shows that nearly 200 mutated genes, most previously unknown, help tumours emerge, grow and spread.

The discovery could also lead to better ways to diagnose cancer in its early, most treatable stages, and personalised treatments, Science magazine reports.

The Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center says the findings suggest cancer is more complex than experts had believed.

Distinct differences

The mutated genes in breast and colon cancers were almost completely distinct, suggesting very different pathways for the development of each of these cancer types.

Each individual tumour appeared to have a different genetic blueprint, which could explain why cancers can behave very differently from person to person, the scientists said.

"No two patients are identical," co-author Dr Victor Velculescu explained.

Now researchers will study how these mutations occur in breast and colon cancers.

Previous cancer gene discoveries have already led to successful detection and treatment strategies.

For example, the breast cancer drug Herceptin targets a breast cancer cell receptor made by the Her2-neu gene. Blood tests for hereditary bowel cancer are based on the APC gene.

Personalised therapies

Dr Anna Barker, of the National Cancer Institute, said: "Maximising the numbers of targets available for drug development in a specific cancer means that patients will ultimately receive more personalised, less toxic therapies."

Ed Yong, of Cancer Research UK, commented: "This is potentially a very important piece of research.

"Most of the cancer genes identified in this study have not been previously linked to cancer.

"These newly identified genes could provide rich hunting grounds for scientists looking for new ways of treating or detecting cancers.

"In the future, scientists hope to be able to tailor plans for preventing or treating cancer to each person's individual genetic profile. Studies like this can help us to accomplish this goal."]

SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5325206.stm

YOU DON'T NEED TO JOIN A GYM TO GET THE BENEFIT OF EXERCISE

Isn’t that interesting? The alternatives are quite encouraging for anyone too indoor bound to go out more regularly! The benefits are not only on the outside: bowel cancer risk is lessened, too. The rest of the report is given below:

[Last Updated: Saturday, 16 December 2006, 00:00 GMT

Fitness 'cuts colon cancer risk'

Keeping physically active can significantly cut the risk of colon cancer, international research shows.

Scientists analysed data from 413,000 people in 10 European countries, and found physically active people were 22% less likely to develop the disease.

They said an hour a day of vigorous physical activity or two hours of moderate activity would be enough to reduce the risk.

The study appears in Cancer Epidemiology and Biomarkers Prevention.

The study found the risk of tumours on the right side of the colon was reduced by as much as 35% for most active people.

For active people who were not overweight the risk was reduced even further.

Housework a good option

Dr Lesley Walker, of the charity Cancer Research UK, said: "This is a very large study which should remove any doubt about the benefits of exercise in relation to reducing the risk of bowel cancer.

"It is important for people to understand that they can take steps in their daily routine to reduce cancer risk. You don't need to join a gym to get the benefit of exercise.

"If regular brisk walking or going for a run doesn't appeal you can do some strenuous housework.

"Cleaning windows, vacuuming and scrubbing floors burn off a lot of calories.

"So does gardening or cleaning the car.

"If you combine regular physical activity with a good diet you are more likely to maintain a healthy body weight which will also significantly help to reduce your risk of bowel cancer."

Dr Walker said it was unclear why the benefits of physical activity were particularly pronounced on the right side of the colon.

However, physical activity was known to stimulate waves of muscle contraction down the right side of the colon which accelerates movement of waste and the possible cancer-causing agents in it.

Among the 21,500 cases of colon cancer diagnosed each year in the UK, approximately half are detected on the right-hand side of the colon.

The study was part-funded by Cancer Research UK and the Medical Research Council.

It is part of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study.]

SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6162843.stm

QUICK RUN DOWN ON MALARIA – INCLUDING UPDATES ON THE BATTLE AGAINST IT

Malaria, originally coined from mal and aria because it was supposed to be contracted from breathing the foul air around the banks of large water bodies in the areas prone to the disease, had been a mystery for many decades. Despite its demystified status currently, due to the intensive research work to publish its symptoms and preventive and curative measures against it, the disease is still rampant.

So, the cost of treatment is not the only reason why it’s still claiming as many victims in the new millennium as in the old one. Even more deaths are recorded today in spite of the availability of cheaper drugs and age-old local alternatives.

The following statistics and the links listed below will give a complete picture of the magnitude of the malaria problem worldwide and the measures currently in force or planned to combat it.

MALARIA

Parasites that cause malaria are carried from human to human by mosquito

Kills more than a million people a year

90% of malaria deaths are in Africa

Malaria is Africa's leading cause of death for children under five

SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6178473.stm

RELATED LINKS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6220072.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/medical_notes/120644.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5346176.stm

http://www.malarianomore.org/

http://www.soulcast.com/post/show/26268/STEPS-TO-LIVING-WITHOUT-MALARIA

WHAT WOULD YOU THINK OR DO IF THIS HAPPENED TO YOU ON A FLIGHT?

