Calls for Action » most viewed

Tobacco firms sue NYC over warnings

Calls for Action — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 03:32:28 +0000

Boston NEW YORK – US cigarette makers Philip Morris USA and R.J.

Boston

NEW YORK – US cigarette makers Philip Morris USA and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. have sued New York City, alleging its mandated antismoking advertisements violate their First Amendment rights and are preempted by federally mandated warnings.

The cigarette makers and Lorillard Tobacco Co. filed suit in US District Court in Manhattan yesterday, claiming the city’s graphic warning signs force them to carry messages they would not carry at the point of sale.

adsense

See the original post:
Tobacco firms sue NYC over warnings

Drug plant that recalled children’s Tylenol had cut staff

Josh — Thu, 27 May 2010 03:24:05 +0000

Los Angeles Times A Pennsylvania drug plant plagued by quality-control problems that prompted a nationwide recall of children’s Tylenol and dozens of other pediatric medicines drastically reduced its workforce in recent years, according to local government tax records. And a Food and Drug Administration inspection report earlier this year cited failure to properly train contract and temporary employees as part of a catalogue of problems at the plant run by McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a subsidiary of pharmaceuticals giant Johnson & Johnson

Los Angeles Times

A Pennsylvania drug plant plagued by quality-control problems that prompted a nationwide recall of children’s Tylenol and dozens of other pediatric medicines drastically reduced its workforce in recent years, according to local government tax records.

And a Food and Drug Administration inspection report earlier this year cited failure to properly train contract and temporary employees as part of a catalogue of problems at the plant run by McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a subsidiary of pharmaceuticals giant Johnson & Johnson.

adsense

Here is the original post:
Drug plant that recalled children’s Tylenol had cut staff

Much mobile phone use causes brain cancer?

Calls for Action — Sun, 16 May 2010 23:16:06 +0000

XinHua BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhuanet) — Those who use mobile phones much have a higher risk of getting brain cancer , but things can not be said for sure, according to a 10-year study conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) under World Health Organisation , media reports Sunday. The study, which involves 13,000 people and costs 24.4 million U.S. dollars, found heavy cellphone use didn’t increase the risk of two types of brain tumours , namely, meningioma or glioma

XinHua

BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhuanet) — Those who use mobile phones much have a higher risk of getting brain cancer, but things can not be said for sure, according to a 10-year study conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) under World Health Organisation, media reports Sunday.

The study, which involves 13,000 people and costs 24.4 million U.S. dollars, found heavy cellphone use didn’t increase the risk of two types of brain tumours, namely, meningioma or glioma.

adsense

Here is the original:
Much mobile phone use causes brain cancer?

Packet of nuts a day ‘can reduce cholesterol levels’

Calls for Action — Tue, 11 May 2010 04:31:48 +0000

Telegraph They recommend consuming nuts regularly to keep cholesterol levels healthy. The fatty substance can clog arteries and increase the risk of suffering a heart attack. But researchers found that those who ate plenty of nuts, of all varieties, had lower cholesterol levels than those who rarely ate them.

Telegraph

They recommend consuming nuts regularly to keep cholesterol levels healthy.

The fatty substance can clog arteries and increase the risk of suffering a heart attack.

But researchers found that those who ate plenty of nuts, of all varieties, had lower cholesterol levels than those who rarely ate them.

Nuts are rich in so-called “healthy” fats, as well as fibre and vitamin E.

The latest research, a comprehensive review of 25 studies involving 583 people, found that those who ate an average of 67g of nuts a day had “bad” cholesterol levels that were seven per cent lower than those who hardly ate the snacks.

adsense

State to form insurance pool

Josh — Sat, 01 May 2010 05:12:10 +0000

Freep Michigan will create a high-risk pool later this year to provide insurance for uninsured people with chronic health problems, most likely by subcontracting the job to one of the state’s health insurers, state officials said Friday.

