Business English Speakers Can Still Be Divided by a Common Language

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Business is the most popular subject for international students in the United States.  At last count, 21% of foreign students at American colleges and universities were studying business and management.

The Institute of International Education in New York says engineering is the second most popular field, in case you were wondering.

Thomas Cosse is a professor of marketing and business at the University of Richmond in Virginia.  He says international students who want to study business need to have good English skills – and not just to study at his school.

“At least among business schools, more and more worldwide are requiring that their students take English, and they are teaching more and more in English.”

But the world has more non-native speakers of English than native speakers.  As a result, Americans working with foreign companies may need to learn some new English skills themselves.

At the University of Richmond, teams of graduate students work with companies seeking to enter the American market.  The students learn about writing market-entry studies.  The reports are written in English, but Professor Cosse tells his students to consider who will read them.

“My students have to write the report in such a way that it can be understood by someone who is an English speaker, but not a native English speaker.”

For example, he tells his students to avoid jargon and other specialized terms that people might not know in their own language.  This can be good advice, even when writing for other native speakers.

But effective communication involves more than just words.  Kay Westerfield is director of the international business communication program at the University of Oregon.

“If you just have the language awareness or the skills without culture, you can easily just be a fluent fool.”

Cultural intelligence means the need to consider local behaviors in everything from simple handshakes to speaking to large groups.

Still, Kay Westerfield says the ability of local workers to speak English is becoming more important to companies looking to move operations to other countries, or as she puts it, to “off-source.”

“While cost remains a major factor in decisions about where to off-source, the quality of the labor pool is gaining importance, and this includes English language skills.”

Also, she says English skills often provide a competitive edge for business students when they seek jobs.

“As one business student in West Africa put it, ‘English is a lifeline.’”

From VOA

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Posted in: Learning English

Turkey's Murder Rate of Women Skyrockets

Women activists carry a mock coffin of Ayse Pasali, who was shot to death by her ex-husband, during a demonstration, planned as an alternative to Valentine's Day, in central Istanbul, February 14, 2011

In Turkey the murder rate of women increased by 1,400 percent between 2002 and 2009, the last date for which data is available. The statistic was revealed by the country's justice minister, in response to a parliamentary question. The revelation shocked the country and has put a spotlight on the government's record on women's rights, which could have implications for its European Union bid.

A recent Turkish news report focused on the murder of a woman in the streets of Istanbul. The mother of four was gunned down in the streets in broad daylight. Her husband was arrested. The news report's headline was "Another Murder of A Woman." That's because such events have become almost a daily occurance.

According to the Turkish Justice Ministry, in seven years the rate of women murdered has jumped 1,400 percent.  In 2002, 66 women were murdered, in the first seven months of 2009 the number stood at 953. The shocking increase has made front page news; one newspaper described it as Turkey's shame. On the streets of Istanbul there is shock and resignation.

"It's really bad, the killing is a big crime, really bad," said one person.

"It happens things like this, I am not surprised," said another.

Nearly every day you can read the latest report about a woman being murdered, invariably the murder will be of the most violent nature, be it with shotguns or knives, usually carried out by an estranged or former husband, or family members in a so-called honor killing.  In a case earlier this month, a 20-year-old was strangled with her baby . The suspects were her father and brother.

The dramatic increase in killings does not surprise Pinar Ilkaracan of the non-governmental organization, Women for Women's Human Rights.

"The murders are the tip of iceberg; there is a lot of violence against women. There are thousands, tens of thousands of women, who are experiencing violence from their husbands, but they cannot leave home. First of all, what the government should do is increase the number of shelters. There are 26 shelters in 72 provinces of Turkey. This is a scandal by itself, the lowest number in European countries, for example in Germany there are 800 shelters," said Ilkaracan.

Despite the increase in murders, the government rejects such criticisms. It claims it has introduced some of the most far-reaching gender equality legislation in Europe in compliance with EU membership demands. Nimet Cubukcu, former women's minister and now minister of education, is proud of their record.

"We have introduced the most progressive legal reforms in Europe to improve women's rights at home, in school, in the workplace," she said.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan added his voice to the condemnation of violence against women.

"It is beyond contemporary understanding to exercise violence on women, whoever is beating them, or treating them beyond humanity. In the traditions and customs of this geography there can be no such thing, as committing violence in the name of honor," he said.

There has been a national TV campaign on violence against women in the last few months. Despite the campaign and political condemnation along with legal reforms, a recent study found over 40 percent of women were subject to either physical or sexual violence.

While most Turkish women's groups and the EU acknowledge government reforms, serious questions remain over the commitment of the Islamic-rooted government to gender equality. Ilkaracan says the dramatic increase in murders of women is the most worrying part of a wider trend. 

"Turkey has full equality on paper, but there is an incredible resistance on the part of the government, including the women's minister to implement these reforms.  Turkey is the country where women's employment is the lowest among OECD countries, the gender gap in education is not decreasing and the number of women in decision-making mechanisms are also decreasing," Ilkaracan said.    

Such a grim picture will undoubtedly cause concern in the EU.  Women's rights remains one of the key areas of concern over Turkey's membership bid. That concern can only rise on the news of a 14-fold increase in murders of women.

From:VOA

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Posted in: Society

India-Asean trade to grow 40 percent

India is a fast emerging as a key trading partner for the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), with both parties benefiting from each other’s relative strengths.

Trade between the two partners has now exceeded $50 billion a year, with policy makers setting their sights on a target of $70 billion next year.

Having already signed a free trade agreement for goods, both sides are now pushing to finalize an FTA for services by August.

“There is no denying that India and Asean complement each other,” Shri Anand Sharma, India’s Commerce and Industry Minister, said at the opening of the India-Asean Business Fair and Business Conclave on Wednesday, March 2.

This week’s meeting in New Delhi is the first gathering to bring together top business and government leaders from both sides.

Asean is India’s fourth-largest trade partner. Between 1993 and 2010, trade between the two economies grew at an annual rate of 18 percent, from $2.9 billion to more than $50 billion.

“The Asean-India Free Trade Zone will be a cornerstone of our growing and prospering economic partnership,” said the deputy secretary general of the Southeast Asian bloc, Sundaram Pushpanathan.

“Once fully implemented — after we conclude our services and investment agreements — it will pave the way for the creation of one of the world’s largest free trade areas with a market of almost 1.8 billion people and a combined GDP of $2.8 trillion.”

Under the Asean-India FTA for goods, the sides have committed to slashing tariffs by 90 percent on goods including palm oil, coffee, black tea and pepper.

The agreement will pave way for more than 4,000 different goods to be traded free of duties between the partners.

The two-day India-Asean Business Fair and Business Conclave will be followed by the Delhi Dialogue, where government leaders will discuss issues of common concern to both sides.