It’s bad enough having to fly with the potential threat of a bomb in the cargo hold, in these days of exacerbated terror and violence. Now, after paying all that money to fly home quickly, you have to face this and up in the air too! Read the story below:

[Mass mouse escape on Saudi plane

More than 100 passengers on a Saudi plane were left panic-stricken by the unexpected appearance of furry fellow flyers - dozens of mice.

The small rodents - about 80 in total, according to a local newspaper - escaped from the bag of a man travelling on the domestic flight.

An airline official said the aircraft was at 28,000 feet (8,500m) when mice began scurrying around the cabin.

Some of the mice fell on passengers' heads, Al-Hayat newspaper reports.

The incident occurred on a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight from the capital, Riyadh, to north-eastern town of Tabuk.

The flight landed safely and the bag's owner was detained by police investigating how he managed to get the mice onto the plane.

No explanation was given for the man's live cargo.]

SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6183587.stm

Ha ha. Well?

HOW TO WRITE AN AGE DISCRIMINATION-COMPLIANT CV

As a follow-up to the last post on new legislation about age discrimination for job applicants, the following shows how to compose your resume or curriculum vitae to be age-discrimination compliant.


[ How to write an age discrimination-compliant CV - for first time applicants

Take a traditional two-page resume and cut out anything which might indicate your age – from your educational history to your previous employment – and see what the result is! You’re far better rewriting it with age discrimination in mind and turning it into a bespoke selling tool which won’t need to be harshly edited and will stand out against those who haven’t taken the trouble.

1. Remove all reference to age, or date of birth, from your resume and covering letter.
2. Reformat your resume – it shouldn’t be a chronological list of positions held, from most recent to oldest – as this can indicate your age.
3. Talk in terms of your skills, detail the levels of responsibility you have held (rather than rely on job titles such as “senior engineer) and highlight successful projects – rather than talking in terms of length of service. For example, instead of “ten years experience as an senior engineer” you will have to provide concrete examples of what you have learnt in those 10 years, the size of budgets you handled, the number of people you managed and your successes and abilities.
4. Watch out for age indications in your achievements, such as “youngest ever sales manager”.
5. If you can, attend selection/assessment days or take part in business simulation recruitment events – this is a great way of demonstrating your experience and skills without it being clouded by age issues
6. Don’t worry too much. Complying with age discrimination legislation is the responsibility of the employer, rather than the applicant. You just want to make sure you get to design your own age-neutral resume, rather than an unknown third party.]

SOURCE: http://www.imakenews.com/shellcareersnewsletter/e_article000686319.cfm?x=b8CsNJp,b5yRPrNc

THE ONLY PERMANENT THING IN LIFE IS CHANGE ITSELF

This post tries to do two things basically. First, to update job seekers on the new legislation that could make their intense search a thing of the past pretty soon. Secondly, it gives an insight into what to do to sharpen your resume or curriculum vitae while job hunting. Good luck!

[Few countries are now unaffected by some form of workplace law which prevents age being a factor in considering hiring, firing or promoting employees.

While many first-time job seekers, and those in their first or second jobs might think the new legislation might only affect their older and wiser colleagues – or those closer to retirement – the new laws will probably make a difference to all of working age.

The first challenge for first time applicants, or those wishing to move further up the ladder, will be interpreting job ads under the new systems. While in the past, it was pretty easy to spot those aimed at graduates, or first and second jobbers – companies shackled by age discrimination legislation will find it difficult to indicate if positions are suitable for younger employees, rather than those with experience.

It will mean reading further down the advert than just the job title and checking the fine print in the job specification to see if the role fits.

International recruitment consultants are advising their clients to rewrite job specifications. They say references to age should be removed, job requirements should no longer be based on experience not relevant to the job and that age and/or culture fit can no longer be a reason for rejecting candidates.

With references to age out and firms trying hard not to lay themselves open to discrimination claims, younger candidates and graduates might also find those job they traditionally saw as their domain snapped up by older employees – either looking to downsize, change career or just return to the workplace after a break. No longer will “too much experience” be a bar to a junior position.

The process of applying for jobs might see a change as well. A recent survey carried out by project management specialist Arras People showed 40% of applicants in the UK aren’t aware of the new law, and 60% of the respondents expected recruitment agencies or Human Resources departments to make the necessary adjustments to resumes to make them age discrimination legislation complaints, before assessors got their hands on them.

But having your resume and covering letter “censored” by an agency or HR department might see some of your greatest strengths and achievements left on the cutting room floor. It’s far better to take the laws into account when you put your resume together and make sure it’s compliant and complete when it arrives on the interviewers desk.]

