As Hong Kong's glitzy hotels play host to ever more wine auctions, with furious paddle-waving and Asian bidders showered with samples of expensive bottles, a new battle for sales is taking place online.
Anonymous bidders, identified by screen names like 'LAFITE4EVER' (referring to Asia's favorite, Château Lafite-Rothschild) are buying from the near-constant Internet-only sales offered by the likes of Acker Merrall & Condit, America's oldest wine shop, and California-based Spectrum Wine Auctions.
Compared with traditional sales events, Internet auctions typically offer smaller units of sale (a single bottle, for example, rather than a case) and less-expensive wines. That means online bidders are unlikely to be the trade buyers and investors that crowd live sales.
'It's the drinking man's auction, and it's a great way to get educated,' said John Kapon, president of New York-based Acker, which runs monthly online-only sales. 'There's still a lot of overlap between the Internet and live, but the Internet sales allow us to offer items we can't offer in the live auctions.'
Spectrum runs online-only sales every two weeks, with bottles sold for as little as $1 and as much as $10,000 for a case of Bordeaux's Château Latour. Still, that price pales in comparison with live-auction hauls like the case of Lafite 1982 sold for $77,675 at Spectrum's wine auction last month in Hong Kong.
For those unable to attend live sales in Hong Kong or elsewhere, most other houses offer real-time online bidding during the auctions, sometimes with streaming video of the auctioneer. Online-only sales, however, allow bidders to buy between the live sales.
'We have a continuous flow of wine always online,' said Spectrum President Jason Boland, who noted that Spectrum's last online auction garnered 5,000 bids for around 2,230 lots offered.
Spectrum and Acker both said it's faster to send wine to online buyers than the winners of live sales because of easier logistics. Spectrum plans to launch an application for Apple's iPhone by the end of the summer so people can bid while away from their computers, and Acker expects to overhaul its website later this year to accommodate increasing demand.
Live sales aren't going away any time soon. Acker plans to raise a record $10 million from the Internet this year, yet a single live sale can exceed that. Spectrum said Internet sales are growing fast but account for only 5% of its business so far.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
When Innies Love Outies: How Odd Couples Cope
Patricia and Marty Weber were in their walk-in closet one evening, getting dressed for a party, chitchatting about their day, when Ms. Weber made a casual request: 'Honey, I really don't want to be there all night. Can we leave after an hour or so?'
Her husband's response? He took off his tie, threw it on the ground and shouted, 'Just forget the whole thing! We won't go at all!'
Here's an observation: The most complicated marriages may be those between Innies and Outies -- those who like to stay in and those who like to go out. Ask the Webers. He is an extravert. He loves to talk, gather groups of people around him and attend endless brunches, happy hours and networking events. His wife, an introvert, enjoys parties in short doses but prefers to be home reading or spending time with her dog.
Many people believe that introverts, by definition, are shy and extraverts are outgoing. This is incorrect. Introverts and extraverts differ in how they process information. Introverts get their energy internally. Extraverts -- spelled that way in psychology circles -- gain energy from being with other people, often the more the merrier.
There are shy extraverts and outgoing introverts. Most of us have a little of both in us, but lean one way or the other.
Introverts often prefer to spend time alone or in small groups of people, and they tend to carefully gather their thoughts before they speak. Extraverts love to talk and typically 'think out loud,' processing information by talking.
You don't need a degree in psychology to see how this could cause serious problems in a relationship. Introverts and extraverts approach the world in fundamentally different ways. Introverts think extraverts talk too fast, too loud and too much. Extraverts often believe introverts are awkward, withholding or cold.
Facebook, Twitter and other sites that help us stay connected 24/7 are heightening the differences. In today's social-media driven world, it's getting easier for introverts to speak on their own terms, yet it's also getting harder to turn the extraverts off.
The population is split pretty much evenly between introverts and extraverts, according to psychologist Laurie Helgoe, assistant clinical professor at the West Virginia School of Medicine and author of 'Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength.' In a 1998 study conducted by the Center for Applications of Psychological Type (the folks who run the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test), 51% of some 3,000 subjects who were randomly sampled and tested were introverts. In a smaller study in 2001, 57% were introverts. Introverts were pretty evenly split between males and females, too.
The Webers wrestled with their different introversion-extraversion styles. Earlier in their marriage, Ms. Weber, a 62-year-old business coach from Williamsburg, Va., would often become irritated that her husband went out almost every night of the week, sometimes failing to make it home for dinner. (He was an early cellphone user, and she would call on his big, clunky model to berate him.)
Mr. Weber often invited other couples to join them on their weekly 'date night.' His boss once told him his wife needed to socialize more with other executives' wives if he was going to continue to climb the corporate ladder. 'This has been the biggest conflict in our relationship,' says Mr. Weber, 61, an employee-benefits consultant and broker.
The night of the argument, Ms. Weber felt her husband had misunderstood. 'I wasn't saying I didn't want to go to the event,' she says. 'I was just trying to prepare him that I didn't want to stay all night.' They went to the party but on the way there she said, 'Don't be alarmed if I disappear to the bathroom for 20 minutes. I will need to recharge.'
In brain-imaging studies, brains of introverts show more activity in response to external stimuli. This could explain why introverts feel the need to regulate the amount of stimulation coming in. In contrast, extravert brains show more activity in areas related to pleasure-seeking. They find social interactions fun and are driven to create them.
When someone speaks to an introvert, her brain responds with a high level of activity. 'It is as if several lights start flashing on a control panel,' says Dr. Helgoe. The introvert needs to turn inward. If the other person keeps talking, the introvert can become distracted from her mental process and feel overwhelmed.
When introverts and extraverts converse, 'what looks like communication can actually be a problem,' says Dr. Helgoe. The introvert is quiet and appears to be listening; the extravert takes this as a cue to keep talking. 'The introvert may shut out the extravert, perhaps while silently nodding, or stop trying to contribute,' she says. The extravert needs to learn to slow down, but the introvert needs to learn to speak up.
Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist whose work was the inspiration for the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, believed we are drawn to people different from us so that we can learn from them. But Dr. Helgoe says this theory has been largely debunked. Recent research shows marital satisfaction is related to personality similarity. 'Opposites might initially attract,' she says, 'but they can start to repel, if not identified and worked with, over time.'
Tuesday is the Webers' 41st wedding anniversary. It took two decades, they say, but they finally learned to cope with their vastly different styles. Sometimes, they will drive to social events in different cars, so Ms. Weber can leave early if she wants. Mr. Weber goes to a happy hour after work one night a week without his wife.
They also spend every Saturday apart. He meets pals early at Starbucks, stops in at another coffee shop mid-morning to say hi to more friends and gathers a crowd at a local pub for lunch. She stays home and reads, calls her parents, catches up on email and walks the dog.
'Both of you have to mellow out and find what works for you,' say Ms. Weber.
Her husband's response? He took off his tie, threw it on the ground and shouted, 'Just forget the whole thing! We won't go at all!'
Here's an observation: The most complicated marriages may be those between Innies and Outies -- those who like to stay in and those who like to go out. Ask the Webers. He is an extravert. He loves to talk, gather groups of people around him and attend endless brunches, happy hours and networking events. His wife, an introvert, enjoys parties in short doses but prefers to be home reading or spending time with her dog.
Many people believe that introverts, by definition, are shy and extraverts are outgoing. This is incorrect. Introverts and extraverts differ in how they process information. Introverts get their energy internally. Extraverts -- spelled that way in psychology circles -- gain energy from being with other people, often the more the merrier.
There are shy extraverts and outgoing introverts. Most of us have a little of both in us, but lean one way or the other.
Introverts often prefer to spend time alone or in small groups of people, and they tend to carefully gather their thoughts before they speak. Extraverts love to talk and typically 'think out loud,' processing information by talking.
You don't need a degree in psychology to see how this could cause serious problems in a relationship. Introverts and extraverts approach the world in fundamentally different ways. Introverts think extraverts talk too fast, too loud and too much. Extraverts often believe introverts are awkward, withholding or cold.
Facebook, Twitter and other sites that help us stay connected 24/7 are heightening the differences. In today's social-media driven world, it's getting easier for introverts to speak on their own terms, yet it's also getting harder to turn the extraverts off.
The population is split pretty much evenly between introverts and extraverts, according to psychologist Laurie Helgoe, assistant clinical professor at the West Virginia School of Medicine and author of 'Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength.' In a 1998 study conducted by the Center for Applications of Psychological Type (the folks who run the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test), 51% of some 3,000 subjects who were randomly sampled and tested were introverts. In a smaller study in 2001, 57% were introverts. Introverts were pretty evenly split between males and females, too.
The Webers wrestled with their different introversion-extraversion styles. Earlier in their marriage, Ms. Weber, a 62-year-old business coach from Williamsburg, Va., would often become irritated that her husband went out almost every night of the week, sometimes failing to make it home for dinner. (He was an early cellphone user, and she would call on his big, clunky model to berate him.)
Mr. Weber often invited other couples to join them on their weekly 'date night.' His boss once told him his wife needed to socialize more with other executives' wives if he was going to continue to climb the corporate ladder. 'This has been the biggest conflict in our relationship,' says Mr. Weber, 61, an employee-benefits consultant and broker.
The night of the argument, Ms. Weber felt her husband had misunderstood. 'I wasn't saying I didn't want to go to the event,' she says. 'I was just trying to prepare him that I didn't want to stay all night.' They went to the party but on the way there she said, 'Don't be alarmed if I disappear to the bathroom for 20 minutes. I will need to recharge.'
In brain-imaging studies, brains of introverts show more activity in response to external stimuli. This could explain why introverts feel the need to regulate the amount of stimulation coming in. In contrast, extravert brains show more activity in areas related to pleasure-seeking. They find social interactions fun and are driven to create them.
When someone speaks to an introvert, her brain responds with a high level of activity. 'It is as if several lights start flashing on a control panel,' says Dr. Helgoe. The introvert needs to turn inward. If the other person keeps talking, the introvert can become distracted from her mental process and feel overwhelmed.
When introverts and extraverts converse, 'what looks like communication can actually be a problem,' says Dr. Helgoe. The introvert is quiet and appears to be listening; the extravert takes this as a cue to keep talking. 'The introvert may shut out the extravert, perhaps while silently nodding, or stop trying to contribute,' she says. The extravert needs to learn to slow down, but the introvert needs to learn to speak up.
Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist whose work was the inspiration for the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, believed we are drawn to people different from us so that we can learn from them. But Dr. Helgoe says this theory has been largely debunked. Recent research shows marital satisfaction is related to personality similarity. 'Opposites might initially attract,' she says, 'but they can start to repel, if not identified and worked with, over time.'
Tuesday is the Webers' 41st wedding anniversary. It took two decades, they say, but they finally learned to cope with their vastly different styles. Sometimes, they will drive to social events in different cars, so Ms. Weber can leave early if she wants. Mr. Weber goes to a happy hour after work one night a week without his wife.
They also spend every Saturday apart. He meets pals early at Starbucks, stops in at another coffee shop mid-morning to say hi to more friends and gathers a crowd at a local pub for lunch. She stays home and reads, calls her parents, catches up on email and walks the dog.
'Both of you have to mellow out and find what works for you,' say Ms. Weber.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Europe Split Over Debt Crisis Hardens
The dispute between Europe's central bankers and politicians over how to deal with Greece's worsening financial problems intensified, as one of the European Central Bank's top officials rejected calls by Germany and other euro-zone states for a restructuring of Greek debt─calling it a 'horror scenario.'
The comments from Bank of France Governor Christian Noyer, a member of the ECB's governing council, mark the latest salvo in an increasingly heated debate that is fueling fears among investors that the region's debt crisis has entered a dangerous new phase.
The standoff─which has pitted Europe's central bank against Germany and several other euro-zone governments─cuts to the heart of a question at the center of the region's 18-month crisis: how much are the euro area's wealthier members willing to pay to keep the bloc intact.
At issue is whether Greece, barely a year after receiving a 110 billion ($155 billion) bailout, should be forced to default on its obligations or if Europe should extend it more aid. The ECB worries about the consequences even a mild debt restructuring could have on Ireland and other weak euro-zone countries, while leaders in the currency bloc's strong economies, foremost Germany, fear the political cost of further bailouts.
Moody's Investors Service on Tuesday also warned about the consequences of restructuring, saying any Greek debt default would likely torpedo the country's credit for a 'sustained' period, possibly thrusting Greek banks into default and leaving other weak euro countries 'struggling' to stay out of junk territory.
The head of France's Société Générale, one of Greece's creditors, echoed the restructuring concerns, saying it would be difficult to convince investors that Greece was a one-off. There are consequences for 'how the market will look at the European Union and each country,' Société Générale Chief Executive Frédéric Oudéa said in an interview. 'In my view, the issue is not really just the Greek issue.'
The outcome in Greece could hit Ireland, which was forced to seek a bailout last year. Ireland's government is less indebted that Greece's, but its banking system is fragile and fears of debt restructuring could reignite the crisis there.
The disagreement within Europe's leadership revolves around a basic question: What to do as Greece, again, runs out of money? There is broad agreement in Europe that the 110 billion granted last spring isn't enough to get Greece through next year. But there is practically no agreement on how to plug the gap.
Under intense political pressure, leaders in Europe's stronger economies are deeply reluctant to simply write another check. That, many fear, would put the euro zone too far down the road to a fiscal union, in which strong countries have no alternative but to pay for weak countries. Instead, Berlin and its allies want Greece and other weak countries to repair their finances through deep spending cuts and debt restructuring.
The ECB's position is that Greece's financing shortfall must be filled by other euro-zone countries once Athens has exhausted all options for paring its budget and selling its state assets─not by delaying or reducing payments to creditors.
But several key European finance ministers, including Wolfgang Schäuble of Germany and Christine Lagarde of France, have left the door open to a so-called reprofiling of Greece's debt. Under that scenario, Greece's private creditors would be asked to accept repayment later than expected, to help Greece cover its fiscal holes in 2012 and 2013.
Such a rescheduling would lessen─or, in an optimistic scenario─obviate the need for European governments to pay for a second bailout. At the least, a reprofiling would mean that private-sector creditors feel some pain, along with taxpayers.
Since the debt crisis emerged in early 2010, nearly all of official Europe had maintained a euro-zone debt default of any flavor was unthinkable. National leaders feared a loss of prestige and a hit to confidence in the region. ECB officials feared the Continent's fragile banks, unprepared for losses on what they had thought were ultra-safe investments, could collapse.
But as national leaders have faced the consequence of that position─that preventing a euro-zone debt default means they must always be ready to write more bailout checks─they have backed off.
The comments from Bank of France Governor Christian Noyer, a member of the ECB's governing council, mark the latest salvo in an increasingly heated debate that is fueling fears among investors that the region's debt crisis has entered a dangerous new phase.
