Times of the Internet

Fan in room linked to less SIDS risk

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 7 (UPI) --

Using a fan appears to be associated with a lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, in rooms with inadequate ventilation, U.S. researchers say.

Kimberly Coleman-Phox and colleagues at Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research in Oakland, Calif., analyzed information from interviews with mothers of 185 infants who had died from SIDS and mothers of 312 randomly selected infants from the same county, maternal race/ethnicity and age.

Mothers were asked about fan use, pacifier use, open window in the room at the infant's last sleep, room location, sleep surface, number and type of covers over the infant, bedding under the infant and room temperature.

Compared with infants who did not die from SIDS, at their last sleep, more infants who died from SIDS: were placed on their stomachs or sides, did not use a pacifier, slept on a soft surface and shared a bed.

The study, published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, found having a fan on during sleep was associated with a 72 percent decrease in SIDS risk compared to sleeping in a room without a fan. Fan use in rooms with temperatures above 69 degrees Fahrenheit was associated with a 94 percent decreased risk of SIDS compared with no fan use.

Lawsuit filed in tainted milk scandal

BEIJING, Oct. 7 (UPI) --

The first lawsuit has been filed against Sanlu Group, which is in the midst of China's tainted milk powder cases in which four infants have died.

A local court in China's central Henan province will decide in a week whether to accept the lawsuit filed against the diary giant, China Daily reported Tuesday.

The petition was filed by lawyer Ji Cheng with a Beijing law firm on behalf of the parents of a 1-year-old boy, the report said. More than 50,000 infants have been sickened by the tainted product.

Ji was quoted as saying the parents told him the child developed kidney stones from drinking Sanlu. He said the parents are seeking damages of at least $21,900 to cover hospital fees, travel expenses, time off from work and other costs.

As the child is still hospitalized, we will revise the compensation to befit increasing medical fees and other costs, Ji told the newspaper.

The report said Ji is among more than 124 lawyers from 22 provinces and municipalities advocating on behalf of victims of the tainted milk powder on a pro bono basis.

Tests have found the chemical melamine in the tainted product.

Jockstrip: The world as we know it.

Man struck by lightning while pumping gas

VILLAGE OF BARKER, N.Y., Oct. 7 (UPI) -- A Village of Barker, N.Y., man said he survived being struck by lightning, with only minimal injuries, while pumping gas into his car.

William Hall said he was pumping gas at the K&K Food Mart when he was struck by lightning and knocked unconscious, WIVB-TV, Buffalo, N.Y, reported Monday.

"Started pumping the gas, and I seen a very bright orange light, followed by a very bright white light, and then total darkness. I went out," Hall said. "I was very numb, shaky. Hard to catch my breath. My heart was beating really rapid."

Hall said he was unconscious for about five minutes but he awoke to find himself uninjured, except for muscle soreness and some small blisters on his elbow.

The incident was caught on film by K&K security cameras.

"Everybody tells me I'm lucky, and I feel that way. I really do," Hall said.

British cabbie well paid for long drive

PORTSMOUTH, England, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- A British cab driver says a man desperate to reach a friend's stag party paid nearly $4,000 to be driven from Portsmouth, England, to Munich, Germany.

Cabbie Mick Hogan, 54, said a man named Dave, in his 30s, had missed his flight and had no other option than to be driven the 740 miles, The Mirror reported.

"I thought he was having a laugh or it was one of my cabbie mates doing a wind-up -- but he was serious," Hogan said. "It felt surreal, but it was better and more profitable than being sat on the rank all day."

Hogan said it took him 17 hours to drive through England, France, Belgium and Luxembourg before dropping David in the center of Munich, the Mirror reported.

Honeymooners recycled for air miles

PETERSFIELD, England, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- A Petersfield, England, couple said they spent three months scrounging for recycling to gather free air miles for their honeymoon trip to the United States.

John and Ann Till said they collected more than 60,000 pieces of recycling during their springtime scavenging to earn 36,000 British Airways miles by turning the cans and bottles in at Tesco grocery stores, The Daily Telegraph reported.

"We would nip out to the pub and take a long route coming back," John Till said. "We soon found out where the best places were to pick up rubbish. It was mainly things like cans, Coke bottles and cans of lager."

"At the very beginning we thought it was going to be impossible to do, but as we were getting more and more points and working it out in our heads as we went along we realized it was going to be possible," he said.

The couple used the points to fly business class home from the United States after taking the Queen Mary 2 to New York on a honeymoon that included visits to Denver and Nashville.