Indonesia’s trade minister, Mari Pangestu, is scheduled to address the session on Friday.
From: aseanaffairs.com

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Posted in: Business

German Officials: Suspect Confesses to Shooting of US Airmen

A bus is towed away after a gunman fired shots at US soldiers on the bus outside Frankfurt airport, Germany, March 2, 2011
German officials say the suspect in the fatal shooting Wednesday of two U.S. airmen at Frankfurt airport has confessed to the crime.

The suspected gunman, Arid Uka, 21, from Kosovo, issued the confession before his expected appearance Thursday in a German court.

Two other U.S. airmen were wounded, one critically, when the suspect opened fire on a bus transporting U.S. Air Force members at the Frankfurt airport.

German federal prosecutors say they believe the shooting was motivated by Islamic extremism.

On Wednesday, U.S. President Barack Obama said he is saddened and outraged by the attack.  German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her condolences to the victims and their families, saying the government will do everything to find out what happened.

Kosovo's government also condemned the shooting.

Pamela Cook, deputy director of public affairs for the U.S. Air Force in Europe, told VOA Wednesday the airmen were on their way to a deployment when the shooting took place.

The U.S. military has a number of bases in Germany, including the Ramstein Air Base near Frankfurt.  Many are used as hubs for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Posted in: Politics

Kabul: Obama Regrets Afghan Civilian Casualties

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Thursday U.S. President Barack Obama had expressed “deep regret” for recent Afghan civilian casualties caused by coalition forces.
Mr. Karzai's office said both leaders discussed the situation after NATO's top commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, on Wednesday apologized for the deaths of nine children during a coalition airstrike in eastern Kunar province earlier this week.
Afghan officials say as many as 64 civilians were killed during separate NATO operations in the same province late last month.
Mr. Karzai reportedly told President Obama the increasing number of civilian casualties posed a serious problem, while the U.S. leader said he told his military officials to work to decrease civilian casualties.
Meanwhile, officials at a meeting hosted by the Organization of the Islamic Conference in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah renewed calls Thursday for a political solution in Afghanistan. They said there needs to be a shift from military action to what they described as a political approach.
Also Thursday, the special representative of the U.N. secretary-general for children and armed conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, said children killed in Afghanistan by airstrikes is a cause of serious concern.
While welcoming General Petraeus' apology and his commitment to investigate, Coomaraswamy urged a thorough review of procedures to ensure that all necessary precautions are taken to prevent children from becoming casualties in the Afghan conflict.
In other violence, NATO said a homemade bomb killed one of its service members in southern Afghanistan Thursday.
From: VOA

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Posted in: Politics

Tokyo Stocks Up, Dollar Down

Japanese share prices ended higher Friday, while the dollar slipped against the yen.
Tokyo's Nikkei index gained one percent , to close at 10,694.
In currency trading, the dollar was selling at 82.34 yen, down a tenth of a yen from late Thursday.
The Taipei market gained half a percent , to close at 8,784.
From: VOA

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Posted in: Business

Obama: Gadhafi 'Must Leave'

An Egyptian watches US amphibious assault ships USS Kearsarge as it sails at the Suez canal in Ismailia , Mar 2 2011

President Barack Obama issued his strongest call yet on Thursday for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to leave. The president also authorized the use of U.S. military aircraft to help Egyptians who have fled to Tunisia to return home to Egypt.

President Obama said the United States and the world are outraged by what he called the “appalling” violence against the Libyan people. And he urged Libya’s leader to step down.

“The violence must stop. Moammar Gadhafi has lost legitimacy to lead, and he must leave," the president said.  "Those who perpetrate violence against the Libyan people will be held accountable.”

In a joint press conference with Mexican President Felipe Calderon at the White House, Mr. Obama issued his first on-camera statement calling on Mr. Gadhafi to step down. The president had earlier called for the Libyan leader’s ouster in a written statement after speaking by telephone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Mr. Obama said violence against innocent civilians will be monitored, and that Gadhafi supporters will be held accountable. He said supporters who might be calculating which way the conflict is moving should abandon the longtime Libyan leader.

“They should know history is moving against Col. Gadhafi, and that their support for him and their willingness to carry out orders that are direct violence against citizens is something that, ultimately, they will be held accountable for,” the president said.

People who used to work in Libya and fled the unrest in the country, wait to receive clothes, at the Tunisia-Libyan border, in Ras Ajdir, Tunisia, Mar 3 2011 

Mr. Obama said he is considering all military and nonmilitary options to stop the violence in Libya, including imposing a no-fly zone on the Libyan military.

Despite calls for a no-fly zone, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other U.S. officials have talked about the difficulty of such an operation.

The president said he is working with the international community to devise solutions, especially in case of a humanitarian disaster.

“There is a danger of a stalemate that, over time, could be bloody, and that is something that we are obviously considering," President Obama said. "So what I want to make sure of is that the United States has full capacity to act, potentially rapidly.”

President Obama said he has also authorized the use of U.S. military aircraft to help Egyptian refugees trapped in Tunisia.

“I have, therefore, approved the use of U.S. military aircraft to help move Egyptians who have fled to the Tunisian border, to get back home to Egypt.  I have authorized USAID to charter additional civilian aircraft to help people from other countries find their way home,” Mr. Obama said.

The U.S. Navy has moved two ships into the Mediterranean Sea to be ready to help in any military operation related to the situation in Libya.

Pentagon officials say no decision has been made to start a military operation, and neither the United Nations nor NATO has authorized one.
Source: VOA

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Posted in: Politics

Vietnam reviews religious policies

Providing a framework for religious activities is of great significance as it would contribute to economic development and social stability.

The making of such a framework should be based on the specific characteristics of each religion and religious followers should be encouraged to take part in productive social activities rather than in adverse actions against authorities.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan said this at a conference held on 27th Feb in Hanoi to review state management of religion in 2010 and set out the working plan for this year.

Nhan said in addition to simply recognising existing religious organisations, relevant agencies should determine the minimum requirements in order to become a recognised organisation. "The relevant agencies must be able to predict the number of religious organisations to be recognised according to the annual plan," he said.

He pointed out the shortcomings of the management to date, including the lack of co-operation among agencies, the incomplete set of relevant laws, and the limited legal support for religious workers.

Nhan asked local authorities to hold regular meetings with religious dignitaries. "During the first quarter, we should immediately hold meetings with religious leaders to help them stay informed about the nation's current situation and the Government's measures to stabilise the economy and social security as well as the Party and State's policies," he said. Nguyen Thanh Xuan, deputy head of the Government's Committee for Religious Affairs, said 2010 was an eventful year for the religious community in Viet Nam. Many festivals were held, leaving positive impacts on the spiritual life of the people and on the public opinion of religion both domestically and internationally.

Last year, more than 18,700 religious dignitaries and followers received training, 2,800 of them graduated from the training courses.

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Posted in: Society

How do you feel

What amazing surprised!

