“Dick Rowland Image”

”Shoots (News, Views and Quotes)”

– Comments on the Draft Strategic Plan for the Climate Change Science
Program

By Joseph L. Bast

The Heartland Institute

The Draft Strategic Plan for the Climate Change Science Program does an
admirable job avoiding advocacy and rhetoric, focusing on research
questions that need to be addressed, and balancing the contradictory
convictions of some of its authors and contributors. In particular, it
stresses the uncertainty of climate change science and predictions and
calls for testing climate models against the climate record. However, in
a few places the Plan is still agenda-driven rather than aimed at
“credible fact finding.”

CONTACT: Heartland Institute, 19 South LaSalle St., Suite 903, Chicago,
IL 60603,312/377-4000, email mailto:think@heartland.org
https://www.heartland.org.

– Senators McCain and Lieberman Push for New Anti-Global Warming
Legislation

By Amy Ridenour

Ten Second Response, National Center for Public Policy Research

The McCain-Lieberman legislation would set up mandatory greenhouse gas
reduction targets for every major sector of the U.S. economy. If
approved, it stands a chance of pushing a frail economic recovery into a
major relapse, yet it is extremely unlikely to have discernible
influence on global temperatures. Scientists point out that the Earth
has gone through repeated cycles of gradual warming and cooling for
millions of years. This isn’t likely to change under orders from the
U.S. Senate.

CONTACT: National Center for Public Policy Research, 777 N. Capitol St.
NE #803, Washington, DC 20002, 202/371-1400, fax 202/408-7773, email
mailto:info@nationalcenter.org https://www.nationalcenter.org.

– The Bush Administration’s Environmental Policy: Mid-Term Report Card
PERC

President Bush doesn’t quite score a “gentleman’s C” in PERC’s new
Mid-Term Report Card on the Bush administration’s environmental policy.
PERC-the Center for Free Market Environmentalism-rates the president on
how well he applied free market principles to environmental policy
during his first two years. These principles include respect for
property rights, market trading, and decentralization. The overall score
is a C-.

CONTACT: PERC, 502 S. 19th Ave., Suite 211, Bozeman, MT 59718,
406/587-9591, email mailto:perc@perc.org https://www.perc.org.

Above articles are quoted from Heritage Foundation, The Insider 2/2003.
See https://www.heritage.org

”Roots (Food for Thought)”

– The Limits of Lawsuits

Asbestos Litigation is the Leading Edge of the Legal System Meltdown

By Wayne T. Brough, Ph.D

CSE Chief Economist

The litigation crisis in America has reached a milestone. In the wake of
three decades of asbestos litigation-a trail marked by bankruptcies,
hundreds of thousands of lawsuits, multibillion-dollar judgments, and
real victims who have yet to be compensated-even the American Bar
Association and some trial lawyers are admitting that something might be
wrong.

Asbestos provides a good example of the crisis in the courtroom, because
it was here that trial lawyers honed their skills of mass tort
litigation, where large class action lawsuits are brought against
companies, or even entire industries. Asbestos was in widespread use
throughout much of the 20th century, due to its abundance, low cost, and
heat-resistant properties. Unfortunately, it was found to pose real
health risks, including the fatal cancer mesothelioma, lung cancer and
other cancers, debilitating and potentially fatal asbestiosis, and
injuries or scarring to the tissue surrounding the lungs.

For a long time, these cases were addressed under workers’ compensation,
but in 1973, a legal decision in the Fifth Circuit of the U.S. Court of
Appeals moved the issue into the courtroom. Originally, there were
roughly 40 companies involved in the legal proceedings. However, as
these companies went bankrupt and no longer had funds to pay awards,
trial lawyers cast a wider net, targeting “peripheral” companies that
did not manufacture asbestos but may have used products that contained
it (even companies where any asbestos was encapsulated in the product
and not likely to pose a significant risk). Today, there are over 8,000
companies mired in the legal process according to Marcia Coyle of the
National Law Journal, with many having only a tangential link to the
original health risks.

