Archive for April, 2009

Mexico – 22 deaths confirmed by swine flu

MEXICO (AP) – Five people died in the Mexican capital, including two as a result of the swine influenza and suspected that the three were suffering, said Sunday the mayor Marcelo Ebrard, while the WHO declared the outbreak a ” public health emergency of international concern. ”
The decision by the World Health Organization means that you will be prompted to countries around the world to increase the reporting and monitoring of the disease.

According to new figures in Mexico rose from 81 to 86 the number of deaths possibly linked to the new virus, and previously United States declared a public health emergency to increase to 20 the number of cases in that country.

The health secretary of Mexico City, Armando Ahued, said the new victims died Saturday night in different hospitals after the government reported 20 confirmed deaths by swine flu. The official indicated that 80% of fatal cases people already had an advanced picture of the disease.

According Ebrard during Saturday night there were 73 new cases of sick people in the capital alone, although they are conducting tests to confirm that it is the same influenza.

The president Felipe Calderón said on Sunday that the national total of patients with respiratory problems is 1384, which could be associated with the virus.

According to the president, 929 patients (67%) and were discharged, 374 patients (27%) remain hospitalized and 81 people (6%) have died. This figure does not include Calderon five deaths reported by the government of the capital.

Calderon also said that in the next 72 hours the federal government will have the collaboration of laboratories capable of identifying specific to the presence of this number. This will allow greater accuracy in diagnosis, treatment and preventive strategies. ”

“This is a serious illness, yes, but curable, especially if served on time. We have enough drugs in Mexico to discuss” evil, he said.

For its part, the World Bank announced it will award $ 205 million in emergency aid to the Mexican government to confront the crisis of swine flu.

The Mexican Treasury Secretary Agustin Carstens said that 25 million of that amount will be disbursed immediately to the urgent care needs such as medicines, medical devices and diagnostics of infections. The rest of the aid, $ 180 million, to serve as medium-term actions of field operations and investigations.

Ebrard said in an interview with W Radio that after closing restaurants and public places in the capital does not preclude the possibility of temporarily suspending public transport systems like the subway if the progress of the outbreak.

Mexico seems to have lost valuable time to detect that the influenza was caused by a new virus: a combination of pig viruses, avian and human for which human beings have no natural immunity. Health authorities have detected in 16 states, half of the nation.

The first death was located in the southern state of Oaxaca on April 13, but Mexico did not send the first of the 14 samples of mucus in the U.S. until April 18.

Tests in laboratories Mexican doctors alerted to the existence of a new virus. Health Secretary Jose Cordova admitted that Mexicans suffered from laboratories the information necessary to detect a previously unknown virus.

According Ahued, Mexican authorities were called on Thursday afternoon from the United States and Canada, which reported the existence of a new virus.

The government insists that the population is not automedique and seek medical attention as soon as symptoms arise, which include a fever over 37.7 degrees, body ache, cough, sore throat, respiratory congestion, and in some cases vomiting and diarrhea. If symptoms are asked to attend any of the 220 clinics and 28 hospitals in the city.

The suspended Catholic Masses in all parishes, and in return the TV Azteca broadcast earlier officiated a Mass at the Basilica of Guadalupe, while the noon Mass in the cathedral City was broadcast on Radiocentro Group.

Both ceremonies met yesterday instructed by the Archbishop of Mexico: homilies under five minutes, without greeting of peace to prevent physical contact between the few parishioners present and delivered communion in the hand and not your mouth.

Several soccer matches as the encounter between the Pumas of UNAM and Chivas Guadalajara were held without the public in the stadium.

Soldiers and health staff have distributed six million face mask in the streets and public transport stations.

The Federal Commission for Protection Against Health Risks alerted pharmacists, doctors, laboratories, distributors and advertisers of health products that do not disclose or sell drugs that supposedly cure the swine influenza “and only confuse the people.”

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Meanwhile, countries around the world begin to take precautionary measures and to confirm whether their patients have the same virus.

United States declared a state of public health emergency with 20 confirmed cases of the disease in five states in the nation: New York, Ohio, Kansas, Texas and California, while the east coast of Canada confirmed six cases were not serious, all who visited them in Mexico.

