Chemical in antibacterial soap fed to nursing rats harms offspring, study finds

June 17, 2013 ? A mother's exposure to triclocarban, a common antibacterial chemical, while nursing her babies shortens the life of her female offspring, a new study in rats finds.

The results were presented Monday at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

Commonly used in antibacterial soap and other personal care products, triclocarban has the potential for a large portion of the public to be exposed to it, said the study's lead author, Rebekah Kennedy, a graduate student in the Department of Public Health at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

"Our study provides supporting evidence for the potential adverse effects of triclocarban exposure during early life, specifically during the lactation period," Kennedy said. "The results indicate that a mother's long-term use of this compound might affect the early development of her offspring, at least according to our animal model."

Past studies by the senior investigator, Jiangang Chen, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee, showed that triclocarban enhances the growth of sex organs in the adult male rat. In this study, the researchers sought to learn if exposure to the same compound, either in the womb or during lactation, would affect rat pups.

Beginning on pregnancy day 5 and continuing until 21 days after giving birth, maternal rats continuously had free access to regular rat chow (the control rats) or chow supplemented with either 0.2 or 0.5 percent triclocarban. The doses found in the blood of maternal rats exposed to triclocarban correspond to blood levels of triclocarban in humans after a 15-minute whole-body shower using a bar soap containing 0.6 percent triclocarban, Chen said.

After birth, some littermates were moved to other groups so that each rat mother nursed two of her own pups and two pups from each of the other two groups. The offspring were weighed daily.

Body weight did not differ at birth among rat pups from the three groups, but by day 3, pups nursed by control rats were heavier than either triclocarban-exposed group, Kennedy reported. Pups nursed by rats that received 0.2 percent triclocarban were about half as heavy at weaning on day 21 as pups nursed by controls, and only 4 of 30 pups survived.

The investigators found that all pups nursed by the control rats survived until weaning, including those born to triclocarban-fed maternal rats but nursed by control rats. No pups nursed by rats that received the larger triclocarban dose, 0.5 percent, survived until day 6. Among pups nursed by rats that received the 0.2 percent dose of triclocarban, 57 percent reportedly lived to nine days after birth, and only 13% survived after weaning.

"Our data suggest that the critical exposure window affecting rat pup survival is related to lactation, as all pups raised by control rats survived regardless of triclocarban exposure status during gestation," Kennedy said.

Although the researchers did not measure triclocarban levels in the offspring, they speculate that the chemical entered the gastrointestinal tract through the mother's milk and affected the pups' growth and development.

The National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences supported this research.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/grE4NvDM2vc/130617122146.htm

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Detox Diary: A Life Time Fitness Member Perspective - Experience Life

Heidi Wachter had me at hello with her first sentence in ?Detox Diary?: ?Normally, I?d roll my eyes at the idea of a ?health? detox.? Now that was someone I could relate to! With that, her article pulled me in. As I continued to read, the idea of a health detox became more and more intriguing.

Like many, I?ve struggled for years with my weight. Even as an athlete in high school I was heavy. As the years flew by and the responsibilities increased, college and then a career, marriage, and children ? one with severe mental and physical disabilities ? my weight grew as well.

By December, 2010 I knew I had a problem but managed to successfully convince myself that it wasn?t that bad until a series of (unfortunate) events converged to change my mind:

• I saw myself on a video recording from a charity event.
• I fell three times in quick succession, all three times as a result of simply losing my balance.
• My medical provider, a nurse-practitioner I?ve been going to for years and greatly admire, scolded me for gaining yet another 10 pounds. At that time, I weighed 190 pounds and at 5?5? I was beyond overweight, I was obese.

Faced with these events, I told my husband that what I wanted for Christmas that year was for him to research all the fitness facilities in our area and then buy me a membership in the best one. And yes, I know you can see my commitment avoidance to this whole fitness thing a mile away at this point. I?m fortunate his choice was the Life Time Fitness club in Beachwood, Ohio.

