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msnbc.com staff and news service reports; updated 1:57 p.m. PT, Sun., May 10, 2009

A man in his 30s is the third person in the United States to die from complications of swine flu, Washington state health officials said Saturday.

The state Department of Health said the victim there was a man in his 30s who had underlying heart conditions and viral pneumonia when he died Thursday from what appeared to be complications from swine flu. Officials said in a statement Saturday that swine flu was considered a factor in his death.

“We’re working with local and federal partners to track this outbreak,” said Washington State Secretary of Health Mary Selecky.

The man was not further identified. He began showing symptoms on April 30, and was treated with anti-viral medication. Dr. Gary Goldbaum, Snohomish Health District medical director, said medical officials hadn’t been able to isolate any “risk factors” for the man to identify where he might have been exposed.

Swine influenza

So far, there have been more than 4,150 confirmed cases of swine flu in 29 countries. In the U.S., the number of confirmed cases has risen to 2,532 in 44 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Sunday. There have been 48 deaths in Mexico, three U.S. deaths, one in Canada and one in Costa Rica. Officials said the Canadian, U.S. and Costa Rican victims also had underlying medical conditions.

America’s other two swine flu deaths — a toddler and a pregnant woman — each suffered from several other illnesses when they were infected with the virus, according to a study released Thursday.

Swine Flu Symptoms

 

 

 

Neighboring Canada reported its first death from swine flu on Friday — a woman who was in her 30s. Alberta's chief medical officer says the woman from northern Alberta and did not travel recently. He says she also had other medical conditions. Dr. Andre Corriveau made the announcement at a news conference Friday.

The report by the CDC presented a clearer picture of the complicated medical situations faced by those who have gotten swine flu and had the most serious cases so far.

The Mexican toddler had a chronic muscle weakness called myasthenia gravis, a heart defect, a swallowing problem and lack of oxygen. Little Miguel Tejada Vazquez fell ill and died during a family visit to Texas.

The pregnant woman, Judy Trunnell, 33, was hospitalized for two weeks until she died Tuesday. The teacher was in a coma, and her baby girl was delivered by cesarean section. According to the report, she had asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, a skin condition called psoriasis and was 35 weeks pregnant.

People with chronic illnesses are at greatest risk for severe illness from the flu, along with the elderly and young children. So far, most of those with the swine flu in the U.S. and Mexico have been young adults.

“We’re still learning about what patients are most at risk” from the new virus, said Dr. Fatima Dawood, a CDC epidemiologist.

The CDC report released by the New England Journal of Medicine also provided more detailed information on 22 people hospitalized with swine flu. Nine had chronic medical conditions, including the two who died and a 25-year-old man with Down syndrome and a congenital heart disease. Five of the patients had asthma alone.

President Barack Obama said Friday that public health agencies must reach all corners of the nation when providing information on matters such as swine flu.

The president dropped by a town hall-style meeting at the White House co-sponsored by the Spanish-language media company Univision.

He said, "we're all in this together. We're one country, we're one community. When one person gets sick, it has the potential of making us all sick."

‘We’re still learning’

Last week, the CDC also described the symptoms experienced by Americans with swine flu. About 90 percent reported fever, 84 percent reported cough and 61 percent reported a sore throat — all similar to what’s seen with seasonal flu.

It’s possible the virus is spreading not only through coughed and sneezed droplets — as with seasonal flu — but also through feces-contaminated hands, said Dawood.

“This is a new virus and we’re still learning how transmission occurs,” she said.

There are more than 1,600 confirmed cases of swine flu in the U.S.

About 10 percent of the Americans who got swine flu had traveled to Mexico and likely picked up the infection there. That’s a change from over the weekend when the CDC said about a third of the U.S. cases at that point were people who had been to Mexico, where the outbreak began.

The ongoing spread within the U.S. borders explains why a shrinking proportion of cases are people who traveled to Mexico, Besser said.

Forty percent of patients with confirmed cases of swine flu in the United States so far have been between the ages of 10 and 18 years, validating concerns that the virus appears to target the young.

Unclear combination
In the new report, CDC scientists discussed what’s known about the swine flu virus. It has a unique combination of genes from flu viruses seen in birds, humans and pigs from not only North America but also Europe and Asia.

“There are no really close relatives, nothing we can say was an immediate precursor,” said Michael Shaw, a CDC microbiologist.

It’s still not clear how the combination occurred. Pigs from the Americas are imported into Europe and Asia for breeding purposes, but not the other way around, CDC officials said. Yet the virus first surfaced in California and Mexico.  

Complacency worries health experts
Health experts warned this week that the U.S. public could become more vulnerable to a flu pandemic if complacency about the need for heightened vigilance sets in.

Those concerns would escalate if the H1N1 virus that has killed two people in the United States mutates into a more virulent form by the start of the traditional flu season in the fall.