The standoff─which has pitted Europe's central bank against Germany and several other euro-zone governments─cuts to the heart of a question at the center of the region's 18-month crisis: how much are the euro area's wealthier members willing to pay to keep the bloc intact.
At issue is whether Greece, barely a year after receiving a 110 billion ($155 billion) bailout, should be forced to default on its obligations or if Europe should extend it more aid. The ECB worries about the consequences even a mild debt restructuring could have on Ireland and other weak euro-zone countries, while leaders in the currency bloc's strong economies, foremost Germany, fear the political cost of further bailouts.
Moody's Investors Service on Tuesday also warned about the consequences of restructuring, saying any Greek debt default would likely torpedo the country's credit for a 'sustained' period, possibly thrusting Greek banks into default and leaving other weak euro countries 'struggling' to stay out of junk territory.
The head of France's Société Générale, one of Greece's creditors, echoed the restructuring concerns, saying it would be difficult to convince investors that Greece was a one-off. There are consequences for 'how the market will look at the European Union and each country,' Société Générale Chief Executive Frédéric Oudéa said in an interview. 'In my view, the issue is not really just the Greek issue.'
The outcome in Greece could hit Ireland, which was forced to seek a bailout last year. Ireland's government is less indebted that Greece's, but its banking system is fragile and fears of debt restructuring could reignite the crisis there.
The disagreement within Europe's leadership revolves around a basic question: What to do as Greece, again, runs out of money? There is broad agreement in Europe that the 110 billion granted last spring isn't enough to get Greece through next year. But there is practically no agreement on how to plug the gap.
Under intense political pressure, leaders in Europe's stronger economies are deeply reluctant to simply write another check. That, many fear, would put the euro zone too far down the road to a fiscal union, in which strong countries have no alternative but to pay for weak countries. Instead, Berlin and its allies want Greece and other weak countries to repair their finances through deep spending cuts and debt restructuring.
The ECB's position is that Greece's financing shortfall must be filled by other euro-zone countries once Athens has exhausted all options for paring its budget and selling its state assets─not by delaying or reducing payments to creditors.
But several key European finance ministers, including Wolfgang Schäuble of Germany and Christine Lagarde of France, have left the door open to a so-called reprofiling of Greece's debt. Under that scenario, Greece's private creditors would be asked to accept repayment later than expected, to help Greece cover its fiscal holes in 2012 and 2013.
Such a rescheduling would lessen─or, in an optimistic scenario─obviate the need for European governments to pay for a second bailout. At the least, a reprofiling would mean that private-sector creditors feel some pain, along with taxpayers.
Since the debt crisis emerged in early 2010, nearly all of official Europe had maintained a euro-zone debt default of any flavor was unthinkable. National leaders feared a loss of prestige and a hit to confidence in the region. ECB officials feared the Continent's fragile banks, unprepared for losses on what they had thought were ultra-safe investments, could collapse.
But as national leaders have faced the consequence of that position─that preventing a euro-zone debt default means they must always be ready to write more bailout checks─they have backed off.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Oil's Slide Is Good For Asia, But Comes With Catch
A selloff in commodities is good news in Asia, where inflation has become a major worry -- but not as good as one might think.
Tackling inflation has become a top priority for policy makers from Beijing to New Delhi, who have reacted by steadily tightening credit and letting their currencies appreciate against the dollar. Central banks in both the Philippines and Malaysia raised key interest rates 0.25 percentage point on Thursday. Two days earlier, India surprised markets with a half-point rate rise after inflation jumped to nearly 9% in March.
Commodities are a big part of the problem. louis vuitton wallet for women Announcing its rate increase, Malaysia's central bank cited expectations that commodity and energy prices would remain high all year. In the Philippines, average oil prices reaching $140 a barrel would push inflation to 5%, up from 4.4% with oil at around $100 a barrel, Barclays Capital notes in a report, citing central-bank estimates.
So central bankers should be sighing with relief as oil continues to push lower following its 8.6% plunge in the U.S. to just below $100 a barrel on Thursday. On Friday, the front-month June contract fell another 2.6% to $97.18. The week's 14.7% plunge was the steepest one-week drop since December 2008.
The catch is that declining oil prices reflect vulnerability in the broader economic outlook, which isn't good for Asian exporters. Some of the drop in commodities no doubt comes from investors unwinding positions after a sharp runup in prices. But concerns about the strength of the U.S. recovery linger, despite Friday's positive jobs report, as do worries about sovereign risk in Europe.
Recent purchasing-manager index levels in Asia are another cause for apprehension. They show that manufacturing is still expanding, but inventories are growing, too. Expect exports to feel the impact in coming months -- not great news for a region that still depends on overseas consumers to buy its output.
Even if commodity prices stay lower, which is hardly a given, inflation won't be licked entirely, and rates will still need to climb. Bank of America Merrill Lynch is still predicting rate hikes in India, Malaysia and Thailand later this year, as well as further tightening in China.
The pressure isn't just from commodities. The purchasing power of workers in China receiving newly bumped-up wages is pushing up prices of goods there. Across the region, the price of real estate and other assets has risen from an inflow of global capital seeking to benefit from currency appreciation.
'I wouldn't take down the red flag in Asia,' says Frederic Neumann, co-head of Asia economics at HSBC, who says interest rates and currency-exchange rates across the region are too low for healthy economic development.
Cheaper gas, copper and soybeans might provide welcome ammunition in Asia's battle against inflation, but they don't won't win the war.
Tackling inflation has become a top priority for policy makers from Beijing to New Delhi, who have reacted by steadily tightening credit and letting their currencies appreciate against the dollar. Central banks in both the Philippines and Malaysia raised key interest rates 0.25 percentage point on Thursday. Two days earlier, India surprised markets with a half-point rate rise after inflation jumped to nearly 9% in March.
Commodities are a big part of the problem. louis vuitton wallet for women Announcing its rate increase, Malaysia's central bank cited expectations that commodity and energy prices would remain high all year. In the Philippines, average oil prices reaching $140 a barrel would push inflation to 5%, up from 4.4% with oil at around $100 a barrel, Barclays Capital notes in a report, citing central-bank estimates.
So central bankers should be sighing with relief as oil continues to push lower following its 8.6% plunge in the U.S. to just below $100 a barrel on Thursday. On Friday, the front-month June contract fell another 2.6% to $97.18. The week's 14.7% plunge was the steepest one-week drop since December 2008.
The catch is that declining oil prices reflect vulnerability in the broader economic outlook, which isn't good for Asian exporters. Some of the drop in commodities no doubt comes from investors unwinding positions after a sharp runup in prices. But concerns about the strength of the U.S. recovery linger, despite Friday's positive jobs report, as do worries about sovereign risk in Europe.
Recent purchasing-manager index levels in Asia are another cause for apprehension. They show that manufacturing is still expanding, but inventories are growing, too. Expect exports to feel the impact in coming months -- not great news for a region that still depends on overseas consumers to buy its output.
Even if commodity prices stay lower, which is hardly a given, inflation won't be licked entirely, and rates will still need to climb. Bank of America Merrill Lynch is still predicting rate hikes in India, Malaysia and Thailand later this year, as well as further tightening in China.
The pressure isn't just from commodities. The purchasing power of workers in China receiving newly bumped-up wages is pushing up prices of goods there. Across the region, the price of real estate and other assets has risen from an inflow of global capital seeking to benefit from currency appreciation.
'I wouldn't take down the red flag in Asia,' says Frederic Neumann, co-head of Asia economics at HSBC, who says interest rates and currency-exchange rates across the region are too low for healthy economic development.
Cheaper gas, copper and soybeans might provide welcome ammunition in Asia's battle against inflation, but they don't won't win the war.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Portugal Bailout May Hit $129 Billion
Portugal will need as much as 90 billion euros ($129 billion), including 10 billion euros in June, under a bailout package from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, people familiar with the situation said Thursday.
Terms of the package will be discussed in more detail at an EU finance ministers' meeting in Hungary beginning Friday. A formal request for aid was submitted Thursday, a Portuguese government spokesman said.
It will take two to three weeks to work out an austerity program to accompany a bailout with the help of the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and the IMF, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble said Thursday.
The funds are expected to be used to cover Portugal's short-term debt obligations and cash shortfalls at public-service companies, and to repay loans made to nationalized bank Banco Portugues de Negocios.
Funds would also be set aside to cover local banks' potential capital shortfalls, according to one person familiar with the situation.
Portugal will become the third nation in the 17-member currency bloc, after Greece and Ireland, to turn to its peers for help, after concerns over the country's funding capabilities and its heavy debt burden triggered a series of downgrades in its credit ratings.
Portuguese policy makers say there is a growing consensus that a bailout would need to be structured and disbursed in several phases, coming before and after the country's June 5 elections.
The current government and the incoming administration would share the responsibility of negotiating the deal.
Terms of the package will be discussed in more detail at an EU finance ministers' meeting in Hungary beginning Friday. A formal request for aid was submitted Thursday, a Portuguese government spokesman said.
It will take two to three weeks to work out an austerity program to accompany a bailout with the help of the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and the IMF, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble said Thursday.
The funds are expected to be used to cover Portugal's short-term debt obligations and cash shortfalls at public-service companies, and to repay loans made to nationalized bank Banco Portugues de Negocios.
Funds would also be set aside to cover local banks' potential capital shortfalls, according to one person familiar with the situation.
Portugal will become the third nation in the 17-member currency bloc, after Greece and Ireland, to turn to its peers for help, after concerns over the country's funding capabilities and its heavy debt burden triggered a series of downgrades in its credit ratings.
Portuguese policy makers say there is a growing consensus that a bailout would need to be structured and disbursed in several phases, coming before and after the country's June 5 elections.
The current government and the incoming administration would share the responsibility of negotiating the deal.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Can Mom's Medicine Hurt The Baby?
The list of medications that women shouldn't take in pregnancy keeps getting longer.
Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration strengthened warnings that expectant mothers who take topiramate (brand name Topamax), for migraines or to control seizures, have an increased risk of giving birth to babies with cleft lips or cleft palates.
Last month, the FDA advised doctors that babies whose mothers took antipsychotic drugs such as Haldol, Zyprexa, Seroquel and Abilify, could suffer withdrawal symptoms such as agitation and difficulty breathing and feeding for hours or days after birth. It also warned that terbutaline, an asthma drug also used to halt preterm labor, should not be used by pregnant women due to the potential for maternal heart problems or death.
Also last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that taking pain relievers containing opioids, such as Vicodin, OxyContin and Tylenol with codeine, just before or in early pregnancy increased the risk of congenital heart defects, glaucoma and other problems.
Ever since the 1960s when thalidomide, a sleep aid and morning-sickness drug, was linked to more than 10,000 babies born with missing or shrunken limbs, it has been known that medications a pregnant woman takes can cross the placenta and affect her unborn child.
But determining what the impact might be for tens of thousands of medications is a Herculean task. The labels on most medicines have little or no information on how they might affect the mother or the fetus, other than advising to check with her doctor. Physicians are often baffled too, since conclusive data on safety in pregnancy don't exist for the majority of prescription medications.
There is not much more known about the safety of over-the-counter drugs. Most experts believe that acetaminophen (Tylenol) is safe to use in all trimesters. But many advise pregnant women not to take aspirin, ibuprofen and some other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), particularly in the third trimester, due to the potential for excess bleeding and other labor complications. Meanwhile, small studies have linked pseudoephedrine, a common ingredient in decongestants and other cold remedies, with a higher risk of gastroschisis, in which the baby's intestines grow outside the abdominal wall. Antacids are generally safe, although sodium bicarbonate is absorbed into the bloodstream and can raise a woman's sodium level.
There's so little safety information because it is considered unethical to expose pregnant women and unborn babies to potential risks in randomized-controlled clinical trials used to test drug safety. Yet millions of pregnant women take medications. Studies show that 64% use at least one prescription drug during pregnancy and, on average, women use three to five.
Experts agree that chronic conditions such as asthma, epilepsy, high blood pressure and depression can't go untreated for nine months without posing risks to both mothers and fetuses. For example, if a mother has a severe asthma attack or prolonged seizure, the fetus could be starved for oxygen; untreated hypertension in a mother could stunt her baby's growth or cause preterm labor.
So doctors must carefully weigh the benefits of a medication to both mother and baby against the often uncertain risk that it might interfere with fetal development. Many of the most serious medication risks occur when a baby's vital organs are forming in the first trimester, often before a women knows she's pregnant.
In some cases, mothers and doctors can opt for a substitute medication for the condition that's thought to pose less risk. There is a wide variety of antidepressants, for example, with different associated risks. The popular category called serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is generally considered safe, although some studies have linked a few of them to a higher risk of congential heart defects when taken in the first trimester, and infants suffering withdrawal symptoms such as irritability and seizures for more than a week after birth.
All this information creates some hard choices for mothers-to-be and their health-care providers. Sarah Lieberman Weisz, 36, of Chicago, who takes Wellbutrin, a category C drug for depression, talked it over with her midwife before her first pregnancy. Even though several other antidepressants are considered to be safer during pregnancy, Ms. Weisz had tried others and was reluctant to switch. They found some small-scale studies showing no adverse effects on human fetuses, and no large studies contradicting them. 'To me, that was enough. We decided that the risk of switching and suffering more depression or new side effects was greater than a possible risk to the baby,' says Ms. Weisz, who had a healthy baby boy in 21 months ago and a healthy, baby girl last month.
Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration strengthened warnings that expectant mothers who take topiramate (brand name Topamax), for migraines or to control seizures, have an increased risk of giving birth to babies with cleft lips or cleft palates.
Last month, the FDA advised doctors that babies whose mothers took antipsychotic drugs such as Haldol, Zyprexa, Seroquel and Abilify, could suffer withdrawal symptoms such as agitation and difficulty breathing and feeding for hours or days after birth. It also warned that terbutaline, an asthma drug also used to halt preterm labor, should not be used by pregnant women due to the potential for maternal heart problems or death.
Also last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that taking pain relievers containing opioids, such as Vicodin, OxyContin and Tylenol with codeine, just before or in early pregnancy increased the risk of congenital heart defects, glaucoma and other problems.
Ever since the 1960s when thalidomide, a sleep aid and morning-sickness drug, was linked to more than 10,000 babies born with missing or shrunken limbs, it has been known that medications a pregnant woman takes can cross the placenta and affect her unborn child.
But determining what the impact might be for tens of thousands of medications is a Herculean task. The labels on most medicines have little or no information on how they might affect the mother or the fetus, other than advising to check with her doctor. Physicians are often baffled too, since conclusive data on safety in pregnancy don't exist for the majority of prescription medications.