My previous attempts at belonging to a fitness club had never worked for me so I was still dubious at this point. However, I started working out at Life Time Fitness in January, 2011, determined to lose weight. At first it was all about losing weight; getting into better physical condition overall wasn?t part of my thought process just yet.

Time went by and I was going to the gym regularly but I wasn?t seeing the results I had hoped to achieve. I was starting to lose my motivation and wondered if I should keep my membership at Life Time Fitness. When it was time for my annual physical, I had only lost the 10 pounds that had originally earned me the scolding from my nurse-practitioner. I was relieved that at least I wouldn?t have to listen to yet another lecture about gaining weight.

Sure enough, the nurse-practitioner commented on my 10 pound weight loss?and in the very next breath essentially said ?You are still fat, what are you going to do about that?? Of course, she said this much nicer and more professionally but the truth is still the truth.

Well, that hurt ? and it got my attention.

Luckily, about that same time I discovered group fitness classes at Life Time. For someone used to team sports, these classes were a perfect fit. As I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried all the different classes, more weight began to come off. I was trying different classes, enjoying myself and having fun while losing weight so I was going to Life Time more often and working out harder than I had before. Because I was exercising more, losing weight, and adding muscles where I didn?t know you could have muscles, I began to eat better. Instead of being caught up in a vicious circle, I found myself in a virtuous circle ? an entirely new fitness experience for me.

As wonderful as all that sounds, when the April 2013 Experience Life magazine came, I was feeling a bit stalled. I was down to 153 pounds but hadn?t lost weight recently and was concerned that I would lose my motivation.

That?s when Heidi?s ?Detox Diary ?caught my attention. Perhaps this type of health detox was exactly what I needed.

My first step was to buy the book referenced in the article, The UltraSimple Diet by Mark Hyman, M.D. My game plan was to read the book and then decide if the detox was for me. Once the book arrived, I read it immediately (it is an easy read) and then sat back to ponder the possibilities. I knew I would have to be 100 percent convinced this was the right next step in order to be 100 percent committed to carrying through with the detox.

I decided to go for it but then the question became one of logistics and deadlines, when to start? It was amazing how easy it was to keep putting it off. Was this fear of failure, of not being able to stick to the plan or fear of success, sticking to plan and where that would take me? Hmmm?food for thought. At least that kind of food doesn?t put on the pounds.

My son had left for his first year of college in the midst of my weight loss journey and I hadn?t seen him for four months; soon it would be time for me to fly to Boston to help pack him up to return home for the summer. What better deadline than that? It was time to get started.

Following the pattern of Heidi?s article, below are excerpts from the journal I kept while on Dr. Hyman?s detox program.

Week One is preparation, getting ready to get ready is my favorite description for this week. I was struck by all the details in the book, tons of instructions for grocery shopping, preparing food and planning meals. Having grown up with a mom who was a home economics teacher, I wasn?t overly concerned about these details. If you aren?t used to cooking at home, these instructions could be a bit overwhelming but my problem had never been that I didn?t know what to do. My problem was in the actual doing.

Two things that did concern me about seven days on the detox were 1) eliminating caffeine and 2) eliminating gluten (for me that meant my whole wheat bread and pasta). Those two were going to be a challenge.

Typical for me, once I decided I was going to do this detox, I also decided I didn?t need an entire week to get ready to get ready. I decided to start the preparation on Sunday and the full detox on Wednesday. After all, I had already changed many of my eating habits and was actually eating pretty well.

Day One: Sunday

Ok, today?s the day. I take the Toxicity and Inflammation Quiz and score a fairly respectable 17 (mild imbalance). I feel pretty good about this since case studies in the book referenced scores from 80-99. I?m committing to this as jump start to more weight loss, not for many of the other excellent reasons for which someone might want to complete a detox. I?m ok with that.

I start my caffeine withdrawal by cutting my usual intake in half. Half of a lot is still quite a bit? coffee is my only source of caffeine but I do drink quite a bit of it in the morning. I also go cold turkey on all sugar and refined carbohydrates.

