Danger of Carbon-di-oxide to Public Health : EPA

Carbon dioxide and other so-called greenhouse gases are dangerous to public health

December 08, 2009 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has officially declared that carbon dioxide and other so-called greenhouse gases are dangerous to public health and welfare, paving the way for much stricter emissions standards.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced the “endangerment finding” on December 7. This ruling was needed to allow new emissions regulations for automobiles to move forward, and it sets the stage for large-scale emitters of these gases such as factories, power plants, and refineries to be hit with limitations on their output.

"These long overdue findings cement 2009's place in history as the year when the U.S. government began addressing the challenge of greenhouse-gas pollution and seizing the opportunity of clean-energy reform," Jackson declared in a statement. The Obama administration had indicated earlier in the year that it would make this controversial decision, but the timing of the announcement is meant to coincide with the opening of the global climate summit in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The EPA decision gives President Barack Obama a way to show the leaders of the Copenhagen conference that the United States is committed to dealing with climate change. President Obama is scheduled to attend on December 18, and he can be expected to point to the EPA ruling as evidence of U.S. determination to cut its greenhouse-gas emissions.

This is also meant to put roundabout pressure on developing countries such as Communist China and India, where the greatest increase in emissions is expected in the future. But these countries have shown an unwillingness to impede their own rate of development unless more advanced nations lead the way by first cutting their own emissions. The EPA decision is meant to put the pressure back on the developing nations to comply.

Opponents of the EPA ruling, such as U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue, stated that it "could result in a top-down command-and-control regime that will choke off growth by adding new mandates to virtually every major construction and renovation project. The devil will be in the details, and we look forward to working with the government to ensure we don't stifle our economic recovery."

The National Association of Manufacturers, a U.S. industry trade group, said the EPA action wouldn't significantly combat climate change, and "is certain to come at a huge cost to the economy."

The Competitive Enterprise Institute, a self-described “public interest group dedicated to free enterprise and limited government,” has even announced that it will file suit in federal court to overturn the EPA endangerment finding. CEI pointed to major scientific issues being ignored by the EPA, including the recent Climategate fraud scandal.

"EPA is clinging for dear life to the notion that the global climate models are holding up,” said CEI General Counsel Sam Kazman. “In reality, those models are about to sink under the growing weight of evidence that they are fabrications.”

“Today's decision by EPA will trigger costly and time-consuming permitting requirements for tens of thousands of previously unregulated small businesses under the Clean Air Act,” said CEI Senior Fellow Marlo Lewis. “A more potent Anti-Stimulus Package would be hard to imagine.”

“The sensible solution,” Lewis pointed out, “would be for Congress to pass legislation, such as that proposed by Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee that would pre-empt the EPA from regulating carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.”

One can only hope that the arguments of the cooler heads in U.S. business and manufacturing and the Competitive Enterprise Institute will prevail over the global-warming hysteria that has taken hold of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Copenhagen summit welcomes US emissions curbs

UN and EU officials have welcomed the US declaration that greenhouse gases are threatening to human health.

An EU spokesman said the announcement showed "a degree of resolve" on the part of President Barack Obama to address climate change.

The US move came as delegates from 192 countries got down to work at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen.

Danish PM Lars Loekke Rasmussen has said the summit is an "opportunity the world cannot afford to miss".

The US declaration could mean the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can order cuts in emissions without the approval of Congress. Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the UN scientific network on climate change, said the Obama administration was "showing what it can do, even while legislation is pending".

"It also sends a powerful signal to Congress. It shows a degree of resolve on the part of the president," he told the Associated Press news agency.

The environment minister for Sweden - which currently holds the EU presidency - said the outcome of the summit depended mostly "on what will be delivered by the United States and China".

Andreas Carlgren said he would be "astonished" if US President Barack Obama did not offer further concessions when he arrives at the summit next week.

