CHICAGO – Two more individuals have been arrested and accused of threatening the NATO conference in Chicago, in the latest escalation of tension between police and protesters on the sidelines of the Afghanistan war summit.
As President Obama arrived at summit headquarters Sunday to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai as well as top NATO officials on the way forward in Afghanistan, protesters were kicking off what is billed as the largest demonstration of the weekend. The latest arrests and heavy police presence were used as a rallying cry, as lead protester Andy Thayer called on Obama to call off the cops.
"We are holding you, President Obama and Mayor (Rahm) Emanuel personally responsible for any violence," he said. "If you value the election this November, you'll tell your officers to stand down."
A slew of demonstrators and plotters have already been brought into custody, some on serious charges.
Prosecutors previously charged three men with planning to attack President Obama's campaign headquarters, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's home and other targets. They're accused of trying to make Molotov cocktails.
Two more alleged plotters, Sebastian Senakiewicz and Mark Neiweem, have also been charged. The Cook County State Attorney's office said in a statement Sunday that Neiweem, 28, is charged with attempted possession of explosives or incendiary devices and Sebastian Senakiewicz, 24, is charged with falsely making a terrorist threat. It was unclear if the latest case was related to that of the other three men.
Increasingly tense clashes Saturday night tested police who used bicycles to barricade off streets and horseback officers to coax them in different directions. Eighteen people were arrested, Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said.
Organizers of Sunday's rally had initially predicted tens of thousands of protesters this weekend.
But that was when the G-8 summit also was scheduled to be in Chicago. Earlier this year, Obama moved the Group of 8 economic meeting to Camp David, the secluded retreat in rural Maryland.
Chicago kept the NATO summit, which will focus on the war in Afghanistan and other international security matters, but not the economy. That left activists with the challenge of persuading groups as diverse as teachers, nurses and union laborers to show up for the Chicago protests even though the summit's main focus doesn't align with their most heart-felt issues.
"I'm here to protest NATO, which I feel is the enforcement arm of the ruling 1 percent -- of the capitalist 1 percent," said protester John Schraufnagel, 53, who took a bus from Minneapolis to Chicago and was among the first demonstrators to gather at Grant Park Sunday.
Sunday's protest followed several, smaller demonstrations the previous two days including one peaceful march to the home of Emanuel, Obama's former chief of staff, on Saturday. But a march later that evening involving hundreds of demonstrators stretched for hours as protesters zigzagged back and forth through downtown, some decrying terrorism-related charges leveled against three young men earlier in the day.
McCarthy said police would be ready with quick but targeted arrests of any demonstrators who turn violent Sunday.
"If anything else happens, the plan is to go in and get the people who create the violent acts, take them out of the crowd and arrest them," warned McCarthy. "We're not going to charge the crowd wholesale -- that's the bottom line."
Security has been tight throughout the city. As police gathered en masse on street corners, near parks and key landmarks, the city's streets remained largely vacant and many downtown buildings closed.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/05/20/protesters-prepare-for-anti-nato-demonstration-in-chicago/#ixzz1vQriEidU
ChanneledKnowledgeTV
Sunday, May 20, 2012
With Nato in Town, Hospitals brace for Bioterrorism
While many downtown office workers worry about commuting headaches during the NATO summit, two Chicago hospital systems are prepared for far worse possibilities.
The University of Chicago Medical Center and the Cook County Health and Hospitals System will both have decontamination areas set up outside their buildings to treat victims of potential bioterrorist attacks, in addition to general medical tents.
"What we have heard from some of the other host cities is that you'll get a number of patients who are referred to as the 'walking well' who think they've been contaminated but haven't," said Krista Curell, the vice president of risk management at University of Chicago Medical Center.
Regardless of whether the threat is real, any patient who claims to have been exposed to biological agents will be treated in the hospital's decontamination tent or trailer before they are allowed to enter the emergency room, Ms. Curell said. The area will be staffed by a so-called Code Orange team of medical professionals who have been trained in emergency-response procedures.