SOURCE: http://www.imakenews.com/shellcareersnewsletter/e_article000686213.cfm?x=b8CsNJp,b5yRPrNc

FIRST WOMAN TO GET A DOUBLE HAND TRANSPLANT RECUPERATING

The wonders of modern medical surgery and science have been displayed once more for the benefit of mankind. Right now, the implication is that a teenager who, through no fault of his or hers, loses both limbs, can get them replaced by a team of ten medical professional working for a straight ten hour stretch, as long as a suitably matched donor is available. Even if the operation takes place thirty years after the accident! Quite a capability, I'd say. Here's the rest of the story:

[Last Updated: Tuesday, 12 December 2006, 11:56 GMT

Woman has double hand transplant

A Spaniard has become the first woman in the world to receive a double hand transplant.

A team of surgeons at Hospital La Fe in Valencia carried out the pioneering operation.

After 10 hours in the operating theatre, doctors say Alba, 47, from Castellón, whose full name has not been released, is recuperating well.

The woman faced the press this week, and looked happy and content despite heavy bandages on her hands.

Alba said after waking up from the anaesthetic and seeing her new hands for the first time, she thought: "They look beautiful!"

The operation took place on 30 November after an appropriate donor of the same sex, race and blood group was found.

In this case it was a woman who was declared brain dead following an accident.

The donor's arms were removed from above the elbow, and the severed limbs were cooled and transported to Hospital La Fe in less than five hours.

A team of more than 10 medical professionals, including surgeons and anaesthetists, then worked to attach them to Alba's arms.

Arms matched

Both transplants were carried out simultaneously.

First, Alba's forearms had to be adjusted to match the size of the donor limbs.

Bones were fixed with metal plates and screws, and microscopic surgery was used to attached the arteries, veins and nerves.

Alba had both her original hands amputated after an explosion in a laboratory where she was studying chemistry nearly 30 years ago.

Pedro Cavadas, the lead surgeon, said she should have sensitivity and movement in her new hands within five to six months.

Mr Cavadas has told the Spanish press that the intention of the surgery was to allow Alba to lead an independent and normal life with two useful hands.

He admitted that it was difficult to know exactly how much use Alba will be able to make of her hands.

But he added: "In any case this is much better than any prosthesis."

Six double-handed transplants have been carried out on men. The first was carried out on a 33-year-old man in France in 2000.]

SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6171809.stm

RELATED LINK: Woman Is Fitted With ‘Bionic’ Arm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/5348458.stm

ISN'T THAT SOMETHING?

NOBEL LAUREATE – THE FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY IS ESSENTIAL

No less an important personality than a Nobel Prize winner has lent his name and support for this worthy cause, as enumerated by the UN in its Millennium Development Goals. Here’s the rest of the story:

[Nobel laureate: Poverty fight essential

By KARL RITTER and DOUG MELLGREN, Associated Press Writers 2 hours, 35 minutes ago

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Economist Muhammad Yunus accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on Sunday for his breakthrough program to lift the poor through tiny loans, saying he hoped the award would inspire "bold initiatives" to eradicate a problem at the root of terrorism.

Yunus, a 66-year-old Bangladeshi, shared the award with his Grameen Bank, which for more than two decades has helped impoverished people start businesses by providing small, usually unsecured loans known as microcredit.

"We must address the root causes of terrorism to end it for all time," Yunus told hundreds of guests at City Hall in Oslo, Norway. "I believe putting resources into improving the lives of poor people is a better strategy than spending it on guns."

The Nobel laureates for literature, physics, economics and chemistry accepted their awards Sunday at a ceremony in Stockholm.

The Nobel Prizes, announced in October, are always presented in the two Scandinavian capitals on Dec. 10 to mark the anniversary of the 1896 death of their creator, Alfred Nobel. The Swedish industrialist, who invented dynamite, stipulated the dual ceremonies in his will. The awards, first handed out in 1901, carry $1.4 million in prize money.

The literature prize went to Orhan Pamuk, a Turkish writer accused of insulting his country, while six Americans swept the science and economics prizes. Their findings cemented the "big bang" theory, broke new ground in genetic research and explored the relationship between inflation and unemployment.

Yunus is the first Nobel winner from Bangladesh, an impoverished South Asian country on the Bay of Bengal. Nobel Committee chairman Ole Danbolt Mjoes said the award was partially intended as an outstretched hand to the Islamic world in an era when Muslims are often demonized because of terrorism.

"The peace prize to Yunus and Grameen Bank is also support for the Muslim country of Bangladesh, and for the Muslim environments in the world that are working for dialogue and collaboration," he said.

Pamuk, 54, accepted the literature prize for a body of work that illustrates the struggle of Turkey to find a balance between East and West.

The writer, whose novels include "Snow" and "My Name Is Red," was tried earlier this year on charges of insulting his country for acknowledging the mass killing of Armenians in World War I. The charges were eventually dropped over a technicality.

Swedish Academy permanent secretary Horace Engdahl said Pamuk had made his native Istanbul "indispensable literary territory" equal to Feodor Dostoyevsky's St. Petersburg and James Joyce's Dublin.