"The risk of complacency, or a sense that we have weathered this, is a serious one," said Stephen Redd, director of Influenza Coordination at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

CDC officials say they walk a fine line between ramping up public warnings to encourage people to take precautions such as washing hands while not adopting an alarmist posture that could risk their authority as the epidemic persists.

In one small sign of waning public interest in the flu threat, nationally syndicated talk show host Neal Boortz told his audience recently that the issue of flu was getting "really overblown."

However, the world can still likely expect a pandemic, with cases widely spread in many countries, Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the CDC said Wednesday. He expects the World Health Organization may again raise its global warning, although that has not happened yet.

“I would be surprised if we don’t get to a level 6,” Besser said.

The WHO’s six-stage scale, which was raised last week to phase 5, largely measures the transmission of illness around the world, rather than the severity. Six is the highest level.

In the United States, most cases remain mild, but Besser cautioned that it’s too soon to let down guard.

“We’re continuing to see virus spread in the United States and around the globe,” he said. “It’s important that people have respect for this virus.”

Building a vaccine
Health officials told lawmakers Wednesday it took only two weeks to identify the genetic characteristics of swine flu, and they are in good position to quickly produce a vaccine if the flu takes a turn for the worse.

At the same time, the officials cautioned members of a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee that there are still elements of what they called the novel 2009 H1N1 influenza virus that they don’t understand, and it was not time for complacency.

Dr. Dennis Carroll, special adviser on pandemic flu to the U.S. Agency for International Development, noted that the 1918-1919 flu pandemic also began in the spring and was initially mild, but a much more lethal version hit six months later and the virus eventually killed 50 million worldwide.

Dr. Anne Schuchat, acting deputy director for science and program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also urged caution, saying they expected to see more people get sick and more serious cases. One factor, she said, is that the Southern Hemisphere is now moving into its flu season.

But she also stressed that “at no time in our history have we been more prepared to face this challenge.”

She said the CDC moved rapidly to determine that the virus circulating in the U.S. and around the world contains genetic pieces from four different virus sources and that within two weeks it was able to understand its complete genetic characteristics.

“We have isolated and identified the virus and discussions are under way so that, should we need to manufacture a vaccine, we can work towards that goal very quickly,” she said.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the CDC is currently at the stage of processing vaccine seed virus. If the need arises, they can coordinate with manufacturers on clinical trials, verifying the safety, efficacy and right dosages of the vaccine, and then move to mass production.

Differences from seasonal flu
Schuchat said the swine flu appears to differ from seasonal flu in that most U.S. cases, including those needing hospitalization, involve those aged five to 50 instead of the very young and the elderly. One possibility is that people older than 50 might have protection because of exposure to a similar virus when they were young, she said.

Rep. Donald Payne, D-N.J., chairman of the Africa and global health subcommittee, also expressed concern that not one case had been found in Africa. That “may actually represent the absence of the ability to detect the virus and may mean the true impact of the strain is yet to be seen,” he said.

AID’s Carroll said his group is working with more than 30 countries in the developing world on pandemic responses. He said some of the groundwork was laid with the U.S. investment of $543 million since 2005 to help countries monitor the spread of avian influenza virus.

3rd U.S. flu death reported in Wash. state - Swine flu- msnbc.com

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RELATED:

Swine Flu (H1N1) | Washington State Department of Health

H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) | CDC

WikiPedia: 1, Swine influenza 2. 2009 swine flu outbreak

The 2009 outbreak of influenza A (H1N1) virus is an epidemic of a new strain of influenza virus identified in April 2009, commonly referred to as "swine flu." Although the source of the outbreak in humans is still unknown, cases were first discovered in the U.S. and officials soon suspected a link between those incidents and an earlier outbreak of late-season flu cases in Mexico. Within days hundreds of suspected cases, many of them fatal, were discovered in Mexico, with yet more cases found in the U.S. and several other countries in the Northern Hemisphere. Soon thereafter, the U.N.'s World Health Organization (WHO), along with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), expressed concern that the A(H1N1) could become a worldwide flu pandemic, and WHO then raised its pandemic alert level to "Phase 5" out of the six maximum, as a "signal that a pandemic is imminent".