Despite the fact that the use of asbestos peaked in the early 1970s, the
number of claims continues to rise, and the flood of lawsuits is not
helping the victims. According to the American Academy of Actuaries,
there were 60,000 asbestos lawsuits filed in 2000 -up from the 20,000
filed in 1990. Of these, 54,000 are suits for non-malignant injuries,
which pose a particular challenge, because many claimants may have no
symptoms that in any way hamper their life or pose a definite threat. It
is the potential future risk that is the source of the claim. Yet, for
many, this future risk may never materialize. As president-elect of the
American Bar Association, Dennis Archer, described the problem, “In
retrospect, however, it is clear that a countervailing trend was
emerging and accelerating in the 1990s: for profit litigation screenings
began systematically generating tens of thousands of new non-malignant
claims each year by individuals who had some degree of occupational
asbestos exposure, but did not have, and probably would never get an
impairing asbestos-related disease ” The challenge this creates is that
lawsuits by victims without symptoms are draining funds that could be
better used to compensate real victims.

With respect to asbestos, the legal system has ground to a halt, so much
so that almost all parties are looking for some type of reform. In fact,
there is bipartisan support in the Senate; Judiciary Chairman Orrin
Hatch (R-Utah) and ranking member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) are working to
produce a legislative solution. Some are looking to establish a trust
fund to compensate victims; others are looking to establish a “medical
criteria” that would narrow litigation to claimants diagnosed with
asbestos-related symptoms.

But asbestos litigation also highlights the need for more fundamental
reforms to the civil justice system. For example, joint and several
liability rules that allow trial lawyers to search for the deepest
pockets and biggest awards and ill-defined classes often make their
members placeholders in legal proceedings initiated by lawyers.
Procedural issues, such as the use of questionable science, have crowded
the courts with many cases of dubious merit. While resolving the
asbestos issue is important, an asbestos-specific solution does little
to alter the future of mass tort litigation. The fast food industry, gun
manufacturers, automakers, and a host of other industries are all
vulnerable to similar class action lawsuits.

In the current system, awards are uncertain and unpredictable, often
determined more by where the case is filed than the true need for
compensation. In an effort to maximize the award and their share of
legal fees, trial lawyers engage in “forum shopping,” seeking out courts
with favorable judges and juries. As the American Academy of Actuaries
noted, for example, Mississippi has only 1 percent of the U.S.
population, but 20 percent of the asbestos claims are filed there. In
fact, only five states are responsible for two-thirds of all asbestos
filings between 1998 and 2000, according to David Austern, general
counsel for the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust.

The courts play a valuable role in deterring dangerous behavior and
compensating victims. But a legal system clogged with cases and
unpredictable decisions serves no one-not the sick, not consumers, and
not companies and their employees. Sensible reforms to the civil justice
system would serve victims better while reducing the costly burden of
litigation in America. The asbestos case has reached the point where
almost everyone sees some reforms as necessary. Elsewhere, the House and
several states are pursuing legal reforms to address the growing crisis
in health care due to the rising costs of medical malpractice insurance.
Is it possible that these efforts are the first stirrings of a real
attempt to reform a legal system that has lost its mooring?

Above article is quoted from Citizens for a Sound Economy, Lawsuit
Abuse, March 19, 2003 https://www.cse.org

”Evergreen (Today’s Quote)”

“Markets are not perfect. After all, markets consist of millions upon
millions of imperfect independent decision-makers like you and me.
Abundant evidence, not faith, demonstrates that markets are far more
reliable and predictable than a bunch of arrogant politicians and
bureaucrats.” — Opinion of the Week-Walter Williams
https://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/williams.html

”’Edited by Richard O. Rowland, president of Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. He can be reached at (808) 487-4959 or by email at:”’ mailto:grassroot@hawaii.rr.com ”’For more information, see its Web site at:”’ https://www.grassrootinstitute.org/

“Suzanne Gelb Image”

”Arguing in Front of Kids – How to Stop?”

