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Child well-being worsens in U.S.

NEW YORK (AP) — The percentage of underweight babies born in the U.S. has increased to its highest rate in 40 years, according to a new report that also documents a recent rise in the number of children living in poverty.

The data on low birth weights are worrisome because such babies — those born at less than 5.5 pounds — are at greater risk of dying in infancy or experiencing long-term disabilities.

The findings were released Thursday in the annual Kids Count report on the health and well-being of America’s youth, which measures the states in 10 categories. Overall, the report found progress, as well as some setbacks.

Well-being indicators have largely gotten better for teens, and they’ve gotten worse for babies, said Laura Beavers, coordinator of the Kids Count project for the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation.

The report documented improvements in the child death rate, teen death rate, teen birth rate, high school dropout rate, and teens not in school and not working.

There was no change in the infant mortality rate, while four areas worsened: low-birthweight babies, children living in with jobless or underemployed parents, children in poverty, and children in single-parent families.

In composite rankings for all 10 indicators, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Utah ranked the highest, while Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico, Alabama and South Carolina ranked the lowest.

Beavers noted that in many categories, the United States compares poorly with other developed countries. A recent study released by UNICEF ranked the U.S. second worst out of 33 industrialized nations in a composite index on child well-being, and it was 29th in regard to the percentage of babies with low birth weights.

According to Kids Count, the latest available federal data, from 2005, showed that 8.2 percent of U.S. babies were born at low birth weight, a level not seen since 1968.

The worst rate — 11.8 percent in Mississippi — was nearly twice the 6.1 percent rate in the best states — Alaska, Oregon and Washington.

Beavers said part of the overall increase in low-birthweight babies was due to a rise in multiple births as more older women use fertility treatments to conceive. But she said the birth-weight problem also has been worsening for single-baby deliveries.

The rate of low-weight births is sharply higher for blacks (13.6 percent) than for whites (7.3 percent) or Hispanics (6.9 percent). One important factor, Beavers said, is the mother’s overall health at the time of pregnancy and her access to good prenatal care.

Dr. Alan Fleischman, medical director of the March of Dimes, said the increase in underweight newborns is closely linked to a rise in premature births.

He agreed with Beavers that better socio-economic conditions for pregnant mothers would help. But Fleischman also said the U.S. medical profession should be more rigorous in encouraging women to continue their pregnancies as close to term as feasible, and reduce the number of early, induced deliveries, often caesarian, that frequently produce underweight infants.

Regarding its key economic indicator, the Kids Count report said 18 percent of U.S. children — 13.3 million of them — were living in poverty in 2006, up by 1 million children from the 17 percent rate in 2000. It said child poverty increased in 32 states during that period.

found here.

Justices: Gitmo detainees can challenge detention in U.S. courts

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Suspected terrorists and foreign fighters held by the U.S. military at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have the right to challenge their detention in federal court, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

The decision marks another legal blow to the Bush administration’s war on terrorism policies.

The 5-4 vote reflects the divide over how much legal autonomy the U.S. military should have to prosecute about 270 prisoners, some of whom have been held for more than six years without charges. Fourteen of them are alleged to be top al Qaeda figures.

Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy said, The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times. Liberty and security can be reconciled; and in our system reconciled within the framework of the law.

Kennedy, the court’s swing vote, was supported by Justices John Paul Stevens, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer — generally considered the liberal contingent.

At issue was the rights of detainees to contest their imprisonment and challenge the rules set up to try them. Watch how the 5-4 ruling is a major blow for the Bush administration

A congressional law passed in 2006 would limit court jurisdiction to hear so-called habeas corpus challenges to detention. It is a legal question the justices have tackled three times since 2004, including Thursday’s ruling.

Each time, the justices have ruled against the government’s claim that it has the authority to hold people it considers enemy combatants.

Preliminary hearings have begun in Guantanamo for some of the accused, and a military panel this month arraigned five suspected senior al Qaeda detainees, including the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who was transferred to the prison camp in 2006.

The Bush administration has urged the high court not to get involved in the broader appeals, saying the federal judiciary has no authority to hear such matters.

Four justices agreed. In a sharp dissent, read in part from the bench, Justice Antonin Scalia said the majority warps our Constitution.

The nation will live to regret what the Court has done today, Scalia said.

He was supported by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.

President Bush, who is traveling in Europe, did not respond immediately to the ruling. The Pentagon declined to comment, and the Justice Department said it was reviewing the ruling and was expected to comment later Thursday.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, welcomed the decision, saying the Supreme Court upheld the Constitution.

I have long been an advocate of closing Guantanamo so I would hope this is in furtherance of taking that action, Pelosi said.

The appeals involve noncitizens. Sixteen lawsuits filed on behalf of about 200 prisoners were put on hold pending a ruling last year by a federal appeals court upholding the government’s right to detain and prosecute suspected terrorists and war criminals.

An attorney for one of the detainees, Salim Ahmed Hamdan — Osama bin Laden’s alleged driver and bodyguard — said he would file an appeal asking that charges be dropped against the Yemeni native.