U.S. researchers have long dominated the science awards, and this year swept them for the first time since 1983.

The Nobel Prize in medicine went to Andrew Z. Fire and Craig C. Mello for discovering a powerful way to turn off the effect of specific genes.

John C. Mather and George F. Smoot won the physics prize for work that helped cement the "big bang" theory of how the universe was created.

Nobel physics committee chairman Per Carlson said that with their findings, "the first step toward understanding the development of structures in the universe had been taken."

Roger D. Kornberg won the prize in chemistry for his studies of how cells take information from genes to produce proteins, a process that could provide insight into defeating cancer and advancing stem cell research. His 88-year-old father, Arthur, who won the 1959 Nobel Prize in medicine, attended the ceremony.

Economics winner Edmund S. Phelps was cited for research into the relationship between inflation and unemployment, giving governments better tools to formulate economic policy. The economics award is not an original Nobel Prize, but was created by the Bank of Sweden in 1968.

In Bangladesh, thousands of people set aside the nation's latest political crisis to watch live television coverage of the ceremony in Oslo.

In Yunus' home district of Chittagong, several thousand people squatted or stood around a large screen put up at a stadium. People clapped and shouted "Long live Bangladesh" when he spoke a few words in Bangla, the national language, during his acceptance speech.

___

Associated Press writer Doug Mellgren reported for this story from Oslo, Norway; Parveen Ahmed in Dhaka, Bangladesh, contributed to this report.

___

On the Net:

Nobel Prize: http://www.nobelprize.org ]

LOCOMOTION IN SNAKES – BLASTING THE MYTH ABOUT THEIR CRAWLING SPEED

Snake tales are usually chilling by nature. Nobody wants to be caught up in any ugly encounter with mankind’s natural enemy. A dog may be man’s best friend but, when it’s not fed on schedule, it may bite its owner when it’s big enough.

So, are the stories about snakes that move quicker than a running human being and strike faster than lightning true? Let’s see the evidence below for or against holding onto these myths:

[One surprising characteristic of snakes is their ability to move rapidly without legs. Four quite different types of locomotion are used by snakes. The most frequently used method is the simple, undulating crawl, which appropriately is called the serpentine method. In this type of locomotion, the snake pushes against the ground on the back side of each curve or undulation and flows smoothly forwards.

Another method is called caterpillar locomotion, and is used only by the heavier-bodied snakes. The skin of the ventral surface is moved forwards and backwards by strong muscles, and the broad belly scales grip the ground, moving the snake forwards in a straight line. This method has given rise to the erroneous statement that snakes “walk on their ribs”; actually the ribs do not move forwards and backwards in any of the four types of movement.

Several desert-dwelling species use a special type of locomotion, called sidewinding, to move on loose sand. In this method the snake throws its body sideways along the ground in a looping motion.

The fourth method is known as concertina locomotion, because the body is alternately stretched out and pulled together as the snake moves from one anchor point to another. The concertina is used in crossing smooth surfaces and in climbing.

The most common of the four, and the one that enables all snakes to achieve maximum speed, is the serpentine method. Not all snakes can use each of the other methods.

The fastest recorded speed achieved by any snake is about 13 km/h (8 mph), slower than a human adult can run, but few can move that fast.

In climbing, any of the methods except sidewinding may be used, but snakes swim only by means of the serpentine method.

Some species of snakes of the family Colubridae (garters, kings, and allies) in East Asia and New Guinea are described as being able to fly. They do not actually fly, but they can drop or hurl themselves from fairly high trees and fall or even partly glide to the ground without injury.

© 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.]

WELL, I GUESS FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN CAN MAKE A SANE PERSON TO RATTLE OFF GIBBERISH! Cheers, everyone.

By the way, see this link for all the snake pictures you want, if you can stand seeing them!

THE SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM FOR THE PRECEDING POST

DISSECTING SPAM - HOW TO DECODE THE DIGITAL CLUES IN JUNK MAIL

This just came in …Last Updated: Friday, 8 December 2006, 11:23 GMT. The accompanying schematic diagram will follow in the next post:

[SENDER

"Iverson Vernie": An implausible name that sounds human to computers if not people. This helps to offset the "spamminess" of the message. Plus it is in capital letters which also helps to bust the scoring systems often used to spot spam.

E-MAIL ADDRESS

"eieeeyuuyuioeeiiayi@fleetlease.com - Clearly fake. All the letters before the @ sign come from the top line of the keyboard starting at the left. The spammer generated this e-mail addresses by running their finger along that line when putting the spam run together.

However, this could provide useful forensic information when tracing spam campaigns or spam groups. Another clue is given by the fact that the company owning the domain, Fleetlease, rents vehicles - there's no reason to think it is really pushing pills.

SUBJECT

Bad spelling marks it as spam as does the exclamation point. But it avoids mentioning what the message is actually about which might help it sneak past some spam filters.

