Icelands Volcano Stops Air Traffic, Poland Grieves, Utah Earthquake, Obama OKs Gay Hospital Visits, Healthy Chocolate - News Headlines 15 Apr 2010

From Denny: Who would have thought that a fussing volcano in Iceland could derail your trip to Europe? Well, it did. The volcano is getting noisier and more of a drama queen diva by the minute. Obviously, "she" wants to be heard and get everyone's attention.

There was a serious earthquake in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. So far, no injuries reported but it sure shook a lot of nerves.

President Obama ordered mine safety review in the wake of the West Virginia disaster and depraved negligence of the mine owners. He also ordered gays be allowed to visit their partners in hospitals and decide for their partners like married people. Compassion for the sick and dying sure was a long time coming.

Remember that Haiti story of those 10 missionaries trying to take children out of the country for adoption in the chaos after the earthquake in January? Well, charges against the nine church members were dropped. Obviously, they were duped by a greedy business woman who planned to sell these kids for a price to adopting families when she got them back into the States. She must not possess any maternal instinct to have such a disconnect to her heart.

And get this, the latest about dark chocolate: "why chocolate is good for blood pressure is because the chemicals help the smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels to relax and widen." I keep telling my husband chocolate is wonderful. Maybe now he will believe me. :)





Volcanic cloud casts shadow over U.S. travel: (NBC) ‘The ultimate act of God,’ could have expensive, far-reaching effect.

A volcanic ash cloud that shut down airports and tied up air traffic across Europe could turn into a long, costly headache for businesses, airlines and tourists in the United States.

The ash spewed by an eruption in Iceland forced airlines to cancel flights and redirect planes around the ash. Those diversions caused jetliners to burn more fuel and created delays in the air-cargo business that could quickly run into tens of millions of dollars.

The slowdown could affect everything from package shipments to business meetings and long-planned vacations...

"This is the ultimate act of God," said Chicago-based transportation expert Joseph Schwieterman. "It's hard to imagine a weather scenario that would disrupt the entire Atlantic flight system like this..."

On an average day, U.S. airlines operate about 340 flights to and from Europe, according to the Air Transport Association. On Thursday, American carriers canceled at least 100 of those flights because of the ash.

An FAA spokeswoman said the cancellations affected at least 10 countries: England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, Finland, France, Belgium and Denmark.

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A bit about Polish culture as they grieve for their tremendous national loss of their President, First Lady and the other heads of government killed in a sudden plane crash:

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Charges dropped against 9 missionaries: (NBC/AP)

A lawyer says Haiti has dropped kidnapping charges against nine of the 10 U.S. missionaries who were arrested trying to take a busload of children out of the quake-ravaged country.

The group's leader, Laura Silsby of Boise, Idaho, remains jailed in Haiti. The other nine were let go in February and early March and allowed to leave the country...





Obama launches sweeping mine safety review: (NBC) Directive comes in response to blast at W.Va. mine that killed 29 people.

President Barack Obama ordered an exhaustive federal review of coal mine safety Thursday and asked Congress to strengthen existing laws "riddled with loopholes."

"We can't just hold mining companies accountable. We have to hold Washington accountable," the president said in response to the April 5 underground explosion at a Massey Energy Co. mine in West Virginia where 29 miners were killed.

"We need to take a hard look at our own practices and our own procedures," Obama told reporters in the Rose Garden.

"I refuse to accept any number of miner deaths as simply a cost of doing business," he said.

The president directed Labor Secretary Hilda Solis to work closely with Congress to strengthen existing laws and to work with the Justice Department "to ensure that every tool in the federal government is available in this investigation."

"Owners responsible for conditions in the Upper Big Branch mine should be held accountable for decisions they made and preventive measures they failed to take," Obama said.

But while that mine, in Montcoal, W.Va., had a history of safety violations, "this isn't just about a single mine," Obama added.

There are far too many mines in the country whose operators aren't doing enough to protect their workers' safety, Obama said. He cited "endless litigation" on the part of mining companies "to evade their responsibility."

Obama said the government would act to quickly get inspectors into mines across the nation with "troubling safety records."

"This tragedy was triggered by a failure at the Upper Big Branch mine — a failure first and foremost of management, but also a failure of oversight and a failure of laws so riddled with loopholes that they allow unsafe conditions to continue," Obama said.

"If a tragedy can be prevented, it must be prevented," Obama said...





It's amazing it took this long for compassion to reach all segments of society. Kudos to President Obama for doing the obvious.


