The iconic painting hangs everywhere in North Korea -- in the offices of party functionaries and in homes, in factories and in schools. Kim Il Sung, founder of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is depicted with his son Kim Jong Il. They are standing in front of Mount Paektu, a sacred site where, legend has it, the first kingdom of Korea was formed. The image is the most familiar representation of a ruling dynasty that has, in just two generations, ground North Korea into abject poverty and international isolation. Both men are gone now -- the Dear Leader Kim Jong Il dying on Dec. 17 of a heart attack at age 69, just as his father did 17 years ago. In the wake of his departure, all eyes are on the young man who isn't in the picture: 29-year-old Kim Jong Un.
Since the late summer of 2008, when Kim Jong Il suffered a severe stroke, cadres in the ruling Workers' Party have been carefully grooming his third son, Kim Jong Un, for succession. Officially, that was to come in 2012, when North Korea will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Kim Il Sung's birth. The first indication that the succession plan still holds was Pyongyang's announcement on Dec. 19 of the formation of a 232-member "funeral commission," which will be headed by the younger Kim. The funeral is scheduled for Dec. 28. (See pictures of North Korea's longtime dictator Kim Jong Il.)
Little is known about Kim Jong Un. He attended a school for a couple of years in Bern, Switzerland, where he apparently became a fan of the National Basketball Association, and Michael Jordan in particular. (Whether that is true or just a cute biographical detail invented by North Korean propagandists is unclear.) He was always said to be his father's favorite, particularly after his older half brother Kim Jong Nam became something of an embarrassment by famously turning up in Japan in 2001 with a phony passport, asking to visit Tokyo Disneyland. (He later began hanging out in casinos in Macau.)
Of late, Kim Jong Un has gained prominence in North Korea, putting on weight and bearing an unmistakable resemblance to his beefy grandfather Kim Il Sung. Most diplomatic and intelligence sources say there is little reason to suspect that his position as the heir is anything other than legitimate. Since 2008, he has been in charge of North Korea's police and intelligence services, two key ministries of political control. (See pictures of North Korea's heir apparent, Kim Jong Un.)
Last year, he was given general's stars in the military and named vice chairman of the powerful Central Military Committee. Kim Jong Un's father had worked steadily to align his own interests with those of the military -- one of the reasons, NGO officials have said, that so much food aid over the years intended for the general population has been diverted to the army. The Dear Leader's steadfast pursuit of a nuclear arsenal -- and his unwillingness to trade the North's nuclear capability for economic favors from the outside world -- was also in alignment with the military's wishes. "One has to presume the son would never have been put in this position [of] heir apparent had the generals not approved," says a diplomatic source in Seoul.
Less certain is the political future and fate of the Dear Leader's brother-in-law Chang Sung Taek. After Kim Jong Il's stroke, Chang emerged as a regent-like figure, apparently on hand to guide Kim Jong Un should the young man have to assume leadership suddenly. However, on a recent visit to Pyongyang by TIME, a person who has met occasionally with Kim Jong Il (including earlier this year) asserted that Chang no longer occupies such a position. If that is true, it could be an indication of political infighting at the highest echelons of the DPRK. (See pictures of the rise of Kim Jong Il.)
Kim Jong Il's death comes just days after a bilateral meeting in Beijing between U.S. and DPRK officials, at which U.S. special envoy for human rights Robert King held talks with a senior DPRK foreign ministry official. Unconfirmed press reports in Seoul say Pyongyang agreed to allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency back into the country to impose a moratorium on nuclear and missile tests and to suspend its uranium-enrichment program, in return for 240,000 tons of food aid. However, analysts believe that this diplomatic momentum may be slowed by Kim Jong Il's death. As Kim Jong Un consolidates his political power, "North Korea will become even more inward-looking, at least for a while," says Bruce Klingner, senior fellow at the Heritage Institute and a former North Korea watcher at the CIA.
The good news, for an outside world that lives in fear of erratic behavior from the North, is that the younger Kim has had three years to prepare for the assumption of dictatorial power. "There's less of a concern about instability now than had Kim Jong Il died three years ago," Klingner says. At the same time, the DPRK has gone through a transition like this only once before, and that was when Kim Jong Il was 52 years old. The country is once again having problems feeding itself, its economy is moribund, and problems are falling to a 29-year-old. It's a safe bet that if North Korea's propaganda artists haven't already prepared new iconography depicting the youngest Kim alongside his father and grandfather at Mount Paektu, they're busy doing so now.
-- With reporting by Stephen Kim / Seoul
See "North Korea's Next Kim: Dad's Favorite, Kim Jong Un."
TORONTO (Reuters) ? Sino-Forest (TRE.TO), a China-focused forestry company accused of fraud, said it received notices of default from its noteholders and set up a committee to look at options for the company that could include its sale.
Until recently the largest forestry stock listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, Sino-Forest warned last week it would not be able to file its quarterly results on time as an internal probe into fraud allegations is taking longer than anticipated.
Sino-Forest has been reeling since June, when short seller Carson Block and his Muddy Waters firm accused it of exaggerating the extent of its Chinese assets. Sino-Forest has said a preliminary investigation by its independent directors showed no evidence of fraud.
It is the most prominent of the Chinese companies listed in North America whose shares were either suspended or delisted this year amid suspicions about their business practices and Chinese regulatory safeguards.
Sino-Forest said its board decided not to make a $10 million interest payment that was due to noteholders on December 15.
Singapore-based Richard Chandler Corp, Sino-Forest's largest shareholder, last week demanded a board shake-up at the firm, slamming the "excessive time and money" spent on the probe and questioning the board's decision to delay its results. Chandler's fund stands to lose at least C$140 million and possibly more, if Sino becomes insolvent.
