August
1-15 Stories
U.S.
NIGMS Funds Complex Biomedical Systems Research Centers
To
encourage computational approaches that will deepen understanding
of biological processes, the National Institute of General Medical
Sciences has established Centers of Excellence in Complex Biomedical
Systems Research. NIGMS anticipates spending a total of $25.5
million over the course of five years to support the centers.
(Full
Story)
U.S.
HHS Launches New Campaign For Kids
Washington–
Getting kids to notice the adventures of healthy behaviors through
physical activity is the subject of a new U.S. HHS campaign
for kids. The summer launched program, is designed to encourage
kids to explore and discover what appeals to their individual
personality, whether it be gardening, bowling, dancing, roller
skating, flag football, hop scotch, track, canoeing, hiking,
baseball, skateboarding, jumping rope, swimming or playing basketball.
The point is for kids to increase their physical activity levels,
which helps them stay physically fit, reduce illness and disease.
An activity like gardening can be fun for both boys and girls,
and growing tomatoes, peppers or something more habit forming
like orchids may develop into more exciting interests for kids
like botany, paleobotany or entomology. (Full
Story)
"Our
Hunt for Terrorist Networks is not Limited to Afghanistan"
"De-mining
teams from Norway, Britain, Poland and Jordan have helped clear
land mines from hundreds of thousands of square meters of terrain,
although there are still an enormous number of land mines in
that country" said US Defense Secretary Rumsfeld.
"Jordan built a hospital
in Mazar-e Sharif that has now treated more than 92,000 patients,
including 22,000 children." continued Rumsfeld in testimony
last week to Congress. The Defense Secretary revealed more about
the powerful efforts by sovereign nations to prevent terrorists
attacks while giving tremendously to help the people of Afghanistan
rebuild and live freely:"Spain and Korea have also built
hospitals, and Japan has pledged $500 million to rehabilitate
Afghanistan. Russia has cleared out and rebuilt the Salang Tunnel,
the main artery linking Kabul with the North, allowing transportation
of thousands of tons of food, medicine and supplies… (Full
Testimony)
U.S.
Intends to Reduce Sinai Force
The
United States intends to cut the number of U.S. soldiers serving
with the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai, said
Douglas Feith, defense undersecretary for policy.
The
announcement followed an Aug. 1 meeting here of the United States,
Egypt and Israel. The three parties discussed the reconfiguration
of the MFO and a requirement that the United States has to reduce
its participation in the MFO. (Full
Story)
US
Consumers Gain New Controls Over Privacy of Medical Records
Listening
to concerned citizens that want real protection for their medical
records, this week US HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson issued the
first-ever comprehensive federal regulation that gives patients
sweeping protections over the privacy of their medical records.
The final regulation, which takes effect April 14,2003, will
ensure strong privacy protections without interfering with Americans’
access to quality health care.
The federal privacy regulation
empowers patients by guaranteeing them access to their medical
records, giving them more control over how their protected health
information is used and disclosed, and providing a clear avenue
of recourse if their medical privacy is compromised. The rule
will protect medical records and other personal health information
maintained by certain health care providers, hospitals, health
plans, health insurers and healthcare clearinghouses. (Full
Story)
United
States and Romania Will Not Join ICC
On
August, 1, 2002, in Bucharest, Romania, U.S. Under Secretary
of State for Arms Control and International Security John R.
Bolton and Romanian Acting Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu
signed an agreement under the auspices of Article 98 of the
Rome Statute to protect persons from surrender to the International
Criminal Court.
The
State Department remarked, "We appreciate that Romania
is the first country to sign an Article 98 agreement with the
United States today. By signing this bilateral agreement with
the United States, Romania has shown that it understands our
position, and the fact that we are not seeking to weaken the
ICC or to undermine the integrity of international peacekeeping
operations. We expect to conclude similar agreements with a
large number of countries and are actively pursuing discussions
toward this end." (Full
Story)
Twenty
Charged in Child Porn Ring
A
group of parents sexually molested their own children and sent
pornographic pictures of them worldwide over the Internet, U.S.
Customs officials said Friday, announcing 20 arrests in the
United States and abroad.
Forty-five children, including
37 in the United States who ranged in age from 2 to about 14,
were victims and have been removed from the care of those indicted,
Customs officials said. Eighty percent of the children were
molested by one of their own parents, they said. Most of them
are in the custody of another parent or relative, or foster
care. (Full
Story)
August
16-31 Stories
Coalition
Forces Encounter Other Effects of Taliban Rule
In
late spring a journalist following the war on terror in Afghanistan
interviewed British coalition troops that had just returned
from an operation and although most reporters found extreme
poverty, burqa clad females, evidence of random executions within
the Taliban and al-Qaeda rule, this reporter encountered another
story about some of the men of Afghanistan.