Dear Dr. Gelb:

Sometimes when my husband gives in to my daughter when I don’t think he should, I get angry at him in front of my daughter. No matter how many times I tell myself not to “go there,” “there” is where I end up — why can’t I keep a lid on it in front of my daughter?

Angered

Dear Angered:

The emotion anger can be tricky. Sometimes it kicks in inappropriately and can compel one to take unnecessary action. It is not uncommon for the type of angry reaction you describe to manifest when one feels unable to do anything about the situation. Helplessness can be a scary feeling and when compounded with mismanaged anger and fear, it can be difficult to manage situations with level-headedness. Excessive emotion can inhibit good judgment, especially when trying to decide what action to take to combat a sensitive encounter.

Fortunately, there are anger management programs that caregivers and family members can attend when there is a need to learn how to manage emotions and direct them appropriately.

”Do I Know You – Why the Embarrassment?”

Dear Dr. Gelb:

The line, “haven’t we met” is often used in social situations as an icebreaker, but I only use it when I really believe I have met someone some place else. Why am I embarrassed when I find out that I and the other person have not met?

Embarrassed for No Reason

Dear Embarrassed:

This semblance of embarrassment can be associated with the feeling of shame. For some people, such embarrassment is also a derivative of being made fun of while growing up, and being scolded for telling white lies. Another feeling that may be associated with this type of embarrassment is, “shame on you for being so stupid.” There are many etceteras to this category of emotional unrest.

Some people have found that after strengthening their self-confidence and self-respect, then these minor booboos no longer embarrass them. It can also be helpful to keep in mind that it is not a weakness nor shameful to be apologetic when one has made a mistake.

”’Suzanne J. Gelb, Ph.D., J.D. authors this daily column, Dr. Gelb Says, which answers questions about daily living and behavior issues. Dr. Gelb is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Honolulu. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Human Services. Dr. Gelb is also a published author of a book on Overcoming Addictions and a book on Relationships.”’

”’This column is intended for entertainment use only and is not intended for the purpose of psychological diagnosis, treatment or personalized advice. For more about the column’s purpose, see”’ “An Online Intro to Dr. Gelb Says”

”’Email your questions to mailto:DrGelbSays@hawaiireporter.com More information on Dr. Gelb’s services and related resources available at”’ https://www.DrGelbSays.com

The following hearing notices, which are subject to change, were sorted and taken from the Hawaii State Capitol Web site. Please check that site for updates and/or changes to the schedule at

“Hawaii State Legislature Sidebar”

Go there and click on the Hearing Date to view the Hearing Notice.

Hearings notices for both House and Senate measures in all committees:

Hearing

”Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee”

4/15/03 9:00 AM HCR58 REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO CONDUCT A SUNRISE REVIEW OF THE REGULATION OF CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION MANAGERS. CPH

4/15/03 9:00 AM HCR163 SUPPORTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HAWAII HOMEOWNERSHIP CENTER. CPH

4/15/03 9:00 AM SB1163 RELATING TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES. HLT

4/15/03 9:00 AM SCR116 SD1 REQUESTING AN ACTUARIAL STUDY ON HEALTH INSURANCE PARITY FOR THE TREATMENT OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCY AND DRUG DEPENDENCY. HLT

4/15/03 9:00 AM SCR132 SD1 REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO LAUNCH A RENEWED PUBLIC EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN ON THE DANGERS OF CRYSTAL METHAMPHETAMINE. (AMENDED TITLE) HLT

4/15/03 9:00 AM SCR13 SD1 REQUESTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A STATEWIDE INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE TO DEVELOP A PLAN FOR COORDINATION AND EXPANSION OF SERVICES PROVIDED THROUGH HEALTHY START TO YOUNG CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES. HLT/HSH

4/15/03 9:00 AM SCR115 SD1 SUPPORTING THE CONTINUED AVAILABILITY OF A STATEWIDE NETWORK OF MULTI-PURPOSE SENIOR CENTERS. HLT/HSH

