February 8, 2016


News Clips For The Day


http://www.npr.org/2016/02/05/465744837/court-gets-unusually-specific-on-police-taser-gun-use

Court Gets Unusually Specific On Police Taser Gun Use
MARTIN KASTE
Updated February 5, 20169:13 PM ET
Published February 5, 20165:10 PM ET

Photograph -- According to the new ruling, police in five Southeastern states cannot use Tasers on nonviolent, noncooperative suspects. Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star via Getty Images
Video -- Court Ruling Forces Police In Southern States To Reconsider Use Of Tasers
Video -- Are Police Too Aggressive With The Mentally Ill?
Video -- Police Expert: Tasers Should Be Used Only When Suspects Are Threats


On Friday's All Things Considered, I have a story about how a recent federal court ruling is restricting when police may use Tasers in the five Southeastern states covered by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. In a nutshell, police there may no longer shock a nonviolent, noncooperative suspect with a Taser stun gun— even if he is trying to escape custody.

But the ruling isn't only about Tasers. It has deeper implications for police use of force, generally speaking.

What surprised the experts are the reasons the judges gave in the ruling. At one point, they say the officers weren't following "best practices" for Taser use, established by groups such as the Police Executive Research Forum.

Federal courts traditionally have avoided setting hard-and-fast rules for what makes use of force legal. Instead, they've set broad standards — for instance, the Supreme Court said in 1989 that police use of force must be "objectively reasonable" (Graham v. Connor), but it left it to lower courts to hash out what that means in practice, case by case.

So when this panel of judges in the 4th Circuit starts citing specific "best practices" as a measure for lawful Taser use, it gets the attention of people such as Seth Stoughton.

"This is potentially a really big deal," says Stoughton, a former police officer who is now an assistant professor of law at the University of South Carolina, where he specializes in police use of force. "It could actually draw some lines for officers to follow, rather than what is — in my view — this nebulous to the point of meaningless standard of, 'Just be objectively reasonable.' "

Pro-police legal experts agree that this ruling is unusually specific — and they see that as a problem. Police generally like the "objective reasonableness" standard because it makes it easier to judge a cop's use of force by the real, on-the-ground circumstances, which can be fast-moving and chaotic. They worry that if the courts become too proscriptive, officers will be hampered by rigid rules, and may hesitate to act in moments of danger.

Even Stoughton, who supports the idea of more specific rules, admits he is surprised this three-judge panel broke with tradition. He doesn't know why it did so, but suspects it may have something to do with the post-Ferguson moment in America.

"Federal judges and everyone else — we're simply more aware of policing ... and that's been true for more than a year and a half," he says. "That can't help but affect judges in some way."



“In a nutshell, police there may no longer shock a nonviolent, noncooperative suspect with a Taser stun gun— even if he is trying to escape custody. …. At one point, they say the officers weren't following "best practices" for Taser use, established by groups such as the Police Executive Research Forum. …. for instance, the Supreme Court said in 1989 that police use of force must be "objectively reasonable" (Graham v. Connor), but it left it to lower courts to hash out what that means in practice, case by case. …. "This is potentially a really big deal," says Stoughton, a former police officer who is now an assistant professor of law at the University of South Carolina, where he specializes in police use of force. "It could actually draw some lines for officers to follow, rather than what is — in my view — this nebulous to the point of meaningless standard of, 'Just be objectively reasonable.' " …. They worry that if the courts become too proscriptive, officers will be hampered by rigid rules, and may hesitate to act in moments of danger. Even Stoughton, who supports the idea of more specific rules, admits he is surprised this three-judge panel broke with tradition. He doesn't know why it did so, but suspects it may have something to do with the post-Ferguson moment in America.”


Before Ferguson I had known for years that minority neighborhoods complained, rationally, about “police brutality,” which we have now sanitized to “excessive use of force.” What I didn’t understand was how frequently it was happening and the varied locations. I usually blame the South for those things. Racial hatred and general lack of respect among other races, especially whites, is also popping up in other ways since 9/11, including some cross burnings and delivery of NeoNazi literature in some Northern white residential neighborhoods. But a very important new event was the passing of the PATRIOT Act which among other things has allowed the police use of military weapons. No police department needs a tank. It’s only use is to intimidate “uprisings” such as a computer generated pop up group of BLM marchers, etc.

I’m so glad to see the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals standing up on this issue. I don’t believe most whites actually understood the extent of the problem and the level of criminality that some officers have reached. Mayors, police brass, police unions and certain police websites have defended them totally, when as officials in supervisory positions they should have stepped in case by case to prevent abuse instead. They should know what a cop is doing while he’s on patrol and be involved in his decisions. City officials and police brass also haven’t very frequently done the things that might really help solve the problem at its’ source, like massive mandatory retraining of officers, especially on use of force and human relations issues of all kinds, doing active community outreach such as regular town meetings with the citizenry, the use of foot patrols in minority areas so the residents can get to know them personally and vice versa, and how to deal with a person who is temporarily or chronically deranged including high on drugs. We also need to do something other than putting mentally disturbed people in with the ordinary criminals – burglars, rapists, muggers, etc. It can only make them worse.

This article makes me hopeful that more such changes will occur, and especially that more courts and the US legislature will make much needed changes. Obama already issued one of his executive actions against the practice of giving outdate army equipment to police departments. Congress may undo that unless a Democrat is elected in 2016, of course. Republicans all want to criticize Obama constantly, but actually he has done some very good things with his Executive pen.



PURE POLITICS -- BERN VS HILLARY
SEE ALSO MICHAEL MOORE’S WEBSITE FOR POINT BY POINT COMPARISON


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/larry-david-joined-on-saturday-night-live-by-bernie-sanders/

Larry David joined on "SNL" by Bernie Sanders
CBS/AP
February 7, 2016


NEW YORK - Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders made a cameo appearance on "Saturday Night Live" three days before the New Hampshire primary, appearing in a skit with host Larry David, the comic who has done a dead-on impersonation of him.

The NBC comedy show resisted the temptation to have the Vermont U.S. senator appear next to David as he was playing him, however. Sanders portrayed a passenger on an endangered ship who argued with David about who should be allowed on a lifeboat.

Sanders is the third presidential candidate to appear on "SNL" this season. Fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton made an appearance last fall, and Republican Donald Trump hosted in November.

