A new report suggests doctors across the country are using surgical tools contaminated with blood and other debris and because the FDA doesn’t require hospitals to report it, many incidents are unknown. NBC’s chief medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman reports.

By Stacey Naggiar and Kerri Zimmer
NBC News

When John Harrison checked into a Texas hospital in 2009 for rotator cuff surgery, he thought that after a six-week recovery period, he’d be as good as new.  But two weeks after the operation, the 63 year-old was experiencing severe discomfort and swelling in his shoulder and knew something was terribly wrong.

During an emergency visit to the hospital, doctors told him that he had been infected during surgery with a deadly bacteria called P. aeruginosa. And Harrison wasn’t the only one — six other patients who had undergone surgery at the same hospital had contracted potentially lethal infections as well.

The hospital, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, launched an investigation and closed operating rooms for two weeks. Surgery was cancelled while they searched for clues and they found some, in something called an arthroscopic shaver. Somehow potentially deadly bacteria had survived the sterilization process and infected Harrison’s shoulder.

And the problem isn’t isolated. Other investigations in hospitals across the country have revealed the use of other dirty surgical instruments, such as endoscopes used for colonoscopies, have led to infection outbreaks. 

Investigative reporter Joe Eaton of the Center for Public Integrity, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that focuses on ethics and public service, tackled the issue head on. As a result of the CPI investigation, NBC News Chief Medical Editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman took a closer look at the wide range of instruments used during surgical procedures and the care with which they are handled. Who is in charge of cleaning the instruments? How are they sterilized? And how is the process regulated?

QA with Joe Eaton: Dirty surgical tools are gross, dangerous and more common

What NBC found suggests that the handling of the increasingly high-tech instruments can be a weak link in hospitals’ patient safety net.

Trust in the System

Every time surgeons enter the operating room, they and a team of skilled technicians, follow a very specific protocol. They check everything from electrical outlets to oxygen tanks, and double check the basics too, like confirming patient identity. Still, mistakes are made and infections occur – sometimes because of factors out of the surgeon’s control.

The team in the operating room consists of trained specialists who undergo years of schooling for their respective professions. They have degrees. They are licensed. But the technicians responsible for sterilizing the tools used in procedures are actually not technicians at all.

In the Basement

The departments responsible for cleaning and reassembling surgical instruments – usually known as “sterile processing” – are frequently found in hospital basements and sometimes staffed by underpaid hourly laborers. These workers can be a forgotten and neglected part of the team involved in a surgical procedure. As the CPI report indicates, the sterilization workers say they feel more like they’re doing an unrecognized service, with pressure from nurses and surgical staff to make the process as fast as possible. The faster the instruments make it into the operating rooms, the more patients are moving through the surgical suites. But what may seem like a push for efficiency can backfire, with disastrous consequences. 

New Jersey is the only state that requires hospital sterilization workers to undergo training.

Sharon Greene-Golden, head of “sterile processing” at Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital in Virginia, points out that this is a job that must be done by skilled and certified technicians.  She thinks of her team as the unseen patient advocates and says, “It is a job that cannot be given to robots because the robot doesn’t have the critical thinking to say this is still dirty.” At Bon Secours, Greene-Golden has made her sterile processing department state of the art, a model for what should be happening across the country. 

New research finds that too often, surgical tools are leaving the basements still contaminated with hidden blood, tissue and other debris from previous surgeries.  Risk management clinical engineer Jahan Azizi at the University of Michigan ran a video camera through 350 suction instruments and found that all of them contained some kind of debris after they had been sterilized according to protocol. His results were presented to the Food and Drug Administration at meetings this past year.  

Regulation

According to a statement the FDA gave NBC News, “Hospitals are reminded to carefully clean and sterilize reusable medical devices.  A patient’s risk of acquiring an infection from a reprocessed medical device is very low.” But requirements for reprocessing medical devices largely consist of such reminders. Although the FDA requires device manufacturers to provide cleaning instructions they don’t require hospitals to report dirty surgical instruments that find their way into operating rooms. And, only 25 states are required to report surgical site infections.

Complex Instruments

The CPI’s Eaton says that part of the problem is the increasing numbers of minimally invasive surgeries has spurred development of smaller, more complex instruments made from materials like tungsten, plastic and other polymers – not just steel and glass.  Experts have pointed out that these new tools are harder to clean and require more detailed instructions from the manufacturers. The FDA requires surgical instrument manufacturers to provide cleaning instructions for each tool. But with rapid advances in surgical procedures over the past few decades some say these cleaning instructions have failed to keep up with the changing landscape of the industry.

