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WHAT: A new study shows that molecular similarities exist between the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus and other strains of seasonal H1N1 virus that have been circulating in the population since 1988. These results suggest that healthy adults may have a level of protective immune memory that can blunt the severity of infection caused by the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. The study team was led by Bjoern Peters, Ph.D., and Alessandro Sette, Ph.D., of La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, Calif., grantees of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. The...

Critics are calling it a two-tier health system — one for the politically well-connected, another for the hoi polloi. As Germany launched its mass vaccination program against the H1N1 flu virus on Monday, the government found itself fending off accusations of favoritism by offering one vaccine believed to have fewer side effects to civil servants, politicians and soldiers, and another potentially riskier vaccine to everyone else. The government had hoped that Germans would rush to health clinics to receive vaccinations against the rapidly spreading disease, but the rising anger over the different doses may now cause many people to shy...

A team led by scientists from The Scripps Research Institute has developed a method that dramatically improves the efficiency of creating stem cells from human adult tissue, without the use of embryonic cells. The research makes great strides in addressing a major practical challenge in the development of stem-cell-based medicine. The findings were published in an advance, online issue of the journal Nature Methods on October 18, 2009. The new technique, which uses three small drug-like chemicals, is 200 times more efficient and twice as fast as conventional methods for transforming adult human cells into stem cells (in this case...

Proposed rankings would classify genomes by completeness and quality.Scientists have proposed classifying genome sequences into six groups, based on their quality.A. Sumner / Science Photo Library Researchers who have mapped a species' genome need to be more explicit about the quality of their sequence, says an international team of genome researchers."People generating these sequences should discriminate a bit more between the products that they provide to the rest of the scientific community," says Patrick Chain of the Joint Genome Institute at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico who is first author of a policy paper on genomic standards...

But once we clear away the wreckage, the real question is what we will build in its place. Even as we rescue this economy from a full-blown crisis, For if we do not seize this moment to confront the weaknesses that have plagued our economy for decades, we will consign ourselves and our children to future crises, sluggish growth, or both. To build that foundation, we must lower the health-care costs that are driving us into debt, create the jobs of the future within our borders, give our workers the skills and training they need to compete for those jobs,...

(IsraelNN.com) Blacks in Chicago will riot if their hometown pride Barack Hussein Obama doesn't become the first U.S. President of color, police there are convinced. The Chicago Police Department has significantly beefed up patrols throughout the city to be prepared, in case.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 2007 – Iraqi security forces are growing stronger and more effective as they take the lead in more operations and continue to recruit and train record numbers to fill their ranks, a top U.S. advisor in Iraq said yesterday. At a news conference, Army Brig. Gen. James C. Yarbrough, commander of the Iraqi Assistance Group, touted “significant growth and increased effectiveness” within the Iraqi army, police and border patrol. New units are forming, equipping, training, and operating alongside coalition forces in all areas of the Iraqi army, police and border security division, Yarbrough said. “Progress has...

HAVANA - A statement signed by Fidel Castro Wednesday said his weight was stable and he was eating solid foods after months of intravenous feeding that followed several operations, including an initial surgery that did not go well. The statement from the 80-year-old Cuban leader said he was taking all medicines orally and his weight had stabilized. "I tell everyone simply that I am getting better and maintain a stable weight of about 176 pounds," he wrote. "It wasn't just one operation, but various. Initially it wasn't successful and had a bearing on my prolonged recuperation." He added that the...

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2007 – Life in Iraq’s Anbar province is still dangerous, but security is improving, the senior commander for ground operations in the province said yesterday in Baghdad. For example, 22 joint security stations in the town of Ramadi now are helping to tamp down violence, Marine Brig. Gen. Charles M. Gurganus, ground forces commander for Multinational Force West, said during a news conference. “As security continues to improve, we don’t think that there will be a need for all of those security stations,” Gurganus, whose jurisdiction includes Anbar province, said. Much success has been achieved in...