In Saturday's skit, David played a ship crew member angry about women and children getting the first seats in lifeboats. Finally, David said he deserved a seat because he was richer than the other passengers.

At that, Sanders appeared, saying he was sick of the top 1 percent getting all of the advantages, echoing his campaign's call for the super-rich not to get so many benefits in society.

"We need to unite and work together if we're all going to get through this," Sanders said.

"Sounds like socialism to me," David said.

"Democratic socialism," Sanders said.

Responded David: "What's the difference?"

"YUGE difference," Sanders replied, imitating how Trump often pronounces "huge" as though it begins with a Y.

Sanders said his name was Bernie Sanderswitzky but he was going to change it when he got to America so it wouldn't sound so Jewish. David suggested it wouldn't make much difference.

Later, Sanders stood beside David as he announced the show's musical guest, the 1975.

David had made two earlier appearances on "SNL" portraying Sanders in Democratic debate skits. The candidate has been a good sport about it: After David portrayed Sanders in a sketch last year, claiming the Vermont senator only has one pair of underwear, Sanders assured CBS that he has an "ample supply of underwear."

When Sanders was asked at a televised town hall this week whether he can do a Larry David impression, Sanders replied, "I am Larry David."

David reprised his Sanders impersonation this time in a pre-filmed segment, "Bern Your Enthusiasm," which echoed David's character in the HBO comedy "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

David, playing Sanders, refused to shake a woman's hand at a campaign event because she had just coughed into it, and he denied a woman's request that he help pop her separated shoulder back into place so she could vote for him in the Iowa caucus. The people he slighted were then showed voting for Clinton in a caucus she won in real life by a razor-thin margin.



“David had made two earlier appearances on "SNL" portraying Sanders in Democratic debate skits. The candidate has been a good sport about it: After David portrayed Sanders in a sketch last year, claiming the Vermont senator only has one pair of underwear, Sanders assured CBS that he has an "ample supply of underwear." When Sanders was asked at a televised town hall this week whether he can do a Larry David impression, Sanders replied, "I am Larry David."


I’ve seen Sanders joke before, and he does have a good sense of humor. I like to see that in a candidate, as it actually helps me decide whether to vote for him. I don’t want someone in office who will easily make a decision to “carpetbomb ISIS.” We would kill too many innocent people that way. I think the overall personality is vitally important in choosing a President. I would hate to have a Dick Cheney for the office. Totally hard, cold people do turn me off, and they make terrible leaders.



http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/sanders-judgment-important-foreign-policy-experience-n513211

Sanders: 'Judgment' as Important as Foreign Policy 'Experience'
MEET THE PRESS by DANNY FREEMAN
FEB 7 2016, 11:02 AM ET

Senator Bernie Sanders defended himself Sunday against criticism that he does not have sufficient depth or interest in foreign policy matters.

"Let me reassure the American people…it goes without saying that a president must be well-versed in foreign policy, must have a foreign policy position. And I will of course do that," Sanders said on NBC's "Meet the Press" when asked to respond to negative headlines reviewing his Thursday debate performance on the issue of foreign policy.

Sanders has faced intense scrutiny during his presidential campaign for not being as comfortable or fluent as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when discussing foreign affairs.

"There's no question that Hillary Clinton has a great deal of experience regarding foreign policy," admitted Sanders.

"But it is not just experience that matters, it is judgment," argued the Vermont senator.

Sanders then jumped to his go-to validator of his foreign policy credentials: His initial opposition to the War in Iraq.

"I think that we have the judgment in terms of what we should do with ISIS right now, that we should learn the lesson of the Iraq War, which I rigorously opposed," said Sanders.

Related: Madeleine Albright Slams Sanders on Foreign Policy

Sanders has taken heat in recent months, however, for not expanding his foreign policy vision beyond those initial differences over the invasion of Iraq.

"A vote in 2002 is not a plan to defeat ISIS," Clinton shot back at Sanders when he brought up the two opponents' Iraq War votes at this past week's MSNBC Democratic debate.

In a Saturday interview with NBC News, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright said she was "very concerned" about Sanders' "lack of knowledge" on foreign policy.

Albright, a Clinton campaign surrogate, commented that she had not seen him at "any [foreign policy] briefings" on Capitol Hill.

"Number one, I have been to briefing after briefing after briefing," responded Sanders on Sunday, adding that during his recent sit down meeting with President Barack Obama, "one of the things that we talked about was Iran and foreign policy."

Sanders continued to dismiss Albright's criticism by hypothesizing that the former Secretary of State had supported the war in Iraq as well, calling her judgment into question.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she supported that war. So you know, the issue here is not just experience, the issue is judgment," the presidential hopeful repeated.

When asked who his foreign policy advisors are, Sanders named Larry Korb, former Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Reagan administration, and Arab American Institute president Jim Zogby as people he's spoken with on the subject.

In the same interview, Sanders also doubled down on his then-eye-raising debate statement that "the business model of Wall Street is fraud."

"What I said I believe to be true," said the candidate, highlighting a recent multi-billion-dollar settlement Goldman Sachs reached with the United States government.

On a lighter note, Sanders loosely predicted that the Denver Broncos would win the Super Bowl, though he insisted he is still a Patriots fan.

The interview came after Sanders made his debut on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," alongside his unofficial doppelgänger, comedian Larry David.




“Sanders has faced intense scrutiny during his presidential campaign for not being as comfortable or fluent as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when discussing foreign affairs. "There's no question that Hillary Clinton has a great deal of experience regarding foreign policy," admitted Sanders. "But it is not just experience that matters, it is judgment," argued the Vermont senator. Sanders then jumped to his go-to validator of his foreign policy credentials: His initial opposition to the War in Iraq.”


That Iraq war vote is one of the main things I have held against Hillary. It has appeared to me that she went against her own conscience to “go along and get along” in Congress. That was a terrible decision, and is the root of all the problems we’re having in the Middle East today.