Regulators have put a cease-trade order on Sino-Forest's shares, pending the completion of an investigation into the company. The shares had fallen more than 75 percent this year, before being halted by regulators in late-August.
WAIVER HOPES
The company and its advisers met last Wednesday with an ad hoc committee of noteholders and their legal counsel. Sino-Forest said all parties expressed "a willingness to work cooperatively with the company in an effort to preserve value for the benefit of stakeholders."
However, it cautioned that it cannot independently verify the holdings of those who attended or were represented at the meeting. It said the notices of default it received were not initiated or supported by noteholders attending the meeting.
The company said it was talking to noteholders in the hope of securing a waiver, in relation to its failure to file its financial results, but it cautioned there was no guarantee the default notices would be withdrawn or waivers obtained.
If the default notices are not withdrawn and the waivers not obtained within a 30-day period, and if Sino-Forest does not file its results in that time, a default will have occurred under each series of its senior notes, the company said - allowing noteholders to demand the company repay the principal and any unpaid interest due on the notes.
Sino-Forest said the total principal owing under the four series of outstanding senior and convertible notes is about $1.8 billion. It also has loan facilities in China of $70.5 million.
Last week, Moody's withdrew all its ratings on Sino-Forest, arguing it had insufficient information to maintain them.
Sino-Forest said it established a special restructuring committee made up of independent directors to supervise, analyze and manage a review of the strategic options available. These may include recapitalization, or the sale of some or all of its businesses and assets. The committee will also consider creditor protection or other insolvency-related proceedings.
(Reporting By Euan Rocha; Editing by Matt Driskill and Ian Geoghegan)
On the left, the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. On the right, also the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. Only, one of these phones has Verizon's 2100 mAh extended battery in it, and the other has the standard 1850 mAh battery that comes with the phone. A few quick thoughts on it:
The extended battery comes with a new battery door, which looks nearly identical to the stock door. Same logos and all.
You gain just a tad of thickness with the extended battery. It's not quite one of those stock-size extended batteries, but neither does it have a huge humpback.
In fact, we rather like the feel of the phone with the extended battery in place. Gives it more of a rounded feel, kind of like the Samsung Galaxy S II Sprint Epic 4G Touch, but a tad bigger.
You can not use the Verizon extended battery in the GSM Galaxy Nexus.
Teens choose water when calorie count of sugary beverages is easier to understand
Friday, December 16, 2011
Thirsty? You may be more inclined to reach for plain old H2O if you knew how many calories are in sugar-sweetened beverages; this is according to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. They examined the effect of providing clear and visible caloric information about sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda and fruit juice on the number of sugar-sweetened beverage purchases at neighborhood stores, and found that providing easily understandable caloric information, specifically in the form of a physical activity equivalent, may reduce the likelihood of sugar-sweetened beverage purchases among adolescents by as much as half. The results are featured in a recent issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
"People generally underestimate the number of calories in the foods and beverages they consume," said Sara Bleich, PhD, assistant professor with the Bloomberg School's Department of Health Policy and Management. "Providing easily understandable caloric information?particularly in the form of a physical activity equivalent, such as running?may reduce calorie intake from sugar-sweetened beverages and increase water consumption among low-income black adolescents."
Researchers conducted the study at four corner stores located in low-income, predominately black neighborhoods in Baltimore, Md. For the intervention, one of three caloric information signs were randomly posted with the following information: "Did you know that a bottle of soda or fruit juice has about 250 calories?" (absolute caloric count); "Did you know that a bottle of soda or fruit juice has about 10 percent of your daily calories?" (percentage of total recommended daily intake); and "Did you know that working off a bottle of soda or fruit juice takes about 50 minutes of running?" (physical activity equivalent). They collected data for 1,600 beverage sales to black adolescents, aged 12-18 years, including 400 during a baseline period and 400 for each of the 3 caloric-condition interventions. Researchers found that providing participants with any caloric information significantly reduced the odds of sugar-sweetened beverage purchases by 40 percent relative to the baseline of no information. Of the three caloric-condition interventions, the physical activity equivalent was most effective, reducing the odds of black adolescents purchasing a sugar-sweetened beverage by 50 percent.
Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda, sport drinks, energy drinks and fruit drinks has been associated with obesity and is highest among minority and lower income adolescents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one third of U.S. adults and 17 percent of U.S children are obese. Obesity increases the risk of many adverse health conditions including type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure.
"Because of the inclusion of mandatory calorie labeling in the recent health reform bill, it is critical to explore the most effective strategies for presenting caloric information to consumers on fast food restaurant menu boards," suggest the study's authors.
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Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health: http://www.jhsph.edu
Thanks to Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health for this article.
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ScienceDaily (Dec. 15, 2011) ? The number of sugar maples in Upper Great Lakes forests is likely to decline in coming decades, according to University of Michigan ecologists and their colleagues, due to a previously unrecognized threat from a familiar enemy: acid rain.
Over the past four decades, sugar maple abundance has declined in some regions of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada, due largely to acidification of calcium-poor granitic soils in response to acid rain.
Sugar maple forests in the Upper Great Lakes region, in contrast, grow in calcium-rich soils. Those soils provide a buffer against soil acidification. So sugar maple forests here have largely been spared the type of damage seen in mature sugar maples of the Northeast.
But now, a U-M-led team of ecologists has uncovered a different and previously unstudied mechanism by which acid rain harms sugar maple seedlings in Upper Great Lakes forests.
The scientists have concluded that excess nitrogen from acid rain slows the microbial decay of dead maple leaves on the forest floor, resulting in a build-up of leaf litter that creates a physical barrier for seedling roots seeking soil nutrients, as well as young leaves trying to poke up through the litter to reach sunlight.