There is not much more known about the safety of over-the-counter drugs. Most experts believe that acetaminophen (Tylenol) is safe to use in all trimesters. But many advise pregnant women not to take aspirin, ibuprofen and some other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), particularly in the third trimester, due to the potential for excess bleeding and other labor complications. Meanwhile, small studies have linked pseudoephedrine, a common ingredient in decongestants and other cold remedies, with a higher risk of gastroschisis, in which the baby's intestines grow outside the abdominal wall. Antacids are generally safe, although sodium bicarbonate is absorbed into the bloodstream and can raise a woman's sodium level.
There's so little safety information because it is considered unethical to expose pregnant women and unborn babies to potential risks in randomized-controlled clinical trials used to test drug safety. Yet millions of pregnant women take medications. Studies show that 64% use at least one prescription drug during pregnancy and, on average, women use three to five.
Experts agree that chronic conditions such as asthma, epilepsy, high blood pressure and depression can't go untreated for nine months without posing risks to both mothers and fetuses. For example, if a mother has a severe asthma attack or prolonged seizure, the fetus could be starved for oxygen; untreated hypertension in a mother could stunt her baby's growth or cause preterm labor.
So doctors must carefully weigh the benefits of a medication to both mother and baby against the often uncertain risk that it might interfere with fetal development. Many of the most serious medication risks occur when a baby's vital organs are forming in the first trimester, often before a women knows she's pregnant.
In some cases, mothers and doctors can opt for a substitute medication for the condition that's thought to pose less risk. There is a wide variety of antidepressants, for example, with different associated risks. The popular category called serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is generally considered safe, although some studies have linked a few of them to a higher risk of congential heart defects when taken in the first trimester, and infants suffering withdrawal symptoms such as irritability and seizures for more than a week after birth.
All this information creates some hard choices for mothers-to-be and their health-care providers. Sarah Lieberman Weisz, 36, of Chicago, who takes Wellbutrin, a category C drug for depression, talked it over with her midwife before her first pregnancy. Even though several other antidepressants are considered to be safer during pregnancy, Ms. Weisz had tried others and was reluctant to switch. They found some small-scale studies showing no adverse effects on human fetuses, and no large studies contradicting them. 'To me, that was enough. We decided that the risk of switching and suffering more depression or new side effects was greater than a possible risk to the baby,' says Ms. Weisz, who had a healthy baby boy in 21 months ago and a healthy, baby girl last month.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Japan Plant Had Troubled History
The Fukushima Daiichi power plant was already one of the most trouble-prone nuclear facilities in Japan, even before the devastating earthquake and tsunami that knocked out its cooling systems and precipitated the worst nuclear crisis in 25 years, a Wall Street Journal analysis of regulatory documents shows.
In addition, a standard practice at Japanese nuclear plants─to remove fresh fuel from a reactor and park it for weeks or months in a less-protected 'spent fuel' pool during maintenance─appears to have been a significant contributor to the crisis, engineers say.
On Sunday, disaster-response teams made progress toward taming the stricken nuclear reactor, restoring electrical power and preparing to restart crucial systems designed to cool the dangerously overheating nuclear material. But the latest analysis of safety and maintenance practices at the plant cast new light on how the situation threatened to spiral out of control.
When the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck little more than a week ago, all of the fresh fuel at the plant's Reactor No. 4 had been removed and stored in a pool that must remain filled with cooling water. That pool became one of the biggest problems for plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., or Tepco, after much of the protective water dissipated, threatening fire and widespread radiation release.
A Journal analysis of Japanese regulatory documents shows that the Daiichi plant was already one of Japan's most troubled nuclear facilities, even before it was severely damaged by this month's quake and tsunami. In the five-year period from 2005 to 2009, the latest data available, Daiichi had the highest accident rate of any big Japanese nuclear plant, according to data collected by the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization, a mostly government-funded group that monitors safety and conducts inspections. Daiichi's workers were exposed to more radiation than their peers at most other plants, the data show.
Tepco says that overall it operated the Daiichi plants safely. It says the plant's age accounted for the higher rate of accidents, all of which were relatively minor until March 11.
On Sunday, Japan took major steps toward turning the tide in its battle to avoid large-scale nuclear disaster. Workers restored electrical power to parts of the plant and brought down radiation levels with a marathon water-spraying operation that, among other things, finally flooded Reactor 4's waste-fuel pool.
Key to that success: An elite disaster-response team from Tokyo, the Hyper Rescue Squad, and its massive water cannon known as the Super Pumper.
'No matter what protective gear you have on, if you touch or inhale radioactive material, that means death,' said Yukio Takayama, leader of a Hyper Rescue Squad unit, told The Wall Street Journal. 'That was on everybody's mind, and there was intense fear.'
Over the weekend, 'The most important thing we were able to do was to fill the spent-fuel pools at No. 3 and No. 4,' said Hidehiko Nishiyama, a top official at the Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry, which regulates Tepco.
At the time of the quake, Reactor 4 was offline and not generating power amid annual maintenance. As part of that, five months ago Tepco relocated all the fuel rods─the heavy tubes that contain radioactive fuel pellets─from inside the reactor to what's called a spent-fuel pool, a concrete holding tank that is less robustly protected than the reactor itself.
'We were carrying out checks on the inside of the reactor' and, thus, workers 'had to remove the nuclear fuel from the reactor,' said Takeshi Makigami, head of Tepco's nuclear-equipment-management section.
The active rods were in that pool when the March 11 quake struck. When the tsunami wiped out the plant's emergency generators, the water in the spent-fuel pool adjacent to the No. 4 reactor could no longer circulate, and fresh water could not be pumped in. Rods in the pools began to overheat, causing the water to evaporate as steam and exposing parts of the radioactive rods to the air─a critically dangerous situation. The heat spawned fires and the roof above the pool was partly destroyed, letting radiation out.
Over the weekend, emergency teams appear to have stabilized the situation. Still, officials cautioned they don't know if the pool has suffered cracks or other significant damage.
The events at Reactor 4 expose the risk of a commonplace practice in Japan, 'full core discharge,' in which all the fuel in a reactor is moved during maintenance shutdowns. 'The Japanese argue it's safer to move all the fuel to the pool, but the practice of full-core discharge caused a problem, in this case,' said Andy Kadak, a former professor of nuclear engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who has studied fuel handling for Tepco.
Tepco's Mr. Makigami defended the practice of removing still-usable fuel and stowing it in the spent-fuel pool, saying it can be done safely if ample water is available and sufficient space is maintained between the rods.
In the U.S., reactors shut down for refueling typically retain most of their fuel in the thick steel reactor pressure vessel that provides much more protection against a radioactive release. During refueling outages, when operators swap out depleted fuel for fresh fuel and do other maintenance, these rods are shuffled around in a process somewhat akin to rotating tires on a car to even out the wear.
In the U.S., only the most worn-out rods typically are removed and transferred to a spent-fuel pool for storage, where they can stay for decades. Thus, U.S., pools hold only the oldest spent fuel, which is also the coolest in terms of temperature and radiation.
By contrast, at Tepco and other utilities, it's common to temporarily remove all the fuel rods. The freshest are eventually moved back to the reactor pressure vessel and supplemented with new rods to replace the oldest ones, which are left in the storage pools.
Rods can be left in pools for many years for two reasons. First, they need to cool down. Second, no nation has yet solved the problem of what to do with large stockpiles of used nuclear fuel. As a result, much of it remains in utility holding pens.
In the first days after the quake, officials weren't focused on the situation at Reactor No. 4, since it was one of the three reactors at the plant, along with Nos. 5 and 6, that were offline for maintenance. The more critical situation appeared to be with Reactor Nos. 1, 2 and 3, which had been online at the time of the quake. When those reactors lost power, normal cooling systems for both the reactors and the storage pools were disabled.
But by March 15, four days after the quake, problems at Unit 4 became critical with the first outbreak of fire. Tepco officials said heat produced at the pool was much greater than heat produced in the spent-fuel pools at the three reactors that automatically shut down the day of the quake.
The Journal has reported that, in the early hours of the crisis, Tepco hesitated in its decision to use seawater to cool its reactors because it worried doing so could destroy a multi-billion-dollar plant at a time when it already was short of generating capacity. Eventually, officials were forced to resort to dumping seawater on the exposed rods using helicopters and fire trucks. Temperatures also rose in the pools at Nos. 5 and 6, though Tepco got those under control without explosions or fire.
Well before the one-two punch of this month's quake and tsunami, the Fukushima Daiichi ranked among Japan's most troubled nuclear plants, regulatory documents from the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization indicate.
Tepco's Mr. Makigami said 'the main reason' some numbers for the Fukushima plant look poor in the report is that 'they're old reactors.' All of Daiichi's reactors first came online in the 1970s.
Mr. Makigami said Tepco does frequent repairs, and has 'replaced the various individual parts with the latest equipment, and in so doing we aimed to give old plants the same functionality as new plants. However, in reality it is quite difficult.'
The Daiichi plant has had 15 accidents since 2005, the most of any Japanese plant with more than three reactors, according to an analysis of the data by the Journal. Maintenance problems have been a leading cause of accidents at the plants, but it isn't clear whether age has been a major factor.
In February 2009, pressure levels spiked inside Reactor 1, forcing the release of steam through an emergency valve. Workers found a broken bolt and shut down the reactor. An investigation found that a nut hadn't been tightened properly and wasn't being inspected regularly.
Some accidents involved key safety equipment. In 2007 an emergency diesel generator began smoking during testing. An investigation found that part of the generator's circuit breaker had been put together backward.
The failure of diesel generators, which power water pumps that are critical to reactor cooling systems, was a leading cause of the current crisis. But there is no evidence they were malfunctioning before the tsunami struck.
In April 2009, a control rod─the shutdown device used to stop the nuclear reaction in a plant's core─malfunctioned in Reactor No. 3 due to a leaking valve. An investigation found that the device was assembled using two different kinds of bolts, leading to the leak.
None of the Daiichi accidents were considered major safety hazards, and none caused any injuries or led to the release of any radioactive material outside the plant, until this month's accident. As is true in most nations, nuclear operators are required to report more problems to authorities than operators of conventional, fossil-fuel plants, so there is more detail on even minor occurrences.
Mr. Nishiyama, whose Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry regulates Tepco, pointed out that the company has had serious challenges, including major quakes spaced less than four years apart. He also said Tepco has 'made great progress in terms of disclosure' about their operations. He said the company is 'resilient,' but that 'once this emergency situation is over, we'll need to evaluate how Tepco is dealing with the situation.'
The Daiichi plant does expose its workers to more radiation than other plants, the regulatory documents show. Daiichi employees have received the highest average radiation doses of those at any Japanese plant every year over the past decade. Tepco's other plants also exposed their workers to higher doses of radiation than most other big Japanese operators.
Teruaki Kobayashi, head of Tepco's nuclear-plant-management section, said that since 'Fukushima Daiichi has older reactors, it requires more frequent repairs and checks than new nuclear plants.' Because the plant is of an old design, 'radiation tends to be higher.'
'When we carry out major improvements or checks, inevitably people are more likely to receive radiation,' Mr. Kobayashi said. 'That's because some tasks can only be done by human hands.'
For example, he said, when Tepco cleans the inside of the reactor, it uses specialized equipment and robots, but humans must manipulate them remotely and inevitably they get closer to radioactive material.
In addition, a standard practice at Japanese nuclear plants─to remove fresh fuel from a reactor and park it for weeks or months in a less-protected 'spent fuel' pool during maintenance─appears to have been a significant contributor to the crisis, engineers say.
On Sunday, disaster-response teams made progress toward taming the stricken nuclear reactor, restoring electrical power and preparing to restart crucial systems designed to cool the dangerously overheating nuclear material. But the latest analysis of safety and maintenance practices at the plant cast new light on how the situation threatened to spiral out of control.
When the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck little more than a week ago, all of the fresh fuel at the plant's Reactor No. 4 had been removed and stored in a pool that must remain filled with cooling water. That pool became one of the biggest problems for plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., or Tepco, after much of the protective water dissipated, threatening fire and widespread radiation release.
A Journal analysis of Japanese regulatory documents shows that the Daiichi plant was already one of Japan's most troubled nuclear facilities, even before it was severely damaged by this month's quake and tsunami. In the five-year period from 2005 to 2009, the latest data available, Daiichi had the highest accident rate of any big Japanese nuclear plant, according to data collected by the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization, a mostly government-funded group that monitors safety and conducts inspections. Daiichi's workers were exposed to more radiation than their peers at most other plants, the data show.
Tepco says that overall it operated the Daiichi plants safely. It says the plant's age accounted for the higher rate of accidents, all of which were relatively minor until March 11.
On Sunday, Japan took major steps toward turning the tide in its battle to avoid large-scale nuclear disaster. Workers restored electrical power to parts of the plant and brought down radiation levels with a marathon water-spraying operation that, among other things, finally flooded Reactor 4's waste-fuel pool.
Key to that success: An elite disaster-response team from Tokyo, the Hyper Rescue Squad, and its massive water cannon known as the Super Pumper.
'No matter what protective gear you have on, if you touch or inhale radioactive material, that means death,' said Yukio Takayama, leader of a Hyper Rescue Squad unit, told The Wall Street Journal. 'That was on everybody's mind, and there was intense fear.'
Over the weekend, 'The most important thing we were able to do was to fill the spent-fuel pools at No. 3 and No. 4,' said Hidehiko Nishiyama, a top official at the Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry, which regulates Tepco.
At the time of the quake, Reactor 4 was offline and not generating power amid annual maintenance. As part of that, five months ago Tepco relocated all the fuel rods─the heavy tubes that contain radioactive fuel pellets─from inside the reactor to what's called a spent-fuel pool, a concrete holding tank that is less robustly protected than the reactor itself.
'We were carrying out checks on the inside of the reactor' and, thus, workers 'had to remove the nuclear fuel from the reactor,' said Takeshi Makigami, head of Tepco's nuclear-equipment-management section.
The active rods were in that pool when the March 11 quake struck. When the tsunami wiped out the plant's emergency generators, the water in the spent-fuel pool adjacent to the No. 4 reactor could no longer circulate, and fresh water could not be pumped in. Rods in the pools began to overheat, causing the water to evaporate as steam and exposing parts of the radioactive rods to the air─a critically dangerous situation. The heat spawned fires and the roof above the pool was partly destroyed, letting radiation out.
Over the weekend, emergency teams appear to have stabilized the situation. Still, officials cautioned they don't know if the pool has suffered cracks or other significant damage.
The events at Reactor 4 expose the risk of a commonplace practice in Japan, 'full core discharge,' in which all the fuel in a reactor is moved during maintenance shutdowns. 'The Japanese argue it's safer to move all the fuel to the pool, but the practice of full-core discharge caused a problem, in this case,' said Andy Kadak, a former professor of nuclear engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who has studied fuel handling for Tepco.
Tepco's Mr. Makigami defended the practice of removing still-usable fuel and stowing it in the spent-fuel pool, saying it can be done safely if ample water is available and sufficient space is maintained between the rods.
