Sign of hope at clogged Sainsbury's car park

New signs have been put up at Bath's main Sainsbury's store tohelp avoid car parking congestion.

The Green Park Station store is one of the first in the countryto install a hi-tech parking management system.

Two years ago the retail giant put in electronic sensors on eachof the 450 parking spaces at the outlet, which is one of the busiestin the country.

Now an electronic sign has been put in place to alert drivers toexactly how many spaces are available.

Sainsbury's put in similar technology at its Watford store latelast year.

The chain's car parks feasibility manager Gavin Clarke, said thenew sign was introduced to make life easier for …

The Joshua Tree

The Joshua Tree by L. Steven Rencher Frayer & Williams Publishing, May 2005 $18.95, ISBN 1-413-74183-5

The Joshua Tree reads like an epic. Set in the Bronx, New York, in 1972, it's the story of two teenagers, Joshua Peeler and Sarah Edwards, both 16.

Rencher writes an urban tale about …

Super 14: Blues beat Force 25-19 in opener

The Auckland Blues scored the first 17 points of the second half to overcome a six-point halftime deficit and beat the Western Force 25-19 Friday in the teams' opening Super 14 match.

Trailing 14-8 at halftime, the Blues scored three straight tries to open the second half, with Taniela Moa picking up a fourth for the Blues to give the visitors a bonus point.

A 60th-minute try to Force lock Tom Hockings gave the home side hope of a comeback, but the Blues held firm in the remaining 20 minutes.

The Blues, playing without All Blacks Rudi Wulf, Ali Williams, Jerome Kaino and Joe Rokocoko, started strongly and took a 3-0 lead in the 11th minute on a …

`Funny cake' looks like pie; no joke about taste

Funny, it doesn't look like a cake. In fact, the marvelousrecipe that follows is more like a pie. It starts with a crust;then a batter is poured in and topped with a chocolate sauce. Thesauce sinks down into the pie to create a rich layer next to thecrust. That's the funny part. There's nothing funny about theflavor however. That's delicious.

Here is my recipe for funny cake that I have in my collection.

FUNNY CAKE

1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie crust 1 1/4 cups flour1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 plus 2/3 cup sugar 1/4 cup shortening 1/2 cup milk2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided 1 …

Eva Longoria files for divorce from Tony Parker

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Less than four years after a storybook wedding in Paris, Eva Longoria filed court papers Wednesday to divorce basketball star Tony Parker, citing irreconcilable differences.

Parker, a three-time NBA All-Star with the San Antonio Spurs, made no hint as to what caused the split between him and the star of TV's "Desperate Housewives" during a brief meeting with a throng of reporters outside his team's locker room about an hour before a game.

"It's a difficult time right now for me and Eva," Parker said. "We got a joint statement and everything else is our private life."

Asked about speculation that Parker might have been involved with the wife of a former …

Human Rights Watch calls for release of 5 political activists in Syria

Syria should immediately and unconditionally release five political activists from detention, the New York-based Human Rights Watch said Monday.

Ahmad Tohme, Jaber al-Shoufi, Akram al-Bunni, Fidaa al-Hourani and Ali Abdullah were detained by Syrian authorities following a meeting of opposition groups in Damascus last week.

The Damascus-based Syrian Organization for Human Rights said Abdullah was detained Monday, while Hourani went to the state security's intelligence headquarters Sunday morning in the northern town of Hama after being summoned and has not been seen or heard of since then.

The other three activists were detained last week, the …

COASTER RIDE ENDS IN TRAGEDY

It was just a Saturday night out with the kids when a south suburban family trekked from their home in Dolton to Go Bananas, an indoor family entertainment center in northwest suburban Norridge.

The center's small roller coaster is a popular ride, and it caught the eye of the 3-year-old Dansby twins.

Then the unthinkable happened.

While on the ride, about 7 p.m., Jayson Dansby somehow freed himself from the safety bar and became wedged between two of the cars, according to Norridge Police Chief James Jobe. Jayson then fell about three or four feet from the moving roller coaster.

"For some reason, he crawled out from underneath the safety bar, and he fell …

Open lesbian elected to Denver City Council

Denver's first openly gay or lesbian city councilor was elected May 3. Robin Kniech won an at-large seat in an election that was conducted by mail.

"I ran to work for all Denver families, but I know this is a meaningful day for our LGBT community," Kniech said, according to the Gay & Lesbian …

Australian rugby league result

Result of Monday's ninth-round match in Australia's …

CAPTION ONLY

CAPTION …

DaimlerChrysler protesters threaten to boycott Chicago Defender

Ministers are rallying behind the Chicago Defender in the wake of a threatened protest.

Last Tuesday, a group, nearly 100 by television reports, raised picket signs outside the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers where the 26th annual Rainbow/PUSH Conference was held from June 26-July 1

At issue was whether the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. received funding from the DaimlerChrysler Corporation for the Conference. That's because a banner on the special 'wraparounds' on last week's issues of the Chicago Defender read "sponsored by DaimlerChrysler Services." In reality, neither Jackson nor the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition received any compensation for DaimlerChrysler's support of the …

Court overturns ruling in Gypsy sterilization case

An appeals court ruled Wednesday that a Czech hospital does not have to pay compensation to a Gypsy woman it sterilized 11 years ago without her consent.

The League for Human Rights sharply criticized the ruling and said it would appeal it to the Supreme Court. The ruling is seen as important because it overturned the first court judgment in the Czech Republic that had granted a Gypsy woman compensation from a hospital for such an operation.

Human rights groups believe hundreds of women in the republic's Gypsy minority of about 250,000 people have been sterilized against their will, a practice that dates back to communist times and only ended recently, …

Werder Bremen's managing director steps down

Werder Bremen's managing director Juergen Born has stepped down in the wake of a corruption probe in Peru.

Born took a leave of absence one week ago and announced his decision to resign Friday. The club said he was in South America.

According to reports in the Peruvian media, the Werder boss allegedly personally pocketed $50,000 (euro38,750) from the transfer of Roberto Silva to Werder Bremen in 2001. Born has denied any wrongdoing.

In a statement posted on the club's Web site, Born said he was stepping down immediately because he had "again become the subject of reports in connection with financial transactions."

"I can, however, assure you that I never drew any illegal financial benefits at the cost of Werder Bremen. Since providing proof needs some time, I want to spare Werder unnecessary burden," said Born, a former banker with a long career in South America.

Peruvian striker Claudio Pizarro, who is on loan to Werder from Chelsea, also has been implicated in the fraud investigation targeting his agent Carlos Delgado. Pizarro allegedly has a stake in Delgado's company Image.

Earlier this week, Werder said it would wait until the affair is cleared up before buying out Pizarro's contract from Chelsea. Pizarro previously played for Werder, before moving to Bayern Munich and eventually to Chelsea.

Feeding a hunger in the wilderness

Carlsbad, N.M.

There are those who want something more than security or pleasure; those who can't help but taunt security or pleasure....

There may be some bravado in their posture, but maybe they also know a tender dimension of adventure. Perhaps the restless risk-takers find in the wilderness a home for their brokenness; something of raw beauty to touch that which needs to be touched within.

And so they head out into the wilds, casting themselves...upon the ultimate insecurity and wonder of the elements.

-Geez Magazine

I lowered the magazine in my hands. The words I had just read about caution, security and pleasure rolled in my mind as I tried to look past my shadowy reflection in the bus window and into the black Arizona night. We were making our way back to British Columbia after five days of caving around Carlsbad, N.M., and our heads were full of images of rocks, stories of exploration, memories of fear and excitement-anything but feelings of caution and comfort.