How embarrassing is this? A U.S. Senator, John McCain, for some crazy reason, decided to run for State Committeeman in Arizona. So, the Senator puts his name on the ballot, loses. Then claims he really didn't intend to run? Who is naive enough to believe that? Why would a U.S. Senator, running for President of the United States run for State Committeeman, in his own local district AND LOSES--THIS HAS TO BE EMBARRASSING. Those that know him best didn't feel he could serve them as a Committeeman? Yet he wants to be President of the United States? Worse, a former...

Some of the Australian Defence Force personnel embedded within the Coalition at Camp Victory. Photo by Maj. John McPherson. BAGHDAD -- A small group of Australian Defence Force people working in and around Baghdad are making a big difference to the progress of the Coalition in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Iraq. They are an unusual group in that they are embedded into elements of the Multi-National Force - Iraq headquarters, which is ran by the U.S., and with Americans and a number of other nationalities.Based predominantly out of the Camp Victory’s Al Faw Palace - with a number within...

WASHINGTON, August 2, 2006 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld disputed recent assertions today that the Army is declining in readiness due to equipment shortfalls. “The truth, as anyone in the Army leadership will tell you, is that the Army today is vastly better than it was two, four, six or eight years ago,” Rumsfeld told Pentagon reporters at a news briefing. “It has much more equipment, much better equipment, and it’s better trained and more experienced,” he said. “It is a better Army.” All units deployed to Iraq meet one of the top two readiness levels, “C1” or “C2,”...

WASHINGTON - Gritty rats and mice living in sewers and farms seem to have healthier immune systems than their squeaky clean cousins that frolic in cushy antiseptic labs, two studies indicate. The lesson for humans: Clean living may make us sick. The studies give more weight to a 17-year-old theory that the sanitized Western world may be partly to blame for soaring rates of human allergy and asthma cases and some autoimmune diseases, such as Type I diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. The theory, called the hygiene hypothesis, figures that people's immune systems aren't being challenged by disease and dirt early...

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. - Barbaro was seen napping in his stall Wednesday morning, another indication the seriously injured Kentucky Derby winner was making steady progress on his long road to recovery from life-threatening leg injuries. "I happened to peek in there today, in the ICU this morning, and it was early and quiet and the light was dim and he was laying down very peacefully, sleeping in his stall," said Corinne Sweeney, executive hospital director at the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center. "And I talked to Dean Richardson and he...

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Trevor A. Chapman makes sure his M-2 .50-caliber machine gun is mounted correctly in the new Marine Corps Armored Turret System. The new turret offers gunners greater protection and visibility with ballistic glass shielding. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva Marine Gunners Safer, See Better With New Turrets The new armored turret systems are being installed on seven-ton trucks, the first in an upgrade to give gunners greater visibility and beefed-up protection for convoy operations. By U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva Regimental Combat Team 5 CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq, May...

Governor Schwarzenegger began his third year in office by proposing to spend $125.6 billion in the state budget, with a sizeable $6 billion operating deficit that relies entirely on prior-year revenues to fill the current year gap. It's a risky tactic Republicans oppose, in the face of a structural deficit that may grow much worse in future years when revenues might decline and there will not be a reserve to fall back on. Republicans hope the economic outlook predicted in the governor's May revision will show improvement when compared to the budget proposed in January, much as it did last...

McDermott's leak is no better Sunday, April 9, 2006 - Page updated at 12:00 AM Editorial Ethical leadership should include members of Congress. Rep. Jim McDermott, Seattle Democrat, was not acting ethically a decade ago when he leaked an illegally taped phone conversation to The New York Times. The couple who taped it pleaded guilty and paid fines of $500 each. Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, and now House majority leader, was one of the men on the tape, and sued McDermott. He says he offered to drop his lawsuit three years ago if McDermott would apologize and donate $10,000 to...