Man named Fox attacked by fox, crashes car

DOVER, Tenn., Oct. 7 (UPI) -- A Tennessee man named Tommy Fox crashed his car while contending with an attack from a real fox whose tail he intended to cut off, authorities say.

After the Dover man struck a red fox that had dashed in front of his sport utility vehicle last week, he said he thought the animal was dead so he retrieved it from the roadway, planning to cut off its tail for a souvenir, a state wildlife official told Gannett Tennessee.

Fox said the animal regained consciousness in the back seat of his SUV and attacked him, causing him to lose control of the vehicle and flip it over into a ditch.

Records indicated Fox was treated for minor injuries at the scene by Montgomery County, Tenn., paramedics. The fox was found dead in the vehicle, but Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency wildlife officer Dale Grandstaff said it wasn't clear if it had died from the initial collision or from the rollover.

Gannett Tennessee said it was not known if Fox got to keep the fox tail.

Appliance tycoon named China's wealthiest

BEIJING, Oct. 7 (UPI) --

A 39-year-old appliance and property magnate estimated to be worth $6.3 billion was ranked the richest this year among China's top 1,000 wealthy people.

Gome appliance chain owner Huang Guangyu, ranked fourth last year, displaced real estate developer Yang Huiyan, 27, whose current wealth is estimated at $4.9 billion, on a list compiled by analyst Rupert Hoogewerf, China Daily reported Tuesday.

The report said China's billionaires have seen fortunes decline sharply because of the continuing severe downturns in global stock and property markets. Yang's assets last year were estimated to be worth $19 billion.

The second wealthiest in the country this year is Du Shuanghua, a 43-year-old steel tycoon estimated to be worth $5.1 billion, the report said. He was not in the top 10 last year.

The others on the top 10 this year had not yet been announced.

The report said the top three on the list together had wealth estimated at $35 billion last year, compared to only $16.3 billion this year.

Asian fund creation to be speeded up

BEIJING, Oct. 7 (UPI) --

China, South Korea and Japan, along with the 10-member ASEAN, may speed up the setting up of an $80 billion fund due to the current global financial turmoil.

The currency swap fund is designed to strengthen regional financial stability, with 80 percent of the money coming from China, South Korea and Japan. The rest will be shared by the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

However, China Daily, quoting analysts, reported Tuesday the fund creation process may be speeded up because of concerns over the U.S. and global economy.

The report said South Korean Deputy Finance Minister Shin Je-yoon planned to hold a meeting of the finance ministers of South Korea, Japan and China earlier than May 2009 as previously planned.

The $80 billion fund will create a multilateral reserve-pooling arrangement among the participants. It will replace the current Chiang Mai Initiative which deals mainly with bilateral currency swaps to fight against speculative currency attacks.

Analysts: Palin lost a chance to connect

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Oct. 7 (UPI) --

Two movement analysts, who study the movement of political leaders, say Sarah Palin missed a chance to connect with viewers during the vice presidential debate.

Karen Kohn Bradley of the University of Maryland and Karen Studd of George Mason University say that on a movement level, Palin, the Republican nominee for vice president, and her Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, both showed a sense of urgency and the increasing speed of their deliveries overcame whatever meaning their sound bites had.

The movement analysts say the smiles of both candidates may not have been exactly heartfelt or even remotely resembled pleasure.

The candidates took turns smiling during the other's answers. Each time, it appeared that a choice had been made: to smile rather than 'go negative,' the analysts say in a statement.

Palin was narrow in posture and gesture and directed herself to the camera, reaching forward, advancing and committing to a course of action. Biden was a little more open, gathering information and presenting a broader range of options.

However, Biden made a direct connection when he said, I know what it's like as a parent to wonder if your kid's going to make it.

Palin was incapable of responding to this authentic moment, which was rich with non-verbal information about Biden, the movement analysts say.

Blood test for Down syndrome created

CHEVY CHASE, Md., Oct. 7 (UPI) --

U.S. researchers have found -- in a small study of 18 women -- a prenatal blood test that accurately detected Down syndrome and two other chromosomal defects.

Stephen R. Quake of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and colleagues at Stanford University said researchers have long known that a pregnant woman's blood contains small amounts of DNA from the fetus.

The researchers devised a way to scan fetal DNA present in the mother's blood to determine whether the fetus' cells contain extra chromosomes associated with several types of severe birth detects.