Cook County Hospitals spokeswoman Marisa Kollias said extra medical and decontamination tents will also be set up outside John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital on the West Side, and the same protocol will be followed before admitting patients to the emergency room.
The tents will resemble the medical tents set up during the Chicago marathon, and despite the ominous sound of "decontamination areas," the medical staff expects to mostly treat minor symptoms such as heat exhaustion, dehydration and bumps and bruises, Ms. Kollias said.
She said the hospital was not disclosing the cost of the tents or the number of medical staff involved, but said the emergency-response procedures were "not unprecedented."
Both hospital systems will have extra doctors on call inside the hospitals, as well.
The University of Chicago will establish a command center at 7 a.m. on Saturday that will be staffed around the clock through 7 a.m. Tuesday, with four extra attending physicians in the adult and pediatric emergency departments. More doctors will also be on call throughout the weekend.
The Cook County Health and Hospital System is the host hospital system during the summit, which means it will assume "first responder" duties in the event of an emergency, Ms. Kollias said. Though Mercy Hospital & Medical Center is closer to McCormick Place, Cook County's Stroger Hospital is the closest hospital with a level 1 trauma center, which provides the highest level of surgical care.
"A number of our medical staff has extensive experience in emergency situations," Ms. Kollias said. "Some of our trauma surgeons were in New York on 9/11."
Beyond preparing to provide emergency care, the hospitals also must deal with traffic snarls as a result of road closures during the summit.
"The extreme preparation difficulty is the transportation concerns," said Ms. Curell, calling the scenario reminiscent of the major snowstorm in February 2011, when essential medical staff had a hard time getting to work.
At Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chief of Staff Gary Noskin sent a memo to staff warning about possible street closures with little notice. "We have been informed that both Ohio and Ontario streets to and from East Fairbanks Court will be key travel thoroughfares" for motorcades, he wrote, and "could result in delays of up to several hours."
Pregnant women who need to get to the hospital may need to find alternate routes or even another health care provider, the memo said.
Read more: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20120517/BLOGS07/120519849/with-nato-in-town-hospitals-brace-for-bioterrorism#ixzz1vQqsySBD
Stay on top of Chicago business with our free daily e-newsletters
The University of Chicago Medical Center and the Cook County Health and Hospitals System will both have decontamination areas set up outside their buildings to treat victims of potential bioterrorist attacks, in addition to general medical tents.
"What we have heard from some of the other host cities is that you'll get a number of patients who are referred to as the 'walking well' who think they've been contaminated but haven't," said Krista Curell, the vice president of risk management at University of Chicago Medical Center.
Regardless of whether the threat is real, any patient who claims to have been exposed to biological agents will be treated in the hospital's decontamination tent or trailer before they are allowed to enter the emergency room, Ms. Curell said. The area will be staffed by a so-called Code Orange team of medical professionals who have been trained in emergency-response procedures.
Cook County Hospitals spokeswoman Marisa Kollias said extra medical and decontamination tents will also be set up outside John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital on the West Side, and the same protocol will be followed before admitting patients to the emergency room.
The tents will resemble the medical tents set up during the Chicago marathon, and despite the ominous sound of "decontamination areas," the medical staff expects to mostly treat minor symptoms such as heat exhaustion, dehydration and bumps and bruises, Ms. Kollias said.
She said the hospital was not disclosing the cost of the tents or the number of medical staff involved, but said the emergency-response procedures were "not unprecedented."
Both hospital systems will have extra doctors on call inside the hospitals, as well.
The University of Chicago will establish a command center at 7 a.m. on Saturday that will be staffed around the clock through 7 a.m. Tuesday, with four extra attending physicians in the adult and pediatric emergency departments. More doctors will also be on call throughout the weekend.
The Cook County Health and Hospital System is the host hospital system during the summit, which means it will assume "first responder" duties in the event of an emergency, Ms. Kollias said. Though Mercy Hospital & Medical Center is closer to McCormick Place, Cook County's Stroger Hospital is the closest hospital with a level 1 trauma center, which provides the highest level of surgical care.