"The thickening of the forest floor has become a physical barrier for seedlings to reach mineral soil or to emerge from the extra litter," said ecologist Donald Zak, a professor at the U-M School of Natural Resources and Environment and co-author of an article published online Dec. 8 in the Journal of Applied Ecology. Zak is also a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology.
"What we've uncovered is a totally different and indirect mechanism by which atmospheric nitrogen deposition can negatively impact sugar maples," Zak said.
The new findings are the latest results from a 17-year experiment at four sugar maple stands in Michigan's lower and upper peninsulas.
By the end of this century, nitrogen deposition from acid rain is expected to more than double worldwide, due to increased burning of fossil fuels. For the last 17 years at the four Michigan sugar maple test sites, Zak and his colleagues have added sodium nitrate pellets (six times throughout the growing season, every year) to three 30-meter by 30-meter test plots at each of the four Michigan maple stands. Adding the pellets was done to simulate the amount of nitrogen deposition expected by the end of the century.
Seedling-establishment data from the nitrogen-spiked test plots were compared to the findings from a trio of nearby control plots that received no additional nitrogen. Most of the fieldwork and analysis was done by 2010 SNRE graduate Sierra Patterson, who conducted the study for her master's thesis.
Patterson and her colleagues found that adding extra nitrogen increased the amount of leaf litter on the forest floor by up to 50 percent, causing a significant reduction in the successful establishment of sugar maple seedlings.
When the number of seedlings on nitrogen-supplemented treatment was compared to the number of seedlings on the no-nitrogen-added treatment, the mean abundance of second-year seedlings was 13.1 stems per square meter under ambient nitrogen deposition and 1.6 stems per square meter under simulated nitrogen deposition.
The mean abundance of seedlings between three and five years of age also significantly declined under simulated nitrogen deposition: 10.6 stems per square meter grew under ambient nitrogen deposition, compared to 0.6 stems per square meter under simulated nitrogen deposition.
"Increasing nitrogen deposition has the potential to lead to major changes in sugar maple-dominated northern hardwood forests in the Great Lakes region," said Patterson, who now works as a botanist for the Huron-Manistee National Forests in Michigan.
"In terms of regeneration, it looks like it'll be difficult for new seeds to replace the forest overstory in the future," she said "So the populations of sugar maples in this region could potentially decline."
Funding for the study has been provided by grants from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy's Division of Environmental Biology.
"The surprising results reported in this study are an example of the value of long-term research," said Saran Twombly, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the work.
"Uncovering the unexpected link between nitrogen deposition and sugar maple seedling success depended on the ability to simulate increased nitrogen deposition year after year," Twombly said. "The manipulations used to reveal the details of this link could not have worked in other than a long-term study."
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Journal Reference:
Sierra L. Patterson, Donald R. Zak, Andrew J. Burton, Alan F. Talhelm, Kurt S. Pregitzer. Simulated N deposition negatively impacts sugar maple regeneration in a northern hardwood ecosystem. Journal of Applied Ecology, 2011; DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2011.02090.x
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3-year study identifies key interventions to reduce maternal, newborn and child deathsPublic release date: 15-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Marshall Hoffman marshall@hoffmanpr.com 703-533-3535 Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health
Some 56 evidence-based interventions will sharply reduce the 358,000 women who still die each year during pregnancy and childbirth and the 7.6 million children who die before the age of 5, according to a massive three-year global study.
The study, Essential Interventions, Commodities and Guidelines for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, is designed to facilitate decision-making in low- and middle-income countries about how to allocate limited resources for maximum impact on the health of women and children.
The study reviewed 50,000 medical papers to determine the proven effectiveness of interventions and impact on survival, identifying 56 essential inventions. The study is released today by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Aga Khan University and The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH).
Some of the interventions include:
Manage maternal anemia with iron;
Prevent and manage post-partum hemorrhage;
Immediate thermal care for newborns;
Extra support for feeding small and preterm babies;
Antibiotics for the treatment of pneumonia in children.
PMNCH which has 440 partners, including countries, UN and multilateral agencies, non-governmental organizations, health groups, foundations, academic and research institutions, and the private sector, will distribute this essential list through its global network and actively advocate for its use. A condensed version on a simple, hand-held slide ruler for instant reference is currently under development.
"A lot is not brand new," says Elizabeth Mason, M.D., Director of the World Health Organization's department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health, and an author of the study. "It has been more a question of putting together information in a different way and building consensus among physicians, scientists and professional organizations to lay out an evidenced-based path to help women before, during and after birth and their children. Everyone now agrees on the 56 essential interventions."
A Global Hodge-podge Response
The first step was a global landscape analysis of what countries and the 440 PMNCH partners were doing to reduce maternal and newborn deaths.
"What came back was a hodge-podge," says Zulfiqar Bhutta, Founding Chair of Women and Child Health at the Aga Khan University, Pakistan, who headed the study team. "PMNCH partners had very different ideas of what should be undertaken."
In all, 142 interventions were assessed for their effectiveness and impact on survival by addressing the main causes of maternal, newborn, and child mortality. Drs. Bhutta and Mason and their team also studied the intervention suitability for use in low- and middle-income countries.
They asked what health and outreach workers with limited training could handle at the community level where specialized care is not available. They identified what could be handled in community settings by nurses, midwives and workers with more training.
They also identified which patients need to be referred to hospitals where physicians and emergency care are available.
After very extensive consultation and review by a wide group of experts, the list was honed down to 56 essential interventions, accompanied by brief guidelines and reference materials.
"We now have a clear consensus, critical for the survival of women, their infants and children," says Dr. Carole Presern, Director, of The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health. "This was a meticulous effort involving many partners. It is truly a landmark moment in advancing the health of women and children."