Gov. Orders Better Storm-Evacuation Plan Wednesday March 22, 2006 12:01 AM By LIZ AUSTIN Associated Press Writer AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Gov. Rick Perry ordered state officials Tuesday to develop an improved hurricane-evacuation plan, including devising a way to open major highways to one-way outbound traffic if a storm approaches Texas. The reforms were meant to prevent another chaotic evacuation like the one that preceded Hurricane Rita last September, when about 60 people died while fleeing the storm and many motorists became stuck in heavy traffic. ``Our goal is to learn from the lessons that Hurricane Rita taught us and...

FORT PIERCE, Fla. - Paul Kuschel would have been better off naked _ like many of the folks at Sunnier Palms Nudist Park. Instead, he was wearing a pair of nylon shorts Sunday when a generator he was working on backfired and sprayed him with starter fluid, setting him ablaze. "I would have been better off wearing nothing on at all," Kuschel told Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. The fire seared his shorts to his backside. "It's a good thing I wasn't wearing a shirt," he said. Kuschel, 43, suffered second-degree and third-degree burns. He was taken to a hospital with...

California taxpayers, perhaps poised to spend billions of dollars on new public works projects, deserve to get the most for their money. But that won't happen without changes in state law to speed up construction and hold down costs. Gov. Schwarzenegger's proposed $222 billion Strategic Growth Plan has focused the state on the need for highway, school, water, prison and court projects. But the debate about what should be included and how much the state can afford should also involve changes in how projects are delivered. AB 2025, by Assemblyman Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks, would allow the use of the...

US crops left to rot as Mexicans leave the fields for better-paid jobs Low pay, harsh conditions and security checks force immigrant workers into other sectors Dan Glaister in Calexico Saturday February 4, 2006 The Guardian (UK) Standing in the early morning darkness just 50 metres inside the United States, Roberto Camacho is doing his best to ward off the cold. Dressed in a black bomber jacket with a baseball cap pulled low over his brow, he shuffles from foot to foot as he waits for a lift to work. After 15 years working in the fields of California for...

Iraqi Army Battalion Relocates to Better Serve The 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division of the Iraqi army relocates to best conduct counter insurgency operations and to improve security for the Iraqi people. By U.S. Army Cpt. Lyn Graves KIRKUK, Iraq, Jan. 31, 2006 — Iraqi army soldiers loaded up their equipment, lined up their vehicles, prepared for relocation, and departed the army base north of Kirkuk. "The soldiers of 4th battalion [Iraqi army] have proven themselves extremely capable in the Kirkuk area and will take their experience and expertise to the Bayji area."U.S. Army Maj. Steven Howell...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2006 – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today highlighted the importance of promoting a more cooperative working relationship between American diplomats and the U.S. military in order to achieve global objectives. "Over the past 15 years, as violent state failure has become a greater global threat, our military has borne a disproportionate share of post-conflict responsibilities because we have not had the standing civilian capability to play our part fully," she said in a speech at Georgetown University here. "This was true in Somalia, in Haiti, in Bosnia, in Kosovo and it is still partially true in...

KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 10, 2006 – A new piece of communications equipment is giving Afghan National Army units the capability to stay connected with each other and their operations centers regardless of the distance between them or the types of radios used. The Advanced Control Unit-Tactical, or ACU-T, is designed to serve as a bridge between divergent communications systems to allow communications between ANA units with incompatible radio systems. Produced by Raytheon, the unit is the newest addition to the ANA's communications inventory. Before the ACU-T, most ANA units used either VHF radios that have a maximum range of 40...

BAGHDAD, Dec. 21, 2005 – Mosul is a microcosm of Iraq. It's the second-largest city in the country, and contains all kinds of people who make up the ethnic stew that is this nation. Shiia Arab, Sunni Arab, Kurds, Turkomen, ethnic Iranians, Assyrians and many other ethnicities settled in Mosul, taking advantage of its location astride ancient trading routes, and amid fertile land that turned the region into the wheat belt of the Middle East. The city is the capital of Ninewa province. In Judeo-Christian heritage, Ninevah was the home of the prophets Jonah and Isaiah, and it has the...