“Theoretically, if a device is truly impossible to clean, it should never end up on the marketplace,” said Eaton.

Moreover, the testing of these reprocessing procedures are conducted in laboratories, not in the real world.  This helps explain Azizi’s results in which 100 percent of suction tools he looked at were contaminated. 

In a statement to NBC, the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) responded that proper reprocessing of reusable medical devices is a shared responsibility between the FDA, device manufacturers, health care facilities and physicians.

“The medical technology industry is committed to providing patients with safe and effective medical devices and diagnostics,” according to the AdvaMed statement. “Reprocessing of reusable medical devices is done in accordance with strict FDA requirements to ensure their safe and effective use. FDA requires manufacturers to provide health care facilities and physicians detailed instructions for the cleaning and sterilization of reusable medical devices. And manufacturers are required to validate that these instructions will result in clean, sterile devices.”

Some experts say the system is flawed and what’s needed is tighter regulation from the government, manufacturers and hospitals – as well as better communication.  In the meantime, patients like Harrison are left with debilitating and lifelong repercussions. What was supposed to be a surgery that would improve his life has led to seven other surgeries. He now lives in constant pain, without the full use of his arm. Harrison says, “It’s changed my life …every aspect of it.”

Related stories:

When cameras are watching, more docs wash up

Feds reopen malpractice database, with caveats

Article source: http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/21/10471434-today-investigates-dirty-surgical-instruments

Janis Spindel, founder of 2Love Today, conducted a survey amongst 7,500 single women in her private database. It concluded that women would rather rely on the expertise of a Matchmaker making expert suggestions, rather than solely on computer generated matching.

(PRWEB) February 22, 2012

In a new study conducted by http://www.2LoveToday.com, members confess that the online dating industry won’t be putting all its eggs in one basket. A new scientific report uncovers that 2LoveToday and the online dating industry have room for growth and offer users some very real benefits that Matchmakers bring to the table.

Online dating is now a billion dollar industry and is one of the easiest and most effective ways for singles to meet their soul mates. In fact, one study reports that 1 in 5 relationships begin from online dating. Many websites claim that they can help you find your partner using sophisticated matching algorithms. 2LoveToday does not.

Janis Spindel, founder of Janis Spindel Serious Matchmaking conducted a survey amongst 7,500 single women in her private database. It concluded that women would rather rely on the expertise of a Matchmaker making expert suggestions, rather than solely on computer generated matching.

”The largest online dating sites spend millions of dollars each year developing sophisticated algorithms. However, users aren’t aware of the many pitfalls,” Spindel says.

“These online dating sites claim that they have an exclusive, yet secret formula or algorithm that can match users with a life partner. I am not disputing that fact. I am concluding that there are a group of online dating members who use http://www.2LoveToday.com that actually prefer a real live Matchmaker to search on their behalf and come up with potential matches.”

“To date, there is no compelling evidence that proves that any online dating matching algorithm actually works,” Eli Finkel, Associate Professor of Social Psychology at Northwestern University observes. “If dating sites want to claim that their matching algorithm is scientifically valid, they need to adhere to the standards of science, which is something they have uniformly failed to do. In fact, our report concludes that it is unlikely that their algorithms can work, even in principle, given the limitations of the sorts of matching procedures that these sites use.”

2LoveToday Online Dating points out that although the computer generates matches, there is a factor the algorithms fail to address that algorithms can’t account for a persons real lifestyle, the ability to confront stressful circumstances and most importantly, chemistry.

2LoveToday markets their ability to offer online, smaller, more intimate upscale, and exclusive communities. “2LoveToday provides its members with an alternative substitute for a face-to-face interaction before members take it off line.” Spindel says, “Browsing through thousands of online profiles may overwhelm my members, or encourage them to treat their search results more like shopping, rather than finding a successful marriage minded partner. Because they want to find a successful marriage minded partner, they need my help to make their online dating experience successful.”

contact: media at janisspindelmatchmaker.com for more information.

###

Allen Spindel
2Love Today Online Dating Inc
212 987 1582
Email Information

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/2love-today-janis-spindel-americas-top-matchmaker-announce-081233802.html

This morning, Washington, D.C. held a groundbreaking ceremony for their brand new National Museum of African American History and Culture that will be the Smithsonian Institution’s 19th museum. The event, attended by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, marked Black History Month by celebrating a new kind of history museum that looks to educate people through a candid representation of African American life, art and culture.

Says Museum Director Lonnie Bunch, “What this museum can do is if we tell the unvarnished truth in a way that’s engaging and not preachy, what I think will happen is that by illuminating all the dark corners of the American experience, we will help people find reconciliation and healing.”