SANDERS ON THE ISSUES FEBRUARY 6, 2016 -- GO TO MICHAEL MOORE’S WEBSITE BELOW FOR A LINE BY LINE COMPARISON WITH HILLARY CLINTON:
http://michaelmoore.s3.amazonaws.com/wp/uploads/2016/01/31212517/12644898_10153266654726857_9181834615666675230_n.jpg

GRAPHIC CHART -- “It’s Hard Not To See The True Colors Of The Candidates”

Comment by Dinah Kudatsky
February 1 at 1:10pm ·

“* * * * * * * SHARE WITH IOWA CAUCUS-GOERS!!! * * * * * * *
HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING and LOVE THE BERN:
Why SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS? In Bernie, we have a consistently trustworthy, experienced, compassionate, principled, and courageous leader, committed to democracy’s revitalization, to our nation’s progress, and to the well-being of all Americans!

Have you been made to worry about democratic socialism? It’s just another term for the best examples of PROGRESS America has made throughout our history – progress which made us strong! Social Security! Medicare! Civil Rights! We can just as easily describe Bernie Sanders as an FDR PROGRESSIVE, a NEW DEAL REFORMER, a PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRAT, and a REAL DEAL DEMOCRATIC CHANGE-MAKER. Bernie Sanders is offering us the gifts of the New Deal and the Great Society! Don’t capitulate to the big money special interest status quo sales pitch. Now is the time when we need Bernie’s big vision and bold leadership!

This is what change has always looked like. Let’s not allow fear-mongering (from either the Republicans or Hillary Clinton) to keep us from a More Perfect Union. DON’T BE AFRAID OF PROGRESS! Caucus for Bernie Sanders!”



Go to Michael Moore’s website given above. His chart of some six or eight issues of interest today with Sanders’ position and Hillary’s side by side really helps if you’re having trouble making a decision. I agree wholeheartedly with Kudatsky’s description of him as “a consistently trustworthy, experienced, compassionate, principled, and courageous leader, committed to democracy’s revitalization, to our nation’s progress, and to the well-being of all Americans!” He’s not only a good man, he’s a good Democrat!



http://www.npr.org/2016/02/08/465726445/how-to-get-dads-to-take-parental-leave-seeing-other-dads-do-it

How To Get Dads To Take Parental Leave? Seeing Other Dads Do It
DIANNA DOUGLAS
Updated February 8, 20168:00 AM ET
Published February 8, 20164:41 AM ET

See Chart – Parental Leave Laws State By State, Source: National Conference of State Legislatures, Credit: Katie Park/NPR


Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg may have taken an extended paternity leave after the birth of his daughter, but generally, American men do not take more than a few days. Ninety-six percent of American men are back to work within two weeks of a baby's birth.

"There might be some stigma attached," says Gordon Dahl, an economist at the University of California, San Diego. " 'What if I take paternity leave, will I not get the next promotion? Or will people think I'm not as connected to the workplace? Am I kind of signaling that I don't care about work enough?' "

Dahl studied leave policies in Norway, where a generation ago men took long paternity leave at the same rate as American men. Then, in 1993, Norway changed the law. After every birth, working parents still got 8 months of paid leave to split among themselves but 4 weeks were added just for dad.

"Overnight, paternity leave take up [sic] went from about 3 percent to 35 percent of fathers," Dahl says.

It was a nice boost, mostly among men working union and government jobs.

Netflix recently announced a generous yearlong unlimited paid parental leave policy, but some workers at the company are left out.
What puzzled Dahl was the change that he saw over the next two decades. "This is where the story gets more interesting, because over time, it gradually crept up to about 70 percent of fathers taking leave," Dahl says.

He found the secret was seeing a dad come back to his job, especially in the private sector, without any problems.

"If you had a coworker take leave, then you're 11 percentage points more likely to take leave yourself when you have your child. If you have a brother who took leave, you're 15 percentage points more likely to take leave," Dahl says. "These are not small effects. These are big increases in how many people are willing to take leave."

Something similar may be brewing in California, where paid leave has been available to working parents since 2004. Consider Facebook. A combination of factors is tipping the culture toward men actually taking their paternity leave.

Tom Stocky, a vice president, had a daughter in 2012 and took the full four months that Facebook offers new parents. "Most of my friends were really surprised and had a lot of questions about what happened when you were away, and what did the rest of your team do, and things like that," Stocky says.

Three years later, Stocky believes the leave he took is having a big impact. The men he manages are much more likely to inquire about and take a long leave.

"I probably meet with a new dad every month or two. And it seems like there's kind of a peer group now that is encouraging and supporting each other and more people are taking it now as a result," Stocky says.

Among them is Tom Whitnah, an engineering manager at Facebook. "I saw Tom Stocky taking his leave right as I joined the Search Team, and it just was really clear that it was something that he thought was really important," Whitnah says.

Whitnah's two kids arrived 17 months apart, and he took full leave with each one.

"I had just become a new manager, and I felt like I wasn't sure how a team goes without their manager for one or for three months, and he made it really clear this is something that we accommodate. Just made me feel so much less nervous," he says.

The number of California dads taking a break from work to spend time with a new child is beginning to pick up. Seventeen percent of men in California took leave the first year it was offered; 26 percent did five years later.

Stocky is now taking another long parental leave. He begins three months of caring full time for his son, at the same time that his boss, Mark Zuckerberg, comes back to work from paternity leave.

Does what happens at Facebook have anything to do with the rest of the country? Maybe. But if there's one thing that the folks at Facebook understand, it's the power of friends.


RELATED -- THE TWO-WAY
Netflix Still Facing Questions Over Its New Parental Leave Policy
Global food giant Nestle is among several major employers that have announced increases in family leave benefits this year.
BUSINESS
Boosting Family Leave Is Often About Getting Workers To Stay
Secondary school teacher Sarah Ward at home on maternity leave with her 3-month-old daughter, Esme Kelliher. A resident of New Zealand, Ward has access to paid leave, something many American mothers do not.
IT'S ALL POLITICS
Lots Of Other Countries Mandate Paid Leave. Why Not The U.S.?
Kumar Chandran and Elanor Starmer with their son, Kailas Chandran. The couple's friends are envious of Chandran's paid paternity leave.
MEN IN AMERICA
More Dads Want Paternity Leave. Getting It Is A Different Matter



“Ninety-six percent of American men are back to work within two weeks of a baby's birth. "There might be some stigma attached," says Gordon Dahl, an economist at the University of California, San Diego. " 'What if I take paternity leave, will I not get the next promotion? Or will people think I'm not as connected to the workplace? Am I kind of signaling that I don't care about work enough?' " …. What puzzled Dahl was the change that he saw over the next two decades. "This is where the story gets more interesting, because over time, it gradually crept up to about 70 percent of fathers taking leave," Dahl says. He found the secret was seeing a dad come back to his job, especially in the private sector, without any problems. …. Tom Stocky, a vice president, had a daughter in 2012 and took the full four months that Facebook offers new parents. "Most of my friends were really surprised and had a lot of questions about what happened when you were away, and what did the rest of your team do, and things like that," Stocky says. Three years later, Stocky believes the leave he took is having a big impact. The men he manages are much more likely to inquire about and take a long leave. ….