Freep

Michigan will create a high-risk pool later this year to provide insurance for uninsured people with chronic health problems, most likely by subcontracting the job to one of the state’s health insurers, state officials said Friday.

In a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Friday, Ken Ross, Michigan’s commissioner of the Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation, said the state wants to create such a pool, which would provide affordable coverage to people who have been denied insurance for at least six months because they have a chronic health problem.

adsense

Read the original:
State to form insurance pool

Why Obama Was Interrupted in Los Angeles

Josh — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 03:11:42 +0000

The Huffington Post President Obama was interrupted several times by GetEQUAL activists during a speech at a fundraiser for Senator Barbara Boxer in Los Angeles on Monday. Activists shouted, “What about ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?’” and “It’s time for equality for all Americans.” At one point the President halted his speech to address the activists. He said, “Barbara and I are supportive of repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’.” Obama arrives in LA to raise funds for Boxer Gay protesters interrupt Obama at California fundraiser for Barbara Boxer Obama rakes in cash for Dems, Sen.

The Huffington Post

President Obama was interrupted several times by GetEQUAL activists during a speech at a fundraiser for Senator Barbara Boxer in Los Angeles on Monday.

Activists shouted, “What about ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?’” and “It’s time for equality for all Americans.”

At one point the President halted his speech to address the activists. He said, “Barbara and I are supportive of repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’.”

adsense

Excerpt from:
Why Obama Was Interrupted in Los Angeles

Study: Lack of breastfeeding costs lives, billions of dollars

Calls for Action — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 11:05:56 +0000

CNN (CNN) — If most new moms would breastfeed their babies for the first six months of life, it would save nearly 1,000 lives and billions of dollars each year , according to a new study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. “The United States incurs $13 billion in excess costs annually and suffers 911 preventable deaths per year because our breastfeeding rates fall far below medical recommendations ,” the report said. Breastfeeding saves a lot of money, study says US Stock Futures, Treasury Yields, Dollar Rise on Jobs Data Rising yields could turn toxic for dollar FOREX-Dollar hits 7-month high vs yen, gains on euro BOJ tankan improves, but capital spending still weak

CNN

(CNN) — If most new moms would breastfeed their babies for the first six months of life, it would save nearly 1,000 lives and billions of dollars each year, according to a new study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

“The United States incurs $13 billion in excess costs annually and suffers 911 preventable deaths per year because our breastfeeding rates fall far below medical recommendations,” the report said.

adsense

More:
Study: Lack of breastfeeding costs lives, billions of dollars

Obama, Paterson Meet After White House Reportedly Urges Governor …

Josh — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:35:07 +0000

In an awkward encounter, President Obama and New York Gov. David Paterson exchanged pleasantries Monday following reports that the president has urged the Democratic governor to withdraw from the race for his own seat. Paterson greeted Obama as he arrived on Air Force One on the way to speak at a community college in Troy, N.Y.

Paterson greeted Obama as he arrived on Air Force One on the way to speak at a community college in Troy, N.Y. Obama and the governor shook hands upon the president’s arrival, and Obama leaned over to make a brief comment to Paterson.

Updated, 12:08 p.m. | TROY, N.Y. – So what did he say?
After President Obama walked down from Air Force One shortly after his plane landed shortly before 11 a.m. Monday, he and Gov…
WASHINGTON – The White House doesn’t buy the notion that President Obama, who appeared on five talk shows Sunday and is heading next for David Letterman’s couch, could be wearing out his welcome on the tube.
WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Obama will host meetings Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, the White House announced Saturday.

Doctors Question WHO’s Severe Swine F…

Josh — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 08:06:11 +0000

The World Health Organization warned Friday that doctors around the world are now reporting a severe form of swine flu that goes straight to the lungs of otherwise healthy young people — but some infectious disease experts said the alarm could be unwarranted. The WHO update comes in the wake of reports from some countries that as many as 15 percent of patients infected with the new H1N1 pandemic virus require extensive — and expensive — hospital care.