The test developed is more accurate than techniques used in previous efforts to diagnose aneuploidy by analyzing fetal DNA. Aneuploidy occurs when there are either too many or too few chromosomes in cells.

Down syndrome, for example, is caused by a trisomy -- three copies instead of two -- of chromosome 21.

We believe this is the first demonstration of a universal, non-invasive test for Down and other aneuploidies, Quake said in a statement. We need a larger clinical study to understand a bit more about the best way to implement it.

The findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Law improves mental health coverage

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 (UPI) --

The U.S. economic bailout bill signed into law Friday includes a requirement that insurers provide equal coverage for mental and physical illnesses.

The New York Times said patients seeking treatment for addiction and mental illnesses have for decades faced higher co-payments and deductibles, as well as stricter limits on treatment. Supporters say the new law will help end insurance discrimination, reduce the stigma of mental illness and make it easier for people to obtain treatment for conditions such as depression, autism, schizophrenia, eating disorders and drug abuse.

The law, effective for most plans in 2010, will improve insurance coverage for 113 million people, the newspaper said.

Britain's obesity problem growing

LONDON, Oct. 6 (UPI) --

A study suggests Britain's obesity problem is significantly worse than people have been led to believe.

Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez of the Mayo Clinic in the United States told a National Obesity Forum conference that one out of every five subjects with normal Body Mass Index has excess body fat, putting them at risk of metabolic abnormalities that lead to diabetes and heart disease, the Daily Telegraph reported Monday.

Lopez-Jimenez said current reports -- that 66 percent of British adults are either overweight or obese -- understate the problem. He said the number is more likely to be at least 75 percent.

This clearly highlights that healthcare professionals must adopt body composition monitoring at an individual level to avoid mis-classifying patients with excess body fat as non-obese, he said.

MLB: Boston 3, LA Angels 2

BOSTON, Oct. 6 (UPI) --

Jed Lowrie's game-winning RBI single in the ninth Monday enabled the Boston Red Sox to advance to the AL Championship Series with a 3-2 win over the LA Angels.

Jason Bay, the man who replaced Manny Ramirez in a three-team trade prior to the trade deadline, scored the winning run.

Manny Delcarmen retired two batters to earn the victory and Scot Shields gave up the winning run in the ninth to suffer the loss.

The Red Sox will meet AL East rival Tampa Bay in the American League Championship Series, starting Friday in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Rays defeated the Chicago White Sox 6-2 Monday to win their AL Division Series 3-1.

Torii Hunter drove in the two runs for the Angels, while Bay and Lowrie each had a multi-hit game for the Red Sox, who won the best-of-five series, 3-1.

Ozone reducing crop yields

LONDON, Oct. 6 (UPI) --

A British study suggests ozone is reducing the yield and nutritional value of agricultural crops across the world.

The report from the Royal Society said background concentrations of ozone have increased in parts of the Northern Hemisphere by 6 percent each decade since the 1980s.

Researchers said ozone, which is formed when sunlight reacts with pollutants and naturally occurring chemicals in the air, damages crops such as wheat, rice and soybeans. The report said crop losses due to ground level ozone are likely to increase over the next two to three decades.

Until we have a globally coordinated approach that addresses the international nature of the problem, national and even regional level controls are unlikely to deliver the kind of reductions that are necessary to protect human health and the environment, David Fowler, chair of the Royal Society's ground level ozone working group, said Monday in a release.

Studies suggest ozone-related crop yield losses in India in 2000 were at least 13 percent for wheat, 6 percent for rice and 19 percent for soybeans, the report said.

Report: Tibet quake kills 9

LHASA, China, Oct. 6 (UPI) --

China Tuesday corrected the death toll in an earthquake in Tibet the previous day to nine from at least 30 that had been previously reported.

The temblor struck a county near the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The report said the earlier reported death toll of at least 30 was based on non-authoritative sources and needed further check.

The area that was hit worst by Monday's 6.6-magnitude quake was Yangyi Village in Damxung County, the report said.

Rescuers had recovered nine bodies from the rubble and said at least 147 houses in Yangyi and neighboring villages had been destroyed. Another 11 persons were seriously injured, the report said, quoting a local government official.

More than 600 soldiers, police officers, firefighters and traffic and medical experts were being rushed to the scene. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to the historical buildings or sites including the famed Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Xinhua said.

Another 6.8-magnitude earthquake shook Tibet's neighboring region of Xinjiang Sunday, but there were no casualties.

The Xinjiang earthquake monitoring network said the region also experienced 196 after shocks Monday, including two with a magnitude of over 5.

