So long, Chester.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20140917/us-med--ebola-mutation-3ca919efcd.html

excite news


US scientist: Ebola unlikely to become airborne

Sep 17, 3:13 PM (ET) [ 17 September 2014 Pacific Time USA ]

By LAURAN NEERGAARD

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's incredibly unlikely that Ebola would mutate to spread through the air, and the best way to make sure it doesn't is to stop the epidemic, a top government scientist told concerned lawmakers Wednesday.

"A virus that doesn't replicate, doesn't mutate," Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health told a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee.

Fauci said U.S. researchers are monitoring for mutations in the virus, which has killed at least 2,400 people.

But considering all the dire things to worry about with this out-of-control epidemic in West Africa, that mutation concern is not "something I would put at the very top of the radar screen," said Fauci, head of NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The unprecedented Ebola outbreak is believed to have sickened nearly 5,000 people, mostly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. The deadly virus also has reached Nigeria and Senegal.

Ebola is spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of sick patients. But as the epidemic has grown, so have questions about whether, if left unchecked, the virus might transform and become more contagious.

In hearings in the Senate and House on Tuesday and Wednesday, lawmakers asked Fauci if it might even become airborne.

Viruses certainly mutate all the time, making mistakes as they copy themselves in order to grow and spread, Fauci explained. Most of those mutations are irrelevant, not associated with any biological change.

But sometimes, those mutations can make a virus a little more or a little less virulent, or make it a little more or a little less efficient at spreading in whatever way it normally is transmitted, he said.

"Very, very rarely does it completely change the way it's transmitted," Fauci said.

He stressed that he's not saying it's impossible.

"People might think I'm pooh-poohing it. I'm not," Fauci said.

He said the government had funded the Broad Institute in Boston to study the virus' mutations. In a publication last month, the researchers reported a somewhat more rapid rate of mutations than expected at that point in the outbreak, but that nothing had jumped out as being of special concern so far.










http://www.e-reading.org.ua/bookreader.php/71211/Clancy_-_Rainbow_Six.html


Tom Clancy

Rainbow Six


CHAPTER 10

DIGGERS

Popov hadn't done this in ages. but he rembered how. His employer had been written about more than many politicians which was only just, Popov thought, as this man did far more important and interesting things for his country and the world-but these articles were mainly about business, which didn't help Popov much beyond a further appreciation of the man's wealth and influence. There was little about his personal life, except that he'd been divorced. A pity of sorts. His former wife seemed both attractive and intelligent, judging by the photos and the appended information on her. Maybe two such intelligent people had difficulty staying together. If so, that was to bad for the woman, the Russian thought. Maybe few American men liked having intellectual equals under their roof. It was altogether too intimidating for the weak ones - and only a weak man would be troubled by it, the Russian thought.

But there was nothing to connect the man with terrorists or terrorism. He'd never been attacked himself, not even a simple street crime, according to the New York Times. Such things did not always make the news, of course. Perhaps an incident that had never seen the light of day. But if it lead been so major as to change the course of his life - it would had to have become known, wouldn't it?

Probably. Almost certainly, he thought. But almost was a troubling qualifier for a career intelligence officer. This was a man of business. A genius both in his scientific field and in running a major corporation. There, it seemed, was where his passions went. There were many photos of the man with women, rarely the same one twice, while attending various charity or social functions - all nice women, to be sure, Popov noted, like fine trophies, to be used and mounted on the wall in the appropriate empty space, while he searched after another. So, what sort of man was he working for?

Popov had to admit that he really didn't know, which was more than troubling. His life was now in pawn to a man whose motivations he didn't understand. In not knowing, he could not evaluate the operational dangers that attached to himself as a result. Should the purpose be discerned by others, and his employer discovered and arrested, then he,Popov, was in danger of arrest on serious charges. Well, the former KGB officer thought, as he returned the last of the periodicals to the clerk, there was an easy solution to that. He'd always have a bag packed, and two false identities ready to be used. Then, at the first sign of trouble, he'd get to an international airport and be off to Europe as quickly as possible, there to disappear and make use of the cash he'd banked. He already had enough to ensure a comfortable life for a few years, perhaps longer if he could find a really good investment counselor. Disappearing off the face of the earth wasn't all that hard for one with proper training, he told himself, walking back out on Fifth Avenue. All you needed was fifteen or twenty minutes of warning… Now how could he be sure to get that?