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Posted in: Entertainment

This is Why Innovation is Rare in US Companies

In a survey of 1,500 CEOs by IBM’s Institute for Business Value, creativity was viewed as the single most important attribute needed to lead a large corporation. So companies are aware that, at least hypothetically, they need leaders who are creative. But how do people react when faced with someone who actually expresses creative ideas?

Not well, it turns out. Jennifer Mueller, a professor at Wharton, Jack A. Goncalo of Cornell, and Dishan Kamdar of the Indian School of Business conducted a series of experiments to find out how creative people were viewed by their colleagues. Individuals who expressed creative ideas were viewed as having less leadership potential than individuals whose ideas were less creative. “It is not easy to select creative leaders,” says Mueller. “It takes more time and effort… than we might previously have thought.”

Leadership Versus Creativity

In the first study, 55 people were asked to rate 291 of their colleagues both on their leadership potential and on the extent to which they came up with new, creative ideas.

• Employees who were seen as creative were viewed as having less leadership potential than those who were not thought to be creative.

In the second study, a group of U.S. college students were asked to come up with ideas to generate more revenue for an airline. A second group of students was asked to rate the leadership potential, and the ideas, of each person in the first group.

• Again, students whose ideas were considered more creative were seen as having less leadership potential than those whose ideas were not considered creative.
• Both groups-the creative folks and the less creative ones-were seen as equally warm and competent. So it’s likely that the creatives’ lack of perceived leadership potential really did come from their creativity, rather than personal taste on the part of the ‘rating’ group.

Muller notes that leaders must create common goals so their groups can get things done. And the clearer goals are, the better they tend to work, which means leaders need to root out uncertainty. One way leaders can do this is to set standards and enforce conformity. But when asked to describe a creative person, words like “quirky,” “nonconformist” and “unfocused” often take their place right alongside “visionary” and “charismatic.” Says Mueller: “The fact is, people don’t just feel positively about creative individuals-they feel ambivalent around them.”

How does your company respond to creative individuals or creative leaders? How is creativity encouraged or suppressed?

From: bnet.com

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Posted in: Experimental Society

This is Why Innovation is Rare in US Companies

In a survey of 1,500 CEOs by IBM’s Institute for Business Value, creativity was viewed as the single most important attribute needed to lead a large corporation. So companies are aware that, at least hypothetically, they need leaders who are creative. But how do people react when faced with someone who actually expresses creative ideas?

Not well, it turns out. Jennifer Mueller, a professor at Wharton, Jack A. Goncalo of Cornell, and Dishan Kamdar of the Indian School of Business conducted a series of experiments to find out how creative people were viewed by their colleagues. Individuals who expressed creative ideas were viewed as having less leadership potential than individuals whose ideas were less creative. “It is not easy to select creative leaders,” says Mueller. “It takes more time and effort… than we might previously have thought.”

Leadership Versus Creativity

In the first study, 55 people were asked to rate 291 of their colleagues both on their leadership potential and on the extent to which they came up with new, creative ideas.

• Employees who were seen as creative were viewed as having less leadership potential than those who were not thought to be creative.

In the second study, a group of U.S. college students were asked to come up with ideas to generate more revenue for an airline. A second group of students was asked to rate the leadership potential, and the ideas, of each person in the first group.

• Again, students whose ideas were considered more creative were seen as having less leadership potential than those whose ideas were not considered creative.
• Both groups-the creative folks and the less creative ones-were seen as equally warm and competent. So it’s likely that the creatives’ lack of perceived leadership potential really did come from their creativity, rather than personal taste on the part of the ‘rating’ group.

Muller notes that leaders must create common goals so their groups can get things done. And the clearer goals are, the better they tend to work, which means leaders need to root out uncertainty. One way leaders can do this is to set standards and enforce conformity. But when asked to describe a creative person, words like “quirky,” “nonconformist” and “unfocused” often take their place right alongside “visionary” and “charismatic.” Says Mueller: “The fact is, people don’t just feel positively about creative individuals-they feel ambivalent around them.”

How does your company respond to creative individuals or creative leaders? How is creativity encouraged or suppressed?

Read more »

Posted in: Experimental Society

Welcome to this

Let look at these girls. I hope all men don't have a girl like that

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Posted in: Entertainment

Clouds Amplify Ecological Light Pollution

ScienceDaily (Mar. 3, 2011) — The brightness of the nightly sky glow over major cities has been shown to depend strongly on cloud cover. In natural environments, clouds make the night sky darker by blocking the light of the stars but around urban centers, this effect is completely reversed, according to a new study by a group of physicists and ecologists at the Free University of Berlin (FU) and the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB).

"We found that overcast skies were almost three times brighter than clear at our rural location, and ten times as bright within the city itself," says the lead author of the study, Dr. Christopher Kyba, physicist at the Institute for Space Sciences at the FU. Their research was reported on March 2nd, 2011, in the open access journal PLoS ONE.

"The astronomers who founded the study of light pollution were concerned with how sky glow obscured the stars on perfectly clear nights," says Kyba, "and researchers studying the potential influences of sky glow on human or ecosystem health often cite the results from satellite measurements taken on clear nights. What our study shows is that when considering biological impact on humans and the environment, the amplification of light pollution by clouds is large, and should be taken into account."

The study compares measurements of clear and cloudy sky brightness data taken using "Sky Quality Meters" during five months in the spring and summer of 2010. Two monitoring stations took data at locations 10 and 32 km from the center of Berlin. "Recognition of the negative environmental influences of light pollution has come only recently," says Dr. Franz Hölker, ecologist, study author, and project leader of Verlust der Nacht (VdN -- Loss of the Night).

"Now that we have developed a software technique to quantify the amplification factor of clouds, the next step is to expand our detection network. The Sky Quality Meter is an inexpensive and easy to operate device, so we hope to recruit other researchers and citizen-scientists from around the world to build a global database of nighttime sky brightness measurements."

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Public Library of Science, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Christopher C. M. Kyba, Thomas Ruhtz, Jürgen Fischer, Franz Hölker. Cloud Coverage Acts as an Amplifier for Ecological Light Pollution in Urban Ecosystems. PLoS ONE, 2011; 6 (3): e17307 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0017307

from: sciencedayily.com

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Posted in: Science

Vietnam’s agriculture fails to attract FDI

In the last 10 years, foreign direct investment (FDI) in the agriculture sector has dropped from 8 percent in 2001 to 1 percent in 2010, leading some to ask what has led to such a steep decline in the country's primary industry.

Tran Van Cong, director of the Division of Global Integration and Investment, an affiliate of the International Co-operation Department (ICD) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, cited three reasons for the situation.

First, the transfer of all agricultural and animal feed projects to the industrial sector. Second, the rapid increase of FDI going to infrastructure and real estate projects while agricultural sector investment has remained the same.

And third, investment in agriculture is risky, as production depends so heavily on natural conditions, while the depreciation period is long.