Although virologists have noted that the outbreak has proven relatively mild and less fatal than historic pandemics,^[54] other health officials, including CDC Director Richard Besser, worry about what might happen later in the year, stating that "we are not seeing any sign of this petering out. We are still on the upswing of the epidemic curve. The number of cases is expected to rise as the new flu spreads across the country." ^[55]

The new strain is an apparent reassortment of four strains of influenza A virus subtype H1N1.^[56] Analysis by the CDC identified the four component strains as one endemic in humans, one endemic in birds, and two endemic in pigs (swine).^[56] However, other scientists have stated that analysis of the 2009 swine flu (A/H1N1) viral genome suggests that all RNA segments are of swine origin,^[57] and "this preliminary analysis suggests at least two swine ancestors to the current H1N1, one of them related to the triple reassortant viruses isolated in North America in 1998."^[58] One swine influenza strain was widespread in the United States, the other in Eurasia.^[56] In a step towards understanding the outbreak, and developing a vaccine, Canadian scientists have completed the full genetic sequencing of H1N1 swine flu virus.^[59]

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OMG! Susan Boyle video now has 16,444,554 views  on 16 April 2009. She's awesome! Luv it!!! :) RDG

Published by MTV News on Thursday, April 16, 2009 at 3:27 pm.

Susan Boyle on The Early Show Thursday (CBS)

Yesterday, we here in the Newsroom were still debating whether “Britain’s Got Talent” contestant Susan Boyle is just another overhyped Internet sensation or a real (albeit late-blooming) future musical-theatre diva. But today, audiences around the globe seem to be answering in tremendous support of her divadom.

(Check out photos from Susan Boyle’s new photo shoot at her home in Blackburn, Scotland.)

YouTube videos of her “Talent” appearance still dominate the Web, a Twitter page has been dedicated to support her career, and her own fan site (Susan-Boyle.com) was just launched. American TV networks caught on this morning too. CBS’ “Early Show” talked to the singing sensation via satellite from her home in Blackburn, Scotland, and shared in everyone’s amazement. They took cameras around her hometown pub to talk to neighborhood friends of Susan, who have heard her sing many times and said nothing but great things about her quest for success. The pub manager, Jackie Russell, told the show not to “judge a book by it’s cover. … [Susan] is a wonderful singer, a lovely girl.”

It wasn’t until this morning that I got wind of the Susan Boyle craze. Along with the rest of you cynics out there, I have to admit that I was too quick to judge and giggle before she opened her mouth. Not to follow the crowd, but she seriously gave me goose bumps and watery eyes. (I discovered that closing your eyes to her bushy brows and just allowing yourself to hear her voice is the trick.) Her talent is undeniable, regardless of her cat collection and homely frock.

Her “Early Show” appearance proved that while Boyle is indeed a wonderful singer, she’s lacking in the whole conventional-pop-star-persona thing. The big-voiced Scot gave one-word answers and smiled awkwardly while the CBS anchors praised her. Homegirl will have to up her media savvy if she wants to extend her 15 minutes.

MTV Newsroom » Susan Boyle’s World Domination Continues On CBS ‘Early Show’

RELATED:

Susan Boyle Early Show Video CBS | reviewkoe.com by admin on Apr.16, 2009, under Test

‘Britain’s Got Talent‘ Sensation Susan Boyle Update Invited to ‘Early Show‘ - This is what is called an instant success. Susan Boyle, a 47-year-old unemployed church volunteer auditioned for U.K.’s show “Britain’s Got Talent”, received standing ovation from the audience and went on to become Internet sensation.  She was then invited to sing at CBS’ “Early Show” on April 16.

Her astounding performance in the audition week of the British show prompted national curiosity that results in over six million hits on YouTube. She sang “I Dreamed a Dream” from “Les Miserable” and wowed the judges that include Simon Cowell. She got three ‘yes’ and advanced to the next round.

But the words of her talent traveled through the States that “The Early Show” would like her to appear on the show, singing from her kitchen in Scotland. Anchorwoman Maggie Rodriguez announced the performance on last night’s “CBS Evening News.” It will air at 7 A.M. on WKMG-Channel 6.

Surprise For Sudden Star, On Early Show - Britain’s Got Talent” contestant Susan Boyle blew away the judges and the rest of the world. Mark Phillips reports. Harry Smith and Maggie Rodriguez spoke with Boyle about her fame. The Early Show interviewed singing sensation Susan Boyle.

Susan Boyle on The Early Show Thursday (CBS)(CBS) Susan Boyle says her out-of-nowhere success is “breathtaking, unbelievable, awesome!”

In an interview on The Early Show Thursday, Boyle admitted it “hasn’t really sunk in yet.”

And little did she know that the broadcast would put her in touch with Tony Award winner and Broadway legend Patti LuPone, who first did the hit that made Boyle famous, overnight.

Boyle, 47, shocked viewers, judges and audience members when she performed in a preliminary round of the TV show, “Britain’s Got Talent.” She sang “I Dreamed a Dream,” from the musical “Les Miserables.”

When Boyle, a volunteer church worker from Blackburn, Scotland, first stepped on stage, she said, “I’m nearly 48, currently unemployed, but still looking.”

But probably not unemployed for much longer, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips.

By Thursday morning, a video clip of Boyle’s performance on YouTube had been viewed more than 11 million times.

