Al Qaeda again threatens America (Thread 3) Daily Terror Threat

To: Domestic Church

4,921 posted on 02/23/2004 8:58:18 PM PST by TexKat (Just because you did not see it or read it, that does not mean it did or did not happen.)

Americans have very short memories, we see that now, 9/11 is a distant memory for most people. If OBL were announced as being captured tomorrow, it would be a 2-3 week story tops, then the media would shift the focus back to their usual coverage of the war on terror.

4,922 posted on 02/23/2004 8:59:45 PM PST by oceanview

To: jerseygirl; TexKat; All

AVIAN INFLUENZA H5N2, POULTRY - USA (TEXAS)(02 International Society for Infectious Diseases

http://www.isid.org

USDA Confirms Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Texas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture today confirmed that the H5N2 strain of avian influenza in a flock of chickens in Texas is highly pathogenic avian influenza, the 1st such case in the United States in 20 years. USDA is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to forestall any human health impact from this outbreak. There is no evidence to date of any human health implications of this HPAI virus in Texas.

"The H5 strain can be high- or low-pathogenic, and the clinical signs observed at the outset of this outbreak suggested that the disease was low-path avian influenza," said Dr. Ron DeHaven, USDA's chief veterinary officer. "However, further testing by our National Veterinary Services laboratory in Ames, Iowa, determined that this strain is highly pathogenic avian influenza."

The premises in Gonzales County, Texas, remains under quarantine, and the flock of approximately 6608 broiler chickens were depopulated over the weekend. USDA and the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) have started an epidemiological investigation that includes determining the source of the infection and surveillance testing within a 10-mile radius of the infected property.

{{{"We urge everyone who has poultry to practice good biosecurity measures}}} and report any sick birds or death losses to either TAHC or USDA," said DeHaven. "Proper biosecurity, including wearing protective clothing and disinfecting any equipment before leaving a facility, will ensure this disease does not spread."

HPAI spreads through bird-to-bird contact. HPAI viruses can also be spread by manure, equipment, vehicles, egg flats, crates, and people whose clothing or shoes that may have come in contact with the virus.

For more information on avian influenza, please visit the APHIS Web site:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/

or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site: http://www.cdc.gov

A Threat to U.S. Poultry

Worldwide, there are many strains of avian influenza (AI) virus that can cause varying amounts of clinical illness in poultry. AI viruses can infect chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, ducks, geese, and guinea fowl, as well as a wide variety of other birds. Migratory waterfowl have proved to be the natural reservoir for this disease.

AI viruses can be classified into low pathogenic (LPAI) and highly pathogenic (HPAI) forms based on the severity of the illness they cause.

Most AI virus strains are LPAI and typically cause little or no clinical signs in infected birds. However, some LPAI virus strains are capable of mutating under field conditions into HPAI viruses.

HPAI is an extremely infectious and fatal form of the disease for chickens.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) works to keep HPAI from becoming established in the U.S. poultry population. HPAI can strike poultry quickly without any infection warning signs. Once established, the disease can spread rapidly from flock to flock. It is essential for the U.S. poultry industry to be alert to this disease threat.

Clinical Signs - Birds affected with HPAI may show one or more of the following signs:

- Sudden death without clinical signs
- Lack of energy and appetite
- Decreased egg production
- Soft-shelled or misshapen eggs
- Swelling of the head, eyelids, comb, wattles, and hocks
- Purple discoloration of the wattles, combs, and legs
{{{- Nasal discharge}}}

- Coughing, sneezing

- Incoordination

- Diarrhea

Economic Impact of an HPAI Outbreak

A major outbreak of HPAI would be costly to the poultry industry, consumers, and taxpayers. Eradication of an HPAI outbreak that occurred during 1983 and 1984 in the northeastern United States resulted in the destruction of more than 17 million birds at a cost of nearly USD 65 million. This outbreak also caused retail egg prices to increase by more than 30 percent.