Day Two: Monday

I cut my caffeine in half again. I?m down to a more respectable amount today. I feel good and a bit surprised that I?m not having any cravings.

Day Three: Tuesday

I?m determined to completely eliminate coffee today. I start the day without coffee or even the green tea that is permitted on the detox but by late afternoon I have a pounding headache so I relent. I have one small cup of coffee (yes, the headache goes away) and acknowledge I should have taken the caffeine withdrawal a bit slower.

It probably doesn?t help that I?m completely stressed about getting information needed to complete my son?s college financial aid application, completing a project for a client and handling my daughter?s care for the day because her nurse had called off. When the nurses call off, my life turns upside down. Normally, because I work from my home, I have the flexibility to handle things but today I have a critical meeting scheduled with the president of a client firm, a meeting that had been difficult to schedule. In order to make the meeting I take my daughter to my husband?s school where he teaches and coaches track. Since she is in a wheelchair and requires constant attention, this is harder than it may sound, both getting her there and for him while she is there. I feel like I?m barely making it.

The UltraSimple Diet ? The Actual Detox

Day One: Wednesday

The word for how I feel today is relief. I?m relieved that I made my meeting yesterday and that all is going well for this client project, relieved that I got the information needed for the college financial aid application and relieved that I can handle my daughter?s needs better today even though the nurse is off again.

I?m feeling extremely upbeat and start the day determined to relax and enjoy the day with my daughter. I?m planning on taking a long walk and not stressing out about not making it to the gym again or not working. I remind myself that one of the reasons I run my own business is exactly this. I even promise myself to break out that yoga DVD I bought years ago.

And then life hit?what a day! Nothing goes according to plan and I run into problems with everything I do. Interestingly enough, I manage to stay positive and do what needs to be done. I get a little headache about the same time as yesterday but hold off on the caffeine. It?s a high energy day and I manage to maneuver through all the complications and meet the deadline for completing the financial aid application. I didn?t experience my usual 2-3pm ?crash? either.

I?m finding that I miss my coffee ? not the caffeine as much as the experience. I?m one of those people who can literally drink a pot of coffee and go straight to sleep so I?m not using caffeine to stay awake. I miss the taste, the hot drink in the morning when the house is quiet and I?m the only one up and about. I miss the experience of my morning coffee. On the other hand, I?m surprised that I don?t miss the sugar or carbohydrates at all and I don?t have my usual cravings either. The UltraBath is the perfect way to end the day.

My observation after this first day is that you truly can do anything physically, once you make up your mind to do so.

Day Two: Thursday?

I start today with the resolve to begin a client project well ahead of deadline so I won?t feel so pressured when I get back from Boston. I plan on going to the gym today and plan to use the steam/sauna to help with the detox.

Since I do most of the meal planning, shopping and preparation for the family it seems like I?m always thinking about the next meal even as I just finish the current meal. I decide to stop doing this.

Day Two of the detox isn?t hard at all. Hummus for lunch is delicious and reading/napping guilt-free is truly liberating. I have no cravings for late night sweets ? and I had even made cookies and brownies for my daughter?s class today. I notice the difference between what being hungry feels like versus what experiencing a craving feels like.

I still miss the ritual of my coffee?

Day Three: Friday

One of my ?perhaps? ideas in the beginning of this detox was to spend less time following the news on the Internet, a version of the media holiday Dr. Hyman recommends. I decided to follow through with this idea and consciously avoided the news as I began the detox. I?m realizing how much time I waste each morning, mindlessly clicking through different stories. I?m also noticing how I can easily avoid the Internet news and, as soon as I open my browser to do something legitimate for work, I?m easily pulled in and find myself clicking away.