In the U.S., reactors shut down for refueling typically retain most of their fuel in the thick steel reactor pressure vessel that provides much more protection against a radioactive release. During refueling outages, when operators swap out depleted fuel for fresh fuel and do other maintenance, these rods are shuffled around in a process somewhat akin to rotating tires on a car to even out the wear.
In the U.S., only the most worn-out rods typically are removed and transferred to a spent-fuel pool for storage, where they can stay for decades. Thus, U.S., pools hold only the oldest spent fuel, which is also the coolest in terms of temperature and radiation.
By contrast, at Tepco and other utilities, it's common to temporarily remove all the fuel rods. The freshest are eventually moved back to the reactor pressure vessel and supplemented with new rods to replace the oldest ones, which are left in the storage pools.
Rods can be left in pools for many years for two reasons. First, they need to cool down. Second, no nation has yet solved the problem of what to do with large stockpiles of used nuclear fuel. As a result, much of it remains in utility holding pens.
In the first days after the quake, officials weren't focused on the situation at Reactor No. 4, since it was one of the three reactors at the plant, along with Nos. 5 and 6, that were offline for maintenance. The more critical situation appeared to be with Reactor Nos. 1, 2 and 3, which had been online at the time of the quake. When those reactors lost power, normal cooling systems for both the reactors and the storage pools were disabled.
But by March 15, four days after the quake, problems at Unit 4 became critical with the first outbreak of fire. Tepco officials said heat produced at the pool was much greater than heat produced in the spent-fuel pools at the three reactors that automatically shut down the day of the quake.
The Journal has reported that, in the early hours of the crisis, Tepco hesitated in its decision to use seawater to cool its reactors because it worried doing so could destroy a multi-billion-dollar plant at a time when it already was short of generating capacity. Eventually, officials were forced to resort to dumping seawater on the exposed rods using helicopters and fire trucks. Temperatures also rose in the pools at Nos. 5 and 6, though Tepco got those under control without explosions or fire.
Well before the one-two punch of this month's quake and tsunami, the Fukushima Daiichi ranked among Japan's most troubled nuclear plants, regulatory documents from the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization indicate.
Tepco's Mr. Makigami said 'the main reason' some numbers for the Fukushima plant look poor in the report is that 'they're old reactors.' All of Daiichi's reactors first came online in the 1970s.
Mr. Makigami said Tepco does frequent repairs, and has 'replaced the various individual parts with the latest equipment, and in so doing we aimed to give old plants the same functionality as new plants. However, in reality it is quite difficult.'
The Daiichi plant has had 15 accidents since 2005, the most of any Japanese plant with more than three reactors, according to an analysis of the data by the Journal. Maintenance problems have been a leading cause of accidents at the plants, but it isn't clear whether age has been a major factor.
In February 2009, pressure levels spiked inside Reactor 1, forcing the release of steam through an emergency valve. Workers found a broken bolt and shut down the reactor. An investigation found that a nut hadn't been tightened properly and wasn't being inspected regularly.
Some accidents involved key safety equipment. In 2007 an emergency diesel generator began smoking during testing. An investigation found that part of the generator's circuit breaker had been put together backward.
The failure of diesel generators, which power water pumps that are critical to reactor cooling systems, was a leading cause of the current crisis. But there is no evidence they were malfunctioning before the tsunami struck.
In April 2009, a control rod─the shutdown device used to stop the nuclear reaction in a plant's core─malfunctioned in Reactor No. 3 due to a leaking valve. An investigation found that the device was assembled using two different kinds of bolts, leading to the leak.
None of the Daiichi accidents were considered major safety hazards, and none caused any injuries or led to the release of any radioactive material outside the plant, until this month's accident. As is true in most nations, nuclear operators are required to report more problems to authorities than operators of conventional, fossil-fuel plants, so there is more detail on even minor occurrences.
Mr. Nishiyama, whose Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry regulates Tepco, pointed out that the company has had serious challenges, including major quakes spaced less than four years apart. He also said Tepco has 'made great progress in terms of disclosure' about their operations. He said the company is 'resilient,' but that 'once this emergency situation is over, we'll need to evaluate how Tepco is dealing with the situation.'
The Daiichi plant does expose its workers to more radiation than other plants, the regulatory documents show. Daiichi employees have received the highest average radiation doses of those at any Japanese plant every year over the past decade. Tepco's other plants also exposed their workers to higher doses of radiation than most other big Japanese operators.
Teruaki Kobayashi, head of Tepco's nuclear-plant-management section, said that since 'Fukushima Daiichi has older reactors, it requires more frequent repairs and checks than new nuclear plants.' Because the plant is of an old design, 'radiation tends to be higher.'
'When we carry out major improvements or checks, inevitably people are more likely to receive radiation,' Mr. Kobayashi said. 'That's because some tasks can only be done by human hands.'
For example, he said, when Tepco cleans the inside of the reactor, it uses specialized equipment and robots, but humans must manipulate them remotely and inevitably they get closer to radioactive material.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
No Thanks, No Mansion For Me
LANSING, Mich. -- Available: five-bedroom, four-bath ranch-style home. Working wind turbine and rooftop solar panels. Original, midcentury bar hidden behind motorized living-room wall. No rent required.
Michigan Gov.-elect Rick Snyder isn't interested.
The Republican venture capitalist elected on a platform to shake up state government recently announced that he wouldn't move into the governor's official 8,700-square-foot residence on four acres overlooking the Grand River. Instead, he'll stay in his own, 10,600-square-foot manse complete with indoor pool, movie theater and wine cellar.
It's 70 miles away in Ann Arbor, but near his teenage daughter's school. As an added bonus, says Mr. Snyder, he won't need a full-time house staff, a potential savings for taxpayers. 'I'm convinced that every dollar counts,' he says.
Gubernatorial candidates spend months, if not years, campaigning to take the reins of state government. But more and more winners are forgoing one of the spoils of victory: living rent-free in the governor's mansion.
Some of them cite a new age of austerity, coupled with the pressure to keep family life intact in their hometowns. Many say they're used to the commuting life and, with the help of cellphones and email, can operate the levers of government from anywhere. Some just don't want to pick up and move.
In Colorado, Gov.-elect John Hickenlooper is weighing whether to leave his home in kid-friendly Park Hill, just outside of downtown Denver, and move his family, including his 8-year-old son, Teddy, into nearby Boettcher Mansion.
'There are 16 kids on our block for our son to play with,' says Mr. Hickenlooper, departing mayor of Denver, in an interview. He says the governor's residence sits in a more commercial district of the city.
He also says that his wife, a journalist and author, may prefer greater separation between the first family's public and private lives. 'And I almost certainly do what my wife wants,' he says. (A spokesman later said the couple intends to make the decision together.)
In Albany, Andrew Cuomo has waxed nostalgic about spending time at New York State's 40-room Queen Anne-style governor's mansion in the 1980s, when his father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo, once ruled with a domestic staff on a hill overlooking the Hudson River.
But with his girlfriend and children already living near New York City, the younger Mr. Cuomo, who becomes governor in January, plans to keep a home base in suburban Westchester County.
New Jersey's stately Drumthwacket manor in Princeton has served as little more than a crash pad since Gov. Chris Christie came to office this year. He opted to keep his children in a school near his home in Mendham, more than 50 miles away, and uses the mansion, with its Italian gardens and a wood-paneled library, mostly for special dinners and official receptions. Once, the governor and his staff took shelter at Drumthwacket during a snowstorm.
In Idaho, the 7,370-square-foot governor's mansion on 38 acres in Boise donated by frozen-french-fry magnate J.R. Simplot lies unoccupied. Gov. Butch Otter, who was once married to Mr. Simplot's daugher, Gay, has refused to move in since taking office in 2007. A spokesman says the governor's own ranch in the town of Star is close by and better equipped to entertain guests like retired Gen. Colin Powell.
The Boise home's hilltop setting is nonetheless a favorite sledding spot for Idahoans, some of whom now call for selling the all-but-vacant estate.
Forty-five states have an official residence, and most governors still rest their heads there.
They also encounter their share of headaches. In 2005, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and his family fled the state's 19th-century Federal-style mansion for about two months because of mold contamination. The family later left its permanent mark on the home with some renovations, including the Jenny Sanford Wedding Garden, a tribute by the former first lady, who divorced the governor after he admitted to having an Argentinean mistress.
In New York, departing Gov. David Paterson was caught red-faced in 2009 by allegations that friends of his daughter were planning a party in a section of the mansion they dubbed, 'FDR's Polio Poolhouse,' while her parents were away. The governor called a posting on Facebook about the event a joke, but lamented how every private activity at the house falls under public scrutiny.
'You're walking around this place and it's hard to settle in,' he said in an interview. 'It's unlike home because you feel like you're on display.'
But going without a mansion has its challenges, too. Jerry Brown sold the governor's residence when he was California's chief executive in the 1980s, leaving the current governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to fly home to Los Angeles many nights on his own private jet. Now Mr. Brown is back in Sacramento as the governor-elect and recently rented a 1,450-square-foot midtown loft close to the Capitol.
In Michigan, the Lansing estate underwent a $2.5 million renovation funded by private donations seven years ago to improve infrastructure and expand the separate family quarters. Taxpayers still pick up maintenance costs, which run about $40,000 annually.
Departing two-term Gov. Jennifer Granholm and her husband raised three children in the mansion, from which she sometimes walked, jogged or biked to work about three miles away.
Mr. Snyder will become the first Michigan governor not to live in the executive residence since it was donated to the state in 1969. The house in Lansing, with rose and herb gardens and a small pond, will continue to be used for official meetings and events, and Mr. Snyder has said he could imagine staying there a night or two during the week if necessary. But his administration does foresee cutting back the house staff, which includes a full-time chef.
'I view it as a family decision that was reasonably straightforward,' Mr. Snyder said in a Bluetooth-enabled telephone interview from his car. 'There is going to be a lot of strain and stress, and we'd like as much of a normal family life as possible.'
Michigan Gov.-elect Rick Snyder isn't interested.
The Republican venture capitalist elected on a platform to shake up state government recently announced that he wouldn't move into the governor's official 8,700-square-foot residence on four acres overlooking the Grand River. Instead, he'll stay in his own, 10,600-square-foot manse complete with indoor pool, movie theater and wine cellar.
It's 70 miles away in Ann Arbor, but near his teenage daughter's school. As an added bonus, says Mr. Snyder, he won't need a full-time house staff, a potential savings for taxpayers. 'I'm convinced that every dollar counts,' he says.
Gubernatorial candidates spend months, if not years, campaigning to take the reins of state government. But more and more winners are forgoing one of the spoils of victory: living rent-free in the governor's mansion.
Some of them cite a new age of austerity, coupled with the pressure to keep family life intact in their hometowns. Many say they're used to the commuting life and, with the help of cellphones and email, can operate the levers of government from anywhere. Some just don't want to pick up and move.
In Colorado, Gov.-elect John Hickenlooper is weighing whether to leave his home in kid-friendly Park Hill, just outside of downtown Denver, and move his family, including his 8-year-old son, Teddy, into nearby Boettcher Mansion.
'There are 16 kids on our block for our son to play with,' says Mr. Hickenlooper, departing mayor of Denver, in an interview. He says the governor's residence sits in a more commercial district of the city.
He also says that his wife, a journalist and author, may prefer greater separation between the first family's public and private lives. 'And I almost certainly do what my wife wants,' he says. (A spokesman later said the couple intends to make the decision together.)
In Albany, Andrew Cuomo has waxed nostalgic about spending time at New York State's 40-room Queen Anne-style governor's mansion in the 1980s, when his father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo, once ruled with a domestic staff on a hill overlooking the Hudson River.
But with his girlfriend and children already living near New York City, the younger Mr. Cuomo, who becomes governor in January, plans to keep a home base in suburban Westchester County.
New Jersey's stately Drumthwacket manor in Princeton has served as little more than a crash pad since Gov. Chris Christie came to office this year. He opted to keep his children in a school near his home in Mendham, more than 50 miles away, and uses the mansion, with its Italian gardens and a wood-paneled library, mostly for special dinners and official receptions. Once, the governor and his staff took shelter at Drumthwacket during a snowstorm.
In Idaho, the 7,370-square-foot governor's mansion on 38 acres in Boise donated by frozen-french-fry magnate J.R. Simplot lies unoccupied. Gov. Butch Otter, who was once married to Mr. Simplot's daugher, Gay, has refused to move in since taking office in 2007. A spokesman says the governor's own ranch in the town of Star is close by and better equipped to entertain guests like retired Gen. Colin Powell.
The Boise home's hilltop setting is nonetheless a favorite sledding spot for Idahoans, some of whom now call for selling the all-but-vacant estate.
Forty-five states have an official residence, and most governors still rest their heads there.
They also encounter their share of headaches. In 2005, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and his family fled the state's 19th-century Federal-style mansion for about two months because of mold contamination. The family later left its permanent mark on the home with some renovations, including the Jenny Sanford Wedding Garden, a tribute by the former first lady, who divorced the governor after he admitted to having an Argentinean mistress.
In New York, departing Gov. David Paterson was caught red-faced in 2009 by allegations that friends of his daughter were planning a party in a section of the mansion they dubbed, 'FDR's Polio Poolhouse,' while her parents were away. The governor called a posting on Facebook about the event a joke, but lamented how every private activity at the house falls under public scrutiny.
'You're walking around this place and it's hard to settle in,' he said in an interview. 'It's unlike home because you feel like you're on display.'
But going without a mansion has its challenges, too. Jerry Brown sold the governor's residence when he was California's chief executive in the 1980s, leaving the current governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to fly home to Los Angeles many nights on his own private jet. Now Mr. Brown is back in Sacramento as the governor-elect and recently rented a 1,450-square-foot midtown loft close to the Capitol.
In Michigan, the Lansing estate underwent a $2.5 million renovation funded by private donations seven years ago to improve infrastructure and expand the separate family quarters. Taxpayers still pick up maintenance costs, which run about $40,000 annually.
Departing two-term Gov. Jennifer Granholm and her husband raised three children in the mansion, from which she sometimes walked, jogged or biked to work about three miles away.
Mr. Snyder will become the first Michigan governor not to live in the executive residence since it was donated to the state in 1969. The house in Lansing, with rose and herb gardens and a small pond, will continue to be used for official meetings and events, and Mr. Snyder has said he could imagine staying there a night or two during the week if necessary. But his administration does foresee cutting back the house staff, which includes a full-time chef.
'I view it as a family decision that was reasonably straightforward,' Mr. Snyder said in a Bluetooth-enabled telephone interview from his car. 'There is going to be a lot of strain and stress, and we'd like as much of a normal family life as possible.'