The WHO update comes in the wake of reports from some countries that as many as 15 percent of patients infected with the new H1N1 pandemic virus require extensive — and expensive — hospital care.

LONDON — The World Health Organization said Friday that Tamiflu should only be given to particularly vulnerable people — a warning to countries like Britain where the swine flu drug is being handed out freely.
GENEVA (Reuters) – Healthy patients who get H1N1 swine flu without suffering complications do not need to be treated with antivirals like Tamiflu, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
LONDON (AP) – Healthy people who catch swine flu do not need antivirals like Tamiflu, but the young, the old and the pregnant surely do, the World Health Organization declared Friday in new advice to doctors.
The U.N…

White House not ready to commit to Vi…

Calls for Action — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:08:40 +0000

OAK BLUFFS, Mass. — President Barack Obama hasn’t even finished his Martha’s Vineyard vacation and already he’s being asked whether he’ll come back next year.

A local radio station reporter asked White House spokesman Bill Burton on Thursday whether the president was ready to commit to a return trip.

Burton says that while the president loves the island, staff members “haven’t thought ahead that far in terms of figuring out what he’s going to do on vacation next year.”

Associated Press Writer= OAK BLUFFS, Mass. (AP) ?” Barack Obama’s first presidential vacation began with a hurricane, was interrupted for a major economic announcement and is ending with a sad eulogy for a famous friend.
Aug. 26 (Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama was meetingtop economic advisers April 10, Good Friday, as regulatorsprepared stress tests for the largest U.S. banks, when he turnedto Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S…

More stories …

See the original post:
White House not ready to commit to Vi…

Asia way short of vaccine to fight sw…

Josh — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:50:43 +0000

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Asia is going to be way short of the new H1N1 vaccine to fight swine flu when the next surge of infections hits during the cold season this year, a spokesman for the World Health Organization said on Tuesday. Australia and China are due to begin producing the vaccines in September, but these would be used domestically and the rest of the region is unlikely to benefit. “Nowhere is ready ..

Australia and China are due to begin producing the vaccines in September, but these would be used domestically and the rest of the region is unlikely to benefit.

“Nowhere is ready … there is going to be massive underproduction of vaccines as compared to the needs and demand,” said Manila-based WHO spokesman Peter Cordingley.

LONDON — The World Health Organization said Friday that Tamiflu should only be given to particularly vulnerable people — a warning to countries like Britain where the swine flu drug is being handed out freely.
GENEVA (Reuters) – Healthy patients who get H1N1 swine flu without suffering complications do not need to be treated with antivirals like Tamiflu, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
LONDON (AP) – Healthy people who catch swine flu do not need antivirals like Tamiflu, but the young, the old and the pregnant surely do, the World Health Organization declared Friday in new advice to doctors.
The U.N…

More stories …

Here is the original:
Asia way short of vaccine to fight sw…

Health-care reform: Is meaningful change doomed?

Calls for Action — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:08:21 +0000

Who is Congress really representing? So it’s happened. Not only is single- payer health care off the table, but it looks like President Obama and Congress are ready to cave on the public option as well ["Viability of public option in question," page one, Aug.

Who is Congress really representing?

So it's happened. Not only is single-payer health care off the table, but it looks like President Obama and Congress are ready to cave on the public option as well ["Viability of public option in question," page one, Aug. 17].

Democrats hold the White House and have large majorities in both houses of Congress, and yet they don’t have the spine to pass a bill that might upset the Republicans and the insurance companies?

(CBS)President Obama’s support for a government-sponsored health insurance plan, or “public option,” has not changed, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs continued to insist on Tuesday.
Gibbs was slammed by reporters…
More Americans disapprove of President Obamas handling of health care reform than approve, with independent voters breaking away from the commander in chief, a new poll found.

