US Faces H1N1 Flu Vaccine Shortage

Now this was unheard of...
Grown up in India, I had gone through many shortages... shortage of milk, shortage of water, shortage of food, shortage of Petrol (Gas), shortage of Gas (Cooking)...

My more than 10 years in US, i had yet to heard that we are out or something... but there is always first time... isn't it? We are out of Flu Vaccine...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there is not enough H1N1 vaccine available for everyone in the United States. And schools and clinics around the U.S. are experiencing the results of the shortage.
In some cities, people wait for hours at mass vaccination clinics, just to be turned away when the supply is gone.

The man in charge of vaccine procurement at the Department of Health and Human Services says if there are early outbreaks in September and October, there could be increased demand for the shots.

As usual, true to any government, they are giving Excuses and Blames:

—The full 195 million the government has ordered is expected by December, the long-set date for final delivery.

—"We're trying to bring on more manufacturing" for the packaging step that has emerged as a logjam, said Dr. Robin Robinson, the Department of Health and Human Services official in charge of vaccine procurement. "Hopefully, there are ways to bring that number up."

—One manufacturer, France-based Sanofi-Pasteur, took longer than expected to finish brewing the regular winter flu vaccine, delaying the swine flu work, Robinson said. "We knew there were problems," but only recently the extent, he said.

—Another supplier, Australia's CSL, recently notified the U.S. that its shipments will arrive later than promised because it first must provide batches to its home country, where the flu season is winding down. Although the U.S. signed a contract with CSL first, "there was always the possibility they could do that," Robinson said. "Our laws can do the same thing. We don't, but we could."

—And it took health authorities longer than anticipated to develop the tests, called reagents, required to ensure doses are at the proper strength before they are cleared for use.

"The fact that we have fewer doses I think actually will focus attention," Schaffner said. "it will mean that we all will have to be much more specific about whom we will ask to show up."

So what is the Government Solution: - what else - Rationing

Since there is a shortage of H1N1 vaccine, the supply will not cover the entire population. Accordingly, the government is planing to ration the swine flu vaccine. As flu season begins, the only people that will be able to be inoculated are pregnant women, people who work in public health, and children that are under the age of four.

The original plan was to vaccinate every elementary age student, with their parent's approval. But nurse coordinator Robin Wallin at Alexandria public schools outside of Washington now has to tell parents only children in pre-kindergarten through first grade can receive the H1N1 vaccine.

My view: If government can not handle one small health care related task of provide vaccine efficiently, how can one trust them to provide complete health care... can you? I am sorry, but O can't.

Obama's Foreign Policy - Missile Shield

Here is the part of chat i had on Sep 20th, three days after, President Barack Obama announced to shelv the Bush-era plan for a missile shield to defend Eastern Europe:

Me: so how is obama doing
XXXXXXX: actually VERY good. He just relaxed tension of missile shield with Russia .. so that he can concentrate in middle east (and russia reciprocated with promising not putting missiles )
Me: so what is the tension with russia
XXXXXXX: ask Bush on what's missile shield
Me: i didnt ask that, [What] I asked what is tension with russia. I know what is missile shield. Here is what i read when reading between lines. He is being friendlier to enemies as he has no back bone and in process breaking bonds with friends
XXXXXXX: what enemies ?
Me: countries particularly - dont like US
XXXXXXX: russia is not Soviet Union since last 20 years
Me: so why tension?

The whole thing came to me back when I have heard the news yesterday, on Fox News that Russia test-launches new Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. For the people who hated Fox as Whitehouse commanded. I have placed link from BBC too so read before discredit fox this time.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,276014,00.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6700585.stm
Here is some for easy read:

Russia Test-Launches New Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. The new missile would modernize Russia's stockpile at a time of rising tensions with the West. The ICBM was fired from a mobile launcher at the Plesetsk launch site in northwestern Russia, and its test warhead landed on target about 3,400 miles away on the Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, a statement from the Russian Strategic Missile Forces said.
President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said Russia would continue to improve its nuclear weapons systems and respond to U.S. plans to deploy a missile defense system in Europe.First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said the ICBM, as well as a tactical cruise missile that also was tested Tuesday, can penetrate any missile defense system, Russian news agencies reported. "As of today, Russia has new (missiles) that are capable of overcoming any existing or future missile defense systems," ITAR-Tass quoted Ivanov as saying. "So in terms of defense and security, Russian can look calmly to the country's future."

This is as clear as text written, This is answer to US plans... and no matter what you put now, my missiles are good for existing or future defense system:

President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said Russia would continue to
> improve its nuclear weapons systems and respond to U.S. plans to deploy a
> missile defense system in Europe
Russian news agencies
> reported. "As of today, Russia has new (missiles) that are capable of
> overcoming any existing or future missile defense systems

so basically, It proves that the Obama's action, going to Russia with white cloth to reduce THE TENSION is nothing but act of weak as i have mentioned. While in response Russia has flexed the muscle...

and another proof is that no body has dare to condemn... as they dare not.

Nobel peace prize goes to President Obama

Let me start with Congratulating Mr. President for getting Nobel peace prize. Frankly, when i heard this morning while on breakfast table, i was surprised, confused, amazed ... kind of mix feelings. Anyway winner needs to be congratulated and that is what i am doing here.

And i had checked and re checked and double checked the news on various news sites i trusted, to make sure i am not writing something that is incorrect.

