Leaked: Homeland Security Posts Underwear Bomb Airplane Rules

December 28, 2009

Gizmodo

By Jesus Diaz

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Transportation Security Administration
Aviation Security Directive
Subject: Security Directive
Number: SD 1544-09-06
Date: December 25, 2009
EXPIRATION: 0200Z on December 30, 2009
This Security Directive (SD) must be implemented immediately. The measures contained in this SD are in addition to all other SDs currently in effect for your operations.
INFORMATION: On December 25, 2009, a terrorist attack was attempted against a flight traveling to the United States. TSA has identified security measures to be implemented by airports, aircraft operators, and foreign air carriers to mitigate potential threats to flights.
APPLICABILITY: THIS SD APPLIES TO AIRCRAFT OPERATORS THAT CARRY OUT A SECURITY PROGRAM REGULATED UNDER 49 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR)1544.101(a).
ACTIONS REQUIRED: If you conduct scheduled and/or public charter flight operations under a Full Program under 49 CFR 1544.101(a) departing from any foreign location to the United States (including its territories and possessions), you must immediately implement all measures in this SD for each such flight.
1. BOARDING GATE

1. The aircraft operator or authorized air carrier representative must ensure all passengers are screened at the boarding gate during the boarding process using the following procedures. These procedures are in addition to the screening of all passengers at the screening checkpoint.
1. Perform thorough pat-down of all passengers at boarding gate prior to boarding, concentrating on upper legs and torso.
2. Physically inspect 100 percent of all passenger accessible property at the boarding gate prior to boarding, with focus on syringes being transported along with powders and/or liquids.
3. Ensure the liquids, aerosols, and gels restrictions are strictly adhered to in accordance with SD 1544-06-02E.
2. During the boarding process, the air carrier may exempt passengers who are Heads of State or Heads of Government from the measures outlined in Section I.A. of this SD, including the following who are traveling with the Head of State or Head of Government:

1. Spouse and children, or
2. One other individual (chosen by the Head of State or Head of Government)
3. For the purposes of Section I.B., the following definitions apply:
1. Head of State: An individual serving as the chief public representative of a monarchic or republican nation-state, federation, commonwealth, or any other political state (for example, King, Queen, and President).
2. Head of Government: The chief officer of the executive branch of a government presiding over a cabinet (for example, Prime Minister, Premier, President, and Monarch).

2. IN FLIGHT

1. During flight, the aircraft operator must ensure that the following procedures are followed:
1. Passengers must remain in seats beginning 1 hour prior to arrival at destination.
2. Passenger access to carry-on baggage is prohibited beginning 1 hour prior to arrival at destination.
3. Disable aircraft-integrated passenger communications systems and services (phone, internet access services, live television programming, global positioning systems) prior to boarding and during all phases of flight.
4. While over U.S. airspace, flight crew may not make any announcement to passengers concerning flight path or position over cities or landmarks.
5. Passengers may not have any blankets, pillows, or personal belongings on the lap beginning 1 hour prior to arrival at destination.

AIRCRAFT OPERATOR ACKNOWLEDGMENT: The aircraft operator must immediately provide written confirmation to its assigned PSI indicating receipt of this SD.
AIRCRAFT OPERATOR dissemination required: The aircraft operator must immediately pass the information and directives set forth in this SD to all stations affected, and provide written confirmation to its PSI, indicating that all stations affected have acknowledged receipt of the information and directives set forth in this SD. The aircraft operator must disseminate this information to its senior management personnel, ground security coordinators, and supervisory security personnel at all affected locations. All aircraft operator personnel implementing this SD must be briefed by the aircraft operator on its content and the restrictions governing dissemination. No other dissemination may be made without prior approval of the Assistant Secretary for the Transportation Security Administration. Unauthorized dissemination of this document or information contained herein is prohibited by 49 CFR Part 1520 (see 69 Fed. Reg. 28066 (May 18, 2004).
APPROVAL OF ALTERNATIVE MEASURES: With respect to the provisions of this SD, as stated in 49 CFR 1544.305(d), the aircraft operator may submit in writing to its PSI proposed alternative measures and the basis for submitting the alternative measures for approval by the Assistant Administrator for Transportation Sector Network Management. The aircraft operator must immediately notify its PSI whenever any procedure in this SD cannot be carried out by a government authority charged with performing security procedures.
FOR TSA ACTION ONLY: The TSA must issue this SD immediately to the corporate security element of all affected U.S. aircraft operators.
FOR STATE DEPARTMENT: Retransmittal to appropriate foreign posts is authorized. Post must refer to STATE 162917, 201826Z Sep 01, Subject: FAA Security Directives and Information Circulars: Definitions and Handling, for specific guidance and dissemination.