While the project won’t be completed until 2015, you can still visit the National Museum’s current gallery at the Smithsonian (shown above). Until October 14, 2012, visitors can view the exhibition, “Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty.” The showcase tells the story of President Thomas Jefferson and his conflicting roles of being a slave owner and an anti-slavery advocate. It’s a good example of the museum telling the kinds of stories that are often seen as taboo, but are important to get out to the public.

The seven-level museum will feature architecture and decor inspired by African culture and will eventually feature exhibits on military history, sports, pop culture and music, including items like Louis Armstrong’s trumpet, a Jim Crow-era segregated railroad car, and much more. So far, $100 million has been raised in private funds, and the museum will now begin attempts to raise public funds in order to meet their $250 million goal.

For more information on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, click here.

Filed under: Activism, Arts and Culture, History, Learning, North America, United States, News

Article source: http://www.gadling.com/2012/02/22/washington-d-c-breaks-ground-today-for-brand-new-national-muse/

Thursday. Class 4A regionals, No. 12 Assumption at No. 5 DeRidder, 6 p.m.

Thursday. No. 15 Neville at No. 2 Vandebilt Catholic, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday. Class 3A regionals, No. 14 Rayville at No. 3 St. James, 7 p.m.

HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

Thursday. E.D. White Catholic, Houma Christian and South Lafourche at Patterson Tournament.

Thursday. Assumption, Central Lafourche, Thibodaux, Ellender, South Terrebonne and Vandebilt Catholic at Morgan City Tournament.

Thursday. Terrebonne at Brusly Tournament.

Thursday. H.L. Bourgeois at St. James.

HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL

Today. Jewel Sumner at Assumption, 1 p.m.

Today. South Terrebonne at Destrehan, 3:30 p.m.

Thursday. Thibodaux at Riverside Academy, 4 p.m.

Thursday. Assumption at E.D. White Catholic, 4 p.m.

Thursday. H.L. Bourgeois at Patterson, 4 p.m.

Thursday. John Ehret at South Lafourche, 4 p.m.

Thursday. West St. John at St. James, 4:30 p.m.

Thursday. Central Catholic-Morgan City at Central Lafourche, 5 p.m.

Thursday. Vandebilt Catholic at Dutchtown, 5 p.m.

Thursday. East St. John at Terrebonne, 4 p.m.

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Today. Central Arkansas at Nicholls State, 6:30 p.m. (TV: WHNO-TV, Radio: 100.3-FM, 1600-AM)

Today. Georgia at LSU, 7 p.m. (TV: SECN, Radio 96.7-FM)

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Today. Nicholls State at Central Arkansas, 7 p.m.

Thursday. Vanderbilt at LSU, 8 p.m. (TV: FSN)

COLLEGE BASEBALL

Today. Southern-Baton Rouge at Nicholls State, 6:30 p.m.

Today. McNeese State at LSU, 3 p.m. (Radio: 96.7-FM)

COLLEGE SOFTBALL

Today. Alcorn State at Nicholls State, 4 p.m.

NBA

Today. Hornets at Cavaliers, 6 p.m. (TV: CST)

* — TV, radio and Internet listings in parenthesis.

UPCOMING AREA EVENTS

Today. Global Sports Authority is holding registration for its baseball and softball leagues in the Bayou Blue area until March 5 at the Bayou Blue Sports Complex. The age groups for the leagues are 3 to 8 year old, 9 to 12 year old and 13 to 15 year old. GSA us teaming up with Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth Baseball for the 9 to 15 year olds. Registration forms are available online at www.lagsasports.com. For information, call Brent at 209-0733, Roy at 791-9803 or Randy at 856-3256.

Today. Registration for Terrebonne Parish Recreation boys 7-14 baseball and girls 7-18 softball ends March 9. Parents can register at area gyms the first two weeks or at the TPR Office at 876 Verret St. in Houma until March 9. There is a fee and a birth certificate must be shown at registration.

Today. The 10U LA Bayou Bengals baseball team, an area squad under the direction of Reed DeRoche, is looking for sponsorships or donations. The goal of the team is to help players on to the junior high and high school levels and later allow them to continue their education in college through baseball. The team is dedicated to passing on qualities such as honor, integrity and pride to its players while providing as sense of joy and pleasure through teamwork and playing and learning together. For information, contact DeRoche at 985-855-5927 or email him at reedderoche@yahoo.com.