4/15/03 9:00 AM SCR31 REQUESTING THE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION OF HAWAII TO INVESTIGATE AND QUANTIFY ECONOMIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE WORKING POOR AND FAMILIES ON PUBLIC ASSISTANCE IN FEDERAL LOW INCOME HOUSING. HSH

4/15/03 9:00 AM SCR93 SD1 REQUESTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN AD HOC COMMITTEE TO STUDY THE CONTINUATION OF SERVICES AFTER THE PLANNED CLOSING OF THE CASEY FAMILY PROGRAMS’ HAWAII OFFICES.(AMENDED TITLE) HSH

4/15/03 9:00 AM SCR96 SUPPORTING THE HAWAII HOMEOWNERSHIP CENTER. HSH

4/15/03 9:00 AM SR19 REQUESTING THE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION OF HAWAII TO INVESTIGATE AND QUANTIFY ECONOMIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE WORKING POOR AND FAMILIES ON PUBLIC ASSISTANCE IN FEDERAL LOW INCOME HOUSING. HSH

4/15/03 9:00 AM SR102 SD1 REQUESTING THE REVISION OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE FORMULAS. HSH

4/15/03 9:00 AM HCR26 HD1 REQUESTING THE SPEAKER OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO EDUCATE AND SENSITIZE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ON THE UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE INTERNMENT OF CIVILIANS DURING WORLD WAR II. JHW

4/15/03 9:00 AM HCR96 CONTINUING THE JOINT SENATE-HOUSE INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE THE STATE’S EFFORTS TO COMPLY WITH THE FELIX CONSENT DECREE. JHW

4/15/03 9:00 AM HCR119 HD1 REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS TO REVIEW THE SALE OF LEASES AND SUBMIT RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE LEGISLATURE FOR THE ADOPTION OF POLICIES THAT ARE FAIR TO AWARDEES, LEASE PURCHASERS, AND TO THE STATE. JHW

4/15/03 9:00 AM HCR198 HD1 SUPPORTING THE PRESERVATION OF THE HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE AND THE PERPETUATION OF ITS STUDY AND USE. JHW

4/15/03 9:00 AM JC4 Submitting for consideration and confirmation to the District Court of the First Circuit, State of Hawai`i, Judicial Nominee FAYE KOYANAGI JHW

”Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee”

4/15/03 2:45 PM GM289 Submitting for consideration and confirmation to the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts Commission, Gubernatorial Nominee GAE BERGQUIST-TROMMALD, for a term to expire 06-30-07. SAT

4/15/03 2:45 PM GM310 Submitting for consideration and confirmation to the King Kamehameha Celebration Commission, Gubernatorial Nominee WILLIAM D. SOUZA, for a term to expire 06-30-06. SAT

4/15/03 2:45 PM GM321 Submitting for consideration and confirmation to the Board of Directors of the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawai’i Authority, Gubernatorial Nominee CARL L. SIMONS, for a term to expire 06-30-07. SAT

4/15/03 2:45 PM HCR89 SUPPORTING THE RALPH BUNCHE CENTENARY CELEBRATION. SAT

”Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee”

4/15/03 7:00 PM HB200 HD1 SD1 RELATING TO THE STATE BUDGET. CONFERENCE

”’To reach legislators, see:”’ “Representatives at a Glance” and “Senators at a Glance”

As this legislative session began, it seemed that lawmakers were obsessed enacting yet another round of economic stimuli as the number of tax credit proposals outnumbered almost every other type of tax concept in the legislative hopper.

There were tax incentives to drive construction, create more jobs, attract various types of new businesses to Hawaii, support the film industry, build a raceway park, and so on. Millions of dollars would be given away through the back door called “tax credits.” It seemed like there was no end to the long line of those who believed that they deserved a tax credit because their idea would either stimulate the economy or create new and better paying jobs.

Well, the half-time show is over and as lawmakers search for the light at the end of the session tunnel, the bright light they see is not the end of the dark cave, but that of a speeding locomotive headed their way, apparently with no brakes of which to speak. That locomotive is probably the most important bill of the legislative session and it is about to do lawmakers in. It’s called the state budget.