In his opinion, an objective look at the development strategy to attract more FDI for the agricultural sector should be taken, along with creating conditions to facilitate FDI investors to operate in the country. Last year, about 20 South Korean businesses came to Viet Nam to inquire about the country's policies and investment climate in the agriculture sector, particularly in the agro processing industry and agricultural machinery.

But so far, FDI coming from South Korea remains very modest.

A representative from the Korean Investment and Trade Promotion Centre in Viet Nam (Kotra) said openly that it was not lucrative to invest in the agriculture sector, mainly because of the shortage of information, poor infrastructure and cumbersome administrative procedures.

In addition, preferential policies given to investors in agriculture have been given poor ratings by investors. In 2010, the Government issued Decree 61/2010/ND-CP to offer more incentives to investors in agriculture, yet only 1.63 per cent of investors poured money into the industry.

Dr. Dang Kim Son, director general of the Institute of Policy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD) said: "Even Vietnamese investors do not want to invest in the agriculture industry."

"Rich people in rural areas have invested in urban development elsewhere. So how can we attract foreign investors to invest in our agriculture sector?" Son asked.

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Posted in: Business

Cách vào facebook

Ngoài cách vào Facebook bằng cách thêm lisp4 đằng sau www. thì còn một cách khác hay hơn để vào Facebook mà không bị làm phiền hoặc không phải dùng đến các chương trình đổi IP hay DNS.

Mở chương trình Notepad. Đối với các bạn sử dụng dụng Win 7, bật Start Menu lên, trong hộp Search gõ “notepad” nó sẽ tìm ra chương trình Notepad, Right-click vào đó, chọn Run As Administrator.

Chọn File | Open (nhớ chọn All File (*.*) để thấy được file hosts) . Tìm đến file C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts và tiến hành chỉnh sửa. Thêm vào các dòng sau:

153.16.15.71 www.facebook.com
153.16.15.71 www.logins.facebook.com
153.16.15.71 facebook.com
153.16.15.71 logins.facebook.com
153.16.15.71 apps.facebook.com
153.16.15.71 upload.facebook.com
153.16.15.71 static.ak.connect.facebook.com
153.16.15.71 developers.facebook.com
153.16.15.71 graph.facebook.com

Bấm Save.

Vào lại http://www.facebook.com/ để xem kết quả

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Posted in: Computer

In Class With Peace Corps Volunteers in Africa, Asia

Amanda Pease is a Peace Corps science teacher in Sierra Leone

Link to download: download MP3 (Right-click or option-click and save link)

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

This week marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Peace Corps. President John Kennedy began the program in nineteen sixty-one. The Peace Corps sends American volunteers to provide technical assistance in education and other areas in developing countries.

Amanda Pease is one of almost forty volunteers serving in rural schools in Sierra Leone.

(SOUND)

Ms. Pease teaches science at Saint Joseph’s, a high school in eastern Sierra Leone. She studied chemical engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles. She decided to serve for two years in the Peace Corps after she finished her degree.

AMANDA PEASE: "I was trying to decide between going the academic route and doing a postdoctoral degree and go into industry, and then I had been doing some volunteer work and the idea was kind of always of floating around."

Peace Corps volunteers left Sierra Leone in nineteen ninety-four because of civil war. But now they are back.

Science teachers are in especially short supply. Efforts in Sierra Leone to get more children through primary school have led to crowded high schools.

Amanda Pease is the only chemistry and physics teacher at her school. She says she has to work hard to get students more interested in learning, as she thought they would be.

AMANDA PEASE: "I kind of had sort of a romantic idea coming to a developing country where everyone is super motivated but just does not have opportunities, and that is not exactly how it is. Not that I am saying the opportunities are so great, because of course there [are] limited opportunities if you compare it to America, but I think one of the biggest things is literally just motivation."

What she loves best about her experience, she says, is the magical moment when students understand a chemical process or ask her for more exercises.

More than eight thousand Peace Corps volunteers are currently serving around the world. Volunteers become part of the community where they work and live. Travis Bluemling from Pennsylvania teaches English in a rural Indonesian community.

TRAVIS BLUEMLING: “Even if some of these kids can't get to college, learning English and at least having some knowledge of the language can separate themselves from the people next to them when they are looking for a job or meeting people.”

Mr. Bluemling's family expressed concern for his safety in a country where Islamic militants have sometimes attacked Westerners. But what concerned him, he says, was the thought that leaders in his village might not welcome him.

TRAVIS BLUEMLING: "However, I could not have been more wrong. They have allowed me to enter their house. I joined them in their Muslim meetings. I joined them with fasting and I have even entered the mosque."

In addition to Indonesia, Peace Corps volunteers in East Asia serve in China, Thailand, Cambodia, Mongolia and the Philippines.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report. If you have a Peace Corps story to share, go to voaspecialenglish.com or post a comment on our Facebook page at VOA Learning English. I'm Steve Ember.
From: voanews.com

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Posted in: Learning English

Clinton: US Far From Decision on Libya No-Fly Zone

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a hearing on Capitol Hill, March 2, 2011

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the Obama administration is "a long way" from making any decision about whether to take part in a "no-fly zone" operation over Libya. At the same time, she said situation in Libya has the potential to descend into Somalia-like chaos.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says there may well be a role for U.S. and other countries’ military assets in delivering humanitarian assistance to those caught up in or fleeing the Libyan violence.

But reflecting a sense of caution shared by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Clinton is making clear the United States will not be rushed into joining in a no-fly-zone regime in Libya or other military intervention.

Clinton spoke at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing at which committee chairman John Kerry endorsed administration calls for the ouster of besieged Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi, and said the United States should be responsive to reported appeals from Libyan rebels for outside air support.

"The people of Libya are not asking for foreign troops on the ground," said Kerry. "They are committed to doing what is necessary. But they do need the tools to prevent the slaughter of innocents on Libyan streets. And I believe that the global community cannot be on the sidelines while airplanes are allowed to bomb and strafe. A no-fly-zone is not a long-term proposition, assuming the outcome is what we all desire, and I believe we ought to be ready to implement it as necessary."

Clinton said the administration is working to translate outrage over the behavior of the Gadhafi government into action and results, and takes no options, including military ones off the table.

But she said there is a "great deal of caution" in the U.S. defense community about using military forces for anything other than humanitarian missions in Libya and the administration is a "long way" from a decision about a no-fly-zone.

Questioned by Democratic Senator Benjamin Cardin, who said Libyan rebels appear to want outside help, Clinton said the case for such action is by no means clear.

"The tough issues about and whether there would be any intervention to assist those who are opposing Libya is very controversial within Libya and the Arab community," said Clinton. "The Arab League just issued a statement today saying that they disapproved and rejected any foreign interference within Libya on behalf of the opposition, even though they have called for Gadhafi to leave. So we are working closely with our partners and allies to try to see what we can do, and we are engaged in very active consideration of the different options that are available."