BODY IMAGE

The body of the message is actually an image rather than text. Again this is another trick to defeat spam filters which find it impossible to view what is in bitmap or jpegs.

This image was called from another computer based in Hungary. The net service offered by this company is free which is probably why it is being used as a source for these images. Spammers hate paying for anything.

It could also be a checking mechanism which records which e-mail address responded. "Live" addresses are much more valuable than ones that never react.

ASSOCIATED WEBSITE

This is apparently linked to a company in Wisconsin, but the details held on the net about it are likely to be fake given that there is evidence the server is physically located in South Africa. The server hosting this site hosts another 90, most of which are touting drugs of one kind or another.

The net address for this site is well-known as a source of spam and is actively blocked by many organisations. It is thought to be one of many used by the Yambo Financials spam gang.

EXTRA TEXT

Spammers regularly use large lumps of text to try to convince filtering systems that a message is legitimate. Extracts from books are popular but random text like this is too. What should be noted is that nowhere in this mail does the text actually mention what the message is about. The only mention of the drugs it is offering for sale is in the image. ]

SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6038236.stm

TAKE THE ‘SECURE OR SUCKER’ QUIZ: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6047560.stm

THE MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDG) OF THE UNITED NATIONS

Here they are, for your information and positive action, if you feel you can give your widow’s mite in terms of financial and/or manpower contributions toward their attainment. So, if you have the power or are in a position to effect a positive change, just do it, please! Charity begins from home; so why not start from there or your neighborhood?

THE MILLENNIUM GOALS

1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

2: Achieve universal primary education

3: Promote gender equality and empower women

4: Reduce child mortality

5: Improve maternal health

6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

7: Ensure environmental sustainability

8: Develop a global partnership for development

SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6219922.stm

EX-PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON PARTNERS WITH INDIANS FOR CHEAPER HIV / AIDS DRUGS

Something promising for the world’s most-focused on ailment ever. With the sufferers increasingly unable to procure the necessary medication due to financial shortcomings, the most sustainable option left was the availability of cheaper drugs. Enter… the pragmatic solution from the ever thoughtful and forward-thinking Ex-President Clinton.

In the news recently, more details below:

[Ex-US leader Bill Clinton and Indian drug companies join in a deal to provide children with cheaper HIV/Aids drugs.]

SOURCE:

Clinton launches child HIV drugs http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/south_asia/6158543.stm

CHEMOTHERAPY – DRUGS USED FOR TREATMENT LINKED TO PERMANENT SIDE EFFECTS

Yes, very permanent side effects unfortunately; so, obviously, better treatment is indicated. A good thing too this development, if I might add; the sight of the skin-head requirement for treatment to begin had never sat down well with me whenever I saw any TV or movie scene of such a stereotypical cancer patient set to undergo this apparently debilitating and demoralizing procedure. It just seems to stick somewhere uncomfortable in my emotions, very saddening indeed!

This is the story, as summarized in the following way:

[Chemotherapy produces long-term changes in the part of the brain dealing with memory, research suggests.]

MORE DETAILS:

For more details, see the link below:

SOURCE:

Chemo drugs 'destroy brain cells' http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/health/6156961.stm

ANTI-SPAM RESOURCE CENTER - DEFINITIONS AND WHAT TO DO

The following information was taken as-is from the sources listed below. Please go further down, past the links directly below, to get the fully expanded information for each descriptive link listed.


[Welcome, Guest

Yahoo Anti-Spam Resource Center

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some common questions and answers regarding spam.

Certified Mail
· The Truth about Certified Mail and Yahoo Mail

Spam
· What is Yahoo's anti-spam and abuse policy?
· What is spam?
· Why am I getting spam?
· What is Yahoo doing to fight spam?
· What about spam that has viruses?

Yahoo! Mail Anti-Spam Features
· What is SpamGuard?
· What is SpamGuard Plus?
· What is the Bulk folder?
· Why do some non-spam messages end up in my Bulk folder?
· What is AddressGuard™?
· Can I view only those messages from people in my Yahoo Mail Address Book?
· How can I avoid spam?

Phishing
· What is a "phishing" scam?
· What do I do if I get an email asking for my personal information?

Avoiding Spammer Tricks
· How can I protect myself against tricks spammers use?
· How can I avoid spam?

More questions about spam?

Spam Q & A

The Truth about Certified Mail and Yahoo Mail

If you've seen some of the recent media and blog headlines about the introduction of "Email Postage Fees from Yahoo and AOL," you may be more than a bit confused. Frankly, there is a ton of misinformation out there, and we'd like to help clear it up.