Saturday. The Terrebonne Titans Golf Tournament will be held on Saturday at LaTour Golf Course in Mathews. The tournament format will be a four-man scramble. The cost for a four-man team is $400, and all proceeds will benefit the 11U Titans baseball team for the 2012 season, including play in the Little League World Series. There will be free food and drinks for all golfers. Prizes will be award for first, second and third, and door prizes will also be available. Hole can also be sponsored for a $100 donation. For registration or sponsorship, email lsugrad2@charter.net or call 209-3962.

Monday. The Louisiana Baseball Academy (LBA) will host its first annual fundraising golf tournament at Ellendale Country Club on Feb. 27. The tournament, which will help raise funds for the LBA Naturals 12U baseball team to attend a tournament in Omaha, Neb., will have a four-man scramble format, with shotgun starting times beginning at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. It will also include prizes for the longest drive and closest to the pin. The entry fee is $400 per team, and hole sponsorships are $100. Free food and drinks will be serves, and the New Orleans Saints dance squad — the Saintsations — will be signing and selling calendars at the end. Several former Saints players will also be in attendance. For information, contact LBA director Josh Constant at 985-381-3861 or jconstant@LBAbaseball.com.

April 2-7. The Second Annual Mary Bird Perkins at TGMC Open will take place at Ellendale Country Club April 2–7 and will once again feature the Adams Golf Pro Tour Series. Proceeds will benefit Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at TGMC. The Taste of the Tournament Par-Tee and Auction will kick off the week’s festivities on April 2 at 6:30 p.m. The event will feature some of the area’s most delicious local cuisine, music and a silent auction. The Pro-Am takes place April 3 and is in the form of a four-man shamble with three amateur golfers and an Adams Tour pro per team. April 4-7 is the Mary Bird Perkins at TGMC Open professional tournament featuring Adams Golf Pro Tour Series players. A free junior clinic for kids ages 6-16 will be held April 5 in association with Adams Golf Pro Tour Series professionals. Sponsorship opportunities are available. For information, visit www.marybird.org/TGMC.

April 27. The local LSU Tiger Bayou Bengal Booster Club is hosting its 25th annual LSU Fighting Tigers Celebrity Golf Tournament at Ellendale Country Club on April 27. The tournament’s format features 18-holes and a five-man team scramble. It will include four amateur golfers with a one LSU coach, one former LSU athletic or LSU celebrity. Contests will also be held for the closest to the hole, longest drive on hole, straightest drive on hole and a hole in one. The tournament’s shotgun start times are 7:45 a.m. or 12:45 p.m., and the entry fee is $850 per team or $210 per player. The entry deadline is April 19. For information, call Eddie Pullaro (868-3500), Mollie Lajaunie (209-9007) or Darryl Blue (852-1625).

May 11-12. Assumption High School has scheduled an alumni softball tournament on May 11-12. Other activities scheduled for the event are a home-run derby, cook off, food and music. For information, call Donna Booty at 985-513-1344.

Article source: http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20120222/SPORTS17/120229915/1241?Title=Today-and-Thursday-s-Sports-Calendar

Image via Wikipedia

Today’s tickers: PG, CHS FIRE

PG – Procter Gamble Co. – A burst of call buying in the weekly options on consumer products giant Procter Gamble appears to be a sizable bullish bet that shares will rally heading into the weekend. Shares in PG are up 0.30% today at $64.61 ahead of the Consumer Analyst Group of New York Conference in Boca Raton, Florida on Thursday.

Statements from PG’s top management, particularly regarding details of the Company’s cost cutting plans, could move the stock tomorrow. The investor or investors responsible for exchanging more than 16,000 calls at the Feb. ’24 $65 strike against open interest of 2,037 contracts for an average premium of $0.15 each, may profit at expiration should shares settle above the average breakeven price of $65.15.

CHS – Chico’s FAS, Inc. – Bullish traders who purchased Chico’s call options in advance of the retailer’s positive earnings surprise on Wednesday, in some cases, doubled their money overnight. Shares in the seller of women’s clothing and accessories rallied as much as 15.5% to $14.80 this morning after the company beat top- and bottom-line fourth quarter estimates, and forecast higher than expected full year sales of $2.5 billion.

Options players speculating shares in Chico’s could surge after earnings snapped up call options in the front month that today trade at substantially higher premiums.

One strategist appears to have purchased around 1,400 calls at the Mar. $14 strike for a premium of $0.25 each yesterday afternoon. The sharp rise in CHS shares this morning now has the $14 strike calls trading at more than twice that amount, with a last traded price of $0.70. Call selling at the $14 strike today may represent profit taking on the position.