In particular, it is the state general fund budget, the one that relies largely on the taxes you pay. By comparison to other states, it may not seem large, but by any other comparison, it is a lot of money — nearly 7.5 billion dollars over the next two years.

Although lawmakers are faced with a substantial shortfall between the amount that they would like to spend on government programs and the amount of money anticipated to be raised through all sorts of taxes, the size of the problem is not as large as many other states are faced with as they work on their budgets. Then again, it is all relative.

Regardless, this half of the session is now obsessed with finding ways to raise enough money to cover the shortfall in the state general fund budget. True, there is the big bill, the increase in the general excise tax rate from 4.0 percent to 4.5 percent which could raise as much as $200 million a year, but there are a number of smaller tax increases which all contribute to the pot.

For example, there is the county option retail sales tax that would allow the counties to impose a retail sales tax of 1 percent. Note well that this is not a tack on to the state’s general excise tax, but a brand new tax imposed only on goods and then only on the final consumer. Initially, the option would have been available only to the City & County of Honolulu and it was supported by the governor on the basis that it enhances homerule, allowing the City & County to determine its own destiny.

However, as it emerged from the Senate last week, the option is now extended to all counties and the rate must be 1 percent in all cases. The optional tax would have to be adopted by the City & County by Aug. 1 of this year and by the other counties by Oct. 1 of this year and be imposed as of Jan. 1, 2004.

Well, these strings seem to have dissuaded the governor’s support who no longer thinks it enhances homerule because of the restrictions. But if signed into law and implemented by all counties, it would raise about $160 million in new money for the counties. So how does the state benefit from what appears to be a boom for the counties? Under the bill, the counties would lose all (in the case of Honolulu) or part of the revenues they get from the state’s hotel room tax or TAT. Those lost revenues would accrue to the state’s general fund. How much? A tidy $30 million to $50 million annually would fatten the state’s general fund coffers.

Finally, there is the proposed vehicle registration fee increase to fund the emergency medical services program, a program that is required to be paid by the state under a mandate adopted back in the 1970s. Initially, the proposed hike would have to be adopted by each county. However, when it was pointed out that if one or more of the counties did not adopt the registration fee hike, would that mean they could not get emergency medical services? The response was to make the increased fee mandatory. That will generate between $9 million and $10 million in the first year. Most of the money would be deposited to a state special fund to run the emergency medical services program and some would be kept by the counties to pay for administrative costs.

Again, it should be noted that this is a program that is currently paid for out of the state general fund. Thus, the hike in the vehicle registration fee is nothing more than an increase in taxes to help balance the state general fund without making drastic cuts to other services.

So is tax hell getting hotter? Based on the above, it would sure seem so.

”’Lowell L. Kalapa is the president of the Tax Foundation of Hawaii, a private, non-profit educational organization. For more information, please call 536-4587 or log on to”’ https://www.tfhawaii.org

The House on Thursday night endorsed opening part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, setting up a likely confrontation with the Senate as Congress works to complete a comprehensive energy bill.

Opening a 2,000-acre slice of the 1.5 million acre Alaskan refuge is a high-profile feature of the Bush administration’s energy policy that aims to bolster domestic energy supplies as a means of reducing the nation’s addiction to foreign oil.

“ANWR oil is obviously a critical component of any viable energy policy and it is exemplary that the House realizes this,” said Roger Herrera, a consultant for the pro-drilling group Arctic Power.

“It is appropriate that this decision is reached at a time when our armed forces are freeing Iraq and making us more secure,” he said. “American oil in American jet fighters makes eminent sense.”

ANWR survived in the House as an amendment to remove it from the overall energy bill failed on a 228-197 vote Thursday night. A final vote on the bill was expected to come Friday.

It is not clear how much recoverable oil is beneath the area that is slated for drilling. The U.S. Energy Information Administration has estimated that the area could yield anywhere from roughly 1.6 million to 2.6 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2020. Current crude imports run just under 10 million bpd, the agency said.

To environmentalists, such volumes are not sufficient enough to justify invading a refuge that is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including primeval herds of migrating caribou.