HONOLULU - Legendary Hawaiian crooner Don Ho on Thursday said he's feeling much better and may return home to the islands within a few days. Ho, known for his signature tune "Tiny Bubbles," remained at a Thailand hospital recovering from an experimental stem cell procedure on his ailing heart. He was moved out of intensive care Wednesday. "I'm feeling much better and I'm so happy I came up here to do it," the 75-year-old Ho said in a statement. "I'm looking forward to coming home." A Thursday photo released by his Honolulu publicist Donna Jung shows a shirtless, baseball cap-wearing...

Signs point to a strong economy By LARRY KUDLOW Columnist Posted on Thu, Dec. 01, 2005 Here are a few things IÂ’ve learned recently: â–  The boat-building business is booming, with big backlogs for orders in the $80,000 to $300,000 price range. Why is this important? Prosperity. People buy luxury items when theyÂ’ve got the money to do so. This is a very positive economic-growth indicator. â–  A midsized U.S. insurance company has been issuing a record number of group employee-benefit packages for disability, accident and other coverage to small companies. This is a sign of new- and small-business formation,...

Passport plan won't better border security The Saratogian, 11/20/2005 Imagine having to show a passport to visit a friend or relative or go to a business luncheon. That's what residents along New York's northern border face because of the proposed Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. While a driver's license or birth certificate is all that's needed now, the initiative would require passports by 2008 at all land crossings into the United States. This is an effort to block terrorists, but it's a stumble in homeland security that ignores actual gaps in border protection. Terrorists tend not to bother with niceties such...

MINNEAPOLIS - America's security in the future depends on how it acts today — while it's still the only global superpower, former President Bill Clinton told a crowd Saturday at the University of Minnesota. "We should be trying to build a world now that we want to live in when we're not the only big dog on the block," Clinton said. But he said recent actions at home and abroad have undermined that goal. A unilateral foreign policy that alienates allies is creating global resentment, and large tax cuts during a time of war are creating an economic mess and...

SAQALAWIYAH, Iraq (Oct. 24, 2005) -- The room is small and furnished with only a desk, two small sofas and a few file cabinets, but this doesn’t stop the police chief here from conducting daily business. A new Iraqi flag hangs behind his worn desk on a wall desperately in need of repairs. Yet, he selflessly speaks only of his concerns for a safer and better Iraq. “Baghdad is only 30 miles away, but we are about 70 years behind in growth,” said the police chief. The Saqalawiyah Iraqi Police are currently working with members of the 6th Civil Affairs...

Proposition 77 is better than nothing. And nothing is what Californians have been getting for years from politicians' empty promises. Californians should vote yes on Proposition 77, a political reform initiative on the Nov. 8 special election ballot. The initiative proposes to take the drawing of political boundary lines away from politicians and give it to a panel of three retired judges. Maybe your eyes have rolled back into your head. You ask: "Who cares?" You should care a lot. The system now: Every 10 years, a U.S. Census is conducted. Based on its population statistics, the boundary lines of...

Storming Europe: the migrants in search of a better life By Isambard Wilkinson in Madrid (Filed: 28/09/2005) Hundreds of migrants intent on entering Europe tried to storm a security fence on the Spanish-Moroccan border yesterday in scenes reminiscent of a medieval siege. Using 270 ladders and sheer force of numbers, about 100 of the mainly sub-Saharan African migrants scaled the 15ft fence around the Spanish enclave of Melilla. Failed migrants detained after attempting to breach the security fence between Melilla and Morrocco Eighteen people, including six policemen "forced to deploy riot gear" to hold back the flow of people, were...

WASHINGTON - The United States' image is so tattered overseas two years after the Iraq invasion that China, which is ruled by a communist dictatorship, is viewed more favorably than the U.S. in many countries, an international poll found. The poor image persists even though the Bush administration has been promoting freedom and democracy throughout the world in recent months and has sent hundreds of millions of dollars in relief aid to Indian Ocean nations hit by the devastating Dec. 26 tsunami. "It's amazing when you see the European public rating the United States so poorly, especially in comparison with...