Meanwhile, fresh call selling up at the April $15 strike, where some 425 contracts sold for an average premium of $0.80 each, indicates some strategists expect the stock has made its move and has little fuel left to run higher. Investors selling the call options walk away with the full $0.80 in premium per contract as long as shares in the women’s apparel retailer settle below $15.00 at expiration day in April.

FIRE – Sourcefire, Inc. – Shares in the provider of network security functions and solutions jumped nearly 25% to a record high of $44.73 today on better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings and full year guidance.

Click here to get a New Special Investment Report From Forbes’ Top Gurus: 50 Best Ideas for 2012.

Call activity on Sourcefire this morning suggested that shares may extend gains and continue to hit fresh highs in the next few months. More than three call options are changing hands on the stock for each single put in play, with the bulk of volume building in the March and April expiries.

Article source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2012/02/22/chicos-the-man-for-bullish-options-speculators/

Today is Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22, the 53rd day of 2012. There are 313 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Feb. 22, 1732 (New Style date), the first president of the United States, George Washington, was born in Westmoreland County in the Virginia Colony.

On this date:

In 1784, a U.S. merchant ship, the Empress of China, left New York for the Far East to trade goods with China.

In 1862, Jefferson Davis, already the provisional president of the Confederacy, was inaugurated for a six-year term following his election in November 1861.

In 1865, Tennessee adopted a new constitution which included the abolition of slavery.

In 1909, the Great White Fleet, a naval task force sent on a round-the-world voyage by President Theodore Roosevelt, returned after more than a year at sea.

In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge delivered the first radio broadcast from the White House as he addressed the country over 42 stations.

In 1935, it became illegal for airplanes to fly over the White House.

In 1940, the 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) was enthroned at age 4 in Lhasa, Tibet.

In 1959, the inaugural Daytona 500 race was held; although Johnny Beauchamp was initially declared the winner, the victory was later awarded to Lee Petty.

In 1967, more than 25,000 U.S. and South Vietnamese troops launched Operation Junction City, aimed at smashing a Vietcong stronghold near the Cambodian border. (Although the communists were driven out, they later returned.)

In 1973, the United States and China agreed to establish liaison offices.

In 1980, the “Miracle on Ice” took place in Lake Placid, N.Y., as the United States Olympic hockey team upset the Soviets, 4-3. (The U.S. team went on to win the gold medal.)

In 1987, pop artist Andy Warhol died at a New York City hospital at age 58; talk-show host David Susskind was found dead in his Manhattan hotel suite; he was 66.

Ten years ago: Police in San Diego arrested David Westerfield in connection with the disappearance of seven-year-old Danielle van Dam. (Westerfield was later sentenced to death for Danielle’s murder.) The Angolan army and government announced the killing of UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi. Cartoon animator Chuck Jones died in Newport Beach, Calif., at age 89.

Five years ago: Britain’s Ministry of Defense announced that Prince Harry, a second lieutenant in the British army, would be deployed to Iraq (officials later reversed the decision because of insurgent threats). The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Iran had ignored a Security Council ultimatum to freeze uranium enrichment, and instead had expanded its program by setting up hundreds of centrifuges.

One year ago: A defiant Moammar Gadhafi vowed to fight to his “last drop of blood” and roared at supporters to strike back against Libyan protesters to defend his embattled regime. A magnitude-6.1 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, killed 184 people. Somali pirates shot to death four Americans taken hostage on their yacht several hundred miles south of Oman. Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel was elected mayor of Chicago.

Today’s Birthdays: Announcer Don Pardo is 94. Actor Paul Dooley is 84. Hollywood “ghost singer” Marni Nixon is 82. Movie director Jonathan Demme (DEH’-mee) is 68. Actor John Ashton is 64. Actress Miou-Miou is 62. Actress Julie Walters is 62. Basketball Hall of Famer Julius Erving is 62. Actress Ellen Greene is 61. Former Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., is 60. White House adviser David Axelrod is 57. Actor Kyle MacLachlan is 53. World Golf Hall of Famer Vijay Singh is 49. Actress-comedian Rachel Dratch is 46. Actor Paul Lieberstein (TV: “The Office”) is 45. Actress Jeri Ryan is 44. Actor Thomas Jane is 43. Actress Tamara Mello is 42. Actress-singer Lea Salonga (LAY’-uh suh-LONG’-guh) is 41. Actor Jose Solano is 41. International Tennis Hall-of-Famer Michael Chang is 40. Rock musician Scott Phillips is 39. Actress Drew Barrymore is 37. Actress Liza Huber is 37. Singer James Blunt is 35. Rock singer Tom Higgenson (Plain White T’s) is 33. Actor Zach Roerig (TV: “The Vampire Diaries”) is 27. Actor Daniel E. Smith is 22.