http://www.e-reading.org.ua/bookreader.php/71211/Clancy_-_Rainbow_Six.html


Tom Clancy

Rainbow Six


CHAPTER 13

AMUSEMENT

Popov was still trying to learn more about his employer, but finding nothing to enlighten himself. The combination of the New York Public Library and the Internet had turned up reams of information, but nothing that gave the slightest clue as to why he'd employed the former KGB officer to dig up terrorists and turn them loose upon the world. It was as likely that a child would conspire a murder plot against a loving parent. It wasn't the morality of the event that troubled him. Morality had little place in intelligence operations. As a trainee at the KGB academy outside Moscow, the subject had never come up, except insofar as he and his classmates had always been given to understand that the State Was Never Wrong. "You will occasionally be ordered to do things you may find personally upsetting," Colonel Romanov had said once. "Such things will be done, because the reasons, unknown to you or not, will always be proper ones. You do have the right to question something for tactical reasons-as the officer in the field, how you do the mission will generally be your affair. But to refuse an assignment is not acceptable." And that had been that. Neither Popov nor his classmates had even made notes on the issue. It was understood that orders were orders. And so, once he accepted employment, Popov had done the jobs assigned…

… but as a servant of the Soviet Union he'd always known the overall mission, which was to get vital information to his country, because his country needed the information either for itself or to assist others whose actions would be of real benefit to his country. Even dealing with Il'ych Ramirez Sanchez, Popov had thought at the time, had served some special interest. He knew better now, of course. Terrorists were like wild dogs or rabid wolves that one tossed into someone's back garden just to create a stir, and, yes, perhaps that had been strategically useful-or had been thought so by his masters, in the service of a state now dead and gone. But, no, the missions had not really been useful, had they? And as good as KGB had once been-he still thought them the best espionage agency the world had ever seen-it had ultimately been a failure. The Party for which the Committee for State Security had been the Sword and Shield was no more. The Sword had not slain the Party's enemies, and the Shield had not protected against the West's various weapons. And so, had his superiors really known what they'd needed to do?

Probably not, Popov admitted to himself, and because of that, perhaps every mission he'd been assigned had been to some greater or lesser degree a fool's errand. The realization would have been a bitter one, except that his training and experience were paying off now with a lavish salary, not to mention the two suitcases of cash he'd managed to steal










http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Edwards_Ivins


Bruce Edwards Ivins

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bruce Edwards Ivins (April 22, 1946 – July 29, 2008) was an American microbiologist, vaccinologist, senior biodefense researcher at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Fort Detrick, Maryland










http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=101352

The American Presidency Project

Barack Obama

XLIV President of the United States: 2009 - present

551 - Statement on Congressional Passage of Legislation To Aid Veterans Seeking Employment

July 12, 2012


This legislation complements the new partnership launched by my administration that will make it easier for manufacturing companies to hire thousands of returning servicemembers who have the skills our country needs.










From 9/18/2001 ( Bill Gates-Nazi-Microsoft-Corbis-George Bush the cowardly violent criminal as a scheduled terrorist attack against the United States of America sends anthrax through the United States Postal Service ) To 7/12/2012 is 3950 days

From 11/2/1965 ( my birth date in Antlers Oklahoma USA and my birthdate as the known official Deputy United States Marshal Kerry Wayne Burgess and active duty United States Marine Corps officer ) To 8/26/1976 ( the first known human case of Ebola ) is 3950 days



From 8/3/1998 ( Tom Clancy "Rainbow Six" ) To 7/12/2012 is 5092 days

5092 = 2546 + 2546

From 11/2/1965 ( my birth date in Antlers Oklahoma USA and my birthdate as the known official Deputy United States Marshal Kerry Wayne Burgess and active duty United States Marine Corps officer ) To 10/22/1972 ( Richard Nixon - Radio Address on the American Veteran ) is 2546 days





http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=101352

The American Presidency Project

Barack Obama

XLIV President of the United States: 2009 - present

551 - Statement on Congressional Passage of Legislation To Aid Veterans Seeking Employment

July 12, 2012

No veteran who fought for our Nation overseas should have to fight for a job when they return home. That's why I'm pleased that Democrats and Republicans in Congress have come together to pass legislation that will make it easier for veterans to put their skills to work.

This legislation complements the new partnership launched by my administration that will make it easier for manufacturing companies to hire thousands of returning servicemembers who have the skills our country needs. And it builds on several steps my administration has taken to help veterans find a job. Already we have created new tax credits for businesses that hire veterans. The Joining Forces initiative, begun by the First Lady and Dr. Biden, has helped 90,000 veterans and military spouses find jobs. And we have developed online tools to help connect veterans to employers.

We've made progress, but we have much more to do. Congress needs to pass legislation creating a Veterans Job Corps so we can put our returning heroes back to work as cops and firefighters and on projects that protect and preserve our public lands and resources. And we must all continue our efforts to ensure that these talented men and women who would be an asset to any company have every opportunity to succeed after they serve our Nation.