New Zealand’s government said Sunday that 10 students “probably” entered the swine influenza virus during a school trip to Mexico and Colombia, there are 12 people under observation because they were the last two weeks in Mexico and to reach Colombia went to hospitals and clinics complaining of fever and other flu symptoms.

In France, the government said Sunday that three possible cases of swine flu are under investigation and recovery. The three recently returned from affected Mexico, as did a man in Israel.

Governments like those of China, Russia and Taiwan are planning to quarantine anyone who has symptoms of the virus.

U.S. health emergency declared by the outbreak of swine flu – world pandemia

WASHINGTON – United States declared a state of health emergency on Sunday, due to the outbreak of swine flu and review visitors to infected areas, informed the secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano. So far twenty cases have been confirmed swine influenza in five states of United States, announced on Sunday an official of the White House, adding that it expected to detect more infections in the coming days.

Richard Besser, head-in-Office of the Center for Disease Control, said during a press conference at the White House, there are eight confirmed cases in the city of New York, seven in California, two in Texas, two in Kansas and a in Ohio. “As we look for cases of swine flu, we see more cases of swine flu. We anticipate more cases of the disease, Besser said.

The U.S. president Barack Obama is closely monitoring the evolution of swine influenza virus and ordered an “effective, strong and coordinated,” said Sunday that his Homeland Security adviser, John Brennan.

Obama has reviewed the capacity of United States to confront the outbreak of the disease and studies to support state and local governments, Brennan said at a press conference. Obama is “monitoring the situation closely and has ordered an effective, energetic and coordinated,” he added.

Vegetable juices help to lose weight

Drinking at least a daily cup reduced-sodium vegetable juice to help overweight people lose more pounds. A group of adults who took at least 236 cubic centimeters in a vegetable juice diet with calorie control and heart-healthy lose 1.8 kilos in 12 weeks, while another group using the same diet without juice just slimming 0 , 45 kilos.

To study author, Dr. Carl L. Keen, it is possible that the vegetable juice to help reduce your appetite.

“There is also the idea that diet rich in vegetables and fruits is associated with a lower body weight,” said Keen, University of California at Davis.

The 81 study participants (almost three quarters were women) had metabolic syndrome, a set of risk factors that include the accumulation of abdominal fat, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol.

An estimated 47 million Americans have some combination of these risk factors, which increases their risk of developing diabetes and heart disease.

All participants were asked to adhere to the DASH diet, for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (Nutritional Approaches to Stop Hypertension), the American Heart Association and is rich in fruits, vegetables, fiber, minerals and skim milk products and low in saturated fat and salt.

In addition, they were told the chance to drink none, one or two glasses per day of a low-sodium vegetable juice and rich in potassium during 12 weeks.

In addition to losing more weight during the study, who took the juice were also more likely to eat three to five servings of vegetables daily.

In addition, this group significantly increased their consumption of vitamin C and potassium, while reducing their overall consumption of carbohydrates.

“The diet and body weight are key factors to change the course of the metabolic syndrome,” said lead author in writing of the study, Dr. John Foreyt, of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Most adults in the United States do not consume recommended daily servings of vegetables. According to Keen, the vegetable juice is a very good option and available to reduce that gap. ”

Keen presented the results of the study, partially funded by Campbell Soup Company, in experimental biology meeting that takes place this week in New Orleans.

Eating meat is cooked thoroughly tied to pancreatic cancer

WASHINGTON -  A team of U.S. researchers reported that people who regularly eat red meat cooked thoroughly, as it is cooked on a grill, have a 60 percent higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer. The finding is one of the strongest in regard to the relationship between the level of cooking meat, especially red, and cancer.

“Our results provide further evidence that reducing the temperature when cooking meat baked, grilled or fried it to avoid over-burnt or charred parts, it would be a reasonable way to reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer” , said Kristin Anderson.

“Focus my research on pancreatic cancer for some time to identify ways of preventing these tumors, because the treatments are very limited and this cancer is often rapidly fatal,” said Anderson of the University of Minnesota, who led the study.

The results were presented at a meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research in Denver.