Obama orders same-sex hospital visits: (NBC) Gay, lesbian couples must be allowed visitors, medical power of attorney.

President Obama on Thursday signed a memorandum requiring hospitals to allow gays and lesbians to have non-family visitors and to grant their partners medical power of attorney.

The president ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to prohibit discrimination in hospital visitation. The memo is scheduled to be made public Friday morning, according to an administration official and another source familiar with the White House decision.

An official said the new rule will affect any hospital that receives Medicare or Medicaid funding.

The decision injects the president squarely into the debate over gay marriage by attempting to end the common practice by many hospitals of insisting that only family members by blood or marriage be allowed to visit patients.

Gay activists have argued for years that recognizing gay marriages would ease the emotional pain associated with not being able to visit their partners during a health crisis...

Obama says the new rules should require that hospitals not deny visitation privileges on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

"Every day, all across America, patients are denied the kindnesses and caring of a loved one at their sides whether in a sudden medical emergency or a prolonged hospital stay," Obama says in the memo.

Affected, he said, are "gay and lesbian American who are often barred from the bedsides of the partners with whom they may have spent decades of their lives -- unable to be there for the person they love, and unable to act as a legal surrogate if their partner is incapacitated..."





4.9 quake shakes Utah, Wyo., Idaho: (NBC)

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake rattled parts of Utah, Wyoming and Idaho on Thursday evening. There were no immediate reports of significant damage or injuries.

University of Utah officials say the quake hit just before 6 p.m. MDT. The epicenter was about five miles east-northeast of Randolph, a tiny town about 73 miles northeast of Salt Lake City.

The quake was the largest in Utah since a magnitude 5.9 temblor hit near St. George in 1992, according to Relu Burlacu of the University of Utah seismograph stations...





Yet another good reason for the chocolate addicted to enjoy their chocolate! :)


Dark chocolate may be good for your liver: (NBC) Flavanols helped patients with cirrhosis, research shows.

Cocoa-rich dark chocolate could be prescribed for people with liver cirrhosis in future, following the latest research to show potential health benefits of chocolate.

Spanish researchers said on Thursday that eating dark chocolate capped the usual after-meal rise in abdominal blood pressure, which can reach dangerous levels in cirrhotic patients and, in severe cases, lead to blood vessel rupture.

Antioxidants called flavanols found in cocoa are believed to be the reason why chocolate is good for blood pressure because the chemicals help the smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels to relax and widen.

A study of 21 patients with end-stage liver disease found those given a meal containing 85 percent-cocoa dark chocolate had a markedly smaller rise in blood pressure in the liver, or portal hypertension, than those given white chocolate.

"This study shows a clear association between eating dark chocolate and (lower) portal hypertension and demonstrates the potential importance of improvements in the management of cirrhotic patients," said Mark Thursz, a professor of hepatology at London's Imperial College.

The results were presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Vienna and follow a number of earlier scientific studies suggesting that dark chocolate also promotes heart health.

Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver as a result of long-term damage. It is caused by various factors, including hepatitis infection and alcohol abuse.





*** ALSO this will keep you laughing on Tax Day:

Funny Tax Quotes - Cheeky Quote Day 14 Apr 2010


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Both Obamas Charm the World, Vatican Squirms, Wall Street Howls Against Reform, Tibet Earthquake - News Headlines 14 Apr 2010

From Denny: In January first it was Haiti. Then followed Chile, Mexico and Indonesia, now China. Something is definitely afoot with the volcano chain around the world...


‘Terrible earthquake’ kills hundreds in China: (NBC) 6.9-magnitude temblor topples homes in mountainous region near Tibet. XINING, China - Soldiers and civilians used shovels and their bare hands to dig through collapsed buildings in search of survivors after strong earthquakes struck a mountainous Tibetan region of China on Wednesday, killing at least 589 people and injuring more than 10,000.

The series of quakes flattened buildings across remote western Yushu county and sent survivors, many bleeding from their wounds, flooding into the streets of Jiegu township. State television showed block after devastated block of toppled mud and wood homes. Local officials said 85 percent of the structures had been destroyed...

The initial quake, measured at magnitude-6.9 by the U.S. Geological Survey and 7.1 by the China Earthquake Networks Center, hit Yushu at 7:49 a.m. (7:49 p.m. EDT, 2349 GMT). It was followed by five more tremors within three hours, all but one registering 5.0 or higher...

This is a long article, click on the title link to read more.