Clinton, in prepared testimony, said Libya could become a peaceful democracy or face protracted civil war.

She said many al-Qaida militants encountered by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan came from Libya, and that one of the United States’ biggest concerns is Libya descending into chaos and, in her words, "becoming a giant Somalia."
From: voanews.com

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Posted in: Politics

Vietnamese PM outlines inflation measures

(25 Feb, 2011) The Vietnamese government announced a package of measures approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung yesterday aimed at controlling inflation, maintaining economic stability and ensuring social welfare, including cuts to State spending and tighter credit policies.

"Controlling inflation is the first priority of the government," said Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung. "The austerity measures are not aimed at wages or government policy beneficiaries but to pause new equipment acquisitions, reduce energy spending and cut non-essential expenditures."

Vietnam has been grappling with high inflation, with the consumer price index rising at an annual rate of 12.24 percent in February, the highest rate of increase in the past two years. The government will also lower credit growth targets from 23 per cent to under 20 per cent, gradually cut interest rates, and give priority to agricultural production and support and essential industries.

Last year, credit growth reached 27.65 percent, pushing outstanding loans to 140 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).

The government, together with the State Bank of Vietnam, would also dedicate all resources to controlling the foreign exchange rate. Dung ordered all major State-owned enterprises to sell their US dollar reserves to commercial banks and reminded commercial banks that they were required to sell the dollar to enterprises with a legitimate need for them at quoted rates. The dong was recently devalued and was under continued high depreciation pressures.

Dung ordered state budget expenditures to be cut by 10 percent with the overall goal of bringing state spending from 41 percent of the GDP to about 38-39 percent.

The measures were seen as a major shift in the government's emphasis on economic growth, following strong advice from the donor community in the Consultative Group Meeting last December. International Monetary Fund resident representative in Vietnam Benedict Bingham said earlier: "It is important that the government tackle the perception that it is sometimes more interested in short-term growth objectives than securing the stability needed to sustain growth over the longer term. Growth through stability should be the motto. That's the only path to sustained growth."

The prime minister yesterday also said that the prices of agricultural products were very high, so it was good time to boost agricultural production. The country would continue to minimise imports of products that could be produced domestically, he said.

Measures to maintain production, encourage exports, control imports and conserve energy were included in the government proposals yesterday.

But, despite the new focus on controlling inflation, the government also increased fuel prices by nearly 18 percent, a measure that lifted fuel prices to record levels and which was expected to have a strong inflationary impact.

from: aseanaffairs.com

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Posted in: Business

Brackish water arrives early in Mekong Delta

Salt water intrusion in coastal provinces in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta has occurred earlier this year than previous years, affecting thousands of ha of rice.

Salt water intrusion had already penetrated 30 kilometers inland in Ben Tre Province by late last month, Nguyen Van Hanh, director of Ben Tre Province's Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Centre, said.

"Salt water intrusion this year has occurred earlier and has a higher saline content compared to the same period last year, meaning the effects could be worse," Hanh said.

Tra Vinh Province‘s Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Centre forecast that with the current low water levels at river mouths, sea water would penetrate 60 kilometers inland in Tra Vinh Province this year, directly affecting Duyen Hai, Cau Ngang and Tra Cu districts.

More than 1,700 hectares of rice fields in Tra Cu and Cau Ngang districts have been damaged because the fields are affected by salt water, which has a saline content of 4.9 gramme per litre, according to the Tra Vinh Province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Rice fields along the Quan Lo – Phung Hiep Canal, which runs through Soc Trang and Bac Lieu provinces, are also drying up, as the canal is increasingly saline.

Nearly 9,000ha of winter-spring rice crop in My Quoi, My Binh and Vinh Bien communes in Soc Trang Province's Nga Nam District could be totally ruined because of the impact of the salt water.

In Soc Trang, Ngo Thi Duc Hanh of the provincial Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Centre, said the salt water intrusion this year was two weeks earlier than last year.

The saline content at the mouth of Dai Ngai River, a tributary of the Hau River, has reached 6.3 gramme per litre compared to 3 gramme per litre in the same period of last year, Hanh said. In Tien Giang Province, salt water has affected the entire Tan Phu Dong Island District over the last month.

Le Van Tot, a resident in Ca Thu Hamlet in Tan Phu Dong's Phu Thanh Commune, also said the salt water came early this year so every one's hands were tied coping with it.

"Families that live among rice fields are isolated. They have to filter the water from nearby canals and ponds for their daily use," Tot said.

Doan Van Tho, chairman of the Tan Phu Dong District People's Committee, said to mitigate the impact of salt water intrusion, his district has dug a 6-ha dam in Tan Thoi Commune to store fresh water for 40,000 people in the district.

At least 200,000 people in the eastern part of Tien Giang Province will be without enough fresh water during this year's dry season, according to the provincial People's Committee.

The People's Committee has instructed local authorities to install fresh water pipes to communities that haven't got them.
From: aseanaffairs.com

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Posted in: Society

New words fro learning

wunderkind \VOON-duhr-kint\, noun;
plural wunderkinder \-kin-duhr\:
1. A child prodigy.
2. One who achieves great success or acclaim at an early age.
It was even written that, at 20, his best days were behind him. He had gone from a wunderkind to an object of sympathy, a hero struggling not to be forgotten.
-- "Owen shines like a beacon amid the wrecks", Times (London), May 29, 2000
In the mid-thirties, he became the youngest and best state director of FDR's National Youth Administration, a Texas wunderkind who at age twenty-eight beat several better known opponents for a south-central Texas congressional seat.
-- Robert Dallek, Flawed Giant
Wunderkind comes from German, from Wunder, "wonder" + Kind, child.


masticate \MAS-tih-kayt\, transitive verb:
1. To grind or crush with or as if with the teeth in preparation for swallowing and digestion; to chew; as, "to masticate food."
2. To crush or knead (rubber, for example) into a pulp.
intransitive verb:
1. To chew food.
Honestly, folks, the people at the next table ordered the same dish, and I watched as a young couple tried in vain to masticate those fossilized pieces of "toast."
-- Pat Bruno, "Hits and misses", Chicago Sun-Times, June 2002
Their powerful jaws allow hyenas to masticate not only flesh and entrails, but bones, horns, and even the teeth of their prey.
-- Sam Tauschek, "A Hyena is no laughing matter", Sports Afield, May 2001
In 1820, Thomas Hancock invented a machine that could masticate, mix and soften rubber.
-- Rikki Lamba, "Effect of carbon black on dynamic properties", Rubber World, April 1, 2000
The middle ear gives us our sound bite, our capacity to masticate without being forced to turn a momentarily deaf ear to the world, as most other vertebrates are.
-- Natalie Angier, "In Mammals, a Complex Journey to the Middle Ear ", New York Times, October 12, 2009
Masticate comes from the past participle of Late Latin masticare, "to chew," from Greek mastichan, "to gnash the teeth." The noun form is mastication.