What works today is being flexible. I substitute foods all day yet still manage to stay on the program. I try the Tuscan bean recipe from the book, it is delicious. The UltraShake is also working for me; it stays with me, I don?t get hungry and don?t feel sick when I exercise. (I use Version 3 throughout the detox because it is the easiest and made with ingredients readily on hand.)

Day Four: Saturday

I?m interested in how things will go over the weekend. I want to eat at more evenly spaced intervals in order to better manage my energy. I also want to sit quietly enough to pay attention to my thoughts.

A good surprise today ? although my reason for doing the detox was completely opposite from Heidi?s and my score on the Toxicity and Inflammation Quiz was relatively low, I?m seeing definite physical improvements.

Day Five: Sunday

Today began with the realization that I need to give up the belief that I?m fat. Although this is no longer true I?ve not let it go and I still see myself as fat.

I stay with the program all day, yet eat a great deal more than on previous days. Having family around and cooking, eating with them?

I?m thinking about how much of this I want to continue once the seven days are done. The UltraShake and the UltraBath will definitely continue to be part of my routine.

Day Six: Monday

Dr. Hyman recommended ?gentle? exercise during the seven day program. By this point I guess it isn?t a surprise that I ignored this recommendation and continued to do the group fitness classes. My rationale was to exercise as usual and if I had any problems, try a less strenuous exercise routine. Since I didn?t have any problems, I stayed with my routine. I start today with the thought that I want to stretch better, perhaps even do a yoga class.

I have a business lunch scheduled at one of my favorite local restaurants, one that specializes in Lebanese cuisine. There are lots of items on the menu that are part of the detox program, however, this restaurant also serves the most amazing warm pitas with Zaatar dipping oil while you wait for your food to arrive. This will be a major temptation for me.

Victory! I didn?t eat any of the pita/Zaatar today.

My observation today is that this seven day detox is actually much closer to how I need to be eating on a daily basis. One of the case studies in the book calls the detox the ?basis for lifelong healthy eating.? I agree.

Day Seven: Tuesday

I feel pretty darn good today! I?m not sure I imagined myself writing that on Day Seven when I began this detox. Like Heidi, I?m looking forward to adding things back and watching how my body reacts. I need to decide what I will continue with, what changes will ?stick.?

Life After Detox?

I noticed many of the same things as Heidi on the detox program, namely, I felt great, much better than expected. While I didn?t have the same hung-over and depleted feelings as she did in the beginning, I did experience the severe headache and nausea from caffeine withdrawal. Again ignoring Dr. Hyman?s advice, the first thing I added back was my morning coffee. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I am drinking less coffee than before the detox. I?m going to make a conscious effort to monitor the amount of coffee, allowing myself the pleasure of the morning experience while not mindlessly drinking more than that.

I slept well on the detox but falling asleep has never been an issue for me; I just wasn?t getting enough sleep before the detox. Now I am doing my best to get more. I?ve stopped falling asleep on the couch (when I used to wake up and head straight for the chocolate in a sleep trance) and instead, actually go to bed. That feels good.

Food does taste better and the sweetness of fruit is especially good now that I?ve stopped eating sugar. I had already stopped eating anything but whole wheat bread well in advance of the detox so I was interested to see what would happen when I added the whole wheat bread back into my diet. I bought a loaf of ?Seeduction? bread (organic, whole wheat and filled with healthy seeds) and to my dismay one slice lead to another, and then another. The rest of that day I felt hungry and continued to want something to eat even though I knew I wasn?t really hungry. Cravings had returned ? a hard lesson that I will have to control my bread intake, even ?healthy? bread.

Heidi was also correct in her observation that people detox for different reasons. I didn?t experience the same emotional detox as she did yet still agree with her ?stop, breathe, experience life and let go? advice. I learned to let go of my fat image and see myself as fit instead.

For those who might be considering a detox for my reasons, that is, to continue or jump start a weight loss, the good news is that it worked for me: I lost 5.5 pounds and have continued to lose a few pounds even as I added foods back. I lost 2 inches from my waist and 1 inch from my hip and officially moved from overweight to normal weight on the BMI. My score on the Toxicity and Inflammation Quiz is now an 8.5 (optimal health).