In her interview with Early Show co-anchors Harry Smith and Maggie Rodriguez, Boyle noted that kids who made fun of her in school are now — singing her praises!

Boyle said she got the courage and inspiration to perform from her late mother, whom she cared for for many years.

Phillips told her remarkable — and most unlikely story, then Boyle had her chat with Smith and Rodriguez:

Surprise For Sudden Star, On Early Show | Singer Susan Boyle Gets To Chat With Patti LuPone, Who First Did Hit "I Dreamed A Dream" | CBS News, BLACKBURN, Scotland, April 16, 2009

(CBS) Susan Boyle says her out-of-nowhere success is "breathtaking, unbelievable, awesome!"
In an interview on The Early Show Thursday, Boyle admitted it "hasn't really sunk in yet."
And little did she know that the broadcast would put her in touch with Tony Award winner and Broadway legend Patti LuPone, who first did the hit that made Boyle famous, overnight.
Boyle, 47, shocked viewers, judges and audience members when she performed in a preliminary round of the TV show, "Britain's Got Talent." She sang "I Dreamed a Dream," from the musical "Les Miserables."
When Boyle, a volunteer church worker from Blackburn, Scotland, first stepped on stage, she said, "I'm nearly 48, currently unemployed, but still looking."
But probably not unemployed for much longer, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips.
By Thursday morning, a video clip of Boyle's performance on YouTube had been viewed more than 11 million times.
In her interview with Early Show co-anchors Harry Smith and Maggie Rodriguez, Boyle noted that kids who made fun of her in school are now -- singing her praises!
Boyle said she got the courage and inspiration to perform from her late mother, whom she cared for for many years.
Phillips told her remarkable -- and most unlikely story, then Boyle had her chat with Smith and Rodriguez:

OK this is a totally strange and completely weird site… 

Sprint: Plug into Now.

The FLDS temple in the YFZ Ranch_Eldorado

A view of the FLDS ranch

In April 2008, Texas authorities took more than 460 children from the Yearning for Zion Ranch operated by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Eldorado, Texas. (Where's that?)

The raid was prompted by a phone call from 16-year-old "Sarah," who claimed she was being physically and sexually abused.

The call was later traced to Rozita Swinton, a non-FLDS member living in Colorado Springs, Colo. Swinton reportedly has a history of making false reports by phone. (Search for more about her.)

The call launched a full-scale investigation into possible physical and sexual abuse of children living on the compound. But just two months after they were taken, all of the children were reunited with their parents, except one. (Search for what happened to her.)

The case exposed many to the existence of organized polygamist communities. And while the Mormon church rejected polygamy in 1890, some fundamentalist sects still practice multiple marriage. (Search for others.)

Still, we wonder: What is life like behind the gates of the YFZ compound? (Search has more on that — and so does Oprah.)

MSN A-List | YFZ polygamist ranch 

RELATED:

Live Search | Search results | Yearning for Zion Ranch

Photoshelter | NY Times Magazine - Childern of God - Inside Their World, July 2008 | The Young Women of the F.L.D.S.

It was a banner weekend for The New York Times Magazine, surprise surprise; I don't think I've seen a more arresting cover image in quite some time. The article, Children of God, discusses the world that is the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints-- both inside the sect's walls, and out.
Stephanie SInclair of the VI Network took these pictures, and they're stunning. See some of my favorites below, and all of them here in handy slide show format.

BBC News | Americas | Chaos at polygamy custody hearing, Friday, 18 April 2008

The US judge deciding the fate of 416 children removed from a breakaway Mormon sect has struggled to control a first chaotic day of custody hearings. Judge Barbara Walther had to suspend proceedings for an hour to allow hundreds of lawyers for the children and their parents to view evidence. Lawyers were arguing whether the Texas case violated religious freedom rights.

PBS Newshour | Polygamy Ruling Raises Legal Debate on State Power | Transcript, Originally Aired: May 22, 2008

A Texas state appeals court ruled on Thursday that child welfare officials had no right to seize more than 400 children taken last month from the Yearning For Zion Ranch, a polygamous sect's compound in the state. The ruling however does not make clear what will happen to the children or the legal position of their parents.

New York Times | Times Topics: Yearning for Zion Ranch, Thursday, April 2, 2009

Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints Navigator: A list of resources from around the Web about the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints as selected by researchers and editors of The New York Times.

• Denominations in the LDS Restorationist movement; FLDS
• Religious tolerance.org

From THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

• On Polygamy (Plural Marriage)
• On Warren Jeffs and the use of the word 'Mormon'

Other Coverage

• From the Eldorado Success
• From the Salt Lake Tribune
• "Texas Town Wary of Polygamist Sect's Arrival" | National Public Radio, May 4, 2005 (with audio)
• "Polygamists on Utah-Arizona Border Under Scrutiny" | National Public Radio, May 3, 2005 (with audio)

Polygamy Navigator: A list of resources from around the Web about polygamy as selected by researchers and editors of The New York Times.