The charred flesh cooked or contains many chemical carcinogens. Several studies related to these compounds the risk of cancer, but most relied on people who remembered what they had eaten in the past, namely that investigations were retrospective.

Anderson’s team started with 62,000 healthy people and document what actually ate normally. Nine years later, 208 participants were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

When the authors divided the groups according to how much they ate boiled flesh, such as hamburgers, people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer were much more likely to be located in the two groups increased consumption.

“We found that those who prefer meat cooked too were almost 60 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than those who ate less meat cooked or not consumed,” said Anderson.

“Those with the highest intake of cooked flesh were 70 percent higher risk of pancreatic cancer compared with those with lower consumption,” added the author.

Meanwhile, another study presented at the conference found no relationship between intake of meat cooked thoroughly and the risk of colon cancer.

The position of the U.S. president to torture – Obama and the box of thunder

Is Barack Obama of wanting to open the box of thunder on the use of torture under the Bush Administration? How far is willing to pull the hand up the rope? That rope is actually quite short and leads directly to those who designed and ordered to conduct the war on terror ‘between September 2001 and early 2009.

Among these characters are none other than Donald Rumsfeld, then chief of the Pentagon, John Ashcroft, attorney general of the State, Alberto Gonzales, first as a key advisor in the Department of Justice and then as a successor to Ashcroft, the heads of the CIA , first George Tenet and then Michael Hayden, Condoleezza Rice, the first National Security advisor and later secretary of state, and the influential Vice President Dick Cheney.

This list is not complete, certainly, if it was not on their big star, the 43rd occupant of the White House, George W. himself Bush.

“It is likely that use is made scapegoats

Are they referring to Obama by chance when, forced by the Left Democrats and organizations that defend civil rights and human rights, said days ago that was not ruled out prosecution of those responsible for having legitimized torture?

Not seem to want to go that far: never a U.S. president has done something similar with its predecessor. His advisers, in turn, pressured by the right-wing Democrat, by a majority of the Republican Party, by the Pentagon and the powerful intelligence agency, you are warning of uncontrollable consequences that such action could have for his new presidency .

Despite this, in the closest of those who believe Obama is that it would consolidate its image as a new president and gain more authority to the whole world, especially in Muslim countries, whether with specific facts demonstrating that the aberrant crimes committed under the umbrella of the ‘war on terror’ for eight years did not go unpunished.

This will seek to find a few scapegoats, limiting the court action against a very limited number of officials, against those whose signatures appear below the main secret memos produced between 2002 and 2005, which provided the scaffolding and legal arguments for never justify what would have been justified: the use of systematic torture of prisoners (under the euphemism of “coercive interrogation” or “extreme methods”).

The same team of lawyers from the Justice Department, Pentagon and intelligence services is that since shortly after the 11-S, also suggested rocambolescos legal mechanisms in order to ’shield’ in the federal courts and international courts, both the torturer ‘base’ of the CIA or military intelligence, as is the commander in chief of the armed forces, George W. Bush, the official total impunity for their crimes.

That team, calling itself the “Committee of War,” was composed mainly of David Addington, former adviser to Dick Cheney, Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith, Jay S. Bybee and John Yoo, assistant state prosecutor, Steven G. Bradbury, head of the Legal Department of Justice, and William J. Haynes II, general counsel of the Department of Defense.

“It has been torture disguised under the euphemism of” coercive interrogation “or” extreme methods ”

Several of these advisors are also on the list of those to whom the judge Baltasar Garzon intends to pursue for his responsibility in this concentration camp of the XXI century has been Guantanamo since January 2002, an action that disagrees with the Office of the Audiencia Nacional .

However, the possibility of limiting the court action in this “War Committee” would be very difficult, to the extent that the report of more than 200 pages released on Wednesday a Senate committee, as well as internal investigations The Army conducted because of the scandal of Abu Ghraib in 2004, leave no doubt that those responsible were those who went past the White House, Pentagon, Justice Department and the CIA.

It remains to be seen how far Obama manages to get out of those waters in the marsh that has been put, without being too much evidence that back and leave everything as is, with impunity guaranteed.