There were 13 of us who drove the 40-plus hours to reach the promised land of New Mexico. We spent the week living like gypsies in a local caver's backyard-using the washroom at the grocery store next door, cooking our meals on stoves in the grass, sleeping under the stars.

Every morning we would be awakened by birdsong and the sounds of the trucks unloading their products at the grocery store loading dock. The locals watched us mill about in our little "lawn-village" all week, and I'm certain we thoroughly amused them.

By the end of the week, the milk truck driver became so curious that he approached me. "Do you like the chocolate milk?" he asked over the rock wall that separated our impromptu community from the loading dock. His English was textured by his native Spanish.

"Well...I suppose I do," I said, a bit taken aback.

He disappeared around the back of his truck and returned in a moment with two litres of chocolate milk in one hand, and four litres of skim in the other. Then we talked about where I was from, and why I was living in someone's backyard, and I thought how wonderful it was that I was getting to know the Carlsbad grocery store milkman. The others were just happy that I had scored some free milk.

We spent our days wandering into the desert, weaving through cacti until we found holes that opened up under the hot, dry skin of the earth. And down we would go. Suddenly, the vast mesas and dizzying blue sky were a memory, and our worlds became only as big as the glow emitting from the headlamps affixed to our helmets.

We would run our hands along the dry walls and peer closely at the rock that was still alive-glistening with water that was dripping from the roof above. The caves were pulsing, breathing things that grew sluggishly but persistently, as if they knew that the slower they moved, the stronger they would be.

Some of the rooms were as big as churches, filled with columns and decorations. If you were the lucky one who wandered in to one of these rooms first-with only your light peering into the darkness around you-your heart would lurch and your breath would catch.

My friend Lori was writing about God during our bus ride home. She passed me her journal at one point, and I read:

"Where has our hunger gone? How have experiences like caving in New Mexico become the extreme and not the norm? Why do caution and comfort motivate us more than adventure and passion? How long have we been so afraid?"

It is time to live illogically. It is time to respond to your gut. It is time to accept that God is moving in ways that humans can never understand, and it is time to take a risk. We are all meant to be adventurers and explorers, to discover new and important things.

Some of us quench that thirst by going into the wilderness. But our needs are truly deeper than that. They will remain insatiable as long as we look to the earth to speak to our brokenness and longing.

It is our spirits and our hearts that must risk-that must move illogically-that must open their arms to fear and excitement and danger and hurt. It is in us that the greatest adventures should take place.

[Author Affiliation]

-Andrea Ykema

The author just completed her first year at Columbia Bible College, Abbotsford, B.C., where she is studying outdoor leadership.

Yellowstone River oil spill takes toll on wildlife

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Wildlife officials captured an oiled hawk Tuesday and were trying to capture more than a dozen other animals that might have been harmed by a broken Exxon Mobil pipeline that spilled an estimated 1000 barrels of oil into the Yellowstone River in Montana

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said that an animal rescue team on Tuesday captured a Cooper's hawk that had been oiled and hoped to rehabilitate it.

The wildlife service had previously said that 19 oiled animals have been seen but not yet captured, including a bald eagle. Biologists do not believe the bald eagle will survive the winter unless it is cleaned, Fish and Wildlife's Karen Nelson said

Crews have collected 10 dead animals for analysis, and another five have been captured for cleaning and care.

Most of the animals affected are various types of birds and fish but also include a fox and beaver.

As the wildlife tally from the spill increased, authorities also faced a new challenge in efforts to clean up fouled shorelines and islands on the Yellowstone.

Montana Department of Environmental Quality Deputy Director Tom Livers said pockets of oil have been trapped in many of the hundreds of log jams left behind from record spring floods.

Officials are weighing options ranging from removing oil-stained log jams with helicopters to burning them. Livers said setting the piles of wood and other flood debris would be a last resort.

"As we're starting to get access to those islands, this is going to be one of the most challenging problems to solve," Livers said.

There are at least a couple hundred of log jams in the most heavily contaminated areas, though not all are oiled, he said.

The pipe that runs under the waterway near Billings failed July 1.

Enforce driving laws

Is pulling to the right of the road and letting emergency vehicles pass still a driving law in Chicago? I wasn't sure because a good portion of drivers in Chicago keep driving on the their way without following this law.

If Mayor Daley wanted to increase revenue, instead of lowering the number of tickets eligible for the Denver boot from three to two, he would have "red-light type" cameras installed in emergency vehicles and send tickets in the mail to drivers who fail to pull to the right of the road.

Then, after this version of Big Brother's "revenue cow" was a success, I would install cameras on buses to catch drivers breaking the law and GPS systems in the mayor's and aldermen's cars to see if they're doing their jobs.

Walter Brzeski, Montclare

SNOWBALL EARTH: THE STORY OF THE GREAT GLOBAL CATASTROPHE THAT SPAWNED LIFE AS WE KNOW IT

SNOWBALL EARTH: THE STORY OF THE GREAT GLOBAL CATASTROPHE THAT SPAWNED LIFE AS WE KNOW IT Gabrielle Walker, 2003, 269 pp., $24.95, hardbound, Crown Publishing Group, ISBN 0-609-60973-4

Five years ago, Paul Hoffman and colleagues at Harvard University published a paper in Science (Hoffman et al. 1998) in which they argued that the Earth experienced global glaciation at least twice during the Neoproterozoic Era, once at 750 million years ago and again at 600 million years ago. This "snowball Earth" hypothesis, which had been suggested by Joe Kirschvink at Caltech several years earlier (Kirschvink 1992), has caught the attention of both Earth scientists and the general public. This book by Gabrielle Walker, a former features editor and current contributing editor with New Scientist magazine, documents the development of this idea and provides interesting insights into the personalities of the major scientific players, particularly Hoffman himself.

The book is an entertaining read for scientists and nonscientists alike. (I have direct anecdotal evidence for this because my father picked it up and read through the whole book during a recent family visit.) It starts with a description of Hoffman's first, remarkably good, attempt at the Boston marathon-he ran 2:28 and finished ninth-and includes travelogues of several field trips on which the author was invited. The most harrowing of these was to Namibia, where Hoffman found the glacial deposits and surrounding strata on which his theory was based, and where the author experienced a close encounter with an African elephant. (She survived, but was left with mixed emotions about the quality of the travel services provided by her scientific tour guide.)

From a scientific point of view, the book provides an excellent introduction to the geologic evidence for snowball Earth and a somewhat less well-researched review of the accompanying climate theory. The primary geologic evidence comes from paleomagnetism. Glacial deposits in Australia and elsewhere are found interbedded with igneous rocks in which the remnant magnetization is parallel to the original bedding plane of the rocks, indicating a low-latitude origin. The Australian geologist George Williams and his colleagues had realized this decades ago, but they focused on Williams's alternative, "high-obliquity hypothesis" (Williams 1975), which has received little support in recent years. During the late 1980s, Joe Kirschvink performed a definitive "fold test" on some of the Australian rock samples. He found that the embedded magnetic field lines were bent along with the rocks themselves, indicating that the magnetization was emplaced before the rocks were folded tectonically. Shortly afterward, he presented his findings at a symposium at UCLA and coined the term snowball Earth to describe how this might have happened (Kirschvink 1992). On a low-obliquity Earth it is difficult, though not necessarily impossible (Hyde et al. 2000), to glaciate continents in the Tropics without having ice everywhere else as well. Kirshvink's story and other interesting anecdotes about his research, such as his finding that southern hemisphere magnetotactic bacteria are smarter than their northern hemisphere cousins, are described in the book. There are other pieces of evidence, as well, that fit the snowball theory, including thick "cap carbonates" overlying the glacial deposits (presumably formed by removal of volcanic CO2 that built up in the atmosphere during the glaciations) and the reappearance of banded-iron formations, or BIFs, formed from ferrous iron that accumulated in an anoxic deep ocean cut off by the ice from the O2-rich atmosphere. Nongeologists will find much to learn about these topics from the discussions in the book.