The BBC's Mark Mardell in Washington said the US announcement had been expected for some time, but still sends an important signal to leaders attending the summit that Mr Obama is intent on passing legislation to curb emissions.

'Our chance'

As the Copenhagen summit opened, Mr Rasmussen told delegates the world was looking to them to safeguard humanity.

He said a "strong and ambitious climate change agreement" was needed.

"By the end, we must be able to deliver back to the world what was granted us here today: hope for a better future," he said.

Connie Hedegaard, conference president, said political will to address climate change has never been - and never will be - stronger.

"This is our chance. If we miss it, it could take years before we got a new and better one. If ever," she said.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has praised France for taking political leadership in the climate change debate.

He said President Nicolas Sarkozy had been "instrumental in bringing the current stage of the negotiation to where we are now".

Meanwhile British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he wants European leaders to commit to deeper cuts in carbon emissions than previously agreed.

The EU has so far only been willing to increase its emissions target if an international deal is reached at the Copenhagen climate summit.

Mr Brown's comments come as the UK's official climate watchdog said a new aviation policy was needed to limit an increase in flights.

The report by the independent Committee on Climate Change said it had discussed ideas like levying extra taxes and issuing flying allowances to reduce air travel.

The main areas for discussion at the Copenhagen summit include:

• Targets to curb greenhouse gas emissions, in particular by developed countries


• Financial support for mitigation of and adaptation to climate change by developing countries


• A carbon trading scheme aimed at ending the destruction of the world's forests by 2030

Any agreement made at Copenhagen is intended to supplant the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on climate change, which expires in 2012.

Glaxo's swine flu shot may give kids fever

Glaxo's swine flu shot leads to fever for kids

December 07, 2009 - The European Medicines Agency warns that young children given GlaxoSmithKline's swine flu shot may get a fever after their second dose.

In a statement issued Friday, the European drug regulator said data from GlaxoSmithKline PLC showed a higher number of children aged six months to 3 years had a fever after their second dose of the Pandemrix vaccine, compared with the first. Kids were also more likely to have side effects like muscle pain, drowsiness, and irritability.

The European regulator recommends children get two doses of swine flu vaccine, though Glaxo says one dose is enough.

Glaxo's vaccine contains an adjuvant, a chemical compound to boost the immune response. It is sold across Europe and Canada.

Another formulation of Glaxo's vaccine, without the adjuvant, is available in the U.S. Vaccines with adjuvants usually cause more side effects. No flu vaccines with adjuvants are licensed in the U.S.

Last month, Glaxo advised health authorities not to use one batch of its Canadian-manufactured swine flu vaccine in case it triggered life-threatening side effects like anaphylactic shock.

In a press briefing on Thursday, the World Health Organization's flu chief Keiji Fukuda said that more than 150 million doses of swine flu vaccine have been distributed in more than 40 countries and that they had not seen any evidence to suggest the vaccines caused worrying side effects.

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Obama salutes jazz great Brubeck at Kennedy Center

Barack Obama at Kennedy Center.

December 07, 2009 - Nearly 40 years ago, a Kenyan father was visiting his son in Hawaii and took him to his first jazz concert. The boy was Barack Obama and the performer was jazz great Dave Brubeck.

"I've been a jazz fan ever since," the president said Sunday, crediting the pianist and composer with bringing jazz into the mainstream and transforming it with new rhythms. "The world that he opened up for a 10-year-old boy was spectacular."

Obama greeted Brubeck at the White House on the musician's 89th birthday. The musician was lauded with the Kennedy Center Honors, along with rocker Bruce Springsteen, actor Robert De Niro, comic genius Mel Brooks and opera singer Grace Bumbry.

A surprise list of stars performed as part of the nation's highest honors for those who have defined American culture through the arts. It's part of a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy.

Jon Stewart opened the tribute to Springsteen, recounting his theory on how The Boss came to be.