Roberto Montoya is section chief of the newspaper THE WORLD International, international policy analyst and author, among other works, the trials’ global empire ‘and’ imperial impunity.

Nadal is now just two games after semifinalist – Nalbaldián injured

There will be no margin for error, “he had said nothing more to end the hopes of the Spanish Nicolas Almagro.” Rafa, apart from a friend, is a great competitor. The first fight to the last ball and not give up ever. I make sure my game and attack. If you do not play a high level, will have no chance, “David Nalbandian is defined, possibly one of the few rivals that can hurt Nadal on clay. And what he said was not only a reminder to himself, but for future sailors. But the story changed a few minutes …

Those who took part from a medical review on the body of the Argentine, who detected a misplaced his right hip inflammation and its consequent low. Nalbandian, 15th in the ATP series of head and No. 7 in this edition of Godó, threw the racket and found that the Mallorcan colándose end in the semifinals of the least you can taste a real sportsman.
Rest.

So Rafa will now face off before his semifinal tomorrow, which will respond to the winner of a clash between two reputable Earthlings: Davidenko Russian and Czech Stepanek.

Yesterday, indeed, the world number one had his debut in a friendly match, a little more than training. This time Nadal was the sparring of the Belgian Christophe Rochus, who left by the wayside in a plisplás by 6-2 and 6-0. In less than an hour, half of what it takes to Rafa your workouts. In short, a tour which will run today by the forced leave was granted to David Nalbandian.
Rajoy in a day culé

Barca’s three presidents (Nunez and Gaspart Laporta) Godó agreed yesterday on a visit marked by Mariano Rajoy. Also attending the Ricoh Manresa, Anna Pruna, Rafel Niubó or actor José Corbacho.
Rafa “It is getting pretty well in the semis”

“Sorry David, but I knew it was wrong. I wish you a speedy recovery as possible and see how it continues throughout the recovery process. It is nice to get in some semi well, but I have to think positive, to know that be in the semis, which is good news, and I will try to give it up. I do not think it harms me not to play today. I training a little harder than usual. With Rochus had a very comfortable. I’ve just seen on the runway . It could be the physical and mental, but I won in Australia since the end “

Violence intensifies in Iraq with two other attacks on Shiites

U.S. removes restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba by relatives

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The U.S. president, Barack Obama, on Monday lifted all restrictions on travel and remittances for Cuban-Americans with family in Cuba, reported the White House.

“The president tasked the Secretaries of State, Treasury and Commerce to take the necessary steps to lift all restrictions on individuals to visit their relatives in Cuba and send remittances,” he said in a press conference the White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs .

The governor “ordered that steps be taken to reach out to Cubans to support their desire to enjoy basic human rights and determine the future of their country,” said Gibbs.

Similarly, Obama allowed U.S. companies to establish connections with fiber optics and satellite Cuba and negotiate with their peers on the island to offer mobile telephony services, as well as expand the list of humanitarian goods that could be exported to the list.

The lifting of restrictions will benefit 1.5 million Cuban-Americans who may travel and mandar unlimited money to their relatives on the island.

The decision that a specific Obama promise made during his campaign, comes on the eve of the first reunion of the U.S. president with its Latin American peers at the Summit of the Americas, between Friday and Sunday in Trinidad.

How to protect your job from recession

Let’s be honest. We live in difficult times. If you have a job, chances are he could be in danger. Staff cuts and layoffs are out of control.

Of course, anywhere there are guarantees, but if you follow these four tips will greatly increase your ability to keep their jobs.

1. Become indispensable
Become the “rigor.” Find something that is important to your company and vincúlese this. If there is a need for layoffs, they say their goal is, “we can not dismiss Lindsey is an expert in the new business.” Or, “we can not run to Connor, who knows the logistics.” It’s even better if the star becomes absolutely an area that generates a lot of money to the company.

2. Make sure more work
Here is what happens during layoffs. Departments of 15 people become five departments, but the amount of work decreases. When management decides who stays, looking for people who can cope with the workload. Start now offers to perform additional tasks, perform a greater amount of work, or presenting their ideas on the major project of the company.