Vatican revs up new strategy in abuse scandal: (NBC/AP) Tactics include reporting cases to police, vigorous background checks.

The Vatican has gone into full-fledged damage control mode in the priest sex abuse scandal ahead of Pope Benedict XVI's first foreign trip since it erupted. Officials are promising surprising new initiatives. The pope's personal secretary is speaking out. And bishops around the world are being told to report abuse cases to the police.

The revved-up strategy comes as the Vatican tries to stem the damage from weeks of revelations about priests who raped and molested children — and the church officials who kept it quiet — before the pontiff's visit to Malta this weekend. Abuse victims on that majority Roman Catholic Mediterranean island are seeking a papal audience and apology.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi declined Tuesday to confirm whether Benedict would meet with victims, but didn't rule it out. The pope is prepared to meet with victims, Lombardi said, but "in a climate of meditation and reflection, not under media pressures..."





What a depraved mindset to relocate these corrupt priests only to victimize yet again. How many generations of children have to cry out for justice before they are validated, protected and healed?

Predator priests shuffled around globe: (NBC) Victim: Transfer of abusive clerics was called ‘the geographical cure.’

In an investigation spanning 21 countries across six continents, The Associated Press found 30 cases of priests accused of abuse who were transferred or moved abroad. Some escaped police investigations. Many had access to children in another country, and some abused again.

A priest who admitted to abuse in Los Angeles went to the Philippines, where U.S. church officials mailed him checks and advised him not to reveal their source. A priest in Canada was convicted of sexual abuse and then moved to France, where he was convicted of abuse again in 2005. Another priest was moved back and forth between Ireland and England, despite being diagnosed as a pederast, a man who commits sodomy with boys.

"The pattern is if a priest gets into trouble and it's close to becoming a scandal or if the law might get involved, they send them to the missions abroad," said Richard Sipe, a former Benedictine monk and critic of what he says is a practice of international transfers of accused and admitted priest child abusers. "Anything to avoid a scandal..."

This is a long article detailing specific cases as systemic of depraved indifference from the church leaders. Click on the title link.





It would appear President Obama is getting comfortable in foreign policy and smart to make a network of agreeable friends willing to listen to his suggestion and ideas for securing the world against loose nuclear weapons.


Europeans warm to Obama during nuke talks: (NBC) ‘His personality plays a big part,' says French ambassador.

During his first year in office, President Obama was often best overseas when he was behind a lectern or onstage before a crowd with a microphone in his hand.

But in convening his first international summit -- the largest on a single issue in Washington history -- he focused more squarely on his relationship with world leaders. He slapped backs, kissed cheeks and met one on one with more than a dozen heads of state, leavening his appeal to shared security interests with a more personal diplomacy.

The approach marked a shift for Obama as he seeks to translate his popularity abroad into concrete support from fellow leaders for his foreign policy agenda, most urgently now in his push for stricter sanctions against Iran.

"He's in charge, he's chairing the meetings, and this is where his personality plays a big part," said Pierre Vimont, the French ambassador to the United States, who compared Obama's role during the summit to the way he led the bipartisan health-care meeting at Blair House in February.

"He does it very well," Vimont continued. "And he feels very comfortable doing it."

Obama used the summit and its sidelines to elevate the arcane issue of nuclear materials security, once the province of scientists and think tanks, to a higher rank on the international security agenda...

Several European diplomats said the large number of attendees reflects Obama's popularity abroad -- in some places, it exceeds his domestic approval rating -- and the fact that an appearance at a high-profile conference can often improve the stature of foreign leaders struggling with poor economies and political unpopularity at home.

But many of those leaders cared far less than Obama does about securing the military sites, research reactors and universities where nuclear materials are stored. His challenge was to change that, and he said at a news conference that he succeeded...





Looks like charm runs in the family as the First Lady is settling into her role with a natural ease, improving the popularity rating of America overseas.

Michelle Obama's defining overseas trip: (NBC)First lady's first solo overseas visit will test her diplomatic skills.

First Lady Michelle Obama's plane landed in Mexico's capital city just after sunset on Tuesday, in a day that included a surprise stop in Haiti with Second Lady Jill Biden. It is a trip that will put on display Mrs. Obama's diplomatic chops.

Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Biden teamed up for a tour of Port-au-Prince, which was flattened along with much of the rest of the nation in the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake. After a helicopter tour of the city, the two women met with Haitian President Rene Preval and his wife, Elizabeth. They saw schools, children's camps, UN workers, and U.S. military personnel helping a nation trying to bring itself back to life. Speaking to reporters in Haiti before flying to Mexico, Mrs. Obama summed up her experience: "This has been an emotional but important day for Jill and I."