Per BBC, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8299824.stm:

The committee said he won for efforts to boost diplomacy and co-operation.

"Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," the Norwegian committee said in a statement.

"His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population."

There were a record 205 nominations for this year's peace prize. Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Chinese dissident Hu Jia had been among the favourites. Instead the committee chose Mr Obama, who was inaugurated less than two weeks before the 1 February nomination deadline. I have talked to several people today, in fact i have given news to very many, there was widespread surprise at the decision, with about 90% of comments i got, are either disagreeing with the award or saying it had come too soon.

Asked why the prize had been awarded to Mr Obama less than a year after he took office, Nobel Committee head Thorbjoern Jagland Replied: "It was because we would like to support what he is trying to achieve". He specifically mentioned Mr Obama's work to strengthen international institutions and work towards a world free of nuclear arms.

WOW i said, and several questions started flying in my mind, the one was, Why him, and how did that happen. I think this will help him get his popularity back, he is loosing ground in all polls. and being devil's advocate, the first thought was he must have bought it. Nobel prize is loosing its value and must have price tag now, that is the only way people like Al Gore and Obama, can get the prize. He needs it and he bought it.

But again little investigation always helps - Obviously i got little hints from BBC website too. Here is what Wikipedia says about Nobel Prize:

The Nobel Prize (Swedish: Nobelpriset) is a Sweden-based international monetary prize. The award was established by the 1895 will and estate of Swedish chemist and inventor Alfred Nobel. It was first awarded in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace in 1901. An associated prize, The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, was instituted by Sweden's central bank in 1968 and first awarded in 1969. The Nobel Prizes in the specific disciplines (Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Literature) and the Prize in Economics, which is commonly identified with them, are widely regarded as the most prestigious award one can receive in those fields. The Nobel Peace Prize conveys social prestige and is often politically controversial.

For the Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee consists of five members elected by the Norwegian Storting (the Norwegian parliament).[9] In its first stage, several thousand people are asked to nominate candidates. These names are scrutinized and discussed by experts in their specific disciplines until only the winners remain. This slow and thorough process is arguably what gives the prize its importance. Despite this, there have been questionable awards and questionable omissions over the prize's century-long history.

Forms, which amount to a personal and exclusive invitation, are sent to about three thousand selected individuals to invite them to submit nominations. For the peace prize, inquiries are sent to such people as governments of states, members of international courts, professors and rectors at university level, former Peace Prize laureates, current or former members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, among others. The Norwegian Nobel Committee then bases its assessment on nominations sent in before 3 February. The submission deadline for nominations for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Economics is 31 January. Self-nominations and nominations of deceased people are disqualified.

The names of the nominees are never publicly announced, and neither are they told that they have been considered for the Prize. Nomination records are sealed for 50 years.[12] In practice, some nominees do become known. It is also common for publicists to make such a claim, founded or not.

So here is my View:
Though it appears to be immature act, it may not be. Here is reasoning: He was President for under two weeks when he was nominated, but you are not needed to be president to be nominated for this prize. Also it appears that nobody was knowing him before he started running for presidency, actually he was well known in the political and academia circles, which is needed for getting nominations.
The thing that bugs me is, per Nobalprize.org, in addition to humanitarian efforts and peace movements, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded for work in a wide range of fields including advocacy of human rights, mediation of international conflicts, and arms control. And per Wikipedia, the prizes in Peace, are often awarded within a few years of the events they recognize.
And i do not know, the achievements or efforts, other than giving Speeches. I do not see any concrete actions so far. So not sure what events they have recognized, but being charmer, i guess, he has impressed few important and needed people to get this award in good short time.

And I must say, there are very curiously stange group of people had got nominations, for this award in past. the group includes, Joseph Stalin, and Adolph Hitler too.

Joseph Stalin, the Secretary General of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922-1953), was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1945 and 1948 for his efforts to end World War II.

Adolf Hitler, was nominated once in 1939 by E.G.C. Brandt, member of the Swedish parliament. Brandt changed his mind, however, and the nomination was withdrawn in a letter dated 1 February 1939.

This thing, reminds me with regrets, Mahatma Gandhi, the founding father, father of nation of India, who has run the peace movement against British and achieve Independence for India, have never received this prize.

Per Nobelprize.org, Mahatma Gandhi, nominated in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947 and, finally, shortly before he was assassinated in January 1948. Although Gandhi was not awarded the Prize (a posthumous award is not allowed by the statutes), the Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to make no award that year on the grounds that "there was no suitable living candidate".

May be he was not popular enough in ellite group needed the vote from, or they couldn't find any significant events until he got India Independence from British hmm... not sure. And unfortunately dead before he can be given the prize. the thing i like this comment though, is the fact that they have decided not to give award that year, may be they wanted to give silent award to him, but i don't like the ground, there was no suitable living candidate... So... does that mean they were giving the prize to him because, there was no one else they possibly could?????????? That is more of an insult than the recognition for him...

Now it make me feel bad and sad......

I am sure Morgan and Hu Jia was sure was more qualified, they had more events to consider for sure.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hu_Jia_%28activist%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Tsvangirai
I don't know what you say, but it appears that they didn't do good job this time. May be this award is not what i was thinking it is... And it sure do come at real strange time, when Mr. Obama could not spare time to meet another Nobel Peace Prize winner, His Holiness, Dalai Lama, who got the same in 1989. And some people say, the reason is Chinese appeasement policy of this administration. Don't know what to say, this is my view...