Thought for Today: “It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.” – President George Washington (1732-1799).

Article source: http://www.katc.com/news/today-in-history-02-22-12/

Today in History

Today is Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22, the 53rd day of 2012. There are 313 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Feb. 22, 1732 (New Style date), the first president of the United States, George Washington, was born in Westmoreland County in the Virginia Colony.

On this date:

In 1784, a U.S. merchant ship, the Empress of China, left New York for the Far East to trade goods with China.

In 1862, Jefferson Davis, already the provisional president of the Confederacy, was inaugurated for a six-year term following his election in November 1861.

In 1865, Tennessee adopted a new constitution which included the abolition of slavery.

In 1909, the Great White Fleet, a naval task force sent on a round-the-world voyage by President Theodore Roosevelt, returned after more than a year at sea.

In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge delivered the first radio broadcast from the White House as he addressed the country over 42 stations.

In 1935, it became illegal for airplanes to fly over the White House.

In 1940, the 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) was enthroned at age 4 in Lhasa, Tibet.

In 1959, the inaugural Daytona 500 race was held; although Johnny Beauchamp was initially declared the winner, the victory was later awarded to Lee Petty.

In 1967, more than 25,000 U.S. and South Vietnamese troops launched Operation Junction City, aimed at smashing a Vietcong stronghold near the Cambodian border. (Although the communists were driven out, they later returned.)

In 1973, the United States and China agreed to establish liaison offices.

In 1980, the “Miracle on Ice” took place in Lake Placid, N.Y., as the United States Olympic hockey team upset the Soviets, 4-3. (The U.S. team went on to win the gold medal.)

In 1987, pop artist Andy Warhol died at a New York City hospital at age 58; talk-show host David Susskind was found dead in his Manhattan hotel suite; he was 66.

Ten years ago: Police in San Diego arrested David Westerfield in connection with the disappearance of seven-year-old Danielle van Dam. (Westerfield was later sentenced to death for Danielle’s murder.) The Angolan army and government announced the killing of UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi. Cartoon animator Chuck Jones died in Newport Beach, Calif., at age 89.

Five years ago: Britain’s Ministry of Defense announced that Prince Harry, a second lieutenant in the British army, would be deployed to Iraq (officials later reversed the decision because of insurgent threats). The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Iran had ignored a Security Council ultimatum to freeze uranium enrichment, and instead had expanded its program by setting up hundreds of centrifuges.

One year ago: A defiant Moammar Gadhafi vowed to fight to his “last drop of blood” and roared at supporters to strike back against Libyan protesters to defend his embattled regime. A magnitude-6.1 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, killed 184 people. Somali pirates shot to death four Americans taken hostage on their yacht several hundred miles south of Oman. Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel was elected mayor of Chicago.

Today’s Birthdays: Announcer Don Pardo is 94. Actor Paul Dooley is 84. Hollywood “ghost singer” Marni Nixon is 82. Movie director Jonathan Demme is 68. Actor John Ashton is 64. Actress Miou-Miou is 62. Actress Julie Walters is 62. Basketball Hall of Famer Julius Erving is 62. Actress Ellen Greene is 61. Former Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., is 60. White House adviser David Axelrod is 57. Actor Kyle MacLachlan is 53. World Golf Hall of Famer Vijay Singh is 49. Actress-comedian Rachel Dratch is 46. Actor Paul Lieberstein (TV: “The Office”) is 45. Actress Jeri Ryan is 44. Actor Thomas Jane is 43. Actress Tamara Mello is 42. Actress-singer Lea Salonga (LAY’-uh suh-LONG’-guh) is 41. Actor Jose Solano is 41. International Tennis Hall-of-Famer Michael Chang is 40. Rock musician Scott Phillips is 39. Actress Drew Barrymore is 37. Actress Liza Huber is 37. Singer James Blunt is 35. Rock singer Tom Higgenson (Plain White T’s) is 33. Actor Zach Roerig (TV: “The Vampire Diaries”) is 27. Actor Daniel E. Smith is 22.

Thought for Today: “It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.” — President George Washington (1732-1799).

Article source: http://www.devilslakejournal.com/newsnow/x1793845512/Today-in-History-Wednesday-Feb-22-2012

22 February 2012
Last updated at 17:09 ET

The US has increased sanctions on Iran in the past six months

The White House has said it is disappointed that UN nuclear inspectors were barred from a site in Iran, calling the visit a “failure” for Iran.