Gale Rossides
Acting Administrator

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Outgoing AIG Counsel To Get Several Million Dollar Severance

December 29, 2009

Wall Street Journal

By Serena Ng and Joann S. Lublin

American International Group Inc. is preparing to pay its outgoing general counsel Anastasia Kelly several million dollars in severance after she resigned over federal pay curbs, according to people familiar with the matter.

AIG determined that its top in-house lawyer was entitled to the money under the company’s severance plan, whose terms say certain executives can resign and collect severance if their pay is reduced significantly, the people said. The move comes amid recent scrutiny of Ms. Kelly’s actions in a December pay dispute involving her and four other senior executives. AIG’s board engaged an outside law firm, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, this month to review Ms. Kelly’s actions after she advised other executives on what they could do to protect their rights to collect severance benefits. Ms. Kelly also helped them arrange for outside counsel, a spokesman for her has previously said.

The executives notified the insurer on Dec. 1 that they were prepared to resign and collect severance benefits if their pay was cut significantly by the U.S. pay czar, who was reviewing pay packages for a group of 75 AIG executives at the time. The four others, who work at AIG’s insurance and financial-services units, later withdrew their notices, leaving only Ms. Kelly’s outstanding. She subsequently told the company she would resign, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The law firm’s investigation looked into whether Ms. Kelly performed her duties properly as the firm’s general counsel and as an executive who would be affected by the pay czar’s determinations, according to people familiar with the matter. The attorneys gave the AIG board’s compensation committee a verbal report earlier this month, people familiar with the matter said.

One person familiar with the report said the law firm’s findings “can be interpreted in a number of ways.” The committee concluded Ms. Kelly’s conduct shouldn’t prevent her from receiving severance, people familiar with the matter said.

The severance plan was put in place before the government bailed out AIG last year. Earlier this month, U.S. pay czar Kenneth Feinberg capped annual cash salaries for most executives at $500,000, and Ms. Kelly’s pay stood to be reduced significantly, say people familiar with the matter. Ms. Kelly has been at AIG since 2006 and was appointed vice chairman this year. The company is expected to name a new general counsel soon.

Click here for the full report.

Women Put 515 Chemicals Onto Their Faces Daily

December 29, 2009

Natural News

By E. Huff

A study published by Bionsen, a company in the United Kingdom that sells aluminum-free body products, found that the average woman applies 515 chemicals to her face a day. Makeup, perfumes, lotions, mascara, and other beauty products all contribute to the toxic brew that is causing health problems for many women.

The study revealed that the typical woman uses about 13 different beauty products a day. Most of these products contain at least 20 ingredients and additives, many of which can have a detrimental effect on the body and skin. Perfumes alone were found to contain up to 400 different ingredients.

Other products that were tested include lipstick, body lotions and mascara which contained an average of 30 ingredients each. Aside from aluminum, many of these products contain other harmful ingredients like synthetic dyes, fragrances, and parabens. When applied continually, the many beauty products that women use are exposing them to wide range of carcinogens.

The perpetual advent of new and innovative beauty products has led to a massive increase in product usage over the years. What was once a basic cleansing protocol has turned into a lifestyle of trying the latest and greatest products in an effort to maintain youthful beauty. As a result, women are exposed to more toxic carcinogens from beauty products than ever.