“And it seems like there's kind of a peer group now that is encouraging and supporting each other and more people are taking it now as a result," Stocky says.” This is the most encouraging thing in the article, though it’s certainly good for businesses to be using more employee friendly policies. The benefit of a “peer group” is that they can exchange information about parenting and offer supportiveness, especially if a husband is finding that he has negative emotions – jealous of the attention the wife pays to the baby, can’t stand to hear the baby cry so he shakes it, annoyed that he is probably being expected by “wifey” to help out more than he had in mind. It’s a real societal change, but a very good one. Fathers need to get to know their children very well so they can help them and have fun with them.

As for his being away from the office too long, that was a complaint made against women who took maternity leave also, yet those businesses have simply hired temps or shifted responsibilities around in order to get it all done without overburdening any one co-worker. There are still businesses, I’m sure, who wouldn’t agree to giving more than a few days to either parent. Those are in the old “robber baron” tradition. I feel sure workers will be choosing companies based on their leave policies now as much as the salary. This is a real step forward, if it will be adopted by a large percentage of US businesses.




http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/02/05/465712700/families-near-the-huge-gas-leak-wonder-is-home-a-safe-place-to-be

Families Near The Huge Gas Leak Wonder: Is Home A Safe Place To Be?
Kelly McEvers
Updated February 5, 20167:57 PM ET
Published February 5, 20167:21 PM ET

Photograph -- December brought storm clouds to the Porter Ranch neighborhood in Southern California's San Fernando Valley. David McNew/AFP/Getty Images
THE TWO-WAY -- Calif. Official Says Leaking Gas Well Might Be Sealed As Soon As Next Week
Photograph -- UCLA environmental health researcher Michael Jerrett checks one of the sensors he's placed throughout Porter Ranch. It's checking for a number of air contaminants, including benzene and hydrogen sulfide, as well as temperature and wind direction. Becky Sullivan/NPR
Photograph -- Porter Ranch residents lined up in December to lodge complaints and get information and help with housing at the community resource center that SoCalGas opened in the neighborhood. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images
Photograph -- Along a public trail at the base of the large SoCalGas Aliso Canyon Storage Facility, one of the biggest natural gas storage areas in the country.
Becky Sullivan/NPR


A major natural gas storage well in Southern California is still leaking, though less so than back in late October, when the giant gas leak was first reported. More than 5,000 families and two schools have been relocated since then, and the local utility that operates the facility is now facing several legal actions.

The utility, Southern California Gas Co., now says the leak should be sealed by the end of the month, if not earlier, and also says the gases released will cause no long-term health effects. But some people who live near the leak worry that not enough research has been done to make that claim.

Christine Katz, for example, who has a home in Porter Ranch, a few miles downwind from the leak, remembers first smelling the gas in early October.

The boundary of Southern California Gas Co.'s property where the Aliso Canyon Storage Field is located.

"It would start off early in the morning, and then it would kind of dissipate," she says. "Then it continued on each day." She asked her husband if he might have accidentally left their barbecue on. He hadn't.

A couple weeks later, Katz's two-year-old daughter, Ava, got a cough and started wheezing. A doctor put her on an inhaler. That was still before the neighborhood was notified of the gas leak.

In November, Ava got sick again, this time for two weeks. She was extremely lethargic, Katz says — falling asleep in her high chair, or while playing on the grass. Katz's four other kids began having headaches and nosebleeds. Then, one day, Ava developed a high fever, and then had a seizure.

"She was rushed to the hospital, and they couldn't figure out what was wrong with her," Katz says. "So they transported her to Children's Hospital [Los Angeles] and she was in the ICU for four days."

Doctors tested Ava, but couldn't find anything wrong with her, beyond dehydration and respiratory problems, which they remedied.

California state health officials investigating the leak reported last week that "overall, the available air sample data does not indicate that an acute health hazard exists from any of the volatile organic chemicals measured," though it notes that the headaches, nausea and respiratory irritation that many residents have reported could be a response to the odorant the company adds to its natural gas supply.

Christine Katz says Ava's doctors found no evidence the gas leak was to blame for the little girl's fever or seizure. Some of her symptoms — like lethargy, wheezing, and rashes — have been commonly reported by other residents in Porter Ranch. Others, like the fever and seizure, haven't.

Still, Katz believes the gas leak was responsible for her daughter's illness.

So the family moved to a home about 30 miles away. SoCalGas, which was ordered by local officials to relocate residents who lived near the leak, has paid for three-months rent for the Katz's new house.

Christine Katz says Ava is now fine.

"She's better and she's happy, and I'll do anything I can to keep her that way," Katz says.

Katz and her husband are now suing SoCalGas for damages, medical expenses and loss of value to their property. And she says she doesn't want to go back to their old house.

"Even though you can't see the gas, it's there," Katz says. "And that's the saddest part — people don't understand it. Because it's not a mudslide, it's not an earthquake. You just don't see the devastation, but it's there."

SoCalGas has set up a help center for local residents at a retail center in Porter Ranch. People who live within five miles of the leak can ask for relocation assistance, free air filters and air cleaning supplies.

Mike Mizrahi, a spokesman for SoCalGas, says the company brought him out of retirement to help handle public relations after the leak. Right now, he says, the utility's two priorities are to stop the leak and to serve the community.

"One of the key questions that folks continue to appropriately ask — it's one that I would ask — is, 'Is there anything I should be concerned about that might be long-term?" Mizrahi says. "And the answer is, 'No, according to public health, according to the air sampling they're doing.' "

The county health department of Los Angeles concurs that "exposures to these chemicals are generally not expected to lead to permanent or long-term health problems."