More stories …

Go here to see the original:
Health-care reform: Is meaningful change doomed?

WHO watching China plague cases ‘closely’

Calls for Action — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 05:22:41 +0000

A town in the far-western Qinghai province of China has been sealed off after pneumonic plague killed three people. Police have set up checkpoints around Ziketan, as medics disinfect the area and kill rats and insects.

A town in the far-western Qinghai province of China has been sealed off after pneumonic plague killed three people.

Police have set up checkpoints around Ziketan, as medics disinfect the area and kill rats and insects.

Vivian Tan from the World Health Organization in Beijing said she was ”definitely concerned” because this form of pneumonic plague ”is really quite lethal.”

READ MORE: Plague death toll rises in China

Authorities killed rats and fleas on Tuesday as they disinfected a town sealed off after three people died of pneumonic plague in a remote farming town in northwestern China…
A third man has died of pneumonic plague in north-western China where a town of more than 10,000 people has been sealed off, officials say.
The 64-year-old man was a neighbour…
Aug. 4 (Bloomberg) — Pneumonic plague claimed the life ofa third man in northwestern China as global health officialssaid the disease was unlikely to cause mass fatalities.
A 64-year-old man died in the remote town of Ziketan inQinghai province…

More stories …

View original here:
WHO watching China plague cases ‘closely’

Sunset for the tanning business

Josh — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:50:01 +0000

For Sarah Palin this may be worse than all the ethics complaints that forced her from office. One of her favorite recreations, the tanning bed , is as deadly as arsenic or mustard gas.

For Sarah Palin this may be worse than all the ethics complaints that forced her from office.

One of her favorite recreations, the tanning bed, is as deadly as arsenic or mustard gas. (Picture from TheWhitedSepulchre, a blog maintained by a Libertarian from Ft. Worth, Texas.)

This is not coming from some liberal special interest group. And it’s not just an opinion. It is the considered conclusion of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization.

Running with Palin 2012 for shot at presidency
If I were a Republican interested in becoming president, I’d hitch my star to Sarah Palin’s wagon. She will run for president in 2012…
Several days have passed since Sarah Palin’s final stop on the “Quitstock” Tour. I feel like I’ve awoken from a strange, surreal dream. I can’t yet tell if it was real or not.
I listened closely to Palin’s final speech as governor…
As she gave up her governorship on Sunday, Alaska Republican Sarah Palin took a dig at her “Hollywood” detractors for pushing their anti-gun sentiments on the “non-elites.”
“You’re gonna see anti-hunting…

Health Buzz: Tanning Beds Blamed for Cancer and Other Health News

Calls for Action — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:29:21 +0000

Tanning beds increase your odds of getting cancer, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced in the new issue of the Lancet Oncology. Until now, the committee of experts who advise the World Health Organization had not confirmed a link between tanning beds, sunlamps, and cancer. The group made the decision after reviewing studies that showed teens and young adults who used tanning beds increased their risk of developing melanoma by 75 percent.

Doctors have tried warning young people away from tanning beds for years, but their threats of skin cancer typically fell on deaf (but bronzed) ears. Until yesterday, that is…
For Sarah Palin this may be worse than all the ethics complaints that forced her from office.
One of her favorite recreations, the tanning bed, is as deadly as arsenic or mustard gas…
LONDON, England (CNN) — Sunbeds pose a similar cancer risk as cigarettes and asbestos, according to an international cancer research agency.
The International Agency…

How Does Kidney Trafficking Work?