An Environmental Working Group (EWG) study from 2006 found that less than one percent of all cosmetic products are made from ingredients that have all undergone safety assessments. The great majority of products contain known carcinogens, reproductive toxins and various other harmful chemicals that cause serious diseases like cancer.

The EWG study found that the average person uses up to 25 personal care products per day. Among these, about 200 different chemicals will have been added to scent, preserve, synthesize and stabilize them for consumption. Many of these ingredients will end up causing hormonal disruption and immune dysfunction. In younger people, developmental problems are likely to result from excessive product use.

Makeup usage among younger girls has also increased. About 90 percent of 14-year-old girls now use makeup, according to a research study conducted by Mintel Internation Group in 2004. Sixty-three percent of girls as young as seven are now using lipstick, eyeliner, eye shadow and mascara.

As consumers are becoming more aware of many beauty product ingredients and the harm they are causing, product manufacturers are beginning to remove many of them from their formulations. Those concerned would do best to purchase only products that have minimal or no toxic ingredients. Greatly reducing one’s cosmetic arsenal is the next best option.

Click here for the full report.

WHO: H1N1 Might Take a Year to Conquer

December 29, 2009

Reuters

By Stephanie Nebehay

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan also warned that although countries have shored up their defenses against the first influenza pandemic in more than 40 years, they remain ill-prepared for mass outbreaks of the deadlier bird flu virus.

“It is still premature and too early for us to say we have come to an end of the pandemic influenza worldwide. It would be prudent and appropriate … to continue to monitor the evolution of this pandemic for the next six to 12 months,” Chan told a year-end news conference.

“The one thing we need to guard against is a sense of complacency,” she added.

Countries including Britain, Canada and the United States have passed peaks of a second wave of H1N1, but outbreaks are intensifying in India, Egypt and elsewhere, according to Chan.

H1N1 has now spread to more than 200 countries, with nearly 12,000 deaths confirmed in laboratory, but it will probably take two years to establish the true death toll, she said.

Millions of people have been infected with the virus which emerged in April, most recovering without special treatment.

But young people, pregnant women and people with underlying health conditions such as heart or lung disease are more vulnerable and often require intensive care in hospital.

Influenza viruses are notoriously unpredictable and can mutate into more severe forms, according to the WHO chief.

Chan, who admitted she had not received her own H1N1 flu shot yet but would have it soon, said: “I am a bit more relaxed, but I will never let down my guard.”

VACCINES FOR POOR COUNTRIES

Rich countries and drug companies have pledged to donate 190 million doses of H1N1 vaccine for use in some 90 developing countries, she said.

Her United Nations agency plans to start distributing the first doses in Azerbaijan and Mongolia in early January, to be followed by Afghanistan, she added.

On recalls of some H1N1 vaccine — by AstraZeneca’s MedImmune unit and Sanofi-Aventis SA — she said they were because they were not as potent as they should be but posed no risk.

“The recalls are not related to safety of vaccines,” she said, saying the issue had been dealt with in an “ethical way.”

Chan, noting the world’s financial crisis and weak health systems in some countries, said: “The fact that the long overdue influenza pandemic is so moderate in its impact is probably the best health news of the decade.”

But Chan, who fought avian flu and SARS while serving as health director in her native Hong Kong, said the world was still not ready to combat a pandemic of the H5N1 bird flu virus, noting it was “more toxic and deadly.”

“No, the world is not ready for a pandemic to be caused by H5N1,” she said.

Click here for the full report.

Risk of Suicide and Heart Attacks Rise When Men Are Told They Have Prostate Cancer

December 29, 2009

Natural News

By S.L. Baker

Imagine you are a man who has just been told you have a disease that might kill you — prostate cancer. And the treatment may involve surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and/or hormones that could rob you of your virility, wreck your sex life and even interfere with your ability to urinate. Sound depressing and even terrifying? To some men, this disturbing news may actually be a lot more dangerous than their prostate cancer. A new study just published in PLoS Medicine has found that men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer have an increased risk of cardiovascular events and suicide — with the youngest men being the most vulnerable.

Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and Harvard University used the Swedish Cancer Register to identify 168,584 men 30 years old or older who were diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1961 and 2004. The research team then turned to Sweden’s Causes of Death Register and Inpatient Register to compile information on how many of these men suffered from subsequent fatal or non-fatal cardiovascular events and suicides.

The results showed that prior to 1987, men were approximately 11 times more likely to have a fatal cardiovascular event during the first week after they were told they had prostate cancer than men without the disease. Throughout the first year after their diagnosis, men with prostate cancer were about twice as likely to have a heart attack as men without prostate cancer. After 1987, men diagnosed with prostate cancer were about three times as likely to have a cardiovascular event during the first week as undiagnosed men, and they had a persistent, slightly raised risk in the first year.

Although not many men in the study killed themselves (136 in all), the researchers did find a significant increase in suicides associated with a prostate cancer diagnosis, too. The relative risk of suicide throughout the study period was 8.4 during the first week and 2.6 during the first year after diagnosis.

What’s particularly tragic about men literally dying from the consequences of stress after being told they have prostate cancer is that many of them actually should have little to fear — they just haven’t been told the true facts about their disease. Although about one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, only one in 35 will actually die from prostate cancer.

What’s more, many men who have been told they have prostate cancer probably had unnecessary screening for the disease in the first place. A study in the September 28, 2009, issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine concluded there’s no convincing scientific evidence that screening prevents deaths from prostate cancer. In fact, when men are found to have early-stage cancers, they are often told treatment is necessary when no treatment may be needed at all. Their cancers may never be life threatening but aggressively treating their disease may lead to a host of health problems and even life threatening complications.

To their credit, the authors of the new study mentioned these issues. “Treatments for prostate cancer (for example, surgical removal of the prostate) may be more effective if they are started early but they can cause impotence and urinary incontinence, so should men be treated whose cancer might otherwise never affect their health?” they wrote. “In addition, receiving a diagnosis of prostate cancer is stressful and there is growing evidence that stressful life events can increase an individual’s risk of becoming ill or dying from a heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular events and of becoming mentally ill.”

Click here for the full report.

Too Many Hysterectomies Being Unnecessarily Performed

December 29, 2009

Natural News

By David Gutierrez

Too many doctors are resorting to hysterectomies as a cure for a condition known as menorrhagia when other treatments are still available, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Menorrhagia refers to chronic abnormally heavy menstrual bleeding that lasts for longer than a normal period. It may be caused by underlying health problems such as blood clotting, endometriosis, hormonal imbalance, and uterine tumors. The condition can be treated with drugs or, if those fail, with a minor surgery known as endometrial ablation, in which the inner layer of the uterus is removed. Hysterectomy, or the removal of the entire uterus, is recommended as a last resort only.

An estimated one in 20 British women between the ages of 30 and 49 visits a doctor each year because of heavy menstrual bleeding.

The researchers found, however, that rates of hysterectomy and endometrial ablation varied widely between different primary care facilities across England between 2003 and 2006. Rates of endometrial ablation for treatment of menorrhagia varied between 46 and 75 percent, while the rates of hysterectomy varied fourfold.

“The rates of hysterectomy have gone down in recent years but what we still find concerning is this fourfold variation between the regions,” said David Cromwell, from the Health Services Research Unit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

According to Tamir Mahmood of the same institution, the study shows that informed consent guidelines set down by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) are not always being followed. According to the NICE rules, women must be informed of all their treatment options before giving consent to any irreversible procedure.

“Women need to be informed of the risks and benefits of each surgical option before decisions are made,” Mahmood said.

Click here for the full report.