4. Contact networks
Generally, we believe in cultivating a network of contacts as a means to get a job, but in times like these, you have to cultivate contacts within your company. A common misconception is that your boss is the one who decides whether you stay or go during a round of layoffs. The truth is that it is often a team of very senior managers who make the decision (you do not know, but his head might be whoever is fired). If you do not know and have never seen, is much easier for them to pull the trigger.

I was present during discussions on layoffs and management will say something like, “Do you know someone with Eric’s legal department? No? Well, let’s get rid of it.”

You must do everything possible to ensure that senior management knows it. That might mean arriving early, so that the head of the division I see working at 7:30 am when he arrives. Could get up the courage and talk to the director of operations at the company Christmas Party. Or maybe you could offer to work in the non-profit project of the company, which is headed by Vice President Make sure you know!

5. Showing a great attitude
Sometimes, it’s almost worse to be one of the lucky ones who kept their jobs after a mass dismissal. Morale is low, people are affected and the work still needs completion. If it happens to you before the dismissals was the typical employee who is pointing out the negative things happening, or if you love to spread gossip and rumors, this could be his undoing. Companies looking for people who can contribute to recovery and to continue moving forward after a massive cut in personnel. I know that at this time the office is not a fun place, but keep our heads held high and do not complain.

If you are concerned about their jobs, to bear in mind these tips when going to work. Could prove to be safe redundancies.

Caffeine relieve muscle soreness after exercise

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A small study suggests that drinking a couple of cups of coffee before exercise would reduce the strong likelihood of experiencing muscle pain the next day.

The authors found that young men who took an intense session of exercise on a bicycle set felt less muscle soreness after a dose of caffeine.

Moreover, the benefits were seen both in consumers of caffeine in the ingerían not commonly published International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.

The results add to previous research had shown that caffeine prevents the muscle pain that so often occurs during and after an intense exercise routine or new.

In theory, caffeine reduced the muscle pain by inhibiting the activity of a chemical called adenosine. Their release is an inflammatory response to injury and can trigger the pain receptors in body cells.

These latest results suggest that caffeine could be a safe way that people who exercise control muscle aches, told Reuters Health the study’s principal investigator, Robert W. Motl, a professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois.

The work included 25 male university students physically fit, half normally consumed little or no caffeine. The rest ingería at least 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, equivalent to three or four cups of coffee.

The team led by Motl asked to pedal a bicycle for two sets of high intensity sessions 30 minutes each.

In a meeting, the men had received a dose of caffeine equivalent to two or three cups of coffee an hour before exercise, and in the second, they were given a placebo pill.

In general, participants felt less pain in the thigh muscle with caffeine than with placebo. Since there was no difference between regular and non-caffeine consumers, people do not develop tolerance to the analgesic effects of caffeine.

According Motl, who exercise should take into account the consumption of a small dose of caffeine before exercise demanding or start a new exercise routine, or if you are going to do some exercise before they have caused muscle pain.

Ahmadinejad first day of torpedoing Durban II to attack Israel – huge stir on the first day of the UN Conference on Racism

GENEVA (AFP) – The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on Monday caused a huge stir on the first day of the UN Conference on Racism

Ahmadinejad ignored the call of UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, not to associate Zionism with racism and rose to the podium to denounce the creation of Israel deprived of land to an entire nation under the pretext of Jewish suffering .

After the Second World War (1939-1945) “sent to migrants from Europe, United States and the world of the Holocaust to establish a racist government in occupied Palestine,” said the Iranian president, who tends to frequently criticize Israel.

When called for “efforts to end the abuses of the Zionists and (his) supporters,” the 23 European representatives present left the room at the European headquarters of the UN, amid booing, as previously agreed in Should Ahmadinejad launched “anti-Semitic accusations.”

Several demonstrators wore multicolored wigs and red noses also hindered at shouts of “racist” Ahmadinejad’s speech, which lasted half an hour instead of the officially planned seven minutes.

The Union of Jewish Students of France (UEJF) claimed this operation, while described as a “farce” the follow-up conference held in 2001 in Durban (South Africa), which had finished in the midst of confusion following the decision United States and Israel to withdraw from the criticism of the Hebrew State.

The UN strongly condemned the attitude of Ahmadinejad. “I regret the use of this platform by the Iranian president to acknowledge, divide and even lead,” said Ban.