Introduction and Spread of HPAI Virus

Exposure of poultry to migratory waterfowl and the international movement of poultry, poultry equipment, and people pose risks for introducing HPAI into U.S. poultry. Once introduced, the disease can be spread from bird to bird by direct contact. HPAI viruses can also be spread by manure, equipment, vehicles, egg flats, crates, and people whose clothing or shoes have come in contact with the virus. HPAI viruses can remain viable at moderate temperatures for long periods in the environment and can survive indefinitely in frozen material. One gram of contaminated manure can contain enough virus to infect 1 million birds.

Potential Threat to Human Health

In some instances, strains of HPAI viruses can be infectious to people. Human infections with the avian influenza viruses under natural conditions have been documented in recent years. The H5N1 strain, isolated in Hong Kong in 1997, was highly pathogenic for chickens and caused a limited outbreak in 18 people. 6 of these individuals died. Since mid-December 2003, a growing number of Asian countries have reported outbreaks of HPAI in chickens and ducks. The rapid spread of HPAI, with outbreaks occurring at the same time, is historically unprecedented and of growing concern for human health as well as for animal health.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), particularly alarming is the HPAI strain of most of these outbreaks -- H5N1 -- which has jumped the species barrier causing severe disease, with high mortality in humans. For this reason, poultry personnel and avian health care specialists should wear adequate personal protective equipment, such as boots, coveralls, gloves, face masks, and headgear, and follow appropriate sanitary and disinfectant procedures when on premises known or suspected to be infected with HPAI.

Of greater concern to WHO is the possibility that the present situation, if the virus acquires human influenza genes, can give rise to human-to-human transmission and possibly another influenza pandemic in people.

{{{Trade Restrictions}}}

Because many Asian countries are not considered free of another contagious poultry disease, exotic Newcastle disease (END), the United States restricts imports of poultry and poultry products from all Asian countries.

Therefore live birds, poultry and hatching eggs would be quarantined for 30 days, and would be tested for END and AI while in quarantine.

Regulations require that poultry meat be cooked or processed in a manner that would ensure that the virus be inactivated if it were present.

Additionally, poultry meat is not imported from Asia because USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has not approved Asia's poultry meat processing plants. However, poultry meat extract (i.e., instant soup and chicken noodle soup) can be imported, as these contain less than 2 percent meat and are not subject to FSIS regulations. The National Center for Import/Export (NCIE) issues import permits for these extracts requiring government certification of cooking at boiling temperature or at least cooked to 72 C internal temperature. When a product reaches this internal temperature the END and HPAI viruses are considered inactivated.

Other poultry products may be imported for research or commercial purposes depending upon the pre-importation processing protocols. These poultry products require an import permit issued by NCIE.

Biosecurity Measures on the Farm

Poultry producers should strengthen biosecurity practices to prevent the introduction of HPAI into their flocks. The following are some sound biosecurity practices:

- Keep an "all-in, all-out" philosophy of flock management.
- Protect poultry flocks from coming into contact with wild or migratory
birds. Keep poultry away from any source of water that may have been contaminated by wild birds.
- Permit only essential workers and vehicles to enter the farm.
- Provide clean clothing and disinfection facilities for employees.
- Thoroughly clean and disinfect equipment and vehicles (including tires and undercarriage) entering and leaving the farm.
- Do not loan to, or borrow equipment or vehicles from, other farms.
- Avoid visiting other poultry farms. If you do visit another farm or live-bird market, change footwear and clothing before working with your own flock.
- Do not bring birds from slaughter channels, especially live-bird markets, back to the farm.
Biosecurity Measures at Live-bird Markets

To prevent a possible outbreak of HPAI, poultry producers and dealers must also use biosecurity precautions at live-bird markets. Live-bird markets operate in many major cities.

Avian influenza viruses can be introduced into these markets if they receive infected birds or contaminated crates and trucks. Once the virus is established in the market, the movement of birds, crates, or trucks from a contaminated market can spread the virus to other farms and markets.