Detox Tips?

In addition to those offered by Heidi, here are my tips to help ensure a successful detox:

• Get a copy of The UltraSimple Diet and read it.
• Identify why you want to do a detox. Knowing what you want to get out of the experience will keep you motivated during the seven days of the detox.
• Determine if you need to make any modifications to make the detox work for you. Identifying those up front and working them into your plan puts you in control and eliminates potential obstacles during the actual detox.
• Plan on writing things down. Use your book or download the journal and print the pages you need in order to track your actions/behaviors (what you do) and your observations about what happens as a result. For most people this way of eating is so different from what they typically do, it is easy to lose track. I found writing things down really helped. Dr. Hyman makes it easy with checklists.
• Be realistic on your approach to withdrawing from caffeine.? Use the Vitamin C, too, it does help.
• Learn to ask yourself ?Am I really hungry? If you are honest, most of the time when you go looking for something to eat it isn?t because you are hungry. If the answer is yes, get something healthy to eat. If the answer is no, figure out what you are instead (bored, tired, angry, frustrated) and take action on that instead of eating.
• Be flexible. Stay on the detox program and be willing to change up dinner for lunch or try new foods. Find what works for you!

Source: http://experiencelife.com/hidi/2013/06/17/detox-diary-a-life-time-fitness-member-perspective/

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Daoud Kuttab: Has Obama-Kerry Charm Offensive to Israel Failed?

US President Barack Obama and his Secretary of State John Kerry say they are determined to solve the intractable Palestinian-Israeli conflict. They are using the carrot to do it, no stick.

It began with Obama's gushing visit and endless compliments of Israel, where he said all the right words, like "Jewish state", visited all the places, like Yad Vashem and the Iron Dome, and offered even more money ($1/2 billion) to Israel than the record $3.1 billion annually.

Obama has also given Israeli total political support in the UN and other international agencies including cutting off US support to UNESCO as punishment for daring to recognise Palestine.

Kerry has also turned on the charm offensive, accepting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's approach to peace -- by promoting "economic peace" -- and refusing to make public any demands that Israel should carry out international commitments regarding illegal settlement activities.

Despite all this charm, the Israeli government has yet to discuss, let alone vote on, a simple question. Does Israel accept the two-state solution?

Deputy Prime Minister Danny Danon said that if it came to a vote, the majority of the ministers would vote against the internationally agreed concept of a two-state solution.

No one knows what solution the Israeli Cabinet would support to address the ongoing illegal occupation of Palestinian lands and the military control of the lives of millions of Palestinians.

When Kerry postponed his unprecedented fifth visit to the region in almost as many months, few were willing to say that the Obama-Kerry plan had failed. While the US leadership has clearly failed to produce the most basic of breakthroughs -- getting the parties to agree on the reason for talks -- the second Obama administration is still in its early days and one should not, at this stage, talk about his administration throwing in the towel.

But even if it is too early for Washington to declare its failure in helping restart peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, this should provide Kerry and his team sometime to reflect on the overall mechanism of reaching the goal of resolving the conflict.

Kerry seems to have a three-prong strategy. Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said that Kerry's plan stands on three legs: security, economic and a political.

On security, the US dispatched a former officer from Afghanistan, General John Allen, to help address Israel's security needs. On the economic front, Kerry announced at the World Economic Forum a plan that will pump into the Palestinian areas some $4 billion in investment and economic aid. And politically, Kerry and team have been working hard both on the Jewish American front and with Netanyahu to produce a formula that will allow for the resumption of face-to-face talks.

Any observer of the tone and language the US is using with the Israelis will be left with the feeling that the Americans are basically begging the Israelis to agree to talks.

There is no hint, in the talks or body language, to the fact that Israel is the aggressor now and for the past 46 years, and that the consensus of the world community is that Israel must change its political course.