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Love is not successful? Change your way of flirting
There's more to link the fun, according to a new research study that says find success in romance depends in part on understanding their own "way of flirting."
Whether or not you want sidlingup a stranger in a bar or prefer to sit and wait for an object of attraction approach are the distinctions that once recognized can help people navigatethe relations rocky seas, according to Jeffrey Hall , assistant professor of communication studies at the University of Kansas.
Hall recently completed a study on flirting styles among adults appointments, surveys of more than 5,100 people about their methods of communication of romantic interest.
"Knowing something about how to communicate attraction says something about the challenges that might have had in his past life data," said Hall. "We hope this awareness can help avoid these mistakes and succeed in courtship."
Hall said they are basically five types of flirting: physical, traditional, friendly, sincere and cheerful.
Flirting In physics, people express their sexual interest in a potential mate and, she says, often can quickly develop relationships, have more sexual chemistry and have a greater emotional connection with their partners.
traditional flirts tend to believe that men should make the first movement, with women assuming a more passive role. Both sexes seem comfortable with this style prefer more "intimate" scenes of appointments, he said.
Many people flirting styles fall into the category of "fun" and directed largely to increase their self-esteem, said Hall. These people are less likely to have lasting and meaningful relationships, he added.
"In some ways, the earlier part of the development of relationships is important for successful long-term relationships, including marriages," he said.
Hall co-authored article with Steve Carter, senior director of product research and development of online dating site eHarmony.com, and other researchers.
Whether or not you want sidlingup a stranger in a bar or prefer to sit and wait for an object of attraction approach are the distinctions that once recognized can help people navigatethe relations rocky seas, according to Jeffrey Hall , assistant professor of communication studies at the University of Kansas.
Hall recently completed a study on flirting styles among adults appointments, surveys of more than 5,100 people about their methods of communication of romantic interest.
"Knowing something about how to communicate attraction says something about the challenges that might have had in his past life data," said Hall. "We hope this awareness can help avoid these mistakes and succeed in courtship."
Hall said they are basically five types of flirting: physical, traditional, friendly, sincere and cheerful.
Flirting In physics, people express their sexual interest in a potential mate and, she says, often can quickly develop relationships, have more sexual chemistry and have a greater emotional connection with their partners.
traditional flirts tend to believe that men should make the first movement, with women assuming a more passive role. Both sexes seem comfortable with this style prefer more "intimate" scenes of appointments, he said.
Many people flirting styles fall into the category of "fun" and directed largely to increase their self-esteem, said Hall. These people are less likely to have lasting and meaningful relationships, he added.
"In some ways, the earlier part of the development of relationships is important for successful long-term relationships, including marriages," he said.
Hall co-authored article with Steve Carter, senior director of product research and development of online dating site eHarmony.com, and other researchers.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Ailing Israeli Leader Undergoes New Surgery
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon underwent five hours of emergency surgery on Friday to relieve cranial pressure and stop bleeding on his brain. Mr. Sharon's doctors say the surgery was successful, but Mr. Sharon remains in critical condition.
Ariel Sharon's battle to stay alive entered a new phase when, early Friday, his doctors rushed him back into the operating room for the third time in less than 48 hours.
A CAT scan had indicated renewed bleeding on his brain and other complications. After an hours-long operation, Hadassah Hospital's director, Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, emerged to brief hundreds of reporters.
"During the surgery, the intercranial pressure was released, the clotting from the previous operation was cleaned from the brain, and there is no active bleeding at the moment," he explained.
Dr. Mor-Josef says a new CAT scan taken after Mr. Sharon's latest surgery was encouraging.
"After the operation, we performed a CAT scan at our imaging center here at Hadassah, and when (we) compared the results of the CAT scan of today with the previous CAT scan, we can see a significant improvement," he added.
Dr. Mor-Josef says, even though the results from the CAT scan are better than those taken previously, Mr. Sharon remains in critical condition.
Mr. Sharon's two sons, Omri and Gilad, remain by his bedside. Israel's prime minister has been widowed twice.
Government offices closed Friday in observance of the Jewish Sabbath, which began at dusk. Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other senior government officials are monitoring Mr. Sharon's condition closely.
One senior Israeli politician, former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, did visit Hadassah Hospital on Friday. Mr. Peres, a longtime Labor Party leader, who recently joined Mr. Sharon's newly formed Kadima Party, expressed support for Mr. Olmert and continuity in Israeli policy.
"Legally, according to our constitution, he is to be the prime minister in charge of the situation," said Mr. Peres. "I think every citizen has to support him. So, do I. I wish him success, and I hope that the continuation of the peace process and the attempt to bring an end to terrorism will continue full speed."
Even as Ariel Sharon was battling for his life, speculation about who will succeed him was heating up. Polls released on Friday show Mr. Sharon's newly formed Kadima Party could still win in Israeli elections on March 28.
Still unresolved is who will lead the party following Mr. Sharon's departure, but polls show many Israelis would support Ehud Olmert as a new party leader.
Joshua Teitelbaum of the Moshe Dayan Center and a professor at Tel Aviv University says the polling data will likely change by Election Day.
"As far as polls go, I think you have to take them with a grain of salt," he said. "I think what you have now is a bit of a sympathy vote. It may be that they lose support in a couple of days or weeks. This Kadima Party was really Sharon's party in every way, so, without Sharon, I think you will see it lose support after the sympathy vote dissipates."
Polls taken just before Mr. Sharon's massive stroke on Wednesday showed him a heavy favorite to win re-election to a historic third term as prime minister of Israel.
Ariel Sharon's battle to stay alive entered a new phase when, early Friday, his doctors rushed him back into the operating room for the third time in less than 48 hours.
A CAT scan had indicated renewed bleeding on his brain and other complications. After an hours-long operation, Hadassah Hospital's director, Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, emerged to brief hundreds of reporters.
"During the surgery, the intercranial pressure was released, the clotting from the previous operation was cleaned from the brain, and there is no active bleeding at the moment," he explained.
Dr. Mor-Josef says a new CAT scan taken after Mr. Sharon's latest surgery was encouraging.
"After the operation, we performed a CAT scan at our imaging center here at Hadassah, and when (we) compared the results of the CAT scan of today with the previous CAT scan, we can see a significant improvement," he added.
Dr. Mor-Josef says, even though the results from the CAT scan are better than those taken previously, Mr. Sharon remains in critical condition.
Mr. Sharon's two sons, Omri and Gilad, remain by his bedside. Israel's prime minister has been widowed twice.
Government offices closed Friday in observance of the Jewish Sabbath, which began at dusk. Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other senior government officials are monitoring Mr. Sharon's condition closely.
One senior Israeli politician, former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, did visit Hadassah Hospital on Friday. Mr. Peres, a longtime Labor Party leader, who recently joined Mr. Sharon's newly formed Kadima Party, expressed support for Mr. Olmert and continuity in Israeli policy.
"Legally, according to our constitution, he is to be the prime minister in charge of the situation," said Mr. Peres. "I think every citizen has to support him. So, do I. I wish him success, and I hope that the continuation of the peace process and the attempt to bring an end to terrorism will continue full speed."
Even as Ariel Sharon was battling for his life, speculation about who will succeed him was heating up. Polls released on Friday show Mr. Sharon's newly formed Kadima Party could still win in Israeli elections on March 28.
Still unresolved is who will lead the party following Mr. Sharon's departure, but polls show many Israelis would support Ehud Olmert as a new party leader.
Joshua Teitelbaum of the Moshe Dayan Center and a professor at Tel Aviv University says the polling data will likely change by Election Day.
"As far as polls go, I think you have to take them with a grain of salt," he said. "I think what you have now is a bit of a sympathy vote. It may be that they lose support in a couple of days or weeks. This Kadima Party was really Sharon's party in every way, so, without Sharon, I think you will see it lose support after the sympathy vote dissipates."
Polls taken just before Mr. Sharon's massive stroke on Wednesday showed him a heavy favorite to win re-election to a historic third term as prime minister of Israel.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
US to Decide if China is Manipulating Currency
The Obama administration faces a deadline Friday on whether to formally label China a "currency manipulator." The U.S. Treasury Department may apply that label in a twice-a-year report on global currencies which is expected to be released on Friday. The reporting requirement is mandated by Congress, but the report could be postponed.U.S. lawmakers and businesses accuse China of keeping its currency, artificially low, giving Chinese-made goods a price advantage on world markets.
Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman Yao Jian said Friday the United States should not make the yuan a "scapegoat" for its domestic problems. He said it is unfair to criticize the yuan's exchange rate by simply pointing at the Chinese trade surplus. China posted a $16.9 billion trade surplus in September. That was less than the $20 billion surplus in August but enough to prompt new demands for the world's second-largest economy to let the yuan trade more freely on financial markets.
Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman Yao Jian said Friday the United States should not make the yuan a "scapegoat" for its domestic problems. He said it is unfair to criticize the yuan's exchange rate by simply pointing at the Chinese trade surplus. China posted a $16.9 billion trade surplus in September. That was less than the $20 billion surplus in August but enough to prompt new demands for the world's second-largest economy to let the yuan trade more freely on financial markets.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Millions of people in the United States suffer from osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease
These replacement joints can be made of combinations of metal alloys, plastic and ceramic, but new research shows that it might be possible to regenerate damaged joints using a patient's own stem cells.
Osteoarthritis is the result of infection, trauma or simply age, and is the leading cause of chronic disability worldwide.
The disease causes cartilage-protecting joint surfaces to degrade, allowing painful bone-to-bone contact. Osteoarthritis is usually treated with pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs, but in severe cases, the damaged joint can be replaced with an artificial one. However, this option may not work well for the growing population of younger arthritic patients.
"The average lifespan of the metal joints is about 10 to 15 years," says Jeremy Mao at the Columbia University Medical Center. "So as you can imagine, if you are say 50, 55 or younger, the surgeons will be very hesitant to place these metal joints in your body because knowing that in 10 to 15 years, there's a chance these would fail."
In order to address this concern, Mao is exploring new ways to regenerate joints.
Growing new joint cells
Mao replaced a portion of a rabbit's upper arm joint with a biomaterial scaffold, providing a place for cells to grow. In order to attract the rabbit's own stem cells to re-grow the cartilage, channels in the scaffold were filled with a growth factor protein.
"What we found was with one protein that we delivered in the micro-channels in the scaffolds, that was sufficient to regenerate the entire joint surface with cartilage and with bone and with blood vessels," says Mao. "So when we observe these animals with the replacement joints, what we found was there was regeneration of the entire joint that allowed the animals to resume weight-bearing and locomotion."
This return to normalcy occurred just four months after the surgical procedure, with newly grown cartilage fully covering the joint surface. When the mechanical properties of this new cartilage were tested, they showed that the regenerated cells were just as effective as the rabbit's naturally formed cartilage.
Added benefits
While human trials are still a long way off, scientists in the field are excited and encouraged by the research.
"It's absolutely necessary that we continue to push the envelope in terms of try to develop new innovative and more natural ways of effectively treating arthritis," says Dr. Mary O'Connor, chairperson of Orthopedic Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Florida.
O'Connor says there is significant benefit to using this type of treatment for arthritis in the knee.
"When we do a knee replacement, we remove one or sometimes both of the cruciate ligaments - which are the ligaments in the center of the knee. So one of the potential advantages of this growing joint technique is perhaps the ability to preserve more of those tissues inside the knee, which would hopefully translate into more natural mechanics of the knee."
O'Connor says cost could be a factor in deciding to use this treatment. While it may not be worthwhile for older patients, younger patients are more likely to regard anything that gives them a lifelong working knee joint as well worth the cost.
Osteoarthritis is the result of infection, trauma or simply age, and is the leading cause of chronic disability worldwide.
The disease causes cartilage-protecting joint surfaces to degrade, allowing painful bone-to-bone contact. Osteoarthritis is usually treated with pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs, but in severe cases, the damaged joint can be replaced with an artificial one. However, this option may not work well for the growing population of younger arthritic patients.
"The average lifespan of the metal joints is about 10 to 15 years," says Jeremy Mao at the Columbia University Medical Center. "So as you can imagine, if you are say 50, 55 or younger, the surgeons will be very hesitant to place these metal joints in your body because knowing that in 10 to 15 years, there's a chance these would fail."
In order to address this concern, Mao is exploring new ways to regenerate joints.
Growing new joint cells
Mao replaced a portion of a rabbit's upper arm joint with a biomaterial scaffold, providing a place for cells to grow. In order to attract the rabbit's own stem cells to re-grow the cartilage, channels in the scaffold were filled with a growth factor protein.
"What we found was with one protein that we delivered in the micro-channels in the scaffolds, that was sufficient to regenerate the entire joint surface with cartilage and with bone and with blood vessels," says Mao. "So when we observe these animals with the replacement joints, what we found was there was regeneration of the entire joint that allowed the animals to resume weight-bearing and locomotion."
This return to normalcy occurred just four months after the surgical procedure, with newly grown cartilage fully covering the joint surface. When the mechanical properties of this new cartilage were tested, they showed that the regenerated cells were just as effective as the rabbit's naturally formed cartilage.
Added benefits
While human trials are still a long way off, scientists in the field are excited and encouraged by the research.
"It's absolutely necessary that we continue to push the envelope in terms of try to develop new innovative and more natural ways of effectively treating arthritis," says Dr. Mary O'Connor, chairperson of Orthopedic Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Florida.
O'Connor says there is significant benefit to using this type of treatment for arthritis in the knee.
"When we do a knee replacement, we remove one or sometimes both of the cruciate ligaments - which are the ligaments in the center of the knee. So one of the potential advantages of this growing joint technique is perhaps the ability to preserve more of those tissues inside the knee, which would hopefully translate into more natural mechanics of the knee."
O'Connor says cost could be a factor in deciding to use this treatment. While it may not be worthwhile for older patients, younger patients are more likely to regard anything that gives them a lifelong working knee joint as well worth the cost.
Bush Says Hunt for bin Laden Continues
President George Bush says America's greatest challenge is stopping terrorist leader Osama bin Laden from attacking the country again. The president spoke at the swearing-in of the new Director of Homeland Security.
President Bush says U.S. forces are on a constant hunt for bin Laden, whose al-Qaida terrorist group was behind the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington.
The president referred to recent intelligence reports that bin Laden is trying to recruit Jordanian-born terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to organize attacks outside Iraq.
President Bush says coalition and Iraqi forces are working day and night to dismantle al-Zarqawi's terrorist network in Iraq and bring him to justice. At the same time, Mr. Bush says U.S. troops are keeping the pressure on bin Laden, keeping him in hiding.
"Bin Laden's message is a telling reminder that al-Qaida still hopes to attack us on our own soil. Stopping him is the greatest challenge of our day," the president said.
The president spoke following the swearing-in of former judge and federal prosecutor Michael Chertoff as America's new Director of Homeland Security.