• Polygamy Archive | Articles on polygamy in The Salt Lake Tribune.
• "Polygamy in America," | "The Oprah Winfrey Show," October 2007. Includes excerpt from "Escape," by Carolyn Jessop, with Laura Palmer, a first-person account of polygamous life inside the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Books

• Escape | Carolyn Jessop, with Laura Palmer, 2007. First-person account of a teen-age girl's life in and escape from a polygamous cult.
• Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife | Irene Spencer, 2007.
• His Favorite Wife: Trapped in Polygamy | Susan Ray Schmidt, 2006.
• God's Brothel: The Extortion of Sex for Salvation in Contemporary Mormon and Christian Fundamentalist Polygamy and the Stories of 18 Women Who Escaped | Andrea Moore-Emmett, 2004.
• Mormon Polygamy: A History | Richard S. Van Wagoner, 1992.

Big Bend Gazette | Love Your Lawyer Suit!, By Marlys Hersey, Editor, July 1, 2008

Two Alpine attorneys help win back custody of hundreds of children taken by Texas’ Department of Family and Protective Services in the April raid on the Yearning for Zion Ranch in West Texas.

Wikipedia | Short Creek Raid | July 26, 1953 at Short Creek, Arizona (renamed Colorado City in 1960)

The Short Creek raid is the name given to Arizona state police and U.S. National Guard action against Mormon fundamentalists that took place on the morning of July 26, 1953 at Short Creek, Arizona. The Short Creek raid was the largest mass arrest of polygamists in American history. At the time, it was described as "the largest mass arrest of men and women in modern American history."^[1]

Just before dawn on July 26, 1953, 102 Arizona state police officers and soldiers from the National Guard entered Short Creek. The community—which was composed of approximately 400 Mormon fundamentalists—had been tipped off about the planned raid and were found singing hymns in the schoolhouse while the children played outside. The entire community was taken into custody, with the exception of six individuals who were found not to be fundamentalist Mormons.^[2] Among those taken into custody were 236 children. One hundred fifty of the children who were taken into custody were not permitted to return to their parents for more than two years, and some parents never regained custody of their children.^[3]

Colorado City schoolhouse

Wikipedia | YFZ Ranch

The YFZ Ranch, also known as the Yearning for Zion Ranch,^[1] is a 1,700-acre (7 km²) community which housed as many as 700 just outside of Eldorado in Schleicher County, Texas, United States. It is owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). It is about 45 miles (72 km) southwest of San Angelo and 4 miles (6 km) northeast of Eldorado. The Ranch was settled by members of the FLDS Church who left Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona under increasing scrutiny from the media, anti-polygamy activists and law enforcement officials.^[2]

In 2008, state authorities entered the community after Texas Child Protective Services (CPS) and other authorities received several hoax calls impersonating abused juveniles, among them a 16-year-old Sarah from the ranch. Officers removed nearly every child to state custody after determining that they were actual or potential victims of abuse. The state determined that the minors had to be protected from force or socialization into underage marriages. Since CPS considered the children to be residents of a single household, all the children had to be removed. Residents and critics questioned if the raid violated the civil rights of the families, due to their religious beliefs about marriage. Those who believe that the families have been separated and housed in substandard shelters criticize the raid as unnecessarily putting the children at risk, and residents asked that the children be returned.

In May, the Third Court of Appeals, in Austin, ruled that the state had not presented sufficient evidence of immediate danger to remove the children. CPS appealed to the Texas Supreme Court, which upheld the Appeals Court ruling and ordered the return of the children. On June 2, the media published photos and video of parents and children returning to the ranch, and the FLDS church announced they would officially renounce underage marriage.^[3] The total cost of the raid and the ensuing litigation was reported to be upwards of $14 million.^[4]

…After Judge Barbara Walther of the 51st District Court issued an order authorizing officials to remove all children, including boys, 17 years old and under, from the ranch,^[21] eventually a total of 462 children^[15][18][22] went into the temporary custody of the State of Texas.^[12]

…By April 8, authorities had removed as many as 533 women and children from the ranch.^[29][12] On April 10, law enforcement completed their search of the ranch, returning control of the property to the FLDS Church.^[30]

Court rulings

On May 22, an appeals court ruled there was not enough evidence at the original hearing that the children were in immediate danger to justify keeping them in state custody. The court added that Judge Walther had abused her discretion by keeping the children in state care. The court ruled "The department did not present any evidence of danger to the physical health and safety of any male children or any female children who had not reached puberty."^[44] The children were to be returned to their families in 10 days. CPS announced they would appeal the decision.^[45] On May 29, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that CPS must return all of the children. The court stated, “On the record before us, removal of the children was not warranted.”^[46]