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Posted in: Learning English

Vietnam trade in gold bars banned

Gold bars will be banned on the free market and gold trading tightly controlled under Government Resolution 11/NQ-CP recently issued to stabilise the macro-economy.

The State Bank of Vietnam has been asked to submit to the government a decree on the management of gold-trading activities that would gradually stop gold bars trading on the unofficial market. The resolution also said that gold smuggling across the border must stop.

Following the announcement, local gold prices dropped by VND150,000 per tael (1 tael equals 1.2 Troy ounces).

An official from the central bank, who declined to be named, said under the proposed decree, gold shops would not be allowed to trade gold bars, except for jewelery gold.

Buying bars would become more difficult, but those owning gold bars could continue to do so but could only sell gold at outlets designated by the central bank, he said.

"The draft decree will be presented to the government by the second quarter before guiding documents were issued," the official said.

The bank official said the effective date of the decree would be considered carefully so a transitional period would be taken into account.

A statement from the central bank said tough measures had been adopted because the accumulation of gold was not benefiting the economy.

Instead, it was increasing gold prices and the VND/US dollar exchange rate.

Gold prices have affected dollar prices over the past 10 years, when the demand for gold soared due to speculators buying gold to pay debts.

In addition, gold smugglers would amass US dollars to illegally import gold while dollar traders would take advantage of this opportunity to drive dollar prices higher.

Also, the prices of US dollars sold on the local market did not rise when domestic gold prices equalled world gold prices.

When domestic gold prices were far higher than world prices, US dollar prices would climb. The central bank said tightening gold-bar trading activities and measures to stabilise the market would help change people's habits and mobilise large amounts of idle funds to serve business and production.
From: www.aseanaffairs.com

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Posted in: Business

Vietnam faces water crisis

Vietnam is suffering a severe shortage of water – not for the first time. But never before has the drought been as obvious as now. And it is not a localised problem, the whole country is affected.

Electricity of Viet nam (EVN) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development held intense discussions earlier this year on the release of water from hydroelectric reservoirs to irrigate crops in the north.

The EVN said that after 2.9 billion cubic metres of water was released for irrigation its three biggest reservoirs – Hoa Binh, Thac Ba and Tuyen Quang – were now close to empty, despite the fact that less reservoir water was used for irrigation than in previous years.

Water levels are alarmingly low in major rivers in the central region. Stretches of the Tra Khuc and Ve rivers in Quang Ngai Province are completely dry.

Meanwhile, in HCM City and the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta droughts have led to salt-water intrusion, which has damaged crops and given tap water a slightly salty taste.

The worsening water crisis has forced the government to scrap its ad hoc approach to the problem and come up with a long-term strategy.

The Law on Water Resources is being amended to conserve supplies, while the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is drafting regulations governing minimum water levels in rivers and discharges from reservoirs during the dry season.

Tran Hong Thai, deputy director of the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environment, said a return to the historic droughts of last March might be felt again this year.

Koos Neefjes, the United Nations Development Programme's policy advisor on climate change, said the lack of water was now a "fact of life."

"The whole system has to understand that droughts will become more frequent and will only get worse," he said.

The UN expert called on Vietnam to improve the efficiency of using water resources, saying the task was now "more urgent than ever".

Thai said that contrary to popular belief, Vietnam did not have now abundant water resources, and supplies were not evenly distribute across the country.

Some parts of the country, such as the south-centre, have far less water than other regions. Meanwhile, about 75 percent of the country's rainfall occurs during the rainy season, which lasts less than half a year.

"Climate change has even made the situation worse by increasing the amount of rainfall by 15 percent in rainy season and reducing it by 15 percent during the dry season last year," Thai said.

The construction of hydro-power dams in upstream countries such as China has also affected Viet Nam's water resources, given the fact that up to 60 per cent of the country's water is sourced outside the country.

The so-called El Nino effect, erosion of river banks and the improper use of surface and underground water have all contributed to worsening water shortages, he said. At the same time, Neefjes said demand for water had increased.

The EVN is under pressure to boost power supplies by about 20 per cent annually. Hydro-power stations produce 35 percent of the country's energy.

From: www.aseanaffairs.com

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Posted in: Society

Giảm thiểu tình trạng trớ sữa ở trẻ nhỏ

Nếu bé (dưới 6 tháng tuối) thường bị trớ sau khi bú mẹ (hoặc bú bình), bạn nên chia nhỏ các cữ bú trong ngày cho bé. Tư thế cho trẻ bú không đúng cũng làm cho trẻ dễ bị nôn (trớ). Vì vậy, hãy thực hiện các cách sau để giảm thiểu tình trạng trên ở trẻ.

Sau khi bé bú, bạn không nên đặt bé nằm ngay. Thay vào đó, bạn nên bế bé với tư thế thẳng người; tiếp đến, bạn dùng tay vuốt nhẹ lưng bé. Nếu bé xuất hiện dấu hiệu ợ hơi thì việc bé bị trớ sẽ giảm hẳn sau đó.

Bạn không nên cho bé bú nằm bởi vì: khi bú nằm, sữa sẽ không xuống được phía dạ dày mà thường trào ngược lên thực quản, khiến trẻ bị trớ sữa .

Lưu ý:

Nếu hiện tượng nôn trớ của bé không đi kèm với những dấu hiệu khác như bé bị ốm, sốt, kém bú... thì bạn không nên quá lo lắng. Sau 6 tháng tuổi, dấu hiệu nôn (trớ) ở bé sẽ có xu hướng giảm dần.

- Bổ sung nước cho bé: Khi bị nôn trớ, cơ thể bé thường dễ bị mất nước; vì vậy, bạn nên tăng cường chất lỏng cho bé. Ngay khi bé ngừng nôn, bạn nên cho bé bú một lượng sữa nhỏ. Với bé bước vào tuổi ăn dặm, bạn nên cho bé dùng một chút nước đun sôi để nguội. Tiếp đến, bạn có thể cho bé ăn uống như bình thường nhưng bạn nên dùng thức ăn mềm, lỏng để bé không bị khó chịu.

- Thay đổi chế độ ăn của mẹ: Với bé bú mẹ hoàn toàn mà thường xuyên bị trớ, bạn thử kiểm tra xem, chế độ dinh dưỡng của mẹ có gây ảnh hưởng đến chất lượng sữa cho bé không.

Nếu cho bé bú bình, bạn nên đặt đầu vú cao su ở tư thế nghiêng (Ảnh minh họa).

- Đổi sữa ngoài: Một số bé bị trớ liên tục do dị ứng với sữa ngoài. Trường hợp này, bạn nên trao đổi với bác sĩ về việc thay đổi nhãn sữa cho bé.