Western countries condemned the chain of the Iranian statements.

From New York, the United States deputy ambassador Alejandro Wolff, whose country refused to participate in the conference, branded as “shameful, abominable and odious.”

Eight other countries have refused to travel to Geneva: Israel, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Australia, Holland, Italy and Poland.

European countries once again demonstrate their disunity. Late, Great Britain and France chose to participate but only at the ambassadorial level.

While the Europeans left the courtroom, observers remained in the Vatican. Also stayed where they were Latin Americans, who chose to attend the meeting.

In fact, Brazil as “inexplicable and unacceptable” to boycott the conference by United States and eight other countries.

“Away from the negotiating process means surrendering to the lack of dialogue,” said the Brazilian minister of Development and Racial Equality, Edson Santos.

The summit involved 103 of the 192 states comprising the UN, including all of Latin America and the Caribbean, with about 2,000 activists from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), with the aim of laying the groundwork for an international plan to improve combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and various forms of intolerance.

In addition to the statements of Ahmadinejad, the draft final declaration also poses problems, as most western countries questioned its contents, even though the text adopted on Friday by the commission to prepare the summit and no mention of Israel or the principle of defamation of religion.

Negotiations on the text will continue this week with the aim that it be adopted on Friday, last day of the conference

Blow to U.S. piracy in Somalia – Navy Captain Richard Phillips freed after being held for five days – three of the four hijackers were killed in the rescue operation

Navy Captain Richard Phillips freed after being held for five days – three of the four hijackers were killed in the rescue operation

The U.S. Navy succeeded in rescuing the captain of the merchant yesterday Maersk Alabama, Richard Phillips, 53, captured by Somali pirates on Wednesday. Three died in the operation of their captors. The fourth was taken to the destroyer Bainbridge to negotiate his surrender and has been under U.S. custody, as reported yesterday by the Department of Defense. The operation involving military experts and the FBI. The tactics with which he has solved the kidnapping may open new routes, more aggressive in how the international community will be confronted with a crime network that in 2008 captured 40 ships.

The U.S. president, Barack Obama, has authorized the use of force if it came to the point where life could be endangered Phillips. The president described yesterday Captain Richard Phillips as “a model for all Americans.” “I’m very proud of the efforts of the U.S. army and other departments and agencies that have worked tirelessly to save the captain,” he said in a statement.

The U.S. military command decided to solve the kidnapping of the limited use of force. Thus ended more than 100 hours of captivity in which four armed pirates were able to maintain suspense United States. Finally, Captain Phillips, who described her as a brave crew capable of risking their lives to prevent the 19 men who were under his command suffered any harm, as a national hero returns to his home in Vermont.

The operation began when the hostage jumped into the lifeboat which was being held, using the early hours of the night, and hackers take aim with their weapons, according to information released yesterday by the Army’s Central Command. “At this point we feel that his life was in danger and decided to act,” said Vice Admiral Bill Gortney at a press conference.

A command of the Navy SEAL (special operations corps of the Navy) killed three pirates who remained in the boat. The captain was transferred to Bainbridge, from which coordinated the rescue efforts.

Speech by the FBI

The FBI had conducted negotiations with the pirates, which were broken in the early hours of Saturday. Until then, tribal leaders of the Somali region of Jariban tried to mediate by telephone with the captors to retain four to Phillips. USA demanded the release to Phillips and to stop the hijackers, to which tribal leaders refused. The pirates demanded a ransom of initial 1.5 million.

Finally, the U.S. command decided to break off negotiations. Phillips had tried to escape over the side on Saturday, taking advantage of darkness. At that time, pirates captured him again and threatened to kill him.

United States remained almost 5 days pending the release of the master. His ship arrived in the early hours of Saturday at the port of Mombasa in Kenya, where it initially went with a shipment of food to the UN. “We’re saved! Is a hero,” said the second board, Ken Quinn, upon reaching land. The crew then reported the abduction in detail. The pirates attacked the boat so unusual. Their number, four people, was small compared with other similar operations, which some Americans have ventured that it could be because it was an impromptu action, and that probably did not know that the pirates were raiding a ship with American flag.