Controversy: Rozita Swinton

Rozita Swinton, a Colorado Springs woman who had previously made calls while pretending to be a young girl, was under investigation for posing as the caller "Sarah" who complained of abuse, but could not be found. FLDS women did not know of any such girl and assumed it was a prank call. Sarah was considered a real person by CPS until May when her court case was dropped, effectively acknowledging that she doesn’t actually exist.^[47] Swinton has previously been responsible for hoax calls to authorities in multiple jurisdictions, setting off large emergency responses that sometimes involved dozens of police officers.^[48] Flora Jessop recorded nearly 40 hours of Swinton's phone calls, both before and after the raid on the YFZ ranch.^[49] Swinton posed alternately as "Sarah Barlow" and her sister Laura. She claimed that her 50-year-old husband beat and raped her and that his other wives tried to poison her.^[50] Swinton herself is 33, unmarried, and childless.^[51]

The Associated Press reported that Texas Ranger Brooks Long called Colorado officials about two phone numbers. One of the numbers "was possibly related to the reporting party for the YFZ Ranch incident." However, the CPS acted on additional evidence gathered while investigating this complaint, and Flora Jessop and some commentators have expressed gratitude to Swinton that her tip, even if false, allowed exposure of alleged child abuses.^[52]

Controversy: Age dispute

CPS has acknowledged that some ranch residents who were removed because they appeared to be minors may be older than first assumed. On May 13, Louisa Bradshaw Jessop gave birth to a son.^[53][54] Louisa Jessop had been classified as 17 by CPS, although her husband had previously provided a birth certificate and driver's license to demonstrate that she was 22.^[55] A CPS lawyer explained, "We can't just look at people and say, 'You're of age, you can go.'", although CPS had used appearance as one method of determining age. A spokesman for FLDS believed that CPS "just wanted to keep the mother in custody until they could get the baby." Jessop was one of 27 "disputed minors," or ranch residents about whom the CPS has inaccurate or conflicting information regarding age. Child Protective Services lawyers on May 13 told Judge Walther that Louisa and the mother of a boy born April 29 were no longer considered to be minors.^[56] On May 22, CPS declared half of the alleged teen mothers to be adults, some as old as 27. One who had been listed as an underage mother had never been pregnant.^[57]

Controversy: Other criticism

Many FLDS members and supporters see raid and the seizure of the children from their family as religious persecution^[58] and have likened it to a witch-hunt.^[59]

In May, FLDS spokesperson Willie Jessop wrote a letter to U.S. President George W. Bush,^[60] asking him to intervene, and outlining the harsh conditions that Jessop believed that the children and mothers were subjected to.^[61] In the letter Jessop claimed that, contrary to statements from authorities that the children were being placed in a safe and secure environment, the mothers and children were actually crowded by the hundreds into Fort Concho, a military facility without adequate toilets, bathing facilities, or privacy.

Mental health workers who worked at the shelter testified similarly to state officials, also citing lack of privacy, only military cots for sleeping and poor-quality food, with no communications and threatened arrest if mothers waved to friends. "The CPS workers were openly rude to the mothers and children, yelled at them for trying to wave to friends... threatened them with arrest if they did not stop waving"^[62] Workers took notes on everything the "guests" said. Some compared it to a prison or concentration camp. By contrast, one worker noted the children were "amazingly clean, happy, healthy, energetic, well behaved and self-confident," while the mothers were "consistently calm, patient and loving with their children."

The Christian legal group Liberty Legal Institute believes the State of Texas should be required to prove that the children taken from the ranch were actually abused or were in imminent danger, warning of possible damage to religious liberties and the rights of all Texas parents. Home-schooling families are also fearful opponents could file similarly false complaints against families to force attendance in government-run schools.^[63]

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff disagreed with the removal:

"Let's say you're a 6-month-old girl, no evidence whatsoever of any abuse. They're simply saying, 'You, in this culture, may grow up to be a child bride when you're 14. Therefore we're going to remove you now when you're 6 months old,"' he said. "Or, 'You're a 6-month-old boy; 25, 30 years, 40 years from now you're going to be a predator, so we're going to take you away now."^[64]

Texas requires public education for children not in private or home schooling.^[65] Although the children have not been schooled while in state custody, a Texas Education Agency spokesman has stated that "there's a point at which their educational input is secondary" to their emotional well-being.^[33] CPS anticipates that the children will continue their education on the campus of their foster placement. There are no plans for the children to attend classes on any public school campus.^[66]