Powder 'hidden' in deodorant not cocaine

SHAKOPEE, Minn., Oct. 6 (UPI) --

A Shakopee, Minn., man was released from jail after two months when a white powder found in a car he was driving turned out not to be drugs.

Cornelius Salonis, 31, was arrested Aug. 3 for driving while intoxicated. He was held in jail because officers reported a white substance found in a deodorant container in the car field tested positive for cocaine, the Mankato (Minn.) Daily Press reported Monday.

However, the felony drug charges were dismissed Wednesday after a more comprehensive test performed by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension found no illegal substances in the powder. Authorities said they do not know if the initial field test was faulty or improperly administered.

The dropping of the drug charge allowed Salonis to plead guilty to a gross misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated. He was sentenced to one year in jail, with all but 90 days of the sentence stayed. He had already served 60 days and the remaining 30 days were taken off for good behavior so he was set free after the plea deal.

Blue whale sighted off Massachusetts

BOSTON, Oct. 6 (UPI) --

Whale researchers said they were shocked to spot a rare blue whale 15 miles off the coast of Gloucester, Mass.

Researchers at the Whale Center of New England said they observed the mammoth sea mammal for about 45 minutes Sunday while it was believed to be feeding on a localized prey source, likely plankton, WCVB-TV, Boston, reported Monday.

Staff at the Whale Center said photos taken of both sides of the whale will be contributed to an ocean-wide census of more than 300 blue whales that was coordinated by Canadian whale researchers.

The researchers said the whale was seen near about a dozen feeding humpback whales.

Blue whales are the largest mammals on the planet. The largest blue whale on record was 102 feet long.

Restaurant cancels skinny dip promotion

GREENVILLE, Maine, Oct. 6 (UPI) --

A Greenville, Maine, restaurant owner said he has canceled a free sandwich promotion for people who jump nude into Moosehead Lake.

Leigh Turner, owner of the Black Frog Restaurant, said he decided to cancel the free Skinny Dip sandwich promotion Thursday after the Board of Selectmen denied his application to renew his liquor license, the Bangor (Maine) Daily News reported Monday.

Turner said members of the board told him they'd be willing to grant his renewal request if he canceled the promotion because it encouraged nudity from patrons.

However, Town Manager John Simko said he contacted the selectmen after Turner called town officials to say the promotion had been discontinued, and the consensus among the officials was to let the ruling stand.

Turner, whose liquor license expires Nov. 9, has the right to appeal the ruling and request a public hearing, the newspaper said.

UPI Sports Calendar for Tuesday, Oct. 7

(All times Eastern)

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Baseball

American League

No games scheduled

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National League

No games scheduled

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Hockey

NHL

No games scheduled

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Men's and Women's Tennis

Kremlin Cup at Moscow

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Men's Tennis

Bank Austria Tennis trophy at Vienna

Stockholm Open at Stockholm, Sweden

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GOP: Obama is terrorist's 'best friend'

HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 6 (UPI) --

The chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania Monday called Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama a terrorist's best friend.

In a press release posted on the party Web site -- headlined PAGOP: Obama -- A Terrorist's Best Friend -- Robert A. Gleason Jr. said Obama's relationship with William Ayers, a University of Illinois-Chicago professor and former 1960s militant, is alarming and absolutely needs to be questioned.

We are electing someone to be our next Commander-in-Chief and I think it is more than fair to look into their background, Gleason said, echoing a theme that the campaign of Republican presidential nominee John McCain has been hammering since Saturday.

Gleason said the Obama campaign has admitted that Obama and Ayers were 'certainly friendly' and that says a lot about Barack Obama's character.

What does it say about the character of Barack Obama that he knowingly associates with terrorists? Gleason said. It tells me that Obama lacks the judgment and character to be our next Commander-in-Chief.

Obama's campaign has denied that Obama and Ayers were ever close and has called the McCain campaign's assertions offensive.

Pennsylvania is shaping up as a potential battleground state in the November election.

Nikkei takes another hit

TOKYO, Oct. 6 (UPI) --

Japan's Nikkei Stock Average took another hit after opening Tuesday as it and other Asian stock averages appeared headed for another day of big losses.

The 225-stock Nikkei, responding to the rout on Wall Street and Europe the previous day, dropped below the 10,000 mark briefly after opening, but then recovered somewhat.