Maternal and Child Deaths Still a Problem
Though considerable progress has been made toward reducing maternal, infant and child deaths, many countries in Africa and India will fall short of the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals 4 & 5 (MDGs), which address reproductive, maternal and child health.
Sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia, which have the highest maternal and child mortality rates, have made some progress, but not enough to meet the MDGs 4 & 5 by 2015.
The majority of maternal deaths occur during or immediately after childbirth due to bleeding, high blood pressure, prolonged or obstructed labor and infections.
A child's greatest risk of dying is during the first 28 days of life, accounting for 40 percent among children under the age of 5. Half of newborn deaths occur during the first 24 hours and 75 percent during the first week of life, with preterm birth, severe infections and asphyxia being the main causes.
Overall, children in low-income countries are 18 times more likely to die before the age of 5 than those in wealthier countries.
A Guidance Document
The underlying thrust of "Essential Interventions" is to support low and middle income countries meet the MDGs 4 & 5. It gives policy makers a way to make informed choices on how to set priorities and where to put their funds and resources, guided by a list of absolutely critical interventions.
"These are not instructions," says Dr. Mason. "This is a guidance document. The list also gives PMNCH partners, depending on their focus, a way to support country efforts."
The interventions are classified according to three levels of required care:
Care that can be provided at the community level by community health workers, outreach workers, and volunteers with limited training;
Primary care, also delivered in the community at a clinic by professionals nurses, midwives, community health workerswith more training;
Referral care provided by physicians and skilled nurses and midwives in a hospital able to do Caesarian sections and provide emergency care.
The interventions are also classified according to six target groups:
Adolescent and pre-pregnancy;
Pregnancy (before birth);
Childbirth;
Postnatal (mother);
Postnatal (newborn);
Infancy and Childhood.
In addition to identifying the interventions, the document provides clear guidance on what is needed in terms of training and equipment. For example, if newborns are not breathing, resuscitation equipment is needed.
"I'm sure that this research will help to reduce deaths among mothers, newborns and children and will help direct funds and resources to concerted action based on the best evidence for impact," says Dr. Bhutta.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
3-year study identifies key interventions to reduce maternal, newborn and child deathsPublic release date: 15-Dec-2011 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Marshall Hoffman marshall@hoffmanpr.com 703-533-3535 Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health
Some 56 evidence-based interventions will sharply reduce the 358,000 women who still die each year during pregnancy and childbirth and the 7.6 million children who die before the age of 5, according to a massive three-year global study.
The study, Essential Interventions, Commodities and Guidelines for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, is designed to facilitate decision-making in low- and middle-income countries about how to allocate limited resources for maximum impact on the health of women and children.
The study reviewed 50,000 medical papers to determine the proven effectiveness of interventions and impact on survival, identifying 56 essential inventions. The study is released today by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Aga Khan University and The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH).
Some of the interventions include:
Manage maternal anemia with iron;
Prevent and manage post-partum hemorrhage;
Immediate thermal care for newborns;
Extra support for feeding small and preterm babies;
Antibiotics for the treatment of pneumonia in children.
PMNCH which has 440 partners, including countries, UN and multilateral agencies, non-governmental organizations, health groups, foundations, academic and research institutions, and the private sector, will distribute this essential list through its global network and actively advocate for its use. A condensed version on a simple, hand-held slide ruler for instant reference is currently under development.
"A lot is not brand new," says Elizabeth Mason, M.D., Director of the World Health Organization's department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health, and an author of the study. "It has been more a question of putting together information in a different way and building consensus among physicians, scientists and professional organizations to lay out an evidenced-based path to help women before, during and after birth and their children. Everyone now agrees on the 56 essential interventions."
A Global Hodge-podge Response
The first step was a global landscape analysis of what countries and the 440 PMNCH partners were doing to reduce maternal and newborn deaths.
"What came back was a hodge-podge," says Zulfiqar Bhutta, Founding Chair of Women and Child Health at the Aga Khan University, Pakistan, who headed the study team. "PMNCH partners had very different ideas of what should be undertaken."
In all, 142 interventions were assessed for their effectiveness and impact on survival by addressing the main causes of maternal, newborn, and child mortality. Drs. Bhutta and Mason and their team also studied the intervention suitability for use in low- and middle-income countries.
They asked what health and outreach workers with limited training could handle at the community level where specialized care is not available. They identified what could be handled in community settings by nurses, midwives and workers with more training.
They also identified which patients need to be referred to hospitals where physicians and emergency care are available.
After very extensive consultation and review by a wide group of experts, the list was honed down to 56 essential interventions, accompanied by brief guidelines and reference materials.
"We now have a clear consensus, critical for the survival of women, their infants and children," says Dr. Carole Presern, Director, of The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health. "This was a meticulous effort involving many partners. It is truly a landmark moment in advancing the health of women and children."
Maternal and Child Deaths Still a Problem
Though considerable progress has been made toward reducing maternal, infant and child deaths, many countries in Africa and India will fall short of the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals 4 & 5 (MDGs), which address reproductive, maternal and child health.
Sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia, which have the highest maternal and child mortality rates, have made some progress, but not enough to meet the MDGs 4 & 5 by 2015.
The majority of maternal deaths occur during or immediately after childbirth due to bleeding, high blood pressure, prolonged or obstructed labor and infections.
A child's greatest risk of dying is during the first 28 days of life, accounting for 40 percent among children under the age of 5. Half of newborn deaths occur during the first 24 hours and 75 percent during the first week of life, with preterm birth, severe infections and asphyxia being the main causes.
Overall, children in low-income countries are 18 times more likely to die before the age of 5 than those in wealthier countries.