"Mike Chertoff knows we can not afford to become complacent. He understands that as we adapt our defenses, the terrorists will adapt their tactics in response. He understands they continue to pose a grave threat to the American people," Mr. Bush said.
The president says U.S. actions since the September 11 attacks have already made the world safer by toppling regimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, convincing Libya to give up its weapons of mass destruction, and breaking-up the nuclear trading network of Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan.
Mr. Bush says while confronting terrorists abroad makes Americans safer at home, there can be no let up in protecting U.S. borders.
"We have been relentless and we will continue to be relentless in our mission to secure the people of this country," the president said. "From Florida to California to Massachusetts, we have arrested and prosecuted terrorist operatives and their supporters. By our actions we are sending the world a clear message: 'The terrorists will not be permitted sanctuary or safe haven or the tools of mass murder'."
Secretary Chertoff takes charge of an agency with 160,000 employees from border patrol and Secret Service to the Coast Guard and immigration control. He succeeds former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge who was the nation's first Director of Homeland Security, following the biggest government reorganization since World War II.
President Bush says U.S. forces are on a constant hunt for bin Laden, whose al-Qaida terrorist group was behind the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington.
The president referred to recent intelligence reports that bin Laden is trying to recruit Jordanian-born terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to organize attacks outside Iraq.
President Bush says coalition and Iraqi forces are working day and night to dismantle al-Zarqawi's terrorist network in Iraq and bring him to justice. At the same time, Mr. Bush says U.S. troops are keeping the pressure on bin Laden, keeping him in hiding.
"Bin Laden's message is a telling reminder that al-Qaida still hopes to attack us on our own soil. Stopping him is the greatest challenge of our day," the president said.
The president spoke following the swearing-in of former judge and federal prosecutor Michael Chertoff as America's new Director of Homeland Security.
"Mike Chertoff knows we can not afford to become complacent. He understands that as we adapt our defenses, the terrorists will adapt their tactics in response. He understands they continue to pose a grave threat to the American people," Mr. Bush said.
The president says U.S. actions since the September 11 attacks have already made the world safer by toppling regimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, convincing Libya to give up its weapons of mass destruction, and breaking-up the nuclear trading network of Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan.
Mr. Bush says while confronting terrorists abroad makes Americans safer at home, there can be no let up in protecting U.S. borders.
"We have been relentless and we will continue to be relentless in our mission to secure the people of this country," the president said. "From Florida to California to Massachusetts, we have arrested and prosecuted terrorist operatives and their supporters. By our actions we are sending the world a clear message: 'The terrorists will not be permitted sanctuary or safe haven or the tools of mass murder'."
Secretary Chertoff takes charge of an agency with 160,000 employees from border patrol and Secret Service to the Coast Guard and immigration control. He succeeds former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge who was the nation's first Director of Homeland Security, following the biggest government reorganization since World War II.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
The number of boat people trying to reach Australia continues to surge, with a new boat recently found
So far this year, about 900 illegal migrants have been found at sea near Australia - four times the number for all of 2008. The surge has authorities worried.
In the latest case, about 73 asylum seekers are being taken to the Australian territory of Christmas Island in the middle of the Indian Ocean for processing.
Most of the migrants trying to reach Australia this year are escaping fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Most travel to Malaysia or Indonesia where people smugglers have established the logistics, however dangerous, to ferry people in search of safety and a better life into Australian waters.
Pamela Curr is a campaign strategist for the Asylum Resource Center in Melbourne. She says more needs to be done to help those seeking to flee troubled homelands.
"The fact of life is there is [are] no formal or thoughtful mechanisms for someone facing death in Afghanistan or Iraq to get out," Curr said. "They go to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Jakarta, they get turned away and told to go to the Australian embassy. They go to the Australian embassy, same thing. This is what they tell me, four to five times they go backward and forward and then where do they go? They go to the people smuggler who offers them a trip on a boat."
The increased numbers has resulted in much closer cooperation among customs agents and police in Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia where Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd recently visited and asked for help in shutting down people smuggling.
However, Curr says this will not be enough to stop the current wave of boat people despite the perils of barely seaworthy vessels.
"We can give advice from our perspective and that is 'Don't get on a boat, you stand a good chance of drowning because the boats that are used are boats that are disposable,'" Curr said. "The fishermen who rent them out and bring them across know they are going to be burnt at the other end. So they are not boats that are fit for a return journey."
Curr says despite those warnings, until life in Central Asia and the Middle East improves, and governments in transit countries like Indonesia and Malaysia firmly grasp the issue, the flow into Australia is unlikely to abate.
Members of the conservative opposition blame Prime Minister Rudd for the increased flow, because he eased rules on indefinitely detaining suspected illegal migrants and other policies on boat people. The opposition argues that Mr. Rudd's new policies encourage people to sneak into the country.
Australia accepts more than 10,000 refugees a year, after they have been screened through official programs run by the United Nations and other organizations.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
South Korea and the United States are wrapping up senior diplomatic talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons with a show of unity
They say a six-nation process that has been underway for six years must be preserved.
Senior U.S. Envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, emerged from meetings with South Korean counterparts in Seoul holding firm to Washington's insistence that Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities must be ended.
"We have had very useful conversations here with our South Korean partners," he said, "we are agreed entirely that denuclearization, complete and verifiable, remains our core interest."
Bosworth has been in the South Korean capital since Friday, holding meetings with officials including chief South Korean nuclear negotiator Wi Wung-lac and Unification Minister Hyun In-taek.
Both sides are expressing concern over North Korean statements on Friday that Pyongyang is continuing to extract plutonium from spent nuclear fuel for material useable in weapons.
The North also said it had reached the final stage of a uranium enrichment program, possibly creating a second process by which it can build nuclear arms. Until this year, Pyongyang has denied U.S. accusations it possessed a covert HEU, or highly enriched uranium program, in violation of previous agreements.
Bosworth said the problem will take time to solve.
"This is not the first we have heard of HEU," he said. "And it may not be the last."
Bosworth repeated the Obama administration's policy that Washington is willing to talk one-on-one with North Korea, but only within the framework of six-nation talks begun in 2003 aimed at ending all of the North's nuclear capabilities.
North Korea has declared those talks "dead" several times this year, and says it is willing to deal only with the United States as a fellow nuclear weapons nation.
The United States and South Korea say they will be diligent about implementing U.N. Security Council sanctions imposed after North Korea conducted the second nuclear weapons test in its history in May.
Senior U.S. Envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, emerged from meetings with South Korean counterparts in Seoul holding firm to Washington's insistence that Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities must be ended.
"We have had very useful conversations here with our South Korean partners," he said, "we are agreed entirely that denuclearization, complete and verifiable, remains our core interest."
Bosworth has been in the South Korean capital since Friday, holding meetings with officials including chief South Korean nuclear negotiator Wi Wung-lac and Unification Minister Hyun In-taek.
Both sides are expressing concern over North Korean statements on Friday that Pyongyang is continuing to extract plutonium from spent nuclear fuel for material useable in weapons.
The North also said it had reached the final stage of a uranium enrichment program, possibly creating a second process by which it can build nuclear arms. Until this year, Pyongyang has denied U.S. accusations it possessed a covert HEU, or highly enriched uranium program, in violation of previous agreements.
Bosworth said the problem will take time to solve.
"This is not the first we have heard of HEU," he said. "And it may not be the last."
Bosworth repeated the Obama administration's policy that Washington is willing to talk one-on-one with North Korea, but only within the framework of six-nation talks begun in 2003 aimed at ending all of the North's nuclear capabilities.
North Korea has declared those talks "dead" several times this year, and says it is willing to deal only with the United States as a fellow nuclear weapons nation.
The United States and South Korea say they will be diligent about implementing U.N. Security Council sanctions imposed after North Korea conducted the second nuclear weapons test in its history in May.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
President Obama and his family are vacationing on the Gulf coast to show support for businesses hurt by the BP oil leak since April
Many residents hope the visit sends a positive message that the beaches are open to tourists.
Whether or not President Obama jumps in the Gulf of Mexico, the coast is clear. Surfers enjoyed the waves off Panama City Beach this weekend, and families jumped in the water to take a break from the heat.
There are no signs of oil here, even though visitors like Brian Jacks were not sure what they would find when they arrived.
"You are expecting to see oil all over the place [but] it's actually pretty nice," said Jacks.
Jacks came from nearby Alabama to scuba dive at St. Andrews State Park. He is pleased to see clean waters. But he was surprised at the relatively low number of tourists.
"Normally when we come down here it's just packed. You can't get into stores or restaurants. And now it is pretty free-flowing," he added. "You can tell the economy has slowed down a good bit."
Businesses across the Gulf coast say they are suffering because of the oil leak that started from the explosion on April 20. BP oil crews capped the leak last month, but tourist numbers are still down for many hotels, restaurants and other stores.
The trip by President Obama, his wife and younger daughter is intended as a show of support for the struggling region. White House officials hope it shows the rest of the country that the Gulf is safe and open for business.
At Treasure Island marina, Bobby Robinette says his charter boat company and others could use some help to bring in more tourists.
"We don't have a problem with oil, we have a problem with people thinking there is a problem," noted Robinette. "So if we get some good publicity, maybe it will offset some of the bad publicity."
President Obama has made four other trips to the Gulf coast, to review clean-up efforts. First Lady Michele Obama also visited Panama City Beach last month.
Republican critics says the latest trip is merely a photo opportunity that offers little help to the struggling economy.
At Treasure Island seafood market, fishmonger Joe Brown says it may be too late for the president's trip to change anything. He says sales are way down, as there are fewer boats bringing in fresh seafood, and fewer tourists to buy it.
"The damage is done. There is nothing he can do, unless he goes out there and puts a Tyvek suit on and starts cleaning up oil himself," said Brown.
Too late or not, the President shouldn't leave without tasting local oysters. Hunt's Oyster Bar has been serving oysters non-stop since the oil leak started. Robert Daffin stays busy prying open the shellfish to serve customers.
"Our specialty is fresh, cold Apalachicola oysters," said Daffin. "Right now they are very salty. You just get it open, make sure there is no shell in it. There you go, nice and salty. No oil there."
Daffin says he has seen the restaurant business go up this year,as more tourists came to Panama City Beach to avoid spots that were hit hard by oil. There is plenty left to share, however, including a dozen raw oysters he would offer the president if he came to the restaurant.
"Then I would add to that probably a dozen fried shrimp, some fresh gator tail. We do that blackened. And always grouper and snapper," he added.
Businesses like Hunt's are happy to have any visitors, not just the president.
Whether or not President Obama jumps in the Gulf of Mexico, the coast is clear. Surfers enjoyed the waves off Panama City Beach this weekend, and families jumped in the water to take a break from the heat.
There are no signs of oil here, even though visitors like Brian Jacks were not sure what they would find when they arrived.
"You are expecting to see oil all over the place [but] it's actually pretty nice," said Jacks.
Jacks came from nearby Alabama to scuba dive at St. Andrews State Park. He is pleased to see clean waters. But he was surprised at the relatively low number of tourists.
"Normally when we come down here it's just packed. You can't get into stores or restaurants. And now it is pretty free-flowing," he added. "You can tell the economy has slowed down a good bit."
Businesses across the Gulf coast say they are suffering because of the oil leak that started from the explosion on April 20. BP oil crews capped the leak last month, but tourist numbers are still down for many hotels, restaurants and other stores.
The trip by President Obama, his wife and younger daughter is intended as a show of support for the struggling region. White House officials hope it shows the rest of the country that the Gulf is safe and open for business.
At Treasure Island marina, Bobby Robinette says his charter boat company and others could use some help to bring in more tourists.
"We don't have a problem with oil, we have a problem with people thinking there is a problem," noted Robinette. "So if we get some good publicity, maybe it will offset some of the bad publicity."
President Obama has made four other trips to the Gulf coast, to review clean-up efforts. First Lady Michele Obama also visited Panama City Beach last month.
Republican critics says the latest trip is merely a photo opportunity that offers little help to the struggling economy.
At Treasure Island seafood market, fishmonger Joe Brown says it may be too late for the president's trip to change anything. He says sales are way down, as there are fewer boats bringing in fresh seafood, and fewer tourists to buy it.
"The damage is done. There is nothing he can do, unless he goes out there and puts a Tyvek suit on and starts cleaning up oil himself," said Brown.
Too late or not, the President shouldn't leave without tasting local oysters. Hunt's Oyster Bar has been serving oysters non-stop since the oil leak started. Robert Daffin stays busy prying open the shellfish to serve customers.
"Our specialty is fresh, cold Apalachicola oysters," said Daffin. "Right now they are very salty. You just get it open, make sure there is no shell in it. There you go, nice and salty. No oil there."
Daffin says he has seen the restaurant business go up this year,as more tourists came to Panama City Beach to avoid spots that were hit hard by oil. There is plenty left to share, however, including a dozen raw oysters he would offer the president if he came to the restaurant.
"Then I would add to that probably a dozen fried shrimp, some fresh gator tail. We do that blackened. And always grouper and snapper," he added.
Businesses like Hunt's are happy to have any visitors, not just the president.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Warren Fletcher warned Manchester United not to underestimate
The day after tomorrow morning, Manchester United will be away to La Liga giants Valencia, this is the new UEFA Champions League second group stage, in the summer, due to financial difficulties of Valencia has sold the Villa Barcelona to sell Silva Manchester City, the strength has been weakened significantly, but the Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher is not at all chances.
You know, in the new La Liga season, the first five games, lost two, "David" in the 4 wins 1 Valencia's unbeaten record highest level points leader, even the star-studded Barcelona and Real Madrid are the two giants To vanquish, while Manchester United in the Champions League opener because of underestimate the enemy was on the 0-0 draw in Glasgow, but rather to 4-0 victory over Valencia Bursa sports, this, do not want to repeat the same mistakes Fletcher .
In the Sunday game because of tactical reasons are advanced for end of Fletcher said: "This will be a difficult game, one might say that the past is no longer Valencia Valencia that support, because they have no Villa and Silva, but as an example of our Manchester United, when we lose good players, other players will stand up and take more responsibility, they do have a good start. "
Manchester United have confirmed that Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney will miss the game because of injury, in order to qualify to complete the task, certainly not like playing the Champions League Sir Alex Ferguson as frozen Ababa, the weekend's ready for 90 minutes most of the veteran Paul Scholes is also to be rotated, Manchester United is likely to send a more youthful midfield, Anderson, Gibson may have a chance to even starting, and at the back, Ferguson may also consider replacing Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, Evans partner, after all, Name teenager in the new Premiership season, the performance of the first few games are not as satisfactory.