Tylenol For Arthritis Recall Expanded

December 29, 2009

ABC News

Associated Press

Johnson & Johnson is expanding a voluntary recall of Tylenol Arthritis Caplets due to consumer reports of a moldy smell associated with nausea and stomach pain.

The New Brunswick, N.J., company says it is now recalling all product lots of the Arthritis Pain Caplet 100 count bottles with the red EZ-Open Cap.

Johnson & Johnson had recalled five lots of the product last month.

To date, the side effects, which also include vomiting and diarrhea, have been “temporary and non-serious.”

The health care company says the odor results from the breakdown of a chemical used to treat wooden pallets that transport and store packaging materials.

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Top Scientists Predict Widespread Sterilization

December  27, 2009

The Times Online

By Bryan Appleyard

Nothing much is going to happen in the next 10 years. Of course, that’s not counting the diesel-excreting bacteria, the sequencing of your entire genome for $1,000, massive banks of frozen human eggs, space tourism, the identification of dark matter, widespread sterilisation of young adults, telepathy, supercomputer models of our brains, the discovery of life’s origins, maybe the disappearance of Bangladesh and certainly the loss of 247m acres of tropical forest.

As I said, just another decade really.

These days, “just another decade” always means 10 years of future shock. Science, technology and the contemporary mania for change combine to stun the imagination. It is the way we live now, in a condition of permanent technological revolution.

In 2000 — remember? — the internet all but died when the dotcom stock market bubble burst. You could stand on top of the World Trade Center. And mobile phones were just, er, phones. Today, you still get up and eat breakfast, but, outside, it’s a different world.

Next? Well, as Woody Allen said, if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans for the future. But, taking a punt, I reckon the brain is the one to watch. Science has been zeroing in on the 2lb 14oz of grey and white custard-like stuff between your ears for some time now. It’s not been easy. In spite of the evidence of The X Factor, the human brain is very complex custard indeed. But some people are getting very excited.

“By 2020, genetics and brain simulation will be giving us personalised prescriptions for marriage, lifestyle and healthcare.” This is Henry Markram, director of the Blue Brain project in Switzerland, an attempt to reverse engineer the brain by building one from the ground up inside a supercomputer.

“We won’t need a psychologist to tell us why we feel unhappy. All we’ll need to do is log into a simulation of our own brain, navigate around in this virtual copy and find out the origins of our quirks … Computers will look at a virtual copy of our brains and work out exactly what we need to stop our headaches, quiet the voices talking in our heads and climb out of the valley of depression to a world of colour and beauty.”

Gosh. But isn’t there still that pesky problem of other people and their brains? It’s their quirks that tend to get in the way of my happiness. No problem, we can climb inside each other’s brains.

“The big thing for me is being able to link two brains together for communication.” This is Kevin Warwick, a cybernetics scientist at Reading University. “This could have great implications for teaching. Sometimes, no matter how you explain something, it takes forever for the penny to drop.

It would also help to avoid misunderstandings.”

But, eek, what would it be like?

“Well, just like The Matrix with a plug in the back of the head into the brain, or yes, like a Bluetooth earpiece. It would have to be bidirectional, though, so thoughts could travel from you to someone else and back,” says Warwick, who has already implanted a microchip in his own arm so that he can open doors without needing to use a doorknob.

James Watson, co-discoverer of the structure of the DNA molecule, thinks gene sequencing will be the key to unlock the custard and even stir it. “Disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, bipolar disease, unipolar depression, obsessive-compulsive disease, attention deficit disorder and autism will finally have their genetic guts open for all to see.”

Some of the most impenetrable and harrowing mental illnesses known to man will, Watson believes, be understandable and maybe even curable.

“The exact location and biological function of the DNA variants causing many depressive disease and related disorders cannot be revealed too soon,” he says.

Colin Blakemore, professor of neuroscience at Warwick and Oxford, agrees that brain diseases are the really big nasties. “Some leave sufferers horribly aware as they lose the ability to walk, to talk, to swallow. Others corrupt and destroy the mind, leaving an empty body. Some, such as CJD, are very rare, others frighteningly common. About 700,000 people in the UK have dementia.”