A Guidance Document
The underlying thrust of "Essential Interventions" is to support low and middle income countries meet the MDGs 4 & 5. It gives policy makers a way to make informed choices on how to set priorities and where to put their funds and resources, guided by a list of absolutely critical interventions.
"These are not instructions," says Dr. Mason. "This is a guidance document. The list also gives PMNCH partners, depending on their focus, a way to support country efforts."
The interventions are classified according to three levels of required care:
Care that can be provided at the community level by community health workers, outreach workers, and volunteers with limited training;
Primary care, also delivered in the community at a clinic by professionals nurses, midwives, community health workerswith more training;
Referral care provided by physicians and skilled nurses and midwives in a hospital able to do Caesarian sections and provide emergency care.
The interventions are also classified according to six target groups:
Adolescent and pre-pregnancy;
Pregnancy (before birth);
Childbirth;
Postnatal (mother);
Postnatal (newborn);
Infancy and Childhood.
In addition to identifying the interventions, the document provides clear guidance on what is needed in terms of training and equipment. For example, if newborns are not breathing, resuscitation equipment is needed.
"I'm sure that this research will help to reduce deaths among mothers, newborns and children and will help direct funds and resources to concerted action based on the best evidence for impact," says Dr. Bhutta.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
OSLO, Norway?? Polar adventurers, scientists and the prime minister of Norway gathered at the bottom of the world Wednesday to mark the 100th anniversary of explorer Roald Amundsen becoming the first to reach the South Pole.
Under a crystal blue sky and temperatures of 40 below zero Fahrenheit (-40 degrees C), the group remembered the Norwegian explorer's achievement on the spot where he placed his flag on Dec. 14, 1911.
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Antarctica: Secrets of a frozen world
"We are here to celebrate one of the greatest feats in human history," Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said as he unveiled an ice sculpture of Amundsen.
Several expeditions skied across Antarctica to attend the ceremony, which was broadcast on Norway's NRK television. Many were delayed and had to be flown the last stretch.
"Our respect for Amundsen's feat 100 years ago grew as we traveled in his ski tracks, and felt the physical challenges he experienced," said Jan-Gunnar Winther, director of the Norwegian Polar Institute.
Winther dropped out of an expedition trying to follow Amundsen's entire route, skiing 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) to the South Pole, and was airlifted the last part.
Two other members of his group, however ? cross-country great Vegard Ulvang and polar historian Harald Dag Joelle ? reached the South Pole on skis late Wednesday, the Norwegian Polar Institute said.
Amundsen's rival also honored
Stoltenberg also honored British explorer Robert Falcon Scott, who lost the race against Amundsen and arrived at the South Pole more than month later, only to find Amundsen's tent, a Norwegian flag and a letter from Amundsen. Scott and four companions died on the way out.
"Scott and his men will forever be remembered for their valor and their determination to reach the most inhospitable place on earth," Stoltenberg said.
Amundsen and his team spent almost two months skiing across the frozen Ross Sea, climbing steep hills to the Antarctic plateau at about 9,800 feet (3,000 meters) and crossing vast ice fields to reach the pole.
During the preparations they placed several depots of food and supplies along parts of the route before the final assault toward the pole. Once there, they spent three days doing scientific measurements before starting the return trip.
Experts agree that Amundsen succeeded because he was better-prepared than Scott. Amundsen used skis and dog sleds, while Scott used motorized sleds that broke down and ponies that couldn't take the cold. The men ended up pulling their sleds themselves.
Amundsen's well-marked depots contained over three tons of supplies, while Scott had fewer and badly marked depots the expedition often couldn't find in the blizzards and cold.
How times have changed
Norwegian adventurer Boerge Ousland, who led a group of 16 people to the South Pole just in time for the anniversary, said the main difference between then and now is that today's expeditions have better communication and navigation tools, and faster transportation to and from Antarctica.
"You don't need to be away for three years," he told The Associated Press by satellite phone from Antarctica.
Ousland became the first person to cross Antarctica alone in 1997. Felicity Aston of Britain is currently trying to become the first woman to do it.
In contrast to the bitter competition between Amundsen and Scott, Stoltenberg pointed out that the South Pole today is marked by international cooperation, regulated by the Antarctic treaty, where peace and stability, environmental activity and scientific research are in focus.
Key research topic: climate
Among the most important fields of research are global warming and its effects on Antarctica.
"The loss of ice in the Antarctic can have grave global consequences. Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott and their men went to extraordinary lengths to accomplish their goals. We must be prepared to do the same," Stoltenberg said, alluding to the struggle against climate change.
Scientists and support personnel from the U.S. Antarctic Program at the Amundsen-Scott research station at the South Pole took part in the ceremony, and stressed that the occasion was a special day not only for Norway.
"It's also a special day in human history since the real discovery of the last of the great continents started," said Simon Stephenson, who represented USAP.
The USAP had not wanted a new permanent monument by the scientific base, but the ice sculpture is bound to stay put for a long time since temperatures at the South Pole rarely rise above freezing.
Amundsen disappeared aboard a French Latham 47 flying boat in the Barents Sea on June 18, 1928. The plane had been searching for the gas-filled airship "Italia," which crashed when returning from the North Pole during an expedition led by Italian aeronautical engineer Umberto Nobile.
More about Antarctica:
Associated Press writer Karl Ritter in Stockholm contributed to this report.
? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Unclaimed money goes to anonymous Kansas City woman for a lost security. The sum is the single largest return of unclaimed money in Missouri's history.
The Missouri state treasurer has returned $6.1 million in?unclaimed?property to a woman in the Kansas City area, the largest single return in state history to a business or individual.