And Fletcher is convinced that, no matter how young players sent Ferguson played in this Champions League, Manchester United will have enough experience: "We have accumulated enough experience in the Champions League, we are confident that we know how to deal away, and the different style of football against the Spanish team, the ball is the key, if you lose the ball easily, as long as you do not point up a few minutes, they will punish you. "
You know, in the new La Liga season, the first five games, lost two, "David" in the 4 wins 1 Valencia's unbeaten record highest level points leader, even the star-studded Barcelona and Real Madrid are the two giants To vanquish, while Manchester United in the Champions League opener because of underestimate the enemy was on the 0-0 draw in Glasgow, but rather to 4-0 victory over Valencia Bursa sports, this, do not want to repeat the same mistakes Fletcher .
In the Sunday game because of tactical reasons are advanced for end of Fletcher said: "This will be a difficult game, one might say that the past is no longer Valencia Valencia that support, because they have no Villa and Silva, but as an example of our Manchester United, when we lose good players, other players will stand up and take more responsibility, they do have a good start. "
Manchester United have confirmed that Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney will miss the game because of injury, in order to qualify to complete the task, certainly not like playing the Champions League Sir Alex Ferguson as frozen Ababa, the weekend's ready for 90 minutes most of the veteran Paul Scholes is also to be rotated, Manchester United is likely to send a more youthful midfield, Anderson, Gibson may have a chance to even starting, and at the back, Ferguson may also consider replacing Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, Evans partner, after all, Name teenager in the new Premiership season, the performance of the first few games are not as satisfactory.
And Fletcher is convinced that, no matter how young players sent Ferguson played in this Champions League, Manchester United will have enough experience: "We have accumulated enough experience in the Champions League, we are confident that we know how to deal away, and the different style of football against the Spanish team, the ball is the key, if you lose the ball easily, as long as you do not point up a few minutes, they will punish you. "
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Indian think tank, said China will restart the 24 Il-78 tanker procurement
Chi-Ku Qinnai Indian Strategic Research Center of China website 23 article said that China build a strategic air force had planned to buy 16-24 aircraft IL-78 tanker, but the introduction of four in 2002, after the project was suspended Gaixing Ji , the message said the project will soon be restarted. IL-78 and Su-27 tanker able to Su-30 fighter planes to reach capacity expanded to 3,000 km, which will enhance the current by the troops of the 250 F -10 F -11 fighter and combat radius.
Shift the focus of China's military modernization of information and high-tech war
The article said that China's military modernization, especially since the reform and opening up of China's military modernization has been the world's political, military, diplomatic, and think tanks to discuss. Since 2000, the Pentagon submitted to Congress annually a report on China's military power. According to the "Third Modernization of the Chinese army," said Wang Wenrong of the PLA modernization of the main body of soldiers, weapons and equipment, military doctrine and force structure.
According to Wang Wenrong said the first time the Chinese military modernization since the founding of the mid-80s began the end of the last century. In the first few years, China's military modernization is to support and under the influence of the Soviet Union launched. China under Mao Zedong conceptualize and implement "an early, big fight, a nuclear war," the guiding ideology, and to promote the people's war theory, and later gave up its 50 years of last century "one-sided" policy. "Cultural Revolution" to the Chinese economy, science and technology, industry and agriculture caused by a heavy blow. China's military modernization has suffered huge losses. However, in this case, China is still the field of missile technology has made tremendous progress, successfully conducted an underground nuclear test, and it's first satellite launch.
The second and third military modernization since the beginning of the last century and the mid-80s late 90s. Third Plenary Session of the CPC, the Chinese recognize that the world situation has undergone a fundamental change, peace and development have become major issues of concern to the Chinese Communists. "An early, big fight, a nuclear war" came back to the military strategy of "active defense" above, and later developed into the "win a modern high-tech competition for the next Council." Since the second half of 1985, the Chinese military began a large-scale restructuring and streamlining of the PLA. The end of 1987, when millions of Chinese about disarmament. Disarmament is the main focus of the headquarters and directly under the military. By 1990, when China had 3.19 million disarmament. At the same time, the PLA has also eliminated a large number of obsolete weapons and equipment, including nearly ten thousand artillery pieces, 1,100 tanks, 2,500 aircraft and 610 warships. 11 army into military also adjusted 7.
The article says the early 90s of last century, after the Gulf War, the Chinese recognize that the war machines of the industrial age of information warfare will be gradually replaced. China's military modernization focus should be shifted to information and high-tech war. At this stage, the basic factors of China's military modernization is its power projection outside of the Chinese border. This includes the PLA Navy will cause a blue-water navy to play, access to air refueling capability, build a rapid reaction force, improvement of nuclear arsenals and other targets. Therefore, the third time the Chinese military modernization is to build a strategic task to winning the information war, information technology units. To achieve this goal, the Central Military Commission, a three-step strategy. Described the case of the PLA National Defense University Professor Han Xudong ultimate goal of modernization: the Chinese army should fight local wars to the "global war" in the direction of change. He said that in order to achieve this goal, China must find a military alliance, the establishment of overseas bases, the use of military means to resolve the "problem", to participate in international military efforts to strengthen the PLA's combat capability.
China is using ground forces of modern tanks and artillery upgrades
The article said that the modernization of the PLA ground forces, mainly around the reduction and reorganization of personnel and equipment carried out in order to build a stronger small-scale mobility, combat power more troops. PLA Academy of Military Sciences in 2008, said after the reorganization of the PLA Navy, Air Force and Second Artillery Corps, the percentage increased by 3.8%, while the percentage of ground forces was reduced by 1.5%. In theory, the ground force of about 160 million, representing about 70% of the total strength of the PLA. However, the data also include administrators and support staff. Therefore, the PLA ground forces, the size of the actual combat forces may be much smaller, although service can be prepared by 80 million, 66 million and 10 million militia armed police force is rapidly increasing.
As for weapons development, until the 80s of last century, when the PLA is still the major development of conventional weapons and strategic nuclear weapons, China was the late 80s that China needs to catch up with developed countries the level of weapons and equipment, to bridge the existing gap. This means that China wants to develop other weapons such as anti-aircraft and anti-tank systems. The late 80s of last century, China developed a series of new air defense weapons and equipment, including small / light / portable shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, the red flag red flag -61 -7 and anti-aircraft missile system. China is the use of modern tanks, armored personnel carriers to upgrade the PLA ground forces and artillery. Since 2004, the PLA carried out on conventional equipment, information transformation. In 2007, China's first armored division main battle group information to complete a new equipment replacement task. According to military analysts, advanced digital tank fire control system and vehicle location system can attack rate by 90%. In the "North Sword -2007" military exercises, the division sent out hundreds of tanks, according to C4ISR integrated system of command, perform the task. According to the 2010 China Military Power Report said, the PLA ground forces are being acquired or developed new capabilities, including third-generation Type 99 main battle tanks, a new generation of amphibious assault vehicles, 200 mm / 300 mm / 400 mm multiple-launch rocket systems.
Chinese Air Force will restart the procurement of 16-24 aircraft IL-78 tanker project
The article said that the PLA Air Force has Airborne Division, surface to air missile divisions (brigades and regiments), antiaircraft artillery brigades (regiments), radar brigades (regiments) and other security forces. To weapons and equipment of the PLA Air Force currently has more than 700 around the modern fighters. In the Russian-made fighter planes, based on Chinese design and produce their "J" series and "F" series of fighters. According to the Chinese Central Military Commission, member of the PLA Air Force Commander General, said Xu Qiliang, 1963, the Chinese copy of the MiG -29 fighters, the successful production of a J-6 fighters, until August 2006 when this aircraft was only eliminated. According to the letter, J-6 fighters have been training for the implementation of information technology tasks. Later, China has developed J-8I, FT-7III and FT-7 trainer aircraft. Subsequently, he was also in the F-8 and F-8I, based on research and development of the J-8II aircraft. 90s of last century, China imported from Russia and Su Su -27 -30 fighters, in the spring of 1998 on the basis of these aircraft, the successful development of the J-10 and third-generation J-11 fighter aircraft. It sinodefense.com, Web site reported that China's current fighter inventory mainly from the third and fourth generation of fighters and bombers composition, including the 800-1000 J-7 and J-8II fighters, 76 Russian-made Su -27 fighter, 95 -116 J-11 fighter aircraft, 76 Russian-made Su-39MKK multi-mission aircraft, and 60 to 80 Chinese-made J-10 multi-mission aircraft.
The article says that in building a strategic air force, the Chinese tanker procurement IL-8. Before and after the new millennium, China plans to purchase 16-24 this tanker. However, in 2002, after the introduction of four such tanker, the procurement plan seems to be suspended. However, in the near future, the program may restart. IL-78 aerial refueling tanker could Su Su -27 and -30 extend the combat radius of 3,000 km. China's State of the aircraft, such as J-10 and J-11, has also been fitted out in force, and their number at about 250 or so. PLA Air Force currently maintains about 550 transport aircraft, of which more than half of single transports.
PLA Navy will soon be fitted out in JH-7A fighter
PLA Navy has 225,000 troops, these forces are divided into three fleets (North Sea Fleet, East Sea Fleet and South Sea Fleet), deployed in 10 major naval base (Port Arthur, Huludao, Qingdao, Shanghai, Zhoushan, Wenzhou, Xiamen, Guangzhou , Zhanjiang and Yulin). Mainly from the North Sea Fleet submarine force structure, while the East China Sea Fleet and South Sea Fleet is the main battle force surface combatants and submarine and air defense ship.
The article points out, the PLA Navy modernization, especially since the 80s of last century has been driven by many factors, such as forcible reunification with Taiwan, China resumed sovereignty over the South China Sea, the growing need to protect the safety of Chinese sea lines of communication to ensure that the sea interests, especially energy interests, to project power worldwide in order to enhance China's leading role in world affairs. Currently, China has Asia's largest submarine fleet, including the 8-10 and 50-60 submarine diesel-electric submarines. The second generation of 093-class nuclear-powered attack submarines and 094 nuclear-powered missile submarine has been cut out loading of the PLA Navy. Old 033-type R-(Romeo) Type 035 Ming-class submarines and diesel submarines are being made Type 039 Song-class next-generation submarines and Russian-made Kilo-class submarines to replace. Introduced in 2005, the Pentagon report said China's military power, and those produced through outsourcing, China is an annual increase rate of three new submarines to expand its submarine fleet size, in the near future, it will have a composition of approximately 80 submarines submarine fleet. Furthermore, once the installation is completed out, China will have a real second nuclear strike capability.
The article said that China has increased its naval air force Su-30MKK 24 fighters, JH-7A will soon be fitted out. At present, the PLA Naval Air Force equipment, including J-7 and Q-5 form, the PLA Navy is difficult to project military power. PLA Navy plans to purchase 150 to 200 fighter-bombers. The end of 2007 the new amphibious ships fitted out may change the pattern of the PLA Navy operations. 071-style comparable to the U.S. Navy amphibious dock landing assault ship class in Austin (Austin class) amphibious dock landing ship. Although the power can be projected, but the PLA Navy still has only one such ship.
Moreover, the article said that China has realized that the aircraft carrier is the ultimate symbol of power projection. Since 2006, China has openly stated its intention to have carriers. March 20, 2009, Chinese Defense Minister Liang to visit China on Japan's defense minister, said no aircraft carriers, major powers, only China, China can not always be no aircraft carriers. China's economy in 2050 reached similar three-step development strategy, the PLA has also developed a similar strategy to the year 2050 itself into a global naval force. At present, the PLA Navy has been able to in the first island chain - from the north to Taiwan from Japan, south to the Philippines some of the islands - inland activities. In the second step, the PLA intends to go beyond the first island chain, reaching, including Guam, Indonesia and Australia, including the second island chain.
Information warfare in the face of the challenges posed by the joint military services in recent years, China has commenced a wide range of joint military exercises. For example, in 2001, the PLA ground forces, air force and navy conducted joint military exercises, and then is the "Peace Mission -2005", "Peace Mission -2006", "Peace Mission -2007" by the Jinan Military Region mechanized units in the " grind soldiers -2008 "military exercise" joint -2008 ", 2009, the Chengdu Military Region, large-scale air exercise from exercises across the -2009 Shenyang, Lanzhou, Jinan and Guangzhou Military Region of the four divisions of four nearly 50,000 soldiers in These military exercises aim is to strengthen the PLA's joint operations capability.
People's Liberation Army is building about 12 rapid-response divisions
With the development of the PLA modernization, China believes that as a powerful engine of growth for the world economy, China plays in international affairs must be an increasingly important role. The only goal of the PLA modernization is to project power around the globe to create a rapid reaction force, and winning the information war. Of particular note is that the PLA in recent years reduced from 33 to 100 infantry divisions and armored divisions. Moreover, its also quick response to build about 12 divisions, including an airborne division, four amphibious assault divisions and so on. Although the PLA modernization has been a significant improvement in its mechanization and informatization joint operations, but, given the current People's Liberation Army troops are faced with different levels of the bottleneck, so the army integration process and information technology, will be a long and slow process.
According to the former General Liu Huaqing, former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, said the process of modernization of the PLA faces many obstacles. For example, the Chinese military-owned equipment in the world, but because of insufficient investment, coupled with the substantial increase in prices of military products, and its large-scale introduction of the new design is difficult to produce weapons systems. People's Liberation Army Air Force fighter far behind world standards. Although a sufficient number of the PLA Navy surface ships, but such as ship-borne helicopters, tanker and other important equipment are still insufficient. Secondly, it will have far-reaching impact of future military technology in microelectronics and information processing technology is the main challenge facing China. Third, the defense R & D and produce high-tech weapons in the defense industry faces formidable difficulties. Finally, because the shortage of funds, so the PLA must be limited live-fire exercises, and the Air Force and Navy airborne troops were forced to shorten the training time. Most funds are used to train militants. Liu will be said that the current PLA modernization is not in line with China great power status, to achieve military modernization, China still has a long way to go.
Shift the focus of China's military modernization of information and high-tech war
The article said that China's military modernization, especially since the reform and opening up of China's military modernization has been the world's political, military, diplomatic, and think tanks to discuss. Since 2000, the Pentagon submitted to Congress annually a report on China's military power. According to the "Third Modernization of the Chinese army," said Wang Wenrong of the PLA modernization of the main body of soldiers, weapons and equipment, military doctrine and force structure.
According to Wang Wenrong said the first time the Chinese military modernization since the founding of the mid-80s began the end of the last century. In the first few years, China's military modernization is to support and under the influence of the Soviet Union launched. China under Mao Zedong conceptualize and implement "an early, big fight, a nuclear war," the guiding ideology, and to promote the people's war theory, and later gave up its 50 years of last century "one-sided" policy. "Cultural Revolution" to the Chinese economy, science and technology, industry and agriculture caused by a heavy blow. China's military modernization has suffered huge losses. However, in this case, China is still the field of missile technology has made tremendous progress, successfully conducted an underground nuclear test, and it's first satellite launch.