Here is some background on what Yahoo! is planning and why.
· There will be no postage fee for email users. Yahoo Mail users will continue to have the same free Web mail experience they enjoy today, and email senders will be able to send messages in exactly the same way that they have been, with no charge. We will continue to deliver the messages our users want and value. Period.
· In the coming months, we will focus the certified mail program on "transactional" email messages such as bank statements and purchase receipts and, as announced in this release, we are partnering with Goodmail Systems to do so. Identity theft scams (or "phishing" attacks) frequently mimic these types of messages. By highlighting the legitimate transactional messages, we think our users will have a better chance to avoid these scams.
· Our filtering and delivery policies for the billions of messages we process each day will not change. Despite what you may have read elsewhere, there is not now, nor has there ever been, any intention to automatically route any mail which isn't "certified" into your Bulk folder.
· Spammers are not welcome. Goodmail has a technique to prevent spammers from signing up for this system, and we will maintain a feedback loop with Goodmail to ensure both that this system is not abused and that senders act on your unsubscribe requests.
· This is just one small part of a multifaceted approach that Yahoo employs to protect our users from email abuse. Reputation and accreditation services, such as those provided by Goodmail, complement other programs we have in place to keep you safe from spam and phishing.
· Yahoo has been and remains a major proponent of email authentication, having invented DomainKeys. As you may know, we chose to make DomainKeys available royalty free to the industry, and are currently working with the IETF on the new DKIM standard. This technology will continue to be a core component of our delivery system, including playing a vital role in our own certified mail implementation.

Be assured, protecting email users from abuse is a top priority here. We have continuously invested substantial time and resources in exploring new technologies to aid us in the war against spam & abuse. And you have our pledge that we will continue to do so.

We hope this has helped to clarify things and that you now see how our certified mail program will play a role in helping to provide our Yahoo Mail users with a safer experience.
Miles Libbey
Antispam Product Manager
Yahoo Mail

What is Yahoo's anti-spam and abuse policy?

Yahoo is committed to preventing spam and abuse. Learn more about Yahoo's official spam and abuse policy.

Yahoo Newsletters
Yahoo sends email newsletters you request to your mailbox. To adjust your subscription settings visit the Newsletter Subscriptions section of the Account

Information Page:
Yahoo will also occasionally send promotional messages, from Yahoo or from select third parties. If you do not want to receive these offers and other marketing communications, you can adjust your marketing preferences via the Marketing Preferences section of the Account Information Page.

What is spam?

Spam is any message or posting, regardless of its content, that is sent to multiple recipients who have not specifically requested the message. Spam can also be multiple postings of the same message to newsgroups or list servers that are not related to the topic of discussion. Other common terms for spam include unsolicited commercial email (UCE), unsolicited bulk email (UBE) and junk mail.
Web sites that are less reputable or have privacy policies that are less strict may sell your email address to spammers. Those who send spam typically have purchased a list of email addresses from these web sites. They send messages from numerous different - and often falsified - addresses to all areas of the Web, which makes them hard to track.

Why am I getting spam?

Spammers send unsolicited email with the hope that you will buy their products or services - it's the same concept as junk mail delivered to your house. Since it is very inexpensive to send an email, spammers can afford to send millions of them, even if only a small number of people respond by purchasing their products.

What is Yahoo doing to fight spam?

In order to meet the Yahoo Mail commitment to provide you with the best email experience out there, we've developed innovative, effective tools you can customize to combat spam:
· SpamGuard
Send annoying spam email directly to the Bulk folder.
· SpamGuard Plus
Customize your filters to your preferences.
· AddressGuard™
Create alternate email addresses that disguise your real Yahoo Mail address - and simply throw them away if a spammer gets hold of them.
· Filters
Automatically sort incoming messages to different folders.
· Block Addresses
Stop receiving email from particular email addresses or domains that you select.
· Image Blocking
Prevents spammers from knowing you opened their email, and protects you from viewing images you don't want to see.

Yahoo is also fighting spammers in court and supporting legislation to prevent spam.
Find out more about Yahoo's legal and legislative action.

What about spam that has viruses?

Many viruses are sent as email attachments, which may be sent as spam. These attachments are not a threat to your computer if you do not download them.

Yahoo Mail is a web-based email system. Your email messages are stored on our servers, rather than on your computer. Because of this, simply viewing your Yahoo Mail without downloading any attachments does not make your computer vulnerable to viruses.

Learn more about viruses sent by email
You are also protected from viruses in spam by using the Bulk mail folder and the "Spam" button. When SpamGuard is on - its default setting - the majority of spam messages and any viruses attached to them are automatically delivered to the Bulk mail folder. You can delete these messages without reading them or opening their attachments.

If an unsolicited email with an attachment is sent to your Inbox, you can report the message as spam without opening it. Select the message in your Inbox and click the "Spam" button above your messages. Then click "OK." In addition to reporting that message as spam, Yahoo Mail will automatically delete it.
Learn more about reporting spam.

What is SpamGuard?