“It makes no sense to destroy one of our last, pristine wild places for what the U.S. Geological Survey says would be less than six months’ worth of oil that even the oil industry admits wouldn’t reach consumers for 10 years,” said Jim Waltman of the Wilderness Society.

“Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will do almost nothing to address our reliance on imported oil,” Waltman said. “We simply can’t drill our way to energy independence.”

Supporters of drilling argue that there is no technology or fuel on the immediate horizon that will replace the massive amounts of oil the nation burns every day.

They also contend that advances in drilling technology make it possible to explore ANWR and produce oil and natural gas in a manner that leaves nothing in the way of a “footprint” on the environment in terms of roads and other construction.

Jerry Hood, chairman of Arctic Power and principal officer of Teamsters Local 959 in Anchorage, Alaska, said, “We will continue to fight to open ANWR and benefit from the excellent jobs it development will create.”

Environmentalists and Democratic supporters have taken the administration to task for focusing on increased oil production rather than improving fuel efficiency technology and developing alternative energy sources that would reduce oil consumption.

“We would have rather won this vote, but the big picture is that the House leadership is driving the energy bill full throttle down a dead end street,” said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife. “Arctic drilling is dead on arrival in the Senate.”

Copyright 2003 by United Press International. All rights reserved.

WASHINGTON, April 9 (UPI) — Despite the increase in bioterrorism preparedness across the United States, the country’s public health system still has major gaps and could be overwhelmed if there is a significant increase in cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome, experts testified before Congress Wednesday.

“The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome has not infected large numbers of individuals in the United States, but it has raised concerns about the nation’s preparedness should it, or other infections, reach pandemic proportions,” Janet Heinrich, director for public health issues at the General Accounting Office, testified before the House Government Reform Committee.

The GAO issued a report Monday about efforts of public health agencies to prepare for a bioterrorist attack that found gaps in preparedness still remain. Shortcomings specifically related to SARS included that many hospitals lack the capacity to respond to large-scale outbreaks of infectious respiratory diseases.

“Most hospitals lack adequate equipment, isolation facilities, and staff to treat a large increase in the number of patients for an infectious disease such as SARS,” Heinrich said.

If cases of the disease were to increase markedly in the United States, “it could get out of control because not all hospitals are as well equipped or as well-trained as others,” she noted.

To date, there are 149 suspected cases of the illness in the United States and no deaths from the disease. Globally, more than 2,700 people have come down with SARS and 106 have died from the disease.

Dr. Margaret Hamburg, vice president of biological programs for the Nuclear Threat Initiative, shared Heinrich’s view.

The United States is “inadequately prepared (to respond to disease outbreaks) … we must do more,” said Hamburg, who served on a panel of disease experts, convened by the Institute of Medicine, that wrote a report in March about the threat of emerging infections as the SARS epidemic was just being recognized.

The IOM panel concluded the United States and other countries should do more to battle the emerging threat of infectious diseases because of the devastating global ramifications of illness outbreaks.

“SARS is a wake-up call” and “is not an isolated phenomenon,” Hamburg said, noting other new diseases will likely emerge in the future.

“The best defense against any outbreak is a robust public health system,” she said.

Dr. David Goodfriend, director of the Loudon County (Va.) Health Department, which in February treated the first suspected SARS case in the United States, said bioterrorism preparedness efforts had made their response to the mysterious illness more effective.

At the time, SARS had not yet been recognized as a syndrome but the health department was aware of reports of atypical pneumonia. Due to their bioterrorism preparedness, they already had plans in place for isolating patients and quickly notifying the state health department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which benefited their response to the suspected SARS patient, Goodfriend said.

However, health officials still lacked other critical elements for responding to an outbreak of either a bioterrorist attack or an emerging disease like SARS, he said.

Although there were provisions for transporting patient specimens to the state health department, there were no protocols in place for getting those specimens to the CDC during the weekend, he said.

In addition, the health department lacked the capacity to handle a major influx of respiratory cases and would have experienced difficulty isolating patients if there had been a larger outbreak, he said.