From a climatologist's standpoint, the theory of how global glaciation might occur is equally interesting. The author cites the pioneering work on ice albedo feedback in energy balance climate models (EBMs) by Budyko (1969) and Sellers (1969), although she misses the earlier work by Eriksson (1968) that Hoffman has been careful to point to in his more recent papers and talks. All of these authors noted that ice albedo feedback could lead to runaway glaciation if the ice line advanced too close to the equator. Walker is less accurate in describing the alternative "slushball Earth" model of Hyde et al. (2000). Of this work she says, "However much the modelers wanted to generate an ice-covered world, their models wouldn't oblige. . . . The modern models stuck at a sort of halfway house, where ice advanced to somewhere near the Tropics, but no farther." In fact, the GENESIS 2 general circulation model (GCM) run by Hyde et al. for 600 million years ago (5% reduced solar constant) is stable for 2.5 times present CO2, but "goes snowball" for CO2 levels lower than this value. This reviewer is particularly attuned to the possibility that Earth could globally glaciate, as I have spent many hours trying to figure out how Earth avoided such a fate earlier in its history when solar luminosity was even lower.

As a scientific aside, the question of exactly what it takes to trigger global glaciation has still not been answered satisfactorily. One critical issue is the albedo of ice and snow. The Neoproterozoic simulation performed by Chandler and Sohl (2000) with the GISS GCM did not go snowball at any plausible CO2 level, but then their spectrally-averaged sea-ice albedo was 0.45, compared to (temperature-dependent) values of 0.58-0.68 in GENESIS 2. Another key issue concerns meridional heat transport rates. EBMs with diffusive heat transport (and GCMs with diffusive slab oceans) predict instability when the ice line moves equatorward of 25�-30�; however, the critical latitude for instability changes when different heat transport mechanisms are considered. The tropics become more resistant to glaciation if meridional heat transport is inhibited so that they cannot export heat to higher latitudes, or when rapid heat exchange occurs within the tropics themselves (Lindzen and Farrell 1977). Recently, Poulsen (2003) has published calculations using a coupled atmosphere-ocean GCM (FOAM version 1.4) that appears highly resistant to global glaciation, apparently because of a combination of low ocean heat transport and low transport of latent heat from the tropical atmosphere to midlatitudes. Whether or not this conclusion is robust remains to be seen.

Snowball Earth also misses the mark slightly in tracing the evolution of ideas. Dan Schrag (the "idea man," according to the text) gets credit for the thought that low-latitude continents predispose the Earth to global glaciation by inhibiting the normal negative feedback between CO2 and silicate weathering, whereas this idea had already been described in considerable detail more than a decade earlier (Marshall et al. 1988). Joe Kirschvink, who truly does deserve credit for the basic hypothesis of Snowball Earth, is also credited with thinking of the way out (volcanic outgassing leads to CO2 buildup), whereas that idea had been published even earlier (Walker et al. 1981) and was rehashed in the same volume in which Kirshvink's paper appeared. The author also makes no mention of the evidence for snowball Earth episodes in the Paleoproterozoic (~2.3 billion years ago) (Evans et al. 1997), a phenomenon that may have been linked to the initial rise in atmospheric O2 (Pavlov et al. 2000).

This is quibbling, however. Snowball Earth is an engaging and scientifically useful book. In my view, the status of this hypothesis is similar to that of the asteroid-impact hypothesis for the extinction of the dinosaurs shortly after the Alvarezes published their seminal paper in 1981. Despite the presence of a global iridium layer that no other theory could explain, many paleontologists remained skeptical until the "smoking gun" (the Chicxulub crater) was found 10 years later. (Some paleontologists remain skeptical, of course, but they are fewer and fewer in numbers, and their skepticism will eventually die with them.) The equivalent of the iridium layer for the snowball Earth hypothesis is the paleomagnetic evidence for low-latitude glaciation. The cap carbonates and BIFs may constitute the smoking gun for this hypothesis, but these pieces of evidence are more subject to interpretation than is a 200-km diameter crater. Gabrielle Walker's book should help to popularize the snowball Earth hypothesis and may ultimately help it to become an accepted part of Earth science.

-JAMES F. KASTING

[Reference]

REFERENCES

Budyko, M. I., 1969: The effect of solar radiation variations on the climate of the Earth. Tellus, 21, 611-619.

Chandler, M. A., and L. E. Sohl, 2000: Climate forcings and the initiation of low-latitude ice sheets during the Neoproterozoic Varanger glacial interval. J. Geophys. Res., 105, 20 737-20 756.

Eriksson, E., 1968: Air-ocean-icecap interactions in relation to climatic fluctuations and glaciation cycles. Meteorol. Monogr., 8, 68-92.

Evans, D. A., N. J. Beukes, and J. L. Kirshvink, 1997: Low-latitude glaciation in the Proterozoic era. Nature, 386, 262-266.

Hoffman, P. F., A. J. Kaufman, G. P. Halverson, and D. P. Schrag, 1998: A Neoproterozoic snowball Earth. Science, 281, 1342-1346.

Hyde, W. T., T. J. Crowley, S. K. Baum, and W. R. Peltier, 2000: Neoproterozoic 'snowball Earth' simulations with a coupled climate/ice-sheet model. Nature, 405, 425-429.

Kirschvink, J. L., 1992: Late Proterozoic low-latitude global glaciation: the snowball Earth. The Proterozoic Biosphere: A Multidisciplinary Study, J. W. Schopf and C. Klein, Eds., Cambridge University Press, 51-52.

Lindzen, R. S., and B. Farrell, 1977: Some realistic modifications of simple climate models. J. Atmos. Sci., 34, 1487-1500.

Marshall, H. G., J. C. G. Walker, and W. R. Kuhn, 1988: Long-term climate change and the geochemical cycle of carbon. J. Geophys. Res., 93, 791-802.

Pavlov, A. A., J. F. Kasting, L. L. Brown, K. A. Rages, and R. Freedman, 2000: Greenhouse warming by CH4 in the atmosphere of early Earth. J. Geophys. Res., 105, 11,981-11,990.

Poulsen, C. J., 2003: Absence of a runaway ice-albedo feedback in the Neoproterozoic. Geology, 31, 473-476.

Sellers, W. D., 1969: A climate model based on the energy balance of the Earth-atmosphere system. J. Appl. Meteor., 8, 392-400.

Walker, J. C. G., P. B. Hays, and J. F. Kasting, 1981: A negative feedback mechanism for the long-term stabilization of Earth's surface temperature. J. Geophys. Res., 86, 9776-9782.

Williams, G. E., 1975: Late Precambrian glacial climate and the Earth's obliquity. Geol. Mag., 112, 441-465.

[Author Affiliation]

James Kasting is a professor of geosciences and meteorology at The Pennsylvania State University. His research interests are in atmospheric and climate evolution on Earth and other planets.