"A number of our medical staff has extensive experience in emergency situations," Ms. Kollias said. "Some of our trauma surgeons were in New York on 9/11."
Beyond preparing to provide emergency care, the hospitals also must deal with traffic snarls as a result of road closures during the summit.
"The extreme preparation difficulty is the transportation concerns," said Ms. Curell, calling the scenario reminiscent of the major snowstorm in February 2011, when essential medical staff had a hard time getting to work.
At Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chief of Staff Gary Noskin sent a memo to staff warning about possible street closures with little notice. "We have been informed that both Ohio and Ontario streets to and from East Fairbanks Court will be key travel thoroughfares" for motorcades, he wrote, and "could result in delays of up to several hours."
Pregnant women who need to get to the hospital may need to find alternate routes or even another health care provider, the memo said.
Read more: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20120517/BLOGS07/120519849/with-nato-in-town-hospitals-brace-for-bioterrorism#ixzz1vQqsySBD
Stay on top of Chicago business with our free daily e-newsletters
NoN-Hispanic White Births Now minority in US
London, May 18 (ANI): White births in the US have been surpassed by racial and ethnic minorities, according to the estimates of the latest US census data.
Black, Hispanic, Asian and mixed-race births made up 50.4 percent of new arrivals in the year ending in July 2011.
It has put non-Hispanic white births in the minority for the first time.
Sociologists blame the ongoing economic slowdown for contributing to a greater decline in birth rates among white people.
The US Census Bureau recorded 2.02m babies born to minorities in the year to July 2011, just over half of all births, compared with 37 percent in 1990.
The number of white births has fallen by 11.4 percent since 2008, compared with 3.2 percent for minorities, according to Kenneth Johnson, a sociologist at the University of New Hampshire.
William Frey, head of demographics at the Brookings Institution, said the data presaged a new set of challenges to the US in years to come.
"There's a sharp division between the older population - with the votes and the money and the power, and a lot of needs - and the young population that is foreign to them and with whom they have no personal connection," the BBC quoted him as saying.
According to Frey, the US will see an inevitable decline in the numbers of whites in the labour force, as population changes, adding that better pathways to education were needed for the changing demographic groups.
In its analysis, the Census Bureau found that the national median age rose slightly to 37.2 years, and the number of people in the US who are 65 or older increased by 1.1m to 41.4m.
There are now 5.7m people who are over the age of 85.
The country's minority population now makes up 36.6 percent of the total US population.
Hispanics make up the largest minority in the US, forming 16.7 percent of the population in 2011. They are also the fastest growing group and have seen a 3.1 percent population increase since 2010.
But demographers also believe the Hispanic population boom may now have peaked.
"The Latino population is very young, which means they will continue to have a lot of births relative to the general population," Mark Mather of the Population Reference Bureau said.
"But we're seeing a slowdown that is likely the result of multiple factors: declining Latina birth rates combined with lower immigration levels. If both of these trends continue, they will lead to big changes down the road," Mather said.
As well as changes in birth rates among Hispanics, studies have also shown that immigration levels are also changing.
A recent survey by the Pew Hispanic Center indicated that migration to the US from Mexico has begun to decline after four decades of sustained growth.
The data also showed that African-Americans comprise the second largest US minority group, with a population of 43.9m in 2011, while Asians are growing second-fastest at a rate of 3 percent since 2010.
Four states namely- Hawaii, California, New Mexico, Texas and the District of Columbia are now counted as majority-minority states, with more than half their population made up of minority groups. (ANI)
http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/05/18/220-Non-Hispanic-white-births-now-minority-in-US.html
Black, Hispanic, Asian and mixed-race births made up 50.4 percent of new arrivals in the year ending in July 2011.
It has put non-Hispanic white births in the minority for the first time.