The second and third military modernization since the beginning of the last century and the mid-80s late 90s. Third Plenary Session of the CPC, the Chinese recognize that the world situation has undergone a fundamental change, peace and development have become major issues of concern to the Chinese Communists. "An early, big fight, a nuclear war" came back to the military strategy of "active defense" above, and later developed into the "win a modern high-tech competition for the next Council." Since the second half of 1985, the Chinese military began a large-scale restructuring and streamlining of the PLA. The end of 1987, when millions of Chinese about disarmament. Disarmament is the main focus of the headquarters and directly under the military. By 1990, when China had 3.19 million disarmament. At the same time, the PLA has also eliminated a large number of obsolete weapons and equipment, including nearly ten thousand artillery pieces, 1,100 tanks, 2,500 aircraft and 610 warships. 11 army into military also adjusted 7.
The article says the early 90s of last century, after the Gulf War, the Chinese recognize that the war machines of the industrial age of information warfare will be gradually replaced. China's military modernization focus should be shifted to information and high-tech war. At this stage, the basic factors of China's military modernization is its power projection outside of the Chinese border. This includes the PLA Navy will cause a blue-water navy to play, access to air refueling capability, build a rapid reaction force, improvement of nuclear arsenals and other targets. Therefore, the third time the Chinese military modernization is to build a strategic task to winning the information war, information technology units. To achieve this goal, the Central Military Commission, a three-step strategy. Described the case of the PLA National Defense University Professor Han Xudong ultimate goal of modernization: the Chinese army should fight local wars to the "global war" in the direction of change. He said that in order to achieve this goal, China must find a military alliance, the establishment of overseas bases, the use of military means to resolve the "problem", to participate in international military efforts to strengthen the PLA's combat capability.
China is using ground forces of modern tanks and artillery upgrades
The article said that the modernization of the PLA ground forces, mainly around the reduction and reorganization of personnel and equipment carried out in order to build a stronger small-scale mobility, combat power more troops. PLA Academy of Military Sciences in 2008, said after the reorganization of the PLA Navy, Air Force and Second Artillery Corps, the percentage increased by 3.8%, while the percentage of ground forces was reduced by 1.5%. In theory, the ground force of about 160 million, representing about 70% of the total strength of the PLA. However, the data also include administrators and support staff. Therefore, the PLA ground forces, the size of the actual combat forces may be much smaller, although service can be prepared by 80 million, 66 million and 10 million militia armed police force is rapidly increasing.
As for weapons development, until the 80s of last century, when the PLA is still the major development of conventional weapons and strategic nuclear weapons, China was the late 80s that China needs to catch up with developed countries the level of weapons and equipment, to bridge the existing gap. This means that China wants to develop other weapons such as anti-aircraft and anti-tank systems. The late 80s of last century, China developed a series of new air defense weapons and equipment, including small / light / portable shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, the red flag red flag -61 -7 and anti-aircraft missile system. China is the use of modern tanks, armored personnel carriers to upgrade the PLA ground forces and artillery. Since 2004, the PLA carried out on conventional equipment, information transformation. In 2007, China's first armored division main battle group information to complete a new equipment replacement task. According to military analysts, advanced digital tank fire control system and vehicle location system can attack rate by 90%. In the "North Sword -2007" military exercises, the division sent out hundreds of tanks, according to C4ISR integrated system of command, perform the task. According to the 2010 China Military Power Report said, the PLA ground forces are being acquired or developed new capabilities, including third-generation Type 99 main battle tanks, a new generation of amphibious assault vehicles, 200 mm / 300 mm / 400 mm multiple-launch rocket systems.
Chinese Air Force will restart the procurement of 16-24 aircraft IL-78 tanker project
The article said that the PLA Air Force has Airborne Division, surface to air missile divisions (brigades and regiments), antiaircraft artillery brigades (regiments), radar brigades (regiments) and other security forces. To weapons and equipment of the PLA Air Force currently has more than 700 around the modern fighters. In the Russian-made fighter planes, based on Chinese design and produce their "J" series and "F" series of fighters. According to the Chinese Central Military Commission, member of the PLA Air Force Commander General, said Xu Qiliang, 1963, the Chinese copy of the MiG -29 fighters, the successful production of a J-6 fighters, until August 2006 when this aircraft was only eliminated. According to the letter, J-6 fighters have been training for the implementation of information technology tasks. Later, China has developed J-8I, FT-7III and FT-7 trainer aircraft. Subsequently, he was also in the F-8 and F-8I, based on research and development of the J-8II aircraft. 90s of last century, China imported from Russia and Su Su -27 -30 fighters, in the spring of 1998 on the basis of these aircraft, the successful development of the J-10 and third-generation J-11 fighter aircraft. It sinodefense.com, Web site reported that China's current fighter inventory mainly from the third and fourth generation of fighters and bombers composition, including the 800-1000 J-7 and J-8II fighters, 76 Russian-made Su -27 fighter, 95 -116 J-11 fighter aircraft, 76 Russian-made Su-39MKK multi-mission aircraft, and 60 to 80 Chinese-made J-10 multi-mission aircraft.
The article says that in building a strategic air force, the Chinese tanker procurement IL-8. Before and after the new millennium, China plans to purchase 16-24 this tanker. However, in 2002, after the introduction of four such tanker, the procurement plan seems to be suspended. However, in the near future, the program may restart. IL-78 aerial refueling tanker could Su Su -27 and -30 extend the combat radius of 3,000 km. China's State of the aircraft, such as J-10 and J-11, has also been fitted out in force, and their number at about 250 or so. PLA Air Force currently maintains about 550 transport aircraft, of which more than half of single transports.
PLA Navy will soon be fitted out in JH-7A fighter
PLA Navy has 225,000 troops, these forces are divided into three fleets (North Sea Fleet, East Sea Fleet and South Sea Fleet), deployed in 10 major naval base (Port Arthur, Huludao, Qingdao, Shanghai, Zhoushan, Wenzhou, Xiamen, Guangzhou , Zhanjiang and Yulin). Mainly from the North Sea Fleet submarine force structure, while the East China Sea Fleet and South Sea Fleet is the main battle force surface combatants and submarine and air defense ship.
The article points out, the PLA Navy modernization, especially since the 80s of last century has been driven by many factors, such as forcible reunification with Taiwan, China resumed sovereignty over the South China Sea, the growing need to protect the safety of Chinese sea lines of communication to ensure that the sea interests, especially energy interests, to project power worldwide in order to enhance China's leading role in world affairs. Currently, China has Asia's largest submarine fleet, including the 8-10 and 50-60 submarine diesel-electric submarines. The second generation of 093-class nuclear-powered attack submarines and 094 nuclear-powered missile submarine has been cut out loading of the PLA Navy. Old 033-type R-(Romeo) Type 035 Ming-class submarines and diesel submarines are being made Type 039 Song-class next-generation submarines and Russian-made Kilo-class submarines to replace. Introduced in 2005, the Pentagon report said China's military power, and those produced through outsourcing, China is an annual increase rate of three new submarines to expand its submarine fleet size, in the near future, it will have a composition of approximately 80 submarines submarine fleet. Furthermore, once the installation is completed out, China will have a real second nuclear strike capability.
The article said that China has increased its naval air force Su-30MKK 24 fighters, JH-7A will soon be fitted out. At present, the PLA Naval Air Force equipment, including J-7 and Q-5 form, the PLA Navy is difficult to project military power. PLA Navy plans to purchase 150 to 200 fighter-bombers. The end of 2007 the new amphibious ships fitted out may change the pattern of the PLA Navy operations. 071-style comparable to the U.S. Navy amphibious dock landing assault ship class in Austin (Austin class) amphibious dock landing ship. Although the power can be projected, but the PLA Navy still has only one such ship.
Moreover, the article said that China has realized that the aircraft carrier is the ultimate symbol of power projection. Since 2006, China has openly stated its intention to have carriers. March 20, 2009, Chinese Defense Minister Liang to visit China on Japan's defense minister, said no aircraft carriers, major powers, only China, China can not always be no aircraft carriers. China's economy in 2050 reached similar three-step development strategy, the PLA has also developed a similar strategy to the year 2050 itself into a global naval force. At present, the PLA Navy has been able to in the first island chain - from the north to Taiwan from Japan, south to the Philippines some of the islands - inland activities. In the second step, the PLA intends to go beyond the first island chain, reaching, including Guam, Indonesia and Australia, including the second island chain.
Information warfare in the face of the challenges posed by the joint military services in recent years, China has commenced a wide range of joint military exercises. For example, in 2001, the PLA ground forces, air force and navy conducted joint military exercises, and then is the "Peace Mission -2005", "Peace Mission -2006", "Peace Mission -2007" by the Jinan Military Region mechanized units in the " grind soldiers -2008 "military exercise" joint -2008 ", 2009, the Chengdu Military Region, large-scale air exercise from exercises across the -2009 Shenyang, Lanzhou, Jinan and Guangzhou Military Region of the four divisions of four nearly 50,000 soldiers in These military exercises aim is to strengthen the PLA's joint operations capability.
People's Liberation Army is building about 12 rapid-response divisions
With the development of the PLA modernization, China believes that as a powerful engine of growth for the world economy, China plays in international affairs must be an increasingly important role. The only goal of the PLA modernization is to project power around the globe to create a rapid reaction force, and winning the information war. Of particular note is that the PLA in recent years reduced from 33 to 100 infantry divisions and armored divisions. Moreover, its also quick response to build about 12 divisions, including an airborne division, four amphibious assault divisions and so on. Although the PLA modernization has been a significant improvement in its mechanization and informatization joint operations, but, given the current People's Liberation Army troops are faced with different levels of the bottleneck, so the army integration process and information technology, will be a long and slow process.
According to the former General Liu Huaqing, former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, said the process of modernization of the PLA faces many obstacles. For example, the Chinese military-owned equipment in the world, but because of insufficient investment, coupled with the substantial increase in prices of military products, and its large-scale introduction of the new design is difficult to produce weapons systems. People's Liberation Army Air Force fighter far behind world standards. Although a sufficient number of the PLA Navy surface ships, but such as ship-borne helicopters, tanker and other important equipment are still insufficient. Secondly, it will have far-reaching impact of future military technology in microelectronics and information processing technology is the main challenge facing China. Third, the defense R & D and produce high-tech weapons in the defense industry faces formidable difficulties. Finally, because the shortage of funds, so the PLA must be limited live-fire exercises, and the Air Force and Navy airborne troops were forced to shorten the training time. Most funds are used to train militants. Liu will be said that the current PLA modernization is not in line with China great power status, to achieve military modernization, China still has a long way to go.
Evans: The King can become the new Thunder, led his unit to get to the playoffs this season
Kings did not make the playoffs last season, but also makes it all themselves, many of the media are optimistic about its future prospects. As the core team, Tai Ruike - Evans not only won the Rookie of the Year title, but also a record, averaging 20 +5 +5 beautiful data. The number of off-season he did not show up, the only time in the media or in August when the eyes of the Elite24 game, this is a gathering of the nation's top high school tournament, Evans and several other NBA rookie form professional team to go to participate, with the result that rule the arena. Today, he accepted an interview with U.S. media, talked about his ideas.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Bulls guard fool around but Dr. Heng Huo, Muhammad: I want him to disappear from the world
Recently, the Warriors moved to Chicago this summer from the CJ-Watson seems to get in big trouble, according to TMZ broke the news, he and his ex-girlfriend fool around a boxing champion in the 1; and the champion is none other than but today the world's most talented boxer Floyd Mayweather.
Speaking of Mayweather A man of his fists in the ring to knock out the number of players so naturally it got, and his horror is that he also liked to play his stiff fist to his family. Mayweather had since the implementation of domestic violence against his wife, jail, bail, suspended the jail recently passed, and his ex-wife and former girlfriend Melissa Brim Harris were all charged him with assault.
According to TMZ's broke the news, the Bulls guard, and Harris was sleeping in one, and this is most likely Mayweather of domestic violence on the implementation of the reasons Harris. According to reports, Mayweather in to see CJ-Watson to send text messages after Harris, the Harris asked: "Are you and the Watson affair?"
Harris then mentioned casually that the sentence: "As you can see," Muhammad suddenly angry, he said: "I can kill you, but also kill the man you fool around, I want you two are disappear in the world! "Later, Mayweather will be on the Harris fight, domestic violence, this happened.
Harris flew the police, the police came to arrest will be Mayweather, in statements which, Mayweather 10-year-old son, said: "I witnessed my father down on the mother's body, and then began kicking her." This is bull guard speaking, not good news, if Mayweather furious, not joke, then Harris is really his position, perhaps the most dangerous being.
But Watson insisted that he and Muhammad do not Harris, the former girlfriend of an affair, while the number of Watson's friends and Watson's father, for clarification of the rumors are. "I'm sure Harris is not Watson's girlfriend," his father, Charles - Watson, said, "I know there are some contacts between the two, but nothing more."
This summer, the Chicago Bulls and the Warriors a sign for the Bulls with a second-round draft pick from Golden State Department in exchange for the CJ-Watson, this 85-foot-1 guard the effectiveness of the first three seasons are the Warriors last season field can contribute to the team 10.3 points 2.6 rebounds 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals.
Speaking of Mayweather A man of his fists in the ring to knock out the number of players so naturally it got, and his horror is that he also liked to play his stiff fist to his family. Mayweather had since the implementation of domestic violence against his wife, jail, bail, suspended the jail recently passed, and his ex-wife and former girlfriend Melissa Brim Harris were all charged him with assault.
According to TMZ's broke the news, the Bulls guard, and Harris was sleeping in one, and this is most likely Mayweather of domestic violence on the implementation of the reasons Harris. According to reports, Mayweather in to see CJ-Watson to send text messages after Harris, the Harris asked: "Are you and the Watson affair?"
Harris then mentioned casually that the sentence: "As you can see," Muhammad suddenly angry, he said: "I can kill you, but also kill the man you fool around, I want you two are disappear in the world! "Later, Mayweather will be on the Harris fight, domestic violence, this happened.
Harris flew the police, the police came to arrest will be Mayweather, in statements which, Mayweather 10-year-old son, said: "I witnessed my father down on the mother's body, and then began kicking her." This is bull guard speaking, not good news, if Mayweather furious, not joke, then Harris is really his position, perhaps the most dangerous being.
But Watson insisted that he and Muhammad do not Harris, the former girlfriend of an affair, while the number of Watson's friends and Watson's father, for clarification of the rumors are. "I'm sure Harris is not Watson's girlfriend," his father, Charles - Watson, said, "I know there are some contacts between the two, but nothing more."
This summer, the Chicago Bulls and the Warriors a sign for the Bulls with a second-round draft pick from Golden State Department in exchange for the CJ-Watson, this 85-foot-1 guard the effectiveness of the first three seasons are the Warriors last season field can contribute to the team 10.3 points 2.6 rebounds 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals.
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