Iraqi rebels better armed than we first thought, say US marines By Oliver Poole in Baghdad (Filed: 16/05/2005) Iraqi insurgents have proved to be better equipped and more elusive than expected, United States marines have said at the end of a week-long operation near the Syrian border. Many rebels wore bullet-proof vests and a number had Soviet-designed armour piercing bullets and night sights, equipment rarely seen previously in Iraq. In one clash two marines were killed when militant fighters lay on their backs in the narrow gap under a house and fired through the concrete floor. The end of the...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former President Bill Clinton (news - web sites) encouraged Democrats on Thursday to rally around the party's leaders and said doomsayers who predict the party's demise needed to "get a life and look at history." Clinton told Democratic activists gathered in Washington for a two-day meeting, which concludes on Saturday with the expected election of former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (news - web sites) as party chairman, that "better tactics" and a clearer vision would foster a swing in the political pendulum and a Democratic revival. "We need to stop saying that in order to win the...

It has been noted that there has been a grievous and unprovoked attack on Great Britain on these pages http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1295524/posts which THE MANAGEMENT, in their wisdom, have seen fit to leave in situ. Therefore, here is the British response. [Note to Mr Moderator, please feel free to remove this thread (I'm sure you will anyway) and indeed ban me from these boards (once again) However, if you do choose you that path, please display your lack of bias and sense of fair play by removing the "40 Reasons why the US is Better than Britain (humor)" thread which I have...

Seeing Red and Feeling BlueBetter Red than Dead By Ron Peacock (pavonews.com) In your recent travels, has anyone noticed a post-election despondency amongst a certain segment of our population? On November 2nd, President Bush won re-election and the Republican Party gained an unprecedented second term majority of congressional seats. In the month following the election, the realities of these events have been beyond comprehension to a certain demographic of our population. It seems some of our left leaning brothers and sisters are seeing red and feeling blue.It has come to this writer's attention that a number of John Kerry...

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Flying low over the Sonoran Desert, Border Patrol agents spotted a skeleton sprawled in the brush. The harsh terrain just inside Arizona is a busy trafficking corridor for illegal immigrants; the person could have died while trying to sneak into the United States. But busy Interstate 8 runs nearby - the person could have been a slain U.S. citizen, a suicide, a runaway. The Border Patrol is grappling with just how to count the dead found along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border. "It's rarely a cut-and-dry decision," said Joe Brigman, spokesman for Yuma Border Patrol. "In some...

"I can wage a better war on terror than George Bush has." So speaks Senator Kerry in the U.S. presidential campaign's final days, again reminding voters that the key issue in this race remains as it was a year earlier - deciding which candidate will better protect Americans from terrorism.As with so many topics, the basic difference between Kerry and President Bush is one of character, with the challenger repeatedly changing his mind and the president sticking with one position.On occasion, Mr. Kerry adopts Bush-like terminology. For example, in September 2004 he talked about the war on terror being "as...

Heinz Kerry, 66, also noted her age difference with Bush, 57. ``I'm older, and my validation of what I do is a little bit bigger - because I'm older, and I've had different experiences. And it's not a criticism of her. It's just, you know, what life is about,'' she said.

Let's hope that while Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger zipped around New York with federal Secretary of Education Rod Paige during the Republican convention, Paige enlightened Arnold on the Education Wars that Schwarzenegger has mangled thus far. I feel no joy in having correctly predicted 10 months ago that Schwarzenegger and state Education Secretary Richard Riordan were so green they ran the risk of being rolled by sophisticated anti-reformist education unions. School reform is under attack by unions and their loud mouthpiece, Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg of Los Angeles. They pursue a multiphased war to lower standards in math, science, reading and English...

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Jews overwhelmingly want President George W. Bush (news - web sites) to beat his Democrat challenger John Kerry (news - web sites) in the US presidential election on November 2, according to an opinion poll. A total of 49 percent of people questioned said they preferred Bush, with just 18 percent wanting Kerry to win. Seven percent believed the two candidates were equally good for Israel, while two percent said they were equally bad for the Jewish state. The rest offered no opinion. At the same time, 42 percent of those questioned believed Israeli Prime Minister...