Copyright 2003 by United Press International. All rights reserved.

BAGHDAD, April 12 (UPI) — U.S. military officials confirmed that the top science adviser to Iraq’s president had surrendered Saturday to coalition forces in Baghdad. They hope he will have information about any illegal weapons programs Iraq might have developed under Saddam Hussein’s regime.

Gen. Amir al-Saadi is among the United States’ 55 most wanted officials in Iraq. He became more prominent during recent months as Iraq’s liaison with U.N. weapons inspectors prior to the war.

Al-Saadi insisted then and again on Saturday that Iraq does not have weapons of mass destruction, His comments and surrender were recorded by German television ZDF. His wife is reportedly German and he asked a ZDF camera crew to accompany him to U.S. military command in the Iraqi capital.

“We can confirm the surrender took place,” Capt. Dani Burrows told United Press International by telephone from the Combined Forces headquarters outside Doha, Qatar. No details on where al-Saadi is being held, or whether he was yet being questioned, were available.

Terence Taylor, a former U.N. weapons inspector, told CNN Saturday that al-Saadi had little alternative but to surrender at this stage of the war.

“He will gain some form of security by doing that, I imagine,” said Taylor, and added his surrender could be the beginning of other people coming forward.

“People associated with (Iraq’s) weapons of mass destruction program, I think we want them to come in, they probably have something to offer,” Taylor asserted.

The U.S. military has produced a deck of 55 cards identifying by name and photo the “most wanted” Iraqi officials. The cards are being distributed to Army soldiers and Marines to help them spread the word among Iraqis even without speaking Arabic, Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said Friday. The faces and names will also be published on posters and handbills.

The United States is offering financial rewards and other enticements to get information on the whereabouts of the 55 as well as information on chemical and biological weapons.

“We’ve also said that if people have spotty backgrounds, assisting us might make their futures brighter,” Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said.

He said the only way suspected “weapons of mass destruction” will be found — a primary reason for the war — is if people come forward with information, enticed with money or promises of leniency.

“Are we going to find (the weapons)? No. It’s a big country. What we’re going to do is we’re going to find the people who will tell us that, and we’re going to find ways to encourage them to tell us that,” he said.

Copyright 2003 by United Press International. All rights reserved.

BAGHDAD, April 12 (UPI) — U.S. military officials confirmed that the top science adviser to Iraq’s president had surrendered Saturday to coalition forces in Baghdad. They hope he will have information about any illegal weapons programs Iraq might have developed under Saddam Hussein’s regime.

Gen. Amir al-Saadi is among the United States’ 55 most wanted officials in Iraq. He became more prominent during recent months as Iraq’s liaison with U.N. weapons inspectors prior to the war.

Al-Saadi insisted then and again on Saturday that Iraq does not have weapons of mass destruction, His comments and surrender were recorded by German television ZDF. His wife is reportedly German and he asked a ZDF camera crew to accompany him to U.S. military command in the Iraqi capital.

“We can confirm the surrender took place,” Capt. Dani Burrows told United Press International by telephone from the Combined Forces headquarters outside Doha, Qatar. No details on where al-Saadi is being held, or whether he was yet being questioned, were available.

Terence Taylor, a former U.N. weapons inspector, told CNN Saturday that al-Saadi had little alternative but to surrender at this stage of the war.

“He will gain some form of security by doing that, I imagine,” said Taylor, and added his surrender could be the beginning of other people coming forward.

“People associated with (Iraq’s) weapons of mass destruction program, I think we want them to come in, they probably have something to offer,” Taylor asserted.

The U.S. military has produced a deck of 55 cards identifying by name and photo the “most wanted” Iraqi officials. The cards are being distributed to Army soldiers and Marines to help them spread the word among Iraqis even without speaking Arabic, Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said Friday. The faces and names will also be published on posters and handbills.

The United States is offering financial rewards and other enticements to get information on the whereabouts of the 55 as well as information on chemical and biological weapons.