Calls for Action — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:47:33 +0000

On July 23, a lengthy FBI probe into corruption in New Jersey ended in the arrests of 44 people, including two mayors, a prominent real-estate developer and several rabbis. But amid the bribery and money-laundering allegations, the element of the sweeping sting that grabbed the most attention was the accusation that Levy Izhak Rosenbaum, a New York City resident, had tried to orchestrate the sale of a human kidney for $160,000. The black-market kidney trade is a growing problem — the World Health Organization estimates that organ trafficking accounts for 5-10% of all kidney transplants worldwide

New York City is getting the shaft.
From City Hall to the seething city streets, that was the consensus Tuesday as angry New Yorkers denounced the fed’s decision to steer stimulus money to lesser burgs – and scuttle the NYPD’s bid to add 2,000 cops.
City Councilman Bill de Blasio, a Brooklyn Democrat who had been removed from the Democratic party line in the September primary election because of a one-digit typographical error…

More stories …

Original post:
How Does Kidney Trafficking Work?

School Season Heralds New Flu Concerns

Josh — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:55:57 +0000

U.S. health officials are preparing intensively to combat an anticipated wave of outbreaks of the new H1N1 flu when children return to school and the pace of cases picks up. Identified by scientists just three months ago, the new swine-flu virus has reached nearly every country, spreading tenaciously with what the World Health Organization this week called “unprecedented speed.” Rather than die down in the summer as some experts initially expected, it is continuing to proliferate even in countries like the U.S.

U.S. health officials are preparing intensively to combat an anticipated wave of outbreaks of the new H1N1 flu when children return to school and the pace of cases picks up.

Identified by scientists just three months ago, the new swine-flu virus has reached nearly every country, spreading tenaciously with what the World Health Organization this week called “unprecedented speed.” Rather than die down in the summer as some experts initially expected, it is continuing to proliferate even in countries like the U.S.

LONDON (Reuters) – A group of 52 British school children and their teachers have been quarantined in Beijing after four pupils were admitted to hospital infected with the H1N1 flu virus…
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Saying the new H1N1 virus is “unstoppable”, the World Health Organization gave drug makers a full go-ahead to manufacture vaccines against the pandemic…

UN health agency gives up on counting swine flu

Calls for Action — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 04:04:34 +0000

LONDON — The World Health Organization says it will stop counting individual cases of swine flu . Tracking individual swine flu cases is too overwhelming for countries where the virus is spreading widely, the agency says in a statement. WHO will no longer issue global totals of swine flu cases , although it will continue to track the global epidemic.

LONDON — The World Health Organization says it will stop counting individual cases of swine flu.

Tracking individual swine flu cases is too overwhelming for countries where the virus is spreading widely, the agency says in a statement. WHO will no longer issue global totals of swine flu cases, although it will continue to track the global epidemic.

WHO says countries should look for signs the virus is mutating, such as changes in the way swine flu is spreading, surges in hospital visits or more severe cases.

Drivers at the Royal Mail depot in Plystock walked out for two hours
Drivers at the Royal Mail depot in Plymouth have gone back to work after taking part in the first of two two-hour strikes.
Chloe Buckley was “perfectly healthy” before she caught the virus.
Further tests will be carried out later to try to determine whether two people who died after contracting swine flu were killed by the virus.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Saying the new H1N1 virus is “unstoppable”, the World Health Organization gave drug makers a full go-ahead to manufacture vaccines against the pandemic…

Top Republicans: Palin may have stopped making sense, but she can …

Calls for Action — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:23:58 +0000

WASHINGTON — Sarah Palin is pretty much toast for 2012, but she can still make a lot of money for herself and the party, top Republicans said Sunday. “It’s astounding, I’d think, if you want to run for President” to quit as a first- term governor , Sen.

WASHINGTON — Sarah Palin is pretty much toast for 2012, but she can still make a lot of money for herself and the party, top Republicans said Sunday.

“It’s astounding, I’d think, if you want to run for President” to quit as a first-term governor, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), whose state holds the first presidential caucus, said on Fox News Sunday.

“She marches to the beat of her own drum, and it’s going to be very interesting to see how she pulls this off,” said Karl Rove, the former White House political guru.