Yahoo Mail helps you combat spam with advanced, patent-pending SpamGuard technology. Our enhanced SpamGuard uses artificial intelligence to automatically detect and direct spam into your Bulk folder. With SpamGuard, your Inbox stays clear for your important personal and professional messages.

To check if SpamGuard is on (the default):
1. Click on "Bulk" in the left navigation bar.
2. Above the list of messages, if any, you will see a notice that says SpamGuard is ON or OFF.

3. If SpamGuard is OFF, click the text to the right that says "Edit Settings."
With SpamGuard turned on, most spam will go to your Bulk folder instead of your Inbox.

What is SpamGuard Plus?

SpamGuard Plus is an advanced spam fighting system that is completely customized according to your individual preferences. You tell the filter what you want and what you don't and over time, this feature learns to deliver the mail appropriately. SpamGuard Plus is only available to Yahoo Mail Plus subscribers.

How do I use SpamGuard Plus?
You train the filter by clicking "Spam" (in your Inbox) or "Not spam" (in your Bulk folder). If a message is directed incorrectly, tell us by clicking the appropriate button.
· If a spam message is delivered to your Inbox - click "Spam."

· If a non-spam message is delivered to your Bulk folder - click "Not spam."

The system records your preferences and keeps your own personal database of rules to reject spam. (This is called a Bayesian filtering system.)
Smart filtering is turned on by default for Mail Plus users. You can turn it off by changing the settings in the Spam Protection section of the Mail Options page, but we strongly recommend you leave it turned on for the best anti-spam protection.

What is the Bulk folder?

When SpamGuard is on, messages that trip its "spam alarm" are automatically directed to the Bulk folder - which reduces the amount of spam you receive in your Inbox.
Messages will be removed from your Bulk folder periodically. You may choose to delete messages from your Bulk folder after 1 month, 2 weeks, 1 week, or immediately. Messages in your Bulk folder do not count toward your mail storage quota.

The Bulk folder doesn't generate spam, and you won't receive any additional mail as a result of this folder. The system only diverts from your Inbox incoming messages that appear to be spam.

Why are messages I want occasionally directed to my Bulk folder?

Yahoo makes a concerted effort to deliver solicited commercial and personal email directly to your Inbox. If you believe that a message delivered to your Bulk folder is more appropriately delivered to your Inbox, please select the message(s) and click the "Not spam" button above your messages.

What is AddressGuard?

If you're ever worried about giving out your email address on a web site, AddressGuard is for you. Instead of leaving your address open to spam, you can use a disposable email address, while still accessing all your mail in one place.
You can create up to 500 disposable addresses with Yahoo Mail Plus. Use these when you want to give an email address to a site that you suspect might share or sell it. Create several if you shop at different places and want to have a different email address for each store. You can view messages sent to each of your disposable addresses in your Inbox or a folder that you designate.

Each disposable address has two parts: a base name and a keyword.

Base name

The base name is the same for all your disposable addresses but it's different from your Yahoo ID. By using this profile, you can keep spammers from guessing your Yahoo ID and your primary email address.

Keyword

The keyword identifies what you are using the disposable address for. You can use the name of the company to which you are providing the disposable email address, or another word that you will remember.
All disposable email addresses will take the form basename-keyword@yahoo.com.

Example:

Your Yahoo ID: johnmichaeldelaney

Your base name: dairyman88 (so spammers cannot figure out your real email address)

Keyword: Widget Designs (based on the store to which you want to give the address)

Your Disposable Email Address: dairyman88-widgets@yahoo.com

If Widget Designs shares or sells this disposable email address and it begins receiving spam, you can simply shut down dairyman88-widgetdesigns@yahoo.com without affecting your primary Yahoo Mail address or any of your other disposable addresses.

To shut off a disposable email address, click the Mail Options link in the upper-right corner of your Inbox. Select AddressGuard from the list of options.

Select the address you want to turn off and click delete. You will no longer receive any messages sent to that address. If you still wish to communicate with Widget Designs, you will have to create another disposable email address.

For more information about the AddressGuard feature, take the tour. (Requires Macromedia Flash Player.)

Can I view only those messages from people in my Yahoo Mail Address Book?

You can access several different views of your Inbox by using the View command above your messages. Click the arrow to reveal a menu with the following choices: All Messages, Messages from My Contacts, Messages from Unknown Senders, Unread, and Flagged.

Messages from My Contacts:

When you choose "Messages from My Contacts" from the menu, you will see a view of your Inbox that displays only messages sent from people whose email addresses are in your Address Book.

However, in this view you will not see messages from your contacts who you have not yet listed in your Address Book. This may result in some missed messages that you want to read. To see all the messages sent to you, select "All Messages" from the menu.

To add people to your Address Book so that you are able to see their email messages in the "Messages from My Contacts" view, open a message from one of them and click on the link next to their name: "Add to Address Book." You can also click the "Addresses" button on the Yahoo Mail toolbar to add addresses anytime.