In early trading Tuesday, the index was down about 325 points, or 3.1 percent, to about 10,148. On Monday, the Nikkei gave up more than 465 points, or 4.25 percent, to close at 10,473.09, its lowest closing since February 2004.

Traders blamed the decline on continuing investor concerns about the slowing global economy and a rising yen against the U.S. dollar and euro, Kyodo news service reported.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index had plunged nearly 879 points, or 4.97 percent, to about 16,804 in early trading Tuesday.

Markets in Australia and South Korea also were down sharply after opening Tuesday.

UPI NewsTrack Sports

Tampa Bay reaches its first ALCS

CHICAGO, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- B.J. Upton hit two solo homers Monday to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 6-2 win over the Chicago White Sox and their first berth in an AL Championship Series.

Andy Sonnanstine (1-0) held the White Sox to two runs on three hits in 5 2/3 innings, with four strikeouts and a walk, to win Game 4 and clinch the American League Division Series for the Rays, who are making their first post-season appearance.

Carlos Pena went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Upton homered three times in the last two games of the series for the AL East champions.

Gavin Floyd (0-1) surrendered four runs on five hits, including both of Upton's homers, in three-plus innings with four strikeouts and two walks to take the loss. Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye each hit solo homers for Chicago.

The Rays will play the winner of the AL Division Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Packers to rest QB Rodgers until Thursday

GREEN BAY, Wis., Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Green Bay Packers Coach Mike McCarthy said Monday that quarterback Aaron Rodgers will not participate in practice until Thursday at the earliest.

"I'm not going to practice him Wednesday, and we're going to stay in the rehab," McCarthy said. "Then we're looking at potentially limited Thursday was the conversation we had with the doctors, and we'll take it from there."

Rodgers, who has a sprained right shoulder, was a game-time decision in Sunday's contest against the Atlanta Falcons, but he went the route while completing 25-of-37 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-24 defeat.

"I thought he had an excellent performance with everything he was dealing with," McCarthy said of Rodgers, who hurt the shoulder in a 30-21 loss to Tampa Bay Sept. 28.

Rodgers has passed for 1,274 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions in five games this season, his first as a starter since replacing Brett Favre.

Mauresmo among 1st round Moscow winners

MOSCOW, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Former world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo of France was among Monday's first-round winners in the women's draw at the $1.34 million Kremlin Cup.

A two-time major champion, Mauresmo came from behind to beat fellow Frenchwoman Alize Cornet 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 6-4. Mauresmo reached a final here five years ago.

In other opening-day play, Russian wild card Vera Dushevina beat Czech Nicole Vaidisova 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 and Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova defeated France's Marion Bartoli 6-1, 4-1. Bartoli retired in the second set.

This week's top seeds are world No. 1 Serbian Jelena Jankovic, Russian favorites Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva, and another Serb, Ana Ivanovic. Jankovic, fresh off her back-to-back titles in Beijing and Stuttgart, was this year's U.S. Open runner-up.

Safina reached the finals at the French Open and Olympic Games, Dementieva captured a gold medal in Beijing, and Ivanovic won the French Open and was runner-up at the Australian Open. Dementieva defeated Serena Williams in last year's Moscow finale.

Wimbledon champ Venus Williams is seeded sixth.

Ariz. St. quarterback doubtful for USC game

TEMPE, Ariz., Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Arizona State quarterback Rudy Carpenter is questionable for Saturday's game at ninth-ranked Southern California, Coach Dennis Erickson said Monday.

"We need to get the OK from the doctor, and then see how he moves out there (in practice)," Erickson said. "I'm not going to put him on the field unless he has the mobility to be able to move and throw. He has to be pretty close to 100 percent."

Carpenter sprained his left ankle in the Sun Devils' 24-14 loss at California last weekend. The senior has made 36 straight starts.

If Carpenter is unable to play, Arizona State would go with junior Danny Sullivan at quarterback.

Python attacks German zoo keeper

UHLDINGEN, Germany, Oct. 6 (UPI) --

German police said a 126-pound python clasped onto the head of a keeper at a Uhldingen zoo while she was cleaning the reptile's cage.

A police spokesman said Renate Klosse tried to loosen the female python's grip by pushing on its mouth with her thumbs while her coworkers disoriented the animal by spraying it with hoses until it dropped Klosse and slithered away, The Mirror reported Monday.

The jaws of the snake opened so wide that, with one lunge, she was able to completely cover the woman's face, the police spokesman said. She feared that with a few more gulps her head would be inside.

Klosse was treated at a local hospital for bites and shock.