NOTE: The statement referred to H.R. 4155, the "Veterans Skills to Jobs Act"; and Jill T. Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden.










http://www.e-reading.org.ua/bookreader.php/71211/Clancy_-_Rainbow_Six.html


Tom Clancy

Rainbow Six


PROLOGUE

SETTING UP


They'd been doing it for some time. The powder-blue vans - there were four of them - circulated throughout New York City, picking up homeless people and shuttling them to the dry-out centers run by the corporation. The quiet, kindly operation had made local television over a year ago, and garnered the corporation a few dozen friendly letters, then slid back down below the horizon, as such things tended to do. It was approaching midnight, and with dropping autumn temperatures, the vans were out, collecting the homeless throughout central and lower Manhattan. They didn't do it the way the police once had. The people they helped weren't compelled to get aboard. The volunteers from the corporation asked, politely.

They wanted a clean bed for the night, free of charge, and absent the religious complications typical of most "missions," as they were traditionally called. Those who declined the offer were given blankets, used ones donated by corporate employees who were home sleeping or watching TV at the moment-participation in the program was voluntary for the staff as well-but still warm, and waterproofed. Some of the homeless preferred to stay out, deeming it to be some sort of freedom. More did not. Even habitual drunkards liked beds and showers.










http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=3643

The American Presidency Project

Richard Nixon

XXXVII President of the United States: 1969 - 1974

361 - Radio Address on the American Veteran.

October 22, 1972

Good morning, my fellow Americans:

Veterans Day this year takes on an added meaning as American troops return from another distant conflict, because of the progress we have made this past year toward our goal of a full generation of peace.

No group has sacrificed more for this goal than the men and women who have proudly worn the American uniform. In serving their country, they have sought not glory for themselves, but peace, honor, and freedom for us all. Today, I ask all of my fellow citizens to join with me in honoring them.

The American veteran has expressed in his service much of what is finest in our Nation. Courage, selflessness, discipline, and devotion--these are qualities we will need as much to build a future at peace as we have needed in the past in time of War.

At a time when a small minority has tried to glorify the few who have refused to serve, it is more important than ever that we honor the millions who have loyally stood by their country when the challenge to freedom called for service.

Speaking for the American people, I say today that the vast majority of us have never been prouder of our country's nearly 29 million living veterans, whatever their service, whether they are the survivors of World War I or the young Americans who have served in Vietnam. To all of them I say that our respect has never been stronger, nor our gratitude greater, than on this Veterans Day, 1972.

As President I have done everything I can to see to it that this gratitude and respect is reflected by the Government's treatment of American veterans. Dollars, health care, educational opportunities can never fully repay the sacrifices our veterans have made, but they can at least serve as a beginning.

I am happy to be able to report that America is doing more for its veterans today than ever before. Since January 1969:

--We have raised veterans average compensation benefits by over 20 percent and pensions by 16 percent.

--We have increased the individual veteran's education and training benefits by 34 percent. And when I sign into law the new GI bill benefits just enacted by the Congress, they will have risen by nearly 70 percent, and our total outlays for veterans education and training benefits will have quadrupled.

--We have brought hospital and extended care treatment to over 80,000 more veterans than ever before; VA clinic-outpatient treatments have increased by 4 million.

--We have doubled the number of GI bill trainees, from 90,000 in 1969 to over 2 million expected by 1973.

--We have increased the number of guaranteed housing loans to veterans by 64 percent over the 1969 level.

Each of these achievements is important; each has brought a better life and a more promising future for millions of American veterans and their families.

But as we approach the end of our long and difficult military involvement in Vietnam, we have also had to recognize the need for special measures to meet special problems, and one of these is the problem of drug abuse. It is a social problem not a military problem, but it has made itself felt in our Armed Forces just as it has in our civilian society.

To meet it, we have mounted an unprecedented new effort to treat those veterans who have drug problems. In 1971, we increased the number of specialized Veterans Administration treatment centers for drug abuse sixfold. This year another 12 centers have been opened, and many existing facilities have been expanded.

More importantly, we have launched a massive educational and training effort to prevent drug abuse before the damage is done. It is helping the Armed Forces combat successfully a problem not of their own making. Just as we are determined to stamp out drug abuse in civilian society, we are also pledged to provide whatever is needed to stamp it out in our Armed Forces.

But in facing the drug problem, we must do so with perspective. We must never lose sight of the fact that the vast majority of Vietnam veterans have come out of this war with a clean slate and a record of honor.

As a private citizen and as President, I have been to Vietnam seven times.

I have been to Danang with the Marines; I have been up in the highlands with the Army; I have seen the Navy and the Air Force playing their part in the war effort.

And I can tell you from personal observation that we can all be proud of those Americans who have served in Vietnam.