Sociologists blame the ongoing economic slowdown for contributing to a greater decline in birth rates among white people.
The US Census Bureau recorded 2.02m babies born to minorities in the year to July 2011, just over half of all births, compared with 37 percent in 1990.
The number of white births has fallen by 11.4 percent since 2008, compared with 3.2 percent for minorities, according to Kenneth Johnson, a sociologist at the University of New Hampshire.
William Frey, head of demographics at the Brookings Institution, said the data presaged a new set of challenges to the US in years to come.
"There's a sharp division between the older population - with the votes and the money and the power, and a lot of needs - and the young population that is foreign to them and with whom they have no personal connection," the BBC quoted him as saying.
According to Frey, the US will see an inevitable decline in the numbers of whites in the labour force, as population changes, adding that better pathways to education were needed for the changing demographic groups.
In its analysis, the Census Bureau found that the national median age rose slightly to 37.2 years, and the number of people in the US who are 65 or older increased by 1.1m to 41.4m.
There are now 5.7m people who are over the age of 85.
The country's minority population now makes up 36.6 percent of the total US population.
Hispanics make up the largest minority in the US, forming 16.7 percent of the population in 2011. They are also the fastest growing group and have seen a 3.1 percent population increase since 2010.
But demographers also believe the Hispanic population boom may now have peaked.
"The Latino population is very young, which means they will continue to have a lot of births relative to the general population," Mark Mather of the Population Reference Bureau said.
"But we're seeing a slowdown that is likely the result of multiple factors: declining Latina birth rates combined with lower immigration levels. If both of these trends continue, they will lead to big changes down the road," Mather said.
As well as changes in birth rates among Hispanics, studies have also shown that immigration levels are also changing.
A recent survey by the Pew Hispanic Center indicated that migration to the US from Mexico has begun to decline after four decades of sustained growth.
The data also showed that African-Americans comprise the second largest US minority group, with a population of 43.9m in 2011, while Asians are growing second-fastest at a rate of 3 percent since 2010.
Four states namely- Hawaii, California, New Mexico, Texas and the District of Columbia are now counted as majority-minority states, with more than half their population made up of minority groups. (ANI)
http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/05/18/220-Non-Hispanic-white-births-now-minority-in-US.html
Z-Pack side effects call for recall
The FDA announced today that it is looking into a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine that reported an increase in cardiovascular deaths, and in the risk of death from any cause, in persons treated with a 5-day course of azithromycin (Zithromax) compared to persons treated with other antibiotics.
I've used the Z-Pack numerous times in my life and I always thought it was safe. But, as a drug lawyer, I should know better. The pharmaceutical companies never, and I do mean never, adequately test their drugs before they are released to the general public. In essence, we are all guinea pigs for the drug companies as they "test" their drugs using post-market surveillance data. In other words, they sell you a product and then sit back and see how many people it hurts before they decide to make a label change to warn of the true risks associated with their products.
But, even worse, they try every trick in the book to hide the true risks of their drugs from the general public. And what happens when the hammer finally falls and they start getting sued? They fight like hell, and then pay a couple billion to make the problem go away, and pocket several more billion in profits in the process. I guess it is a cost of doing business to them, but I see the true agony that they cause every day as I represent my clients. I must say, I find this conduct disgusting.
What are your thought? Share them with attorney Larry Jones at www.the-recall-lawyers.com or by email to larry@jonesward.com
http://www.the-recall-lawyers.com/2012/05/z-pack-cardiovascular-risks.html
I've used the Z-Pack numerous times in my life and I always thought it was safe. But, as a drug lawyer, I should know better. The pharmaceutical companies never, and I do mean never, adequately test their drugs before they are released to the general public. In essence, we are all guinea pigs for the drug companies as they "test" their drugs using post-market surveillance data. In other words, they sell you a product and then sit back and see how many people it hurts before they decide to make a label change to warn of the true risks associated with their products.