But Michael Jerrett, who heads the department of environmental health sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles, says such an assessment is "probably overly optimistic."

Jerrett studies the effects of air quality and pollution on health. He agrees that methane — the main component of the natural gas that was leaked — is probably not harmful to people. And many of the symptoms reported, such as nausea, headaches or dizziness, can likely be traced to relatively innocuous, short-term effects of mercaptan — the smelly stuff that's added to methane so you can tell there's been a leak.

But some lesser components of natural gas have been shown to have health effects — at least at higher levels, Jerrett says. Benzene, for example, is carcinogenic, and n-hexane is a neurotoxin, he says, while hydrogen sulfide can irritate the lungs and skin.

There's been a good amount of research about the harmful effects of exposure to high amounts of benzene over a short period, like a matter of hours, Jerrett says. And there's some evidence of its effects over very long periods, such as a lifetime of occupational exposure, say. But there's not much data on exposures over a few months at levels that are higher than normal, but below what the government has deemed an acceptable standard. That's the sort of exposure, he says, that we're likely talking about with the leak at Porter Ranch.

"We're dealing with an area where, unfortunately, there's a gap in the science," Jerrett says. He says that if he were a resident of the area, he too would have relocated his family until the leak was fixed.

"And then," he tells NPR, "I would hope that there was going to be a very rigorous regulatory process that was going to be put in place to prevent this from ever happening again."

In late January, a board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District in Los Angeles ordered SoCalGas to — among other things — complete a study on the potential health effects of the leak.

In the meantime, many families from the area decided not to relocate — including Dhruv Sareen, who does stem cell research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and lives just over a mile from the gas leak.

Sareen says he thinks the Porter Ranch gas leak has turned into a circus of lawyers and misinformation.

"As soon as that started happening — my degree being in chemical engineering and biochemistry — I started studying the numbers and the data," Sareen says. And that data didn't alarm him.

One of his kids got sick soon after the gas leak, too, he says, but it was just the flu. He's not worried about the quality of the air.

"My parents live in New Delhi," Sareen says. "The particulate matter and the benzene levels and the sulphur compounds they are exposed to [are] probably 10 to 20 times more than here. I mean, we are breathing amazingly clean air compared to New Delhi."

There are risks to living anywhere, Sareen says.

"Should I leave my house, disrupt my life?" he asks. "Close the schools — close the preschools? And live somewhere else?" He doesn't think so.

SoCalGas says it hopes to have the leak fully stopped within the month, and will pay an additional week's rent after that for the families who did decide to relocate. After that, the utility says, residents should start moving back to the area.

But some people say they never will.



“More than 5,000 families and two schools have been relocated since then, and the local utility that operates the facility is now facing several legal actions. …. . But some people who live near the leak worry that not enough research has been done to make that claim. Christine Katz, for example, who has a home in Porter Ranch, a few miles downwind from the leak, remembers first smelling the gas in early October. …. SoCalGas has set up a help center for local residents at a retail center in Porter Ranch. People who live within five miles of the leak can ask for relocation assistance, free air filters and air cleaning supplies. Mike Mizrahi, a spokesman for SoCalGas, says the company brought him out of retirement to help handle public relations after the leak. Right now, he says, the utility's two priorities are to stop the leak and to serve the community. …. California state health officials investigating the leak reported last week that "overall, the available air sample data does not indicate that an acute health hazard exists from any of the volatile organic chemicals measured," though it notes that the headaches, nausea and respiratory irritation that many residents have reported could be a response to the odorant the company adds to its natural gas supply. …. Benzene, for example, is carcinogenic, and n-hexane is a neurotoxin, he says, while hydrogen sulfide can irritate the lungs and skin. …. But there's not much data on exposures over a few months at levels that are higher than normal, but below what the government has deemed an acceptable standard. That's the sort of exposure, he says, that we're likely talking about with the leak at Porter Ranch. "We're dealing with an area where, unfortunately, there's a gap in the science," Jerrett says. He says that if he were a resident of the area, he too would have relocated his family until the leak was fixed. …. Sareen says he thinks the Porter Ranch gas leak has turned into a circus of lawyers and misinformation. "As soon as that started happening — my degree being in chemical engineering and biochemistry — I started studying the numbers and the data," Sareen says. And that data didn't alarm him.”


“There are risks to living anywhere, Sareen says. "Should I leave my house, disrupt my life?" he asks. "Close the schools — close the preschools? And live somewhere else?" He doesn't think so.” According to the health department, a chemical engineer, and of course the gas company itself the danger to health in the long or short term is minor. I personally sometimes have classic sinus irritation symptoms such as headache and nausea when exposed to several different chemicals. Doctors don’t call that allergy, but chemical sensitivity. It’s commonplace even if it isn’t really dangerous and cause migraine-like pain, which is certainly disabling until the patient gets relief. If those children in the one family mentioned above are having headaches, the chemicals could cause that.

The several different professionals quoted above mainly give reassuring comments, yet Michael Jerrett admitted that if his family were in range of the leak he would probably temporarily move them away from the area. Psychologically it’s disturbing and we can’t be sure it isn’t causing long term physical harm. Cancer is one of those conditions that pops up years after the exposure, so it can never be ruled out. I was told when I quit smoking, after my 20 years of inhaling two packs a day, that I will always be at a higher risk for cancer.




ZIKA UPDATE -- FOUR ARTICLES


http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/02/07/465282588/do-you-know-what-vector-and-endemic-mean-we-can-help-sort-of

Do You Know What 'Vector' And 'Endemic' Mean? We Can Help — Sort Of
MAANVI SINGH
February 7, 2016


If you've been following the news about the spread of the Zika virus throughout Latin America, you've probably gotten lost in the jargon once or twice. What's a vector? A reservoir? What's local transmission — the opposite of express transmission?

So we went to the experts to help us wade through all this murky language. And they were helpful — sort of. Because it turns out that even the experts don't agree 100 percent on the definitions.

"Well the first thing to keep in mind with this sort of terminology is it's all in the eye of the beholder, to a certain extent," says Dr. Arnold Monto, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Technically, an outbreak and an epidemic mean the same thing, Monto says. Both refer to a sudden increase in the number of cases of a disease. Generally an outbreak is used to describe the spread of a disease in a smaller geographic area, whereas an epidemic may describe the spead of disease through several communities or cities. But the key difference is that the word "outbreak" sounds relatively innocuous whereas "epidemic" carries a bit more weight, Monto notes.