“It’s another demonstration of Iran’s refusal to abide by its international obligations,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

IAEA inspectors had sought to clarify the “possible military dimensions” of Iran’s nuclear programme.

Tehran insists its nuclear intentions are purely peaceful.

US state department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters that Tehran’s move was “disappointing”, but the country wanted to see negotiations move forward.

“There is that diplomatic track,” Mr Toner said. “But we’re not going to ease up on the sanctions.”

In Tehran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced on Iranian state television that Iran’s nuclear policies would not change in the face of international pressure.

“Pressures, sanctions and assassinations will bear no fruit,” Mr Khamenei said. “No obstacles can stop Iran’s nuclear work.”

Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency had hoped to inspect a site at Parchin.

The IAEA said that after two days of talks, its team was returning from Iran without a deal on a document “facilitating the clarification of unresolved issues”.

The first round of discussions in January also failed to produce a result.

‘Strong indications’

“It is disappointing that Iran did not accept our request to visit Parchin,” IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said in a statement. “We engaged in a constructive spirit, but no agreement was reached.”

The team of IAEA inspectors, led by Herman Nackaerts, has now returned from a two-day visit to Iran

In November, an IAEA report – based on what it called “credible” information – indicated that Iran had built in 2000 a large explosives containment vessel at Parchin to conduct hydrodynamic experiments.

Hydrodynamic experiments, which involve high explosives in conjunction with nuclear material or nuclear material surrogates, were “strong indicators of possible weapon development”, the report said.

In addition, the use of surrogate material and the confinement provided by a chamber could be used to prevent contamination of the site with nuclear material, the report added.

Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, said at the time that there were no nuclear-related activities at Parchin.

Israeli strike speculation

On Tuesday, Mr Soltanieh said Tehran expected to hold further talks with the IAEA. He was quoted by Iran’s Isna news agency as saying the latest discussions had been intensive and that talks would continue.

The BBC’s Bethany Bell, in Vienna, says the refusal to grant access to Parchin does not come as a major surprise, as there has been little progress in the negotiations between the two sides.

The inspectors’ evaluation of their visits may form part of the next report on Iran’s nuclear programme, expected later in February.

But last November, the IAEA said it had information suggesting Iran had carried out tests “relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device”.

This led to decisions by the US and the European Union to tighten sanctions against Tehran, including measures targeting the country’s oil industry.

Tensions have risen further over speculation that Israel may carry out a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-17133879

22 February 2012
Last updated at 17:18 ET

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The protests over the Koran burning appear to be spreading

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called on Afghans “not to resort to violence” over the burning of copies of the Koran at a US airbase near Kabul.

“Afghan security forces should not use violence… and protect civilian lives and property,” Mr Karzai added in a statement.

Seven people have died and dozens left injured in protests over the burning.

US officials apologised on Tuesday after Korans were “inadvertently” put in an incinerator at Bagram airbase.

Officials at Bagram reportedly believed Taliban prisoners were using the books to pass messages to each other.

The charred pages of the volumes were found by local labourers.

Pro-Taliban slogans

One person was killed in protests in Kabul, one in the eastern city of Jalalabad and at least four in Parwan province. Another death was reported in the eastern province of Logar.

Protesters in Kabul shouted, “Death to America!” and threw stones at Camp Phoenix, the main US base in the city.

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At the scene

Babrak Miakhel
BBC Afghan Service, Jalalabad

There were several demonstrations across Nangarhar province and at least two in the main city of Jalalabad. The first happened at the university. Students were angry, chanting slogans against US troops. They were determined but not violent.

A second demonstration elsewhere in the city turned ugly. I arrived as injured protesters were being taken to hospital in ambulances and private cars. People said the US apology was not enough. Oil tankers had been set ablaze.

The protesters’ message was that Afghans respect the religious beliefs of troops inside Afghanistan, so why have they failed to respect Islam and the Koran?

Riot police used water cannon to disperse protesters, some of whom were blocking the road leading to Jalalabad, one of the main trade routes into the capital.

Witnesses said security guards were firing into the air. There were also reports of people chanting pro-Taliban slogans.

Four deaths were confirmed in the Shinwari district of Parwan province, north of Kabul. There were also peaceful protests in the eastern province of Kunar.

In Jalalabad, protesters burned an effigy of US President Barack Obama, and BBC Afghan reporter Babrak Miakhel said oil tankers had been set on fire.

A doctor told the BBC one person had been killed and 10 injured.

One protester in Kabul, 18-year-old Ajmal, told Reuters news agency: “When the Americans insult us to this degree, we will join the insurgents.”