One of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s potential presidential rivals said Sunday that her abrupt resignation won’t help her dodge scrutiny. President George W. Bush’s chief political adviser said her strategy is, at best, unclear.
Former Arkansas Gov…
WASILLA, Alaska | Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska rattled the political world Friday by abruptly announcing that she will resign from office at the end of the month.
However…

Top Republicans: Palin may have stopped making sense, but she can …

Josh — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:23:58 +0000

WASHINGTON — Sarah Palin is pretty much toast for 2012, but she can still make a lot of money for herself and the party, top Republicans said Sunday.

“She marches to the beat of her own drum, and it’s going to be very interesting to see how she pulls this off,” said Karl Rove, the former White House political guru.

One of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s potential presidential rivals said Sunday that her abrupt resignation won’t help her dodge scrutiny. President George W. Bush’s chief political adviser said her strategy is, at best, unclear.
Former Arkansas Gov…
WASILLA, Alaska | Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska rattled the political world Friday by abruptly announcing that she will resign from office at the end of the month.
However…

WHO warns swine flu ‘unstoppable’

Calls for Action — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:53:51 +0000

The UN’s top health official has opened a forum in Mexico on combating swine flu by saying that the spread of the virus worldwide is now unstoppable. World Health Organization head Margaret Chan added that the holding of the meeting in Cancun showed confidence in Mexico, which has been hard hit. The WHO says most H1N1 cases are mild, with many people recovering unaided

The UN’s top health official has opened a forum in Mexico on combating swine flu by saying that the spread of the virus worldwide is now unstoppable.

World Health Organization head Margaret Chan added that the holding of the meeting in Cancun showed confidence in Mexico, which has been hard hit.

The WHO says most H1N1 cases are mild, with many people recovering unaided.

GENEVA (Reuters) – H1N1 influenza is causing mild symptoms that go away without medication in most patients, but care-givers should be alert for warning signs of severe cases…
At least 1 million Americans have now contracted the novel H1N1 influenza, according to mathematical models prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…

More stories …

Read the original here:
WHO warns swine flu ‘unstoppable’

WHO: 70000-plus H1N1 flu cases worldwide

Calls for Action — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:37:20 +0000

GENEVA, Switzerland, June 30 (UPI) — The World Health Organization in Switzerland says the reported number of confirmed H1N1 flu cases has reached nearly 71,000 worldwide, with 311 deaths.The United States has the most confirmed cases since the outbreak in April, reporting 27,717 confirmed cases of H1N1 flu, formerly called swine flu . Of that U.S. total, 127 people died, statistics posted on the WHO Web site indicated

GENEVA, Switzerland, June 30 (UPI) — The World Health Organization in Switzerland says the reported number of confirmed H1N1 flu cases has reached nearly 71,000 worldwide, with 311 deaths.The United States has the most confirmed cases since the outbreak in April, reporting 27,717 confirmed cases of H1N1 flu, formerly called swine flu. Of that U.S. total, 127 people died, statistics posted on the WHO Web site indicated.

The UN’s top health official has opened a forum in Mexico on combating swine flu by saying that the spread of the virus worldwide is now unstoppable.
World Health Organization…
The new H1N1 swine flu may cause more-severe illness than similar seasonal strains but may spread less easily, according to preliminary findings from a study of ferrets to be published soon by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists.
At least 1 million Americans have now contracted the novel H1N1 influenza, according to mathematical models prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…

More stories …

Read the original post:
WHO: 70000-plus H1N1 flu cases worldwide

WHO: 70000-plus H1N1 flu cases worldwide

Josh — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:37:20 +0000

GENEVA, Switzerland, June 30 (UPI) — The World Health Organization in Switzerland says the reported number of confirmed H1N1 flu cases has reached nearly 71,000 worldwide, with 311 deaths.The United States has the most confirmed cases since the outbreak in April, reporting 27,717 confirmed cases of H1N1 flu, formerly called swine flu. Of that U.S. total, 127 people died, statistics posted on the WHO Web site indicated.