This story is part of our ongoing coverage of Zika virus.

"So choosing which word to use is not pure science," he says. Public health officials may choose to use one or the other depending on the sort of message they want to put out. "With Zika, I think calling it an epidemic is a way to bring attention to it and mobilize resources," he says. Since Zika has spread to South and Central American countries where it has never been identified before, and since scientists suspect a link between the virus and neurological problems in newborns and adults, Monto understands why health officials are using the more weighty "epidemic" while discussing Zika.

The words endemic and pandemic have more precise definitions.

The former is used to describe "the baseline ... level of the disease," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So there'd be an endemic level — or expected number — of flu cases in the U.S. each year.

The latter refers to multiple outbreaks happening across the globe at the same time. "Pandemic has been used to describe outbreaks of cholera occurring in various countries," Monto says. In the 1960s, for example, an outbreak of cholera in Indonesia quickly spread across Asia, Europe, Africa — by the early 1990s, it had made its way to Latin America. A pandemic affects communities all over the world, Monto says. It's a public health issue of international concern.

Now let's turn to another set of words used to describe the mechanics of an outbreak like Zika. Like, what the heck is a disease reservoir if not a terribly disgusting lake?

"It's any environment where an infectious agent can live and multiply," says Allison Aiello, an epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It could be one or more insects, animals, even soil — "anywhere these disease-causing viruses or microbes can live and thrive."

But typically, the word refers to animals who can carry a disease," Monto says. Say that Zika can make both monkeys and humans sick — monkeys infected with Zika would be considered the reservoir.

"We don't generally use the term reservoir for humans," Monto notes. That's because "even if we eradicate the disease among humans, we'd want to pay attention to the animal reservoirs to make sure a monkey doesn't reintroduce the disease and cause it to come back."

Then there's the term vector.

"A vector is anything that can pass on an infection to another organism," says Aiello. So a mosquito is definitely a vector. Its root is a Latin word that means "to carry."

But what about humans: Can we humans be vectors?

Technically, sure, says Aiello. But Monto says he probably wouldn't use the word to refer to humans. "To me vector is usually an arthropod [insects and other animals with exoskeletons]," Monto says. "Like a mosquito or a tick."

So the Aedes aegypti mosquito, whose bite transmits Zika, is a vector for the disease. When public health folk talk about "vector control" they're usually thinking about calling in the entomologists or deploying health workers to fumigate the swampy, mosquito-y neighborhoods. "So you see, we use specific words to mobilize specific sectors within the public health community."

Ultimately, it's a matter of preference. Got it.

And what's local transmission? That's when a vector transmits a virus to a human in a certain place.

"To have local transmission you've got to have the vector and the virus present in the same place — that's when the disease can really start to spread."

How do people in the public health world keep all this straight?

"Honestly, when talking to a general audience, I try to avoid using any of this kind of language," Monta says. "And when talking with colleagues in my field, we just focus on the facts and statistics!"



“What's a vector? A reservoir? What's local transmission — the opposite of express transmission? …. Technically, an outbreak and an epidemic mean the same thing, Monto says. Both refer to a sudden increase in the number of cases of a disease. Generally an outbreak is used to describe the spread of a disease in a smaller geographic area …. "With Zika, I think calling it an epidemic is a way to bring attention to it and mobilize resources," he says. …. The words endemic and pandemic have more precise definitions. The former is used to describe "the baseline ... level of the disease," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So there'd be an endemic level — or expected number — of flu cases in the U.S. each year. The latter refers to multiple outbreaks happening across the globe at the same time. "Pandemic has been used to describe outbreaks of cholera occurring in various countries," Monto says. …. disease reservoir if not a terribly disgusting lake? "It's any environment where an infectious agent can live and multiply" …. Technically, sure, says Aiello. But Monto says he probably wouldn't use the word to refer to humans. "To me vector is usually an arthropod [insects and other animals with exoskeletons]," Monto says. "Like a mosquito or a tick." …. "To have local transmission you've got to have the vector and the virus present in the same place — that's when the disease can really start to spread." How do people in the public health world keep all this straight? "Honestly, when talking to a general audience, I try to avoid using any of this kind of language," Monta says. "And when talking with colleagues in my field, we just focus on the facts and statistics!"


Unless I missed it, this writer didn’t discuss “express transmission,” which is a term I’ve never heard. I have just searched extensively under “express transmission of disease” and “local transmission of disease” for definitions. Guess what! Neither term is on Google as far as I can tell. Did the writer make these up, or are they both “newly emerging” terms from the “reservoir” of our known terms when compared with new research discussions??

That’s what it sounds as though this is all about with most scientific terminology. It’s jargon, not established terminology. It’s hatched up at cocktail parties with graduate students arguing and in writing their papers they use things in print for the first time. That’s the standard by which dictionaries often judge whether or not to include a word, whether or not it is in print. That’s to divide it from simple word repetition in conversation.

I have often noted that words, especially in informal usage, mutate just like viruses from person to person as each applies an interpretation on it, and different dictionaries often have definitions not found in others. I know the term “local transmission” was given above as meaning that the virus and the vector had to be in the same location at the time of the transmission. Well, Duh! It wouldn’t be transmission by the vector at all without that. I think he must mean that as a matter of technical proof of vector transmission at all, the particular arthropod/rat/whatever was found to be bearing the virus in his blood or saliva or other fluid at that time. To me, though, we ought to throw in the concept that the vector or his contaminated feces, etc., was in the same place as the victim. What we need to prove is how the victim got the infection. Also, the writer may have been thinking of the “index case” which is the first case in an outbreak. All I know is, I’m staying out of Brazil until this epidemic disappears, which I hope will be soon, and using insect repellant when I go outdoors.



http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/02/05/464442791/mapping-zika-from-a-monkey-in-uganda-to-a-growing-global-concern

Mapping Zika: From A Monkey In Uganda To A Growing Global Concern
MARC SILVER
February 5, 20161:38 PM ET
Published February 5, 201612:08 PM ET

Notes -- This map and subsequent maps reflect data available from the CDC as of February 5. Due to space constraints, not all countries are labeled. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pan American Health Organization Credit: Alyson Hurt/NPR
Map: Uganda, Alyson Hurt/NPR
Map showing Pacific islands affected by a Zika virus outbreak, Alyson Hurt/NPR


The Zika virus has gone from an obscure disease to an international public health emergency.