The concern among relief specialists is that the enormous international attention showered on Haiti after the earthquake will diminish while giant needs still exist. Mrs. Obama said, "I think it was important for Jill and I to come now because we're at the point where the relief efforts are underway but the attention of the world starts to wane a bit.

"And as we enter the rainy season and the hurricane season, you know, the issues are just going to become more compounded. And I think it was important for us to come and shed a light..."

In some sense, Mrs. Obama outside the U.S. is a blank canvas, except perhaps for her taste in clothes, waiting to be filled in. The Mexico and Haiti trips are only the first in a string of solo foreign travel planned in the months ahead, according to a White House adviser. Mexico and Haiti could serve as image-defining chapters in Mrs. Obama's story...





This is something many of us have been holding our breath to see if there will be any true reform or the usual Congressional "much ado about nothing."


Obama, GOP spar over financial reform: (NBC) President steps up pressure to push financial reform legislation.


President Barack Obama and top Republicans faced off Wednesday over a planned Democratic bill in the Senate to crack down on Wall Street excesses.

The Democrats want to tighten oversight of derivatives markets and protect consumers from abusive mortgages among other restraints, but need the support of Republican lawmakers.

"If there is one lesson that we've learned it's that an unfettered market where people are taking huge risks and expecting taxpayers to bail out when things go sour is simply not acceptable," Obama said...

After a major victory on healthcare reform in March, the president is shifting to financial reform as his top legislative priority. The issue is shaping up as a battleground for the November congressional elections, when the Democrats hope to tap into widespread popular anger at Wall Street...

Obama administration officials have argued that passing a reform bill is crucial to preventing a repeat of the 2008-2009 financial crisis that tipped the U.S. economy into its worst recession in decades and unleased a global push for reforms.

Policymakers around the world are revising financial regulations affecting banks, insurers, hedge funds, exchanges, derivatives markets and asset management companies. Much of the international focus is on imposing a new tax on banks.

The International Monetary Fund is expected to make recommendations to G20 finance ministers in 10 days on forcing banks to contribute toward future bailouts. Obama has already proposed a bank levy, as have Britain, France and Germany...





Have a look at the deepest underwater volcano, three miles down, venting off the Cayman Islands:

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Check out this new lizard species just found that is as large as a human! Lucky for us he is a vegetarian. You can sleep good dreams tonight... :)

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Video: Updates on Disasters in Samoa and Indonesia, Hurricane Headed to Philippines

This is the grim reality of massive natural disasters. We all have heavy hearts for the victims:

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And threatening the Philippines after their recent flooding disaster affecting 500,000 people is a hurricane on the move and headed their way:

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Video: Earthquakes, Flooding, Tsunamis, Hurricanes Intensify Global Problems Affecting Millions

From Denny: Natural disasters are affecting humanity everywhere on the globe. America has been dealing with raging fires out West, flooding in the South and Midwest. China is also known for heavy flooding. Indonesia faces high level earthquakes, the Philippines saw excessive flooding of over 500,000 people displaced from their homes - and with no insurance to repair them. Australia has unusual intense dust storms choking the air so thick people are in respiratory distress. Greenland's ice, as well as the Artic and Antartic's glacial ice are all melting, raising the world's oceans. Clearly, something serious is going on with this planet.

While we hear that 2012 is supposed to be a pivotal point in the Earth's history according to the Mayans and other ancient cultures, you have to wonder if there is something here. It does make you wonder that to explain all this intense weather would be because the Earth is still in the process, and maybe has been in the process for the past 20 years, of shifting its magnetic poles. Maybe the reason 2012 was cited specificially is to either warn us that is the date the Earth's weather will be its most violent or to advise us that is the date all will finally calm down and subside. OK, who's with me on voting for the second choice?

We on the American Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Mississippi have not forgotten the kindnesses from the beautiful people in Indonesia when Hurricane Katrina hit here five years ago. Our hearts and prayers go out to all of you and your families and neighbors experiencing such hardship. It's time like this adversity when people need to let go of religious, racial, national and political differences and step up to help each other.

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Radio show host was tsunami eye witness:

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This is just horrific what is happening in the Pacific region, with an underwater earthquake clocked at 7.6 on the Richter scale. Our hearts and prayers go out to everyone in Indonesia.

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The Red Cross is working feverishly trying to rescue people out of the rubble.