Journalist Chris Stephen’s article
"Startled Marines Find Afghan Men All Made up to See Them"
has been read by people around the world and readers have since
shared their accounts of similarities by some inside counties
like Iran and Saudi Arabia. (Read
Article)
US,
France, Germany, Japan, Sweden Join to Stamp Out Malaria
In
efforts to stamp out malaria in the world and to protect travelers,
heightened attention and care is bringing together a healthy
range of resources and commitment from several countries.
A US health spokesperson said,
"The enormous burden of malaria and the disparity in global
malaria research efforts is the rationale for MIM and the reason
why U.S., European, Asian, South American, and African scientists
have joined together in MIM to promote malaria research to develop
new and improved control interventions." (Full
Story)
New
Drug Policy Expands Testing to Catch More Users
The Defense
Department is continuing its anti-drug efforts with a new policy
that involves more frequent random testing of active duty military,
reservists and civilian employees.
Signed by Deputy Defense Secretary
Paul D. Wolfowitz on July 31, the new policy reflects the reality
that the nation is at war, Andre Hollis, deputy assistant secretary
of defense for counternarcotics, said Aug. 13. (Full
Story)
Coalition
Forces Strike Iraqi Mobile Radar Unit
MACDILL AFB, FL – In response to recent Iraqi hostile
acts against Coalition aircraft monitoring the Southern No-Fly
Zone, Operation SOUTHERN WATCH Coalition aircraft (British and
American forces) used precision-guided weapons Tuesday, August
20th, to target an air defense command and control facility
near Al Amarah, approximately 120 miles southeast of Baghdad.
The strike occurred at approximately 1:40 a.m. EDT.
Coalition strikes in the No-Fly
Zones are executed as a self-defense measure in response to
Iraqi hostile threats and acts against Coalition forces and
their aircraft. The last Coalition strike in the Southern No-Fly
Zone was against a mobile radar unit on August 17, 2002.
This calendar year there have
been more than 110 separate incidents of Iraqi surface-to-air
missile and anti-aircraft artillery fire directed against Coalition
aircraft. Coalition aircraft never target civilian populations
or infrastructure and go to painstaking lengths to avoid injury
to civilians and damage to civilian facilities.
Inside
US at Border: Ranger Killed
He
was "A quintessential American boy-turned-ranger, "
said a tearful co-worker at the memorial service for National
Park Service Ranger Kris Eggle. The 28 year old former Eagle
Scout from Michigan was shot and killed on the US side of the
US – Mexican border last week. There are varying accounts of
what happened at 1:00am nearly 1 mile inside the State of Arizona
and an investigation is underway to determine whose weapon killed
Eggle.
After pulling over a speeding
Dodge Ram, with Washington State license plates, officers soon
discovered that the driver was armed with an AK-47. (Full
Story)
US
Department of Defense To Develop Biological Agent Early Warning
System
Say
you wake up one fine morning in Any town, U.S.A., walk over
to the open window and take in a deep breath of fresh air …
ahhhhhhh!
Terrorists would likely prefer
you inhale some anthrax or smallpox at the same time. That’s
why DoD will start work this fall on a biological agent detection
and identification program as part of efforts to develop a national
early warning system for urban areas. (Full
Story)
Community
Effort Brings Down Serial Rapist
Thanks
to the brave efforts of folks in the Hollywood Hancock Park
area community, the 41 year old violent rape suspect that had
been terrorizing elderly women is now behind bars in the L.A.
County jail being held without bail.
“Regular
people caught him,” said Rabbi Chaim Kolodny. The husband
and father told of the harrowing events that led the capture
of the “dangerous fellow, the lowest of the low”–alleged
serial rapist Gary David Johnson. (Full
Story)
Asian
Pact Against Global Terror
Just as more terror attacks strike civilians in Israel, and
days before planned talks with Palestinian leaders to discuss
what Israel hopes will lead to an unconditional halt on terror
attacks, US Secretary Colin Powell was in Asia in meetings with
leaders who also want an end to terror in the world.
In Manila, Secretary Powell met
with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Foreign Affairs Secretary
Blas Ople as part of their continuing efforts on the war against
global terrorism. "In order to get these terrorists, not
only al-Qaida, but
other terrorists such as Abu Sayyaf, we have to work with our
friends and allies," said Secretary Powell.
By
August 1st, the governments of Brunei, the Philippines, and
other members of the ASEAN had signed a joint commitment to
fight global terror. (Full
Coverage)
Rumsfeld
Praises Civil Affairs’ Work in Afghanistan
Defense
Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today praised U.S. and coalition
civil affairs teams in Afghanistan that are helping to rebuild
that war-stricken country.