When they reached the deck, the ship’s engineer, A. T. M. Reza, succeeded in capturing its leader. In a tense exchange, the captain decided to offer Philips hostage. Thus, he returned to the boat when the leader of the pirates were released. The attackers failed to meet its side of the bargain.

Two centuries without pirates

In almost two centuries, the U.S. has not experienced such a crisis. The recent acts of piracy over the country are reminiscent of the Berber Wars, when faced blackmail and kidnapping by pirates of North Africa in the early nineteenth century. However, the problem of piracy was added the bad memory that prevails in Washington of the bloody defeat lived in Somalia in the 90s.

In 1993 U.S. troops who were on a humanitarian mission in Somalia in Mogadishu fought against the militia of warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. They managed to shoot down two Black Hawk helicopters and killed 18 U.S. soldiers.

The president Bill Clinton ordered a complete withdrawal from the area and his administration began an isolationist phase, in which he avoided intervening in armed conflicts in the Third World.

That situation changed last week when the United States affected piracy. Republican Senator Tom Coburn told Fox News that could not offer any concession to the pirates and that the management of this problem was going to have to act “in a much more aggressive.” This was the formula that led to release Phillips and perhaps become a more common practice for dealing with piracy.
France rescued a yacht hijacked by pirates

French forces on Saturday attacked the pirates who hijacked last week a private yacht in an operation in which one of the hostages died. The French Government has informed that the military killed two pirates and captured three others.

Le Tanit the boat with two couples on board and a child of three years, was captured by pirates on April 4, about 640 kilometers from the Somali coast, as he was traveling to Zanzibar. Elysium’s office said in a statement that the child is safe, but has offered no details on which of the hostages died.

The note adds that the Navy French contact with the pirates on Thursday and a decision was made to conduct the rescue operation after the pirates rejected the terms of the French Government and try to bring the yacht to the coast.

The press release concludes that the president, Nicolas Sarkozy, “reaffirms the determination of France not to give in to blackmail and to thwart piracy.”
A tugboat kidnapped Italian

Meanwhile, an Italian flag and tug with 16 people aboard was hijacked by pirates on Saturday in the Gulf of Aden. The Buccaneer, owned by a U.S. company, launched an emergency call was taken aboard the warship Portuguese Corte-Real, which is involved in the security device deployed by NATO in the area that was too far to assist the vessel attacked.

The kidnapping was confirmed by Andrew Muangura, coordinator of the Program of Assistance to Africa’s Eastern Navigators. At the time of the attack, the Buccaneer was towing two boats, which have not been informed what cargo. “This incident shows that pirates have become bolder and more violent,” said Muangura.

It was not the only one confirmed attack on Saturday against ships in the Indian Ocean. A Panamanian flagged cargo ship was also assaulted when they transit the Gulf of Aden, between Somalia and Yemen. The attackers came to throw grenades at the bridge side and fired at the hull of the boat. The attack was repelled by water jets at high pressure released from the interior of the vessel, according to officials aboard the Corte-Real.

Friday night was released on Norwegian ship Bow Asir, 23,000 tons, after payment of a ransom from its owners. Some sources say the shipping company paid $ 2.4 million for the release of the vessel, hijacked in late March with 27 crew on board.

Empire State system will save energy

NEW YORK (AP) – The Empire State Building in New York will be a renewal of friendly environment, for example of other skyscrapers in the world. The remodeling project of $ 20 million to save the building’s owners $ 4.4 million in energy costs and reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions estimated 105,000 metric tons in the next 15 years, which is equal to annual emissions of 17,500 cars.

Former President Bill Clinton and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg attended the Monday announcement of these plans was the 80 floor of the Empire State and indicated that changes to the environment at the famous skyscraper will serve as a model for other buildings around the world.

Clinton, whose foundation works in this ecological renewal, said that the only way to ensure that property owners around the world are reshaping their properties through a striking example.

“We have to prove that this is a positive economy and we must demonstrate that we know how to do it,” he said. “All persons in the world to know that they care about the Empire State.”