The UN’s top health official has opened a forum in Mexico on combating swine flu by saying that the spread of the virus worldwide is now unstoppable.
World Health Organization…
The new H1N1 swine flu may cause more-severe illness than similar seasonal strains but may spread less easily, according to preliminary findings from a study of ferrets to be published soon by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists.
At least 1 million Americans have now contracted the novel H1N1 influenza, according to mathematical models prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…

More stories …

Read the original post:
WHO: 70000-plus H1N1 flu cases worldwide

In Close Vote, House Passes Climate Bill

Calls for Action — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:51:06 +0000

The House narrowly passed an ambitious climate bill yesterday that would establish national limits on greenhouse gases , create a complex trading system for emission permits and provide incentives to alter how individuals and corporations use energy. The bill passed 219 to 212 after a furious lobbying push by the White House and party leaders won over farm- state Democrats who had complained that it was too costly, and liberals who wondered if it was too watered down to work. Even after that effort, 44 Democrats voted against the legislation.

The bill passed 219 to 212 after a furious lobbying push by the White House and party leaders won over farm-state Democrats who had complained that it was too costly, and liberals who wondered if it was too watered down to work. Even after that effort, 44 Democrats voted against the legislation.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama pushed urgently Thursday for passage of legislation to confront global warming, billing it as a job-creating machine rather than the costly “job killer” Republicans denounced.

H1N1 ‘swine’ flu has infected an estimated 1 million in US

Josh — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:05:00 +0000

At least 1 million Americans have now contracted the novel H1N1 influenza , according to mathematical models prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while data from the field indicates that the virus is continuing to spread even though the normal flu season is over and that an increasing proportion of victims are being hospitalized. Meanwhile, the virus is continuing its rapid spread through the Southern Hemisphere , infecting increasing numbers of people and at least one pig. Nearly 28,000 laboratory-confirmed U.S

Meanwhile, the virus is continuing its rapid spread through the Southern Hemisphere, infecting increasing numbers of people and at least one pig.

Nearly 28,000 laboratory-confirmed U.S. cases of the virus, also known as swine flu, have been reported to the CDC, almost half of the more than 56,000 cases globally reported to the World Health Organization.

ATLANTA — Swine flu has infected as many as 1 million Americans, U.S. health officials said Thursday, adding that 6 percent or more of some urban populations are infected…
NEW YORK – Delta Air Lines Inc. on Monday said travel demand slowed by the H1N1 virus will result in a $250 million hit to the carrier’s revenue this year.
CEO Richard…
Swine flu was last week declared a global pandemic
South Africa’s first swine flu case – a 12-year-old boy who flew in from the US – has been confirmed.
The boy was admitted to a private hospital on Monday morning and discharged after treatment…

H1N1 ‘swine’ flu has infected an estimated 1 million in US

Calls for Action — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:05:00 +0000

Meanwhile, the virus is continuing its rapid spread through the Southern Hemisphere, infecting increasing numbers of people and at least one pig.

ATLANTA — Swine flu has infected as many as 1 million Americans, U.S. health officials said Thursday, adding that 6 percent or more of some urban populations are infected…
NEW YORK – Delta Air Lines Inc. on Monday said travel demand slowed by the H1N1 virus will result in a $250 million hit to the carrier’s revenue this year.
CEO Richard…
Swine flu was last week declared a global pandemic
South Africa’s first swine flu case – a 12-year-old boy who flew in from the US – has been confirmed.
The boy was admitted to a private hospital on Monday morning and discharged after treatment…

Obama signs landmark law to regulate tobacco

Josh — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:54:29 +0000

* New law allows tough new FDA limits on tobacco * Tobacco blamed for 440,000 U.S. deaths per year * Companies say will comply with regulations (Adds quotes from Obama, comments from industry) WASHINGTON, June 22 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama,citing his own struggle to give up smoking, signed a law onMonday giving the U.S.