The ACLU maintains that the raid was prompted by a single, unsubstantiated allegation of abuse, and they allege that all children at the ranch were believed at risk solely because of exposure to FLDS beliefs regarding underage marriage. But, the ACLU contends, "exposure to a religion's beliefs, however unorthodox, is not itself abuse and may not constitutionally be labeled abuse." The ACLU claims that parents were separated from their children without individual hearings and without particularized evidence of abuse, and that DNA testing was ordered without evidence that parentage was in dispute. Such actions, the ACLU asserts, "should not be indiscriminately targeted against a group as a whole – particularly when the group is perceived as being different or unusual."^[67]

Controversy: Press coverage

The initial raid and removals received heavy national press coverage.^{[citation needed]} As of May, local newspapers and news outlets in Utah and Texas were still giving frequent coverage.^{[citation needed]}

Several newspapers and magazines have published editorials supporting the removals.^{[citation needed]} At the beginning of May, National Review's columnist John Derbyshire called the raid the "atrocity of the [previous] month", but said he had seen only one editorial critical of the removals.^[68] The Los Angeles Times editorially endorsed the appeals court decision, saying CPS "was overzealous in its efforts"^[69]

Several commentators compared the raid with the Short Creek raid of 1953, which was also a government raid on an FLDS community, and which led to a popular backslash against the raid.^{[70][71][72][73]}

Cyrus, 'HSM' win at Kids' Choice Awards | March 28, 2009, 4:01 PM EST

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "iCarly" downloaded the first blimp-shaped trophy at the Kids' Choice Awards. The Web-centric comedy picked up the award for favorite TV show at the 22nd annual slime-filled Nickelodeon spectacle at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion.

Other early winners Saturday are "Guitar Hero World Tour" for video game and "Wizards of Waverly Place" star Selena Gomez as TV actress.

The hijinks kicked off with host and "Race to Witch Mountain" star Dwayne Johnson zip-lining over the audience of screaming teens and tweens into a "slime temple." Johnson proceeded to spray the first row with gooey green slime. Other shenanigans included squirting singer Jesse McCartney with a fake microphone and Will Farrell slipping and sliding down a hill.

"High School Musical 3: Senior Year" graduated with honors.

The Disney musical was selected as the favorite movie by audience votes. "High School Musical" star Vanessa Hudgens was also selected as the favorite movie actress.

"Lately, a lot of people have been taking credit for bringing back the musical," Zac Efron said while accepting the movie's trophy. "The truth is we've known who's been responsible for bringing back the musical all along. It was you guys!"

Other winners included "American Idol" for reality show, Jonas Brothers for music group and "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" for animated movie. Jack Black arrived in motorcycle sidecar to pick up his award for favorite voice from an animated film for "Kung Fu Panda."

Miley Cyrus was brought to tears when she was announced as favorite female singer.

"I really thought I was gonna lose, so thank you, guys," said Cyrus.

Johnson said over 90 million viewer votes were cast at Nick's Web site. Instead of envelopes, blimp recipients were revealed from inside spy-like steel briefcases. Some held surprises throughout the show. Before presenters Sandra Bullock and Hugh Jackman announced the "Twilight" series as favorite book, a briefcase doused the pair with green slime.

The green theme took on an entirely different meaning when Cameron Diaz presented her "Gangs of New York" co-star Leonardo DiCaprio with the first-ever Big Green Help Award. The "Titanic" and "Revolutionary Road" actor was selected to receive the green blimp trophy because of his contribution and promotion of environmental issues.

"Right now, our mother — our mother — all of our mothers, Mother Earth is hurting," said DiCaprio. "And she needs a generation of thoughtful, caring and active kids like all of you to protect her for the future. You can help us win the battle to clean up our air, our water, our land, to protect our forests, our oceans and our wildlife."

Most of the blimp recipients were relegated to brief announcements before and after the commercials.

Among those winners were "Wizards of Waverly Place" star Selena Gomez for TV actress, "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" star Dylan Sprouse for TV actor, "SpongeBob SquarePants" for cartoon, Jesse McCartney for male singer, Beyonce's "Single Ladies" for song, Will Smith for movie actor, "Guitar Hero World Tour" for video game, Candace Parker for female athlete and Peyton Manning for male athlete.

Earlier this year, controversy found its way into the show when pop star Chris Brown withdrew his name from Kids' Choice contention. The nominations were announced shortly before his arrest for allegedly attacking girlfriend and fellow Kids' Choice nominee Rihanna. Neither was in attendance Saturday, and Rihanna, twice nominated, lost in both categories.

The show concluded with Johnson and a troop of Polynesian dancers summoning the "slime temple" to spew the sticky stuff all over the audience. Instead, the Jonas Brothers emerged and sang a cappella, causing slime to cascade over the boy band, Johnson, the dancers and much of the audience.

"What you guys don't know is that's real boogers," comedian Marlon Wayans said earlier in the show.

Winners at the 22nd annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards:

Favorite Movie: "High School Musical 3: Senior Year."