We are seeing more of these diseases because death rates from cancer and heart disease are falling so people are living long enough to develop them. Hope for cures is coming from stem-cell research, genetic and molecular analysis.

“There will be a breakthrough. My hunch is that research on motor neurone disease will provide crucial clues and by 2020 we will know why cells die in some, perhaps many, of these diseases. It could be another decade before we see the impact on health, but by 2020, we must be on the way to this ultimate goal of modern medical science,” says Blakemore.

Meanwhile, sex — you knew it was coming — will be even more recreational than it is now. The pill will continue to be the primary contraceptive device, says its inventor, Carl Djerassi, but sterilisation will be catching up.

“At present, people tend to have children and then are sterilised later on in life. In the future, sterilisation will happen earlier on in a person’s life, with gametes, male and female, extracted and stored in a reproductive bank account… Already we know that male sperm can be frozen for decades, but it is far more difficult to freeze women’s eggs. The problem is not yet solved — this is where research should be directed.”

Click here for the full report.

Free H1N1 Shots Being Offered At Tulsa Airport

December 28, 2009

NewsOn6.com

Holiday travelers passing through Tulsa International Airport got the chance Monday morning to get vaccinated against the H1N1 virus.

The Tulsa Health Department offered free H1N1 vaccinations at the airport.

The health department set up a booth at the upper level checkpoint area.

“It certainly is not too late to receive a H1N1 vaccination. We continue to look at ways we can make getting vaccinated easy. By offering H1N1 vaccine at the Tulsa International Airport on one of the busiest travel days of the year, we hope to reach those who may have been too busy during the holidays to make time to protect themselves with a vaccination.” stated Tulsa Health Department Interim Director Reggie Ivey.

Free H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccinations continue to be offered to residents overs 6 months of age on a walk-in basis Mondays – Thursdays 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Fridays 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at the following locations:

James O. Goodwin Health Center located at 5051 S. 129th E. Avenue, Tulsa, OK
Central Regional Health Center located at 315 S. Utica, Tulsa, OK
Expo Square Health Center located at 4616 E. 15th Street, Tulsa, OK

Click here for the full report.

“Smart Cards” To Track British Bus Passengers

December 26, 2009

Telegraph

By David Millward

Sophisticated technology would not only consign the paper ticket to history, but would also make redundant touch-in-touch-out cards, such as the Oyster used in London.

Instead passengers would board buses and trains equipped with readers which capable of monitoring their journey from the tags and charging them the correct fare automatically.

Research into what is known as “Be in be out” technology was commissioned by the Department for Transport and published earlier this month.

The work has been carried out alongside the consultation into “smart ticketing”, which was launched earlier in the year.

“It will make using public transport much faster,’ said Jeremy Acklam one of the authors of the research.

“The technology would reduce boarding time on buses,” he added. It could also allow train operators to get rid of the existing cumbersome system of electronic gates, which have to admit passengers onto the platform individually.

Instead it would work on the assumption that the majority of travellers are intending to pay their fare.

In the case of a station, the gates would only shut if somebody tries to board without a tag.

On a bus, the technology would mean that the driver could demand payment is somebody tries to walk past a reader without the electronic tag.

The electronic tag could be fitted as a chip on a plastic card – which would remain in the passenger’s pocket – or be embedded into a mobile phone.

The chip would take payment from a passenger’s individual account which, if it works on the same basis as the Oyster system in London, would have to be kept in credit.

The use of what is known as automatic payment is growing. Westminster and Southampton councils are both planning to introduce “wave and go” technology for parking, with motorists touching a new generation of credit and debit card against a reader on the meter.

Richard Hebditch of the Campaign for Better Transport, welcomed the proposals, but sounded a note of caution. “It would offer a lot of benefits and cut operating costs.

“But we should not get hung up on the technology, there needs to be a good transport product to sell.”

Click here for the full report.

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