Rumsfeld
recounted to Pentagon reporters "remarkable contributions"
being made by Army civil affairs teams and coalition partners
in rebuilding Afghanistan. New schools, hospitals, roads and
other projects in Afghanistan "create conditions so that
the country does not again become a terrorist training camp,"
he explained. He showed before-and after photos of completed
work. (Full
Story)
Fans
Organize to Stop Baseball Strike
Major
League Baseball has a negotiating committee. Major League Players
have an association. Now, with a strike looming and the World
Series at risk, a group of fans has organized so that they,
too can have a seat at the table. No Baseball Strike, LLC, an
organization of baseball fans, has launched www.nobaseballstrike.org,
a Web site that will enable fans to lobby the parties to agree
to an arbitrated settlement in order to avoid a work stoppage.
“Nobaseballstrike.org
has a simple mission,” said Friedman, the spokesman for
No Baseball Strike. “We want to see the post-season played.
The players and owners should be able to reach an agreement
without a stoppage by resorting to arbitration.” (Full
Story)
$54
Million in Illegal Missiles Seized at New Mexico Counterterrorism
Firm
David
Hudak, the President of the counterterrorism consulting firm,
HEAT (High Energy Access Tools), was arrested on federal explosives
and immigration charges for stockpiling 2,352 M141 Bunker Defeat
Munition missiles used to destroy small armored vehicles and
bunkers and possessing 4,000 pounds of explosives.
According
to information released about the joint FBI and ATF bust, each
missile was valued at $23,040. 48 were placed in 49 crates,
all of which were mislabeled as "charge demolitions".
The missiles were shipped to the U.S. from Hudak’s other company
located in Canada, International Hydro Cut Technologies (IHCT),
and were manufactured by Tally Defense in Mesa, Arizona. One
explanation for the missiles from a HEAT representative was
that they were possibly intended to clear land and large rocks
on the HEAT property. Reportedly, Mr. Hudak lied on records
in order to get a hold of the infantry weapons. (Full
Story)
Threat
Iraq: Hussein, History, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
Reports this
week reveal U.S. intelligence and the U.S. military recently
identified activity in Northern Iraq that appeared to be chemical
weapons production. Tuesday, US Secretary Rumsfeld would not
comment on the suspicious activities but gave this information,
"I have said repeatedly that there are al Qaeda in Iraq.
There are. They have left Afghanistan, they have left other
locations, and they’ve landed in a variety of countries, one
of which is Iraq."
Whether
Saddam Hussein could be unaware of an al Qaeda presence in Iraq,
Rumsfeld found that to be near impossible saying, "in a
vicious, repressive dictatorship that has — exercises near-total
control over its population, it’s very hard to imagine that
the government is not aware of what’s taking place in the country."
(Full
Story)
Harboring
al Qaeda
On
July 10, at a closed meeting of the Defense Policy Board, a
Frenchman who is a teacher at George Washington University and
is a policy analyst at the Rand Corp., stated that the United
States’ "most dangerous enemy” was Saudi Arabia.
"The Saudis are active at every level of the terror chain,
from planners to financiers, from cadre to foot-soldier, from
ideologist to cheerleader," Laurent Murawiec said to the
Pentagon advisory group, which includes such faces as Newt Gingrich,
Henry Kissinger, and James Sclessinger. According to officials,
out of the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11th, 15 were Saudi, and many
U.S. lawmakers themselves have been saying that the Kingdom
has done little in the effort against terrorism. (Full
Story)
US
AFIP Scientists Perform 10,000 Tests to Help Stem Anthrax Crisis
Anthrax.
When the disease was the first thing on everyone’s mind last
October, a team from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
here was poring over thousands of samples to answer the second:
What’s going on?
Only 236 total cases were reported
in the United States between 1955 to 1999, said microbiologist
Dana Kadavy, who helped lead the AFIP team. The most recent
inhalational anthrax fatality was in 1976, when the victim died
after handling wool contaminated with anthrax spores. So anthrax
normally isn’t seen much in the United States. (Full
Story)
Afghan
Weapons Cache Discovered, Deminers Wounded
U.S. troops found another weapons cache in Afghanistan, Joint
Combined Task Force 180 officials said.
U.S. forces uncovered a weapons
cache Aug. 26, local time, near the town of Deh Rawod in eastern
Afghanistan. The soldiers found hundreds of recoilless rifle
rounds, hundreds of 82 mm mortar rounds, tens of thousands of
rounds of machine gun ammunition and the tripods of four anti-aircraft
weapons. (Full
Story)
Media
Not Invited…
Prince Bandar arrived by private jet after being escorted by
two F-16 Fighters the day before to Grand Junction, CO. It had
been reported by AP White House correspondent Ron Fournier that
documentation problems caused the concern during mid-flight.
There was no talk on the incident
from the White House. And closed door meetings with the President
have kept the prying eyes of the press out. Press Secretary
Ari Fleischer has only spoken of Tuesday’s meeting, saying reports
have skewed the "18 minute" meeting between President
Bush and Prince Bandar. In his meeting with the press, Mr. Fleischer
recounted the events that took place at "The Western White
House" between the two parties, which was supposed to be
"a social visit, as well as a business visit." (Read
Transcript)