SHORT & TWEET

Rubashkin appeal filed: Attorneys for Sholom Rubashkin filed an appeal brief with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on January 3. Rubashkin, 51, former CEO of the Agriprocessors kosher slaughterhouse and meat packing plant in Postville, Iowa, was convicted of bank fraud and sentenced to 27 years in prison in November 2009. The Washington, D.C. firm Lewin & Lewin maintain that their client's sentence was "both procedurally flawed and substantively unreasonable". They argue that he should be awarded a new trial because Chief U.S. District Court Judge Linda Reade, who presided over the trial, had a role in planning a May 2008 immigration raid on the plant.

They cite Rubashkin's "stellar history" of good deeds, his contributions to his community and the needs of his teenage autistic son, which require his presence at home.

They term his sentence "outrageously severe" for a white collar crime.

Bye-bye Helen Thomas: The Helen Thomas lifetime achievement award, given out annually by the Indianapolis-based Society for Professional Journalists, may have come to an end. Thoraas, the former White House press correspondent who (among other things) said earlier this year that Jews ought to "get the hell out of Palestine", and confirmed those views recently (JEWISH STAR, June 25;' Dec. 10, 2010). The SPJ executive has recommended that the 102-year-old journalism group drop the award. The JEWISH STAR is an SPJ member.

Diplomatic slow-down: Everyone from the president Of Russia to Filipino guest workers and new immigrants is being blocked from entering Israel, not as a result of fighting on the border but internal dissent. A work slowdown by the country's diplomatic corps, which began last summer as wage talks between the diplomatic corps union and the Foreign Ministry became blocked, has grown more severe with time, according to The Media Line.

Foreign Ministry employees have stopped arranging official visits and processing visas for immigrants and foreign workers, and have stopped working with other branches of the government. The latest escalation went into effect December 27 and caused Israel a major diplomatic embarrassment this month when Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's president, was forced to cancel a rare visit to Israel January 16-19. In addition, official visits to Israel from Slovenia and Croatia have been postponed, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel may have to delay a visit to Israel scheduled for the end of January.

Obama appoints Syrian ambassador: President Obama appointed Robert Stephen Ford to be the first U.S. ambassador to Syria since 2005. The last ambassador was recalled by the Bush administration following the assassination of Rank al-Harari. Ford, whose nomination was opposed by Republican officials, waspreviously U.S. ambassador to Algeria.

- Complied by the CHICAGO JEWISH STAR

Five bikers killed in Calif. highway wreck

WILLITS, Calif. - Five motorcyclists heading home from a biker'sgathering died Sunday in a pileup that closed a two-lane stretch ofamajor highway for several hours.

The unidentified bikers were heading south on U.S. 101 when apickup in the northbound lane rear-ended a Jeep Cherokee and sent itinto oncoming traffic near Willits, 125 miles north of SanFrancisco.

Four motorcycles crashed into the Jeep. Four male bikers and afemale passenger were killed. All were wearing helmets, theCalifornia Highway Patrol said.Another biker was treated for moderate injuries and released.The driver of the Jeep, the pickup driver and his passenger werealso injured.

Outcomes from a Canadian Public Health Prenatal Screening Program for Hepatitis B: 1997-2004

ABSTRACT

Background: Without appropriate prophylaxis, the rate of vertical transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) can be as high as 95%. Alberta's provincial prenatal program screens all pregnant women for HBV, and provides prophylaxis to infants born to HBV-infected women. Canadian data on the outcomes of such programs are limited.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of data from pregnant Albertan women who were Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) positive from 1997-2004. We describe the frequency of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) and vaccine administration, follow-up serology and pregnancy outcomes.

Results: In total, 1,485 HBsAg-positive pregnant women were identified; an average of 186 women annually (range: 125-216). Of the 980 infants eligible to have completed prophylaxis and serological follow-up, 82.0% were appropriately immunized and serologically tested, 11.3% had complete immunization but no serology testing and 6.6% were incompletely immunized. Of infants with complete immunization and follow-up, 3.7% failed to mount an immune response and 2.1% were infected.

Conclusion: A high proportion of infants born to carrier mothers are receiving appropriate post-natal prophylaxis in Alberta. Future research should examine maternal factors that may increase the vertical transmission of HBV.

MeSH terms: Hepatitis B virus; immunization; serologic tests; prenatal care; vertical transmission

Without appropriate prophylaxis, approximately 95% of infants born to Hepatitis B virus (HBV) chronic carrier mothers (i.e., Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) positive) become infected with HBV.1 The majority of these infected infants become chronic carriers themselves and face significant risk for future active hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma.2 Passive-active immunoprophylaxis commenced immediately after birth can reduce the rate of vertical transmission by more than 90%.3,4

Canada is a low endemicity country for HBV infection; prevalence estimates of chronic HBV in Canada range from 0.5% to 2%, with the majority of these infections occurring among Aboriginal, Asian and injection drug use populations.5-7 In 1985, a centralized program of HBV screening for all pregnant women was introduced in the province of Alberta. The coverage of this program is high and approximately 40,000 women are screened annually.5 Any infant born to an HBsAgpositive mother is to be administered hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG), three doses of HBV vaccine and postimmunization serology testing.

It is unclear to what extent appropriate postpartum prophylaxis is taking place in Alberta and there are limited Canadian data on outcomes of such prenatal HBV programs. In order to address these issues, we performed a retrospective review of women found to be HBsAg positive upon prenatal screening from 1997-2004. The goals of this research were to determine the proportion of infants from infected mothers receiving postpartum HBIG and HBV vaccination and to examine the serological outcomes of the infants.

METHODS

Description of the provincial program

As part of routine prenatal care, all pregnant women are screened for HBV using HBsAg serology. All provincial samples are tested at a central location. If a prenatal specimen tests HBsAg positive, the results are reported to: 1) the submitting physician, 2) Alberta Health and Wellness (AHW), the provincial government public health office, and 3) the Regional Health Authority (RHA). AHW sends a follow-up letter to both the submitting physician and the appropriate regional medical officer of health to notify them of the need to arrange appropriate postpartum immunoprophylaxis. Immunoprophylaxis consists of the administration of 0.5 mL HBIG and first dose of the Recombivax HB (0.5mL) vaccine as soon as possible after delivery. Two additional doses of the Recombivax HB are to be administered at 1-2 months and 6 months of age. In addition, postimmunization serology testing (HBsAg; anti- HBsAg) is recommended at approximately one year of age. If the infant tests negative to HBsAg and anti-HBsAg, additional doses of vaccine and follow-up serology are recommended. The province monitors compliance with these protocols through communications with the RHAs and reminder letters to physicians. Information concerning HBV prophylaxis and follow-up is reported to AHW and included in the Provincial Prenatal HBV Registry.

For this evaluation, infants were considered to have completed immunoprophylaxis if they had received HBIG, three doses of HBV vaccine and postvaccination serology, regardless of the timing of the vaccine doses or serology testing.

Analyses

Data were gathered from the Prenatal HBV Registry for all pregnant women who submitted routine prenatal blood samples from January 1, 1997 until December 16, 2004, and tested positive for HBsAg. Information extracted from the database included maternal age, infant date of birth, reason for pregnancy loss, and provincial region. Any missing information on infant vaccine or serological status was gathered from the reporting regions as required. This review was conducted for the purposes of a provincial program evaluation; only routinely collected data were analyzed.

Comparisons between groups were made using t-tests for continuous variables and Chi-square tests (or Fisher's exact tests) for categorical variables. Data cleaning and statistical analyses were done using Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, USA) and STATA version 8 (Statacorp, College Station, TX, USA).