Một số bé không thể dung nạp sữa bò cũng sẽ xuất hiện dấu hiệu bị nôn trớ. Trường hợp này, bạn có thể thay thế sữa bò bằng sữa chua, sữa đậu nành cho bé.

- Nếu cho bé bú bình, bạn nên đặt đầu vú cao su ở tư thế nghiêng, sao cho sữa ngập vào cổ bình, tránh cho bé nuốt phải nhiều không khí khi bú bình, tránh bị nôn (trớ).
Bạn nên pha sữa đúng công thức. Nếu bé tiếp tục bị nôn, bạn có thể đổi cho bé ăn sữa bằng thìa.

- Đưa bé đi khám: Nếu trong vòng 1 tháng sau khi chào đời, bé xuất hiện dấu hiệu bị trớ liên tục (cứ ăn xong là trớ) thì bạn nên đưa bé đi khám. Trường hợp này có thể là do bé đang mắc phải chứng hẹp môn vị. Bác sĩ sẽ tiến hành một cuộc tiểu phẫu để giải quyết vấn đề này ở bé.

Các dấu hiệu khác, bạn nên đưa bé đi khám bao gồm:

- Bé mọc nanh sữa: Dấu hiệu thường thấy là ở lợi bé xuất hiện những nốt trắng, trông giống như trứng cá; bé bị chảy nhiều dãi; bé khó chịu khi bú; bé quấy khóc trong lúc ngủ... Trường hợp này, bác sĩ có thể dùng dụng cụ chuyên dụng để chọc (trích) nanh sữa cho bé.

- Bé bị đau bụng, trướng bụng.

- Bé bị co giật, xuất hiện dấu hiệu mất nước như môi bé bị khô, bé ít đi tiểu (thay dưới 6 chiếc tã do bé đi tiểu mỗi ngày).

- Bé trớ ra máu hoặc đờm màu xanh.

Bạn nên hỏi ý kiến bác sĩ trước khi muốn dùng thuốc chống nôn trớ dành cho bé. Thông thường, hiện tượng nôn trớ ở bé sẽ giảm dần và mất hẳn khi bé lớn hơn (ít khi để lại hậu quả nghiêm trọng cho sức khỏe của bé).

theo: hnsv.com

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Posted in: Health

Wanted: Better products, and an even better attitude

(An Audi waiting its turn at a gas station in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.)

My father once told me: “You lose not because your rivals are too strong to be defeated, but because you’re not strong enough to win. So, make yourself strong first.”

I think this lesson should be applied to the current problem facing the Vietnamese economy: the crazy import of luxury goods.

The General Statistics Office recently announced that Vietnam imported luxury goods worth a total of US$10 billion last year.

It’s not a shocking figure these days, considering how frequently we see cars costing millions of dollars, mobile phones costing hundreds of millions of dong, or foreign liquor bottles that cost the annual income of a civil servant.

What’s shocking is that even though high taxes have been imposed on luxury goods for years, the imports continue to increase.

There is a 300 percent import tax on cars on average, but Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Aston Martins were still shipped to Vietnam last year. It is said that most “super luxury cars” are already present in Vietnam.

Some people argue that those who have money have the right to buy what they want, including branded and luxury goods.

However, with the country facing serious problems like the rising gap between the rich and the poor, and the scarcity of foreign reserves, not to mention an annual per capital income of just over $1,000, overspending on luxurious goods by rich people is no longer their own affair.

Certainly not when their behavior is worsening the country’s trade deficit.

To deal with this problem, administrative measures like taxing and placing restrictions on foreign currency loans aren’t enough.

What matters here is people’s attitude. Once a matter of shame, people actually think ostentatious consumption, especially of foreign goods adds to their prestige!

I feel that to change this belief, we need to improve the quality of domestic goods and services, while organizing a long-term campaign to promote their consumption.

If we have good products and services that satisfy consumers, foreign products will have no way to dominate local markets anymore.

In South Korea, for example, local consumers’ support of domestic goods has helped the car, electronics and cosmetics industries develop strongly not only within the country but in export markets as well.

If experts are alarmed by the import of luxury goods in Vietnam, it means that the Vietnamese people’s undue preference for foreign goods is also cause for alarm.

If we don’t act now to instill a sense of national pride, the country’s trade deficit problem will only grow.

Reported by Nguyen Hang

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Posted in: Experimental Society

For want of a word, a world is lost

The site of an accident at Ghenh Bridge, Dong Nai Province on February 6, when a train ploughed into six cars, killing two and injuring 24 others. Two taxi drivers arguing over who should give way first led to the shocking accident.

Sorry.

As children, we are taught to say this every time we make a mistake, and often the “mistakes” were something that were understood as such by adults, while we were just having fun or doing something “cool.”

We said sorry often, even when we thought we were not in the wrong, because it was easier than having to argue or explain things. We understood, perhaps instinctively, that it was easier to say sorry and move on, and that we were none the worse for having apologized.

However, this lesson seems lost on us as we become adults. However wrong we are, the word seems to get stuck in our throat. It is as though we lose something precious when we say we are sorry. What do we lose? We lose face? We lose our self-esteem? We lose others’ respect when we admit we are wrong?

The absence of a timely apology turns farce into tragedy. Trivial disputes end in death, even. Two taxi drivers arguing over who should give way first led to the shocking accident during this Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, when a train ploughed into six cars, killing two and injuring 24 others.

Someone remarked: “If only one of the drivers had said sorry, they then could have settled the dispute before the train came...”

We can also look at how the history of the world would have been different if people had said sorry.

When late US Defense Secretary Robert McNamara wrote “In Retrospect,” admitting in effect that the Vietnam War was a mistake, he took great pains to stress he was not saying sorry. Unlike him and other war mongers, many American individuals, especially veterans of the war, have said sorry, in as many words, and through myriad humanitarian gestures. It enabled them to find closure, to move on.

The refusal to say sorry does more damage than allowing wounds to fester. It makes more mistakes, more lies, and worse atrocities possible, as the world is seeing today. It makes it possible to move from Agent Orange to Depleted Uranium. It makes it possible to move from Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the sheer madness of “bunker busters.”

Do we really lose face, self-respect and more when we say sorry?

Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd earned the admiration of the world when he apologized to the Aborigines and the Stolen Generation for the terrible suffering they were subjected to, taking the first step toward healing unbearably painful wounds.

The proverb goes: “To err is human, to forgive divine.”

We can make that divinity possible by the simple act of saying sorry and meaning it.

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Posted in: Experimental Society

Vietnam central bank to punish lenders that fail to cut credit

The State Bank of Vietnam said on Tuesday it will double reserve requirements for banks which fail to bring down their credit growth this year, as policymakers try to curb double-digit inflation.

Banks are required to reduce loans for non-production activities to 22 percent of total credit by June 30 and to 16 percent by the end of this year, the central bank said in a directive on its website (www.sbv.gov.vn).

The central bank will double reserve requirements for banks which fail to meet the targets, and restrict their operation in the second half of this year and in 2011, the directive said.