Therefore, the following protective measures should be taken at live-bird markets to prevent the possible spread of disease:

- Use plastic instead of wooden crates for easier cleaning.
- Keep scales and floors clean of manure, feathers, and other debris.
- Clean and disinfect all equipment, crates, and vehicles before returning them to the farm.
- Keep incoming poultry separate from unsold birds, especially if birds are from different lots.
- Clean and disinfect the marketplace after every day of sale.
- Do not return unsold birds to the farm.
For more specific information about biosecurity and cleaning and disinfection practices, contact your local APHIS' Veterinary Services (VS) office.

4,923 posted on 02/23/2004 9:05:58 PM PST by JustPiper (The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it)

POISONING, ZOO ANIMALS - BRAZIL (SAO PAULO)

What's killing the animals at the Sao Paulo zoo? 'Serial animal killer'
suspected

Police are investigating a spate of unusual cases of apparent death by
poisoning at the Sao Paulo Zoo, one of the world's largest, where 10
animals including an elephant have dropped dead in a 2-week period.

"We can't explain what's happening," said biologist Fatima Roberti, a
spokeswoman for the zoo. "We are letting the police sift through the clues."

What police know so far, according to Antonio Carlos Silveira of the Sao
Paulo Civil Police Laboratory, is that 3 chimpanzees, 3 tapirs, 3 camels,
and an elephant were found dead between 24 Jan and 6 Feb 2004. "These were
apparently unnatural deaths," said Silveira. "These animals just dropped
dead suddenly."

Police probed for motives among the zoo's 370 staff members and at first
speculated about a possible "serial animal killer" spreading poison in
animal cages after entering the zoo as an ordinary visitor. But the current
focus is on a more mundane cause -- rat poison. Silveira said police lab
specialists have taken samples of food found in the cages of the dead
animals for chemical tests. They are also in the process of conducting
detailed necropsies of all 10 of the dead animals.

"On Tuesday, the police experts found traces of 3 different rat poisons in
the cages of the dead animals," said Silveira. "We are now comparing those
traces to the viscera of the animals and to poisons used in 300 rat traps
spread all over the zoo."

The theory being tested, Silveira said, is that rats spread small amounts
of the poisons by defecating and urinating in the animal cages before dying
of poisoning themselves.

However, even confirmation of that theory could lead to a further mystery.
According to Roberti, in preliminary necropsies some of the dead animals
showed traces of a deadly poison called sodium fluoroacetate, a substance
used in powerful rat poisons that are banned in Brazil. If sodium
fluoroacetate were found to be the culprit, police would still have to find
out who placed the banned substance in the zoo's rat traps, Silveira said.

"In principle, it takes about 10 days to conclude all the tests we've
ordered, but we're speeding that up," Silveira said. Meanwhile, staff are
keeping a 24-hour watch over the zoo's 3200 animals in hopes of fingering
the "animal serial killer," if there is one.

4,924 posted on 02/23/2004 9:06:54 PM PST by JustPiper (The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it)

[According to the Brazilian press of Sun 22 Feb 2004, there are at least 13
suspicious deaths, plus 8 porcupines, 4 of which were found dead on
Saturday. Since the end of January 2004 the following animals have died
over a period of days: 1 elephant, 1 orangutan, 3 chimpanzees (out of 4), 4
camels (leaving an orphan juvenile), 3 tapirs, and a European bison calf.
The rodenticides sodium fluoroacetate and dicumarin have been implicated;
they are used in 300 rat traps spread around the zoo. -

[Sodium fluoroacetate is also known as 1080. It is rapidly absorbed from
the gastrointestinal tract. The oral route is the most important in cases
of poisoning. Dust formulations are easily absorbed by inhalation, which is
not usual in poisoning cases. 1080 is not readily absorbed through intact
skin, but it also may be absorbed in the case of cuts or dermatitis.

1080 blocks the Krebs cycle by the formation of fluorocitric acid, which
inhibits aconitase and results in the accumulation of citric acid. The
fluorocitric acid is itself highly toxic, and therefore sodium
fluoroacetate can cause secondary poisoning, i.e., poisoning in an organism
which has consumed a part of an organism already poisoned. Although it can
be excreted through the urine as fluorocitrate salts, this excretion is not
enough to save the individual. 1080 produces convulsions, involuntary
urination, and vomiting. In animals capable of vomiting the stomach is
quite empty and testing for 1080 must be done on the vomited stomach
contents. There is no treatment for 1080 poisoning. Euthanasia is
recommended as the kindest treatment. The convulsions, lack of ability to
move air, the extreme muscle rigidity, are all painful.