RESULTS

In total, 1,485 pregnant women were included in the Alberta Prenatal HBV Registry from January 1, 1997 to December 14, 2004. The average age was 30.4 years (range: 15-46 years). On average, 186 (range: 125-216) HBsAg positive women were identified each year (Figure 1).

Of the 1,485 women in the registry, 23.3% (n=346) had yet to give birth or their infants had not completed the 18 months of follow-up for appropriate serology to have taken place (Figure 2). Another 10.8% (n=160) of the mothers evaluated had lost their pregnancy, had a stillbirth or the neonate/infant had died. The most common reason for this loss was spontaneous abortion (63.8%; n=102), which was not significantly higher than age-specific provincial rates. The proportion of therapeutic abortions reported among women in our database was significantly lower than the provincial rate for all age categories (data not shown).

In total, 979 mothers in the registry had live births and were eligible to have had complete immunoprophylaxis and serological follow-up for their infants. Of these, the majority was from the two largest cities in Alberta: Edmonton (38.5%) and Calgary (52.4%). In total, 82.0% (n=803) had complete prophylaxis and serological follow-up performed on their infants (note that one mother had twins, therefore the number of infants is 804). Of all infants with complete prophylaxis and follow-up, 88.7% (713/804) had HBIG and 83.0% (667/804) had the first dose of vaccine administered on their day of birth. Three infants had not received HBIG by the second day of life (range for these three infants: 3-28 days) and nine infants had not received their first vaccine dose by the second day of life (range: 3-28 days). On average, the second dose was administered at 2.1 months of age (range: 0.5-7.8 months) and the third dose was administered at 6.7 months of age (range: 2.8-18.1 months).

The remaining 18.0% (n=176) of eligible mothers had incomplete prophylaxis or follow-up for reasons such as the mother had moved outside of the province (n=57), non-compliance (n=58) and lost to followup (n=48). Of these incomplete cases, the majority (63.1% (n=111)) had HBIG and three vaccine doses administered, however there was no record of adequate serological follow-up testing being performed. Of those who moved, only 33.3% (n=19) had received three vaccine doses and none had received serological follow-up. Among the non-compliant group, the majority (91.4%) had received three vaccine doses, but none had serological testing. Among those infants lost to follow-up, 64.6% had received three vaccine doses but no followup serology.

Mothers of infants with complete immunoprophylaxis had a statistically significant older mean age (30.4 years vs. 29.0 years, p=0.01) when compared to mothers of infants who had incomplete vaccination and follow-up (not including women who had moved away). No significant differences in month of infant birth or provincial region were noted.

In total, there were 980 infants eligible to have completed HBV vaccination and serological follow-up. Of these, 82.0% (n=804) were appropriately immunized and serologically tested, 11.3% (n=111) of infants were immunized but had no follow-up serology, and 6.6% (n=65) were incompletely immunized. Of all babies with complete prophylaxis and follow-up (n=804), 1.6% (n=13) failed to mount an immune response and were not infected (anti-HBsAg and HBsAg negative), while 2.1% (n=17) were infected (HBsAgpositive). Seven of the babies who were anti- HBsAg positive had initially been seronegative after three vaccine doses; they were administered a fourth dose of vaccine and subsequently seroconverted. Therefore, the proportion of infants who did not respond (i.e., anti-HBsAg and HBsAg negative) after HBIG and three vaccine doses was 2.5% (20/804). There were no significant differences in the timing of vaccine doses, maternal age, or provincial region between those infants who did and did not respond to the vaccine series.

CONCLUSIONS

Prenatal HBV screening in Alberta identified 1,485 mothers as HBsAg positive from 1997-2004. Of 980 infants eligible to have completed postnatal HBV prophylaxis and follow-up, 82.0% were appropriately immunized and serologically tested. Of these infants, 3.7% failed to mount an immune response and 2.1% were infected.

The vast majority (93.4%) of infants born to HBsAg-positive women in Alberta had HBIG and three doses of vaccine. This is far higher than previous evaluations which reported three-dose vaccine coverage to be 59% in New York City8 and 63% in Louisiana9 and Ontario.10 It is interesting to note that previous research in the mid- 1980s from Alberta reported that 94% of infants born to carrier mothers had received appropriate vaccination, suggesting that the provincial prenatal screening and HBV prophylaxis program have consistently high uptake.11 Despite this success, improvements can be made to ensure that all children are appropriately vaccinated. Research by Kohn et al.9 indicated that infants with incomplete vaccine series were nearly eight times more likely to become HBV carriers, and half as likely to have serological protection against HBV.

We were initially concerned about the apparent high rate of pregnancy loss and infant death of almost 11%. However, our prevalence of spontaneous abortion, therapeutic abortion and stillbirth were not significantly higher than the age-specific provincial rates. These data support the previously reported finding that HBV carrier status is not associated with adverse fetal or neonatal outcomes.12

In total, 12.1% of appropriately vaccinated infants did not have follow-up serology. The lack of serological follow-up is less of a concern than incomplete vaccination as it is estimated that the vast majority of infants will seroconvert after HBIG and three vaccine doses.1 However an effort to ensure that all children are appropriately protected after immunization is worthwhile in order to provide appropriate care and follow-up for children who are HBV susceptible or carriers. Assuming that seroconversion rates are similar for children with and without serological follow-up, it can be estimated that of the 111 infants who did not receive serological follow-up, 4 will have no antibody protection and 2 of these infants will become infected. These infants may not be receiving appropriate medical care and follow-up.

Previous research would suggest that even when active-passive immunoprophylaxis is carried out appropriately, 1-5%3,13,14 of infants are nonetheless infected due to numerous factors, including in utero infection15 and high maternal viral load.16,17 Our infection rate of 2.1% among vaccinated infants is similar to the proportion of infected infants identified annually in British Columbia (BC). Out of approximately 400 carrier women identified annually in BC, 3 (~0.75%) delivered infected infants in 2002 and 6 (~1.5%) in 2003.18

This review provides important information on prenatal screening and the subsequent prophylaxis of infants. The study was limited by the fact that several pertinent pieces of information, such as ethnicity, parity, and obstetrical factors, were not systematically recorded in the Alberta Prenatal HBV Registry. In addition, the interpretation of the data is limited as some infants were given a fourth dose of the vaccine if they failed to mount an immune response after the first three vaccine doses. Unfortunately, this information was not recorded systematically and therefore, our proportion of non-responders may overestimate the true effectiveness of a three-dose vaccine schedule as some of these infants may have received a fourth dose of vaccine.

Finally, the true effectiveness of this public health program cannot be fully interpreted due to incomplete information on numbers of infants born to women who did not have prenatal screening. However, available data suggest that this represents only a very small proportion of all pregnant women in Alberta. Annually in Alberta, there are approximately 52,000 pregnancies, 40,000 women undergoing prenatal testing and 37,000 live births.5,19 The difference in these numbers is thought to be due in part to spontaneous abortions (~4,500 annually) and therapeutic abortions (~10,000 annually).19

Evaluation of the screening program indicates that the vast majority of infants born to HBsAg positive mothers are receiving appropriate vaccination, however the level of serological follow-up could be improved. Although the level of vaccine failure in Alberta is similar to that found elsewhere, future research should be conducted to identify feasible methods to detect women at highest risk of transmitting HBV infection to their infants. If maternal markers, such as Hepatitis B e Antigen or viral load, can be used to identify these high-risk women, maternal prophylaxis, such as lamivudine, could be given during the last weeks of pregnancy20 to reduce perinatal HBV transmission.