The Europeans, who are trying to help without appearing to be replacing the Americans, have focused on the need to invest in the Jordan Valley and other Area C lands. They are also pushing hard for a separate labelling process that will end the forgery of products made in settlements in occupied Palestine, claiming that they are made in Israel and thus getting a preferential treatment based on EU-Israel agreements.

Americans are refusing to apply any pressure on the Israelis. There are no carrots and sticks in Washington's plan. It is all carrots and the Israelis are enjoying every last penny of the "generosity" of the American taxpayer.

US interests in the region are not limited to Israel. A time will come when Americans will wake up to this simple fact. The sooner they do the better it will be for all concerned.

?

Follow Daoud Kuttab on Twitter: www.twitter.com/daoudkuttab

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daoud-kuttab/has-obama-kerry-charm-off_b_3432453.html

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OUTDOOR CALENDAR | The Sports Desk

THE SPORTS DESK

The authority for sports coverage in the Fredericksburg region.

FROM STAFF REPORTS

June 15: Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation fundraiser benefiting wildlife habitat and youth programs of Virginia. Shady Grove Kennels, Remington. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Adult and youth shooting, archery, raffles, silent auction and demonstrations. For details call 703/232-3572

or email jsaggers@gmail.com.

FISHING TOURNAMENTS

June 21: Night catfishing. Motts Run Reservoir. 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Discount advance purchase prices. For details, fees and private boat limitations, call 786-8989. Night fishing also on July 19, Aug. 16 and Sept. 20.

HUNTER EDUCATION CLASSES

Note: Sign up online for Hunter Education classes at huntfishva.com.

July 9: King George Recreation Department. Primary instructor Rick Wilks, 540/775-4625

HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS

Email the information, with subject line stating ?Outdoor Calendar,?

to Ken Perrotte at outdoors@freelancestar.com or mail it to Box 1069, King George, Va. 22485.

Permalink: http://news.fredericksburg.com/sports/2013/06/12/outdoor-calendar-24/

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Source: http://news.fredericksburg.com/sports/2013/06/12/outdoor-calendar-24/

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Every Mom's Computer Keyboard Looks Like This

Moms are at the absolute best. They brought you into the world, they raised you, they loved you, they took care of you, they Mom'd you. In fact, what they're not the best at is a very short list. Actually, it's just one thing: Computers. No matter how easy it is to use a computer, Moms will always find a way to freeze the screen and/or forward cute e-mails.

It's like their keyboards are made with specific buttons that are completely different from normal keyboards. I might love the disappearing e-mail button the most. That would explain so much.

Anyways, I love you Mom! And no matter what, always, always, always give your Mom computer help. It's just right. [A Zillion Dollars Comics via Design Taxi]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/every-moms-computer-keyboard-looks-like-this-513043809

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US leaker faces hard choices while in hiding

HONG KONG (AP) ? Edward Snowden, the former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about U.S. surveillance programs, has few options to stay one step ahead of the authorities while in apparent hiding.

One possibility is to seek asylum in a place that does not have an extradition pact with the United States -- there are a few in Asia a short flight away from Hong Kong where he was last spotted, but none where he is guaranteed refuge.

On Tuesday the 29-year-old Snowden's whereabouts were unknown, a day after he checked out of a trendy hotel in the Chinese territory of Hong Kong. But large photos of his face were splashed on most Hong Kong newspapers with headlines such as "Deep Throat Hides in HK," and "World's Most Wanted Man Breaks Cover in Hong Kong."

The coverage is likely to increase the chances of him being recognized although he could still blend with the city's tens of thousands of expatriates from the United States, Britain, Australia and Europe.

If and when the Justice Department charges him ? and it's not certain when that will be ? its next step will likely be to ask the International Criminal Police Organization, or Interpol, for a provisional request to arrest him pending extradition to the United States.