* New law allows tough new FDA limits on tobacco

* Tobacco blamed for 440,000 U.S. deaths per year

* Companies say will comply with regulations (Adds quotes from Obama, comments from industry)

WASHINGTON, June 22 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama,citing his own struggle to give up smoking, signed a law onMonday giving the U.S. government broad regulatory power forthe first time over cigarettes and other tobacco products.

Obama said the law would curb the ability of tobaccocompanies to market their products to the young.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Obama signed landmark legislation Monday giving the Food and Drug Administration new power to regulate the manufacturing, marketing and sale of tobacco.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs dismissed concerns on Monday that the Obama administration has allowed Congress to take the the lead in crafting new health care reform.
President Obama knows all too well how difficult it is to quit smoking, and today he addressed his struggle to kick the habit just before signing a law he hopes will help other people put out their cigarettes too.

Thailand reports 73 new cases of swine flu, total now 662

Calls for Action — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 07:00:42 +0000

Bangkok – Thailand confirmed 73 new cases of swine flu Saturday, taking the country’s total to 662, the Thai Health Ministry reported. Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said no one has died from the virus in Thailand and only 11 have needed to be hospitalized

Bangkok – Thailand confirmed 73 new cases of swine flu Saturday, taking the country’s total to 662, the Thai Health Ministry reported.

Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said no one has died from the virus in Thailand and only 11 have needed to be hospitalized.

Most of the cases have been in Bangkok, with a lesser number found in 23 other provinces. Thailand has 76 provinces including Bangkok.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the swine flu pandemic on June 11. The virus has killed 180 people and infected more than 44,000 others across the globe, according to the WHO.

June 22 (Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama will takehis case to the American people this week on a plan to overhaulthe U.S. health-care system as Congress struggles to find abipartisan way to approve his top domestic priority.

Next question in swine flu – who gets vaccinated?

Josh — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:01:32 +0000

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Drug makers are gearing up to make vaccines against the new H1N1 virus, starting test batches and pledging free doses for poor countries . Governments are pledging billions for the vaccine — the United States has set aside $1 billion, the Netherlands ordered 34 million doses and Australia has ordered 10 million doses as the World Health Organization declared a pandemic

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Drug makers are gearing up to make vaccines against the new H1N1 virus, starting test batches and pledging free doses for poor countries.

Governments are pledging billions for the vaccine — the United States has set aside $1 billion, the Netherlands ordered 34 million doses and Australia has ordered 10 million doses as the World Health Organization declared a pandemic.

Yet no one is sure yet whether even to give the vaccine to anyone and if so, who should get it.

Usually the guidelines for influenza vaccination are clear — give it to the oldest,

The World Health Organization officially declared Thursday that the global outbreak of swine flu has reached the level of a pandemic — with more than 27,000 cases…
The World Health Organization last declared a pandemic 41 years ago
A sharp increase in swine flu cases in Australia may mean the infection has become a pandemic, the World Health Organization says.
For that to happen…

More stories …

Read the original post:
Next question in swine flu – who gets vaccinated?

Obama: Israeli PM’s speech opening for Mideast

Josh — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:53:31 +0000

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Monday welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s endorsement of Palestinian independence as a way to restart peace talks and called on Arab neighbors to join the discussion. Bending to U.S. pressure in a speech a day earlier, Netanyahu backed down on decades of opposition to Palestinian statehood by endorsing an independent state beside Israel.

Bending to U.S. pressure in a speech a day earlier, Netanyahu backed down on decades of opposition to Palestinian statehood by endorsing an independent state beside Israel. He invited the Palestinians and others in the Arab world to resume peace talks, but he attached conditions that were immediately derided as too restrictive.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Monday he saw “positive movement” in a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he endorsed a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict…
The Palestinian government has called on the international community to confront Israel about the Israeli prime minister’s remarks Sunday that he would endorse a Palestinian state with certain conditions.