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Treasurer Clint Zweifel's office said Wednesday the property consists of a single security and was returned to the woman in November. Securities are such assets as bonds and stocks.
The woman's name and other details were withheld for privacy reasons.
Zweifel's office says it also returned $100,000 in?unclaimed?property recently to a St. Joseph man, consisting of 15 different securities accounts.
Earlier this year, Zweifel's office returned $1.4 million in?unclaimed?property to an employer in the St. Louis area. That account was made up of more than 260 individual securities accounts.
SEE ALSO: College graduates? Top 5 financial mistakes ? and how to avoid them
MoPub, a mobile advertising startup founded by ex-AdMob and Google employees, is launching support for in-game ads and is also announcing a deal to power advertising in DeNa-owned ngmoco's Mobage gaming network. MoPub, which is backed by Accel Partners and others, develops a self-serve ad serving platform for mobile applications and websites that allows mobile publishers to serve direct-sold rich media banner and interstitial ads in addition to optimizing their remnant inventory with networks like AdMob, Jumptap, and Millennial Media. It is essentially a DoubleClick for mobile ads.
In this image provided by Sports Illustrated, NCAA college basketball coaches Pat Summitt, of Tennessee, and Mike Krzyzewski, of Duke, are seen on the upcoming Dec. 12, 2011, cover of Sports Illustrated, which named them Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year. (AP Photo/Sports Illustrated) NO SALES MANDATORY CREDIT FOR USE DEC. 5-13
In this image provided by Sports Illustrated, NCAA college basketball coaches Pat Summitt, of Tennessee, and Mike Krzyzewski, of Duke, are seen on the upcoming Dec. 12, 2011, cover of Sports Illustrated, which named them Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year. (AP Photo/Sports Illustrated) NO SALES MANDATORY CREDIT FOR USE DEC. 5-13
NEW YORK (AP) ? Pat Summitt and Mike Krzyzewski were selected Monday as Sports Illustrated's sportswoman and sportsman of the year.
The two Hall of Famers are the winningest coaches in women's and men's college basketball.
Tennessee's Summitt announced in August she had been diagnosed with early onset dementia, Alzheimer's type. She pledged to keep coaching and show others they can live their lives with the disease. She earned her 1,075th career victory Sunday.
Duke's Krzyzewski passed mentor Bob Knight on Nov. 15 when he won his 903rd game.
Time Inc. Sports Group editor Terry McDonell lauded Summitt and Krzyzewski as "transcendent figures."
"The voices of those who have been inspired by Pat Summitt and Mike Krzyzewski echo from everywhere and will continue for decades," he said.
The magazine said they joined UCLA's John Wooden in 1972 and North Carolina's Dean Smith in 1997 as the only college basketball coaches to receive the honor.
WASHINGTON ? Pediatricians are supposed to track if youngsters are putting on too many pounds ? but a new study found less than a quarter of parents of overweight children recall the doctor ever saying there was a problem.
Does that mean doctors aren't screening enough kids, or aren't frank enough in these tough conversations? Or is the real story parent denial? The research published Monday can't tell, but makes it clear the message too often isn't getting through.
"It's tricky to say, and it's tricky to hear," says lead researcher Dr. Eliana Perrin of the University of North Carolina. She analyzed government health surveys that included nearly 5,000 parents of overweight children from 1999 to 2008.
Parents tend not to realize when a weight problem is creeping up on their children. When almost a third of U.S. children are at least overweight, and about 17 percent are obese, it's harder to notice that there's anything unusual about their own families. Plus, children change as they grow older.
The new study suggests when parents do recall a doctor noting the problem, it's been going on for a while.
About 30 percent of the parents of overweight 12- to 15-year-olds said a doctor had alerted them, compared with just 12 percent of the parents of overweight preschoolers. Even among the parents of very obese children, only 58 percent recalled a doctor discussing it, says the report published Monday by the journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
"Many pediatricians don't worry until children are very overweight, or until they're much older," says Perrin, whose team has created stoplight-colored growth charts to help doctors explain when a problem's brewing. "If we can notice a concerning trend early, we're more likely to be able to do something about it."
That means taking a family approach, says Dr. Nazrat Mirza, medical director of an obesity clinic at Children's National Medical Center in Washington. Important changes ? such as switching to low-fat milk and water instead of sugary sodas and juice, or cutting back on fast food ? should be viewed as making the whole family healthier, not depriving everyone because Johnny needs to lose weight.
"You do not want to single out one individual in the family. That's enough to cause a lot of friction," says Mirza, who wasn't involved with the new study.
Doctors have long tracked children's height and weight during yearly checkups, but more recent guidelines urge them to calculate a youngster's body mass index, or BMI, to screen for developing obesity. Unlike with adults, one measurement alone doesn't necessarily mean children are overweight ? they might be about to shoot up an inch.
The next step is plotting that BMI on a growth chart. Youngsters are considered overweight if their BMIs track in the 85th to 95th percentile for children their same age and gender, a range that just a few years ago was termed merely "at risk." Above the 95th percentile is considered obese.
To tackle lack of awareness, Children's National has begun calculating BMIs for every child age 2 or older who is admitted for any reason. Mirza calls it "a teachable moment."
Perrin's analysis shows more parents of overweight kids are starting to get the message. Overall, 22 percent of parents reported a health professional telling them their child was overweight. But that rose to 29 percent in 2008, the latest year of the survey data and about the time guidelines changed.
So what should parents, and overweight children themselves, be told?