[Sidebar]

R�SUM�

Contexte : Sans prophylaxie appropri�e, le taux de transmission verticale du virus de l'h�patite B (VHB) peut atteindre 95 %. Dans le cadre du programme pr�natal provincial de l'Alberta, toutes les femmes enceintes sont test�es pour le VHB, et la prophylaxie est offerte aux nourrissons de femmes infect�es par le virus. Les donn�es canadiennes sur les r�sultats de tels programmes sont limit�es.

M�thode : Nous avons men� une �tude r�trospective aupr�s des femmes enceintes de l'Alberta qui �taient porteuses de l'antig�ne de surface de l'h�patite B (AgHBs) entre 1997 et 2004. Nous avons d�crit la fr�quence de l'administration de l'immunoglobuline anti-h�patite B (HBIg) et du vaccin contre le VHB, les r�sultats des tests s�rologiques et les r�sultats de grossesse.

R�sultats : Sur l'ensemble des femmes enceintes test�es, 1 485 porteuses de l'AgHBS ont �t� identifi�es, soit en moyenne 186 femmes par ann�e (125 � 216). Des 980 nourrissons admissibles � la prophylaxie compl�te et au suivi s�rologique, 82 % avaient re�u tous les vaccins ainsi que les tests s�rologiques, 11,3 % avaient re�u les vaccins mais aucun test s�rologique, et 6,6 % n'avaient pas �t� compl�tement immunis�s. Sur les nourrissons immunis�s et ayant fait l'objet d'un suivi s�rologique, 3,7 % n'avaient pas manifest� de r�ponse immunitaire, et 2,1 % �taient infect�s.

Conclusion : En Alberta, une proportion �lev�e de nourrissons de m�res infect�es par le VHB re�oit la prophylaxie postnatale appropri�e. D'autres �tudes sont n�cessaires pour d�terminer les facteurs maternels qui augmentent le risque de transmission du VHB de la m�re � l'enfant.

[Reference]

REFERENCES

1. NACI. Canadian Immunization Guide, 6th edition. Canadian Medical Institution, 2002.

2. Tran TT, Martin P. Hepatitis B: Epidemiology and natural history. Clin Liver Dis 2004;8(2):255-66.

3. Stevens CE, Taylor PE, Tong MJ, Toy PT, Vyas GN, Nair PV, et al. Yeast-recombinant hepatitis B vaccine. Efficacy with hepatitis B immune globulin in prevention of perinatal hepatitis B virus transmission. JAMA 1987;257(19):2612-16.

4. Beasley RP, Hwang LY, Lee GC, Lan CC, Roan CH, Huang FY, et al. Prevention of perinatally transmitted hepatitis B virus infections with hepatitis B imuneglobulin and hepatitis B vaccine. Lancet 1983;2(8359):1099-102.

5. Alberta Bloodborne Pathogens Surveillance Working Group, Alberta Bloodborne Pathogens Surveillance Report. Alberta Health and Wellness: Edmonton, AB, 2003.

6. Minuk G, Uhanova J. Chronic hepatitis B in Canada. Can J Infect Dis 2001;12(6):351-56.

7. Zhang J, Zou S, Giulivi A. Hepatitis B in Canada. CCDR 2001;27S3:10-12.

8. Henning KJ, Pollack DM, Friedman SM. A neonatal hepatitis B surveillance and vaccination program: New York City, 1987 to 1988. Am J Public Health 1992;82(6):885-88.

9. Kohn MA, Farley TA, Scott C. The need for more aggressive follow-up of children born to hepatitis B surface antigen-positive mothers: Lessons from the Louisiana Perinatal Hepatitis B Immunization Program. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1996;15(6):535-40.

10. Chernesky MA, Blajchman MA, Castriciano S, Basbaum J, Spiak C, Mahoney JB. Analysis of a pregnancy-screening and neonatal-immunization program for hepatitis B in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, 1977-1988. J Med Virol 1991;35(1):50-54.

11. Okun NB, Larke RP, Waters JR, Joffres MR. Success of a program of routine prenatal screening for hepatitis B surface antigen: The first 2 years. CMAJ 1990;143(12):1317-21.

12. Wong S, Chan LY, Yu V, Ho L. Hepatitis B carrier and perinatal outcome in singleton pregnancy. Am J Perinatol 1999;16(9):485-88.

13. del Canho R, Grosheide PM, Mazel JA, Heijtink RA, Hop WC, Gerards LJ, et al., Ten-year neonatal hepatitis B vaccination program, The Netherlands, 1982-1992: Protective efficacy and long-term immunogenicity. Vaccine 1997;15(15):1624-30.

14. Mandelbrot L, Newell M-L, Vertical transmission of hepatitis viruses. In: Newell M-L, McIntyre J (Eds.), Congenital and Perinatal Infections: Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2000;164-204.

15. Lee SD, Lo KJ, Tsai YT, Wu JC. Maternal hepatitis B virus DNA in mother-infant transmission. Lancet 1989;1(8640):719.

16. Burk RD, Hwang LY, Ho GY, Shafritz DA, Beasley RP. Outcome of perinatal hepatitis B virus exposure is dependent on maternal virus load. J Infect Dis 1994;170(6):1418-23.

17. del Canho R, Grosheide PM, Schalm SW, de Vries RR, Heijtink RA. Failure of neonatal hepatitis B vaccination: The role of HBV-DNA levels in hepatitis B carrier mothers and HLA antigens in neonates. J Hepatol 1994;20(4):483-86.

18. Corneil T, Gilbert M, Buxton J, Krajden M, McNabb G, McIntyre C. The Use of Routine HBeAg Testing in Pregnant Women in British Columbia to Identify Those Infants at Highest Risk for Vertical Transmission. Presented at the 6th Annual Canadian Immunization Conference. Montreal, Canada, 2004.

19. Reproductive Health Report Working Group, Alberta Reproductive Health: Pregnancies and Births 2004. Alberta Health and Wellness: Edmonton, AB.

20. van Zonneveld M, van Nunen AB, Niesters HG, de Man RA, Schalm SW, Janssen HL. Lamivudine treatment during pregnancy to prevent perinatal transmission of hepatitis B virus infection. J Viral Hepat 2003;10(4):294-97.

Received: May 1, 2006

Accepted: September 14, 2006

[Author Affiliation]

Sabrina S. Plitt, PhD1,2

Ali M. Somily, MD3

Ameeta E. Singh, BMBS, MSc, FRCPC2,4

La traduction du r�sum� se trouve � la fin de l'article.

1. Centre for Infectious Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, ON

2. University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB

3. King Saud University, College of Medicine & KKUH, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

4. Alberta Health and Wellness, Edmonton, AB

Correspondence and reprint requests: Dr. Ameeta Singh, Provincial Health Office, Alberta Health and Wellness, 24th Floor, Telus Plaza North Tower, PO Box 1360 Stn Main, 10025 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5J 2N3, Tel: 780-415-2825, Fax: 780-427-7683, E-mail: ameeta.singh@gov.ab.ca

Acknowledgements: We would like to acknowledge the staff from Alberta Health and Wellness for providing us with the data needed for this evaluation, especially Colleen Pinnock and Rosa Orleski from the Division of Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Fu-Lin Wang from the Division of Health Surveillance. We would also like to thank the staff of the Regional Health Authorities for submitting data and helping with data reconciliation. And finally, thank you to Dr. Bonita Lee from the Provincial Laboratory for Public Health for her review of this manuscript.

British hope weale plays waiting game

Sam Weale finished 25th in his first World Championship final inBudapest and now faces an anxious wait to learn whether he willbecome the first British male modern pentathlete to compete at anOlympic Games since 1996.