“We’ve also said that if people have spotty backgrounds, assisting us might make their futures brighter,” Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said.

He said the only way suspected “weapons of mass destruction” will be found — a primary reason for the war — is if people come forward with information, enticed with money or promises of leniency.

“Are we going to find (the weapons)? No. It’s a big country. What we’re going to do is we’re going to find the people who will tell us that, and we’re going to find ways to encourage them to tell us that,” he said.

Copyright 2003 by United Press International. All rights reserved.

Health officials in Canada said Saturday that three more people had died of severe acute respiratory syndrome, bringing the country’s SARS death toll to 13. All the deaths have been in the Toronto area.

According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., the three latest victims were all women in their 70s and 80s. One died Friday night, the other two on Saturday morning. All fell ill after coming in direct contact with other SARS patients in early March, CBC said.

There have now been about 275 cases of SARS in Canada, the network said.

“Efforts to respond to SARS and contain the disease continue around the clock,” Dr. James Young, Ontario’s commissioner of public safety, told CBC.

In Saturday’s update on SARS, the World Health Organization said that 2,960 cases, with 119 deaths, had been reported from 19 countries. That’s an increase of 70 cases and three deaths from Friday.

In Asia, where the disease has so far been most widespread, Radio Television Hong Kong said that Hong Kong had 49 new cases of SARS, with three deaths. The total number of cases recorded in the territory stood at 1,108, with 35 dead, RTHK said. The latest three victims were a 67-year-old man and two individuals aged 39 and 35, Deputy Director of Health Lam Pingyan said.

Also according to RTHK, the Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific denied it planned to stop operations because of the epidemic. Cathay made the statement amid reports that it was considering grounding its entire passenger fleet due to mounting losses, RTHK said. The airline said it had cancelled 42 percent of its schedule.

*In the Philippines, the Today newspaper reported on its Web site that the country was “technically” free of SARS, although a “probable” case — a 64-year-old foreign male who had arrived from Hong Kong — been isolated in a Manila hospital. Today’s Web site said that Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit reported on the SARS situation to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who said the country would try to keep the illness out without “stigmatizing” healthy tourists from SARS-stricken countries.

*The Chinese province of Inner Mongolia has reportedly had two SARS deaths. The Deutsche Welle network says that it’s being reported in China that there are 10 cases of SARS in the regional capital, Hohhot.

*Thailand might have its 8th probable SARS case, the Bangkok Post said Saturday. It said this patient was an unidentified Taiwanese male who arrived with a small tour group on March 30. Thailand has had two deaths so far, and Deputy Public Health Permanent Secretary Dr. Thawat Suntharacharn was quoted by the Post as saying that 80 people had been put on the Sars watchlist.

*The Voice of Vietnam’s Web site said that as of Friday, 35 SARS patients had been discharged from hospitals. Another 18 remained hospitalized at Bach Mai Hospital’s Medical Institute for Tropical Diseases, of whom six were on respirators.

*The JapanToday Web site says Japan could have four “probable cases,” with no deaths as yet.

*In Indonesia, the Jakarta Post said Saturday that the number of suspected SARS cases stood at two. The first probable case was that of a 47-year-old British national of ethnic Chinese origin who had previously visited Hong Kong and Singapore. The second patient was being treated at a hospital specializing in epidemic diseases, but the individual’s personal details weren’t released.

Meanwhile, in Hamburg, Germany, a biotechnology company said it will release a new test for SARS on Monday. The company, Artus GmbH, said that it had developed a virus detection assay test, working with the Bernhard-Nocht-Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg.

Based on what’s known about the genetic sequence of the virus believed to cause SARS, the institute created what Artus said was a real-time polymerase chain reaction diagnostic test, from which results can be obtained within two hours. This test will be given free to laboratories, it said.

“The real-time PCR technique improves specificity, allows interpretation of results during the test and provides data about the quantity of the viruses in the sample material.

“Classical tests like antibody assays in blood allow detection of an infection normally much later,” or 10 to 20 days after infection, Artus said.

Copyright 2003 by United Press International. All rights reserved.