Perrin focuses on health, not fat. She tells them the child is at an unhealthy weight that puts them at risk for later problems ? and that she can help families learn to eat better and get more active. That's where her color-coded BMI charts (http://www.eatsmartmovemorenc.com) come in. Parents can tell at a glance if their child is in the overweight yellow zone or the obese red zone, and over time if they're moving closer to the green zone. Perrin calls the charts especially useful between ages 3 and 8, when children are growing so fast it's particularly hard to tell if they're a healthy size.
Portion size is key, too. Nutritionists define the right size as about 1 tablespoon of each food type for every year of age. Perrin's easier measure is that a serving is about the size of a child's palm, which will grow as the child gets older.
Pre-teens and teens are more independent and have to be on board, adds Mirza. Teens, for example, start to stay up late, eating more at night and skipping breakfast, not a healthy pattern. The kid who never exercises will tune out all weight advice if told to hit the gym but might agree to walk around the block. The athlete might be sabotaging physical activity with 600-calorie snacks.
The good news: As kids grow older and taller, "they can grow into a healthier weight," Perrin says. And "we know that parents with an accurate assessment of their child's weight are more likely to make weight-related changes."
___
EDITOR'S NOTE ? Lauran Neergaard covers health and medical issues for The Associated Press in Washington.
WASHINGTON ? There's little doubt President Barack Obama has won high esteem among Native Americans by breaking through a logjam of inaction on issues that matter to them.
The Obama administration this week proposed sweeping changes to federal tribal-land leasing rules that had not been touched in 50 years. Obama nominated a Native American to the federal bench, signed a law renewing the Indian Health Care Act and settled a tribal royalties lawsuit that had dragged on through three administrations.
"Obama has done better for tribes than the others, except for the Nixon administration," said Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a former Republican senator from Colorado. President Richard Nixon advocated tribal self-determination and opposed the termination of American Indian tribes that had been occurring since the mid-1940s.
Against that backdrop, Obama on Friday speaks for the third time with the nation's 565 tribal leaders in Washington. The annual Tribal Nations Conference will allow Obama to boast about how he's kept his 2008 campaign promises for the 5.2 million American Indians and Alaska natives in the U.S. It also is a chance for tribal leaders to lay out what else they expect.
"We've made historic progress on many fronts but we recognize, as you recognize, that we have a lot more work to do," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said as he opened the gathering.
American Indians have been both "well-served" and "hurt" by other administrations, said Bill John Baker, principal chief of the largest Indian tribe, the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. Obama has gone beyond lip service, Baker said, and "backed up his words with actions that have made a positive impact on the lives of Native people."
But with the accomplishments come greater expectations from a people whose rates of unemployment, violent crime, youth suicides, poverty and high school dropouts are significantly higher than in the rest of the country.
"It's two steps forward, one step backward," Campbell said. "No matter what we do, we have to find a way for Indians to be self-sufficient and not dependent on the federal government, except for those services required by treaty in the old days."
The administration still must implement laws Obama signed and fund lawsuit settlements. Also, tribes want to see the administration push legislation through Congress to get around a 2009 Supreme Court decision limiting the interior secretary's authority to accept land into federal trust on behalf of Indian tribes. The decision has held up economic development for tribes.
Salazar told the leaders Friday the court's decision was a "wrong decision" and needs to be fixed.
"We still need improvements in roads, bridges, schools, hospitals as well as addressing the digital, electrical and clean water disparities that hamper development and quality of life issues for our people," Baker said.
Thomas Shortbull, president of Oglala Lakota College on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, said for now he's giving Obama a B-minus. He notes that the president hasn't issued an executive order, as Clinton and Bush did, reminding agencies to provide money to tribal colleges.
Still, Obama has assembled a respectable bragging list. He has:
_Signed the Tribal Law and Order Act to improve law enforcement and public safety in tribal communities.
_Renewed the Indian Health Care Improvement Act and made it permanent.
_Settled the class-action Cobell lawsuit over federal government mismanagement of royalties for oil, gas, timber and grazing leases and an American Indian farmers discrimination lawsuit.
_Nominated Arvo Mikkanen to be a federal judge in Oklahoma. His nomination is awaiting Senate confirmation.
_Launched a test crime-fighting program on four reservations that early results show has led to drops in violent crime in the first year.
Jacqueline Johnson Pata, executive director of the National Congress of American Indians and an Alaska native, said native peoples' enthusiasm for Obama goes deeper.
Obama has embraced Native American tribal sovereignty preserved in the Constitution, court decisions and treaty agreements and made that the foundation for his administration's dealings with tribes, Pata said.
All this has come about as tribes have become increasingly politically savvy, as well as more organized in making their agenda known, she said.
Like former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Obama appointed a Native American to his Intergovernmental Affairs staff. But he also appointed Kimberly Teehee, a member of the Cherokee Nation, as senior policy adviser for Native American Affairs.
In addition, Obama reminded executive department heads and agencies in a November 2009 memo of their obligation to regularly consult and collaborate with tribal officials on policies that impact Native Americans.
"I think we have made strides under the Obama administration the likes of which tribes have not seen for 30 years," said Stacy Bohlen, executive director of the National Indian Health Board. Bohlen is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan.
Several agencies have yet to draft policies, according to the National Congress of American Indians.
___
Follow Suzanne Gamboa at http://twitter.com/APsgamboa .
This screen grab provided by Google Inc. on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011 shows the newly reprogrammed YouTube website. The facelift, unveiled Thursday, is the latest step in YouTube's attempt to make the Internet's most popular video site as easy to navigate and as compelling to watch as cable TV. In the process, YouTube owner Google Inc. hopes to make money selling ads. (AP Photo/Google Inc.)
This screen grab provided by Google Inc. on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011 shows the newly reprogrammed YouTube website. The facelift, unveiled Thursday, is the latest step in YouTube's attempt to make the Internet's most popular video site as easy to navigate and as compelling to watch as cable TV. In the process, YouTube owner Google Inc. hopes to make money selling ads. (AP Photo/Google Inc.)