Messages from Unknown Senders

When you receive messages from those not in your Address Book that are not snagged as spam by SpamGuard and directed to the Bulk folder, they will appear in the "Messages from Unknown Senders" view of your Inbox. These messages may not be spam, but the sender's email address is not in your Address Book.

To add a sender to your Address Book, open the message and click "Add to my Address Book" at the top of the message or use the "Addresses" button on the Yahoo Mail toolbar. Future messages from that sender will appear in your "Messages from My Contacts" view.

How do I add names to my address book quickly?

Another easy way to add names into your Address Book is QuickBuilder. QuickBuilder setup allows you to search your Yahoo Mail messages for contacts and add them to your Address Book. It's easy and fast

How do I view all my messages?

To see the all the messages in your Inbox, click the "Inbox" link in the left navigation bar. This will show you a combination view of "Messages from My Contacts" and "Messages from Unknown Senders."

How can I avoid spam?

Never respond to unsolicited email. To those who send spam, one response or "hit" from thousands of emails is enough to justify the practice. Additionally, it validates your email address as active, which makes it more valuable, and therefore opens the door to more spam.

Never send your personal information (credit card numbers, passwords, etc.) in an email. Spammers can fake the format of Yahoo and other trusted sites. Yahoo will never ask you to send your password or credit card information by email.

Never follow a spam email's instructions to reply with the word "remove" or "unsubscribe" in the subject line or body of the message unless you trust the source.

This is often a ploy to get you to react to the email. Not only will spammers fail to unsubscribe you, they will have even more incentive to sell your address - which you've validated with your response.

Never click on a URL or web address listed within a spam email, even if the message tells you that's how you unsubscribe. This also alerts the sender that your email address is active and can result in more spam.

Never sign up with sites that promise to remove your name from spam lists. Although some of these sites may be legitimate, most are actually address collectors. If a collector records your address, they will value it more highly because it is active.

What is a "phishing" scam?

Phishing is a type of online fraud where the perpetrators attempt to acquire personal, financial, and/or other account information (such as user IDs, passwords, credit card numbers, PINs, etc.) from unsuspecting victims. This type of fraud is typically initiated by sending an unsolicited but official-looking email claiming to be from a reputable company, such as a bank, a credit card firm, or an online establishment. The fraudulent email usually contains an urgent message that tries to lure the recipient into providing sensitive information.

To avoid being victimized by phishing scams, below are several useful tips:
· Do not respond to emails asking for any personal or financial information.
Legitimate companies will never ask you to verify or provide any confidential information in an unsolicited email.
· Be cautious when clicking on links within a suspicious email.

Most phishing emails contain a link that leads to an official-looking web page which requires the recipient to log in or enter some personal information. Though the web page may contain official logos and look exactly the same as the legitimate company's web site, any information submitted via these spoofed web page(s) will be sent to the perpetrators of the scam.

If you have any doubt regarding the authenticity of a web site you have been directed to in an email, we strongly recommend that you open a new browser and type the known URL of the company in the browser yourself, or call the company directly via telephone.

· Never log in or enter private information in a pop-up window.
Clicking on links within phishing emails may direct your browser to a legitimate web site while, at the same time, opening another pop-up window wherein you are asked to enter your information. This makes it appear like the pop-up window is part of the legitimate site when, in reality, it is not.

(Note: Yahoo offers a Pop-Up blocker in our free Yahoo Toolbar that blocks most unwanted pop-up windows from appearing.)

· Be alert for suspicious emails
It is easy to forge an email and make it appear like a legitimate company sent it. When dealing with emails that pertain to information that is sensitive in nature, it is best to err on the side of caution. Below are a few signs indicative of phishing emails:
o Urgent account notifications that are not addressed to you personally but which require action on your part relating to your account(s).
o Customer notifications that contain incorrect spelling or poor grammar.
o Account/billing email notifications from credit card firms or other financial institutions that do not reference the last few digits of your account number, or that contain no specific details pertaining to your account/billing information or activity.
o Account notifications that are delivered to your Bulk Mail folder.

(Note: While we do our best to deliver legitimate email to your Inbox, we may

occasionally deliver legitimate email to your Bulk Mail folder. We encourage you to check your Bulk Mail folder periodically for legitimate email and, as always, practice caution when dealing with questionable or suspicious emails.)


What do I do if I get an email asking for my personal information?

If you have received a phishing email asking you to verify and/or provide information regarding your Yahoo account, please forward the email to mail-spoof@cc.yahoo-inc.com. We will investigate the email and take appropriate action.

If you have received a phishing email referencing a non-Yahoo website, email address, or service, we encourage you to report such incidents to the appropriate provider or company involved. They will be in a better position to take appropriate action. You may also wish to report the phishing email to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by forwarding it to spam@uce.gov.

For additional information and tips on protecting your information online, please visit the Yahoo Security Center and the FTC's Identity Theft web site.