Researchers have been able to trace the gradual spread of Zika — slowly for decades and then, in the words of World Health Organization head Dr. Margaret Chan, "explosively" since 2015, when it was first detected in Brazil. Now the virus has reached more than 20 countries and territories in the Americas. In Brazil, there have been 500,000-plus cases. Thousands of babies have been born in Zika-affected regions with the birth defect microcephaly (although a causal relationship has not yet been scientifically established).

Whether there is a link to microcephaly is one of many unanswered questions about this outbreak. But one thing is certain — the emergence of Zika, as seen on these maps, reflects the shrinking world we live in. "Individuals can get on a plane and cross great distances in a short period of time," says Dr. Nikos Vasilakis, a professor in the department of pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. And when they harbor diseases, a little-known virus can suddenly turn into a global concern.

Where The Zika Virus Has Been Found, 1947-Today

1947: First Identified

The virus was first identified in a rhesus monkey in the tropical Zika Forest in Uganda. The monkey was part of a study to identify viruses carried by mosquitoes. Researchers found that the monkey contracted a "hitherto unrecorded virus."

1951-1981: Africa

Map: Zika virus outbreaks in Africa (1951-1981)
Katherine Du and Alyson Hurt/NPR

Evidence of human infection was found in a number of countries in Africa, including Central African Republic, Egypt, Gabon, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Uganda. As a rule, the number of cases over the decades was relatively small, but that could reflect the fact that symptoms are mild, nonexistent or mistaken for those of other viruses. There was an outbreak of significance in Nigeria in 1973, says Vasilakis, but "we will never know" numbers because patients often show no symptoms or symptoms may be mistaken for those of other infectious diseases.

1951-1981: Asia

Map showing Zika outbreak locations in Asia
Katherine Du and Alyson Hurt/NPR

Evidence of human infection was found in some Asian countries, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

2007: Yap Island

Map showing Yap Island
Katherine Du and Alyson Hurt/NPR

In April 2007, an outbreak began in Yap Island in the Pacific Ocean — the first detection of the virus outside the African and Asian continents and the first evidence that Zika could spread rapidly through a population.

More than 70 percent of residents — an estimated 5,005 cases out of 7,391 residents — were infected by Zika. They generally had the mild symptoms associated with the virus. There were no reports of the birth defect microcephaly among babies born to women who contracted Zika while pregnant.

It was suspected that mosquitoes had brought the disease to Yap Island. But Vasilakis says a previously infected human visitor could have been bitten by local mosquitoes, which then spread the virus.

An American medical volunteer who visited Yap Island in June became infected and began to show Zika symptoms in the U.S. on July 7.

2013-2014: Pacific Islands

An outbreak occurred in the islands of French Polynesia, with an estimated 20,000 possible cases, and spread to other Pacific Islands: Cook Islands, Easter Island, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

It is not known how the virus was introduced to French Polynesia. Researchers are now looking at possible cases of neurological damage to babies born to a mother who was infected with Zika virus during her pregnancy.

As for the spread to the other islands, Vasilakis says, "There's lots of interisland traffic, people going from island to island. That's the most likely mode of transmission."

2015-2016: The Americas

Map showing affected areas in Central and South America
Katherine Du and Alyson Hurt/NPR

In the current outbreak, the rough estimate of cases in Brazil is 500,000 to 1.5 million, although it could be higher because many people who are infected show no symptoms.

The current list of countries and territories with reports of ongoing transmission in the Americas is as follows:

Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, St. Martin, Suriname, U.S. Virgin Islands and Venezuela.

Also on the list are American Samoa, Samoa and Tonga in the Pacific and Cape Verde off the west coast of Africa.

Imported Cases

An imported case refers to an individual who contracted Zika in one country, then traveled to another country and was diagnosed with the virus there. In 2015 and so far this year, more than a dozen such cases have been reported in the U.S.

Vasilakis cites four or five cases in Florida, in individuals returning mainly from Venezuela and Colombia. There were several cases in Texas of people traveling from Latin America as well as a case where a person who contracted Zika outside the U.S. transmitted it to another person through sexual contact. And there was "the famous case in Hawaii," Vasilakis says, of a woman who was in Brazil while pregnant. Her baby was born with microcephaly, the birth defect that has been linked to Zika.

On Jan. 19, 2016, the first imported case of Zika virus was identified in Taiwan in a man from Thailand whose fever was detected upon arrival in Taiwan on Jan. 10 and who was subsequently tested. He likely caught the virus from a mosquito in Thailand, where there have been cases in the past. Spain has also confirmed that a pregnant woman, traveling from Colombia, has Zika.

But there has not been ongoing transmission in these countries (with the exception of the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands).



The comment “Researchers are now looking at possible cases of neurological damage …” is to me a possible indicator that cases of microcephaly were not found in earlier years in connection with the virus because people didn’t look for it. Cases of microcephaly did exist among humans as far back as I can remember, so something was causing it then. I also have my doubts that the 1947 case was actually the first Zika infection, but rather the first time a scientist drew blood and found it there. It is also possible that early Zika cases were not causing neurological damage, in fact, but that it has mutated very recently, both to make it spread faster and to have more severe and damaging symptoms. Viruses do that, especially when they “jump species,” according to reports last year about the Ebola epidemic in Africa. See below about microcephaly.



https://books.google.com/books?id=xxcdjUGfx40C&pg=PA351&lpg=PA351&dq=microcephaly+in+prehistory&source=bl&ots=Vpe8sWyLn4&sig=9Et6ROu8BTrAckZq4jsRbUu_h_c&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjIx_CXk-nKAhVhvoMKHTeVDlIQ6AEIMTAD#v=onepage&q=microcephaly%20in%20prehistory&f=false

In Hot Pursuit of Language in Prehistory: Essays in the Four Fields of ...
edited by John D. Bengtson, John Benjamins Publishing, 2008. Page 351.

“Finally two gene loci that regulate brain size underwent strong positive selection during the past 40,000 years …. Both genetic systems can result in primary microcephaly due to recessive mutations.”