Weale, originally from Yeovil but now living in Bath, wascompeting in the first World Championship final of his career inHungary last Sunday.

His final position did not add to his overall ranking points, sohe must now wait to discover if his performan- ces over the lastyear will put him high enough up the International Modern PentathlonUnion's Olympic ranking list to put him in with a chance of goingto Beijing.

Jan Bartu, Pentathlon GB performance director, said: "I'd bedevastated if he didn't get to the Games.

"He's worked hard this year and I think he deserves his place.

"It was a really tough competition for him today. He started offwell, but he just couldn't break into the fencing competition. Thatwas where he lost it.

"He fought back, but unfortunately 25th was the best he coulddo," he added.

"I don't think it's the end of it for him.

"We now have to wait until the qualification list is published tosee where we are."

Weale, and his British teammate Nick Woodbridge, will both hopethere are enough places on the ranking list to give them theopportunity to compete in Beijing.

Weale, the only British athlete to make the final in Budapest,was 16th after the 10m air pistol shoot, scoring 181 from a maximum200 for 1,108 modern pentathlon points.

But he failed to reproduce his strong fencing performance fromthe semis - he won 11 contests and lost 24 in the final. That addedjust 664 points to his total.

Problems with the pool in Budapest meant organisers re-arrangedthe schedule with the ride becoming the third discipline.

Weale sustained 112 penalties in the arena and followed that upwith the seventh fastest swim - 2:01.09.

He clocked a time of nine minutes 30.54 seconds for the 3km run -the final discipline. That was the 11th fastest run, earning him1,120 points and a total of 5,328, pushing him up to 25th in theoverall positions.

Great Britain's men ended their Modern Pentathlon WorldChampionship campaign with a seventh place finish in the team relayon Tuesday.

The trio of Ben McLean, Weale and Woodbridge produced the bestperformance in the swimming discipline in Budapest, but finishedoutside the medals.

Bartu said: "I think this is the highest finish we've achieved ina men's team event or team relay at a World Championships for 10years, so I'm very happy.

"It was a good final day for us," he added. "In medal terms,placings and Olympic qualification, it's the best WorldChampionships we've had for years."

Afghan official: Airstrike on fuel trucks kills 40

NATO launched an airstrike on two fuel tankers hijacked by Taliban militants in northern Afghanistan, killing at least 40 people, an Afghan official said Friday.

Militants seized the two trucks, which were delivering fuel to NATO forces, around midnight and the alliance launched an airstrike while the Taliban fighters tried to drive the vehicles across a river in Kunduz province, Police Chief Gulam Mohyuddin said.

NATO confirmed that there was an airstrike in Kunduz overnight but gave no details.

The police chief said the airstrike killed 40 people. Gov. Mohammad Omar of Kunduz province said at least 45 were killed. He said the dead included the senior Taliban commander for the district, Abdur Rahman, and four Chechen fighters.

"Abudur Rahman is a very dangerous man," the governor said.

The incident occurred two kilometers (1.2 miles) from the village of Omar Khel, officials said. But both the police chief and governor said they did not know if there were any civilian casualties.

They said an additional 12 people were injured and taken to hospital.

The hijackings reflect the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan.

New HIV/AIDS advocacy coalition forms

Group meets to discuss structure, goals - but APM missing from the table

"We can collectively fill the need that we have in the state of Michigan for our voice. We're all professionals. Most of us know each other, most of us have worked with each other for years. Now is a great time to bring our collective energy and collective professionals together and move forward in Lansing and beyond."

The Michigan Coalition for AIDS Advocates held its first meeting on June 9, where leaders from HIV/AIDS, LGBT and community nonprofits across the state met to discuss possibilities for building not the first, but the largest HIV policy advocacy group the state has ever known.

David Munar, vice president of policy for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, led the discussion, providing an overview of the ways in which a coalition can effectively do advocacy work. Then, the organizations began to discuss the structure of MICAA, its goals moving forward and their future plan of action.

From HAAM to MICAA

Formed under the umbrella of the Michigan AIDS Coalition, the meeting brought to the table voices from MAC, Affirmations, Transgender Michigan, Alternatives for Girls, Traverse City's Thomas Judd Care Center, the Michigan Department of Community Health, ACLU of Michigan, Kalamazoo's Community AJDS Resource and Education Services and others.

According to MAC Board President and former Michigan Equality Director Derek Smiertka, who is heading up MICAA's efforts, close to 30 organizations have already signed on to be a part of MICAA. However, ADDS Partnership Michigan, one of the longest running and largest HrV/ AIDS organizations in the state, is not one of them.

AIDS Partnership Michigan Executive Director Barbara Murray has been head of the state's original policy coalition for years, which was the first of its kind. But the HIV/ AIDS Advocacy of Michigan is now all but defunct, and two of the remaining four member organizations - CARES and the Lansing Area AIDS Network - have tentatively agreed to join MICAA as it carries forward the mission that HAAM started. The HIV/AIDS Resource Center of Ann Arbor, along with several other nonprofits not affiliated with HAAM, have been invited to join MICAA but have not yet given a definite yes.

As of press time, Murray could not be reached for comment on APM's likeliness to join the coalition.

MAC Special Grants Manager Terry Ryan, who is helping to head up MICAA's efforts, noted that he is confident that APM will join the new coalition, and that MICAA is looking to build off of HAAM's work, not trump it.

"HAAM actually was the group that really launched doing some policy and advocacy work around HTVV AIDS in Michigan," Ryan said, adding that both the Michigan AIDS Fund and the Midwest AIDS Prevention Project -now merged as MAC - were both members.

The need to move on and create a different coalition, Ryan explained, came from the fact that HAAM's membership was dwindling and their structure, impractical. Members had to be AIDS service organizations, and were required to pay thousands of dollars in yearly dues. The result was that when organizations merged, disappeared or simply couldn't pay dues, HAAM's membership dropped from about 10 to four groups.

"(HAAM has) done good work over the years," Ryan said. "But there are fewer ASOs than there ever were, and in this particular economic crunch, those several thousands of dollars for member agencies is tough."

Moving forward with MICAA

MICAA's structure, though still up for debate among member organizations, is much different. Members include both AIDS service and community-based organizations with an interest in HTV/ AIDS work. Fees are non-existent. Active membership is based solely on participation, the exact terms of which are not yet set, but will most likely include representation at one or two meetings per year and contribution to action groups, which will work on specific advocacy and policy issues.

"Some of the ideas that we're coming together for are to advocate, to cover areas that are on all of our plates and to bring our minds to the table so that we can collectively, with our energy, fill the need that we have in the state of Michigan for our voice," summed up Smiertka. "We're all professionals. Most of us know each other, most of us have worked with each other for years. Now is a great time to bring our collective energy and collective professionals together and move forward in Lansing and beyond."

Last week's meeting laid the groundwork for that larger endeavor with a discussion not only about MICAA's structure, but its policy goals moving forward.

Issues put forward included sex education, consent and testing laws, needle exchange programs, confidentiality and, of course, funding. After the long list identified at last week's meeting is sent out to member organizations, they will have the chance to identify their top-five issues, which will then be used to set MICAA's policy and advocacy priorities.

Munar, speaking on behalf of his work at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, advised that goals be set not only in terms of personal priority, but also by the ability to accomplish them.

"I think that's a good place to start - to ask members what, among these issues, is a top priority," Munar commented. "But I think there should be another group of folks to take another look at that list from the vantage points of what has the biggest impact, what's most achievable and what has momentum."