Favorite Movie Actor: Will Smith, "Hancock."

Favorite Movie Actress: Vanessa Hudgens, "High School Musical 3: Senior Year."

Favorite Animated Movie: "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa."

Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie: Jack Black, "Kung Fu Panda."

Favorite Song: Beyonce, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)."

Favorite Male Singer: Jesse McCartney.

Favorite Female Singer: Miley Cyrus.

Favorite Music Group: Jonas Brothers.

Favorite TV Show: "iCarly."

Favorite Reality Show: "American Idol."

Favorite TV Actress: Selena Gomez, "Wizards of Waverly."

Favorite TV Actor: Cole Sprouse, "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody."

Favorite Cartoon: "SpongeBob SquarePants."

Favorite Male Athlete: Peyton Manning.

Favorite Female Athlete: Candace Parker.

Favorite Video Game: "Guitar Hero World Tour."

Favorite Book: "Twilight" series.

Cyrus, 'HSM' win at Kids' Choice Awards - MSN TV News

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Wikipedia

The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, also known as the KCAs, is an annual awards show, which airs live and is usually held in late March or early April, that honors the year's biggest television, movie, and music acts, as voted by the people who watch the Nickelodeon cable channel. The show features numerous celebrity guests and musical acts. In recent years slime stunts have come into the show. The KCAs also hosts live musical entertainment. It has also been known to overwhelmingly cover people with green liquid (slime).

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | Official Site | www.nick.com/kids-choice-awards/kca.jhtml

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Nominees & Winners | Official Site | www.nick.com/kids-choice-awards/nominees.jhtml

  Earthhour Voteearth Redmond Washington USA

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Talking about YouTube - Earth Hour Movie - Narrated by Jeremy Piven
  

  Earthhour Voteearth Redmond Washington USA

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Talking about YouTube - Vote Earth for Earth Hour 2009
  

I’m supporting Earth Hour along with Carol and Trish by turning off our lights for one hour starting moments ago at 8:30 pm PST. All is dark here in ur Condo complex 60-01 in Redmond, Washington, USA. I’m loging our support on Facebook and Twitter.

Earth Hour

VOTE EARTH

YOUR LIGHT SWITCH IS YOUR VOTE

This year, Earth Hour has been transformed into the world’s first global election, between Earth and global warming.

For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming. WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

This meeting will determine official government policies to take action against global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol. It is the chance for the people of the world to make their voice heard.
Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.
In 2009, Earth Hour is being taken to the next level, with the goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote. Unlike any election in history, it is not about what country you’re from, but instead, what planet you’re from. VOTE EARTH is a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community. A call to stand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday.
We all have a vote, and every single vote counts. Together we can take control of the future of our planet, for future generations.
VOTE EARTH by simply switching off your lights for one hour, and join the world for Earth Hour.
Saturday, March 28, 8:30-9:30pm.

http://twitter.com/earthhour

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

Earth Hour is an international event organized by the WWF (World Wildlife Fund), and held on the last Saturday of March each year, which asks households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights and electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change. Earth hour was conceived by WWF Greenwich CT and the Sydney Morning Herald in 2007, when 2.2 million residents of Sydney participated by turning off all non-essential lights.^[1] Following Sydney's lead, many other cities around the world adopted the event in 2008.^[2][3] Earth Hour is taking, and in many places has taken, place on Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 8:30 pm, local time.

Earth Hour 2009 was from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time, March 28, 2009. 88 countries and more than 4,000 cities joined 'Earth Hour 2009', a huge increase from people participating in 35 countries for Earth Hour 2008.^[4] 1 billion 'votes' is the stated aim for Earth Hour 2009,^[5] in the context of the pivotal 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Among the participants this year is, for the first time, the United Nations headquarters in New York City.^[6] The U.N. conservatively estimates that its participation will save $102 in energy. ^[7]

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Talking about YouTube - Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince - Official Trailer [HD]
Release Date: Jul 17, 2009Genre: Science-Fiction/FantasyCast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Tom Felton, Michael Gambon, Jim Broadbent, Helena Bonham-Carter, David Bradley, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Helen McCrory, Hero Fiennes TiffinDirector: David YatesWriter: Steve KlovesStudio: Warner Bros....

PG. Genres: Family,Action,Sci-Fi

Releases: July 17, 2009.  Director: David Yates

Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson ...more

 Watch Trailer

Synopsis: Adolescent wizard-in-training Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts for another year of schooling and learns more about the dark past of the boy who grew up to become Lord Voldemort in this, the sixth installment of the film series that originated from the writings of author J.K. Rowling. There was a time when Hogwarts was thought of as a safe haven, but thanks to Voldemort's tightening grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds, that simply isn't the case anymore.

'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' Stills - MSN Movies

MSN Movies: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:Overview