Some anthropologists have speculated that the small human bones referred to as “hobbit” may have been a case of microcephaly. There is wild disagreement among the scientists about that, though. The favorite theory is that "Hobbit," or Homo floresiensis, is a new species which continued to exist alongside modern man until the last 15,000 years or so. That isn’t impossible, either. The villagers have legends about such small people being there.



http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/02/04/465458892/carnival-gives-brazil-ideas-about-how-to-fight-zika

Carnival Gives Brazil Ideas About How To Fight Zika
Lourdes Garcia-Navarro
Updated February 4, 20167:45 PM ET
Published February 4, 20164:17 PM ET

Photograph -- Health worker Elaine Couto, dressed as a mosquito, dances and sings to draw attention to the Zika outbreak hitting Brazil. Rafael Fabres for NPR (Do go to the website and look at this photograph. She’s such a cute mosquito!)
Photograph -- Amanda Fonseca, who is seven months pregnant with her second son, plans to skip Carnival because of her Zika fears. Rafael Fabres for NPR
Which house does a better job keeping mosquitoes away? In this model set up by health workers to help prevent the spread of Zika, the one on the left appears to have less standing water, which is a magnet for mosquitoes. Rafael Fabres for NPR


For Carnival in Brazil, lots of women don giant feather headdresses and skimpy bikinis.

But for a pre-Carnival event, Elaine Cuoto is dressed as a mosquito — complete with a long proboscis and gossamer wings.

She is part of a group of health workers dancing by a metro station in a working-class neighborhood of Rio's north zone. A few others are wearing mosquito costumes as well. And they're singing a catchy tune:

"If Zika attacks, use this number to report it, 7-4-6. Pay attention!"

By putting the number to music, public health educators hope it will stick in commuters' minds.

These dancing, singing mosquitoes are just one sign of the national mood on the eve of Carnival, which runs from Feb. 5-9.

Brazil is in the midst of a Zika virus outbreak. The government estimates that there have been at least half a million cases since last spring. And researchers are concerned that the virus could be linked to the 4,074 suspected or confirmed cases of microcephaly — brain damage in infants born during the current outbreak.

So pregnant women are being warned to use repellent and take precautions to avoid being bitten.

For Amanda Fonseca, that means leaving the city during Carnival. At 33, she is seven months pregnant with her second son.

She's afraid of the Zika virus. One of her pregnant friends contracted the infection, and she doesn't want the same to happen to her.

She is doing everything she can to keep mosquitoes away — even switching from regular body lotion to lotion-based insect repellent.

She has devised an elaborate system of making sure she is protected. She showers three times a day, then applies the repellent. So far, she says, no bites. But it's a race to the finish, her against the Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that carries the Zika virus and other diseases.

It's not only pregnant women who are being encouraged to think about protection. At the same metro stop, a group of teenagers is handing out condoms to passersby.

Condoms are free as part of Brazil's robust sexual health program, developed in response to HIV and AIDS. Now there's a new reason to use protection. This week, a person in Texas was found to have contracted Zika through sexual contact with someone who had returned from a country where Zika has spread.

Lia Peixinho, 17, is carrying a big basket of brightly wrapped condoms. She says people are very sexually active during Carnival and have unprotected sex. Now that we know there can be sexual transmission of Zika, condoms are even more important, she says.

Like the health workers in mosquito costumes, the condom group has a song. The teens snap their fingers and rap, "Remember to always use a condom, no skin on skin ..."

Despite the worries, Carnival will go on. Only one city — Maranguape, in the north — canceled the celebration because of the virus, choosing to use the money on mosquito eradication instead.

The recession here has had a far bigger impact on the festivities, cutting down the size of some celebrations. Still, for most of Brazil, the party will go on. As a saying here goes, Carnival is a time to forget your troubles and let it all hang out.

This year, though, people might be a bit more covered up.



“By putting the number to music, public health educators hope it will stick in commuters' minds. These dancing, singing mosquitoes are just one sign of the national mood on the eve of Carnival, which runs from Feb. 5-9. …. She has devised an elaborate system of making sure she is protected. She showers three times a day, then applies the repellent. So far, she says, no bites. But it's a race to the finish, her against the Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that carries the Zika virus and other diseases. It's not only pregnant women who are being encouraged to think about protection. At the same metro stop, a group of teenagers is handing out condoms to passersby. …. Despite the worries, Carnival will go on. Only one city — Maranguape, in the north — canceled the celebration because of the virus, choosing to use the money on mosquito eradication instead. The recession here has had a far bigger impact on the festivities, cutting down the size of some celebrations. Still, for most of Brazil, the party will go on. As a saying here goes, Carnival is a time to forget your troubles and let it all hang out. This year, though, people might be a bit more covered up.”


Brazil is making the Zika/mosquito connection a big national priority during Carnival in some ways that should get their point across quickly. Like a politician on the road, they are going where the people are congregated. Maranguape has decided on its own to cancel the celebration and eradicate mosquitoes instead with the money. I wish the other areas would do the same. The lesson of eliminating all sources of standing water will be as effective, of course. I wonder if they have insecticides like we do. It should have sufficient wealth to do that, though no article has mentioned such efforts by the national government. I wonder if their politicians are like some of ours here – they don’t want to pay for things to help the people. Hopefully they are in fact spraying, though I didn’t see any mention of it. One of today’s articles did say that indoor water sources are causing the spread of illness more than outdoor, such as swamps.

See the following article at http://trade.gov/publications/ita-newsletter/0411/brazil.asp, BRAZIL AND THE UNITED STATES: WORKING TO ADVANCE THEIR COMMON PROSPERITY, by John Ward, April 2011 ITU. It states, “Brazil, an economic powerhouse of 193 million people, looms as an increasingly important trading partner for the United States. During their visits to Brasília, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo last month, President Barack Obama and Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke undertook a number of actions that will help the U.S.–Brazilian commercial relationship prosper during the coming years.

Brazilians will readily acknowledge that their country is, in the words of the musician Jorge Ben Jor, “a tropical country, blessed by God, and beautiful by nature.” But during the past decade, Brazil has become even more: an emerging world economic power. With a gross domestic product of $2 trillion in 2010, Brazil is the world’s seventh-largest economy and, not coincidentally, the United States’ 10th-largest trading partner.