Assuming that Snowden is still in Hong Kong, the judicial proceedings for an extradition request could take a year, and once completed it would be up to Hong Kong's leader, known as the chief executive, to decide on handing over Snowden, said Michael Blanchflower, a Hong Kong lawyer with three decades of experience in extradition cases.

"Ultimately it is his decision," he said.

But even if the chief executive allows the extradition, the fugitive can request a judicial review and those decisions could be appealed up through three court levels, Blanchflower said.

Although a semiautonomous part of China, the former British colony has an independent justice system based on the British legal structure.

One option for Snowden would be to claim he is the object of political persecution, and fight the issue in the courts to avoid extradition. He could argue that he would be subject to cruel and humiliating treatment in the United States. Hong Kong changed its regulations six months ago to require that a court consider cruel and humiliating treatment and not simply torture when considering extradition requests.

It's up to "the Chief Executive to determine whether the offence is one that's of a political character, in which case the extradition is blocked," said Hong Kong-based lawyer, Tim Parker.

However, the strategy carries considerable risk because the U.S. could simply provide diplomatic assurances that he would not be subject to cruel or humiliating treatment.

"At that point it would be difficult for Hong Kong to resist deporting him," said Patricia Ho, a Hong Kong lawyer who specializes in asylum and refugee claims.

But as things stand now, there is nothing to prevent Snowden from traveling to a destination of his choice -- to one of the handful of nearby jurisdictions or countries that do not have extradition treaties with the United States.

One of the Asian countries without an American treaty is China, though there is no guarantee Beijing would want to risk a confrontation with the United States by taking Snowden in, even if it gained a windfall of sensitive American intelligence information in the process. Snowden himself has given no indication that he is prepared to cooperate with any foreign intelligence service, including China's.

China's state media has confined its coverage of the Snowden affair to factual reports, and on online social media, China's relatively unfettered venue for public discourse, comments have been largely muted.

"People in China are used to not having security and privacy on the internet, so this does not come as a big surprise," Peking University journalism professor Hu Yong said in an interview. Official media, Hu said, would "try not to focus too much on how wrong the practice is, or whether the leaker is right or wrong. They will use the news to highlight that China is not the only country with such practices."

Another Asian flight possibility for Snowden is the self-governing island of Taiwan, which split from China in 1949 after a protracted civil war, and since 1979, has not had formal diplomatic relations with the U.S.

In lieu of a formal extradition treaty, American extraction requests to Taiwan are examined on a case by case basis.

An official at the de facto U.S. Embassy in Taipei ? the American Institute in Taiwan ? said Taiwan has generally been cooperative on the extradition issue.

"Taipei has so far been pretty good on responding to our requests," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Also, any attempt by Snowden to come to Taiwan could prove extremely embarrassing to the government of Ma Ying-jeou, which while doing its best to improve relations with China, also seeks to maintain close ties with the United States, its major security backer. An official at the Justice Ministry said Tuesday there were no indications at all that Snowden would make any attempt to land on the island.

Aside from numerous flights from Hong Kong's busy international airport, Snowden could take an hour-long high speed ferry ride to Macau, also a semiautonomous region of China. From Macau he could hop over to Guangdong province in mainland China.

Beyond Taiwan and China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and North Korea are also theoretical destinations for Snowden, because they lack extradition treaties with the U.S. But the communist or authoritarian systems they share make them unlikely destinations for a man who has gone to considerable lengths to portray his decision to reveal National Security Agency surveillance programs as an act of conscience.

Outside of Asia, Snowden might also consider seeking asylum in countries like Iceland and Russia. According to the Kommersant Daily, Moscow has said it might provide asylum. But Russia is also an authoritarian nation, so there is no guarantee that Snowden would accept any offer that Moscow rendered.

__

Enav reported from Taipei, Taiwan. Chris Bodeen in Hong Kong and AP video-journalist Isolda Morillo in Beijing contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-leaker-faces-hard-choices-while-hiding-103510754.html

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Kaine Delivers Immigration Speech in Spanish (Taegan Goddard's Political Wire)

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