The US embassy in Kabul is on lockdown and all travel is suspended.

The Taliban called on Afghan police and soldiers to redeem themselves by turning their guns away from protesters and towards Nato-led troops.

In a statement after an emergency debate, Afghan MPs condemned what had happened.

They also called for punishment of those responsible and asked the Afghan government to send its own delegation to Bagram to establish exactly what happened and why.

Isaf investigation

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said he and the top commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, Gen John Allen, had apologised to the Afghan people “and disapprove of such conduct in the strongest possible terms”.

After previous incidents, many Afghans find it hard to understand how US forces could have allowed the Koran to have been burned, says the BBC’s Andrew North, in Kabul.

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Isaf spokesman Brig Gen Carsten Jacobson says the incident was an unfortunate mistake

Afghanistan is a very religious country, he adds, but also one where many people are illiterate and susceptible to attempts to whip up anger.

Muslims consider the Koran the literal word of God and treat each book with deep reverence.

The Nato-led Isaf force is now investigating the incident, a spokesman told the BBC.

“It was the local workers who discovered the nature of the material and therefore stopped worse things from happening,” said Brig Gen Carsten Jacobson.

Last year, at least 24 people died in protests across Afghanistan after a hardline US pastor burned a Koran in Florida.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-asia-17135579

22 February 2012
Last updated at 16:50 ET

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The BBC’s Vladimir Hernandez: “This is one of the busiest parts of the rail system”

Some 49 people have been killed and at least 600 injured, officials say, in the worst train crash in Argentina in 40 years.

The train hit the end of the platform at Once station in the capital Buenos Aires during the morning rush hour.

“We assume that there was some fault in the brakes,” Transportation Secretary JP Schiavi said.

Dozens of people were trapped for hours in the wreckage but all have now been successfully taken to safety.

“The train was full and the impact was tremendous,” a passenger identified as Ezequiel told local television.

Medics at the scene were overwhelmed by the casualties, he added.

“People started to break windows and get out however they could,” another eyewitness told Reuters.

“Then I saw the engine destroyed and the train driver trapped amongst the steel. There were a lot of people hurt, a lot of kids, elderly,” the eyewitness added.

Police outside Once station had to “keep back the curious and concerned as paramedics treated the injured”, eyewitness Tom English told the BBC.

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Analysis: Argentine rail safety

Last year, at least 23 people died and over 300 were injured in train accidents in Argentina. The Once station crash is the worst since the 1970s and raises questions about the safety of the rail network.

“It is still quite safe,” says Juan Alberto Roccatagliata, the director of the National Rail Authority until 2010. But, he says, accidents can happen.

“However, investment levels and maintenance have not been up to what is required to reduce the probability of things like this happening.”

The Buenos Aires rail system transports some 400 million passengers a year, making it the biggest in South America. In the 1990s, most of it was privatised in the hope of boosting investment in infrastructure.

“But this did not happen as the contracts given to private companies did not oblige them to invest in the network,” says Pablo Martorelli, president of the Argentine Rail Institute.

“Companies are not interested in investing as they already get their income from state subsidies,” he says.

The train had hit the barrier at about 12mph (20km/h), destroying the front of the engine and crunching the carriages behind it, Mr Schiavi said.

One of the carriages was driven nearly 6m (20ft) into the next, he added.

Critical condition

Survivors told local media that many people had been injured in a jumble of metal and glass.

Emergency medical system director Alberto Crescenti said that some passengers who survived had to have limbs amputated. Many suffered from arrested breathing and trauma to the thorax region.

Many are in a critical condition in the city’s hospitals and there are concerns that the death toll could rise, the BBC’s Vladimir Hernandez in Buenos Aires reports.

Five accidents have occurred in and around the city in recent months, our correspondent says.

Many parts of Argentina’s rail network are antiquated and in need of repair and this incident will increase concern about lack of investment in the system, he adds.

“This is the responsibility of a company that is known for insufficient maintenance and… improvisation,” Edgardo Reinoso of the train workers’ union told Reuters.

“Lack of controls” on the part of state agencies was also to blame, Mr Reinoso added.

Trenes de Buenos Aires, the firm which owned the train, expressed its “deep regret” over the accident.

“The firm sends its condolences to all the families of those passengers who died and remains worried for the state of health of those who were injured,” it said in a statement.

In September 2011, 11 people died when a commuter train in Buenos Aires hit a bus crossing the tracks and then hit a second train coming into a station.

This latest accident is Argentina’s worst train crash since February 1970, when a train smashed into another at full speed in suburban Buenos Aires, killing 200 people.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-latin-america-17129858