Experts indicate that the improvements to old buildings as the Empire State, which has a height of 443 meters (1,453 feet), do you have a less negative impact on the environment and are important in reducing levels of greenhouse gases. In New York City emissions from the operation of more than 900,000 buildings throughout the city contribute 79% of their total emissions.

The improvements planned for the Empire State provide for the replacement of the 6,500 windows of the building with a glass insulator that reduces heat in summer and energy loss in winter.

Also be placed over insulating material behind radiators heating to save heat. Other changes include improvements to the building’s ventilation systems, cooling and lighting.

Work on the tower systems have already begun and are expected to be complete by the end of 2010, a period longer than it took to construct the building that opened in 1931, after a year and 45 days of construction. In all environmental projects of the building leading to the end of 2013.

Bloomberg, which established the goal of reducing 30% the carbon footprint of the city in 2030, indicated that the example shows “the rest of the city that the buildings used, no matter how tall or how old they are, can take actions to reduce their energy consumption. “

6 tips for extending battery life of portable

Those who use a notebook as a mobile office know the problem the lack of autonomy of its battery. But some simple tips can help to add many minutes to the life of the laptop between loading and reloading.

Screen is the highest factor of consumption. Simply reduce the brightness of the screen and bring it to a minimum allowing us to work in comfort for longer, much, useful life.

Processor: the more work the processor consumes more. Therefore, if you disable or avoid, unnecessary tasks, the battery life is prolonged. That means not listening to music while working, nor going down music or movies, or running a virus cleaning process. It is possible, for example, disable these types of tasks performed in the background and defer until the machine is again connected to an outlet.

Connectivity: Wireless connectivity, either Wi-Fi, 3G or Bluetooth, consumes much energy. Therefore, if possible, prefer to connect a network cable instead of wireless connectivity. Gain in speed of work and battery.

Optical disk: avoid using the DVD or CD-Rom. Is that this avoids having to start using smaller engines and moving parts of the Notebook that also assist in adding pressure on the reserve power.

Consumer Profile: Through various controls of the Windows operating system can choose different patterns of electrical consumption. This makes saving and lengthens, and optimize the use of equipment for every situation where the nearest outlet is unattainable.

Replacements: Finally, almost all modern notebooks support the ability to buy and carry a second battery can double the autonomy of the team.

Broccoli help prevent stomach cancer – study

HONG KONG (Reuters) – A study in Japan found that eating 70 grams of broccoli sprouts daily for two months would protect against a common stomach bacterium linked to gastritis, ulcers and even stomach cancer.

Fresh broccoli sprouts contain a good amount of sulforafano, a natural biochemical that seems to stimulate production in the intestine of enzymes which protect against oxygen radicals, which are chemicals that can damage DNA, and inflammation.

In an article published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, scientists found that eating 70 grams of broccoli every day would help prevent some serious health problems.

“We identified a food that, if consumed regularly, could impact on the cause of many digestive problems and may ultimately help prevent stomach cancer,” says Jed Fahey of the Center for Cancer Protection Chemistry B. Lewis and Dorothy Cullman, of the Johns Hopkins University.

It has long been known that sulforafano is a potent antibiotic against Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that causes gastritis, ulcers and stomach cancer. But this is the first test shows that the compound on humans.

“Broccoli sprouts have a much higher concentration of mature sulforafano the heads (of the plant),” said Fahey.

In their study, the researchers administered to 25 Japanese individuals infected with Helicobacter pylori 70 grams of broccoli sprouts daily for two months.

Another 25 patients affected by the bacteria consumed the equivalent amount of alfalfa sprouts, which contains no sulforafano.

“We know that a dose of a few grams per day of broccoli sprouts is enough to raise the protective enzymes in the body. This is the mechanism by which many believe are happening in the protective effects of the chemical,” said Fahey.

“The fact that levels of infection and inflammation are reduced suggests that the likelihood of gastritis, ulcers and cancer may decrease,” said the author.

The World Health Organization (WHO) calls the Helicobacter pylori as a carcinogen.

The bacterium, which is housed on the deck of the stomach, affecting billions of people, or half the global population.

Corkscrew-shaped, the Helicobacter pylori is associated with a long stomach ulcers, which are often cured with antibiotics.