It did not say what percentage of total credit went toward non-production activities now.

Bank reserve requirements range from 1 percent to 3 percent, depending on the type of lenders and loans they offer.

The central bank aims to cut credit growth this year to below 20 percent from an initial target of 23 percent and bring money supply growth to 15-16 percent from 21-24 percent in an effort to contain price pressures.

Credit continued to grow quickly in the past few months even though lending rates soared to 20-24 percent, because much of the funds from such loans flowed into property investment, state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper on Tuesday quoted central bank Deputy Governor Tran Minh Tuan as saying.

Source: Reuters

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Posted in: Business

Hanoi opens HIV/AIDS hospita

Hanoi inaugurated the city's first hospital dedicated to those living with HIV/AIDS in the outlying district of Thanh Tri.

The hospital, officially known as Hospital 09, contains 200 patient beds. City officials said it will provide regular check-ups and outpatient treatment for the city's HIV carriers in addition to inpatient care for AIDS patients.

The hospital has also been tasked with contributing to international research efforts related to HIV/AIDS diagnosis, care and treatment.

Last month, the Hanoi Health Department unveiled the city's HIV/AIDS Patients Fund to provide quality medical treatment and help patients integrate into the community.

Hanoi is among one of five locations in Vietnam with the highest concentration of HIV/AIDS cases.

The capitol recorded 275 per 100,000 people infected and 1,549 new infections last year, according to the department.

Vietnam's first case was discovered in 1993.

Since then, the city has diagnosed 22,078 HIV patients, as of the end of last year, most of them sex workers and drug users, the department said.

Among the diagnoses, 8,409 of those patients have developed AIDS, and 3,519 have died of related illnesses.

Source: VNA

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Posted in: Health

Mẹ bị cúm có nên cho con bú?

Bà mẹ cho con bú giống như mọi giai đoạn khác của cơ thể, không có khả năng phòng chống đặc hiệu đủ mạnh để không bị nhiễm cúm. Việc bà mẹ bị nhiễm cúm là hoàn toàn có thể xảy ra trong mùa dịch. Vậy khi bà mẹ bị cúm, có nên tiếp tục cho con bú hay không?

Cúm dễ lây truyền

Vốn là một bệnh do virut gây ra, bệnh cúm là một bệnh truyền nhiễm có khả năng lây lan nhanh và tiến triển thành vụ dịch. Bệnh lây truyền qua đường hô hấp, virut cúm có thể lan qua sự tiếp xúc trực tiếp với người bệnh, qua những hạt nước nhỏ li ti mà người bệnh bắn ra hay qua sự tiếp xúc với các đồ đạc nhiễm virut. Bằng những phương thức này mà từ một người bị nhiễm, virut cúm nhanh chóng lan ra cả cộng đồng dân cư.

Cơ quan đích của virut cúm là bộ phận đường hô hấp trên mà ở đó tế bào biểu mô đường hô hấp nhạy cảm nhất. Đây là những tế bào đầu tiên virut cúm bám dính, xâm nhập và nhân bản. Đây cũng là những tế bào đầu tiên gây ra bệnh cúm cho cơ thể. Một khi virut xâm nhập và gây bệnh thì cơ thể người bệnh sẽ có những biểu hiện điển hình: ho, hắt hơi, sổ mũi, khạc đờm trong, sốt cao, mệt mỏi. Ở một điều kiện bình thường cúm có thể tự khỏi sau khoảng 2 tuần, nhưng ở một số đối tượng mẫn cảm thì cúm lại gây những biến thể nặng như viêm phổi, viêm màng não, viêm não, viêm và hoại tử cơ, viêm cơ tim và có thể dẫn đến tử vong. Một trong số các đối tượng này là phụ nữ mang thai và trẻ em trong thời kỳ bú mẹ.

Việc bà mẹ đang cho con bú bị nhiễm cúm là hoàn toàn có thể xảy ra trong mùa dịch. Vậy khi bà mẹ bị cúm, liệu virut cúm vào được sữa hay không.

Cúm qua sữa mẹ, có hay không?

Như đã nói ở trên, virut cúm đặc biệt mẫn cảm với đường hô hấp trên vì ở đó virut dễ bám dính và dễ xâm nhập. Tuy nhiên không phải cứ bám dính được là chúng có thể gây bệnh. Chúng sẽ vấp phải một loạt hàng rào phòng ngự bảo vệ như các kháng thể IgA có sẵn trong dịch nhầy của đường hô hấp, các tế bào có thẩm quyền miễn dịch như các tế bào lympho, các đại thực bào luôn tuần tra canh gác cẩn thận. Những thành phần này sẽ làm giảm phần lớn khả năng xâm nhập tế bào của virut cúm. Nhưng vẫn có một tỷ lệ nhỏ virut lách được thành công, chúng chui vào trong tế bào biểu mô mũi, họng, hầu… bắt những tế bào này tổng hợp nên các virut mới và hủy tế bào để giải phóng ra các thế hệ virut con cháu. Những virut này tiếp tục xâm nhập các tế bào liền kề gây ra hủy hoại mang tính đồng loạt ở đường hô hấp trên.

Nếu virut cúm vượt qua được mọi hàng rào bảo vệ ở trên thì virut sẽ đi vào máu và gây ra tình trạng nhiễm virut huyết. Tuy nhiên, cho đến ngày nay, người ta thấy rằng, tình trạng nhiễm virut huyết là rất khó xảy ra. Chúng chỉ xảy ra ở những trường hợp có hệ miễn dịch quá yếu hay ở những đối tượng bị suy giảm miễn dịch nghiêm trọng. Và thậm chí, ngay cả những trường hợp nhiễm virut huyết thì dù có bị tổn thương các cơ quan khác như não, tim, thận thì hiện tượng virut sinh tồn trong tuyến sữa là rất hiếm nếu như không muốn nói là không có. Nồng độ virut trong máu là rất thấp. Người ta đã nghiên cứu nhiều và chưa có một bằng chứng nào chứng minh được là bà mẹ bị cúm thì sẽ nhiễm virut cúm trong sữa của mình. Hay nói một cách dễ hiểu là virut cúm không lây qua đường sữa mẹ.

Tuy không lây qua đường sữa mẹ nhưng virut cúm lại rất dễ lây qua đường hô hấp. Chỉ cần một cái hắt hơi của mẹ, hay một cái vuốt ve môi mũi con cũng đủ làm con bị nhiễm virut nếu trẻ đang trong giai đoạn sơ sinh. Mà những hiện tượng này rất dễ gặp khi bà mẹ cho con bú. Vì vậy khi người mẹ đang ở giai đoạn cho con bú cần giữ gìn để tránh mắc bệnh cúm. Nếu không may bị nhiễm cúm cần thận trọng để tránh lây nhiễm cho con.

Theo: Suckhoedoisong.vn

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