The clearest immediate impact of this ruling is to remove the remaining barriers for closing Guantanamo Bay. It means, in legal terms, Guantanamo Bay is no different than Kansas, attorney Charles Swift said.

Now the ruling has been issued, a flood of similar appeals can be expected.

The lead plaintiffs are Lakhdar Boumediene, a Bosnian, and Fawzi al-Odah of Kuwait. They question the constitutionality of the Military Commissions Act, passed by Congress in October 2006. The law addresses how suspected foreign terrorists and fighters can be tried and sentenced under U.S. military law.

Under the system, those facing trial would have a limited right to appeal any conviction, reducing the jurisdiction of federal courts.

The suspects also must prove to a three-person panel of military officers they are not a terror risk. But defendants would have access to evidence normally given to a jury, and CIA agents were given more guidance in how far they can go in interrogating prisoners.

The law was a direct response to a June 2006 Supreme Court ruling striking down the Bush administration’s plan to try detainees before military commissions.

In 2004, the justices also affirmed the right of prisoners to challenge their detention in federal court. Congress and the administration have sought to restrict such access.

The Justice Department wanted the high court to pass on these appeals, at least until the first wave of tribunals had a chance to work. Administration officials also argued the prisoners have plenty of legal safeguards.

The White House has said it is considering whether to close the Guantanamo prison, suggesting some high-level al Qaeda detainees could be transferred to the federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, and to a military brig in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Most of the dozens of pending cases have been handled in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, which in February 2007 upheld the Military Commissions Act’s provision stripping courts of jurisdiction to hear habeas challenges to the prisoners’ confinement.

But a three-judge panel of the same circuit expressed concern about why the U.S. military continues to limit attorney access to the Guantanamo men.

The detainees’ legal team alleges the government is unfairly restricting access to potentially exculpatory evidence, including documents they may not know exist before pretrial hearings.

Legal and terrorism analysts said the issues presented in these latest sets of appeals are unlike those the justices have delved into previously.

found here.

Staycations: Alternative to pricey, stressful travel

(CNN) — It might seem unusual that oil businessman David Mitchell would give up vacations for so-called staycations — taking time off from work to enjoy life at home.

But Mitchell, 42, has spent more than six years and $30,000 to develop his South Windsor, Connecticut, backyard into a custom-designed personal sanctuary which includes a pool with a waterslide, a lush flower garden and entertainment areas for dozens of visitors.

In contrast to destination vacations, Mitchell feels like he gets the most bang for my buck staying home.

He enjoys the freedom of choice to do whatever he pleases. During past travels, I had to feel like I got my money’s worth so it was go, go, go all the time to see all the sites, says Mitchell.

Sarah Outland’s weeklong staycation gave her a chance to explore her new surroundings after moving to Chicago, Illinois.

A day after moving to the Windy City last year, Outland, 24, started a new job and never got a chance to explore her new surroundings. After nine months as a resident, she finally took a week off work to visit famous landmarks, museums and shopping centers that were right under her nose.

But it took some initiative to make herself a tourist where she lives. See photos of a Texas staycationer’s week off

It’s so easy in the morning when I wake up and I make my coffee and I start to watch [TV] … I [would] think, ‘Well, what’s on after this?’ … I just had to force myself to get out. And once I got out I didn’t want to go back in.

Without the logistical worries of travel, both Mitchell and Outlook say they returned to work refreshed and with a positive outlook. However, experts warn that convenient modern technology poses dangers that may ruin a good idea. Watch travel expert Pauline Frommer give tips on staycationing

About 1.3 percent fewer Americans are expected to fly this summer than last summer, according to the Air Transport Association.

And for the first time since the economic shock following the 9/11 terror attacks, Americans were projected to drive less over Memorial Day weekend, the traditional kickoff of the summer travel season.

AAA Vice President Mark Brown says the slowing economy and high fuel prices have pushed some Americans to what we call the traveling tipping point. It’s clear that a small number of us may choose to stay home … and relax with friends and family rather than take a vacation.

Gas prices appear to have nowhere to go but up and consumers and airlines in the United States are being dragged along for a very uncomfortable ride, Brown says.

Economics aside, staying at home for a vacation can be enormously restorative and transformative, and fits much, much better into a lot of people’s schedules and logistics, says Kristie McLean, a life coach in Seattle, Washington.

If you do decide to skip travel for a staycation, it’s easy to fall into sloth mode. So experts advise treating it similarly to a regular vacation, and that includes making plans.

Decide up front what you want to have at the end of the vacation, says Diane Brennan, life coach and president of the International Coach Federation.

That means setting guidelines or boundaries for yourself; if you want to do nothing for a week, that’s OK, but it should be a choice, Brennan says.

Staying productive can help you refresh and recharge yourself, says Dr. Ilene Serlin of the San Francisco Psychological Association. She warns that too much downtime can actually drain energy.

Being close to home probably means you’ll have e-mail access and that you’re physically close to work. But just because you can check your e-mail or scroll through your BlackBerry doesn’t mean you should.