If this is a serial killer, let us hope the perpetrator is quickly caught.

4,925 posted on 02/23/2004 9:08:16 PM PST by JustPiper (The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it)

4,926 posted on 02/23/2004 9:10:58 PM PST by JustPiper (The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it)

To: Domestic Church; Calpernia; StillProud2BeFree; Cindy; All

February 24, 2004
Forecast of Rising Oil Demand Challenges Tired Saudi Fields
By JEFF GERTH NY Times

hen visitors tour the headquarters of Saudi Arabia's oil empire — a sleek glass building rising from the desert in Dhahran near the Persian Gulf — they are reminded of its mission in a film projected on a giant screen. "We supply what the world demands every day," it declares.

For decades, that has largely been true. Ever since its rich reserves were discovered more than a half-century ago, Saudi Arabia has pumped the oil needed to keep pace with rising needs, becoming the mainstay of the global energy markets.

But the country's oil fields now are in decline, prompting industry and government officials to raise serious questions about whether the kingdom will be able to satisfy the world's thirst for oil in coming years.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/24/business/24OIL.html?ei=5062&en=bc7d7425bb64c8cd&ex=1078203600&partner=GOOGLE&pagewanted=print&position=

4,927 posted on 02/23/2004 9:13:14 PM PST by JustPiper (The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it)

Bird Flu in Texas Considered More Serious

By T.A. BADGER
Associated Press Writer (from Newsday)

February 23, 2004, 12:07 PM EST

SAN ANTONIO -- A strain of avian influenza found on a Texas chicken farm is highly contagious and far more dangerous to chickens than originally thought, and it has spread to live bird markets in Houston, federal officials said Monday.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-texas-bird-flu,0,7894760,print.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

4,928 posted on 02/23/2004 9:14:33 PM PST by JustPiper (The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it)

Seals and dolphins wash up on Mexican beach

MEXICO CITY, Feb 23 (Reuters) - The corpses of 128 seals, nine dolphins and nine pelicans washed up on a beach in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico's government said on Monday.

The government environmental watchdog Profepa said the animals were found over the weekend in the San Jorge bay in the Sea of Cortez, about 60 miles (100 km) south of the U.S. border. It launched an investigation of the deaths.

"We are going to maintain a system of permanent vigilance where all of this happened to try to avoid more deaths," Profeca's head, Jose Luis Luege, said.

It was not clear why the animals died, although local press said environmental authorities were investigating a possible link to drug traffickers' use of a substance that creates a luminous effect when thrown in the ocean.

http://channels.netscape.com/ns/news/story.jsp?id=2004022323210002723466&dt=20040223232100&w=RTR&coview=
The substance is believed to be used to help locate drug shipments that are dumped at sea to be picked up later.

The area is home to some of the largest seal colonies in the Sea of Cortez, which separates the Baja California peninsula from the rest of Mexico.

4,929 posted on 02/23/2004 9:16:18 PM PST by JustPiper (The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it)

To: WestCoastGal

Mexico does have a history with large shakers

4,930 posted on 02/23/2004 9:17:08 PM PST by JustPiper (The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it)

Naperville bomb probe continues
By Garrett Ordower Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted February 23, 2004
The Naperville woman who owns the car in which "low-grade" explosives were found did not know they were there, Illinois State Police said Sunday.

But the man who placed an anonymous call to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did, and authorities want to question him.

"The person did state there was a pipe bomb in the trunk, and there was," Trooper Doug Whitmore said. "We'd like to interview that person."

The call, which came at 11 a.m. Saturday, led the state police and FBI joint terrorism task force to locate the vehicle about 2 p.m. in a parking lot between two buildings on the 1600 block of Country Lakes Drive, south of Diehl Road in Naperville.