Labor leader: unions better without John Kerry 7/27/04 BOSTON -- The head of the largest union in the AFL-CIO says the labor movement is in crisis and might be more motivated to change if Democrat John Kerry is not elected president -- even though he doesn't want to chance it by keeping George W. Bush in the White House. Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, with 1.6 million members, said in an interview Monday with The Washington Post that the effort he is leading to restructure organized labor would lose momentum under a Democratic president. "I don't...

Iran took time out from dealing with its tens of thousands of earthquake casualties to spew forth more hatred towards Israel - even at the expense of its own dead, wounded, orphans and homeless. "The Islamic Republic of Iran," announced the country's official news agency IRNA, "welcomes all the humanitarian aid being offered by various countries and organizations - except for that from the Zionist entity." Despite the above, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom issued a statement of condolences, saying, "The Government of Israel and the people of Israel feel the pain of the human tragedy being experienced by the Iranian...

<p>I'm thinking the Salvation Army is going about this whole fund-raising thing all wrong.</p> <p>Those fine folks are still tied to antiquated ways, depending on red kettles and warm hearts to get them what they need. They still cling to the hope that the ringing of their bells will result in the ringing of spare change outside shopping centers and grocery stores across the Valley.</p>

The patient is bleeding us dry but shows few signs of getting better (Filed: 25/09/2003) Labour vowed to save the NHS - but it is proving an expensive promise. In the fourth part of our investigation into the state of public services Celia Hall gives the money-hungry beast a check-up. During almost 20 years in opposition, there was one issue on which Labour could rely for voter support: the National Health Service. It had been the party in power when the NHS was established in 1948 and felt that it possessed proprietorial rights. As demands for health care grew, Labour...

Scientists Bring New Twist To 'Death By Chocolate' With Chocolate Flavoured Mousetrap <!-- BODY BEGIN <p>A mousetrap made out of chocolate developed by scientists at the University of Warwick is set to bring a new meaning to 'Death by Chocolate'. The novel invention leads mice into temptation with the irresistible, alluring scent of chocolate essence without the use of bait. </p> <p><p>A collaboration of the University of Warwick's Innovation Direct service, a free consultancy service for SMEs (Small and Medium Sized Enterprises) and Sorex Ltd, a leading manufacturer of rodent control products, from Cheshire, has developed the mousetrap made out...

The criminals are better organised than Iraq's occupation administration By Patrick Cockburn in Basra 28 June 2003 In the city of Basra, Saddam Hussein erected 100 giant statues, cast in copper, of Iraqi military heroes killed in the Iran-Iraq war. They stood on plinths on a long quay beside the Shatt al-Arab waterway, their right arms raised and their fingers pointing in a threatening gesture towards the Iranian border a few miles away. The statues were a tempting target for Iraqi looters, eager to sell the copper. They have all been torn from their plinths and, with one exception, sold...

Prehistoric 'shoes' better than modern hiking boots Prehistoric 'shoes' made out of bearskin and hay are better for mountain walks than modern hiking boots, claims an expert. Shoe specialist Petr Hlavacek has been studying the shoes found on the feet of a prehistoric iceman whose mummified body was found in an Alpine glacier in 1991. Mr Hlavacek, who reconstructed a pair of the shoes, said they kept the foot at an optimal temperature, allowed sweat to evaporate and dried quickly if they got wet. The footwear engineer's version went on display this week at the Leather Museum in Offenbach. Christian...

The design of one of the world's most versatile and celebrated architects Daniel Liebeskind, is expected to be chosen as the replacement for the World Trade Centre buildings, although some of the features are likely to be radically altered or left out. Both the governor of New York State, George Pataki and the city's Mayor Michael Bloomberg, prefer Liebeskind's jagged towers design to the other shortlisted proposal, a set of latticework towers designed by a rival practice, Think.Liebeskinds proposals have also gained favour with the New York Port Authority, which owns the World Trade Centre Site and the Lower Manhattan...