The technology that allows people to be available all the time can cause terrible stress … and there’s no respite from it, Serlin says.

When you take your work home with you, it will defeat the purpose of making your home a refreshing oasis, which is why many people feel the need to travel to recharge, Serlin says.

Still, it’s hard to prescribe unplugging, she says.

Over the course of a week, Outland couldn’t’ resist checking her work e-mail daily, knowing it was a potentially unhealthy habit.

I think it’s pretty ridiculous because I have a personal e-mail account and a work e-mail account. So it’s not as if by checking my work I was seeing if my mom had e-mailed me, she says.

Brennan recommends completely swearing off e-mail, and letting co-workers know that you’ll get back to them when you return from staycation — just as you would if you were removed from the technology.

Where the obstacle comes in … is we think because we’re at home … we have this sense of obligation to work or maybe even think that the boss thinks we ought to give a call or do something, she says. The reality is that may not at all be what the boss is thinking.

The staycation alternative also can be a welcome relief from travel stress.

Airports can be dehumanizing, says Serlin.

It’s very disorienting to be in those tunnels, indoors, breathing packaged air, seeing nothing identifying, there’s no neighborhood there, she says. The landmarks that usually cue us in about who we are [are absent].

found here.

Social anxiety, meet social networking

As many surveys have suggested, fear of public speaking is one of our strongest anxieties, often ranking above the fear of dying.

The following won’t help: These days, the audience could be skewering you on blog sites — not after your presentation, but during. And just about everyone in attendance could know about it, except you.

A journalist fell victim to something like this at a recent tech conference in Texas. Her chatty, overly familiar style of interviewing a prominent young CEO grated the audience so much that they unleashed a tirade of complaints and sarcasm against her on Twitter.

Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging site to which users can post short comments that are viewable to anyone anywhere (including in the auditorium, in this case). They can send posts via SMS, instant messaging, or the Twitter site itself, using their cell phones or laptops and cellular, wi-fi or other connections.

Never, ever have I seen such a train wreck of an interview, read one tweet, as a post on Twitter is called.

The heckling soon migrated from the online space to the real world. Audience members started yelling out comments that reflected the online chatter. When the CEO suggested the interviewer might want to ask some questions, the audience erupted into cheers vigorous enough to surprise those not following the tweets.

When the audience got their turn to ask questions, they were, one tweet opined, better than the interviewer’s.

found here.

China and Taiwan reopen talks

BEIJING, China (AP) — Negotiators from Taiwan and China launched their first formal talks in almost a decade Thursday, aiming to forge agreements on charter flights and tourism to build confidence between the long-estranged rivals.

Taiwan’s delegation Thursday also planned to discuss what additional help the island could provide for China’s earthquake relief efforts. The talks are scheduled to run through Friday at a state guesthouse in western Beijing.

The 19-member Taiwanese team is being led by Chiang Pin-kung, chairman of the quasi-governmental Straits Exchange Foundation, and includes two vice Cabinet ministers — the highest-ranking Taiwanese officials ever to participate in bilateral talks.

The negotiations should lay the foundation for a long-term peaceful relationship between the two sides, Chiang said as the talks opened. The two sides have … established mutual trust.

His counterpart, Chen Yunlin, head of Beijing’s semiofficial Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, said the public on both sides were counting on the talks to produce results and alter the often combative tone between the two governments.

Whether cross-strait relations can improve, depends on whether our negotiations can proceed smoothly, Chen said.

Taiwan and China split amid civil war in 1949. While Beijing demands unification — by persuasion if possible, by force if necessary — an overwhelming number of Taiwanese oppose that option, preferring an open-ended continuation of the democratic island’s de facto independence.

Still, many Taiwanese favor closer economic cooperation with the mainland, which has already absorbed more than $100 billion in Taiwanese investment over the past 15 years — much of it in the high tech sector. Watch a report on warming relations between Beijing and Taipei

Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou won the presidency in March largely on his promises to reinvigorate the country’s laggard economy by hitching the island’s wagon to China’s economic juggernaut.

Chiang’s delegation is seen as the first step in fulfilling that pledge.

The 75-year-old economic planner said Tuesday he expected to sign an accord opening the way for 36 charter flights to cross the 100-mile- (160-kilometer-) wide Taiwan Strait every weekend.

That will be enough to shuttle several hundred thousand Chinese tourists to Taiwan every year — below Ma’s target of one million, but far above the current level of about 80,000.

Charter flights are now limited to four annual Chinese holidays. Ma wants to gradually expand the charter schedule and supplement it with regularly scheduled flights by the summer of 2009. Such flights have been on hold for the past 59 years.

The last time Chinese and Taiwanese delegations met in a formal setting, Lee Teng-hui of Ma’s Nationalist Party was Taiwan’s president. But the talks were suspended after Lee said that Taiwan’s relations with China should have a state-to-state character — a declaration that Beijing saw as support for the official Taiwanese independence it has sworn to confront with military force.

Successor Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party was even less popular than Lee, because of his outspoken support for the Taiwan independence option.

found here.