Whitmore said the incident was "in no way linked to terrorism."

Twenty apartments in the two buildings, including the Autumn Run Apartments where the woman lives, were evacuated for about six hours, Whitmore said.

Underneath a spare tire in the trunk of the cream-colored Toyota Camry, police found a lead pipe with two threaded caps and a shoe box with a white powder, Whitmore said.

Though tests initially indicated they were not explosive, subsequent tests showed positive for "low-grade" explosives, Whitmore said. The device did not have a timer, he said.

The DuPage County Bomb Squad detonated the pipe bomb about 6 p.m. Saturday.

Investigators continued Sunday to run tests on the car and interview people, Whitmore said. The woman had been questioned but not taken into custody.

"Right now, we don't think she had knowledge," Whitmore said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, DuPage County sheriff's office and Naperville Police Department all referred calls to the state police.

http://www.dailyherald.com/dupage/main_story.asp?intID=3804011

4,931 posted on 02/23/2004 9:19:47 PM PST by JustPiper (The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it)

To: All; chicagolady

Post-9/11 profiling under fire

By Imran Vittachi
Tribune staff reporter
Published February 23, 2004

For Sam Ozaki, the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, rekindled the pain and humiliation he endured after President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 in February 1942.

Sixty-two years ago, Ozaki was a high school student in Los Angeles. And though he was born in the United States and raised here, the presidential order sent Ozaki and thousands of other Japanese-Americans to internment camps.

"The first thing that came to mind was, `Here we go again'--that they would begin picking on and profiling Arab-Americans," said Ozaki, 79, a retired teacher and high school principal (((from Rogers Park.)))

Ozaki spoke Saturday at a rally against alleged governmental profiling and detentions of Pakistani-Americans, Arab-Americans and Muslims. The rally, which took place in the basement of a South Asian restaurant in the heart of Chicago's Pakistani and Indian district, followed a caravan protest through Rogers Park.

The rally drew a modest crowd of activists. Organizers said they expected a low turnout by neighborhood residents and Devon Avenue shopkeepers, likely scared off by fear of reprisals by police, the FBI and immigration authorities.

"I think this climate of fear has really affected people," said Jeff Lyons, an organizer from the Chicago chapter of Refuse & Resist, a grass-roots activist group. He was referring to reports since 9/11 of police and FBI agents questioning people of South Asian or Arabic origin living or doing business in Chicago.

"Sometimes you have to create a climate of solidarity so people feel able to speak out," Lyons said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0402230089feb23,1,6971815.story?coll=chi-newslocal-hed

4,932 posted on 02/23/2004 9:21:04 PM PST by JustPiper (The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it)

To: nw_arizona_granny

My Ma is very busy today -g-

4,933 posted on 02/23/2004 9:23:21 PM PST by JustPiper (The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it)

To: Domestic Church; Pegita

DC? Please connect the dots on Marburg for me? {worried}

4,934 posted on 02/23/2004 9:24:17 PM PST by JustPiper (The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it)

Bump! Then someone would be noticably infected and too ill to travel on a plane right?

4,935 posted on 02/23/2004 9:26:07 PM PST by JustPiper (The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it)

Did you get the links I posted on OBL caught?

4,936 posted on 02/23/2004 9:27:21 PM PST by JustPiper (The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it)

exhausting isn't it? ;)

4,937 posted on 02/23/2004 9:28:01 PM PST by JustPiper (The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it)

Thanks. Lot of good information there.

4,938 posted on 02/23/2004 9:56:25 PM PST by Revel

What's killing the animals at the Sao Paulo zoo

Probably some homegrown Brazilian nutcase. Brazil is not an ally to the US. They hate our guts. They think they are above us. But I do feel bad for the animals.

4,939 posted on 02/23/2004 9:59:40 PM PST by TexKat (Just because you did not see it or read it, that does not mean it did or did not happen.)

61 to go

BythetimeIgetbackheretomorrowtherewillbeathread4.

Plan for it

Keep the mods happy :)

4,940 posted on 02/23/2004 10:04:10 PM PST by Revel

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