"I'm not a music critic, nor historian, nor archivist," Stewart said. "But I am from New Jersey. And so I can tell you what I believe. ... I believe that Bob Dylan and James Brown had a baby."

As the story goes, Stewart said Dylan and Brown abandoned the child on the New Jersey Turnpike, and the child was raised by "a pack of feral vaudevillians. That child is Bruce Springsteen."

Stewart had first lady Michelle Obama doubled over laughing. And The Boss, seated next to her, even cracked a smile.

John Mellencamp sang "Born in the U.S.A.," Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland did "Glory Days" with a country twist, Melissa Ethridge rocked the house with "Born To Run" to a standing ovation and Sting ended the musical tribute with "The Rising" with help from a choir.

About 300 guests, including Jack Black, Edward Norton, Matthew Broderick, Ben Stiller, Martin Scorsese, Philip Seymour Hoffman celebrated the group with a reception in the East Room of the White House before the show.

"These performers are indeed the best," Obama said. "They are also living reminders of a single truth — and I'm going to steal a line from Michelle here — the arts are not somehow apart from our national life, the arts are the heart of our national life."

Springsteen, 60, described the award he received on Saturday night at a State Department dinner as different than other accolades.

"We worked really hard for our music to be part of American life and our fans' lives," he said. "So it's an acknowledgment that you've kind of threaded your way into the culture in a certain way. It's satisfying."

The show will air nationwide Dec. 29 on CBS.

The honors were heartfelt for the 66-year-old De Niro. Meryl Streep opened with a tribute to her friend who she said was exacting with details as an actor, director and producer.

"He did what I and my drama school friends dreamed of — to disappear and morph into a (character)," she said.

Later, Aretha Franklin recounted highlights from Bumbry's career. As a 25-year-old singer, Bumbry broke racial barriers in 1961 when she was invited to perform in a production of Wagner's "Tannhauser." She would be the first black opera singer to appear at Germany's Bayreuth, a shine to the composer's work. Many conservative opera-goers were infuriated. But by the end of the performance, the audience applauded for 30 minutes and drew 42 curtain calls.

Later, Jacqueline Kennedy invited Bumbry to sing at the White House.

Bumbry, 72, said returning to meet Obama for the award was the highest honor she has received.

"It tops all of them," she said. "First of all it's my country, and secondly it's the greatest award we have in this country for the arts."

The gala is Obama's first big event since Micheale and Tareq Salahi slipped past White House security on Nov. 24. The Secret Service runs security for Kennedy Center events the president attends, and everyone who enters must have a ticket that will be checked at the door.

On the red carpet Sunday, Katie Couric said she talked to the Salahis quite a bit at the dinner and joked that everyone is going to be on the lookout for party crashers.

"I think security is a little tighter here," she said.

Carol Burnett led a series of toasts at a more private celebration for the honorees Saturday at a dinner hosted by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"In every time and every culture, artists have lit the way toward progress," Clinton said. "They've helped to provide a common language, a fabric that weaves us together as human beings."

Then there's the more irreverent arts. Even the mention of Brooks' number "Springtime for Hitler" from "The Producers" was enough to draw chuckles.

Brooks, 83, said it's special to receive the honor during the Obama administration. He said he would whisper something in the president's ear about the need for more federal funding for the arts.

"I think when all my awards go to e-Bay, it will be the last," Brooks said of the Kennedy Center medallion before the show. "That's how much I treasure it."

Jack Black saluted Brooks with a rendition of "Men in Tights," and Harry Connick Jr. sang "High Anxiety."

And the show wouldn't have been complete without a riff on the Nazis. Matthew Morrison from TV's "Glee" sang "Springtime for Hitler." Brooks saluted back with a black mustache held over his lip.

Obama joked at the White House that there was a method to Brooks' "madness."

"By illuminating uncomfortable truths — about racism and sexism and anti-Semitism," Obama said, "he's been called 'our jester, asking us to see ourselves as we really are, determined that we laugh ourselves sane.'"