But, even worse, they try every trick in the book to hide the true risks of their drugs from the general public. And what happens when the hammer finally falls and they start getting sued? They fight like hell, and then pay a couple billion to make the problem go away, and pocket several more billion in profits in the process. I guess it is a cost of doing business to them, but I see the true agony that they cause every day as I represent my clients. I must say, I find this conduct disgusting.
What are your thought? Share them with attorney Larry Jones at www.the-recall-lawyers.com or by email to larry@jonesward.com
http://www.the-recall-lawyers.com/2012/05/z-pack-cardiovascular-risks.html
FaceBook Selling Shares
Facebook Inc. sold 180 million of its shares in its initial public stock offering. Another 241.2 million came from existing stockholders, including the company's earliest investors and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Even after the IPO, Zuckerberg remains Facebook's single largest shareholder, with 503.6 million shares. And he will control the company with 56 percent of its voting stock.
The IPO sold at $38 per share, generating $6.8 billion for Facebook and $9.2 billion, collectively, for existing stockholders.
Here's a look at early Facebook Inc. investors who sold stock in the IPO, how much money they gained and how many shares they still own. Most of the social network's early funders never publicly disclosed how much they invested in the company.
— Mark Zuckerberg
Number of shares sold: 30.2 million
Value: $1.15 billion
Number of shares still owned: 503.6 million
— James Breyer and Accel Partners, where he's a partner
Year invested in Facebook: 2005
Number of shares sold: 49 million
Value: $1.86 billion
Number of shares still owned: 152.3 million
— Peter Thiel, managing partner at The Founders Fund and PayPal co-founder
Year invested in Facebook: 2004
Amount invested: $500,000
Number of shares sold: 16.8 million
Value: $640 million
Number of shares still owned: 27.9 million
— DST Global Ltd. and affiliates, a London-based investment firm focused on Internet companies, founded by Russian investor Yuri Milner
Year invested in Facebook: 2009 and late 2010
Number of shares sold: 45.7 million
Value: $1.74 billion
Number of shares still owned: 85.6 million
— Goldman Sachs and affiliates, investment bank and one of the IPO's underwriters
Year invested in Facebook: 2011
Number of shares sold: 28.7 million
Value: $1.09 billion
Number of shares still owned: 37.3 million
— Elevation Partners, private equity firm focused on media and technology and affiliates
Year invested in Facebook: Undisclosed
Number of shares sold: 4.6 million
Value: $176 million
Number of shares still owned: 35.5 million
— Greylock Partners, Silicon Valley venture capital firm and affiliates
Year invested in Facebook: 2006
Number of shares sold: 7.6 million
Value: $289 million
Number of shares still owned: 29 million
— Mail.ru Group Ltd., Russian Internet company
Year invested in Facebook: 2009
Number of shares sold: 19.6 million
Value: $745 million
Number of shares still owned: 36.8 million
— Mark Pincus, Zynga Inc. CEO
Year invested in Facebook: 2004
Number of shares sold: 1 million
Value: $38 million
Number of shares still owned: 4.3 million
— Meritech Capital Partners, venture capital firm focused on late-stage investments
Year invested in Facebook: 2006
Number of shares sold: 7 million
Value: $266 million
Number of shares still owned: 33.4 million
— Microsoft Corp.
Year invested in Facebook: 2007
Amount invested: $240 million
Number of shares sold: 6.6 million
Value: $249 million
Number of shares still owned: 26.2 million
— Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn Corp. and affiliates
Year invested in Facebook: 2004
Number of shares sold: 942,784
Value: $36 million
Number of shares still owned: 3.8 million
— Tiger Global Management, New York-based investment firm
Year invested in Facebook: Undisclosed
Number of shares sold: 23.4 million
Value: $889 million
Number of shares still owned: 30.4 million
— Other, smaller stockholders are offering another 70,504 shares
Value: $2.7 million
Source: Facebook and Associated Press calculations
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/facebook-ipo-selling-stock-16380405
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/facebook-ipo-selling-stock-16380405
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