I have seen young officers and enlisted men who have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars out of their own pockets to build schools and community centers, roads, orphanages for the people of South Vietnam.

I have seen them spend hours of their free time teaching and helping the people of Vietnam, and particularly the children of Vietnam.

It is fitting that at this time we honor the 6 million young men and women who stood by the flag and served their country during the period of the Vietnam war.

They deserve the opportunities which we are providing, but, even more, they deserve the respect which only you can give.

They deserve it because they have earned it.

And they stand today just as tall as their fathers who fought at Normandy, Iwo Jima, and Inchon.

To them, and to their parents, wives, and loved ones, I promise that as long as I am President, America will not turn her back on those who served. We are not going to make a mockery of their sacrifice by surrendering to the enemy or by offering amnesty to draft dodgers and deserters. The 2 1/2 million who chose to serve America in Vietnam have paid a price for their choice. The few hundred who chose to desert America must pay a price for their choice.

There is something else that we owe to the veterans of Vietnam. With America's combat role ending, with the reductions we have been able to make in our Armed Forces elsewhere, thousands of young veterans are coming home to begin civilian life again.

These young men deserve not only a welcome, they deserve a job. I am glad to be able to report that as the economy continues to expand, the job picture for American veterans is also improving. And part of the reason is the concentrated special effort being made by the Federal Government.

On June 11, 1971, I announced the Jobs for Veterans program with a target of providing one million Vietnam-era veterans with jobs and training placements by June 30, 1972.1 We have not • only met that goal; we have surpassed it. We were able to place 1 .3 million veterans by the June 30 target date, and we are now working to provide jobs and training placements for another 1 .3 million by next June for a 2-year total of 2.6 million.

1 See 1971 volume, Item 200.

In this connection, I would like to point out that hiring veterans is one of the best investments an employer can make. Veterans have proved their ability to work and to work hard. They know the importance of discipline. Their experience in the service has taught them the meaning of responsibility. Hiring veterans isn't just patriotic it makes plain good business sense.

So I am confident that, with the wholehearted support of the private sector and of individual citizens, we can achieve our goal of jobs for veterans.

Most of the challenges that we face as a nation are bigger than party politics.

No challenge is greater than that of keeping the peace in a dangerous world in which nations have conflicting interests.

During the past 4 years, we have begun moving out of an era of great peril and entering an era of great promise. But if we are to continue to make progress for peace, we must keep America strong.

We must keep America strong, not out of some misguided pride or national vanity, but because, in the whole free world today, no other nation can take America's place.
That is why one of the things I have worked hardest for as President has been to keep America strong.

There is no such thing as a retreat to peace. There is no such thing as peace without order. And if America were suddenly to slash away her defensive strength and abdicate her responsibilities as the major power of the flee world, we would be retreating.

We would be leaving behind us a global vacuum that could only be filled with chaos and turmoil--a vacuum in which peace and order could not survive.

Some of the voices we hear today calling for a weak America, for an isolationist America, are little more than echoes of past blunders. The same misguided thinking they espouse today led an unprepared America into two World Wars in this century because it encouraged others to believe that their aggressions would go unpunished.

Today America is strong. Today America is prepared. And because we are strong and prepared, we have been able to make dramatic progress toward arms reductions, toward better relations with the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China, toward the first full generation of peace our country will have known in this century.

That is something we all should think about on this Veterans Day, as we honor the Americans who have given so much in past wars. We can all be encouraged-both those who have already served to keep America free, and their children and younger brothers and sisters who, for the first time, have a realistic hope for a future in which all of our people can enjoy both peace and freedom.

Peace is not built by the weak of heart or by the weak of spirit. It is built by nations that have character, courage, and the strength to make their good intentions credible to others.

That is the kind of country America must remain. I promise that I will work to keep America that kind of country.

I can think of no better occasion than Veterans Day to renew this pledge to the American people.

Thank you, and good morning.

Note: The President spoke at 10:36 a.m. from Camp David, Md. The address was broadcast live on nationwide radio.










http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/we-could-have-stopped-ebola-cdc-expert-says-n204841

NBC NEWS


Ebola Virus Outbreak

270 STORIES

STORYLINE

Continuing coverage of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa

We Could Have Stopped Ebola, CDC Expert Says

The Ebola epidemic could have been stopped sooner if the world had done even a little bit to build up a public health system in West Africa, a top CDC expert said Tuesday.

“We must do more, and do it quickly, to strengthen global health security around the world, because we are all connected,” said Dr. Beth Bell, director of CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. “If we do not act to stop Ebola, we could be dealing with it for years to come.”



- posted by H.V.O.M - Kerry Wayne Burgess 8:39 PM Pacific Time Spokane Valley Washington USA Wednesday 17 September 2014