This screen grab provided by Google Inc. on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011 shows the old YouTube website. A newly reprogrammed YouTube website unveiled Thursday is the latest step in YouTube's attempt to make the Internet's most popular video site as easy to navigate and as compelling to watch as cable TV. In the process, YouTube owner Google Inc. hopes to make money selling ads. (AP Photo/Google Inc.)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? YouTube has reprogrammed its website to make it easier for viewers to find and watch their favorite channels.
The facelift, unveiled Thursday, is the latest step in YouTube's attempt to make the Internet's most popular video site as easy to navigate and as compelling to watch as cable TV. In the process, YouTube owner Google Inc. hopes to make money selling ads.
As part of the redesign, YouTube is replacing its staid white background with a touch of gray.
The changes are part of the biggest renovation that YouTube has undertaken since Google bought the site for $1.76 billion five years ago.
Although Google has been steadily adding more frills to YouTube since that acquisition, the videos on the site often were stitched in a crazy quilt that often required visitors to do a lot of searching to find what they wanted.
Google also has been sprucing up other products in recent months, including its Gmail service and news section.
YouTube's website has been reorganized to display three main vertical columns instead of scattering clips in horizontal rows.
The left of the page is devoted to a column that can be customized to feature a viewer's favorite channels and monitor the videos being posted by their friends on social networks, including Facebook ? a rival to Google's own Plus service.
The effort to highlight channels comes a few weeks after YouTube agreed to invest $100 million in original programming from about 100 celebrities, media companies and video entrepreneurs. Most of these channels will debut next year. YouTube hopes additional advertising will enable it to reap a profit from the investment.
The middle of YouTube's new home page is where videos can be played. The selection will change as viewers click on a different channel included in their lists in the left column. The far right column will recommend other videos, based on what kind of clips that viewers have watched in the past.
Bringing more professionally-produced content and more organization to YouTube has become more important since last year's introduction of Google TV ? an attempt to seamlessly blend conventional television programming with Web surfing. YouTube's more streamlined look might make the site more attractive to watch on large-screen TVs using Google's product or other connections to the Internet.
Google TV has struggled so far, partly because major Hollywood networks such as News Corp.'s Fox and The Walt Disney Co.'s ABC have blocked their content from the platform because they think it will undercut their advertising revenue and fees from pay-TV distributors such as Comcast Corp. and DirecTV.
___
Online:
YouTube's explanation for the redesign: http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. ? The dripping red wax seal atop a Maker's Mark bottle makes the bourbon stand out on shelves. Three federal judges are trying to decide whether the company can keep that distinction.
The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati heard arguments Thursday over whether Maker's Mark can keep the trademark on the capper or if other liquor companies can use a similar seal.
Maker's Mark in 2010 won an order awarding it exclusive rights to the seal. Attorneys for London-based Diageo North America and Casa Cuervo of Mexico argued that wax seals have been used for centuries and Maker's Mark wasn't harmed by their use of it on a special bottle of tequila.
Maker's Mark attorneys said the company has a valid trademark on the wax seal.
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, center, visits with former President George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara at their Houston home, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, center, visits with former President George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara at their Houston home, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney meets with former President George H.W. Bush, and his dog Mimi, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011, at Bush's home in Houston. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, center, visits with former President George H.W. Bush, his wife Barbara and their dogs Mimi and Bibi, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011, at their home in Houston. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
HOUSTON (AP) ? Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney met with former President George H.W. Bush Thursday, but Romney aides say no endorsement is coming.
The former Massachusetts governor ventured onto the turf of a rival, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, to meet with Bush and his wife, Barbara, in the living room of their Houston home.
Romney spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said Romney and the nation's 41st president are friends, but added that the visit doesn't mean Bush will endorse Romney.
Bush spokesman Jim McGrath said the meeting was a courtesy visit, noting that Bush has met with other GOP presidential hopefuls, including Jon Huntsman.
Bush endorsed Perry during a tight race for lieutenant governor in 1998, giving Perry a winning boost.
Bush's son George won the governor's race that year.
NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) ? Keith Olbermann says he will stop replying to messages on Twitter after fans criticized him for blocking followers he believed had insulted "Countdown" guest Richard Lewis.
"Ok, my thanks to everybody, but life is brief. TFN I won't be replying to tweets. #ShowPlugs, photos, Baseball Nerd updates will continue," Olbermann tweeted Wednesday.
The announcement came after Olbermann blocked followers who he believed had insulted Lewis, then defended his behavior.
One follower had taken Lewis to task for talking about Rep. Michele Bachmann's appearance with the tweet, "What do Bachmann's looks have to do with it, Lewis? #Countdown." The follower later wrote about the experience on her blog.
When another follower said Olbermann's blocking of his fans was "unwarranted and petty," Olbermann replied, "Going on here and insulting a friend of mine, while he's on my show, THAT'S unwarranted and petty."
BANGKOK, Thailand ? Receding floodwaters in Thailand's capital are leaving behind some scary new neighbors, with people finding snakes and crocodiles that moved into their areas even as they were moving out.
Teams from the Thai fishery department have been responding to crocodile sightings, capturing at least 10 since the country's worst flooding in more than half a century began in July.
Farms and individuals who raise crocodiles for their valuable skins apparently have not figured out the best way to keep their reptiles in captivity during the monsoon season. It is common during floods to hear of crocodiles on the loose.
Some people have also stumbled upon cobras in their homes. A team of volunteer veterinarians have even rescued lions, tigers and bears from the homes of rich Thais.
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Public release date: 15-Dec-2011
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