The next steps

The stage has been set for what MICAA hopes will be a new era in HIV/ AIDS policy work in Michigan. But there's still a long way to go. Details about membership and governance must be ironed out. Priorities must be set. And, most importantly, funding must be obtained to hire a staffer who will be responsible for being the voice of MICAA in Michigan's legislature.

That funding will likely come from national sources. The Michigan AIDS Coalition is a partner of the National AIDS Fund, which is currently in talks with federal policy group AIDS Action to merge - a collaboration that will most likely mean increased funding put toward regional policy efforts, much like what MICAA hopes to do.

"I have a couple of important feelers out to some national players about funding for the staff person," revealed Ryan, although the group will probably not apply for grants until early this fall.

What's most important now is getting their structure and priorities set - and doing so in a way that brings all relevant AIDS and community-based organizations on board, including those that haven't yet committed to MICAA.

Jay Kaplan, staff attorney for the ACLU of Michigan's LGBT project, noted that from his experience in LGBT policy work, collaboration is essential to winning battles in Michigan's legislature. "I definitely see the need to have a coalition working together to try to have a uniform voice, because not only do legislators say that they don't hear from constituents or supporters of LGBT issues, but many times in the past, we've had different messages going forward from different members of the community," said. "It doesn't mean that there's not diversity of opinion, but when we're able to work together to develop a uniform stance on issues, we're a lot stronger."

"We represent the bulk of HIV/AIDS service organizations throughout the state," added Smiertka. "Big and small, grassroots, grasstops - we are Michigan HTV and AIDS. I think that us coming together as one force and one voice can move mountains."

[Sidebar]

Current MICAA members

Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, Detroit

ACLU of Michigan, Detroit

Affirmations, Ferndale

AL GAMEA, Hazel Park

Alternatives for Girls, Detroit

Bluewater Center, Port Huron

Community AIDS Resource and Education Services, Kalamazoo

Community Health Awareness Group, Detroit

Deaf Community Advocacy Network, Sylvan Lake

Detroit Latin@z, Detroit

Equality Michigan, Detroit

Grand Rapids Red Project, Grand Rapids

Health Emergency Lifeline Programs, Detroit

Hearth Home, Saginaw

Higher Ground, Royal Oak

Jewish Gay Network, West Bloomfield

Lansing Area AIDS Network, Lansing

MI-POZ, Detroit

Michigan AIDS Coalition, Ferndale

Names Project, Ferndale

Open Arms, Ferndale

Ruth Ellis Center, Highland Park

S.P.I.C.E., Detroit

Steppin' Out, Royal Oak

Stitches Doll Project, Macomb

Thomas Judd Care Center, Traverse City

Transgender Michigan, Ferndale

Wellness AIDS Services, Flint

Invited but not yet accepted

AIDS Partnership Michigan, Detroit

Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, Detroit

Gospel Against AIDS, Detroit

HIV/ AIDS Resource Center, Ann Arbor

Karibu House, Detroit

[Sidebar]

"I definitely see the need to have a coalition working together to try to have a uniform voice. It doesn't mean that there's not diversity of opinion, but when we're able to work together to develop a uniform stance on issues, we're a lot stronger."

- Michigan ACLU

attorney Jay Kaplan

Employees steal from child abuse nonprofit

A national nonprofit that helps victims of child sexual abuse across the country was ripped off in a scam orchestrated by three of its own employees, according to federal court documents.

Prosecutors say the Washington-based National Children's Alliance lost more than $50,000 in a payroll scheme run by the organization's former chief financial officer and two of his subordinates.

As described in court documents, each person's take in the scheme appears based on their position in the organization.

On Friday, Michael Young, a staff accountant from Washington, pleaded guilty to taking nearly $10,000 in five extra paychecks. Young showed no emotion as he acknowledged he stole the money, and he told the judge, U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Kay, he now has a new job at another nonprofit.

Last month, former finance director Sharon Martin of Upper Marlboro, Md., who pleaded guilty earlier this month to stealing eight payroll paychecks totaling more than $15,000. Young and Martin each face up to six months in prison at sentencing in August.

The former CFO, Marvin Perry, is scheduled to plead guilty on June 11. He has been charged with stealing $27,114.43 in additional paychecks.

The alliance's executive director, Teresa Huizar, said the theft was discovered after she took over in February 2008 and asked an outside auditing firm to review the finances.

Huizar said she had no indication that employees were stealing until auditors came to her with their suspicions. "It was a very unpleasant surprise," she said.

"Obviously it's a terrible thing whenever an employee betrays their employer's trust," Huizar said. "What's particularly horrible about this situation is they stole from an organization that helps victims of child sexual abuse."

The alliance, based in Washington, has more than 700 Children's Advocacy Centers across the country devoted to helping children who have suffered sexual or severe physical abuse.

When there are reports of abuse, the centers intervene with teams of legal, medical, social service and clinical experts. They work to stop the abuse, provide counseling and try to help prevent the continued cycle of violence of victims from becoming perpetrators themselves one day.

Their work is funded mostly by grants from the Justice Department _ more than $76 million since 1995 _ with other revenue coming from membership fees. Huizar said the theft hasn't affected programing _ the former employees are being ordered to pay back what they took as part of their plea agreements _ but damaged the organization's reputation.

She said the alliance has added controls to prevent future employee theft and hasn't lost any members because of it.

Houston family directs donations to her old school

NEWARK, New Jersey (AP) — Whitney Houston's family is asking that any donations in her memory be sent to the arts-focused public school in New Jersey that she attended as a child.

In lieu of flowers, they say mourners should donate to the Whitney Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts in East Orange.

Houston died Saturday at a hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Her invitation-only funeral will be Saturday at Newark's New Hope Baptist Church, where she sang in the choir.

The Houston family says no public memorial service is planned at this time.

THE SOAPS

Our love affair with daytime television dramas began in the1950s. Here's a rundown of which relationships lasted the logest: Guiding Light 36 years Search for Tomorrow 35 years As the World Turns 33 years The Edge of Night 28 years Love of Life 28 years General Hospital 26 years Another World 24 years Days of Our Lives 23 years The Secret Storm 20 years The Doctors 19 years Series is still on the air.

2 killed in Georgian TV building collapse

A Georgian television station says two of its employees have been found dead in the rubble of a collapsed building that housed participants in a reality show.

Emergency officials say 12 other people were removed from the ruins of the five-story building , which collapsed about 5 a.m. Sunday in the capital, Tbilisi. The cause of the collapse has not been determined.

The building housed contestants in the "Star Academy" show, which chronicles 12 people who live together and take part in concert competitions.

The show's station, Rustavi-2, announced about 13 hours after the collapse that two of its cameramen had died.

Tbilisi emergency services head Temur Girogadze two of the 12 rescued people were hospitalized.

Aussie golfer arrested in Japan on cocaine charge

TOKYO (AP) — Australian professional golfer Wayne Perske has been arrested in Japan on suspicion of cocaine possession.

The 36-year-old Perske was allegedly carrying 1.25 grams of the drug in his pocket at a bar in an area east of Tokyo on Friday night, a Japanese police official said Saturday.

Perske told investigators he intended to take the drug himself, the official said, adding that the golfer was still being interrogated.

In Japan, possession of illegal drugs can carry a penalty of up to seven years in prison.

Perske, who is from Brisbane in Queensland state, turned professional in 2000 and has played mostly in Japan over the past decade. He qualified for the 2006 British Open at Royal Liverpool, where he failed to make the cut.